GIN PLANT’S A REAL TONIC
TRC-approved micro-distillery to boost tourism
THE farmer behind an innovative and artisanal gin distillery is excited for what it will add to one of the Toowoomba region’s burgeoning tourism areas.
Pechey Homestead owner John O’Brien has been approved by the council for his plan to turn a renovated 100-year-old creaming shed on the property into a micro-distillery.
Using Darling Downs-grown sorghum, rainwater captured on-site and flavoured with botanicals from Mr O’Brien’s own gardens, the ambitious project would add an extra tourist attraction to the growing High Country
Hamlets micro-region north of Toowoomba.
The bushy-bearded tourism operator said he was thrilled with the approval and hoped it would offer visitors another incentive to stay in the region.
“We hope to be operating in early 2020, and what we’re going to do is on Saturdays we’ll run master class distilling workshops,” he said.
“What we’re hoping is people will stay on a Friday and Saturday and do the master class on the Saturday and also have an authentic farm stay.”
Once finished, Mr O’Brien said the distillery would be able to produce 1000 litres of gin a year initially, and eventually up to 3000 litres a year.
TRC tourism spokesman Cr Geoff McDonald said the development of micro-tourism in the northern Toowoomba region had shown a path forward for other parts of the Darling Downs.
“What we’ve seen is the rise of micro-tourism, and certainly the High Country Hamlets has led the way,” he said.
“These things add to the opportunity to cross-promote and get people to stay for a couple of nights.”