Tim Kirk, winemaker extraordinaire
A very loud rattling sound greets me as I drive up the dusty road past the vineyard to Clonakilla, a multi-award winning winery at Murrumbateman, 40 minutes north west of Canberra. Even with the windows firmly up to keep out the fine dust, the rattling grows louder and louder by the second.
As I pull up near the cellar door, I realise the noise is coming from a long mobile bottling truck which is sitting out the front of the winery. Winemaker Tim Kirk is busy supervising the bottling and cheering on the staff.
It’s an intensive operation as the sterilised bottles are filled, labelled and sealed and then packed into cartons, but Kirk is chuffed with their progress.
“I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as this fellow,” he says, pointing to a young tanned muscular worker.
Kirk himself is no slouch. Since 1996, when he left his school teaching job to work full time in the family business as winemaker and general manager, Kirk has put Clonakilla on the map. He launched the shiraz viognier blend in this country, a wine described by James Halliday as “an icon…one of the best in Australia.” His straight viognier, riesling and Hilltops shiraz are viewed as rising stars – and the winery itself, which was established in 1971 by his father John, has put the modest cool climate wines of the Canberra region on the world map.
It’s this dedication to quality combined with the willingness to take a risk which is the common thread of the people who live along the Poacher’s Way.
“We’re a group of like-minded people,” explains Susan Bruce, the driving force behind the Poacher’s Way brand. “Family-work-life balance is important to all of us. There are many fantastic small producers and businesses in the area, but the special thing about the Poacher’s Way collective is that together we offer a unique experience.”
There are 25 members, including wineries (such as Jeir Creek and Shaw Estate), restaurants, cafes, potteries, art galleries and a day spa. Six are in Murrumbateman, six in Canberra, four in Gundarroo, three in Hall and a couple each at Lake George, Yass and Bungendore.
Bruce is a real mover and shaker. Together with her husband Robert, she turned the family grazing property around in 1991 by converting one of the buildings into a country smokehouse. Demand grew and Poachers Pantry was born. It’s now home to the award-winning Smokehouse Café and Wily Trout Vineyard, and you can easily while away an afternoon here sampling a variety of dishes and tasting the wines. I highly recommend the smoked chicken with tarragon and lemon (currently on the Qantas 1st class menu) and the smoked lamb cutlets. The kangaroo prosciutto is pretty good too.
Not far from Poachers Pantry is Geranium House, located on 135 acres of bush on top of a hill at the end of a long winding road. Run by Sue Butt, this swish up-market spa caters for both men and women, many of whom bolt here from high-pressure jobs in Canberra.
“They love the privacy,” says Butt. “And they also love the drive out into the country.”
A further half hour drive through gently undulating countryside is the quaint village of Gundaroo, a favourite weekend destination with cyclists from Canberra.
“They ride out here then eat my cakes,” says Bridget Hinves of Cork Street Café. “Or they get stuck into the pizzas.”
The cafe is situated down a leafy laneway in the historic police stables and is renowned for its tasty pizzas and fresh organic produce. At Grazing in The Royal Hotel, just down the road, almost all the produce is grown in the wonderful backyard garden where you can wander around and see what’s on the menu. The food here is simple and unpretentious with a strong seasonal accent. I especially enjoyed the pumpkin gnocchi with burnt sage butter.
Pialligo Estate
Just ten minutes down the road is Old St Lukes Studio, a pottery specialising in wood-fired ceramics set in an old sandstone church. Potter Ian Jones will show you around and can arrange pottery-making demos for large groups. If you’re heading back to Sydney, stop off at Lerida Estate on Lake George for a taste of Jim Lumbers’ pinot noir or at Lynwood Café for homemade scones with Robbie Howard’s luscious jams. Or if you’re heading into Canberra, drop into Mount Majura vineyard for a seated wine tasting, then wander out to Pialligo for lunch at Pialligo Estate or at Podfood, both set in leafy green gardens offering a real delight to all the senses.
I was a guest of Tourism NSW
Destination: Murrumbateman is 280Km south west of Sydney along the Hume Highway (3 – 3 1/2 hours by car); and 40Km north west of Canberra (30 – 40 minutes by car).
Stay: Country Guesthouse Schonegg – Evelyn and Richard Everson run a very professional operation and Richard is a wizz on the pans.
381 Hillview Drive (en route to Helm winery), Murrumbateman
Ph. 02 6227 0344
www.schonegg.com.au
