RUTHERGLEN
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Population
First settled:
Main industries:
FAST FACTS
- Up to 30,000 gold diggers flocked to the region after the first specks of gold were discovered on September 9, 1860. They included many Chinese, who worked in early vineyards.
- The town was first named Barkly, after Sir Henry Barkly, governor of Victoria at the time, then renamed when mining identity John Wallace, who built the Star Hotel, was asked by a patron: "Shout the bar and we'll call the town Rutherglen after your birthplace in Scotland" -- which he did. Rutherglen has the same sunshine hours as the Gold Coast in Queensland.
- Many of the Rutherglen wineries that sprang up in the gold rush days of the mid-19th century are still owned and run by the fourth, fifth and sixth generations of the original family owners. There are more than 20 wineries in the area.
- Rutherglen Winery Walkabout, Victoria's original wine festival held on the June long weekend, started in 1974 and attracts more than 20,000 visitors. It has won many awards including "Best Festival in Victoria", three times, and was also named "Best Festival in Australia".
FIVE THINGS TO DO
1. Visit some of the world-famous, gold-medal-winning wineries.
2. Cycling can be a family affair on the nine-kilometre sealed Wahgunyah to Rutherglen extension of the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail through the heart of the wine region. Bikes and helmets are available for hire at the Rutherglen Information Centre.
3. Cast your rod into the Murray River, only 10 kilometres from Rutherglen. There are also great camping sites and picnic spots along the river.
4. Take a ghost tour on Friday and Saturday nights. Meet at the Rutherglen Wine Experience Centre. Bookings: 0447 432 816 or www.beechworthghosttours.com
5. Try one of the town's award-winning Parker Pies with varieties such as crocodile, emu and venison.
FAMOUS NAMES
Sir Thomas North, former CEO of Myer; retired Nationals politician Ken Jasper; Mick Gayfer, Collingwood premiership defender; Michael Savage, first Labour PM of New Zealand.
