Tuesday 3 May 2011
VOL 4. No 18
www.bellarinetimes.com.au
Bellarine Times
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Harvest cheers! WINERIES across the Bellarine have experienced their first wet, cool season in a decade, with many finally celebrating the end of a late harvest. Oakdene’s Stephen Paul said the vineyard had only been planted over the past nine years so there had been many differences in the growing and harvesting of this year’s vintage. He said while grapes in other regions had been wiped out because of the wet, humid conditions, Oakdene had no serious problems. “The disease pressure had been kept at bay by the vineyard team’s hard work and this year is the best Sauvignon Blanc harvest ever for both yield and fruit quality,” he said. “The Shiraz yield is down but it’s going to be a peppery, intense vintage and we expect there will be strong demand. “We have our first crush from the Pinot Gris planted in 2008 and the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay will be superb with low sugar and high acidity.” Oakdene will also be opening it’s iconic ‘upside down’ cellar door soon. Photo: ALISON MARTIN
HORSE FRIENDLY
The Bellarine is set to make a name for itself as a holiday destination for equine lovers
BY ALISON MARTIN
‘HORSE friendly routes’ are being formally established in the Drysdale area and are expected to provide unique tourism and equestrian opportunities for the Bellarine. In response to City of Greater Geelong’s horse trail study findings, council is installing signage on roads in the Drysdale-Leopold Pony Club area,
Surf Forecast
covering Gilles, Basin, Princess, Swan Bay, Banks and Andersons roads. Bellarine Tourism’s Emma Keith (pictured), who is one of the region’s many horse riders, said she was working with council to ensure opportunities for future tourism funding were maximised and assist with implementation of study recommendations within existing budgets. “The final report from the study provided a
range of different recommendations and some of the short-term recommendations are now being implemented,” she said. “A code of conduct for horse riders on horse friendly roads is being developed and the signage is being installed. “The route can be promoted and then any traffic issues or impact on vegetation can be assessed and we can see if the signage is working before
extending it to other roads on the Bellarine.” The long term recommendations of the study include opportunities for a north-south trail through the Bellarine, however, expansion of the initial route will be dependant on funding and assessments, with riders urged to adhere to the code of conduct.
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WED 1-2ft+ average WSW 16° THU 2-3ft+ building SW 15° FRI 1-2ft average W 17° SAT 2-3ft average SSW 15°
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