FROM contemporary art galleries to ancient Indigenous customs, to thriving agriculture and therapeutic thermal artesian pools – Moree is a destination brimming with culture well beyond the expected.

An agricultural hub on the banks of the Mehi River, Moree boasts one of rural Australia’s most vibrant art and wellness scenes, with visitors continually charmed by the rural hamlet.

And there is no better time to visit than in May, when the annual Moree on a Plate Food Festival is showcased.

Moree on a Plate is a celebration of regional produce, yet the festival is just one of myriad opportunities visitors have to enjoy Moree’s hospitality over the Mothers’ Day weekend.

The Moree Gallery, one of regional Australia’s most highly respected regional galleries, will launch the festivities on Thursday, May 8 with a special exhibition featuring paintings by Jennifer Newton and hand-painted ceramics by Kirsty McIntyre.

A Sydney-based artist creating original ceramic pieces, Jennifer’s decorative and practical ceramics are all handmade, either slab-built or formed on the wheel, using white earthenware clay.

Irregular in shape, and tending to feature bold, strong colour patterns, Jennifer’s pieces are individual and eye-catching.

Kirsty McIntyre is a Melbourne-based artist working mainly with palette knife and oil paint on canvas, with Australian-themed still life subjects, and the backyard birds that visit her compositions.

The exhibition opens at 10am on Thursday, May 8, with drinks at the gallery from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. All artworks may be viewed in the gallery or online at The Moree Gallery.

Inspiring regional gallery, the Bank Art Museum Moree has a special evening planned to coincide with Moree on a Plate, with world-renowned pianist Simon Tedeschi performing in the historic building on BAMM’s baby grand piano.

Simon will deliver an intimate solo concert showcasing his “masterful technique” and “emotionally powerful performances”.

Simon’s first concert in Moree is anticipated to be a musical highlight of the year, with his repertoire including Schubert, Debussy, Chopin, and Gershwin.

Simon will perform on Friday, May 9 at 7pm at the BAMM Gallery.

Tickets are $59 each, plus booking fee, available at BAMM or Simon Tedeschi at BAMM.

Local Indigenous art gallery, Yaama Ganu, will also hold an exhibition over the Moree on a Plate festivities, welcoming the Warlukurlangu artists back to the gallery, one of Australia’s most applauded indigenous art centres.

The Warlukurlangu artists paint stories of Tjukurpa and Country in their signature vibrant unrestricted palette.

Included in the show are new works by hugely popular figurative artist Karen Napaljarri Barnes and 2023 Natsiaa General Painting Award Winner, Julie Nangala Robertson.

For a fascinating insight into traditional indigenous culture, native grains specialist Kerrie Saunders will also host her Yinarr-Ma Bush Tucker Tours over the festival weekend.

Kerrie is a proud Gomeroi woman and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to using the land for food and what everyday plants have sustained humanity for centuries.

She will host a tour on Saturday morning, May 10 from 9am to 11am, allowing participants enough time to visit the Moree on a Plate Festival.

Visitors also have the opportunity to soak up the unrivalled atmosphere of Moree – literally – by relaxing in the unique artesian waters upon which the town was built.

The local mineral-rich hot pools offer a wealth of health and wellbeing benefits and are a must while in the region.

For a genuine farm experience, there’s the unique opportunity to visit producers on-farm for a first-hand insight into the production of cotton, with a local cotton farm tour on Friday, May 9 at 10am, organised through Tourism Moree and run by O’Dempsey’s Charters and Local Tours.

For golf enthusiasts, and those with a little more time to spare, Moree’s golf course is the envy of many communities, enjoying a pristine green fairway latticed across the meandering Mehi River.

And, of course, the highlight of the weekend is the Moree on a Plate Festival on Saturday, May 10 from 10am to 4pm.

Moree on a Plate features a full schedule of entertainment, including cooking demonstrations with celebrity presenter, Roberta Muir.

And the fun needn’t end there.

For more information on Moree on a Plate, see Moree on a Plate and for what’s on around Moree, go to Moree Tourism.

and for Bush Tucker Tours see https://www.yinarrma.com.au

All enquiries for The Moree Gallery exhibition email [email protected] for BAMM see Bank Art Museum Moree .

Words: Georgina Poole