Belgrove Distillery - Kempton Tasmania

This blog entry could not be posted until a family member who reads this blog had received their birthday present that we bought from this distillery.

While staying at Bothwell in the Highlands, we drove to the outskirts of Kempton in the Tasmanian Midlands to tour Peter Bignell's Whisky Distillery.

Peter is distinguished from everyone who produces whisky because he cultivates his own rye corn on his property. While we were there, he had an abundance of rye and was awaiting a contractor to harvest his field, which had already been sold and was set to be loaded onto a ship to the mainland.

He also built his own copper, which uses biofuel derived from the unused cooking oil of the roadhouse we passed just before his property. In fact, his forklift tractors and hot water are all powered by the used cooking oil. With all the farm sheds on his property, Peter can utilise the collected water for brewing and diluting.

We purchased two bottles: one was the 100% Rye whisky matured in Pinot Noir casks, and I bought a bottle of his Frankenstein whisky for myself, which includes grappa and bits of leftover liqueurs and spirits that Peter makes.

World-renowned Jim Murray's Whisky Bible has awarded seven Belgrove whiskies the title of Liquid Gold in the last four years, including the best whisky in the southern hemisphere in 2019.

Into New South Wales and heading home

We left Longwood with light rain falling as we joined the Hume Highway, heading north toward the New South Wales border. It had been many years since we last drove this route, and we were pleased to see that Wodonga and Albury now have a bypass road. We stopped briefly in Tarcutta for coffee and a toastie before continuing to Jugiong, where we planned to stay for two nights.

The site requests a donation, which we are happy to provide. Water taps and rubbish bins are spread throughout the area, and there is also a dump point. 

Surprisingly, there are two places here that serve delicious food. The first is The Sir George, which offers both accommodation and a restaurant, while the second is the Long Track Pantry, which serves seasonal dishes for breakfast and lunch.

Even though we were off the highway, we could still hear the hum of the trucks, but we both had a good night's sleep. 

We enjoyed our morning coffee at the Long Track Pantry so much that we decided to buy a kilo bag of their coffee. This way, we can continue to enjoy our morning coffee until we return home. We also purchased two meals they prepare on-site: butter chicken and slow-cooked lamb, which we'll enjoy on our way home, especially if the weather turns nasty, as has been predicted.

Today's lunch at The Sir George consisted of a wood-fired pizza and Stone and Wood beers.

It was very cold on our second morning here at Juigong, -1.5 degrees. The van was positioned to catch the first rays, and the diesel heater ticked away, keeping us toasty and warm. 

After much discussion about extending our trip home or heading straight back, we decided we could be home in four more days.

On Thursday, June 5, we travelled through Young on the Olympic Way, turned west at Bathurst, and followed the Great Western Highway to camp at Lake Wallace, just outside Wallerawang and not far from Lithgow. This was a distance of 297 kilometres. We had stayed here in early January on our way south, and it's a large area where camping is free. The Butter Chicken we purchased at Juiong was divine, and there was enough food in the pack for two meals. Unfortunately, we didn't have rice but enjoyed it with pasta from our pantry.

It was extremely cold overnight, with this morning's temperature at -3.5 degrees.

On Friday, June 6, we travelled north along the Castlereagh Highway to Mudgee. From there, we took a minor road through Ulan to join the Golden Highway, heading east toward Merriwa, our planned campsite for the night. However, due to the King's Birthday weekend, Merriwa was extremely busy, with campers everywhere and crowded streets. As a result, we decided to continue further east to one of our favourite spots at Jerry's Plains, an additional 80 kilometres away. We have three Bushtrackers camping here tonight.

On Saturday, June 7, we had initially planned to drive as far as Buladelah. However, after covering extra distance the previous day and considering our route along the Pacific Highway, which features a dual carriageway, we decided to head home instead. We made a brief stop for coffee and a sausage roll at a rest area just before Taree. It had been 5 months and 1 day since we left home in January.

Victoria

We spent six enjoyable days with my brother and his partner in Point Lonsdale on the Bellarine Peninsula. During our stay, we participated in various outings, particularly visiting the cellar doors of several wineries. We especially loved Oakdene, Terindah, and Lethbridge wineries. Naturally, we purchased wine from all of them and enjoyed lunch at Terindah Estate.

On Sunday, we walked around the boats moored at Queenscliff and we enjoyed lunch at The Dunes restaurant at Ocean Grove Surf Club

We planned to leave on Monday, May 26, but the weather forecast for South Australia and Victoria prompted us to stay another day. We hoped the predicted strong winds would have passed before we set off.

Lunch on Monday was at the Queenstown Sorrento ferry terminal. The restaurant here serves delicious food, which we all enjoyed.

We left Point Lonsdale on Tuesday morning, May 27, to camp at Port Fairy, between Warrnambool and Portland. During our trip today, we encountered strong winds and light patchy rain that later turned into heavy downpours. It's very cold here in Port Fairy with strong winds, but at least the sky is blue. We are safely tucked away among the pine trees in the caravan park.

We were there to meet Alan, whom I've known since our primary school days in Port Moresby. He recently purchased a camper trailer nearby and joined us for the night on Wednesday before heading off to Melbourne and then returning to his home in Perth.

I used to think Tasmanian roads were in bad condition, but after our 234 km trip today, Victoria may have taken the lead and is racing ahead to the finish line.

We've planned to spend three nights here with the caravan park's special: stay for two, and the third night is free. 

We love Port Fairy, and this will be our fourth visit. The town features charming old buildings, a variety of restaurants and cafes, and numerous women's clothing shops that cater to the affluent residents.

Beautiful homes line the banks of the Moyne River, many of which have been refurbished from their original use as warehouses or homes belonging to fishermen and boat captains from days gone by.

On Friday, May 30, we travelled 251 km to Newstead, located just outside Castlemaine, to spend two days visiting friends who, like us, used to live in Canberra. Although Google Maps often provides different routes between destinations, our trip today only displayed one option, despite my attempts to find alternatives. Consequently, we were guided along a series of rough roads, including stretches of narrow, one-lane bitumen. We frequently stay at the Newstead Racecourse and Recreation Reserve, which costs $10 per night. It offers showers, toilets, a dump point, and potable water, making it a great place to unwind. The nights here have been extremely cold, with -2.5 degrees both mornings.

On Saturday, we enjoyed a lovely lunch with our friends at Das Kaffeehaus, which is known for its excellent service and delicious food. Ros and I chose the beef and pork goulash, but unfortunately, we didn’t have enough room to try their strudels or other dessert options.

 

On Sunday, June 1, we embarked on another cross-country excursion, passing by Elphinstone and through Heathcote, and covering seven kilometres of dirt road to camp at Longwood Recreation Ground, just south of Euroa. For lunch, we had bangers, veggies, and mash at the White Hart Pub in Longwood. 

We were in the area to catch up with friends in Euroa, with whom we travelled across the Gary Junction Road from Alice Springs to Marble Bar in 2007.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 3, we leave Longwood and join the Hume Highway, heading through Wodonga and Albury and eventually crossing back into New South Wales.