There's nothing like a good canola crop to brighten up the landscape! The sunshiny yellow of the canola mixed in with the golden beauty of the native acacia trees was a sight to behold in country Victoria this weekend.
Our journey took us into Cornella and the township of Colbinabbin, just north of Heathcote. Take a drive with us through the backroads of central Victoria:
Colbinabbin
The name of this small town is derived from the aboriginal meaning "the meeting of the black and red soils". Located on the banks of Cornella Creek, Colbinabbin was settled by Europeans in the 1850's. Today, innovation in irrigation has created very productive farmland in the surrounding area. The region has also seen a boom in wine growing and a substantial number of vineyards have sprung up alongside the Mount Camel range, heading towards Heathcote. The town has a lovely display of silo art depicting life in the town in a by-gone era, created by artist Tim Bowtell.
Cornella
An innovative vineyard and craft brewery business at Cornella - Shiraz Republic - has created the Cornella Canola Walk where you can immerse yourself in a field of brilliant yellow. In the farming world, canola is considered a winter crop, reaching full bloom in early spring. Canola seeds are used to make margarine and cooking oil and Australia sits in the top five producers in the world. It belongs to the Brassica plant family along with cabbage, kale and broccoli to name a few.
Enjoy some images of one of the happiest colours of spring:
Cornella Brewery - Shiraz Republic
We were so lucky to stumble across this fabulous place. Cornella Brewery has been making beer in the region since 2016 in the picturesque surrounds of award winning winery, Shiraz Republic. They traditionally focused on English style beers but have now expanded their range to include modern trends. I tasted the Ghosty Hazy Ale, which was delicious! Combined with a yummy pizza, it was a very enjoyable lunch-time experience.
To finish this story, here is my camp oven treat cooking on the hot coals in our backyard last evening - crusty potato damper - and a couple of birdies snapped today in the local area.
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