Festival a showcase for local truffle growers

by Courtney O'Brien

On an Icy Creek farm where his grandfather's ashes are scattered under a big chestnut tree, Wilf Sweetland had an idea.

It was 2017, and with the death of his grandfather, a choice had to be made.
Wilf couldn't bear the thought of the property leaving the family, having been a part of his life since 1973.

So, instead of selling it, Wilf and his wife decided to buy the farm.

"I'd always had this romantic vision of growing truffles, and with our cold overnight temperatures during winter, 30 kilometres from the top of Mt Baw Baw, it's the ideal place."

They planted 700 truffle inoculated oak trees in 2019.
Inoculation occurs when acorns are planted into soil with blitzed up truffle.
As the roots of the acorn grow and come into contact with the truffle spores, if soil conditions are right, a relationship between the roots and the fungus forms.
This relationship will be maintained when the seedlings are planted into very alkaline soils, and a few years later, voila, truffles grow.
"In 2023 we produced about 200 grams. Last year we produced about eight kilograms. This year we've done our first harvest and we harvested three kilograms."
Black truffles can be unearthed from June to mid to late August, with the best picking occurring after the winter solstice.
The couple hope for a much greater yield this year, with trees generally producing greater volumes five to eight years after planting.
A much-loved part of the industry and garnering great attention and success across social media are the truffle dogs.
Wilf trained their truffle dog Milky using scent training techniques, similar to how drug detection dogs are trained.
"It's a game for them. They just get a treat reward. They're not interested in truffles in particular. They might be intrigued by the smell, but they associate that smell with a reward."
The couple supply four restaurants, all of which have earned chef hats acclaim - three of these are local and one is in Melbourne and only buys produce exclusively from Gippsland.
Wilf believes West Gippsland is becoming a microcosm for the culinary delicacy.
When the couple planted their first trees in 2019, only another 700 trees existed in the district, now there are more than 5500.
Seeing his original truffle idea grow and flourish to become a large contributor to the first multi-day Noojee Truffle Festival, Wilf is beyond delighted.
"It's amazing that with the support of the Victorian government funding we've been able to centralise one here in Noojee.
"To be able to showcase that to the world, from selling truffles to the general public, but also to some of the best restaurants in the state. I'd love to get more people experiencing the overwhelming taste and sensation and aroma of eating truffles," he said.
Noojee Truffle Festival will be held from July 10 to August 2. Visit: www.noojeetrufflefestival.com.au