Culinary tourism on the menu

Food and wine from Darling Downs a focus for group

FOOD and wine produced in and around Toowoomba will be a focal point of the newly-formed Darling Downs Tourism, according to its CEO.

The Wagners-backed organisation was launched at Wellcamp airport last night with a feast made exclusively from produce in the Darling Downs.

The menu, put together by award-winning chef Amanda Hinds, featured Oakey beef, Lilydale Murray Cod, beer-battered cauliflower from Helidon and Banyard quail from Pittsworth.

Darling Downs Tourism CEO Ruth Wetmore said the region’s high-quality food and wine was a largely unexplored tourism opportunity.

“We’re exporting all this produce (out of Wellcamp) but we’re not talking about it,” she said.

“I don’t think the producers are struggling, but we simply aren’t taking advantage – we are just not taking this on and owning it.

“I think it’s part of the psyche of regional Australia that we underplay our hand.

“There are ways we can shift the dial, such as helping the tourism operators to use and promote our local produce and see it as another string to their bow.”

More than 100 guests were at the launch of the tourism body, which was formed after founding chair John Wagner launched a scathing attack on Southern Queensland Country Tourism over depleting visitor numbers.

Mr Wagner said he was hoping to sign up at least 600 tourism operators as members within the first year.

“I have a very strong view that anyone who supplies or makes money out of tourism operators are in the tourism business, so they need to be with the organisation,” he told The Chronicle last month.

“I would like to see if we could get 600 or 700 members - I think it’s very achievable.”