Travel: the Great Ocean Road, Australia
It’s a long drive, but so worth it, says David Sly: dramatic scenery, some of the world’s best surf and some of Australia’s finest cuisine and wine
David Sly in Victoria’s prime wine country
THE OCEAN VIEW summarises Australia in a single vista – untamed surf, huge skies, golden beaches, shimmering natural beauty. The Great Ocean Road that stretches along Victoria’s southwest coast brings all these elements together, augmented by luxurious comforts for travellers. And lurking in the background are some of Australia’s best vineyards. Their pristine, cool-climate wines have steel in their spine, fine structure and gentle perfume. Like the road trip, they are a true delight to the senses.
The journey covers 243km of winding, windswept highway that hugs the Southern Ocean, traversing towering limestone cliffs and rolling hinterland from Geelong to Portland. It’s an epic route, so fortify yourself for at least a day in Geelong before leaving. This big rural city is undergoing a metamorphosis, embracing a sophisticated dining and drinking culture that is underlined by prime wineries in the surrounding districts.
Vineyards were first planted here in the 19th century, although it was the first district in Australia to be attacked by phylloxera. Several old sites were replanted during a 1970s wine renaissance, notably the organic Prince Albert Vineyard at Waurn Ponds (www.princealbertvineyards.weebly.com), and Bannockburn (www.bannockburnvineyards.com) north of Geelong. Winemaker Garry Farr, who made Bannockburn’s fine Chardonnay, taut Pinot Noir and spicy Shiraz famous in the 1980s, has furthered the region’s kudos with his own label, By Farr (www.byfarr.com.au). Wines made by his son Nick, released under the Farr Rising label, are equally compelling, especially his distinctive Pinot Noir. The Farrs do not have a cellar door, but look for their wines in local restaurants and shops.
By the early 1990s, plantings had been established across the Bellarine Peninsula, to the east of Geelong, with the large Scotchmans Hill winery and cellar door operation (www.scotchmans.com.au) signalling
a quality benchmark that prompted many more wineries to spring up across the region.
Several newer producers have kept a keen eye on regional tradition. Lethbridge Wines (www.lethbridgewines.com) was founded by scientists Ray Nadeson, Maree Collis and Adrian Thomas. Their biodynamic and organic methods have revitalised the Lethbridge Estate Vineyard, originally planted in 1874 by Swiss immigrants, and the Mt Duneed vineyard, first planted in 1858. The wines, produced on site in a unique straw bale winery, are a testament to meticulous care capturing the characteristics of terroir.
Scenic thrills
Heading south from Geelong, the first Great Ocean Road attractions are the surf beaches of Bells Beach near Torquay (its international surfing tournament is held each Easter), Lorne and Anglesea. Surfboards and wetsuits can be hired from numerous shops, but be aware that swirling currents are especially strong.
Big scenic thrills come after rounding Cape Otway – the national park’s treetop walk is a highlight – and heading to Port Campbell, to see the awe-inspiring craggy limestone outcrops of the Twelve Apostles, and beyond to London Arch and the Loch Ard Gorge. Most travellers aim to take photographs at sunset, although driving the tricky roads at night is made more difficult by abundant wandering wildlife. You can split the route into three sections, which each take about 90 minutes to drive – from Geelong to Lorne; Lorne to Apollo Bay; and Apollo Bay to Port Campbell.
Beyond the beaches, vineyards are popping up throughout the Surf Coast hinterland, from eccentric English expat Will Wolseley’s winery (www.wolseleywines.com) at Paraparap – try his botrytis Semillon – to nearby Brown Magpie Wines (www.brownmagpiewines.com) for elegant Shiraz and dusky Pinot Gris, or taste earthy Pinot Noir from Gosling Creek winery near Deans Marsh (www.goslingcreek.com.au).
Blakes Estate (www.blakesestate.com.au) is planted mostly to Pinot Noir with a little Pinot Grigio, its best wine being a delicate sparkling Blanc de Noir. At Bellbrae Estate (www. bellbraeestate.com.au) near Torquay, Matthew di Sciascio makes peppery Shiraz. Discover these wineries during the annual Toast to the Coast festival in November, or download information from the Otway Harvest Trail (www.otwayharvesttrail.org.au).
its own reward
The prize at the end of this long drive is Henty, Australia’s coolest mainland wine region that gained GI status in 2000. Small pockets of vineyard sit between the merino sheep and cattle country around Portland, the coastal town founded by the Henty brothers in 1834. However, it wasn’t until 1964 that Karl Seppelt
identified the region as ideal for producing sparkling and delicate, aromatic wines. Seppelt’s magnificent Drumborg vineyard was instrumental in stimulating greater Australian focus on cool-climate viticulture, and the plot continues to produce celebrated singlevineyard Riesling and Chardonnay.
This district’s beautiful undulating terrain has won the hearts of producers such as John and Catherine Thomson, who planted Crawford River (www.crawfordriverwines.com) in 1975. Their eldest daughter Belinda makes the brand’s benchmark Riesling.
Fruit from Henty has become so coveted that grapes are sourced by wineries from far and wide. Best’s Great Western wine marketer Jonathan Mogg and Belinda Low recognised this and created Hentyfarm Wines (www. hentyfarm.com.au). They employ winemaker Justin Purser, also at Best’s Great Western, to work small wonders with grape grower Alistair Taylor’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
If vineyard fatigue hasn’t set in, then it’s a relatively short skip west 150km over the state border into South Australia. Here, Penola is the southern gateway to Coonawarra, famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon (Decanter September 2016). Or keep driving the four hours to Adelaide and its surrounding wine regions.