Admiring The Lyre Bird

The Age

Saturday June 26, 2004

Kevin Norbury

Good wine, food, company and discovered treasures, Gippsland has it all, writes Kevin Norbury.

The Grand Ridge Road, which snakes along the ridge of the Strzelecki Ranges, is deemed by some to be one of the greatest tourist drives in Victoria. It has much to recommend it. It winds through diverse scenery, past ramrod straight rainforest trees and ferns, past spots reminiscent of hillbilly country and, at one point, you even get a glimpse of Bass Strait. For much of its 132 kilometres it is unsealed, but little can detract from the beauty that is Gippsland.

While it is cosy and comfortable in the car, especially on chilly days, to really appreciate the diversity of the landscape and what the area has to offer, get out of the car and stretch those limbs.

There are all sorts of walks you can do along the way, although the best part, apparently, is the Tarra-Bulga National Park where the elusive lyrebird is said to be found. We didn't get that far, but you could never suggest Gippsland was boring. There seems to be something to discover around nearly every turn.

Take the Wild Dog Winery, near Warragul, for example. Here we entered a world of country bonhomie and trust. The cellar door was open, the heating was on, the wine was there for the tasting, but despite my calls around the barrels in the winemakers' lair, there was no one to be seen. And the only wild dog was a Queensland heeler that would have licked you to death.

Not all was lost. Not far away, just off Korumburra Road, Warragul, we found the Gables Tea Garden run by a woman who offered tea and freshly baked scones with jam and cream, much more sensible at 11 0'clock on a Saturday morning. We made another discovery, too: not only did she serve Devonshire teas and sell all kinds of local produce, she is also a talented artist and photographer, so we spent the first 20 minutes or so admiring her paintings and thumbing through a portfolio of amazing photographs of her overseas trips.

And after tea and scones we still had her botanic-like English garden that surrounds the sandstone-gabled house to walk through and admire. But we had to push on. Our weekend destination was the Lyre Bird Hill Winery and Guest House, at Koonwarra, near Leongatha, where we had booked for dinner, bed and breakfast.

We arrived mid-afternoon to be greeted by our hosts, Robyn and Owen (also the wine maker) Schmidt, to be served tea and cake in front of an open fire. Our accommodation was one of three en-suite rooms furnished with local crafts. The original timber cottage on the property is reserved for families.

The evening began with pre-dinner drinks (a Lyre Bird Hill sparkly, of course) in front of the fire with the other guests, a retired GP and his wife and a former garden seeds king and his wife; the two couples were inlaws as it turns out.

Dinner was a ''family'' affair with Owen and Robyn organising proceedings at each end of a large, locally built blackwood dining table, guests down each side. The meal, soup, a beef burgundy casserole with vegetables, followed by sweets, was accompanied by wine from the vineyard and conversation ranged from world travel, producing garden seeds and wine to medical matters. A good time was had by all - although it would have been nice to finish off with some Gippsland cheese and a Lyre Bird Hill sticky instead of chardonnay.

Come Sunday we took the winery trail; only one winery was open (apart from Lyre Bird Hill), but a must stop was the Koonwarra store that doubles as the local post office, restaurant and a general store that sells a wide range of local produce - including wine. In fact, on Monday evenings the store has introduced ''produce pantry cooking classes'' where participants can pitch in or just look and learn as Maria and her crew do their stuff.

For the trip home we took the Gippsland Highway - to stop off at the Coal Creek Heritage Village at Korumburra. For it is here, in this late 19th-early 20th century village recreated with buildings collected from around the district, where you literally step back in time. As I said, you won't get bored in Gippsland.

The Verdict

A good place to relax with an emphasis on local Gippsland produce. There's plenty to see and do, but if you just feel like staying put, everything is on tap, including a tipple in the tasting room or a fresh cup of tea and biscuits in the guest house. The rooms are comfortable and spacious with their own entrance. A cooked breakfast is served in the dining room, as well as dinner if you book.

Tariffs: $150 a night (including breakfast), $130 for the second night. Dinner $60 per person (wine included) or $270 for a dinner, bed and breakfast package.

Address: Inverloch Road, Koonwarra, 3954. Phone: 5664 3204 or fax: 5664 3206.

Online: www.lyrebirdhill.com.au

© 2004 The Age

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