Established in 2007, Former dairy farmers, Ian and Merilyn Woodhouse, established Oak Hill Truffles in 2007 in Gordon, in the foothills of the Paddock Creek Valley in Victoria’s Central Highlands, 95km north-west of Melbourne. A thriving and busy gold rush town in the late 1800’s, and later home to quartz mining, saw-milling and agriculture (mainly livestock and potatoes), Gordon is now a charming, quiet small village.

From planting over 1000 trees in 2007 - 500 French evergreen oak Quercus Ilex (sometimes known as Holly Oak or Holm Oak) and 500 Quercus Robur (English Oak) - and a small first harvest in 2012, Oak Hill is entering its thirteenth truffle season with son, Sean, now the third member of the Oak Hill team.

There is no shortage of hard work with many challenges presented by insects and bushfire threats in neighbouring towns. With a well established reputation as a leading melanosporum producer of truffles of deep savoury flavour and complexity, Oak Hill’s truffles are keenly sought by chefs in Australia and overseas, especially in London and Tokyo.

With soil having good pH and mineral levels, pure and cold mountain air, annual rainfall around 692mm and a mild climate, Gordon has proved an ideal location for cultivating truffles. Summers are warm, wet and partly cloudy while winters are short, cold, and mostly clear with many frosts.

The Gordon locals planted a range of indigenous plants and trees to form the Paddock Creek Reserve, providing a wildlife corridor that links with adjoining properties. The Reserve is home to kangaroos, wallaby’s, koalas, and an abundance of birdlife including the native Australian tree kingfisher, the Kookaburra.

There was much heartache with the recent passing of beloved black Labrador Sally. Sal was a highly intelligent rescue dog, badly treated by previous owners, who was lovingly welcomed by the Woodhouse family who trained her to develop an expert nose to find ripe truffles with ease. The job now falls to Labrador Peggy who will step up to lead canine operations.