Tallagandra Hill: where fine wine meets headline acts
Plump bunches of vermentino grapes hang off the lush green vines, catching the morning sun.
Most of them have already been picked for wine-making. The 2025 harvest was a good one, ready for the final vintage that David Faulks and Mary McAvoy will sprinkle their magic over.
The couple are selling Tallagandra Hill Winery after nine years, having decided it’s time to find something else to fuel their creativity.
“David and I like the building [aspect] of making things happen and creating something amazing,” McAvoy says.
They’ve certainly done that at Tallagandra, which sits just 30 minutes from Canberra’s CBD.
When they bought the estate in 2016, it was already well regarded for its wines. Now it’s so much more.
Faulks loves his music, and a wall in the living room of the four-bedroom on-site house is lined with his vinyl collection, with a turntable nearby.
In the cellar door, which seats 50 people, is a vintage jukebox full of singles from all eras, covered in the signatures of the artists who’ve performed next door in the events hall.
Big names, including Jimmy Barnes, Kate Ceberano, Kasey Chambers, Kate Miller-Heidke and Troy Cassar-Daly, have been regulars at Tallagandra.
“Family, really,” Faulks says.
The venue space with heritage timber features seats 170 – perfect for weddings and corporate events – and includes a commercial kitchen, a separate bar and a mezzanine level with a boardroom.
But it’s intimate and distinctive, the mood relaxed. It’s like you’ve been invited into a loungeroom and an icon such as Jimmy Barnes just happens to be sitting in the corner, singing.
As much as he loves his music, Faulks, who came from a corporate background, is proudest of the vineyard on the 15.3-hectare property.
“I’m extremely proud of the health and productivity of the vineyard,” he says. “I had absolutely no background in farming, let alone viticulture, and it was the least likely thing for me to succeed in.”
Faulks says it has been a steep learning curve and a humbling experience.
“To see something you’ve actually grown, from the soil that you’ve tended, that’s brought me great joy,” he says.
That connection to the land is something else that’s grown since they’ve been custodians of Tallagandra.
“I’ve lived in Australia for 25 years,” says McAvoy, who grew up in Ireland.
“I remember coming through the gates here on that very first day, and for the first time I felt a connection to the land.”
Their fellow wine makers and farmers across the next paddock provide a real sense of community and a connection to the area in so many different ways.
The couple point out three massive gum trees near the property’s three bespoke, self-contained, one-bedroom cottages.
“They’re more than 500 years old,” McAvoy says. “They give you a real sense of what was here before the vineyard.”
The first grapes were planted in the 1990s. Alongside the vermentino, there are viognier, cabernet franc, shiraz, tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon.
Each wine is named after a family member. The Eva rosé is named after McAvoy’s mother, who still can’t believe her daughter turned her corporate husband into a farmer. The Great Ron shiraz is named for Faulks’ father, who passed away shortly before his 96th birthday.
“We like to tell a story any way we can,” Faulks says.
They’re sad at the idea of leaving Tallagandra Hill, but it’s time to start a new chapter. There’s a guest house in Ireland they’re renovating to be closer to Mary’s family for a part of the year. And they’re keen to spend more time with their grandchildren in Canberra.
“It’s time for someone else to take the reins here,” Faulks says. “We’ve got the place buzzing along so someone can just come in without missing a beat.
“It’s time for someone to come and sing their own song.”
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