The drive from Sydney to Canberra is taxing enough to want to avoid detours, but for the foodies amongst you, there’s an excellent reason to stick on the Hume Highway past Canberra. It’s called Jugiong, and what this town lacks in size, it makes up for in mouthwatering appeal, thanks to a trio of food and drink spots that are on their way to cult status, in part due to how they hero local producers. Here’s the lowdown!
Placed alongside a sweeping, meandering bend of the Murrumbidgee River, Jugiong spent a fair chunk of time as merely a pitstop on the highway. Travellers might take Riverside Drive for a detour into town for a cup of coffee, but otherwise, there was little to recommend it as a tourist destination in its own right. Today, Jugiong acts as a gateway to the wider Hilltops Region northwest of Canberra – but there’s enough here for the food-forward to spend the whole day. You don’t even have to leave the main street!
On your food voyage, you’ll want to start with breakfast under the vines at Long Track Pantry. The café is open 8am-4pm every day except Tuesdays, and their regularly-changing menu heroes seasonal and local produce. Nothing quite matches the simple deliciousness of scrambled free-range eggs from local farms, in our view.
Their range of jams, chutneys, and marmalades have won them accolades from the Sydney Royal Fine Food Awards, and the best way to enjoy them is in the Jam Factory Tasting Room, where samples of all 28 of their creations are on offer (with excellent coffee!).
For lunch, you’re not going far: head next door to The Sir George, a beautiful boutique hotel with a cracking bar and kitchen. If you’re staying the night, it’s almost obligatory to retire to the Whisky Lounge for a dram, or sample their wine flights with bottles from nearby wineries. Designated drivers can get their delights from the kitchen, meanwhile: the use of local and seasonal produce runs deep in Jugiong.
Here, that might result in cauliflower cooked over coals and served with dukkah, pecorino, and ricotta, or whole local trout with nduja romesco. Staff will happily recommend their favourite wines to match each dish, and the pub classics menu offers a slightly more relaxed fare. Friday night is time for $28 roasts, and live music every Sunday means the George is always popular. Unsurprisingly given the country location and the excellent food, it’s a popular choice for weddings and other social engagements.
Our third and final spot is home to the region’s secret weapon – which you may have already guessed is wine. Again, there’s a pleasantly short walk to help burn off your lunch: head out of The Sir George, back past Long Track Pantry, and you’ll find Jugiong Wine Cellar. By now, you’ll know that Jugiong takes its wine pretty seriously, and these lot certainly know their stuff.
Wines from four surrounding regions – Hilltops, Tumbarumba, Canberra, and Gundagai – are the focus here, guaranteeing that you’ll find reds and whites that don’t appear at Coles or Woolies. 28 local wineries are represented, proudly showing off the breadth and depth of the region’s wine-making chops. Ceramics, paintings, and jewellery are also for sale here, so don’t be surprised if your car is laden down with bottles and more when you leave.
Jugiong is fast becoming a culinary haven in Southern NSW, so if you’re heading that way, we’d definitely recommend stopping off to sample all the town has to offer.