The Truffle Farm is about a 15-minute drive from Canberra city centre. It is a very convenient weekend destination.
Booking needs to be made in advance. In previous years it is usually booked out several months ahead, but this year due to the situation there were over 600 cancellations, which is how I managed to get a spot.
We booked the $225 per person package, which includes truffle hunt plus a 6-course degustation. The truffle hunt only option is $75.
Canberra Truffle Farm Experience
The whole experience is very well organised. From the moment the car enters the farm, there is already someone at the gate giving directions. The entire tour is led through the experience, and during the meal the chef also explains each dish in detail.
We first went into a small cabin and had an appetiser, while listening to an introduction about truffles and the history of the farm. After that, we went out to start the truffle hunt with the dogs.
Truffle hunting is done with trained dogs. The dog we met was a playful dingo, not the most skilled but very friendly and cute. You can also try digging the truffles yourself. Even a small one can be worth several hundred dollars. After digging it out, you smell it and then it is handed back to be collected.
After six courses, even your burps smell like truffle, which is quite interesting in its own way.
Important tip, because the experience is outdoors, the winter here is extremely cold. It is strongly recommended to choose the morning session around 9.30am to 12.30pm. It is hard to imagine how cold the evening sessions would be. Wear as much warm clothing as possible.
Overall summary, it is still a recommended experience if you want to try something different. I personally really like truffles, and both of us enjoy experience-based activities like this.
However, it is quite expensive. For two people, the tour and meal alone cost around 450 dollars, and we also spent another 170 dollars buying truffles before leaving. With Australian winter options like skiing being far away and hiking being tiring, this truffle farm experience at the end of truffle season was a unique activity to try.
At the entrance we checked in and were seated in the restaurant with sparkling orange juice, listening to the story of truffles and the farm. We thought we were going to start eating, but it turned out the truffle hunt comes first.
The dogs then joined the group. The dog was very friendly and went around greeting everyone before leading us into the oak and hazelnut orchard to search for truffles.
When the dog finds a truffle, it scratches the ground to mark it. Then the human part begins, using small shovels to dig it out. If the find is good, the dog gets rewarded. Everyone passes the truffle around to smell, then it is collected and the search continues.
After about an hour, everyone returns to the restaurant ready for food.
First dish is soup, very fresh and slightly sweet, served with small dumplings and slices of truffle.
Second dish is small bread with bacon, yellow sour sauce, onsen egg and truffle crumbs. The sauce is quite sour, but the egg is very good with a perfect soft centre.
After this, truffle butter with bread is served.
Third dish is wagyu beef with mushrooms, truffle mashed potato and truffle slices. The beef is slightly rare but very tender with no strong smell. The mashed potato is rich and full in flavour. Finishing the sauce with bread at the end completes the dish.
Final dessert is black truffle tiramisu with ice cream. At first it feels average, but the crunchy nut layer underneath makes it very good.
At the end, the harvested truffles are cleaned and displayed for purchase. There is no pressure to buy, and you can also spend more time with the dogs.
Overall, the food is enjoyable and the experience is very unique. Even though the value for money is not high, it is still a memorable winter experience trying truffle hunting.