From Milawa to Tallangatta and Prosecco Rd: Towns to visit in north east Victoria

Here’s cheers to Victoria’s wine and high country, where the Hume Highway transports visitors to a heavenly slice of Australia’s own provincial little Italy.

Here, excellent food, beer and wine are held in great esteem and proudly produced by locals through generations.

This region’s King Valley is where to find “Prosecco Road” and surrounding picture-postcard towns in which to tickle the palate, learn traditional cooking, explore cellar doors and shop at gourmet stores.

Milawa

Distance: 632 kilometres south-west from Sydney, 417 kilometres south-west of Canberra, 260 kilometres north-east from Melbourne,

Renowed for: Australia’s first official gourmet region, and the home of Brown Brothers wines

With an abundance of growers and wineries, Milawa is an excellent place to go to fill up those empty Eskies. A great way to explore the area is by cycling the 10-kilometre return Milawa to Oxley arm of the Pedal to Produce ride.

Destinations along the way include the Milawa Cheese Company, Milawa Bread and The Milawa Kitchen, which are all on the same site.

The bread arm of this business was established 20 years ago by Adam Rivett, who trained in France, with the newer kitchen element founded in 2017.

“Our mission is to inspire communities by being curious about where our food is grown and by connecting people to their food,” front of house manager Courtney Conroy says.

The Olive Shop is a 16-year-old small business stocking an extensive range of olives, oils and other produce. Owner Ian Cooke and his family took over the store in November, just weeks before nearby bushfires affected the normally busy summer season.

“We are proud of what a caring and resilient community we are,” Cooke says.

Most Australians are familiar with wines by Brown Brothers, which has been in Milawa since 1889, and there are also many smaller wineries and distilleries to explore.

Hurdle Creek Still produces small batch spirits with a particular focus on gin. “Our spirits are distilled on site using locally sourced grain and infused with many local and native botanics,” gin slinger Alex Williams says. Customers are invited to taste and learn about the process, all within the distillery.

There’s truly a Milawa store to suit every gourmet craving, from condiments Milawa Mustards, to honey at Walkabout Apiaries and smallgoods at Gamze Smokehouse.

Cheshunt

Distance: 685 kilometres south-west of Sydney, 469 kilometres south-west of Canberra, 275 kilometres north-east of Melbourne

Renowned for: Family-owned wineries and natural attractions in the King Valley

Cheshunt is found in the King Valley, the north-eastern region on the fertile slopes surrounding the King River.

The town is just six minutes down the road from the valley’s largest town, Whitfield.

Arguably the main drawcard of Cheshunt is Chrismont, which offers a diverse range of wine varieties. The owners planted their first vine in the King Valley 40 years ago, and opened the Chrismont cellar door, restaurant and larder in 2015.

“Perched high upon a natural plateau of our upper King Valley estate, it is here that visitors can experience unparalleled views of the region while enjoying our complementary wine tastings,” owner Arnie Pizzini says.

“Or have a lunchtime feast from our a la carte dining menu, both of which we provide seven days a week.”

Politini Wines is another favourite, which draws on the owner’s Sicilian heritage. As well as visiting their cellar door, visitors can book in for one of Politini’s cooking experiences to learn the art of creating traditional cannoli, or salami and salsicce (sausage).

Among the natural attractions worth visiting is Paradise Falls, located just outside Cheshunt in the Alpine National Park.

This waterfall is particularly impressive after heavy rain, when visitors can walk behind the waterfall and see the stream falling from above.

For a view of the valley 300 metres below, take the drive to nearby Powers Lookout.

The viewing platform sits where infamous bushranger Harry Power was captured in 1870.

Beechworth

Distance: 597 kilometres south-west of Sydney, 381 kilometres south-west of Canberra, 286 kilometres north-east of Melbourne

Renowned for: A former gold rush town with a burgeoning dining scene

For a town with fewer than 4000 people to command such significant tourist attention, it usually needs to be beachside, and within a couple of hours of a major city. Beechworth is neither of these things, and yet its ambience, history and charm keeps visitors coming back.

As one of Australia’s best preserved gold rush-era towns, Beechworth’s history is evident on entering the main street. Visitors can learn about this heritage at the Beechworth Historic Precinct, which tells the stories that made this town famous.

While bushfires did not directly threaten life or property in Beechworth, Indigo Shire Council reports the community lost more than 80 per cent of income in January due to “do not travel” advice.

Even the very popular Bridge Road Brewers reports its summer trade dropped “off a cliff”. It’s worth making the trip just to visit this independent brewery and sample their pizzas, acclaimed pale ale, and 19 other house-brewed beers on tap.

Ben Ryder, co-owner of Blynzz Coffee Roasters, says Beechworth’s magic lies in that so many businesses make their own products on site. His cafe was the first commercial coffee roaster in north-east Victoria.

For shopping, Arcadia is a gallery store selling a curated selection of fine art, jewellery and handmade gifts. It shares a space with Hello Dolly, which offers eclectic vintage and new homewares. Arcadia owner Susan Reid recommends visiting the town in the cooler months. “It’s absolutely stunning in autumn and a great place to snuggle in for winter.”

Beechworth has several beautiful trails to hike, such as the seven-kilometre Beechworth Gorge Walk that winds through granite outcrops and native forest. There’s also Woolshed Falls, which is a popular swimming hole in summer.

Whitfield

Distance: 679 kilometres south-west of Sydney, 463 kilometres south-west of Canberra, 288 kilometres north-east of Melbourne

Renowned for: Being the largest town in the King Valley region and the Australian home of Italian wine

While the bushfires did not directly enter King Valley, a cautionary evacuation in early January resulted in huge income blows to business.

Whitfield is the epicentre of the King Valley region – Australia’s answer to the vineyards of Northern Italy. This Victorian area was the first in the country to adopt prosecco wine, which has since become a specialty of wineries Dal Zotto, Brown Brothers, Chrismont, Pizzini Wines and Sam Miranda, which together form the region’s “Prosecco Road”.

Red Feet Wines is a newer addition to the area, where visitors can enjoy a glass and local deli goods at the cellar door, open on weekends. Beer drinkers are catered for at King River Brewing, which creates full-flavoured, easy-to-drink styles from natural processes.

The brewery is on co-owner Brianna Munt’s parents’ farm, and the tasting room is inside an original tobacco kiln – a nod to the former main industry of the region.

Quality pub food can be found at Mountain View Hotel – an unassuming but mighty country spot owned by the same family as the equally popular Pizzini Wines.

King Valley’s mountain surrounds offer plenty in the way of nature activities, from fishing to hiking, cycling and horse riding.

Rutherglen

Distance: 600 kilometres south-west of Sydney, 384 kilometres south-west of Canberra, 294 kilometres north-east of Melbourne

Renowned for: Award-winning wineries and home to the annual Tastes of Rutherglen wine festival

The people of Rutherglen love wine so much, they erected a giant wine bottle in its honour. Technically the statue is a water tower from 1900, but a mesh top section added in 1969 sets the tone with exactly what this region has to offer.

Scion is one of Rutherglen’s most modern cellar doors, offering their own spin on the region’s traditional grape varieties including durif and muscat.

Other options range from the historic De Bortoli Wines’ cellar door located in a cellar built in 1886, and the small Jones Winery and Vineyard owned by fifth-generation winemaker siblings, Arthur and Mandy Jones.

The very best of Rutherglen’s wine making and produce will be on show at Tastes of Rutherglen (March 7-8). Eighteen wineries are participating in this year’s annual event alongside activities, masterclasses and menus.

Rob Whyte made the tree change to Rutherglen several years ago, swapping a city career in IT for ownership of Gooramadda Olives.

Whyte and his wife Melanie were attracted to the “veritable Olympic village of producers” – a reputation they’ve added to after consecutive wins for best kalamata table olives at the Australian International Olive Awards.

“The cellar doors … are smaller affairs where you will often be looked after by the owner or someone involved in the winemaking process. They have skin in the game,” Whyte says.

Take home some Gooramadda’s olives, cheeses or oils, while another award-winning delicacy to stock up on are pies from Parker Pies.

Rutherglen also has a burgeoning arts scene, with one arm of the Aboriginal Exhibitions Gallery located here.

Tallangatta

Distance: 594 kilometres south-west of Sydney, 378 kilometres south-west of Canberra, 365 kilometres north-east of Melbourne

Renowned for: Scenic surrounds on the southern side of Lake Hume

Visit Tallangatta – at the heart of the firefighting effort, on the banks of Lake Hume – for its waterways, bushwalking trails, camping grounds and scenic roads.

Government initiatives such as the Tallangatta Tomorrow program have introduced new facilities to the town, such as The Sandy Creek Rail Bridge Project spanning Lake Hume.

This bike link between Wodonga and Tallangatta uses historic rail bridge pylons to showcase the region’s history and the bridge forms part of the High Country Rail Trail.

Call into Teddy’s Joint, a homely cafe known for its coffee, handcrafted doughnuts and flatbread.

Owners Ashlee Laing and Shane Anderson aim to provide a “truly original and quirky menu that rivals any city cafe”.

Stock up with baked goods from Tallangatta Bakery, which stayed open 24 hours a day to prepare food and coffee for volunteers, firefighters, and evacuees from the nearby town of Corryong.