Australia is on track for its largest harvest of truffles, with record rainfalls and cold temperatures creating the ideal conditions for the fungus to grow.
The president of the Australian Truffle Industry Association, Noel Fitzpatrick, said a record-breaking 20 tonnes of truffles would be harvested across the country.
"The early reports are that it has been quite a good season," he said.
"We are now the fourth largest producer in the world, and we expect that increase to continue."
Orange-based truffle farmer Gaye Stuart-Nairne said they had seen a 66 per cent increase in their harvest compared to last year.
"There has been a lot of moisture around, so it has been excellent for the spores to develop in the soil," Ms Stuart-Nairne said.
"It has also been consistently cold, which though it has been hard to live through. It is good for the truffles.
Ms Stuart-Nairne said after years of above-average temperatures, the quality of truffles would be significantly improved this season.
"In a dry struggling year, you don't get those wonderful qualities that truffles are famous for," she said.
"This year, the perfume is wonderful, the flavours are well developed, and that is what everyone is looking at."
Lot easier to dig truffles
For the past five years, a combination of drought and bushfires has made growing truffles a challenge for many farmers.
Barbra Hill runs a winery and truffle farm near Bredbo in south-east New South Wales.
Ms Hill said getting at the fungus had been made a lot easier by the weather.
"This year, it is a lot easier to actually harvest the truffles. You don't need an icepick to do it."
Ms Hill said the conditions were a relief for the industry.
"The crop itself seems to be a lot larger than normal when we are harvesting the individual truffles," she said.
"All in all, it is looking to be a better season than what it has been for the past four or five years."
