The Mighty Mushroom: Fifty Years of Mushroom Farming in the Hawkesbury

2011 - 2012

Did you know that the mushroom is the main crop grown in the Hawkesbury today? This humble fungi has been known as a delicacy in Europe for centuries, however it wasn’t until 1933 that the first commercially grown mushrooms were produced in Australia. With the increased influx of immigrants from European countries in the 1940s and 1950s, the demand for mushrooms led to many more growers establishing farms in regions west of Sydney and the Hawkesbury, where affordable and vast acres of arable land were ideal for this crop.

In 1961 the Australian Mushroom Growers Association was established in Windsor and it was in celebration of their 50th anniversary that the Mighty Mushroom exhibition came into being.

For many visitors to the Museum this was an opportunity to learn about the evolution of mushroom farming and growing techniques, the successful marketing of and subsequent increase in consumption of mushrooms, and how  the Hawkesbury is now home to 24 growers, employing 1,000 workers and producing 17,000 tonnes of mushrooms every year.

Click on the PDF link below for more information on the exhibition.

Page ID: 104996