News, Media & Stories
Harvest Celebration in Beechworth Saturday 19 May
Indigo Shire Special Local's rate only $5
The Beechworth Chamber of Commerce would again like to welcome Indigo Shire local guests by offering exclusive $5 entry tickets which can be pre-purchased at these local Beechworth businesses:
Bridge Road Brewery - Old Coach House Brewers Lane, Ford Street
Beechworth Honey - Cnr Ford & Church Streets
Beechworth Newsagency - 28 Camp Street
Beechworth Squash & Fitness Centre - 4 Mellish Street
Your ticket includes:
- Entry into the Producers' Picnic.
- Wine Master class.
- Culinary Theatre.
- Free Kids activities.
- Free entry to historic precinct buildings - Burke Museum, Telegraph Station, Courthouse, Sub Treasury and Forestry Hertitage Museum & Gold Warden's Office.
Please note that this special discounted rate will not be available at the gate on the day. Tasting glasses can be purchased for an additional fee of $5 each if required. Please provide proof of residence (eg rates, driver's licence,utilty bill). There is a limit of four tickets per household. Kids under 15 free. $5 Local tickets are available until Friday 18 May 2012.
General Admission (Non Indigo Shire Residents)
General admission tickets include:
- Entry into the Producers' Picnic.
- A complimentary Plumm wine tasting glass.
- Wine Master Class.
- Culinary Theatre.
- Free Kids activities.
- Free entry to historic precinct buildings - Burke Museum, Telegraph Station, Courthouse, Sub Treasury and Forestry Hertitage Museum & Gold Warden's Office.
To pre-purchase General Admission tickets for $15 per person, please visit www.beechworthonline.com.au.
Producers' Picnic
The weekend Producers' Picnic will see over 60 regional producers and wineries showcasing their fabulous range of gourmet delights and hand-crafted wines from the renowned food & wine regions of Beechworth, King Valley, Alpine Valleys, Glenrowan, Milawa and Rutherglen. The Producers' Picinic is a celebration of the exquisite produce of North East Victoria, its passionate regional producers and the wines of five distinct wine regions.
Tantalise your tastebuds with freshly roasted chestnuts, delicious goat’s cheese, hand-made ice cream, honey from our local forests, old fashioned cider, hand crafted ales, warm bread straight from the baker’s oven, irresistible hand-made chocolates, fabulous fortifieds, verjuice and local seasonal fruits. Sip and sample your way through the delights of Victoria’s High Country.
The Producers' Picnic will take place on the Police Paddocks located at the Historic Precinct. Regional restaurants, cafes and food vendors will be offering a mouth-watering range of culinary delights in our food court area, so you’ll have the opportunity to sit back and relax with great food and a glass of wine.
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Launch of the High Country Brewery Trail
Launch of the High Country Brewery Trail
The High Country Brewery Trail has been officially launched with the creation of a pocket guide packed with brewery stats, brewer bios and frothy facts. Participating breweries are Black Dog Brewery (Taminick), Bridge Road Brewers (Beechworth), Bright Brewery (Bright) and Sweetwater Brewing Company (Mount Beauty). Pocket guides are available locally at Visitor Information Centres and participating breweries........................................................................................
High Country Harvest – May 18 to 27
Tickets to the High Country Harvest, North East Victoria’s inaugural celebration of food, wine and beer are now on sale. Accommodation providers may expect enquiries about the event and are encouraged to let visitors booked for this period know the event is on. More information at www.highcountryharvest.com.au. Printed programs are also available locally at Visitor Information Centres. Follow the festival for updates on Twitter@HighCountryHarvand Facebook www.facebook.com/highcountryharvest
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Meet the Regional Tourism Team for the North East
Meet the regional tourism team for the North East
North East Victoria Tourism Board (NEVTBi) took over the role as the peak regional tourism organisation in Victoria’s High Country on 1 July 2011. The regional tourism board now has a signed off strategy and a team in place to drive the regional marketing, industry and product development and investment attraction activities of the Board.
The NEVTB team are running a series of industry operator meetings around the region over the coming months. All sessions are complimentary and light refreshments will be served. The presentation and networking session will take 1 hour with the option for individuals to stay on for one on one discussion for a further 30 minutes.
These sessions are designed to be informative and lively and will aim to:
- Introduce the NEVTB team;
- Explain the regional tourism structure, our region’s target audience and our key strategies;
- Assist businesses to understand opportunities to work with the regional tourism team;
- Explain the business operator training and marketing initiatives that will take place over the coming twelve months;
- Provide a local networking opportunity;
- Allow small group discussion about specific tourism industry sectors including:
- Food, wine and beer;
- Accommodation and retail;
- Nature based tourism including cycling.
Session attendees will be given first preference to register for upcoming one on one business mentoring and digital marketing training sessions.
A session will be held in Beechworth on May 17 at 10am. Register at http://beechworthnevtb.eventbrite.com.au/.
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New Indigo Gold Trail projects launched today
The Member for Benambra, Hon. Bill Tilley MP and Indigo Shire Council Mayor, Cr Larry Goldsworthy, today launch Heritage Week celebrations with the official opening of a suite of new projects completed as part of the Indigo Gold Trail, a major tourism initiative which links the towns and historic sites of the area by the common thread of gold.
State Government grants totalling $130,000 under the Sustainable Small Towns Development Fund, together with contributions from Indigo Shire Council, have enabled the refurbishment of the Rutherglen Gold Battery including a new visitor viewing area, audio visual production, interpretive signage, landscaping, building repairs and carpark upgrade. The Rutherglen Gold Battery Committee, supported by the Rutherglen Historical Society and Indigo Shire’s Economic Development and Tourism teams, has seen the refurbishment project to fruition.
Today’s event is also launches:
- a package of entertaining Indigo Gold Trail Audio Tours which take visitors on an entertaining journey of gold discovery around Indigo Shire, bringing to life the sites, colour and the characters of the goldfields. The Audio Tours are now available on MP3 players (pictured) at Visitor Information Centres in Rutherglen, Beechworth, Chiltern and Yackandandah and online
- The Indigo Gold Trail website – www.indigogoldtrail.com - equipped with a downloadable Gold Trail brochure, soon to be available in simplified Chinese, as well as audio tours, videos and comprehensive information about the gold history of the area
- Indigo Gold Trail touch-screens equipped with new software offering visitors a virtual tour of some 40 key gold sites across our Indigo Shire, to be installed at each Visitor Information Centre in Beechworth, Chiltern, Rutherglen and Yackandandah.
Believed to be the only Government Battery in Victoria still in working order, the Rutherglen Gold Battery was built in 1908 to extract quartz recovered from reefs in and around Rutherglen. It was in use until 1994 yielding 5650 ounces of gold (worth close to $100 million in today’s currency) from 6549 tons of quartz crushed during that period. The Battery is considered historically as well as scientifically significant because of its rarity and its intactness.
The State Government grant has also assisted the refurbishment of the National Trust-listed Powder Magazine, one of a number of nationally significant gold era buildings comprising the Beechworth Historic & Cultural Precinct.
The Indigo Gold Trail is a key plank of Indigo Shire’s Tourism Strategy and aims to bring tangible benefits to the community by giving visitors of all ages a new reason to explore the area, bringing economic benefit to local accommodation and hospitality providers, restaurants and cafes, retailers and ultimately, the broader communities of the Shire.
This year marks the 160th anniversary of the discovery of gold in Indigo Shire – the rush began on the banks of Spring Creek in Beechworth in August 1852.
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Indartz Newsletter for April and May
Highlighting arts and cultural activities for the indigo shire
Indartz Newsletter - April to May
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Australia’s 12 Best Beers, Beechworth with 2 of them
Beechworth craft brewery Bridge Road Brewers have again confirmed their status as one of the best brewers in the country. The Beer Lovers Guide To Australia publication has released a new book ‘Critics Choice’, which lists the countries top 100 beers.
An official countdown of the top 12 has been held over the past 2 weeks, with a beer being announced each day from March 19th till the 30th.
Bridge Roads Norwegian collaboration brew India Saison, polled at number 12, while our standard Saison, the Chevalier Saison polled at number 5. Bridge Road Brewers and iconic West Australian brewery Little Creatures were the only brewers to have 2 beers ranked in the top 12.
Bridge Road Brewers are very proud of this achivement, given the fact this poll was taken from the countries top beer critics and identities.
Visit http://www.beerloversguide.com.au/countdown/countdown-no06.html to read more and to find out who will be number one.
More details on the Bridge Road’s two inclusions are listed below.
For more info please contact Ben Kraus. info@bridgeroadbrewers.com.au 0422929235
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Beechworth Community Vision open for comment
Following extensive consultations, a Beechworth Community Vision has been drafted, and the Indigo Shire’s Community Strengthening Team is seeking feedback on the document throughout February. Work began on producing a plan for Beechworth in July 2010 as part of the Community Strengthening Project, which aims to build community resilience through collaboration on projects. The Beechworth Vision has taken a different direction, as feedback on initial consultations revealed that locals were focused on finding additional support for existing projects before undertaking new ones.
“The community has given us a clear indication about how they want Community Strengthening to work in Beechworth,” said Mayor Cr Larry Goldsworthy. “It’s important this process is led by the residents.” The Vision identifies two projects the Community Strengthening Team will support. The Beechworth Men’s Shed has already received assistance and will continue to be supported, and the Beechworth Community Support group will be assisted to implement a ‘Know your Neighbour’ program. These projects will act as a stepping stone towards establishing a fully fledged plan in the future.
“Beechworth is fortunate enough to be one of two towns in the Shire to have a neighbourhood centre,” said Judy Lazarus, Manager of the Beechworth Neighbourhood Centre. “This has allowed the Community Strengthening Team to work with the Beechworth Community from a different perspective, supporting existing programs to ensure their sustainability.”
The Vision is available to view at Council Customer Service Centres, and feedback or enquiries can be directed to Chris McGorlick, Community Strengthening Project Officer on 1300 365 003, or via email cmcgorlick@indigoshire.vic.gov.au. The period for public comment closes on 1 March.
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Indigo Shire Events in Media Spotlight
Indigo Shire’s Tourism team helped attract significant coverage of events and attractions in regional and national media over recent months.
Melbourne radio station 3AW was one of several media outlets that helped promote the search for Ned Kelly look-alikes to feature in re-enactments as part of the annual August Ned Kelly Weekend festival. Event co-ordinator Adam Wynne-Jenkins featured on 3AW’s top rating breakfast program. .
The Annual Rutherglen Rowing Regatta featured in Melbourne’s Herald Sun, The Age and ABC National Radio. Other regional outlets that promoted the event included Border Mail, Prime News, Win News, ABC local radio and newspapers in Shepparton and Corowa.
Henry Handel Richardson’s birthday celebrations at Chiltern gained national exposure in a major travel feature article in The Australian newspaper. The article gave detailed descriptions of the attractions of her one time childhood home which is open to visitors, Lake View House.
A major Shrine of Remembrance Touring Exhibition at Burke Museum was also well supported by regional media outlets.
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Indigo Shire Events Guide For 2012 Out Now
After a bumper 2011 Indigo Shire’s historic towns and villages are gearing up for an even busier year ahead.
To assist you with your forward planning, please find attached the Shire’s full year calendar of festivals and events.
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Indigo Shire Fishing Guide Released
A recreational fishing guide highlighting fishing opportunities in and around the historic towns of Indigo Shire has been produced in time for the Christmas summer holidays.
Visitors to Beechworth, Chiltern, Rutherglen, Yackandandah and surrounds have long been popular destinations for holiday makers attracted to history, food and wine, festivals and events, shopping and the unique historic streetscapes.
Now visitors who spend time in the region can access a guide that highlights a variety of lakes, dams and water holes where they can go fishing.
The guide features fishing lakes at Wahgunyah, Rutherglen, Chiltern, Allan’s Flat, Stanley, Beechworth and Upper Sandy Creek.
The guide has been funded by the Victorian Government using Recreational Fishing Licence fees and is available from Visitor Information Centres in Beechworth, Chiltern, Rutherglen and Yackandandah.
Further information contact:
Indigo Shire Tourism Officer, Kylie King
(03) 5728 8061
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