Meet "the Russell Coight of mushrooms" - Dean from Tunnel Hill Mushrooms - Tasmania, Australia

Vocal About Local

This week we sit down for a conversation with Dean Smith from Tunnell Hill Mushrooms. Dean is a passionate mushroom grower in the foothills of Mt Rumney, just outside Hobart, Tasmania who has been described by some as “the Russell Coight of mushrooms”! And the best part is… he grows his mushrooms in an old decommissioned railway tunnel that was built back in 1891 and is 12 metres underground!!

The railway tunnel is 160 metres long and was built as part of the Bellerive to Sorell railway line taking the fine folk of old Hobart town to enjoy a day at the races. The popular train ran from 1892 to 1926. The life of the tunnel then continued until the end of WWII with the Australian defence force taking control of the old tunnel to store weapons, ammunition and gold bullion.

Tunnel Hill Mushrooms is one of only two farms in Australia growing delicious and nutritious mushrooms in a disused railway tunnel. The unique tunnel grow room provides a wonderful environment for these bundles of fungus to thrive.

Dean is so passionate about what he does. He lives and breathes mushrooms, and it is his vision to have a large-scale farm producing wonderful Oyster and Shitake mushrooms and to host long table dinners, tours and events inside the tunnel. Dean also produces medicinal mushroom tinctures, dried mushrooms, mushroom seasoning dust AND even a Shitake vodka!

This is a wonderfully insightful conversation and we hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!
Hosts: Jayde Timms & Sam Baff from Grown Not Flown
Guest: Dean Smith from Tunnel Hill Mushrooms
Website: www.tunnelhillmushrooms.com.au
Instagram: @tunnelhillmushrooms