Grapes of Rutherglen provide a pleasant taste of Victoria

Press, 22 July 1986, Page 30

Grapes of Rutherglen provide a pleasant taste of Victoria

SUSAN KUROSAWA sips through the wineries of north-east Victoria.

lt was gold that attracted settlers to north-east Victoria in the ;iniddle of last century. These days :the lure is still golden and its effects just as addictive.

* Wine is the contemporary "drawcard: fruity frontignacs and Tokays, crisp rieslings and full--flavoured chardonnays, plus the •big red wines and robust fortifieds for which the Rutherglen district is famous.

- Using Albury-Wodonga on the New •South Wales border as a starting point, it is a delightful week-end or even •week-long proposition to meander ,'through the wine-growing countryside; stopping off at towns such as Beechworth, Rutherglen and Glenrowan to soak up some of the atmosphere. '' It is a leisurely activity needing only ! a modicum of organisation. With time up your sleeve, drive to Albury from Sydney or Melbourne and use your ■rental car for the winery tour. That way it is easy to load up the boot with cartons of the red and gold stuff to enjoy during the rest of your Australian holiday.

In Rutherglen on the Sunday, The Great Australian Barrel Race is held. Winery representatives flip quarter casks end over end for a distance of 65m down the main street of Rutherglen. The winner receives a mini-

barrel trophy, and there is never a shortage of muscular men to enter the race, or take part in any of the other Winery Walkabout activities.. Most of the wineries in the district are family owned and operated and many have three generations working in the business. The Brown Brothers at Milawa and the operators of Stanton and Killeen’s are prime examples. At the latter winery, sixth - generation winemaker, Chris Killeen, his father Norm and grandfather, 90-year-old Jack Stanton, are all actively involved. This family involvement ensures personalised attention for visitors to the winery and there are few of the commercial overtones found in many of the large Hunter Valley and Barossa operations. Most of the vineyards provide barbecue and picnic facilities for visitors; at Butler’s there’s a bird park displaying pheasants, doves, quail, peacocks, waterfowl and ornamental poultry.

Children can tour the park while parents can sniff and sip the ports and muscats in the tasting room. St Leonard’s and All Saints have museums of wine-making equipment open to the public six days a week.

When you’ve had your fill of wine tasting, there’s plenty of zesty sightseeing territory, particularly round Glenrowan and Beechworth. This is the thick of Ned Kelly country and certainly the most outstanding tribute to the memory of Australia’s legendary bushranger is Bob Hempel’s Ned Kelly Museum at Glenrowan.

The Kelly Gang’s Last Stand is re-

enacted at the museum with enough special effects and theatrical pizzaz to make you suspect you’ve taken a wrong turn and wound up in Universal Studios’ back lot

When the 40-minute show is over, I suggest you stagger next door to The Billy Tea Rooms for an extra strong cuppa and a hunk of home-made damper.

The kids will absolutely love it They’ll also enjoy the relics of the goldrush era to be found around Beechworth and may persuade you to do a bit of panning for alluvial gold in Reedy creek. Tourmalines, agates, and other semi-precious stones can still be uncovered.

There used to be 62 pubs in Beechworth in its golden heyday of the 1850 s. Today a handful of good ones remain as do many fine buildings classified by the National Trust Ned Kelly’s cell and the courthouse where he stood trial are worth a look.

The Beechworth Cemetery also demands close inspection. There are Chinese burning towers standing potentate over the many gravestones plus a plaque in memory of Dame Jean MacNamara who had the dubious distinction of having introduced myxomatosis to Australia. In Beechworth proper, visit the Rock Cavern, the former Bank of Victoria building which now houses a huge gemstone collection, restored gold vault, and a dark room with a dazzling display of fluorescent minerals.

Round Albury there is a trout farm,. water sports on Lake Hume, a military c museum, great fishing, an antique aircraft museum and, in the city itself, the magnificent railway station, featured in a famous painting by Sir Russell Drysdale. Chiltern, located just off the Hume Highway between Wodonga and Wangaratta, is another hamlet which evokes a time-warp sensation. Its main street was used for filming Disney’s “To Ride A Wild Pony” and there are idiosyncratic antique shops and a conducted walking tour to enjoy.