Strike it rich in rural hospitality while digging for great adventures

I’m drinking in the splendour of 180-degree views at one of Victoria’s highest-elevated wineries when a feeling of being watched comes over me.

Below lies row upon row, block upon block, paddock upon paddock of shiraz grapevines, creating a funky green-and-brown patchwork quilt. But I sense slight movement near the top of that ‘quilt’.

A mob of Eastern Grey kangaroos has been lounging in the shade of acacia trees on this warm spring day in Heathcote.

But now, they remain still like commandos in survival mode, keeping beady eyes and attentive ears on the newcomers to their territory.

Our group’s gasps of delight – at the transformation of this former sheep station as much as seeing these unexpected locals – sends them bounding away up the hill, to be camouflaged in the denser grassland and bush.

Their untimely departure sends us back inside the cavernous Peregrine Ridge cellar door space, designed by architect Nick Marino, on the eastern slopes of the Mt Camel Range, about 40km southeast of Bendigo. Qualified engineer-turned-winery owner Graham Quigley has laid out front-row seats to the same grand view over the Goulburn Valley (as far as Mt Buller on a clear day) behind the floor-to-ceiling windows.

As we snack on curated platters of charcuterie and cheese, smoked salmon and relishes, Graham guides us through tastings of several popular, new and limited-release styles. Among them are: the easy-drinking Non-Vintage Sparkling Shiraz; the 2013 limited-release, French-oaked Heathcote Shiraz (a classic representation of a shiraz from the area); and 2015 Pressings Heathcote Shiraz that is all about big flavours with heavier tannin structures and complex fruit.

Graham enthusiastically explains the characteristics of each as he pours, like a proud father introducing his children. Each is unique in their own way, but all possess the DNA produced from solely estate-grown fruit at an elevation of 250-290m above sea level, in a terroir of deep, 600 million-year-old red Cambrian soils, and handcrafted on site using organic and traditional winemaking practices. The wines are matured in French or American oak, with some gaining added depth in flavour, aroma and tannin structure after extended bottle fermentation.

No wonder the winery has received a 5-star rating from James Halliday in the Australian Wine Companion.

Peregrine Ridge exemplifies the fact that, just like those roos, the City of Greater Bendigo’s food and wine credentials are moving ahead in leaps and bounds.

This meet-the-maker tasting experience complements a culinary triumph the previous night in the private dining room of The Woodhouse, Bendigo.

Owner and chef Paul Pitcher, the in-house sommelier and staff were on hand to explain every nuance of the five-course degustation (with wine pairing) championing Central Victoria’s best local vegetables, dairy, poultry, wagyu steak  and lamb.

The 12-hour slow-cooked lamb shoulder

Deserving special mention: the Sher wagyu beef tartare, Giaveri Oscietra caviar and potato pave snack; Maremma free-range duck breast, dry aged, with cherry, apple, cavolo nero and orange gastric starter; and Sher wagyu porterhouse (dry aged 28 days #7) with mushroom, leek, black garlic, pomme puree and red wine jus main course.

And in the wine department, the Chalmers Pecoriono 2023, Lyons Will  2023 Pinot Noir and Pondalowie 2020 Shiraz shine.

As a casual observer, Greater Bendigo appears to be punching above its weight in the culinary stakes – until I learn that it is Australia’s first UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy.

I witness the signs of a passionate foodie-sphere everywhere – from a morning coffee at El Gordo in the CBD’s Chancery Lane; to smashed avocado or chilli scramble on sourdough at Omari, dining waterside amid 18ha of historic Bendigo Botanic Gardens in White Hills; and 12-hour slow-cooked lamb shoulder served on creamy mash potato with dutch carrots, sauteed green beans and red wine jus in the convivial atmosphere of the Bridgewater Hotel beer garden on the banks of the Loddon River.

But I soon discover that this part of what is known as the Victorian Goldfields is no one-trick pony. Adventure in the great outdoors – with a side of history, culture and scenic beauty – is also well catered for. In fact, the experiences are, well, pure gold.

While staying across the road at Julie-Anna Inn on Napier Street, I venture to Lake Weeroona – part of the 4.4km, multi-stage Bendigo Low Line providing a safe, accessible, off-road transport corridor in and out of the city centre.

On a 30-minute circuit stroll, I join walkers, cyclists and picnickers in a  world of Insta-worthy reflections, varied birdlife including ducklings, heritage pavilions, contemplative nooks, fitness classes, plus rowing, kayaking and dragonboat activities.

The ornamental lake and reserve was established in 1878, designed by William Guilfoyle, then director of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, who was tasked with transforming a dusty old mining site into a welcome reprieve for miners’ families during the gold rush of the late 1800s.

If modern-day visitors feel the urge to search for their own ‘buried treasure’, passionate prospectors Shane and Jackie, of Gold Nugget Hunters, can recreate the thrill of the golden era. Their Gold Hunter Tour is a hands-on, no-fuss experience that supplies the licences and highly sensitive Minelab metal detectors to make prospecting a little easier than the back-breaking work of the past in an area of ancient river beds that has been dry for millions of years.

“We call it dirt fishing. We just don’t throw the little fish back,” Shane quips.

Shane confesses he was hooked after finding his first one-gram nugget in Grade 6 after three months’ effort. Now, he has the patience to spend one hour per square metre, working three or four hours “until it gets too hot”.

As well as giving nuggets of wisdom (such as: “Don’t step backwards in the goldfields: there’s mine shafts everywhere”), Shane teaches us to listen intently for changes in the machine’s tone and check the detector screen for confirmation (a 50-cent coin, for example, will appear on the screen as No.48).

“When you find your first bit of gold, you fall in love with it and you (want to) go and find another. I can’t describe it,” he says. Individuals, couples and groups (even the occasional 16th birthday party) join the hunt for ‘a big one’, hovering the metal detectors as close to the ground as possible without touching it.

“We’re all out here standing on gold nuggets,” Shane adds, acknowledging that anyone can go over old ground 100 times and strike it lucky on the 101st pass.

It was the early gold-mining activities near Heathcote that helped create a colourful phenomenon and one of the area’s most popular tourist attractions today. Sluicing work (a process used to separate the gold from lighter materials) on a former gold mining site in the 1880s produced a ‘fairy floss’ tinge to the hills. The striking mounds and mini gorges of fine pink clay now make up the Pink Cliffs Geological Reserve that attracts hikers and photographers by the thousands each year.

Also in Heathcote is one end of the O’Keefe Rail Trail. Friends of the Bendigo-Kilmore Rail Trail president Adrian Cummins tells us that pet owners and even the occasional horse rider are among those covering all or sections of the 49km path that meanders through native eucalypt forests, farmland and across waterways such as the Campaspe River at Axedale (the halfway point, where we meet).

The rail trail, named after rail pioneer Andrew O’Keefe, was forged more than a century ago in 1888 to connect the burgeoning Bendigo and Heathcote communities and boost commerce, especially in timber, wool and sheep.

But trains stopped running in 1956, with the connection laying largely unused until 1993 when the first section of the O’Keefe Rail Trail opened. Restaurants and pubs, wineries, accommodation, attractions and bike repair stations can be found along the route.

Lake Weeroona

An even ‘cooler’ adventure is the Loddon River Canoe Trail: a new tour operated by Bendigo Water Sports.

Exhilarating yet peaceful, energetic  but relaxing, single and double paddlers glide their craft through the  emerald-green waters of River Redgum country at Bridgewater on Loddon.

Our late-afternoon ‘golden hour’ sees us pass white hyacinth lily pads, dodge the occasional low branch or log debris and navigate under two bridges. My only hiccup comes when the line of an unsuspecting fisherman on one of those bridges catches my paddle – but I pull up after hearing the second ‘whoah’, apologising profusely and untangling myself without too much embarrassment.

While in the area, businesses such as Bridgewater Bakery can provide all the fuel needed to take an easy river walk, make a splash in the swimming hole that has been a fun retreat for generations, try the designated 3.2km general waterskiing zone with 950m slalom and ski jump area (home to the Australian Masters each January) or even conquer Grade 3 standard whitewater kayaking in the right conditions.

I may not have struck gold over six days in Greater Bendigo, but I feel all the more richer for uncovering this precious part of the Victorian Goldfields.

GETTING THERE

Bendigo is about 150km northwest of Melbourne. Try a leisurely road trip over several days. By air, fly to Sydney and take a direct Qantaslink flight to Bendigo on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Or fly to Melbourne and take a two-hour train from Southern Cross Station. Bendigo trains run hourly.

STAY

Julie-Anna Inn, Bendigo

268 Napier Street, Bendigo. Call  (03) 5442 5855 or visit julieanna.com.au

Quality Hotel Lakeside

286 Napier Street, Bendigo. Call (03) 5445 5300 or visit lakesidehotel.com.au

The Hotel Shamrock

Corner Pall Mall and Williamson Street, Bendigo. Call (03) 5443 0333 or visit hotelshamrock.com.au

Larni Yirrip ‘Home of the  Ironbark’ Campground

This is a new campground in the Bendigo Regional Park, designed and built by Djaara – the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation and its enterprise Djandak, in partnership with Parks Victoria. Visit parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/bendigo-regional-park/where-to-stay/larni-yirrip-campground

HANDY WEBSITES

Peregrine Ridge: peregrineridge.com.au

The Woodhouse: thewoodhouse.com.au

Gold Hunter Tour: bendigoregion.com.au/visit-loddon-valley/tours/gold- nugget-hunter

Loddon River Canoe Trail: bendigowatersports.com.au

Omari Bendigo: omaribendigo.com.au

Bridgewater Hotel: bridgewaterhotelloddonriver.com

O’Keefe Rail Trail: heathcote.org.au/things-to-do/outdoors-nature/okeefe- rail-trail