After decades of growing food and wine for NSW, producers from the Riverina cities of Wagga Wagga and Griffith are welcoming visitors to enjoy it straight from the source.

The food bowl of NSW is fed by the mighty Murrumbidgee. I, too, have come here to be fed. After many years of growing some of the country’s best crops, the Riverina is now fertile ground for visitors looking for food experiences as agritourism grows and local restaurants make the most of the produce at their fingertips.

Agriculture is still at the heart of Wagga Wagga and Griffith, two of the area’s main hubs – even if they’ve grown and evolved in different ways since returned soldiers were given plots of land to farm.

The centre of Wagga Wagga feels like a big city, but I only have to walk a few blocks to find incredible neighbourhood restaurants – and even a hidden speakeasy. Just a two-hour drive away, Griffith has most of its best dining clearly on display on its leafy main street. Less obvious, but only an easy drive away, are the local producers now throwing their doors open to visitors.

Griffith: grown from Italian roots

Like the irrigated water from the river that crosses the region, the legacy of Griffith’s European farmers still flows across the land. Many of the returned soldiers who were allocated properties here sold them to migrants from countries such as Italy, who brought farming practices from home.

Frank DalBon’s father was one of the first Italian farmers in Griffith. He arrived in Australia in 1937 and settled in the area after the Second World War. Now Frank – who has been farming for 54 years – runs Morella Grove, which produces some of the country’s best olive oil.

“If you want quality, it starts with a good tree then time to process," he explains as he shows me around the farm. He’s leading more tours as visitor numbers increase.

In town, Zecca Handmade Italian is another part of this legacy. Famous for its pasta, including rare and obscure shapes, the restaurant is even decorated with colanders for lightshades. I pop in one morning and, although I’m tempted by the breakfast gelato, find the local eggs and bacon hit the spot.

For dinner I grab pizza at Griffith institution La Scala, family owned and operated since 1977. One of the pizzas is called ‘toppa’, and owner Alessandro tells me that decades ago his Italian grandfather named it after a dirty anatomical word, so if people were rude he could tell them to “eat his toppa". The name stuck and it’s now a local favourite.

Much of the food I’m eating comes from the surrounding region, so I join Robyn Turner from Bella Vita Tours to see it for myself. Along the way, we visit a fish farm, where ponds are filled with Murray cod, and Southern Cotton Gin, where an enormous hall of machinery turns picked cotton into clean bales. I’m slightly disappointed to find there’s no gin to be had here, rather ‘gin’ is short for ‘engine’, a machine that separates cotton fibres from seeds. But my dismay is short-lived as I marvel at this agricultural process. We also drive past groves of walnuts and orchards of oranges, before we end our day among the vines.

About a quarter of Australia’s wine comes from the Griffith region and, along with the big players of Casella and De Bortoli, there are also boutique producers, such as Yarran Wines. Sitting on its small, shaded deck, grapes close enough to touch, I taste a petit verdot aged in barrels, a montepulciano done as a rosé and a durif that could be the new shiraz. European classics, but with a local Griffith twist.

Wagga Wagga’s new cuisine

Just 180 kilometres away, Wagga Wagga’s legacy feels very different. I start my visit at Museum of the Riverina, where generations of farming equipment and an old rural schoolhouse speak to a history of integrated agriculture. An exhibit including snow domes and photos of waterslides also boasts that “Wagga was a popular holiday destination in the 1950s and ’60s".

Well, it’s popular again today, and all that farming heritage is one of the reasons why. With local chefs making the most of the fresh food, you can easily plan your whole day around eating.

A great breakfast spot is Mr. Lawrence. Next to the Murrumbidgee, it attracts quite a buzz because it’s from famous local chef Jamie Shepley. Although it describes itself as ‘somewhere between a cafe, restaurant and bar’ it’s only 8am, so I ignore the bar and stick to the excellent coffee with a breakfast bruschetta.

For lunch, I continue the casual vibe and head to Larry’s, a cafe in a suburban area about 15 minutes’ walk from town. Behind the simple facade are hearty sandwiches with fillings almost falling out the sides, mostly sourced from the surrounding region. The ‘fancy sausage sandwich’ even has some chilli relish from Frank DalBon’s Morella Grove in Griffith.

When it’s dinnertime, it’s HIDE Steak & Bar I seek. Head chef and owner Sârn Rudd used to be a veterinarian, which may seem odd, but she uses her experience with local livestock producers to bring generosity and connection to the menu. For a real treat, go for the tasting menu to try a variety of dry-aged meats cooked over mallee charcoal.

To finish, I find my way to Olivette. This underground speakeasy can be hard to spot, with no obvious sign, and the dark and intimate interior has prohibition-era charm. The cocktails are inventive and fun. Nick King opened the bar partly because he was tired of pubs, pokies and parmas. “There was no place for our age group to have a nice drink and not have to yell at each other," he says.

Well, there are plenty of places now. Wagga Wagga and Griffith are no longer just hubs for the region or stops for the drivers; destinations in their own right, the food is reason enough to visit.

Travel details

How to get there

By car, Griffith is a six-hour drive from Sydney and Wagga Wagga is less than five hours. Alternatively, you can fly direct to Wagga Wagga or Griffith with QantasLink and Rex.

Where to stay

The Houston is a grand 1868-built house that’s been converted into 11 boutique suites in Wagga Wagga. Many of the large modern rooms at Griffith’s recently renovated Gem Hotel overlook the leafy main street.

Tours to try

Bella Vita Tours takes foodies around Griffith and the Riverina. Learn about cotton at Southern Cotton Gin, a massive facility that’s open for public tours. Tour  the brewpub then join a tasting or enjoy a meal at Thirsty Crow Brewery.