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A BIG D A TASTE OF VICTORIA’S VINEYARDS Victoria’s wineries are ideal for short weekend getaways. Most regions offer their own brand of B&B style accommodation, first-class restaurants, as well as antique and bric-a-brac shops in nearby small towns. A visit to many of Victoria’s fine vineyards has very much become a culinary experience. Many vineyards are now catering for the traveller that not only wants to experience what wineries have to offer, but have it with food as well. Located about 180 kilometers from Melbourne (just over 2 hours drive from Melbourne) and guaranteed to be a most memorable weekend trip away, are the Pyrenees Ranges wineries. This region has an international reputation for its wine making excellence. Along a 60 kilometre stretch of hills there are nine wineries with a total of about 360 hectares under vine. You can tour the area by private car or by hiring a 70s convertible Mustang. For a more leisurely tour, you can hire bicycles or horse and cart. Of the vineyards in this region, one of the most noteworthy would have to be the Warrenburg Vineyard Resort. The accommodation here includes cosy chalet-style cottages and luxury suites with glorious views of natural and cultivated beauty. Wine to taste include the Warrenmang and Barrani labels and the Warrenburg Restaurant, considered to be one of country Victoria’s best, offers superb food. Facilities include a BBQ and picnic area, children’s play area, tennis courts, pool, hot tub and the French game of petanque. The hospitality here is legendary. From Warrenburg you can walk along a track (between the Pyrenees State Forest and rows of vines) to Taltarni (famed for its reds) and Dalwhinnie. Any wine purchased while on the walk is transferred back to Warrenmang for free. Not far away at Avoca is the Blue Pyrenees Estate, where one can expect very distinct French influences, attributed to its French owners and a French winemaker. Wines include Blue Pyrenees Estate, Leydens Vae, Fiddlers Creek and Columba labels. The sparkling wines have great finesse - especially the rare and wonderful cellars where over one million bottles of sparkling wine are stored. Nearby at Mount Avoca Vineyard, the second oldest in the region, you can sample a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, spicy Shiraz and elegant but full-fruited Cabernet while overlooking rolling hills of vines. A horse-drawn tour is a relaxing way to see this vineyard and the Blue Pyrenees Estate. One of the biggest events of the region is the Pyrenees Vignerons Gourmet Wine and Food Race Meeting. This event is held at the picturesque Avoca Race Club on Anzac day (25 April). This is a day filled with live jazz, country races, delicious food and of course, Pyrenees wines. For bushwalkers and rock climbing enthusiasts, the Grampians are about half an hour west of the Pyrenees region. For those of you who find the concept of country trekking a bit hard to fathom, the Sunday Wine Market held on the first Sunday of every month at the National Flower Centre is hailed to be Melbourne’s newest gourmet food and wine adventure - and it’s only three hours from the CBD! And don’t forget this year’s Melbourne Food & Wine Festival from 12 March to 4 April featuring more than 70 major events. Christine Loukopoulos Sometimes we just do not get time to do the big ‘get away’ thing. After all the place had better be worth if if it’s going to eat into our precious 4 weeks annual leave. But there are some great bushwalks that you can do on your weekends around Melbourne. Here are just a few. Yarra Ranges National Park Yarra Ranges National Park is about 70 km from Melbourne (down the Maroondah Highway) and surrounds Melbourne’s water catchments. There is a rainforest walk at Cement Creek near Mount Donna Buang and more beauty if you follow Morleys Track or Beeches Walk. There is also picnic spots at Fernshaw reserve and Dom Saddle. Another interesting little fact is that the state’s tallest tree (83 metres) is situated here. Dandenong Ranges National Park Most readers will be aware of this spot being only 35 km east of Melbourne. Heaps of walking and picnic spots and nothing cures them work blues 14
Noosa Noosa has, perhaps unkindly, been dubbed ‘Melbourne in shorts’. If your regular <strong>Victorian</strong> summer haunts are Lorne or Portsea, you’ll most likely love Noosa. I spent a week there in December. It had been a number of years since my last visit and I had vowed I would not be returning until: 1. I could afford to! Noosa is expensive. Be prepared to spend upwards of $1,500 a week for a self-contained apartment within walking distance of the beach - even more in high season. A single return airfare from Melbourne to Maroochydore (the closest airport) is about $500. 2. I was old enough to wear gold belts, gold shoes and take a gold handbag to the beach. There is something unique about the Noosa man and woman. I’m sure that Richard Attenborough would enjoy cataloguing the various habitual rituals of the Noosa species. Noosa is not really a “let it all hang out” beach holiday and is as close as we get in Australia to imitating French beachgoers who wear their suits and high heels to the beach. Noosa is a place to be seen. 3. They worked out how to make real coffee. Noosa has quite a lot of Sydney in it and they still serve cafe latte in Irish Whisky glasses, which is great if you don’t like the taste of coffee and prefer a nice warm glass of milk. Despite my prejudices, I went back lured by the idea of a cheap holiday in the sun. It was cheap only because my brother has moved to Noosa to work and has since been inundated by members of our family!! Noosa is not really a “let it all hang out” beach holiday... So what’s changed? Noosa is still very expensive. I arrived shortly after the Noosa restaurant awards. There are many varieties of food and Noosa is often hailed as having great eating houses. The atmosphere is certainly fantastic - there is nothing like being able to eat in outdoor restaurants at night without having to pull on a jumper. But I found the food mostly overpriced. Main courses generally start at $25 for a quality of food that we would probably pay $15 for in a café in Melbourne. The service can be pretty ordinary as well. Thankfully there were less gold belts in 1999 - but Noosa is still a major holiday destination for the well heeled. Hastings Street is a bit like Toorak Village with sand. And the coffee? Irish Whisky glasses still prevail, but I did manage to find one or two café’s who prided themselves on making great coffee. Pelligrini’s would make a fortune if they opened a Noosa café. Despite the Noosa ‘scene’, the beaches are great. The water is warm and clean. The national park which abuts the beach provides a scenic setting and great walks. And there’s a height limit to new development so Noosa retains some of the old beach holiday feeling before high rises took over. And the weather? Who cares about gold belts and weak coffee when it’s warm enough to be on the beach at 8.30 in the morning and jumpers are only needed for when you get off the plane at Tullamarine. Tell me again why we choose to live in Victoria? Wendy Kayler-Thomson AY OUT like a Devonshire tea. A big scone with lots of jam and cream is a must. Also worth a look is the William Ricketts Sanctuary which is close by. Mornington Peninsula National Park This park is 80 kilometers south of Melbourne via Mornington Peninsula Freeway and Point Nepean Road. Greens Bush, Point Nepean, Sorrento Ocean Beach and Cape Schanck are the main walking attractions with Greens Bush providing the more challenging task. More information Parks Victoria is a wonderful resource. They have free flyers on all the National Parks in Victoria including maps of how to get there and what to see. They are situated in the floor above Information Victoria in town. For those of you on the net the homepage is http://www.parks.vic.gov.au. Alternatively phone 13 1963. By Karen Streckfuss 15
Page 1 and 2: Balance: Work and Life Portia Issue
Page 3 and 4: Convenor’s Column With New Year
Page 5 and 6: • Job insecurity and lack of care
Page 7 and 8: Hepburn Day Spa at Hilton on the Pa
Page 9 and 10: taking a trip to the TAMAR VALLEY T
Page 11 and 12: ECUTIVE Carolyn Sutherland Sarah Re
Page 13: paper diary cross referenced to the
Page 17 and 18: International WOMEN’S DAY By Mary
Page 19 and 20: COMMITTEE REPORTS Work Practices Fo

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