A 4-day itinerary driving the Riverina’s Canola Trail

Tip: Before the journey starts, know that while you’ll want to stop at every bend in the road, it’s vital to pull over with care to not put yourself (or others) in danger, and always be aware of your surroundings. Also, as tempting as it is to wander through the fields, remember that the canola fields are working farms and private property, so exploring them may be trespassing or damaging crops.   

Morning 

Make your first stop at the Cowra Visitor Information Centre, which is the departure point for several interesting tours during flower season. The Fields of Gold experience begins the day with a guided tour of some of Cowra’s top spots for photographing canola flowers, while Fly Oz’s Cowra Scenic Canola Flight gives you a bird’s-eye view of the golden fields for 30, 60 or 90 minutes.  

If you want a more relaxing view from the sky, pop over to Canowindra for Balloon Joy Flights’ hot air balloon journey across the fields, which finishes with a Champagne breakfast.  

A family enjoy the fields in Cowra - Credit: Cowra Tourism Corporation

Afternoon  

The Visitor Centre also doubles as a local produce dealer, showcasing a variety of wines from the region, as well as a range of local pantry goods and crafts. If you haven’t already toured the fields, join a Cowra Sunset Canola Tour (bookable from the centre) to see the bright yellow fields with the best lighting nature provides. Alternatively, head to Glencara for a twilight dinner, to dine and dance within the farm’s fields canola fields. You’ll feast on lamb from the nearby paddocks alongside local wines and brews.  

If you’ve seen the sights already, book in for a meal at The Quarry, a fine-dining restaurant focused on local Cowra produce, set among the vineyards just outside of town. It’s the perfect entree for your short drive to Young, in the heart of the Hilltops region.   

The view of the canola fields in Cowra - Credit: Cowra Tourism Corporation

Evening 

There are plenty of farmstays and charming cottages in and around Young, including the beautifully renovated Old Brick Pub, occupying an 1874 building opposite the Lambing Flat gold diggings. There’s a fully equipped kitchen, two king beds and a fireplace where you can get cosy with a bottle of wine and the gourmet goodies you picked up earlier in Cowra. Towing a caravan? You can pull into Cowra Van Park, which is right on the river.  

If you didn’t pick up produce from your earlier stops, book in for dinner at The Cranfield, a beautiful restaurant set in an 1888 building, and a menu supplied by the orchards, vineyards and farms surrounding it. 

Cowra Van Park, Cowra - Credit: Cowra Van Park

Morning 

Fuel up for today’s drive with a coffee at Hussy Speciality Coffee & Kitchen and breakfast at much-loved institution, Wilders Bakery – it’s been operating since 1950 and the signature attraction is its award-winning cherry pie.   

From Young, set your GPS for Freeman Vineyards, along the route to the twin towns of Harden Murrumburrah. This boutique winery boasts two extremely rare northern Italian grape varieties: rondinella and corvina. The rest of the portfolio also nods to Italy. Visit the cellar door to sip a fiano or sangiovese.  

Local wine from Freeman Vineyards, Kingsvale

 Prepare for larger-than-life art when you arrive in Harden Murrumburrah. The town’s 1865 flour mills have been transformed with eye-popping silo art murals by Melbourne-based Mongolian street artist Heesco Khosnaran, who captures the region’s history in his colourful works.  

Back in town, sit down to lunch at The Muddy Duck. This always-busy establishment is more than just a cafe – it also sells quirky homewares, garden pots and nursery items. Another place to pick up a local souvenir is Harden’s House of Honey, the storefront and factory of a family-owned beekeeping business in operation since 1976. Take away a jar, hunk of honeycomb, beeswax candles or handmade soaps.  

Murrumburrah Silo Art - Credit: Brent Randall | Hilltops Council

Afternoon 

It’s a short drive through golden canola fields, you’ll get to Temora. On your way into town, stop past Lake Centenary where you’ll find the Sugar & Spice vintage food truck, the ideal pitstop for a coffee or something more substantial.  

This afternoon, you’re spoilt for activity choice. History buffs may wish to take a self-guided walking tour of the town, exploring Temora’s colonial and Art Deco buildings (maps at the Visitor Information Centre have all the info). And then there’s the Temora Aviation Museum, where you can not only glimpse one of the finest national collections of historic aircraft but experience what it’s like to fly one with one of three full-motion warbird simulators.  

Canola Trail, Temora

Evening 

Temora’s heritage is brought to life in many of the town’s cottages-turned-accommodations. For something quirky, check in to the Country Carriage Bed and Breakfast, where you get to sleep in actual train carriages that are fully kitted out with modern luxuries, outdoor baths, firepits and breakfast hampers. Caravaners and campers can check into Temora Caravan Park.  

Country Carriage Bed and Breakfast - Credit: Jeremy Kruckel & Rita Bromfield

Morning 

Getting up before dawn is worth it when you have a hot-air balloon ride over canola fields to look forward to. Goldrush Ballooning offers one-hour sunrise flights over golden fields that will take your breath away – and you can enjoy a glass of bubbles to celebrate when you return to Earth.   

Goldrush Ballooning - Credit: Paul Gibbs

When your feet are firmly on the ground, make your way to Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory, where you can sample a mind-boggling array of sweet treats, see how they are made, and then take home a chocolate pizza wheel, perhaps, or a giant freckle. There are also fun DIY kits, and there’s an onsite cafe where you can order morning tea, or something more substantial.  

Junee Licorice and Chocolate, Junee

If you have the time (and the gumption!), you may wish to stop past one of Junee’s most unusual attractions: the Monte Cristo Homestead. This is reputed to be Australia’s most haunted house. Take a tour… if you dare.  

Monte Cristo Homestead, Junee

Afternoon  

The drive from Junee to Coolamon is along the Canola Way, so expect your view to have a bright yellow hue. When you arrive in Coolamon, amble along Cowabbie Street, admire the heritage buildings (some more than a century old) and browse boutiques like Pak Gallery (featuring ceramics, art and fashion from the Indus Valley in Pakistan). When it’s time for a snack, make your way to cosy cafe The Station Collective or Coolamon Cheese Co, an artisan fromagerie where you can sample the wares before picking up blocks of cheese infused with native ingredients like lemon myrtle, river mint and bush tomato. Pick up a wine and cheese hamper for later or stay for a meal and a brew; the coffee bar is run by The Coffee Pedaler, a barista who used to home deliver coffees and meals by bike in the Gundagai region. 

Canola Trail, Coolamon

Evening 

It's a 30-minute drive to Wagga Wagga, your base for the night. Check into The Houston, where every room is individually designed, or set up your caravan or campsite at BIG4 Ingenia Holidays for a poolside stay near the river. Then wander to Fitzmaurice Street, where laneway art can be found at the back of trendy cafes and eateries. Make yourself comfortable at Wagga Wagga’s own brewpub, Thirsty Crow Brewing Co or the local speakeasy-inspired whiskey and cocktail bar Olivette.   

Credit: Thirsty Crow Brewery

Morning 

A rather suave little space next to the Murrumbidgee River, Meccanico Espresso and Wine takes its culinary and design cues from Europe. Breakfast bites on the menu include marinated anchovies atop sourdough, or crumpets with mushrooms, truffle and Greek feta. 

Before departing town, stop at the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, home to the National Art Glass Collection, a staggering space home to more than 700 works reflecting developments in contemporary art glass practice from the 1960s to the present. If you need another caffeine hit or snack before the drive, Mr. Lawrence brews Toby’s Estate coffee and serves it next to an innovative cafe menu mixing classics with Korean fried chicken, burgers and rotis stacked (taco-style) with sticky pork. 

Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Wagga Wagga

Afternoon 

Break up your drive home with a stop in Jugiong to enjoy afternoon tea at Long Track Pantry (they make amazing sauces and jams you can take away) or The Sir George, occupying a grand 1852 building. If you still have space in your Esky, pick up regional wines and tasty produce at Jugiong Wine Cellar, as a tasty reminder of your four days exploring the Canola Trail.  

Long Track Pantry, Jugiong