Well, it’s that time of year again when country Victoria is set ablaze with yellow fields of Canola. This years expedition saw me and Ms P head out to Dookie, a little township dotted half between Shepparton and Benalla.
This year we stayed at the University of Melbourne campus in Dookie, so as to make it more convenient to access the canola fields of Dookie. Accommodation was in a very serviceable motel room for $100 per night. As a plus, it was only a 5 minute drive to the access road (i.e. Mt Major TV Road) for the hike up to Mt Major, one of the higher hills in the region. Unfortunately, it is not possible to drive all the way up – you will need to walk the last kilometre or 2 up a dirt path to reach the summit. Keep this in mind if you plan on catching the sunrise from this location!
Luckily Ms P and I managed to get high enough up the mountain to get a great view over the surrounding plains as the sun was rising.
This was shot with my 70-200 mm lens and is actually one of the few times I was glad to be carrying it.
Ms P welcoming in the new day. If you’re ever wondering if you should bother getting up to catch the sunrise from Mt Major I say do it, the light is a lot more flattering to the landscape than the light during the day.
Another shot using my 70-200 telephoto to isolate some detail.
After a bit of driving around we managed to find an interesting canola field to photograph. The photo is a stitch of 3 images that was designed to capture the scale and size of the canola field – image best viewed large.
A bit more driving around in the afternoon yielded this scene – once again it is best viewed large.
If you’re feeling hungry and thirsty, check out Tallis Winery, located on a hilltop just outside of Dookie. It has commanding views over the surrounding countryside and the wines aren’t bad either 🙂 Apparently we weren’t the only ones that thought so, as the Governor of Victoria so happened to be stopping by for lunch at the same time as us!
The tasting experience there was great, with super friendly staff that didn’t make the experience feel too daunting and they were also full of tips on things to do in the local area (will definitely make sure to check out the Violet Town market now – thanks Sue!) Also make sure to try their signature wine, the Viognier when you’re there. Their shiraz is also great, with none of that overpowering oakiness and strong tannins of your typical sledgehammer (read: Barossa Valley) shiraz.
Make sure to try and score an outside seat if the weather is good – the views are stunning!
The regional tasting platter is a great accompaniment to the wines and at $30 is quite reasonably priced. Most (if not all) the produce is sourced locally, so for example the beetroot chutney and tomato chutney are sourced from a farm (literally) down the road, the marinated olives are from an Italian lady in Shepparton etc.
I can’t think of a better way to while away an afternoon than sitting on this hilltop with this platter, a glass of wine and some good company. In fact, we did just that 🙂
Tallis Winery is also unique in the sense that visitors can walk to the top of a nearby hill on the property (about half an hour each way) for views of the area and also have an opportunity to meet some local wildlife along the way.
Note the rich red volcanic soil in the bottom right of the above photo – it is this soil which has made Dookie so productive agriculturally.
A patchwork of colour greets visitors to Dookie in spring. I love the contrast between the green of the fields, the yellow of the canola, the red volcanic soil and the blue of the sky.
One of the biggest canola fields I saw on my recent trip to Dookie. It was like a sea of yellow and is really something that you have to experience in person, the photos don’t do it justice.
When you’re in Dookie also don’t forget to visit the Dookie Emporium and Cafe. The Cafe sells some fantastic homemade pies and the Emporium contains all kinds of interesting bric-a-brac (vintage turntable or a 4 inch shell casing anyone?) and is definitely worth spending some time rummaging through.