Adrian Maguire of Enniskillen Orchard, Grose Vale, selling his produce at the recently opened Farmers’ and Fine Food market at the Rouse Hill Town Centre to Keith and June Notley of Wilberforce.

All the fruit is local to the Hawkesbury including the mangoes grown in a microclimate in Kurmond.

In a significant boost for urban agriculture and agri-tourism in the Sydney Basin, the Hawkesbury Harvest’s Farm Gate Trail now forms a complete rim around the western edge of the metropolitan area.

The next map of the Hawkesbury Harvest Farm Gate Trail will include destinations in the Penrith and Wollondilly local government areas after successful negotiations with farmers in both districts and councils wanting to progress their rural lands strategies.

"This means the Trail will extend from the mouth of the Hawkesbury at Brooklyn right around Sydney, down past Picton near the source of the Nepean," NSW Department of Primary Industries’ urban agriculture leader, David Mason, said.

Mr Mason, a board member of Hawkesbury Harvest, says what started off as 13 destinations in the Hawkesbury Valley eight years ago is fast becoming a feature of Sydney’s land and food culture.

"An increasing number of people from Sydney, across Australia, and from around the world are visiting the Farm Gate Trail," he said.

"Most recently there have been enquiries from airline groups keen to offer passengers something different on their visit to Sydney."

Two Farmers and Fine Food markets, with plans for more, are direct marketing mechanisms Hawkesbury Harvest is establishing in addition to the Trail.

Five years in the making, the second of these opened recently at the Rouse Hill Town Centre.

Mr Mason says Hawkesbury Harvest is the community element of a partnership with Land Lease, the GPT Group (responsible for the New Rouse Hill), the Department of Planning and Landcom.

"Development is a fact of life and what Hawkesbury Harvest sought to do was forge a sustainable relationship between the agricultural heritage of the region and the significant retail, leisure, commercial and residential facilities provided by the Lend Lease/GPT joint venture," he said.

"The farmers’ market has been integrated as part of the 120 hectare former agricultural land use site at Rouse Hill."

One of the self-regulating standards that Hawkesbury Harvest aims for in its market culture is that no stallholder is allowed to sell produce or product that has been purchased from the central markets at Flemington or from any other wholesale market outlet.

"This will meet consumer expectations that the food comes direct from a farmer and is fresh," Mr Mason said.

Contact David Mason, Richmond, (02) 4588 2144, david.mason@dpi.nsw.gov.au