The surprising reason travellers are heading to this NSW food region

Frank DalBon knows a thing or two about farming. After all, he's been doing it here in the Griffith region of NSW for 54 years. What he knows less about (although he's a fast learner) is agritourism, even though people like me have started visiting to see what he does.

"I can't believe that people want to listen to what I have to say," he laughs. "It's been a bit of an eye-opener how many people are keen to see where their food's coming from."

At Morella Grove, Frank now finds time between lovingly tending to his rows of olive trees to show people around the property. He explains the production process, which involves pulverising and cold pressing the fruit, and then the visit ends with a tasting of his olive oils, considered some of Australia's best.

Frank is an important part of Griffith's agricultural story. As one of the country's main food bowls, it gives us most of our rice, a third of our citrus, about a quarter of our wine and plenty more. But for more than a century, since the agricultural land was given to returned servicemen after World War I, the local producers have focused on ... well, producing ... but now they want you, the consumer, to see how they do it. Turns out, agritourism is the new product that's growing here.

So, I jump in the car with Robyn Turner from Bella Vita Tours and we set off along the rural roads lined by fields and orchards. "There's a bit of a gentlemen's agreement you don't steal fruit off the trees," she says, as though reading my mind. "Just knock on the door, ask, and the farmer will give you a box." We start today's food tour with something a bit unexpected for an inland city with no river. Fish. But at Aquna's fish farm, the large outdoor ponds are filled with Murray cod, which live naturally in the Murrumbidgee River just 30 kilometres away. As they get bigger, they are moved into new ponds and the number in each decreases. Across the site, there are about 1.2 million! Salu Musu, the site manager who's showing us around, pulls out an enormous two-kilogram fish that glints in the sun. "So many people have never heard of it, but it's really important culturally for us," he explains.

Interestingly, although the Murray cod may not be served at your average restaurant, it's gaining a reputation around the world as a premium fish, on menus from London to the Middle East. For the past few years, Aquna has even been selling Murray cod caviar, which I get a chance to taste while here. Take that, Dubai - I'll just come to Griffith for my caviar from now on.

But back in the car, back along the country road, I next find myself at the Southern Cotton Gin. The initial disappointment that it has nothing to do with my favourite drink turns into wonder as the gin's CEO, Matt Leonard, starts to lead today's tour of the facilities.

"At most cotton gins, you can't do a tour," he says, explaining his approach to agritourism. "But even though I'm CEO, part of the remit of the business is getting that word out there."

Huge trucks bring in the cotton picked from the region's farms to be dried, cleaned and pressed into bales. Normally the machinery runs 24 hours a day, but it's currently turned off for end-of-season maintenance so we can go onto the floor. In a warehouse almost the size of a rugby field, with a soaring roof, are enormous contraptions for each of the tasks. "That's the pusher, no prizes for guessing what it does," Matt jokes. The cotton moves through it all in less than 45 seconds. It's incredible.

While cotton and fish are fascinating, grapes are a crop I really appreciate ... especially when fermented. Griffith is one of Australia's biggest winemaking regions, dominated by giants like Casella (which makes up 16 per cent of Aussie wine exports) and De Bortoli, but today we're visiting a small boutique producer. At Yarran Wines, it's all about creating something unique, as winemaker Luke Beltrame explains while sitting out on the shaded deck, vines growing so close you can almost touch them. "Our point of difference is what we do to it afterwards," he says. To prove the point, I taste a sauvignon blanc that's been aged in oak barrels and a montepulciano that's been turned into a rosé. And, of course, I taste Yarran's durif, the bold red grape that the region's smaller wineries are famous for. "The new shiraz," Luke suggests.

All of these stops at food and wine producers come together back in town at Griffith's excellent selection of restaurants. I'd recommend starting the day with breakfast at Zecca, housed in an iconic art deco building where the focus is on traditional Italian recipes. For lunch, Limone Dining (which is built almost entirely from reclaimed materials) regularly changes the menu to source fresh ingredients from local farms. And for dinner, Bull and Bell Steakhouse has the best red meat in town, or head down the road to La Scala for excellent pizza and homemade pasta at a local favourite that's been family owned and operated since 1977.

Because, as interesting as it is to see the farms and the factories that create the food that feeds Australia, ultimately one of the best parts of agritourism is being able to taste the fruits of that labour.

The writer was a guest of Destination NSW