Fields of gold and sky-high thrills: Riverina's Canola Trail takes flight

With the region’s canola fields in early bloom, the Canola Trail organisers have teased a new event and brought back the popular hot air balloon attraction.

When canola fields bloom yearly, the region welcomes visitors to the Canola Trail, which covers Junee, Temora and Coolamon.

The trail winds its way through the spectacular fields of gold, allowing visitors to explore charming towns and quaint villages overflowing with hidden gems.

Temora Shire Council economic development manager Craig Sinclair said the canola blooms already looked great.

“They have come out earlier than usual due to earlier planting in a drier year,” Craig said.

“We’ve got the hot air balloons coming back from 23 August to September.”

Craig said there would be a new event this year called ‘Canapes in the Canola’.

“Canapes in the Canola is going to be in Temora hosted by St Anne’s College,” he said. “They will have an event on the 14 September from 12 pm to 8 pm.

“They haven’t launched the tickets yet, but they’re doing a save the date.

“It is an event we are looking forward to … dining in the canola field.”

Since its inception in 2016, the trail has become a significant drawcard for the Riverina during spring and has grown steadily in popularity.

“Spring is one of the best times to visit the Riverina,” Craig said. “The weather is perfect.

“We think the impact is getting the Riverina to different audiences. We’re generally very popular with the grey nomad markets.

“But with the canola, we noticed it is much more popular with the younger families and the Southeast Asian market. It helps to broaden the awareness to a much bigger market.”

He said since the canola blooms were only visible for about six to eight weeks yearly, this helped visitors decide to visit at their prime because missing them meant they would have to wait a whole year.

The economic development officer said while it was challenging to measure visitor numbers, anecdotally they had seen more people exploring, getting out of their cars, and taking photographs.

“Tourism operators also tell us a lot of the pubs and restaurants that had people in previous years have said, ‘I have come to see the canola and stopping in for lunch,”” Craig said.

“Our visitor centres have had increased inquiries about the Canola Trail.

“We’ve also had industry partners come on board two years ago – The Aviation Museum, Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory and Coolamon Cheese.”

Craig said collaborating with industry partners to coordinate marketing activities and drive more visitation through their channels was great.

Craig urged visitors to be respectful of biosecurity and not trespass on properties.

“You can get a great photo from outside the paddock – don’t jump fences and be mindful of biosecurity,” Mr Sinclair said.

“We don’t want any increase in weeds or noxious weeds being taken into properties.”

The trail has partnered with Goldrush Ballooning to offer sunrise flights over the canola fields.

The Canola Trail is a joint marketing initiative by the Temora, Junee, and Coolamon shires. It aims to promote the trail and grow the visitor experience.

The trail connects Riverina’s biggest attractions, which are within a 30- to 40-minute drive of each other.

To book the experience of viewing the canola fields from the skies, visit Goldrush Ballooning.

Visit the Canola Trail to learn more.

Original Article published by Shri Gayathirie Rajen on Region Riverina.