Greater Shepparton
Planning a road trip through Victoria? Two hours from Melbourne is a sunny riverside region quickly becoming known as a food, wine and culture destination. By Rose Johnstone
Drink unbelievably good wine at one of Victoria’s most picturesque cellar doors
Locals want to keep this family-owned cellar door and restaurant to themselves – but Tallis
Wine’s soaring pastoral views, golden sunsets and fantastic wine make it a must-visit. Alice and Richard Tallis planted their first harvest on their broadacre farm over a decade ago, and found that the region’s rich volcanic soil produces topnotch shiraz, merlot, riesling, viognier, cabernet sauvignon and sangiovese. Visit on a Sunday afternoon, and enjoy live music with your cheese and wine out on the patio. Ò195 Major Plains Rd, Dookie 3646. 03 5823 5383. www.talliswine.com.au. Tue-thu 10am-3pm; Fri-sun 11am-5pm.
Connect with region’s Indigenous history
Shepparton – which is situated on Yorta Yorta country – is home to Victoria’s secondlargest Aboriginal population. The floodplain between Shepparton and Mooroopna, known as The Flats, was a community established after the first mass strike of Aboriginal people, who walked off the Cummeragunja Mission in 1939 and lived on the Flats for several years. This area has been preserved as a cultural walk, with plaques telling the stories of the lives and culture of the Indigenous men and women who lived, and still live, in the region. After the walk, visit the nearby Connection – a café recently bought by Yorta Yorta woman Felicia Dean, who incorporates native ingredients into her dishes. Ò7287 Midland Hwy, Shepparton 3630. 03 5821 0600. theconnectionshepparton.com. Sat, Sun 9am-5pm.
Eat traditional Thai
The large size of Shepparton’s immigrant community means there are plenty of world cuisines to choose from; one of them being traditional, home-cooked Thai at The Last
Straw. The owners are a married couple who live upstairs in a space they built themselves out of wheat straw bales and salvaged timber, and their restaurant is packed six days a week with locals enjoying home-style Thai curries and coffee roasted on the premises. Ò24- 26 Keppel St, Shepparton 3630. 03 5822 4990. www.thelaststraw.com.au. Mon-fri 9am-3pm; Sat 10am-2pm.
Try a cheeky cider or two
Third-generation fruitgrowers Mark and Jenny Morey launched the Cheeky
Grog Co in 2004, and have since won awards for their sugar-free ciders that range from a dry, clear Flip Cider to the sweeter Cheeky Cider. Try the range by ordering a paddle at their relaxed outdoor bar. Ò5160 Barmah-shepparton Rd, Bunbartha 3634. 0417 781 918. cheekygrogco.com. Opening hours vary; check Facebook page for details.
Explore a fascinating collection of Australian art
For a regional art gallery, the Shepparton
Art Museum (SAM) punches well above its weight. SAM is well known for its significant collections of ceramic and Indigenous art, and also features landscapes by artists from the Heidelberg School and contemporary work from the likes of Tracey Moffatt and Sam Jinks. ■ Ò70 Welsford St, Shepparton 3630. 03 5832 9861. www.sheppartonartmusuem.com.au. Free. Daily 10am-4pm.