Heathcote on Show draws a crowd

THE district was abuzz over the recent King’s Birthday weekend as Heathcote on Show gave everyone an opportunity to experience some of the region’s finest offerings.

Heathcote Tourism and Development president Peter Young said the event had brought visitors up from Melbourne and from country areas as well.

“There were a lot of people from Bendigo and from that whole wider area,” he said. “We were lucky that even though it was cloudy we didn’t have any rain.

“Shuttle bus ticket sales were up 50 per cent on last year so we’re really pleased that’s starting to take hold and be a part of the weekend.”

Many wineries had attracted large crowds and we’re full a lot of the time.

“I had a lot of reports that Munari was really pumping on Saturday night which is great,” Mr Young said.

At Condie Estate, the woodfired pizzas and mellow grooves helped set the mood.

Winemaker, Richie Condie, said they were at maximum capacity for much of the weekend.

“We couldn’t have been any busier,” he said. “We had a delightful weekend with lots of people around having fun.

“The food was great, the music was great and sales were fantastic.”

While in the main street of town several smaller wineries joined forces in a pop-up cellar door experience.

Farmer and the Scientist’s Jess Dwyer said it was an opportunity to meet customers face-to-face.

“We don’t normally get to see the reaction to our wines so to be able to do that is a lot of fun,” she said.

She also said none of the wineries in the pop-up had dedicated cellar doors on site.

“These events are very crucial to our overall business for the year,” Ms Dwyer said.

“It’s good for people to be able to come in off the street and see the variety in wine across the region.”