Undercover chef Wayne Lowe (the shire’s

economic development manager) cooked up a storm, using a selection of local produce.

Wayne, along with members of the Nambucca Valley Tourism Association, Mid North Coast NSW Regional Tourism Organisation (MNCRTO), food producers and owners of the Jacaranda Country Lodge, entertained the journalists, who were here to learn more about the food and wine of the region.

The special guests were Food and Feature Writer for Australian Country Style Barbara Sweeney; senior writer for leading travel magazine Get Up and Go Jill Varley and Editor for Queensland Times, Metro, Natalie Gould.

Nambucca Tourism Association President Jon Holcombe said each journalist would write a

number of stories gathered throughout the four-day tour, which took in Coffs Harbour, Nambucca, The Bellingen, Macleay Valley Coast and Greater Port Macquarie areas, to appear in their respective

publications.

Mr Halcombe said the evening was part of a stepped-up promotion of tourism throughout the whole of the Nambucca Valley, backed with council’s commitment to maintain its tourism funding for the 2008 and 2009 year.

“Other activities undertaken in recent months include the tourism promotion at the annual Nambucca Show; the region’s planned presence at the Brisbane and Melbourne Caravan and Camping shows, distribution of more than 700 tourism information packs to 760 businesses throughout the Nambucca Valley, and development of new promotional material to showcase the Nambucca Valley further afield,” he said

“We are proud of our efforts to date, but we need all the support we can get, to continue providing the highest level of tourism industry representation possible.”