INDUSTRY ATTRACTIONS OXLEY FLATS

Milawa Cheese Company has been operating on the historic butter factory site in Milawa since 1988 and has developed an internationally award winning range of hand-made cow and goat milk cheeses that have become Australian classics. The addition of the traditional artisan Factory Bakery perfectly complements the ethos of the business, making the highest quality traditional hand-made foods that take time and immense care to produce. Visitors to the Milawa Cheese Factory can expect to find the full range of cheese produced on-site available for free tastings, a warm welcome to be had in the Bakery where light meals, cakes and coffee are available through to the restaurant for a wonderful array of menu options highlighting the strengths of the regional produce. Also on-site is Wood Park Wines Cellar Door, The Muse Gallery of Milawa, The Walnut Tree Collection and Eucalypt Wood Works. The Milawa Cheese Factory is great place to come and while a way a few hours with something for everyone. For any further information please contact them or view their website.

It’s little wonder the cellar door experience at Brown Brothers is so finely tuned – they’ve had 125 years to perfect it. Now with the fourth generation entering the business, this family-run winery in North East Victoria epitomises all that is great about Australian wine: it’s relaxed, accessible and of the highest quality.

At the Milawa winery, over 40 varietals are on offer, spanning popular Prosecco, easy-drinking whites and the acclaimed Patricia range. Named after the family matriarch, this premium collection is made only in vintage years, using the finest oak and minimal handling.

Innovation is at the heart of everything Brown Brothers do and is celebrated through cellar door exclusives such as Montepulciano, Malbec, Graciano and Durif, plus limited-release wines from the experimental Kindergarten Winery.

With fine wine comes fabulous food, available at Patricia’s Table and Epi.Curious, where local ingredients are matched to new-release wines and back vintages.

Wangaratta Historical Society is situated in the city centre, in the Old Fire Station building. The Wangaratta Historical Society was formed in 1959 by a group of mostly teachers who saw the need to preserve the heritage of Wangaratta and district before it was lost. The Museum houses over 2,000 objects, items and 10,000 glass negatives from the Thelma and Vine studios of the 1840s to the 1950s. The collection showcases the lives of the districts' peoples in peace and war, on the farms and in the towns. The Museum is open Sunday afternoons and at other times by appointment. The Museum has many schools and groups visit and they encourage visitors. The Museum is a not for profit organisation. A fee is charged for membership, for research, photograph printing and photocopying, they are always glad of any donations. Volunteers work at the Museum on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 am to 12 noon. There are no paid staff and they have a great band of volunteers and support from many quarters. The Museum is on council owned land and assistance is always available from them. The highlight of the collection is the 2011 Heritage listed Marianne Gibson Quilt; the world's finest example of a crazy patchwork quilt made by a local woman, Marianne between 1891-1896. It incorporates the story of the times and styles of the late 1800's and amongst many motifs featured local and fauna. This quilt was given to the Wangaratta Historical Society in 1976 by Miss Alma Gard, a housekeeper for the Gibson's who was given the quilt by the daughters of Marianne. The quilt is kept in a special temperature controlled atmospheric room.

Established in 1998, Silent Range Estate produces full bodied wines that are characteristic of the Glenrowan wine region. Since the first vintage in 2000, Silent Range Estate has consistently produced medal winning quality wines. Silent Range Estate is a small vineyard and Cellar Door nestled on the eastern side of the Warby Ranges, minutes from Glenrowan, the town made famous by the Bushranger Ned Kelly. The area is the gateway to the Gourmet Region of Milawa, the Wine Regions of Glenrowan, the King Valley and Rutherglen, the historic towns of Beechworth and Eldorado and the Victorian Alpine resorts. Silent Range Estate wines, Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé, Merlot, Shiraz and Sparkling Shiraz deliver flavour and depth of character that makes the Glenrowan region distinctive to North East Victoria and around Australia. The well sited vineyard is characterised by deep granite soils providing exceptional conditions for vine root development resulting in outstanding fruit quality. Anyone interested in the processes of viticulture or wine making is welcome to a walk-through of the vines and winemaking facilities and to ask as many questions they can. Throw Tim a bone and he'll hold back no secrets, well almost no secrets, from pruning, vine health and growth to the methods of fruit testing and the bare-bone mechanics of winemaking. Take a private tour through the barrel room and be one of the few people to sample an unreleased vintage. Not many wineries offer this level of intimacy with the wine but, at Silent Range Estate, it is all about getting up close and personal.

Warby-Ovens National Park is 240km north east of Melbourne and 10km west of Wangaratta. It is best accessed from Wangaratta via Wangandary and Yarrawonga Roads. The 14,655 ha Warby-Ovens National Park is characterised by three distinct vegetation communities - the granitic hills and woodlands of the Warby Range, the Box-Ironbark of the Killawarra Forest and the Redgum forest and wetlands of the unregulated Ovens Heritage River. Together they provide an important link from the alpine foothills to the Murray River protecting some of the State's most significant bushland. Enjoy a picnic or barbecue at Pine Gully Picnic Area, Briens Gorge, Ryans Lookout and Adams/Tower Road. The views from Ryan's Lookout are exceptional, especially in winter with snow covered peaks in the distance. The lower reaches of the Ovens River offer some of the best still water canoeing in the state among a maze of channels and wetlands. With care, power boats can explore the river for several kilometres upstream from Camerons Bend. Murray Cod are frequently caught in the Lower Ovens River. Most are returned to the river to ensure the ongoing survival of this iconic fish. Before you go Conditions can change in parks for many reasons. For the latest information on changes to local conditions, please visit the relevant park page on the Parks Victoria website. Be bushfire ready in the great outdoors. Refer to the Bushfire Safety section on the Parks Victoria website for tips on how to stay safe.

Wangaratta Art Gallery offers the local, regional and visiting community a unique experience amongst the network of regional and public art galleries in Victoria. A superb small gallery that presents a program of quality and innovative exhibitions of touring, in-house curated and regional artist exhibitions with additional local arts groups and artists exhibitions, public programs, lectures, forums, talks and schools programs. Wangaratta Art Gallery is situated in the arts precinct, right next door to the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre. The new Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre offers an outstanding café and restaurant directly outside the Gallery entrance, also catering to Gallery visitors. The Wangaratta Art Gallery adopted a Permanent Art Collection Policy in 2004 enabling the Gallery to collect textiles, wood, small sculpture, art work about the region, work by regional, state and national artists of significance. The collection is gradually building its holdings and is shown from time to time in specifically developed exhibitions in the main Gallery space. Now an established biannual event the Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award, which began in 2009, and was also installed in 2011 and 2013, continues to be an inspiring event in the Gallery's calendar attracting artists and visitors from all over Australia. While visiting Wangaratta Art Gallery, take a moment to browse in the Foyer Gift Shop which features extraordinary work by local, regional and national artists and designers.

Ciavarella Oxley Estate Winery is a small gem at Oxley in Victoria's King Valley wine region. The Ciavarella family established a vineyard in 1978, initially selling grapes. The step into winemaking was in 1992. Ciavarella Oxley Estate Winery has achieved a reputation as a maker of fine, hand-crafted wines. Their winemaking philosophy is for the vineyard and grapes to express themselves in the bottle, through effort in viticulture, patience and attention to detail in the winemaking. The winery is only one kilometre off the Snow Road, a scenic route to many attractions and gateway to the King Valley and Milawa Gourmet Region. Wines include Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Durif, Dolcino (a sweet red), Late Harvest Semillon Aucerot, and a range of fortifieds. The Ciavarellas are custodians of the variety aucerot. Cuttings collected from Europe by Varley Bailey in the early 1900s were planted at Bailey's near Glenrowan. Cyril Ciavarella obtained cuttings before their removal in the 1980s . The name aucerot is not used in Europe; exact heritage is unknown. The planting, thought the only one in Australia, is prized for the fine dessert wines that come from it.

Olive Health Wangaratta have more than just the largest range of vitamins and minerals. The Olive Health Foods make it easy for you to eat and live healthy. Everything to do with a healthier you. Olive Health Wangaratta sell Organic and locally grown produce as well as teas, herbs, coffees, nuts and seeds. They specialise in providing everything Gluten Free, eco friendly household products, Natural Skincare and Cosmetics. They also have water filtration equipment, a massive range of spices, bulk foods (Olive Brand) and sports supplements and proteins. The Olive Health Foods is a retail health and wellbeing store established over 10 years ago. Offering professional sound advice reinforced by an emphasis on strong dependable customer service. With the goal of establishing itself not only as the premier Natural health and wellbeing venue, but also Wangaratta's foundation for organic produce, by way of strong importance on supporting local and regional suppliers. The Olive Health Foods places great significance on providing not just an extensive range of product but also catering for a wide range of dietary requirements such as vegan and vegetarian, gluten free, wheat free, yeast free, diabetic and allergies. Please contact them for further details or view their website.

The Olive Shop, Milawa does not just sell olives. They also sell gourmet foods, boutique wine, beer and gifts from the Milawa gourmet region. When visiting The Olive Shop, Milawa be sure to taste their seasonal olive oil, olives and their other local produce grown and hand made in Victoria. They are dedicated to supplying gourmet quality Australian olive products. Their new space offers 100 per cent Merino wool, women's apparel and fashion accessories. For any further information please contact The Olive Shop, Milawa or view their website.

John Gehrig Wines is a fifth generation run family winery located in two great North East Victorian locations in the King Valley at the cross road of the Milawa Gourmet Region only 15 minutes from Wangaratta or also now located in Rutherglen in the historic Snarts winery shed on Gooramadda road. They have a wide range of wines from Sparkling right through to Fortified's. So why not visit either cellar doors and try a family favourite, their Riesling. John Gehrig's winery is like a little oasis in a pretty glade by the King River. Stands of mature trees shade a rose garden, geese and ducks roam the grounds, and the tasting room has a rustic, countrified, timeless feel. John Gehrig specialises in unusual varietal wines like Durif, Petit Verdot, Gamay and Pinot Meunier, as well as Chardonnay and Merlot, and a popular Border Blend of Bordeaux varieties. John Gehrig Wines now has a new Cellar Door and Vineyard in Rutherglen please visit the website for more details on location and operational hours.

RSL Wangaratta is situated in the heart of the Wangaratta CBD. We offer great food including Australian and Malaysian Cuisine We have full bar service including all local wines and a large range of different beers. We also have a function room for your next event with full bar services. Friday nights happy hour 5-30 till 7-00 with raffles for all. Come and see our friendly staff and let them help you from drinks to food.

Victoria's North East Valleys is Australia's most desirable regional food and wine destination, offering quality, diversity, authenticity of the food and wine experience, characterised by the unique mix of professionalism and style of their people, influenced by the freshness of the alpine air, clean water and excellent growing conditions of the valleys, hillsides and ranges. The North East Valleys region is at the forefront as a wine and food tourism destination benchmarked Australia wide. The North East includes the renowned food and wine regions of Rutherglen, Beechworth, Glenrowan, The Milawa Gourmet Region, King Valley, Myrtleford, Bright, the Alpine Valley and the Kiewa Valley. Pick up a Seasonal Indulgent brochure at the local Tourist Information Centres and either drive or cycle your way around and sample the local product, wine and beer the region has to offer. Find out about the Pedals to Produce program where you can hire a beautiful basket for your bike and touring maps with a voucher with $400 worth of value or visit the online retail store Provincial Pantry where you can purchase pure North East products on thewebsite.