Fixed roads in ‘Australia’s food basket’ bring benefits for farms and freight
In recent years Cabonne Council, which borders Orange City Council, has delivered 15 road projects funded by the NSW Government’s Fixing Local Roads program – including the rehabilitation of Borenore Road and the sealing of Old Canobolas Road in Borenore.
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About the project
Since 2020, including the work on Borenore Road, Cabonne Council has also been able to seal more than 64 kilometres of unsealed road across their LGA through the Fixing Local Roads Program, making journeys smoother and safer for all road users.
Borenore Road
Sixth generation farmer and father-of-three, Luke Cantrill, operates Australia’s largest organic cherry orchard, situated on Borenore Road.
The property provides produce to major supermarket chains as well as exporting to China and Dubai.
To get their cherries to supermarkets across Australia and across the world the Cantrills rely on freight that travels along Borenore Road.
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“The work on the road has improved things – we have a lot of semi-trailers that use Borenore Road and other roads on that route, to take our goods where they need to go,” Mr Cantrill said.
“When the roads aren’t maintained, dirt and dust can land on the fruit and that becomes an extra thing we need to manage by using special filters, making the process more expensive.”
Cabonne Council Mayor, Kevin Beatty, said Borenore Road plays an important role in the local economy and in supporting the area’s agri-business and primary producers.
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“The Cabonne local government area is known as the “Food basket of Australia” and has the highest value of horticulture and viticulture in the NSW Central West Region. There are a number of large farms that rely on Borenore Road to transport their produce to major connecting roads,” Mr Beatty said.
“It’s also important for me, as Mayor, that it’s a safe road, as well as a reliable one when it comes to supporting our important agriculture sector with a number of tourists also frequenting the road to visit wineries, pick cherries, or even just enjoy the beautiful Cabonne scenery.”
The Australian National Field Days
Borenore Road is usually frequented by a modest amount of drivers, as well as freight vehicles that connect the area’s farm produce to domestic and international markets.
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But once a year, for three days, the road experiences heavy traffic when thousands of people from across Australia and across the globe attend the Australian National Field Days. This event is the oldest annual agricultural exhibition in Australia and has been hosted by Borenore for over 70 years, giving the small village of approximately 476 residents a significant population boost.
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Mr Cantrill said the field days will benefit greatly from the Borenore Road improvements.
“What I love about farming is being outdoors and growing something that will give people joy,” said
Mr Cantrill, whose family-owned organic cherry orchard is located on Borenore Road.
“The work on Borenore Road will make a big difference for the field days, and for tourism in general... Borenore is a great community, it’s very closeknit.”