Glenrowan, Victoria.

Tahbilk underground cellars.

The time came to head north as we have appointments to meet in coming weeks, so we left the precincts of Melbourne and hit the Calder Highway. What always grabs our attention is the flatness of the countryside. Perfectly level paddocks, fields and forests extend in all directions, eventually giving way to hills in the far distance. We drove through Lancefield, Kilmore, Euroa and Benalla, stopping for lunch at one of our favourite wineries, Chateau Tahbilk. This was the third time we’d visited this magic place, and wandering through its underground cellars, built in 1860, was still as magical as the first time thirty years ago. The musty smell and low light, the cobwebs hanging from the arched roof, the huge century old oak barrels – were matched outside by the gnarly old vine trunks in the vineyards – they too were a century old. Simply amazing, and the latest vintage red wines were still exceptional.

Tahbilk century-old vines.

Our day finished in Glenrowan, where the Ned Kelly legend lured us into a little caravan park for a couple of nights. After two years on the run as an outlaw, Ned Kelly was captured in June, 1880, near what is now the corner of Siege Street and Beaconsfield Parade, just around the corner from our Glenrowan caravan park. He was hanged in Melbourne in November later that year, aged just 25. It was quite surreal to walk around the historic site of Ned’s capture and follow the events of that day 138 years ago. Yes, he was a bad boy in a very brutal time, but Ned’s story is so well-known that it’s hard not to be overawed by being so close to the legend. This region is also a renowned wine growing district, and we visited two icons of contrasting operations – the huge Brown Brothers conglomerate at Milawa and the small boutique Baileys of Glenrowan. The slick, corporate touch was no match for the friendly, personal family business, both in the welcome and the excellent wines.

Ned Kelly's final stand.