Established in 2007, Blackwood Park Truffles (originally known as Western Tier Truffles) is run by husband and wife team Shane and Yuko Ariel. Set amongst pristine grazing pastures, forests and streams, Blackwood Park is in Mole Creek, in the heart of Tasmania’s Meander Valley region in the central northern part of the state. The region is known for its scenic beauty, being close to both Tasmania’s beautiful Western Tiers mountains and the iconic Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. The clay soil at Blackwood Park, formed on limestone millions of years old, is rich in alkaline and well-drained. The climate is cool and temperate, with notably frosty winters, occasional snowfall, and relatively high average precipitation, conditions ideal for truffle cultivation. 

Shane and Yuko are passionate about sharing the joy of truffle growing and hunting with the wider community, especially young people. Their work with local schools, including a special-needs-school catering to young people on the autism spectrum, gives students hands-on-experience digging and finding their own truffles. Shane and Yuko firmly believe this hands-on learning fosters a deep connection to nature, and instils an ethic of environmental stewardship in students. By engaging in truffle hunting, students not only have great fun and develop an appreciation of the natural world around them, they are also introduced to the incredible world of subterranean fungi, expanding their understanding of biodiversity and the intricate ecosystems beneath their feet.

On the farm Shane and Yuko are supported by the swashbuckling Macca, their six year old English Springer Spaniel who hails from Macquarie Island, halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica. A sense of adventure runs deep in Macca's canine heritage - his parents were key members of a program to wipe out invasive species on Macquarie Island. Macca's well-honed olfactory skills were identified and he was plucked from the isolation of Macquarie Island to lead scent detection at Blackwood Park.

Shane and Yuko are committed to sustainable and organic cultivation practices. Using their geese as the primary means of pest control they use no spray, no bait, or poison, and are proud to source all their farm inputs from within a ten minute drive of Blackwood Park.