Marieke Brugman’s art of food by Nikki Fisher

RED HILL SHOW celebrates a century

More than 100 years ago, a handful of Red Hill locals got together to find a place to showcase their produce. Horticultural shows were part of Victorian society, an annual harvest festival where farmers and food makers could display their goods and compete against each other for a coveted blue ribbon that would adorn the best apples or most highly regarded cheese.

In the early 1900s, Red Hill was an up-and-coming horticultural area. The train line from Hastings was on its way and people were converging on the deep rich red soil to grow fruit and berries. In 1915, a site on the ridge near the corner of White Hill Rd was chosen and the land purchased from the Arkwell family. It was heavily treed and needed to be cleared before any judging could take place. In 1922 the first show was held in what was the Co-operative Cool Stores – now Blue Moon. The showgrounds were ready for the show in 1923 with a pavilion built and land cleared, although competitors had to make their way around the tree stumps. The years rolled on, more pavilions and facilities were built, and the show has been part of the community ever since.

The Red Hill Show, held on the Saturday of Labour Day Weekend, continues to celebrate locally grown produce. Over the past few years the Mornington Peninsula Producers Paddock has become a popular feature. A garden-like setting under the old trees is encircled by tents, marquees and vans selling local cheese, produce, beer, cider, and wine while live judging of specialty items is held onstage. “The Peninsula continues to produce amazingly high-quality fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy,” says the show’s executive officer, Bec Davis. “We still produce exceptional apples, pears and cherries on the Peninsula. Cherry season has finished by March but apple harvest is in full swing, which is why we have an apple pie competition with a $500 prize donated by local families.”

To celebrate the Peninsula’s strong grain and bakery culture, a new bread-making competition has been added. This is joined by a new sausage-making comp, with $500 up for grabs thanks to Melbourne master butcher Peter Boucher. The live judging session in the Producers Paddock kicks off mid-morning with judging by the CWA of the fruitcake section, a fiercely competitive comp with the glory of a blue ribbon at stake. The show also hosts Australia’s second largest cider competition.

New to the show in 2022 is the Horticultural Hangout, sponsored by 3MP. This is a beautiful, yellow-themed outdoor café setting with talks about all things growing, gardening, and farming. This will also be the 50th year of the tradition of the woodchop, where burly blokes in white singlets hack through hardwood tree trunks with razor-sharp axes. Add to this the sheep, alpacas, cattle and horticultural exhibits, plus the cooking competition, art and photography, and you get a sense of what a thriving, industrious and productive community exists on the Mornington Peninsula. RICHARD CORNISH