It's been three years since the last Farmers' Market conference (which was held in Bathurst) which would suggest that it's hard to pull together what is essentially a disparate group of around 90 volunteer-run markets across the country. Or is it that they're weren't interested much in 'organizing'?

I suggest it's the former as there was no lack of interest from the 140 delegates and volunteers who attended the two days at the Lake Hume resort, 28th -29th August. Market organisers, producers and a big Government contingency listened to their fellow travellers from Australia, USA and New Zealand, and discussed the issues vigorously when the sessions were over.

The location for the Conference was the Lake Hume resort, about ten minutes drive from the airport and as you'd expect, on the shores of Lake Hume. Imagine a holiday camp crossed with a convention centre, with accommodation from the cheap, the wildly exotic to modern. Somehow it all helped to add to the fun of the event. There were workshop sessions on Day 2 that we didn't get to photograph, but here's some of the Day 1 highlights.

Click on the small images to move through the diary or jump around as you will.