Truffle Festival: Majura Valley Experience

* I enjoyed the Majura Valley Experience as a guest

My relationship with truffles has been fraught. I’ve had dishes where I can really taste what is supposed to be a flavoursome delicacy, and dishes where I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t notice if it had been added or not. It’s been cheese with truffles and Frugii’s divine truffle ice cream which has really helped me understand the flavour and what I should be looking for, but I’ve still come away confused about whether my palate just isn’t truffle friendly. The Majura Valley Experience – a day of three different truffle experiences – promises to change all that.

We arrive at French Black Truffles off the new Majura Road at 10am for a truffle hunt. The sun is shining brightly but, as every Canberran knows, clear skies just means it’s going to be stupidly cold. In the shade of Canberra’s tallest mountain, Mt Majura, the cold is biting. As the last of the cars arrives, we head into a small shed where the magic happens.

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Canberra Centenary Trail – Section 1 (Mt Majura to Mt Ainslie)

I have a confession to make. I’ve never walked up Mt Ainslie. Ever. Okay, that’s a lie. I never had walked up Mt Ainslie. However, the Canberra Centenary Trail is a good motivator. On Sunday afternoon, I find myself taking part of an official Cententary Trail walkers-only detour between the two peaks of Majura and Ainslie.

Wine blending class at Mt Majura

After sampling and experimenting, our table has put together a winning TSG blend which we’ve submitted to our judges. It’s just a matter of time before they announce the winner – and we know it’s going to be us*.

Mt Majura

I’m not sure whether Boyfriend still hasn’t forgiven me about stretching the truth re our last walk being ‘mostly flat’, but he disappears to play golf the next time I mention a leisurely afternoon walk. It’s a shame, because I think Mt Majura might now be my new favourite walk. (And that is a big call.)