Geelong Otway Wine Food and A Good Hard Look

Geelong Otway Wine Food and A Good Hard Look
at Ourselves

Tourism Strategy
September 2004
George Biron
SUNNYBRAE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATES
Index
A Good Hard Look at Ourselves 75
Market to Market
On The Road Again
Local Customs
Counter-Measures and Gastro-Pubs
Brand Power
Hard Cheese
Hold the Presses
Awards
Sowing the Seeds
Farmers’ Markets
Bread and Ovens
Regional Events
Competitive Analysis
Infrastructure
End Note

A GOOD HARD LOOK AT OURSELVES
This strategy outlines a plan to significantly enhance the food and wine profile of the
Geelong Otway area.
The first part of this report will identify the sectors that are open to this strategy. Then the
report outlines resources needed to implement a program of activities and events that will
in time fill the calendar with sustainable food and wine events that will position the region
amongst the most highly regarded food and wine destinations in the state.
Priority is given at the beginning of this report to issues that are currently in front of and
are being acted upon by government bodies.
Strengths and Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats are all inextricably linked. This
analysis looks at how opportunities can be made from understanding threats, and how
strength can be achieved by confronting weaknesses.
Actions that address these dichotomies are presented in the body of the report and
summarised in the recommendations at the end of each section.
The area that this strategy covers consists of the City of Greater Geelong, Golden
Plains Shire, the Bellarine Peninsula, the Surfcoast and the Colac-Otway Shire. It also
addresses the alliances with the adjacent regions of Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula,
the Shipwreck Coast and Central Victoria.
The size of the area and its diversity are the greatest strengths that the group has in
presenting itself into the market. It is of course also a great challenge to keep the focus
on productive, collective marketing and emphasising cooperative strengths as opposed to
individual differences.
Highest priority must be given to keep these local alliances strong and to strengthen ties
with all bordering regions. Together these areas arguably represent the very best tourist
experiences that Victoria has to offer.
The food and wine sector of the tourism industry is for the most part a collection of many
small independent operators. The challenge for an area like this is to bring together the
spirit of a region with effective marketing strategies that relatively small budgets can
sustain.
Winemakers speak of terroir [or local conditions] that if understood results in wine best
suited to each particular area.
This concept of terroir can be equally successfully expressed in the presentation of food.
Some of the best examples of regional food and wine experiences come from districts that
have taken this concept and have respected its limitations.
Food and wine are two parts of the same experience. Together they provide more than
the mere sum of its parts.
The first aim of this strategy is to bring the two sectors together within the region.
Many tourism groups blindly follow models from other districts promising far too much.
Often outcomes are anticipated before products have been developed to commercial levels.
There is a significant danger in over-enthusiastic promotions that do not deliver promised
outcomes.
For example food trails can not be created around a small number of developing seasonal
food-producers. Farmers’ markets need to be rooted in local passion and product for them to
continue to grow beyond their initial seed funding.
It is important to recognise limitations and aspire to exceed visitors’ expectations.
Care needs to be taken in the use of promotional material both internal and public to not
exaggerate products and services.
This strategy will give direction to each of the participating regions and sectors within each
region as to how to best achieve the collective goal of giving the visitor a truly memorable food
and wine experience.
Food and wine service are the most labour-intensive aspects of the tourism experience.
Together with a reliance on perishable product, they offer the least return on investment of
any part of the industry. Food and wine service is often seen as a necessary evil best left
to outsourcing. Paradoxically food and wine also provides the most personal and lasting
impression of the hospitality of a region leading to one of the key factors in making a decision as
whether to return to, or to encourage others to visit, a region. It is often a matter of passion.
Success in this district does not lie in peak tourist periods but in the ability to attract a yearround
quality market, and in the integration of the hinterland with the coast.
The rhythm of peaks and troughs, if understood, can be used creatively to bring about the
desired outcome of this strategy: that is, a region renowned for its food and wine hospitality
as well as for its year-round natural beauty. Geographically and demographically this area is
perfectly placed to deliver the balance required to achieve this goal.
One of the greatest perceived strengths of the region is its magnificent coastline of The Great
Ocean Road. Within such a strongly branded tourism icon the profile required for a similar or
even just a strong food and wine presence will always be secondary to the middle market needs
of the vast number of visitors that the region attracts at peak periods. This is not unusual as
most frontline tourist destinations do not hold iconic food and wine reputations.
But regions do.
The food of Venice is not as a rule highly regarded but the cooking of the Veneto region is one
of the many icons of regional Italian food. While Paris can be a treasure-trove to well-informed
food- and wine-lovers, the Champs Elysees is not known for its restaurants. There are countless
such examples and a few exceptions, and it is from the exceptions that we can learn to turn this
seemingly inevitable decline into a strong positive direction.
The success of a region in terms of food and wine is also linked to how locals use and respect
the products and services of a region. It can be said that the social health of a community can
be measured by the way its public houses are used.
We have some of the best produce in the country. But where is it? The gap between the
numbers of producers and outlets has widened to such an extent that the concept of fine local
produce is a mere marketing slogan to all but the very specialised small food operator. Wine is
of course also a food and the concept of locally-grown and -produced is best expressed in the
fine-wine industry.
This strategy seeks to empower new and existing producers of food and wine products and
services by bringing them closer to understanding their markets and providing them with
opportunities to meet their goals.
But most of all it seeks to give the visitor an unforgettable experience.
ACTION
Publish report and call for comment.
MARKET TO MARKET
Access to the region has been considerably improved with the recent upgrade of the Geelong
Road and consequent links to the Western Ring Road, CityLink and the railway, making a trip
to Geelong one of the fastest and easiest ways to escape from Melbourne. All transport links
are falling into place for Geelong and beyond to develop further as a recognised food and wine
destination.
The commencement of Jetstar in Avalon will significantly increase interstate and overseas
access to this area. Avalon provides many new opportunities to create networks providing a
significant increase in the number of visitors to the area. The new airport will also add to tourist
numbers the Great Southern Touring Route. An increase in specialised food and wine events
linked to the route will significantly improve the power of the product.
A strong regional presence at Avalon, and multilevel partnerships with Jetstar, are essential for
this association to grow.
Food and wine tourism depends on access to quality raw products.
The relocation of the Melbourne Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable market from Footscray presents
a very significant opportunity for the district to benefit from a western siting of this facility.
Craigieburn, Calder, Werribee and Dandenong have been put forward as the possible sites for
the new wholesale vegetable market.
The Footscray market community would like to stay where it is but concedes that a move is
inevitable. The traders’ preferred new site is Craigieburn; Dandenong is their least favoured
option. The market stakeholders have identified most of the product sold at the market as
coming from the north.
Werribee is disadvantaged as the Yarra Valley and the Mornington Peninsula will join
strategically to lobby the government for Dandenong or Craigieburn. But in a strictly political
sense Werribee and the region have a number of marginal seats adding to the strength of its
bid.
The new Mitcham to Frankston freeway will strengthen Dandenong’s position. Dandenong
has been recently identified as a disadvantaged area, another form of political leverage. Also,
historically Dandenong has been seen as a market town.
Werribee has Avalon and Tullamarine nearby, and along with the docklands at close range
presents a very strong case. While most sea freight is packed on the farm, the deepening of
the shipping lane in Port Phillip Bay recently marked for development also adds to the strategic
position of Werribee for warehousing and distribution.
The wholesale fish market is also to be rebuilt and its new position is also vital to the
development of food and wine service in this area.
Stewart McArthur, Federal Member for Corangamite, believes that the north and west rail
corridors will be linked within 5 years [since the first draft of this report the Federal budget has
allocated significant funds for the transport sector] and that rail transport facilities at Laverton
would be perfectly positioned to handle the increasing amount of fresh produce shipped by rail.
He sees rail as the most efficient and sustainable form of transport for fresh produce. Roads
can only take so much traffic. But it must be conceded that northern corridor also has good rail
opportunities, favouring Craigieburn.
Our neighbours in the Shipwreck Coast and adjoining regions would benefit to an even more
significant degree from a wholesale market on the western side of the city, but it is our other
regional neighbour - Melbourne - that ultimately will swing the vote.
Avalon airport provides the key multiplier effect in the economic impact of the position. Lindsay
Fox is, as owner of Avalon, a keen advocate of the move. Frank Costa’s office has also
expressed strong support for a Werribee siting. Qantas and other carriers can also be seen as
beneficiaries of a Werribee site.
Calder may well succeed as a compromise site but the Victorian government has stated that if a
consensus cannot be reached they will use government land at Werribee as the preferred site.
The long term benefits of a close proximity to the wholesale market to this region are very
significant.
Access gives an edge
Opportunities would open up in agribusiness in this area with such a favourable proximity to
distribution markets. Specialty food such as dairy products need air transport. Western Victoria
is poised for another strong growth burst in specialty cheese production. The Warrnambool
Cheese and Butter Factory is poised to list on the stock exchange and the Great Ocean Road
Cheese Company has been registered. Mount Emu Creek cheeses are relocating to new
premises within the district.
With a new market hub, the corridor between Werribee and Geelong would also develop into
an area of hothouse agriculture with plenty of room for food manufacturing. This model would fit
well with the Victorian government’s recently released policy - “Activating Next Generation Food
Strategy.”
The access to recycled water from Werribee would also be seen as a positive feature for these
industries.
The site for the new market is one of the most important strategic decisions by
government that the district faces this year.
If the site for the new market is in Werribee, the benefits to this region would be
incalculably positive.
The Victorian Government is yet to decide.
This report recommends high level consultations with Government, local authorities
and all other stakeholders to facilitate a strong united campaign for the relocation of the
market to Werribee.
ACTION
Identify key stakeholders in the relocation of the Footscray Wholesale Vegetable
Market.
Create awareness amongst local businesses as to the importance of the
outcome of the relocation of the market.
Lobby the Victorian Government and Opposition members for the preferred
80
siting of the new market to Werribbee.
Create awareness in the press as to the importance of the move.
On the Road Again
One of the weakest links in the food and wine experiences of visitors occurs in an area that
affects all travellers at some time.
Food and wine on the road is one of the most disappointing experiences that travellers face.
Roadhouses without exception serve food that, at its best, is just adequate to allay hunger.
There have always been attempts to improve highway dining, most recently expressed by the
new service stations on the Geelong Road. These new stops are still cosmetic variations on
what has gone before. In fact they provide the opportunity of a traveller to completely by-pass
the district and plan their next food and fuel stop to beyond Warrnambool.
Fast food can be good food with a little care.
There is an opportunity to develop a point of difference within the district.
Oil companies spend very large sums of money on roadhouse dining. An oil company with
vision could, [by the nature of their resources and distribution networks] be encouraged to
develop a concept in partnership with the tourist bodies similar to the European Routiers.
This organization documents good food and wine on the highways of Europe. These include
roadhouses that provide simple but tasty food that must to be of a certain quality to qualify for
membership of the group.
The benefits of such a trial conducted in this district would be very significant. Success would
translate to great benefits for the whole state. The road is the last frontier for good food and
wine.
Many strategies ignore sectors that do not seem to be directly associated with traditional quality
food and wine experiences.
It is very easy to ignore the foundations of this industry.
Motel breakfast has to be one of the most tragic parts of getting from A to B.
A seminar to a forward-thinking motel chain or a group of independent operators to help develop
a “better breakfast” within the district immediately focuses the attention of the visitor to the
commitment of the area to an enjoyable stay.
A visitor that is just passing through to another destination at a “sleep stop” would have the
question of when to return reinforced strongly over a stunning regional breakfast.
Opportunities are there for local producers to become involved in providing the package.
Most food outlets have a good modern coffee machine but still so many places do not use them
to full advantage.
A program of coffee education along major, or indeed any routes would further focus care and
quality for modest investment. A forward thinking coffee company would rise to the challenge.
It is with the basics that the most lasting impact can be achieved.
ACTION
Arrange meetings with oil companies to develop a routier style food on the road
concept.
Develop a better breakfast concept.
Beginning with the Great Southern Touring Route.
Develop a coffee education program within the district.

Local Customs
The Customs House Restaurant space represents a unique opportunity to re-focus the face of
waterfront wining and dining. The building is one of the most important examples of early neoclassical
Australian architecture in Geelong. The interior spaces are pure and clear, and speak
directly to a quality food and wine experience.
To use this space for another restaurant targeted to the same market as most of the other
businesses on the waterfront would be very short-sighted.
While the Cunningham Pier was sacrificed to Smorgy’s this space must not be lost to the
highest bidder and the lowest common denominator.
In Melbourne, Donlevy Fitzpatrick’s Dog’s Bar and George Hotel developments clearly defined
the direction of style and flavour in St Kilda. The Customs House site needs a similar vision.
That is not to say that those developments should be copied but a lot may be learned from what
they were and why they were so successful. They succeeded because:
1. The Liquor Laws had changed to make the sale and consumption of wine much simpler.
The culture of wine was celebrated with a youthful energy.
A radical approach was given to wine. Fresh, ready-to-drink wines with upfront fruit flavours
were featured. Pinot Noir was embraced and given great promotion. These places were at
the centre of promotion, appreciation and recognition for cool climate wines.
Geelong still has a very conservative interpretation of the liquor laws.
2. The St Kilda developments were primarily directed to the local residents and professional
groups such as artists, architects, the advertising and hospitality industry who shared
Don’s vision for a civilised food and wine culture.
Inner city living is just beginning in Geelong.
3. Simple but very high quality food was prepared and served by passionate professionals
without fuss, for an affordable price. The Dog’s Bar and George Hotel were the career
spring-boards for some of the most respected cooks and restaurateurs in the country.
Otto, Icebergs and MG garage in Sydney have very strong connections to St Kilda.
Geelong has a very different demographic so a different approach is needed but the
decision to offer the lease should not be made hastily.
This is a very special site.
ACTION
Consult with Geelong Planning Department to carefully consider the tender.
To avoid rushing a decision, if not many applicants are presented in the first
round.
Counter-Measures and Gastro-Pubs
The other major project affecting access to the area is the proposed ring road around Geelong.
The construction of this facility is in some form inevitable. The ring road will ease the congestion
in Latrobe Terrace and the rest of Geelong, but hospitality businesses within Geelong will have
to accept and address the challenge the drive-through opportunity makes available to those
wishing to get to the Bellarine and beyond.
The long-term success of the food and wine service community in Geelong depends on the
ability of the area to attract significant numbers of new visitors from Melbourne.
Most of the food and wine activity in the region occurs in the hotel or pub area. The region has
some large, extremely well-run hotels and a number of small local pubs that have not embraced
the gambling dollar. These hotels have seemingly been passed over by the food and wine
revolution of recent years. Some of these hotels are also in buildings with heritage overlays
that restrict larger developments. They are in danger of becoming a seedy blot on the tourism
landscape.
A “gastro pub” movement started the food and wine revolution in Melbourne in the 70’s before
the liberalisation of the liquor laws. Historically such culinary luminaries like Iain Hewitson,
Donlevy Fitzpatrick and many others began their careers in such a way.
Hotels present a valuable opportunity for innovative entrepreneurs to use pub dining rooms to
present good food and wine experiences for a relatively modest investment into a market that
already accepts the hotel as the place where young people naturally go. This is not merely a
new fit-out or renovation but a very focussed gastronomic movement.
Melbourne is again going through a period of such development. The Botanical, The
Carringbush, The Courthouse, Healesville Hotel, Hotel Spencer, The Kent Hotel, The Lincoln
Hotel, The London Hotel, Melbourne Wine Room at The George Hotel, The North Fitzroy Star,
O’Connell’s Hotel, Public House, and The Swallows are just a few examples of this strong
movement.
Geelong is also perfectly placed for such developments.
As well as Geelong, places like Inverleigh, Fyansford, Birregurra, Warrion, Beeac, Cressy,
Waurn Ponds, Forrest, and Colac also present exciting opportunities to present food, wine and
beer in a very contemporary way.
There will be a strong revival of the “real country pub”.
Country hotels offer excellent opportunities for industry professionals looking for a “seachange”
both in terms of real estate opportunity and lifestyle choice. The food in these hotels will be
simple but sophisticated without pretence, and with the ability to simultaneously satisfy, for
example, a touring group of Italian winemakers and also the local farmers on a Friday night.
The Victoria Hotel at Port Fairy, Royal Mail in Dunkeld, Farmers Arms in Daylesford, The
Criterion Hotel in Castlemaine and the Healesville Hotel are good Victorian regional
models. The list grows every day.
Wine retailing in regional hotels also presents numerous marketing opportunities for regional
winemakers.
Many publicans are often locked into marketing groups that offer only a limited selection of
wines using the buying power of the group to gain price advantage in a fiercely competitive
environment. Regional wine-makers could also offer a similar discounted package to
participating hotels in the form of a ‘Six Pack” of their local wines priced well and in effective
packaging that would give extra information to the purchaser in the form of tasting notes and
vineyard information.
The wines could be varied throughout the year and they can also be available individually in
bottle shops. If appropriate [and really, where would it not be an advantage?] they would also
be poured in the hotel’s dining room.
To summarise, by using the established language of the hotel wine-marketers, we could assist
publicans who are not very comfortable with going past the familiar and easy-to-manage wine
list provided by a buying group to be involved in the local industry.
Wineries that do not have restaurants are presented with the opportunity to form strategic
alliances with these new “gastro pubs”. Such alliances could be very beneficial to both parties.
Cellar door in the pub.
Winemaker’s dinner in the dining room.
Advantageous pouring rights in the bar.
There are also accommodation opportunities in pubs that fill a gap between the “Backpacker”
and “Boutique” markets.
There are many opportunities to refocus the food and wine service in any hotel. Simple gestures
such as a plate of home-made sausage rolls with real tomato sauce for after-work drinkers can
re-kindle loyalty at minimal cost to the publican. The concept of quality does not have to be
expressed as expense. A bowl of house-made “dukha” [Egyptian spice mix], a little local olive
oil and fine sourdough bread on a bar cost very little but a food-conscious visitor is immediately
put at ease. Simplicity is a misunderstood marketing term that is often misused to mean
convenience. A frozen sausage roll, generic but folksy labelled tomato sauce, a commercial
dukha, cheap badly-stored olive oil and a pre-baked frozen “ciabatta” is often considered to be
the same . The distinction is in the detail.
ACTION
Create a workshop for stakeholders to raise awareness of the opportunities for
new “Gastro Pub” ventures.
Conduct regular visits to market leaders in Melbourne and regional Victoria.


Brand Power
Branding has been a catchphrase within the tourism industry for quite some time. The term can
have a variety of meanings ranging from regional identity to product identification.
There has been a shift to the branding of regions and products with regional and local names.
Success with regional food brands is evident in The Yarra Valley, King Island, F.O.O.D [Food
Of Orange District] and the Barossa Valley. Many districts such as Mildura, Murray River, King
Valley and indeed all districts with emerging food and wine profiles are trying to employ this type
of marketing.
Great care must be taken if we are to use this concept.
In this district, the size of the area means that if it is to attain success in regional branding we
will have to focus on specific products from central locations.
The Colac-Otway region presents such an opportunity.
Developing a strong food brand in this area would help to integrate the farming districts with the
recreational activity of the coastal areas, providing a balanced picture of the district. If the Colac-
Otway food profile is to be strong and have credibility this region’s products and services need
to be consistent and of a very high quality or they can cause serious harm to the general profile
of an area.
Small producers often appropriate their local geographic name as their brand. For example,
Yarra Valley Salmon, Timboon brand ice-cream, Irrewarra strawberries and such. This type of
branding effectively and unfairly closes the door to other producers of the same type of product
in that area.
Regional produce, if it is to go beyond the “boutique stage”, has to reach a critical mass of raw
product to achieve a significant presence.
An alternative approach is the European model where the regional moniker is the closely
guarded seal of quality that defines the product often made by many growers and producers as
a consortium to very exacting standards that fit the desired profile of the region.
Beef in Australia is often marketed under brands based on genetics not regions, sheep meat
is often marketed by age [spring lamb] or diet [milk fed] and poultry is often defined by growing
conditions [free range]. Bread is distinguished by content and the leaven used e.g. sourdough.
Olive oil is defined through variety and press quality.
There are many grey areas in all of these categories.
Established marketing groups based on quality controls such as organic and bio-dynamic
agriculture have very strict controls for their members to adhere to and as such have attained a
high degree of credibility.
The wine industry, as identified earlier in this report, is the most sophisticated sector branding
regional produce. Established wine areas understand the value of such regional brands. They
do not use the wide regional name for product names. Brands are not only trademarks but
they can often be confused, especially if they are based on regional names. There is a big
difference of emphasis between Barossa Valley Estate and Balnaves of Coonawarra. The first
appropriates the whole region while the second aligns itself with it.
The most prominent brand in this region is The Great Ocean Road (GOR). There are over
100 businesses that use the name and as such the power of the brand has been significantly
diluted.
Some tourism bodies would even like to further extend the Great Ocean Road.
Thankfully the Great Ocean Road is such a strong brand that it has stood up well to a great deal
of appropriation, but that is not to say it cannot be overused.
When geographic labels are applied to any product the region is at risk of damage by the
performance of its weakest branded link.
CRF can be justly proud of the fine modern plant in Colac and the employment that it
provides to migrants and locals. As you pass semi-trailers on the highway freshly signed as
COLAC OTWAY LAMB you could be forgiven for feeling proud of the primary produce of the
region. But it should read COLES LAMB as the abattoirs in Colac under CRF are the sole
processing agents for COLES SUPERMARKETS for lamb from any region that conforms to the
supermarkets standards.
The marketing theory is that regional branding sells even if the meaning has to be stretched.
The danger in this type of branding is that any local producers wishing to come into the market
as regional lamb producers in the Colac-Otway region have had their identity hijacked.
By far the most significant food products grown in this district are Beef, Lamb and Milk.
International visitors marvel at the range of beef available in this country. Sadly BSE has made
unavailable many traditional beef products in their own countries. There has been a preferential
shift to air-dried and aged meat within the quality end of the restaurant industry. This is a
reaction against the anonymous meats being offered to discerning cooks supplied in vacuumpacked
form.
The technique of natural ageing involves hanging fresh meat in a controlled temperature
environment that in time improves the flavour and texture of the product. The technique requires
careful monitoring but relatively low plant and equipment costs. The product loses weight but
gains value quickly. One relatively small provider of such aged meat near Warrnambool is
Hopkins River Beef.
There is a significant demand for naturally-aged red meat from the foodservice industry.
Many cooks also realise that young mutton or hogget, if aged correctly, is an extremely
flavourful and tender ingredient. It fits into modern menus with game, goat and other meats
that up to a few years ago were considered very down-market. It is all in the handling. Meat
Livestock Australia (MLA) is currently conducting research into the marketing of young mutton.
Experienced cooks already know this tasty product well but they just do not have any access to
a consistent supply.
The foundation could be laid for a culture of naturally-aged meats in the district that would give a
significant edge to a large range of food service outlets from pubs to iconic restaurants.
Independent butchers who face a very uncertain future from the growth of the supermarkets can
embrace this technique and create a significant point of difference providing a competitive edge
for themselves and the district.
There are opportunities in the district to create a quality naturally-aged beef and lamb
brand that would enhance the food and wine profile of the district and best of all give the
visitor a memorable dining experience.
Do we wait for Safeway Beef to be branded as GOR Beef?
ACTION
Provide a seminar on the development of brand names within the district.
Create a taste test event for local cooks and butchers to demonstrate the
qualities of naturally-aged compared with vacuum-packed meats.
Facilitate an event with Meat Livestock Australia to raise awareness of young
mutton among restaurateurs and butchers in the district.
Hard Cheese
Recent changes to the laws relating to the production of raw milk cheeses in Australia have
created an opportunity to produce a new regional cheese product.
Parmigiano Reggiano is arguably the most highly-regarded cheese in the world. Grana Padano
is similar and also commands great respect in the foodservice industry.
One of the most extraordinary features of this cheese is that it is made by about 500 small
producers, each making an average of only eight wheels a day. This is perfectly suited to dairy
farmers looking for a quality value added product. The cheeses are stored and aged in a central
warehouse and graded. A space is left on the rind to identify the individual maker and receive
the stamp of approval. There are 5 grades all acceptable, depending on age and seasonality.
It is not just a grating cheese to put on pasta but also the king of Italian table cheeses. If there is
an analogy to be made it could be said that Parmigiano Reggiano is to cheese what champagne
is to wine. The retail price is around $30 to $50 per kilo. The process takes at least two years
before a financial return is realised. The cheese also ages to about three years at peak
condition.
Parmigiano Reggiano is held in such esteem that banks in Europe make available loans on
the basis of how many wheels producers have ageing in their warehouses. Each wheel has an
approximate value of $2500.
In Italy Parmigiano Reggiano can only be made from the milk of cows from a defined area. The
cheese-making process is also seasonal and highly regulated.
With the changes to the legislation regarding the manufacture of certain cheeses from raw
milk [defined in Australia as “hard grating cheese”] a true parmesan-style cheese can now be
manufactured in Australia.
The process happens in giant copper vats that are spectacular and the factories would in
themselves become tourist destinations.
Parmesan-style cheese made from raw milk in a traditional way will inevitably happen
somewhere in Australia.
There is a significant opportunity in this district to produce the first Australian true
parmesan-style cheese of great quality.
This report recommends:
the support of a seminar to look into the production of this iconic product,
the support of a fact-finding mission to Italy, with an Australian cheese maker, to establish
a regional cheese product,
the Branding of this product to be regional. Colac, Timboon and surrounding areas are
perfectly placed to manufacture this product.
The amount of attention that such a project would attract is not to be underestimated; the
realisation of this new industry is in complete harmony with the ideals of sustainable regional
food and wine tourism. Parmesan cheese is a foundation product which needs many suppliers
of milk and would add significant tourism value as well as an iconic product to the district.
ACTION
Conduct a tasting and introduction to Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano
cheeses.
Conduct a seminar to investigate the opportunities within the local dairy industry
for the production of a parmesan-style cheese in the district.
Hold the Presses
High quality printed collateral is essential to develop the food and wine profile of the district.
The Food Lovers Guide to the Great Ocean Road was a very successful and effective book
that needs to be updated. Hardie Grant has made approaches for the book to be rewritten, Max
Allen (writer) and Simon Griffiths (photographer) have also agreed to be involved again.
This report recommends a commitment from GOR to the book but with a degree of equity to
ensure further inevitable updates.
An assurance should be made by Hardie Grant, before the book is written, that listings will be
free of advertising pressure.
Vine Dining
There have been many books published recently on the fine food and wine of Australia.
There has also been a very obvious lack of local content in these publications. Coast is a very
pertinent recent example: only a little from the coast of SW Victoria. Volumes that highlight this
region in the context of the nation are very valuable.
Vine Dining is a concept for a new large-format book focusing on the top 20 Winery Restaurants
in Australia. Its theme is the celebration of food and wine close to their source. The book
should focus on the unique interpretation that each winery restaurant has in presenting its
cuisine within the context of the terroir. Each establishment is to be described both in print
and photographically in a light-hearted but considered manner, fusing the winemaking with the
cooking and dining experience.
The wine industry has embraced regional dining with iconic winery restaurants that now are
some of the best food and wine experiences in Australia. While there have been books on
wineries and books on local food experiences, there has not been an effective book that
features the winery/restaurant phenomenon.
The wine industry has been historically the most successful pioneer in the promotion of local
produce i.e. the grape. This relatively new marriage is the most exciting expression of a true
regional food and wine experience.
The book’s content should include:
A strong photographic focus.
A short but sharp essay on the experience a visitor may have on the way to, and at, each
venue.
A section on the perceived vision behind the enterprise.
Architectural treatment.
Specialist winemaking techniques demystified at each place.
Featured food and recipes, able to be cooked at home, but signature restaurant dishes
shown. A model could be the late great Richard Olney’s Vineyard Lunches.
A dialogue between cook and winemaker to be explored
Selected regional producers.

Funding for the book could begin with local tourism bodies, Victorian Wineries Tourism Council
and the relevant national bodies. As well as a general market, cellar doors provide the perfect
outlet for such a publication.
Respected authors from each state could be engaged, with an overall compilation and editing
from one main writer.
Cherry Ripe, editor of the groundbreaking Australia the Beautiful Cookbook, author of Goodbye
Culinary Cringe [possibly the most important book on the emerging Australian culinary culture]
and Ripe a collection of essays from her 10 years as the food and wine editor of The Australian
newspaper, would be an ideal choice to oversee the project. She has expressed enthusiasm for
the concept.
The marriage between literature and food/wine/travel is historically a very strong alliance.
Good marketing occurs when the product is approached in a larger context.
The loss of the Festival of Words in Queenscliff is regretted by many people. This strategy
recommends a major annual literary prize, to be named the Mietta Prize, be established for
food-, wine-, and travel-writing. Respected judges could be chosen by the Mietta Foundation,
and the results published in a simple bright modern format and announced at a food, wine travel
writers conference in Queenscliff. This could be a one- or two-day event with added side trips
for the attendees.
The effect of such a prize and event cannot help but position this district in front of the best
journalists and writers in the country. It could develop into an international event.
Small publications and other printed ephemera also help to reinforce the culinary profile of a
district. Post cards, posters, calendars and such provide effective product Biron and Geelong Otway.

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