I have written about the stupidity of the Brumby governments water policy in Victoria on this blog before. Surfing the net today I found a wonderful video on Plug the Pipe by a young man who summarised and assessed the Victorian Labour governments blunder. Great job I find. We farmers will pay the price and so will the Victorian taxpayer.
Watch this, it’s a great video. Congratulations. Similar things happen all over the globe when urban policy makers screw country folks.
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Posted by themanfrommoselriver
It’s autumn in Glenburn, Victoria. Our vineyard shows beautiful coloured leaves before the onset of the Australian winter. We are so happy that our property, though the fire went through it, did not vanish in the bushfire of February 7th. The volunteer fire fighters saved our place. Thank you again folks from the bottom of my heart.
Through the burned gum trees you can see the vineyard and our “shed”, the small house where we spend our holidays and which holds our vineyard equipment and machinery. We are so lucky to still have it.
Two Hills Vineyard in autumn
We lost some kilometres of fences, though. Our neighbours have started to rebuilt the damaged joint border fences. My brother-in-law, Michael and his wife Helen helped us to get the new fences going. Volunteers also showed up to help.
They came through Blaze Aid a civil society organisation mobilising support for those who suffered through the fires. Meanwhile several hundred of kilometres of fences have been resurrected by them. They helped us to take off the old wires and posts. Thank you folks. Blaze Aid is a great initiative and shows the vibrancy of Australian society.
Michael working on the fence at Two Hills Vineyard
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Posted by themanfrommoselriver
For some time now our vintners and wine producers association has had a website, but it was work in progress and filled up only step by step. Now the webpage of the Upper Goulburn Winegrowers Association is completed and fully functional. I would like to invite you to check it out.
I am very proud of this new piece of public relations and education. First of all I like the front page with its romantic touch. The subdued colours give it the historical foundation and substance which a new kid on the block usually seems to lack.
It’s typical Australian too since it tell stories, many different ones of the wineries and the other members of our organisation, the grape growers and the ones who do not have a cellar door.
It tells us stories about the region, it’s soils, the climate, the grape varieties, the history and what one can do their in term of leisure and tourist activities. It carries useful information such as maps, news and events. It also features a “wine of the month” where one of the many excellent wines are presented to the public.
Come and visit us, first on the internet and then jump into your car and drive out to the High Country and meet the friendly vintners of the Upper Goulburn Winegrowers Association. See you soon.
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Posted by themanfrommoselriver
This coming weekend I would love to be in Mansfield, Victoria. That weekend, our association, the Upper Goulburn Winegrowers Association (UGWA) is going to host its 2009 vintage celebrations. What a treat, I tell you, the best of our wines are going to be on display, what a wonderful tasting out there in the High Country. On Saturday, 25 April (11:30-17:00) a day of wine and food tasting is going to be held, titled: “A Day on High”.
And on Sunday it is followed by the so called “Long lunch” at Orchard Farm Cottage where various chefs present their food combined with Upper Goulburn wines. The menu sounds delicious, though for a conservative European like me, Australian food is often too rich. I explain this in my postscript, no offence.
The following wineries are presenting their wines:
– Buller View
– Buxton Ridge
– Delatite
– Gioielle Estate
– Growlers Gully
– Kinloch Wines
– Mt Samaria
– Murrindindi
– Nillahcootie Estate
– Penbro Estate
– Sedona Estate
– Snobs Creek
– St Winifred’s
Apart from the wines, one can also taste local food produce and buy a whole lot of other things. There is music and a program for children, in short it should be a fun day out there.
At the “Long Lunch” on Sunday, things are more structured. The dishes on offer are appropriately paired with the various wines from the region. I leave out the food so that there is something left for you to be discovered by yourself.
First, there will be canapés served (prepared by Café 41 and the Mansfield Regional Produce Store) with the following wines:
– Buller View Sparkling Merlot
– Buller View “Scarlet” Rosé
– Buxton Ridge “Molly Jean” Sparkling
– Delatite Riesling
– Kinloch “Don” Sparkling
– Murrindindi Shiraz
– St Winifred Pinot Noir
Entrée is by Christian Bergmoser (twice cooked goats cheese soufflé with a lot of other stuff) and paired with:
– ‘2008 Buxton Ridge Sauvignon Blanc’
– ‘2005 Murrindindi Riesling’
The main course is by Dave Livingstone of Crawford Kitchens (roasted quail on another assortment of various items). The wines are:
– ‘2007 Growlers Gully Pinot Noir’
– ‘2008 Kinloch Pinot Meunier’
The dessert is by Michael Nelson from The Deck on High in Mansfield to which a ‘2008 Delatite “Catherine” Gewürztraminer’ will be served. Goodness me that sounds all so nice. We have never participated in the vintage celebration ourselves, but the time will come, I am sure. In the meantime I will further explore Thai and other wines and train my palate. If anyone who reads this is in the vicinity of the High Country, I suggest you better check it out.
Cheers to all the good wines, the producers and presenters and: have fun.
PS: Australians like to not just use one or two main ingredients for a dish but many, many. I give you an example to illustrate that: a typical pizza margherita, with only tomatoes and cheese with some basil leaves, is considered by most Australians a kind of rip-off. There needs to be more on a pizza, at least 3 to 4 toppings and heaps of it (a little mountain on top of the dough). If you read the above menu, you see what I mean.
Leave a Comment » | food, wine | Tagged: Australian wine, High Country, Mansfield, Upper Goulburn Wine region, Upper Goulburn Winegrowers Association, Victoria, wine | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
I was not surprised when I read on The Age today that the North-South pipeline would fall short as regards the volume of water it would bring to Melbourne in its first years. The article spoke of “dramatically less water”, in total about 160 billion litres less than originally predicted. Per year this amounts to 10 billion litres instead of the 75 billion carrying capacity. Consequently, the pipeline will not alleviate water shortages in Melbourne.
We the local rural people said that from the beginning. One of the consequences is that water prices for consumers will also rise (between 70- to 80 %). So will the costs per unit of water transported. I was always of the opinion that the projected costs of A $ 600 million could never be met anyway. Wait until the final figures are released, I assume it will be around 1 billion plus. This is what the Melbournians will have to shoulder in addition to the rising water costs. After the devastating bush fires in exactly the same region, the rural areas are unable to contribute to taxes and public finances anyway.
The Victorian Government is still refusing to reveal its exact pipe flow projections for the years 2011 and 2012. Tim Holding, the Water Minister, was hiding from The Age. Well, latest at the next election he has to come out and face the music. That’s the time when we are going to punish the Brumby Government for its arrogance and aloofness. But it’s no pleasure to be right in this case. The damage cannot be undone. We should erect a memorial to Brumby and its people.
Useful link: Plug the pipe
2 Comments | general | Tagged: Melbourne, North-South Pipeline, Tim Holding, Victoria, water, water shortage | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
Isn’t it a beauty?
For twelve years we were driving our old Mazda, a sedan, suitable for a family of four, a family which lives in the city, but not in the country side. I loved the car. I carried seedling, straw, fertilizer, wood and wine boxes with it so that it looked like a farm vehicle. Even an encounter with a kangerooh at dawn could not end the live of it.
But last year the Mazda had it. It broke down every week of our holidays which proved to be too cumbersome for us. It’s not funny breaking down with the car in rural Victoria miles from any habitation. It slows you down though you get to know how nice your fellow Australian citizens are.
Therefore, we bought a new vehicle, an old pick-up truck, from Chris and Lu Birchall of Yarra Glen. Our old friend Peter Brown put a lot of work into the “old lady” to make it a true treasure (he made the back dust proved, repainted some parts and many more things). Thank you Peter!
Two Hills new Nissan
This pick up truck is just what we needed. While in Glenburn over Christmas we transported all kind of farm gear and other items from growceries to wine boxes. It was a delight to go around in this Nissan. The “lady” was built in 1986 (!) but it looks like a spring chuck of a car. On long drives the back passenger seats are not so comfortable, so the kids find it sometimes hard to sit there, their legs a bit twisted.
When we visit again in winter, we will need the truck to carry posts and other material to rebuilt the fences which we lost to the fire. Do you want to join me?
Leave a Comment » | vineyards | Tagged: Glenburn, Two Hills Vineyard, Victoria, wine | Permalink
Posted by themanfrommoselriver
The wildfires in Victoria are far from over. Temperatures are rising again, the land is dry, the wind blows and accidents happen.
Today thousands gathered at the Rod Laver arena in Melbourne for a memorial service for the 209 people who perished in the fires. Many speakers from politics, religious figures and representatives of the communities lauded the spirit of the survivors. The devastation triggered also the best in human behaviour. The extent of co-operation, the mutual help, the support, the kindness and assistance extended to the ones who lost beloved ones, their properties and their businesses is amazing. Also the Australian government is doing a good job.
We cannot do much here in Bangkok. As consolation I would like to share a poem from Omar Kayyam, one of my favourite poets.
Ah with the grape my fading life provide,
and wash my body whence the life has died,
and in a winding-sheet of vine-leaf wrapped,
so bury me by some sweet garden side.
Source: The FitzGerald Rubaiyat, 1859, LXVII
Omar Kayyam
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Posted by themanfrommoselriver
Over the last couple of days I have read so many heartbreaking stories about the fire-storms in Victoria. They brought tears to my eyes. It is incredible what people went through and are still going through; the grief, the loss, the incomprehension, the suffering. Incredible. It takes so much courage to rebuilt and battle on.
At Two Hills we are lucky that the fire could be stopped in time. Michael sent some pictures. He says they don’t do justice to reality. How could the house and the vineyard survive?
Everything is black, he says, no grass or scrubs left. In the first picture the vineyard is to the right. The water in the dam is quite low. The second picture shows the vineyard. We will have some “toasted” grapes, I guess.
Our dam seen from the hill
The vineyard after the fire
It was very close (Chardonnay block in the background)
The pumping shed still standing
Among others (for instance the Upper Goulburn Winegrowers Association), our distributor, the Old England Hotel in Heidelberg, Melbourne has already offered to buy smoke-tainted wine to support us and all other grape growers who suffered because of the fires. Tragedies have some good; they bring people closer together, to help and support each other.
For the sake of the victims, we have to battle on.
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Posted by themanfrommoselriver
The vine: sign of life
This post is dedicated to Victor and Sheryl from “across the road” as we say in Australia. They are our neighbours, neighbours we did not know until very recently. Well, not that we would personally know them as yet. But Victor and Sheryl and a bunch of fire-fighters we have to thank that our house in Two Hills Road is still standing. Victor and Sheryl defended it against the flames. Without them, it would have been cinder, and ashes. From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank you for saving this little shed of ours.
How do I know this? Well. Michael, my brother-in-law went up this morning and called us from the vineyard phone. The fire came about within one meter to the back of the house. If the gas bottle there would have caught fire, the shed would be history and with it all our belongings. Not that there is much valuable stuff in the house, but all the photos of the kids early childhood and other small pieces with huge emotional baggage attached to it.
It seems that the fire cam from the bush at Katy’s Creek, from the back of our block and from there burned its way through to the front of the property. Michael says the whole place is blacked out now. Our neighbour Ken’s hay shed and the pine trees on the hill are gone; so is his machinery shed, but his house is standing as well.
After the opening of the road, residents are returning to their properties. Emotions are raw, people are grieving. After more than a week of constant alert, attention, listening to the radio about the latest news, rumours, terrible life stories, witness reports, pictures of burning bush on TV and in a near or closer distance, smoke and haze people are just exhausted.
Thanks again to Victor and Sheryl and the firemen and all our friends down under keeping us informed and also our many other friends worldwide inquiring about our safety during the last couple of days.
We were lucky in Two Hills Road it seems. No life and no property lost what a stark contrast to Kinglake and Marysville. We will be returning to Glenburn only at the end of June. We will clean up, plan new trees and bring order to the place once again. Hope we see you one day. Welcome to Glenburn.
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Posted by themanfrommoselriver
These last days have been very distressing. We are all very upset. We were in permanent contact with family and friends in rural Victoria. Terrible news reached us, some of it was later confirmed, other “facts”, alas, turned out to be just rumours. It was such an emotional roller coaster. I do not feel like blogging these days. I lost my “voice”, my appetite, nothing can humour me; I do not want to listen to the news. It’s so confusing, so distressing. No news, is good news…
Michael took these pictures in Healesville from his balcony
The destruction in rural Victoria is unbelievable. Whole settlements, communities and neighbourhoods are gone; businesses among them wineries and vineyards have been destroyed. The death toll has risen, and will rise further when the magnitude of the disaster becomes clearer. Many people had no chance to escape from the wildfires. The human toll is horrific; its unbelievably sad that so many people lost their lives. And its not over yet. The inferno is continuing in many places.
But there are also “good” stories. Usually they describe how the fire roared in from one direction and threatened to destroy everything in its way, all hope seemed to be lost and then these stories continue with: “and then, the wind changed”, the fire stopped, turned and the destruction went elsewhere. In some instances, however, one persons gain was another’s loss.
Bush on fire
Friends informed us that Two Hills is still standing. Dave from Penbro Estate in Murrindindi went to our place and checked it out. He confirmed that all is well. The fire went obviously through it, but firemen must have protected the building, so it seems. Margit and I we would love to shake the hands of these firemen, if we could only find them. We hope that Michael and Steve will have another look after the Dixon’s Creek-Yea road is re-opened. We were very relieved when we got this news.
We cannot complain, we are safe here in Bangkok. We talked to quite a few friends over the phone; they are all ok and they could save their homes. Our condolences go to all the families who have lost loved ones in the inferno and our heartfelt thanks go to all the unnamed heroes, the firemen, the state emergency services people, the paramedics and the ambos and all the other people who helped to deal with the disaster.
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Posted by themanfrommoselriver
The Man from Mosel River
The Man from Mosel River 