Dean Smith

Tunnel Hill Mushrooms was established several years ago by Dean and Anita Smith after they purchased a property at Mt Rumney that included an old 1891 railway tunnel. Dean was approached by somebody in the mushroom industry to see if he would be interested in growing in the old tunnel. What followed was Dean attending work experience for several months at Huon Valley Mushrooms learning what was involved in mushroom production. From there, Dean started producing his own mushroom bags to grow in the tunnel. It was many years of self teaching, trial and error and also some invaluable mentoring from a mycologist who is, to this day, not only a mentor but a friend. Dean has leant all aspects of mushroom production and does it all here onsite on his own. From the scientific lab work in cloning cultures, mixing logs, harvesting, and delivering produce.

Tim Murch

Tim Murch is a mycologist with an urban farm at Legana in the West Tamar, Launceston. He has been growing mushrooms for over five years, selling to the public at the weekly Harvest market in Launceston and supplying top restaurants in and around Launceston.
An Honours degree in Biology provided him with an introduction to mycology and he hasn’t looked back. He was immediately drawn to mushrooms by their unique features and the ability to grow a relatively large amount in a small area.
Initially beginning with growing oyster mushrooms, Tim now makes and supplies his own cultures, spawn and growbags. Producing over 30kg’s a week of fresh mushrooms. He has expanded his range to include other gourmet varieties, including Lions Mane, Coral Tooth, Pioppino, Shiitake, Chestnuts, Maitake and more and holds workshops throughout the year.