FILMING for the Sydney Weekender TV show took place in Wingham last week.
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There was a general buzz as presenter Mel Symons and her crew ate lunch at Bent on Food before filming began.
“I’ve got a pretty good job, I get to come to places like this,” said Mel who enjoyed a stroll down Isabella Street. “Wingham is really cute and quaint. It is beautiful with a really warm feel.”
Mel got sidetracked by shopping and apologised for the distraction.
“I’m obsessed with homewares,” she laughed casting her eyes over all the colourful wares for sale at Bent on Life.
“When I’m not working I’m buying homewares.”
Not surprising then that Mel’s first prime time TV role was as the ‘bargain hunter’ on Ground Force.
The crew were in fact in town to film a segment in the Manning Valley for a series of episodes about the Legendary Pacific Coast.
Mel, who lives in Byron Bay and works in Sydney, is very fond of the region: “These are places very close to my heart."
The travel show chooses destinations that offer their viewers something to ‘do’ and somewhere to ‘stay’. For this episode, the ‘do’ turned out to be a Vietnamese cooking class with Donna Carrier.
“I’ve done Thai cooking before, but never Vietnamese,” said Mel who admitted she was “absolutely looking forward to it.”
The ‘stay’ attraction was Tinonee Cottages, though the crew themselves stayed at the Wingham Golf Club Motor Inn.
“The crew said they had a really good time,” said Donna Carrier the next day. “They commented on the friendly service and great food.”
Eating what Mel had learnt to cook, the crew enjoyed Vietnamese spring rolls, beef pho soup and panacotta (Asian style).
As for Mel, well she managed to get a little more shopping in than planned. Before leaving Wingham, the crew locked their keys in the car and Mel took the opportunity to buy homewares.
The Sydney Weekender is on Channel 7 every Saturday at 5.30pm. The show being filmed in Wingham and Tinonee is due to go to air on August 3.