A TOUR of Ballarat’s best-kept food secrets has been planned for the Melbourne Cup weekend.
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The two-day Out of the Ground Festival will visit producers and wineries across the Ballarat and Moorabool regions.
A jazz, wine and cheese-tasting event will also be held as part of the November festival.
Organiser Wayne Whykes, who spent 12 months organising the event, hopes to promote local producers.
“I’m hoping to showcase the Moorabool area,” he said. “I wanted to promote the food premises.”
Three shuttle busses will travel between five different farms, including Donegan’s Farm in Gordan, Yuulong Lavender Estate in Mount Egerton and the Mount Buninyong Winery on day one of the festival.
Mr Whykes said people had the choice of visiting as many farms as they wanted during the tour.
“It will be like a school bus run,” he said.
The tour will also visit Mount Buninyong, Lal Lal Falls, Navigators, Scotsburn, Yendon, Mt Egerton, Gordon, Wallace, Bungaree and Dunnstown.
Mr Whykes said he fell in love with the region when he moved to Navigators, from Ballarat, last year.
There will be an evening movie screening and camp out on the Saturday night.
Mr Whykes said there was a promising future for the Ballarat and Moorabool food industry.
Out of the Ground Festival will be held on November 1 and 2.
Tickets are available at Ticketbooth.