Wheatsheaf turns over new leaf
Local couple Isaac Anderson and fiancé Matilda Moore have taken over the reins at East Greenmount's Wheatsheaf Hotel and have bold new plans for the historic establishment. Isaac and Matilda officially took over the pub and the adjoining café The Wheatsheaf Store on Sunday, 28 September and it has been closed ahead of a grand re-opening taking place this Saturday, 18 October from 11am until late.
The Clare Valley wine region
Recently, my wife and I visited the Clare Valley as part of our wedding anniversary and a short five day holiday to catch up with family and friends ... Part of the time was spent visiting the wineries in the Clare Valley Wine Region. It is one of the oldest wine regions in Australia. There are five districts or sub-regions in the valley: Auburn, Clare, Polish Hill River, Sevenhill and Watervale.
Sweet stopovers put Birchip on the map
Sharp's country baking excellence and their recent win in Australia's Best Vanilla Slice competition is proving a winning recipe for Birchip's tourism economy, with recent visitors arriving by rail, road and even by air to sample the town's famous treat.
Grow Local, Eat Local serves up a winner!
On Saturday, the health promotion team at West Wimmera Health Service hosted the fourth Grow Local, Eat Local cooking competition. Three home cooks from across the Wimmera—Warracknabeal, Horsham and Natimuk—each prepared a plant-based dish for the crowd, with television cook Tim Bone judging the entries and choosing the winner.
Barrel Farm – A labour of love and family
Barrel Farm is one of Albany’s newest food and beverage venues and its creation was just a labour of love and very much a family affair. Owned and operated by the Buxton family, Barrel Farm has been the decades-long dream of parents, Peter and Peg Buxton ... Situated on one of Albany’s old dairy farms, it is a creative blend of old and new.
Turning a cup of tea into a life changing conversation: BCNA
Every day in Australia, 58 people are diagnosed with breast cancer ... conversations about breast cancer are often avoided, leaving many women to face their fears in silence. A new national campaign from tea brand Tetley in support of Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) aims to change that, by transforming something as simple as a chat over a cup of tea into what could be a life changing conversation.
20th anniversary of Australia’s oldest online whisky club
Shared love of a wee dram that has distilled into a brilliant business. The Single Malt Whisky Club started when two mates would catch up on Friday nights and relax with a shared bottle of single malt whisky. At the time single malt whisky mainly came from Scotland and only a few brands were available in Australia. ARR.News found out more about single malts, the club and the business from founder Brad Wright.
Brewing an Australian future – The rise of locally grown coffee: AgriFutures Australia
Australians are renowned for their love of coffee. From the bustling laneways of Melbourne to beachside cafés in Byron Bay, the daily ritual of the flat white or long black has become woven into national culture. Collectively, Australians consume around six billion cups of coffee each year.
Paddock to plate: Deni butcher bids for state title
Gus van Hart. The knives are sharp and the butterflies are real as Hayley Pattison counts down to the Australian Meat Industry Council NSW butcher apprenticeship competition in Sydney on 11 September, banking on paddock-to-plate know-how to set her apart.
Local cafe up for best brekkie in Australia
Michelle Daw. Moonta's Taste the Yorke cafe is in the running to win a national hospitality award following its recent win in the Best Breakfast at the state catering industry awards. The cafe received top brekkie honours at the 2025 Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence for South Australia, announced at a gala event held at SkyCity in mid-August.
Bottoms up for the final time
As they closed the doors for the last time on Tuesday, it was a sad but memorable occasion for Corryong Hotel Motel publicans Wendy Kirley and Peter 'Pockets' Kasuba. The couple had a rocky start to their venture, taking over the lease of the 'Bottom Pub' in September 2020 during the pandemic restrictions but they have since developed the business and clientele.
Mary travels, this time to Mexico
The travels of former Donald resident, Mary Raynes, have so far also included meetings in Puebla with Heineken and Central Altiplano Maltería, Mexico ... Australia has been right in the brew of it, supplying on average 61 per cent, up to 85 per cent of Mexico's total malting barley imports.
What does ‘dry’ really mean?
Peter Christen. The crispness of winter mornings has well and truly arrived at Panacea Estate ... It's during these tastings that I'm often reminded how confusing wine language can be—especially one of the most misunderstood words of all: dry...
Sharp’s Bakery triumphs – again!
Sharp’s Bakery in Birchip has once again claimed top honours at the prestigious Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph, held in Merbein on Saturday. The family-run bakery is no stranger to success, having now won the title six times since their first win in 2000.
Businesses urged to prepare for FOGO waste mandates
The Riverina Eastern Regional Organisation of Councils (REROC) hosted an informative presentation in Lockhart last week, focusing on the impacts of the new FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) waste mandates for businesses.
First tree in the ground for Gwen and Roger’s new adventure
A major milestone was reached for Roger McGrath and Gwenda Wall, when the first tree was planted in their intended beer garden recently. Pictured is Roger on the excavator, with Jason Wall and visiting tree expert Mr Lin guiding the tree into its new home.
Noted chef shares culinary wisdom with Birchip students
Many long-term Birchip residents would be familiar with renowned chef Stefano de Pieri. Recently, the first and second-year cookery students at Birchip P-12 School were incredibly fortunate to spend two days learning the foundations of traditional Italian cooking under his expert guidance.
Uncertainty prevails despite algae grants
Sarah Herrmann. Small businesses have expressed concerns about long-term financial assistance after eligibility criteria for the $10,000 algal bloom grants were revealed last week. Pubs are one of the businesses not eligible, but Dalrymple Hotel, Stansbury, publican Rob Rankine said, even if they were, there were other hurdles businesses had to jump to get compensation.
A toast to the macabre – Wine for gothic gatherings
Peter Christen. There's something undeniably gothic about wine. Its colour, its history, its slow transformation in the dark. At Panacea Estate, we often say wine tells stories—but sometimes, it tells ghost stories.
Mary leads delegation to China
Former Donald resident, Mary Raynes, was among speakers at the 2025 AEGIC Australian barley seminars in China, early this month. The daughter of Donald’s Peter and Colleen Raynes, Mary was the leader of the delegation representing the Australia barley supply chain delivering the two major seminars.
Beautiful bounty by the roadside: Somerton Farm roadside produce stall
Good news for small-scale growers is that there’s been a surge in the popularity of roadside produce stalls in recent years as more people seek-out fresh, seasonal produce that’s locally grown. This model of direct-to-customer selling lets consumers actually see where their food comes from, while also bypassing the middle man.
Invest in small batch mobile olive processor
Small scale olive growers often struggle to harvest the minimum amount for processing by commercial contractors, so Bendigo-based The Long Road Olive Co-op is looking to solve this problem by purchasing a mobile processing line. A steering committee, driven by community advocate and passionate olive oil producer Ceilidh Meo, is forming the co-operative to foster community benefits for both olive producers and consumers.
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