Henty

Henty region was previously known as Drumborg or the Far South West. Its major centres are Hamilton in the north-east, Portland in the south and Warrnambool on the coast, this last being the region's largest city. The Glenelg River runs through the region, though Hamilton is on the Grange Burn River. Hamilton is just over 300 kms from Melbourne but only 100 kilometres from the South Australian border.

Henty region is named after its earliest European arrivals, the Henty brothers, who brought the first sheep for which the region is still renowned. The brothers settled in Portland in 1834. In 1836, Thomas Mitchell passed through an area known to three Aboriginal tribes, the Gunditjmara, Tjapwurong and Bunganditj, and where Hamilton later developed. Based on Mitchell’s reports large sheep runs were soon established, followed by much conflict with the original inhabitants. Though by 1842, serious tribal resistance had been eliminated by killings as well as introduced diseases.

Hamilton grew up on the site of the headquarters of a detachment of mounted police who had been positioned there as part of the usual ineffectual colonial government efforts to protect the local people from aggressive newcomers. The town of Hamilton was officially declared in 1851 and probably takes its name from Hamilton in Scotland, as many of the newcomers were Scottish. Today, Henty region is well known for sheep and cattle production and Hamilton makes the claim of being the ‘Wool Capital of the World’.

On the coast is the larger town of Warrnambool, a name that comes from the local Aboriginal language for a nearby volcanic cone. The word means ‘water between two rivers’, or ‘two swamps’. The coast near Warrnambool and Port Fairy was known as the ‘Shipwreck Coast’ and was much used by whalers in the nineteenth century. It was among the whalers that the first reports of the ‘Mahogany Ship’ arose, a supposed Portuguese wreck pre-dating all previously known European contact with Australia.

While the Henty brothers are said to have brought vines with them, there is little evidence of any serious wine growing in the region until the 1960s. It was then that Seppelt choose Drumborg as a cool region for producing sparkling wines. At the same time, Padthaway in South Australia was chosen to produce table wines.

Henty region stretches from the Hopkins River in the east all the way to the South Australian border, which gives it a long coastline facing the Southern Ocean. Relatively flat and so open to the prevailing winds means that sites that are well protected from the wind are favoured. Long sunshine hours combined with cool temperatures provide excellent growing conditions. Henty region has mild to warm summers and cool winters moderated by the Southern Ocean. Overall rainfall is moderate, and winter frosts are frequent for inland areas.

Being a large district, the Henty region enjoys a range of climatic conditions that allows several varieties to be produced, and Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz are all grown successfully. It is between the towns of Hamilton and Portland that the main vineyards of the Henty region are found, with some 25 vineyards, the largest being that of Seppelt at Drumborg, and six that offer cellar doors.

One of these wineries is Crawford River Wines, established in 1975 by John and Catherine Thomson. Set in traditional grazing lands, John was one of the first to establish grape growing in the region after having studied Wine Science and Viticulture at Charles Sturt University. Crawford River Wines produces Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and some Merlot and Cabernet Franc from its hand-picked grapes. This winery is also not afraid of the Botrytis, from which opportunity a dessert wine called Nektar is made.

Hochkirch is another notable winery, and one that uses no irrigation. This is in order to force the roots of the vines to go in deeply into the soil. Planted in 1990 and practicing bio-dynamic techniques, this low yield, no synthetic chemicals winery, with minimum intervention produces fruit that achieves a maximum intensity of flavour.

Henty region has a number of big events where its wines can be sampled with ease, including the Wunta Food and Wine Festival at Warrnambool, and the Port Fairy Folk Festival in March. Additional activities include the Mahogany Ship Walking Track, which allows you to see the coast between Warrnambool and Port Fairy, and to enjoy the hope of perhaps sighting the mysterious Mahogany Ship for yourself.

Not far from Hamilton is the small town of Penshurst, located at the base of the impressive Mount Rouse, a dormant volcano some 360m high. At Penshurst, the Volcanoes Discovery Centre explains the formation of volcanoes. Penshurst was also briefly an Aboriginal Protectorate, one of the few actually set up, where the remnants of Aboriginal tribes were placed to protect them from the aggression of the white settlers. Of those placed there, few survived long and the land was soon opened to white settlement.

The large Seppelt winery’s focus on sparkling wines ensures that Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier make up nearly half the total plantings of the region. Nearly all the wineries of the Henty make Riesling and many a Botrytised Riesling, while the Henty region also has a reputation for cool climate Shiraz and an outstanding Pinot Noir.