Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Next week the Scenic Rim in my electorate will be holding its annual Eat Local Week. The festival is an annual region-wide, week-long event with a focus on fresh food, wine and all things grown and produced within the Scenic Rim. The area is diverse with agricultural and tourism industries working alongside one another and they are both pivotal to the prosperity of the Scenic Rim. These industries are estimated to contribute around $210 million annually to the regional economy and account for around 30 per cent of the registered businesses within the electorate.

Eat Local Week is now in its third year of celebrating the growers, producers and businesses who make up such an important and significant proportion of the Scenic Rim community. There are a wide variety of events being held right across the region that will engage, educate and delight the palate. Even if you are not a foodie, there is something for everyone in the program. The week-long program boasts cooking classes with top chefs, the Zest Fest which is a community festival being held in the picturesque township of Beechmont, farm tours from the carrot fields in Kalbar to the vineyards of Tamborine, activities for the kids and the Winter Harvest Festival with live music, tasting plates and potato sack races in Aratula. It is a highlight on the social calendar for many people not just in the Scenic Rim but for people from South-East Queensland on the whole, with many people making a special trip out to our beautiful part of the country just to take part in the event. I encourage everyone to make their way to the Scenic Rim.