| Rutherglen | |
Location: | 265km northeast of Melbourne on the Murray Valley Highway |
Council: | Shire of Rutherglen |
Population: | 1876 |
Postcode: | 3685 |
Wine and gold made Rutherglen the town that it is, and though the gold ran out a long time ago the wine still flows, to the extent that the surrounding area is today Victoria's leading wine producer. Pastoralists were the first Europeans to inhabit the area which boomed in the gold rush of the 1850s. At the same time, in 1851, the first vines were planted by Lindsay Brown and in the same year Seppelts' Clydeside winery was established.
Rutherglen is known for its fullbodied dryred table wines, delicate white wines and sherry, port and muscat. Many of the area's 15 wineries are within easy reach of town and an enjoyable alternative way to tour them is by bicycle. Special cycling tours are available and cycles can be hired from the Walkabout Cellar. The Rutherglen Winery Walkabout on the Queen's Birthday weekend is a major annual attraction.
A special feature of the town is the winebottleshaped Water Tower dating from 1899. The water stored there is now used only in emergencies. There is also a Wine and Gold museum incorporated into the local barber shop. At Lake Moodemere (8km west) there is former Aboriginal camp which is now a wildlife reserve with facilities for fishing, boating and swimming.