Reminder – FarmReady Financial Year Eligibility

FarmReady Reimbursement Grants provide funding of up to $1500 to eligible primary producers, wild game harvesters and Indigenous land managers to attend approved training courses. The grant can be used to cover course costs and additional funding is available for travel, accommodation and childcare expenses.

FarmReady registered courses aim to improve the capacity of primary producers to adapt to the impacts of climate change and increase self reliance and preparedness.

Over 520 training courses are registered with FarmReady, on a variety of topics including:

> understanding the implications of climate change
> whole farm planning
> financial management
> farm business management

FarmReady Reimbursement Grants are capped at $1500 per financial year. Eligible primary producers and indigenous land managers will need to have participated in pre-approved training by 30 June 2010 and have submitted all necessary paperwork by no later than 30 July 2010 to access available support in the 2009/10 financial year.

To see what courses are available, confirm that you are eligible and claim your reimbursement, visit www.farmready.gov.au or phone 1800 087 670.

There´s less than a week left to ensure your tourism business is part of Tourism Australia´s next international marketing campaign. It´s easy. Spread the word to your colleagues, guests, family and friends and ask them to upload a photo of a unique experience or aspect of your tourism operation to www.nothinglikeaustralia.com. A digital map containing all the photos will be unveiled at the Australian Tourism Exchange.

Make sure your area is on the map!

Good Luck!

Thanks Pauline

We also tried some delicious cheeses on the balcony at Red Hill Cheese, where they have quite a lovely system set up to try the cheeses using a tick off sheet with all the cheese names clearly listed so you don’t forget as you go along. Staff there explain the types of cheeses and how they are made before letting you loose on them, another great experience! The setting on the balcony amongst the tall forests surrounding the homestead is just delightful.

Stawberries too were on the menu. We left Sunny Ridge Stawberry Farm armed with mountains of the sweetest, plumpest strawberries I have eaten in ages and I must admit to also buying a jar of their chocolate dipping sauce which accompanied our stawberries later that night – wicked but wonderful!

On one of our day trips we also stopped off for lunch at The Long Table in Red Hill South who specialize in regional seasonal produce and Peninsula wines. The food was exquisite and the wines superb; coupled with an inviting ambience it too was worth the visit. Actually we also came out of there armed with some local produce; the Leontyna extra virgin olive oil they served with the bread was so stunning we had to ask what it was and bought some, I highly recommend you find some!

Another day saw us having a light lunch at Stillwater at Crittenden’s winery which is set on a small lake on the property; the perfect place for lunch under the umbrellas out on the lawn on a nice day. Their little local produce shop also saw us walking away with armfuls of goodies.

The break ended all too quickly but with its easing driving distance to Melbourne we’ll surely go back again and again; for those of you heading down that way pop in to the Dromana Visitor Information Centre for all the food and wine maps and have yourselves a wonderfully wicked time.

Cheers for now, Pauline

Offers above $320,000 means you get a great investment and a great little holiday house. It’s tiny but all you need for this purpose – downstairs a kitchen, laundry, bathroom and small lounge, upstairs a large bedroom and ensuite and a small room (either a study or small bedroom at a pinch), with small balcony. Give us a call if you are interested. Regards Pauline 0414872729