By KATRINA BRANDON
GIPPSLAND is home to some of the best food, drinks and entertainment.
Last month, a new festival was launched at Fleet Wines, Leongatha, showcasing some of Gippsland’s best food, drinks and entertainment in one spot.
Eat, Drink, Play Gippsland is scheduled to take place at the Leongatha Railway Precinct this October.
“It is literally an unapologetic celebration of the best food, wine, drinks and music talent going around that just happened to come from Gippsland,” festival organiser Dan Sims said.
“This festival is all about shining a spotlight on the incredible talent that we have in this region, and to how they stand, not only on their own, but alongside some of the best in the state, dare I say nationally … bugger it, I’ll say globally.”
Mr Sims is chair of Wine Victoria and founder/chief executive of Melbourne-based events company Revel.
He has delivered wine and food events in 14 cities and six countries around the world, with the flagship event, Pinot Palooza, drawing sold out crowds since 2012. Running a host of other wine-fuelled events throughout the years, including on behalf of wine regions, he also co-founded MOULD A Cheese Festival in 2017, which is the largest celebration of Australian cheese in the country.
During the launch, Mr Sims invited others who had also contributed to the festival to speak about the upcoming event and share their enthusiasm.
While Mr Sims has only recently ventured into the Gippslandia world, he said that his exploration of wines and food throughout the region has shared more than just a palate sensation.
“I come from a wine background, so it’s always been fascinating watching the evolution of the styles that have been happening,” he said.
“Every single time I came down here, something was going on, there was a pulse, something was happening. And it wasn’t just with wine. It was food, it was drinks, it was culture, it was music, it was everything. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to move down here, because I literally wanted to have a front row seat.”
The Eat, Drink, Play Gippsland festival is divided into two sessions: Eat and Drink, and Play.
Throughout the day session, people will be able to wine and dine with local producers, followed by “play” in the afternoon, featuring local artists, who will share their musical talents.
Mr Sims said, “We want people not just to come down and eat, drink during the day, mostly play at night time and then stay. The idea is to attract people to come here and further explore the region as a whole.”
“It offers attendees who are coming here to the festival a snapshot of what the region has to offer, so that when they return home, they can start planning the next weekend.”
South Gippsland Shire councillor, Brad Snell shared his thoughts.
“We’re just a small piece of the pie, but it’s great to be at the table,” he said.
“Food is inspiring. It carries many, many cultural wonders. It’s warmth at a table, it’s warmth in a village, and it provides life to us, just like events like this do for South Gippsland.”
Mr Snell hoped to see the festival run for many years.
Destination Gippsland has produced numerous “coffee table” guides showcasing Gippsland’s finest produce and creations, featured in Eat, Drink Gippsland.
“What it’s really about is this little book here,” David Elder from Destination Gippsland said.
“This beautiful Eat, Drink, coffee table guide, five versions, six versions, currently in development, will be delivered on the event festival date, will sit in every tote bag that everyone who attends that festival, alongside their festival glass and this book.
“We hope that when you do get a taste or a conversation with the maker, that you actually then travel out into the region and really explore and have that immersive experience at a cellar door, at a farm gate, at a cafe, at a restaurant in a village, wherever that may be.
“The festival itself will drive visitation to the region, but by giving people a peek at our incredible producers, villages and attractions. We aim to draw people back and explore the rest and the best of what Gippsland has to offer.”
Companies involved in the festival are:
Food: Tinamba Hotel, Trulli, Messmates, Gippsland Jersey, Sodafish, Hogget, Loch Cheese Merchant, Prom Country Cheese, and Waratah Bay Ice Cream Co.
Wines: Narkoojee, Carrajung, Fleet Wines, Glenmaggie, The Wine Farm, Lithostylis, Caledonia Australis, Gippsland Wine Co, Corner Inlet, Dirty Three Wines, Bass River, The Gurdies, Silverwaters, Triffids, Bandicoot Run, Cannibal Creek, Entropy, William Downie, Patrick Sullivan, Blue Gables, Xavier Goodridge, Nicholson River, Lightfoot, and Wyanga Park.
Drinks: Maffco Brewing, Loch Brewing and Distillery, Natural Distilling Co, Gurneys Cider, -Sailors Grave Brewing, and Mates Gin Distillery.
Entertainment: Invy Horn Jam, Strzelecki String Busters, Steph Strings, Misty Harlowe, Jungle Jim Smith, Janie Gordon, Ozone Street, Emma Donovan and Melbourne Ska Orchestra.
For more information on Eat, Drink, Play Gippsland, go to
https://www.visitgippsland.com.au/eatdrinkplay
