The Nerriga camp oven cook-off attracts an enthusiastic crowd from across the region, all raising funds for the Black Dog Institute. Photo: Nerriga Hotel.
The fires are being lit for the fourth year of the Nerriga camp oven cook-off, and with additional tasting tickets up for grabs this year, the event is billed to be the biggest yet.
The cook-off will see teams from around the Nerriga region go head-to-head around the campfire to decide who has the best dish on the day, and up for grabs says Nerriga Hotel publican and event host Sarah Smith is the all-important prize of twelve months of bragging rights.
The fact that there is no bankable prize on the table is because the cook-off is a fundraiser, with all money raised from the sale of tasting tickets, raffle tickets and the annual auction, going directly to the Black Dog Institute to support its mental health initiatives. It’s a cause that Sarah says is close to all those living in regional communities like Nerriga.
“We’d been talking about hosting an event like this for a long time, but after the fires and then COVID on the back of that, mental health was a big issue, and we knew we had to get this thing going,” she says.
That first year Sarah says she and her husband Phil, had no idea what they were doing or if anyone would show up, but the town rallied up the teams and they’ve been cooking every year since.
“That year we raised $14,000, and each year we raise more as the event grows,” Sarah shares.
Each year the public votes for the best dish cooked in a camp oven at the Nerriga camp oven cook-off. Photo: Nerriga Hotel.
With the popularity of the event evident, Sarah and Phil have been able to open up additional tasting tickets to allow more people to join in the fun of tasting the camp oven dishes and casting their vote on their favourites.
“The first year we had 100 tasting tickets, and each year we have increased the number, and they always sell out. This year we are having 225 tasting tickets that are available to purchase on the day. We’d have more but we don’t want to overwhelm the teams cooking; there has to be food for everyone.”
The funds from each event now exceed $20,000, and Sarah says that while the money is important, the act of gathering the community is the real point.
“The community bond that this event created has been an incredible gift.”
With bragging rights at stake, the teams arrive in the early hours of the morning to prep their cooking stations. Photo: Nerriga Hotel.
Sarah talks about her community like family, but she says when it comes to the camp oven, it’s serious business.
“Teams practise their dishes for months in the lead-up and they get here as early as 5 am to prepare their cooking station and get their dishes going. Bragging rights are very important, and everyone wants to win.”
With the cook-off cemented into the community calendar for the foreseeable future, Sarah is hoping to see more people from across the region attend what she considers a real bush experience.
“I’m from a big city, and I’d never cooked on a camp oven before coming to Nerriga, and I think Canberrans would love this,” she says. “People can come and try billy tea; the kids can run around. It’s a real novelty.”
Tasting tickets go on sale at 11 am on the day and have a tendency to sell quickly, but Sarah encourages people to come regardless, as food and drinks are available outside of the cook-off dishes.
For those keen to try their hand at competing, Sarah reserves that honour for the Nerriga locals – so you might just have to move to Nerriga.
The 2026 Camp Oven Cook-Off is taking place from 11 am at the Nerriga Hotel on Saturday 29 August. Tasting tickets and raffle tickets are available to purchase on the day. For updates head to the Nerriga Hotel Facebook page.
