We travelled from Brisbane to Melbourne on Friday the 9th, got a car from the airport and drove west to meet the gang at Ararat. Ararat is a city in south-west Victoria, Australia, about 205 kilometres west of Melbourne, on the eastern slopes of mount Ararat. Its population according to the 2006 census was 8,215. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Vines Café in Ararat and the majority decided to have a look around before heading to Dunkeld.

Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre

The first visit was to the Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre which commemorates the history of the Chinese community in Ararat. In 1857, a party of some 700 Chinese miners en route to the Central Victorian gold fields struck gold at the Canton Lead which marked the beginning of great growth in Ararat. Over 3 tonnes of gold were reported to be extracted from the Canton Lead. The Chinese community was substantial in Ararat, having reached 9000 at its peak.

Concongela Cellar Doors "The Stables"

The next stop was a tour of the Best's vinyard one of the oldest and well know vinyards in Victoria. Vines were planted in 1863 by French settlers. Best’s Wines was established in 1866 by the pioneering Henry Best.
We visited the grand matriarch and headquarters, “Concongella” very close to the village of Great Western and tasted some of their wines. Each vineyard produces distinctly different grape characteristics from vines aged from five to 145 years old.