| GRIFFITH - NEW SOUTH WALES - 2680 | ||||
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Population: 24,000, Height above sea level: 125m Latitude: -34.1716 Longitude: 146.0248 Location: 570km south west of Sydney Highway: Kidman Way (87) Nearest Major Town: Griffith Nearest Airport: Griffith Touring Area: Riverina and The Murray |
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 Plane in the main street | |
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Griffith is near Hay as you travel the Newell or Sturt Highways, and offers plenty of variety for
the traveller. At the heart of the vast Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, it has, in less than a century,
grown from a ramshackle collection of canal-builders' humpies to a 25,000 strong oasis that is as rich
in its brief history as it is in its rural success. Here is NSW. Wine and Food Country, a refreshing haven just off the Newell offers visitors interesting outings, insights into Australia's biggest agricultural food bowl, excellent accommodation and a wonderful diversity of wining and dining. If heading north on the Newell turn off a little past Jerilderie following the Kidman Way, and if driving along the Sturt Highway it is north of the road from Darlington Point, between Hay and Narrandera, a half-hour detour which will open up a whole new experience to the inquisitive traveller. Drive amongst the orchards that produce 60 percent of NSW. citrus and see the huge variety of rice products from the farms along the lattice-work of irrigation canals, taste the 'moorish' relishes, sauces and preserves made from fresh Riverina fruit and vegetables at Koala Gourmet foods, admire the commercial nurseries that supply plants and trees Australia wide - and don't miss the free samples at the wineries that produce 80 percent of NSW. wine and 20 percent of the national total. If you don't have time to drive around the dozen or so wineries open to the public, call in to the new Griffith Wine Centre in Banna Avenue; where you can taste, for free, wines from almost every winery in the Riverina, together with some of the local foodstuffs. Once you've decided your preference, buy by the bottle or case right there. (True wine buffs mark Easter in their diaries; festival La Festa celebrates Griffith's diverse ethnic community and its premium food and wine industry.) The annual Spring Griffith Festival of Gardens in October, attracts visitors by the car and coach load to admire some of the state's most magnificent private gardens and the famous Citrus Sculptures. But while Griffith is Wine & Food Country, there's plenty more to make a pleasant break for a day or so in travelling. Pioneer Park is a fascinating journey back into the past; some 40 historic buildings show the development of Griffith from the early 1900's when it was called Bagtown because the canal builders used the hessian supply bags to build the humpies. Many of these buildings are originals that were painstakingly taken apart on old farms and villages and re-built at Pioneer Park, others are faithful reproductions of long-gone churches, shops, homesteads and workshops complete with furnishings, groceries of the day and an amazing collection of pioneer mechanical ingenuity. Experience the Shearer's quarters style overnight accommodation now available at the historic museum. Lake Wyagan offers covered picnic areas and coin operated BBQs and a little way out of town is Merriwagga- home of Australia's famous Black Stump Hotel. Cocoparra National Park is a favourite for bushwalkers and hikers. For theatre-goers there's always something on in the beautiful Regional Theatre, and for those interested in a flutter on the pokies at the end of the day, a host of clubs offer the welcome mat to the visitor. With abundant water from the irrigation scheme, local gardeners have added Gardens to the Wine & Food attractions. Restaurants abound. With its large Italian population, you can be assured Griffith has the finest Italian cuisine (and the award-winning wine to match), and there are also Chinese, Australian and International restaurants offering a great diversity of meals based on the freshest of local beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fruits and vegetables. Accommodation is plentiful, excellent and inexpensive; opt for pleasant caravan parks or a score of hotels and motels for every budget. Griffith is not just an overnight stop to relax and refuel - its an almost compulsory check-point for the inquisitive, the wine buff, the gardener and the gourmet. And isn't that just about all of us? PLACES OF INTEREST: WINERIES 
Griffith Information Centre Cnr. Banna Ave and Jondaryan Ave. Griffith, N.S.W. 2680. Ph: 02 2962 4145 HOW TO GET THERE: | |||||||||
© Copyright Peter W. Wilkins