locale
lo·cale | \ lō-ˈkal
noun:/ a place or locality where something happens or is set, or that has particular events associated with it.
Similar: place, site, spot, area, position.
Our locales are much more than just pubs, breweries and wineries they are hand picked, immersive spaces with stories to tell, perfectly suited for musical performances with a mix of indoor & outdoor stages back dropped with stunningly serene vistas.
From a 150 year old pub Tooborac Hotel & Brewery, we’ve added some boutique small batch wineries doing big things from Domain Asmara out Tooleen way, to Wren Estate in the shadow of Mt Camel, to Condie Estate just minutes outside Heathcote with the final destination on this whistle stop tour Palling Bros Brewery’s newly expanded Beer Garden perfect for the climactic Evening Session.
Going Up The Country ... Stars & Bars Festival Heathcote brings together an assemblage of amazingly talented artists with some unique Central Victorian Goldfields locales; combined with an exploration of the finest wine, beer, spirits & food the Heathcote region is quickly becoming known for.
Alright Ramblers, Let's Get Rambling...
We are all on a journey… some constants remain the same… The Tooborac Hotel has been many things to many thousands of people since 1857. A shearers stop off. A blacksmiths shop. A general store, a Pub for over 150 years, serving the beer of the time, meals, accommodation, a safe respite, a stop on the way to a new adventure.
A place to work, live, have a family. Send off a son to war, welcome him home. A rest stop on the exciting journey to find a fortune. A place to escape the blistering sun, and spin a few tales.
A place to warm the weary traveler and quench a thirst. A place to celebrate a victory, the birth of a child or just share a beer with a mate. The Tooborac Hotel and Brewery means so much to so many people & has for over 150 years
The Tooborac Hotel is a country hotel built circa 1857 with an onsite brewery. It is the oldest National Trust listed country pub in Victoria - renowned for being family friendly with a warm and inviting atmosphere. An ideal destination for clubs, groups & families.
The brewers at Tooborac draw their ideas from the traditional beer recipes, instead of brewing lagers and ales to match the larger commercial breweries. Tooborac Hotel Brewery has embarked on a journey to make classic tasting beers available to the ever growing legion of craft beer drinkers.
Part of this journey is to make beers that honour the working traditions of Australia. Our brewers continue with their endeavour to take craft beer lovers on a classic journey by recreating beers made to more historical recipes, such as Dark German Lagers for October Fest, our upcoming Scotch Ale and the Indian Pale Ale, which was traditionally brewed with a high volume of hops so that it would not spoil on the long boat trips to India.
We see life as a journey, so we might as well have a beer that suits each step along the way.
Domaine Asmara is a family owned and operated boutique winery located in the heart of the Heathcote Wine Region known for their small range of premium red and white wines. They're not a huge winery. In fact, they're pretty small but punch well above their weight when it comes to the hand crafted wines & spirits they're creating.
Domaine Asmara Winemaker Andreas is passionate about great wine, but also enjoys the work that goes into it. Getting up super early in the morning. Walking the rows of vines, working out what needs to be done, doing it, watching buds burst, and then patiently working out when harvest will be. And then the fun begins.
Named after the Indonesian word Asmara, which means love and passion. They love what they do and love to invite visitors into their world. Making wine is a science & it's about love. I only want to make great wine. That’s what gets Andreas up in the morning.
Wren Estate is a boutique winery in the heart of the premium wine region of Heathcote, in Central Victoria, famed for high quality Shiraz production. The 500-550 million year old Cambrian soils that run through central Heathcote and the cool nights provide the perfect conditions for grape production.
The soils and climate of Heathcote are unique and contribute to the world class wines produced here. The red Cambrian soils that run through central Heathcote are over 500 millions years old and are the oldest soils in Victoria. The have a unique composition that Shiraz responds to incredibly well.
The cool weather that runs through the Mt Camel range in central Heathcote also drops the temperature by 2-3 degrees compared to regions around it and this contributes an intense brightness and freshness in the wines.
Michael Wren uses his knowledge and experience gained over more than 20 vintages to produce wines that reflect & recognised as the best of Old and New World techniques.
Enjoy an expertly guided wine tasting flight with Michael in conjunction with complimentary Afternoon Tea.
Condie Estate was established by Richie & Rosanne Condie in 2001. We have three vineyards' sites in the Heathcote region, one on Lewis Rd 15kms north of Heathcote, Schoolhouse lane 10kms north of town and on Wild Duck Creek 5kms southwest of Heathcote.
In 2001 we established our first 6 acre Shiraz vineyard on Lewis Road. Since then we have planted 5 acres of Sangiovese and 2 acres of viognier., In 2010 we purchased a 5 acre block of Shiraz on Wild duck Creek and 2019 we added the old Wanted Man vineyard located on Schoolhouse to the mix.
Our philosophy is simple: we use the best quality inputs, the best variety for each area, the best fruit, the best oak, low touch wine making and allow the regional and varietal characteristics shine through.
In 2010 we purchased a new property at Wild Duck Creek. This 24 acre property provides a home base for us which is surrounded by picturesque views and includes a 4 acre vineyard comprising of well established vines planted in 1990.
Richie’s rural background (his parents had a sheep farm near Geelong) has been a contributing factor to his keen interest in agriculture and the joys derived from what nature provides.
Rosanne’s Italian heritage has influenced her love of good food and wine. We decided to share our passion for wine by embarking on a journey of viticulture and winemaking.
Click To Learn More....
