Trundle Bush Tucker Day 22 Years On.

Trundle Bush Tucker Day has been running for 22 years.

Over the past 22 years there have been a great number of committee members and helpers who have made this a calendar date for many visitors and locals alike, to rekindle old friendships and make new ones, while enjoying fabulous country hospitality. 

The event has also helped the community, distributing over $165,000.00 plus many volunteer hours into countless projects and community needs. 

In January 2009 at the Trundle Bush Tucker Day AGM groups such as Red Cross, CWA, Cancer Patients Assistance, NRMA Careflight, Telstra Childflight, Starlight Guides, Trundle Memorial Hall, Trundle Mens Shed, Jane McGrath Foundation and Trundle Pony Club as well as local schools and sporting groups were recipients of the monies raised at Trundle Bush Tucker Day.

The Committee also forwarded $2000.00 to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal on behalf of the Trundle Community.

Following a letup in the dry conditions, the committee recently completed working on a street beautification project for Trundle which will benefit the town for years to come. Barrels of flowering plants and hanging baskets have been placed in the main street, to thank the community for their continued support and to make our main street more presentable.

About Trundle Bush Tucker Day

The Trundle Bush Tucker Day is a great social day for the community, the district, and the visitors it attracts in droves every year. The Bush Tucker Day donates it’s profits back to the community.
The Trundle Bush Tucker Day has given more than $150,000 over the years to local committees, organisations and schools, as well as the local doctor residence fund, Care flight, Child flight, CanAssist and the Trundle Starlight Guides.

It has taken a small group of volunteers an enormous amount of effort every year in order to organise the Trundle Bush Tucker Day, but the rewards of uniting the community and raising much needed funds is certainly worth this effort.

To understand how this event came about, you need to go back to one Sunday in 1987, when a group of young country folk decided to cook themselves a feast in their camp ovens at the back of the Trundle hotel. They had such a great time and the afternoon was so enjoyable they decided that they might do it again, subsequently the Trundle Bush Tucker Day was born.

For the next few years the Trundle Bush Tucker Day was held behind the Trundle Hotel. The day quickly grew in popularity and eventually outgrew its original home at the Hotel. As a result, the event was moved to the Trundle Showground where it is still held today.

From its humble beginnings, the Trundle Bush Tucker Day has grown to incorporate competitions, demonstrations and entertainment throughout the day. A typical day’s program includes skydivers, whip crackers, yard dog trials, bush bands and much more ensuring that it is a great day out for the family.

But ultimately, the best thing about the Trundle Bush Tucker Day is the Bush Tucker. All visitors to Bush Tucker Day are encouraged to try their hand at bush cooking and enter their resulting meals in the competition. Every year, our panel of judges have a very difficult time trying to choose the winning entries.
We accept entries in a variety of categories, such as Entrée, Main and Dessert (both Junior and Senior Classes). However, not everyone enters the competitions, some of our visitors just cook for their own enjoyment.

The Trundle Bush Tucker Day also has a very professional group of volunteers who prepare bush tucker samples throughout the day. These samples are free and always attract a large crowd of people interested in trying various different types of genuine bush cooking. A few examples over the years have been stews, made with camel, emu or rabbit, Kebabs, made with kangaroo or crocodile, roo meatballs and kangaroo tail soup.

Another treat for the crowd is sampling the tasty dampers that are made. The dampers are made with butter and cockies joy, cheese and bacon, olive and tomato or mixed fruits. This is a very popular part of the day. All the dampers are cooked in camp ovens in the coals and visitors, who are interested, can watch, ask questions and learn about the bush cooking process and hopefully take part in subsequent years.

After a hard days cooking, participating in the various contests and enjoying the daytime events, our entertainment continues into the night with live bands on stage. Over the years we have enjoyed a terrific mix of local district bands as well as bands from further afield such as Strum, November Shorn and The Bushwackers.

As the evening draws to a close its certain both locals and visitors alike have had a wonderful day and will be drawn back to the Trundle Bush Tucker Day again and again.