Complementing landscapes provide a spectacular setting
Our magnificent Cellar Door and surrounding buildings were inspired by the original Cape Dutch farmsteads of South-Africa, which complements the native landscape surrounding our vineyards.
Garden & Kitchen Garden
Kitchen Garden
Our Kitchen Garden has become a valuable daily source for fresh herbs and vegetables for our Restaurant. The chefs and gardening team work together to decide what to plant to ensure there is a constant variety of produce, mainly focusing on heirloom varieties or vegetables not easily found locally.
Planted in October 2014, at peak season it has supplied up to 90% of our Discovery Menu produce.
International chef, restauraner and author, Rick Stein, admitted to eating quite a few peas when he visited the garden while at Gourmet Escape in 2015. He, like many other visitors, enjoyed the chance to wander around in the garden and we welcome everyone to have a look at it during their visit.
Roses in the Vineyards
Roses are a familiar sight in vineyards and we have carried on that tradition, albeit for aesthetics than for their original purpose.
Roses are used at the ends of vine rows and are known for their advantage of being able to show signs of pests and disease more quickly than vines, therefore acting as an early warning system.
Some vineyards coded their roses to match their grapes; red for red grapes and white for whites, making identification easier outside of harvest periods.
Rose Garden
The rose garden is also characteristic of the Cape Dutch style. Varieties planted in the rose garden, and through our arched arbor include Prospero, Victoriana and Lavender Pinocchio, as well as popular varieties such as Just Joey and Angel Face.
Proudly Australian
Our late founder Michael Wright was proudly Australian and we fly the flag in respect to our heritage and as a symbol of democracy and freedom. The flag itself is 15 metres x 7.5 metres and is mounted on a 30 metre flagpole. It's suggested that it’s the largest flag in Australia. All we know is that you should not have too much trouble spotting it, even from a good distance away.
Cape Dutch Gardens
A typical Cape Dutch manor house is surrounded by a series of outbuildings and is arranged to leave a space in the middle known as the werf (pronounced ‘v-aire-f’, the Afrikaans word for ‘yard’). Historically, the walled gardens of Cape Dutch farm buildings were once used for penning livestock and for added security. The werf is the dominant feature of our formal gardens.
European Influence
A substantial European influence in plantings was introduced into werf plant selection. Our werf uses a wide variety of non-Australian plants such as Agapanthus Blue, Yellow Day Lilies, Ponytail Palm and Dwarf Date Palm. Hedges of dwarf Lilly Pilly provide a striking, geometric element to the gardens. Standing proudly nearby and providing shady corridors around the gardens are Liquid Amber, Claret Ash, Manchurian Pear and Plane trees.
