Melbourne's Fine Wine Regions
Melbourne - Geelong Wine Region
Geelong, Australia, has a history nearly as old as Australia itself. First visited in 1802 by Matthew Flinders, this district, located less than an hour from Melbourne, Victoria, still maintains much of its heritage.
Many of the local names, including Geelong, Malop, Moolap, Gheringhap and others are derived from the language of the original inhabitants, the Wathaurong tribe.
Geelong was officially pronounced a town in 1838 with a grand population of 545 inhabitants and the standard infrastructure of a hotel, church, general store and wool store. Only four years later the first Geelong, Victoria vineyards were planted by Swiss and German settlers in Barrabool Hills.
Though the district supported 116 vineyards by 1869, many collapsed after an outbreak of phylloxera vine aphid in 1875.
Today, the Geelong wine region boasts over 50 vineyards growing a strong, diverse range from pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and shiraz, with over 20 open to the public for cellar-door tastings.
Once, Geelong hotels catered mostly to sailors. Now, the historic docks and hotels are transformed into up-market restaurants and cafés and luxury accommodation.
In your Geelong vacation, you should include historical Queenscliff, Victoria, at the Head of Port Phillip Bay. The lighthouse at Point Lonsdale and Buckley's Cave (the story behind the well-known saying 'Buckley's and none') bare grim testimony to the challenges of the sea.
Following the coast, you should pass through Torquay and along the Great Ocean Road, awash with quaint historic towns and lighthouses, and visit the Otways, Apollo Bay and Port Campbell National Park.
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Melbourne Information
Visit Hepburn Springs
Melbourne Holidays
Melbourne Wine Regions
Mornington Peninsula
Mornington Peninsula Wine Region wineries have enhanced the visitor's experience by opening cafés and restaurants in conjunction with their cellar doors.
Geelong
Geelong Wine Region wine region boasts over 50 vineyards growing a strong, diverse range from pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and more.
Macedon Ranges
Macedon Ranges Wine Region and the distinctive features of Hanging Rock, rise above misty valleys, creating striking, ethereal backdrops to the vineyards.
Sunbury
Sunbury Wine Region has produced some fine historic wineries - and wines - since the industry was first established in the nineteenth century.
