Fortified wines (particularly port) and I have not been the best of friends in recent years. Long gone are the days when at the end of a fine dinner the cork would be pulled from the port bottle (usually with teeth) and flung with due ceremony and gusto to a far corner of the room as a signal that no-one was to leave until the bottle was empty!
However, with Rutherglen on our travelling horizon I decided I had better at least make the effort to revive my love affair with Muscat and Tokay. After all, this is the home of the best of them (with the possible exception of the excellent product from the Crabtree winery in the Clare Valley).
We duly farewelled the Gangemis with promises to meet in Far North Queensland later in the year and headed east.
With a mere 45 kms to travel, this was one of those days when we say 'we have arrived almost before we left!'
The final 7 kms were behind us in a flash
and we were soon passing the town sign. Besides all the liquid goodies to be found in this area, the town of Rutherglen, we had been told, is an attraction in itself. This indeed proved to be true, but we had domestic requirements to attend to first....finding our new home.
Rutherglen is not a large town, and we soon spotted the sign pointing the way to the town caravan park, so it was off the main highway and along a back street
past this pretty park area, complete with kiddies playground.
The park entrance road runs between this play area and the Memorial park next door (pictures later). Oddly enough, given that it was only just after 0930 hours, we were the first arrivals for the day. As a matter of courtesy I parked out in the street until we had established that our site was available.
Indeed it was, so off we scampered, past the check in point
and some of the the park cabins
and took up residence on our allotted patch.
The Rutherglen Caravan and Tourist Park is a little rustic to say the least, but with the assistance of our levelling blocks and our C-Gear flooring we were soon all set. And here our site rent included water views. The park is set on Lake King, which was originally the town reservoir (circa 1877), but is now maintained as a bird habitat and parkland area.
And there are plenty of birds to be found, and heard. Large flocks of screeching corellas provided a daily wake up call as they wheeled over the lake or squabbled amongst themselves for the best perches in the branches of the many gums which line the water's edge.
It was always a relief when they finally settled down to finding a feed, together with the ducks,
and water hens which also make Lake King and the caravan park their home,
and water hens which also make Lake King and the caravan park their home,
not to mention some more exotic residents like these spoonbills
and this handsome group which certainly did not park on the grass...they ate it instead!
We even had a resident tawny frogmouth which would return to this fork high in one of the park trees to sleep away the day safe in the knowledge that it's colouring made it almost impossible to spot (and even more difficult to photograph)
Our site was very conveniently near the conveniences which were well up to the task set them. There is nothing like a strong hot stream from a sensible shower head to gladden a traveller's heart.
Our site was very conveniently near the conveniences which were well up to the task set them. There is nothing like a strong hot stream from a sensible shower head to gladden a traveller's heart.
The park camp kitchen can be found at the rear of the same building. The external BBQ's are a little jaded
but the interior facilities looked more than adequate, not that we had cause to use them.
During our four nights here at Rutherglen, many came and went from the various sites in this reasonably small park, but there was one constant.......
....the late afternoon congregation around the park fire pit.
Each day at about 1600 hours the park managers would set an inviting blaze in the large metal fire stand and those so inclined would wander over to share a drink and yarn with their fellow campers and the park managers.
As I have mentioned before, this can be one of the best ways possible to gain local knowledge and information about good parks elsewhere, both formal and free camps. We were more than happy to join the ever changing group to watch the sun set over Lake King. And we soon learnt to make sure we knew the wind direction and to arrive early enough to secure an upwind bench!
We have come across several parks in which the managers or owners make the effort to provide facilities which encourage their transient residents to get together each afternoon as they do here at Rutherglen. Places as far afield as Cooktown and Yass are two examples. We applaud their initiative.
Once we had settled in we wasted no time in getting out and about. We had a full agenda on which the first item was to get to know the town itself and, as is our practice, we set off on foot.
But firstly, a brief history, which is provided courtesy of the Victorian Tourist body.
"Rutherglen is located between Yarrawonga and Wodonga, just 10 kilometres from the Murray River and the small state border town of Wahgunyah.
In the early to mid 1800s, the area around Rutherglen and Wahgunyah was an important grazing area. The discovery of gold in September 1860 saw the town of Rutherglen spring up shortly afterwards with several churches built, a school and the post office in 1863.
After the the gold rush, Rutherglen eventually achieved prosperity as an agricultural town, subsequently establishing itself as one of Victoria's most important wine producing districts. These days, there are almost 20 wineries located within a short drive from the town centre.
The Rutherglen Wine Experience Visitor Information Centre, located in the town centre on Main Street, presents displays of the town's rich history, how wines are made, and comprehensive tourist information.
The main street of Rutherglen maintains its historical charm, with most of the shop fronts and hotels retaining the same look they had in the 19th century."
As we were to discover, the comment about the 'look' of the main street is true, and, to my great amusement, it is actually called 'Main Street'!
We were not quite there yet. As we walked out of the caravan park onto Murray Street, we first encountered the large and leafy memorial park where it is clear that the local RSL has some clout.
Apart from the very stylish honour roll and a number of interesting WW2 guns and old cannon
this park also houses one of the defunct Leopard tanks which were distributed around the country when they had reached the end of their functional life. They were highly sought after and have become a source of great pride for those RSL sub-branches which managed to acquire one of these monsters of the modern battle field.
On the southern boundary of this park stands the entrance gate to the Rutherglen public swimming pool...closed for winter.
A short stroll further along Murray Street we came to the intersection of it and High Street, a corner dominated by the red brick and cream painted bulk of the Soldiers Memorial Hall and the Indigo Shire offices.
Diagonally opposite this large and impressive building is an equally impressive Moreton Bay fig which rises over one of the several public parks in Rutherglen. This tree has every right to stand large and proud...it has been here since 1877.
Even older than this magnificent tree, and on the other side of High Street, is the original Rutherglen Court House building, which first housed those on both sides of the law and saw justice (as it was then) dispensed from as early as 1864. It now fronts a group of rather cleverly designed home units, all constructed of the same red brick.
In complete contrast, this charming old villa, with its colouring front garden trees, faces the old courthouse from the other side of the street,
whilst the nearby Rutherglen Anglican church features more of the red brick we were to see all over the town.
After this brief jaunt along part of High Street, we made our way down to Main Street where we began our exploration of this old town at the eastern end of the central hub. Here we paused to look back east along what was, during most of our stay, a very busy thoroughfare.
We were here between a Friday and Monday, and it was clear that Rutherglen attracts many weekend visitors. The traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian on the Saturday morning on which we were ambling about town, was a far cry from the peace and quiet which we enjoyed on Monday.
Needless to say, catering for the masses is big business here in Rutherglen. Country town bakeries always attract a crowd, but here we found not just one,
but two, almost directly opposite each other at this end of Main Street. We could not but help wondering just how 'friendly' the competition between these two houses of loaves, pastries and cakes might have been.
With the discovery of gold featuring prominently in Rutherglen's early history, we were unsurprised to find three grand old pubs here in Main Street, the first of which is the Rutherglen Hotel. A number of our park compatriots strolled down here for the Friday evening 'steak night', which was, by all accounts, a venture worth undertaking, but we were saving our tourist dollars.....this is the home of 'the fortifieds'....we had other priorities for our limited 'play money'.
Apart from the two bakeries at this end of town, and the pub, many of the other commercial enterprises here are centred on providing sustenance to the inner man. Cafes, a pizza house and restaurants abound, most still housed as you can see in buildings dating back to the late 1800's. In this shot, too, you can see the high chimney and roof line of the second of Rutherglen's large pubs.
The Star Hotel dominates the intersection of Main and High Streets, and apart from all else one would expect to find in a grand old country pub,
The Star throws up a surprise. In rural Victoria and NSW this is the menu we would expect to find at the local bowling club......everywhere...without exception, except in Rutherglen!
What is not exceptional is the fact that this main intersection is also home to two of the town's major banks. The staff of the NAB are housed in this period building,
whilst their counterparts in the Commonwealth do business in this much more modern (and austere) red brick establishment.
And as you can see from the previous shot, the streetscape east of the intersection is again dominated by a pub. With its beautiful wrought iron lace along, above and below the upper storey verandah, this hotel is a picture of late 1800's elegance.
Next to The Victoria is another of Rutherglen's 'must do' for visiting foodies and locals alike. The ovens of Parker Pies produce product to equal, if not better, that of the more famous Beechworth bakery.
We did not indulge ourselves in Beechworth, but the tug of the aroma of freshly baked pies and pasties was too much for us on our last ramble through the town. We found a quite corner table and tucked in to a lunch time treat.
Unlike Beechworth, Rutherglen's relatively short main street supports three bakeries, testament to the fact that the tourist trade is alive and well. But like Beechworth, we found that the folk of Rutherglen have gone to great lengths to preserve, nurture and promote their heritage, particularly in the manner in which the old buildings have been maintained.
But that's not to say the modern touch is never to be found in this precinct. The owners of the Silver Key cafe have obviously decided that 'heritage' is not their selling point. It's not often I photograph a sign like this from both sides.
In this case I couldn't resist.....this is a work of art in its own right.....it certainly captured Liz's attention!
By now our jaunt along Main Street had taken us to its eastern end, and one of the town's more important buildings from a visitor perspective...the tourist Information Centre.
Here we found all the usual suspects, including stand after stand of bottles of the local product,
and the ubiquitous souvenir alley.
But the Rutherglen Information Centre has one incredible point of difference. The notice on this barrel of bottles invite all who come here to a free tasting of many of the regional fortified wines. What a wonderful way to make some decisions about later winery visits without having to traverse the countryside. I am sure it will come as a real surprise for you to read that I did not indulge....we had our sights set on a modest foray.....two local producers only. We had been encouraged to visit Pfieffers in nearby Wahgunyah (the owners are friends of the Jerichos) and I had heard much of the excellence of the Campbells 'stickies'. If both are up to our expectations, there will be no need to venture further afield.
But for those who are less organised, this ability to nibble away without the subtle pressure to buy, which is part of any cellar door visit, must be a real boon. Well done Rutherglen!
I cannot leave our main street jaunt without sharing this sign with you. This wonderful dig at the neighbouring State metropolis stands proudly in the park opposite the Information Centre....and who could dispute its veracity........
particularly when wine critiques of the calibre of Halliday and Parker have been noted as describing the fortified Muscats and Topaques (formally know as Tokay until the Europeans got snippy yet again about a name) as having no equal anywhere in the world.
We were to discover that there may well be some truth in this claim when we visited Campbells and I had the extraordinary privilege of tasting two of their fortified wines which were awarded 100 points in consecutive years at the New York Wine Show....unheard of stuff. But what do these cost and did I buy?
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