10 Incredible Things to Do in Rutherglen

For such a small town, Rutherglen is a wine-making giant. But this is not a one-stop, one-drop town. Here are 10 things you should do and know.

The history of the Rutherglen wine region goes back to the late 1850s when Lindsay Brown planted his four-acre vineyard as the Gold Rush drew prospectors to the area. He’s been credited with saying: “Dig gentlemen dig, but no deeper than six inches, for there is more gold to be won from the top six inches than from all of the depths below."

Rutherglen

Thirty years later, Rutherglen was considered a wine power with some of the largest estates in the world. Many are still flourishing today, including Morris, Chambers Rosewood, All Saints Estate, Campbells, and Stanton & Killeen.

But it’s not a one-stop, one-drop town. Here are 10 things you should do in Rutherglen.

1. Try Fortified Wine

Save time to explore the township of Rutherglen where the welcome sign ‘Sydney may have a nice harbour, but Rutherglen has a Great Port’ gives some indication of how proud the region is of its fortified wines.

2. Walk the Main Street

Main Street Rutherglen — Walk down the iconic Main Street.

A cairn marks the spot where gold was found in the 1860s in what is now Main Street and the town still retains much of its Victorian architecture and outback country town charm. Check out any of the antique and boutique stores before you pop into a café for a spot of lunch.

3. Visit the Rutherglen Wine Experience & Visitor Information Centre

The Rutherglen Wine Experience and Visitor Information Centre, built in 1862 as a drapery, is a great place to start. Chat to any of the local volunteer staff to give you the best advice on what to see and do in the area. They’ll know where to start on your wine tour or the best spot to grab some lunch. You’ll also find an array of local produce, wines and souvenirs.

4. Take a Tour

When you’re looking for a history lesson you can’t go past the Rutherglen Historical Town Guided Tour. An array of Historical Society members will take you on an informative stroll around the town. The tour takes 90 minutes and only costs $10, which includes a tour booklet and a bottle of water.

But if you’d rather go at your own pace, pick up a self-guided historical walking tour brochure. The track includes the 1872 Common School Museum and 1864 St Stephen’s Rectory, as well as several gold-era Victorian pubs.

5. Taste your way through the Corowa Whisky and Chocolate Factory

The factory resides in a renovated 1920s flour mill. Head through the space on a guided tour, grabbing samples of organic chocolate and licorice created by the sister company Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory. Next, you’ll head through the whisky distillery. Watch from start to finish the makings of high-quality Australian whisky.

When you’re starting to feel a little peckish, grab a seat in their restaurant and order up an indulgent gourmet meal. Serving breakfast and lunch, no matter what meal it is, you can’t leave without trying their iconic hot chocolate.

6. Ride a Bike

You can also rent bicycles and helmets here to explore the wineries via the Murray to the Mountains rail trail. Choose between the mountain bikes, tandems and e-bikes available. Go through the town in your own pace and explore what Rutherglen has to offer. The rental also includes a map, if you’re going old school.

Do not ride the bikes while under the influence.

7. Visit Gooramadda Olives and Wicked Virgin Boutique Winery

And if you need a break from wine tasting, Gooramadda Olives and Wicked Virgin offer home-grown olives, olive oils and various tapenades just outside of town. Wicked Virgin are also known for their boutique wines, giving tastings for a range of reds, whites and fortified. While at Gooramadda, their signature dish is Morris Muscat Olive Oil Ice Cream, try it if you dare.

8. Eat at Parker Pies

Parker Pies Rutherglen — Head to Parker Pies for some amazing, and quite unique, flavours.

Named ‘Australia’s greatest pie shop ,’ giving a big reason to head down and try these home-made beauties. With traditional, gourmet and just crazy flavours available, this is for the true blue Aussies.

You’ve got the Chunky Beef, Bacon and Cheese pies and the Emu, Kangaroo and Crocodile pastries. Filled with fresh ingredients, these will bless your taste-buds.

9. Check out Rutherglen’s New-School Winemakers

Rutherglen’s wine region is like none other. These new school wineries are coming up with innovative new wine styles that definitely turn heads. They aren’t just tweaking the classics, they’re blowing them out of the water. Everything is a mix of old and new there. Head along to each vineyard and test the absolute best in reds and whites.

10. Walk to the Big Wine Bottle

Big Wine Bottle Rutherglen — Rutherglen’s biggest landmark.

Australia is known for their love of big monuments, from the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour to the Big Prawn in Ballina. But Rutherglen has got one of their own to add to the list, the Big Wine Bottle. Standing at 36 metres tall and only a 15 minute walk from Main Street, this landmark used to be the town’s water tower (since a new reservoir was created in 1945, this became a backup). Have a picnic beneath the bottle and look out onto the vast land ahead.

If you’re planning on spending time in Victoria’s High Country, click here to check out our guide.

Beyond the winding bitumen and coastal views lies another side to Victoria’s most famous route.

There’s something hypnotic about this stretch of Victoria’s coast. Maybe it’s the way the road hugs the ocean so tightly, or how the cliffs catch the sun in colours you can’t name. Or, for local Victorians who drove this route as kids, maybe it’s the memories of winding through the impossibly tall trees as they seemingly guide you on your journey like wooden guardian angels. Most travellers know it for the 12 Apostles, but there are plenty of alternate experiences on the Great Ocean Road equally as worthy of your time.

So, next time you’re in that neck of the woods, park that car, stretch those legs and try these experiences.

1. Discover living culture at Budj Bim

Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism — Walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Breakaway Creek’s Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is a masterclass in educational storytelling. Join a guided tour with Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism to walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system, where the Gunditjmara people built sophisticated eel traps and stone channels more than 6,000 years ago.

Budj Bim’s aquaculture system predates Egypt’s pyramids by roughly 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest examples of human engineering on Earth. If that’s not enough to get your history-loving family members involved in this road trip, we’re out of ideas.

2. Unwind in the hot springs at Warnambool

woman relaxing at Deep Blue Hot Springs — Let mineral-rich water heal you.

If your legs need a break after a long drive, Deep Blue Hot Springs is your remedy. The geothermal pools sit just metres from the coastline, filled with mineral-rich water that bubbles up from deep underground. Move between open-air baths, waterfall pools and quiet zones made for meditation.

The water in Deep Blue’s geothermal pools comes from an ancient aquifer nearly 850 metres below the Earth’s surface, which, in non-scientific terms, means it’s far more likely to have healing properties than the mineral water you’d find at the supermarket.

3. Take to the air at Princetown

12 Apostles Helicopters flight alternate experiences on the Great Ocean Road — See an icon from a different view.

You may have seen the Twelve Apostles from the trusty viewing platform, but a helicopter flight with 12 Apostles Helicopters shows you just how sprawling and rugged this coastline really is.

The trip covers everything from Port Campbell to London Bridge (not to be confused with the UK’s own), giving you a rare chance to watch waves carving the limestone cliffs from above. It’s worth noting that the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles are said to erode by roughly two centimetres each year, so the longer you leave it, the less of the Apostles you’ll see.

4. Step into the past at Flagstaff Hill

Continue the tour through Warnambool at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village and Museum , a recreated 19th-century port town. Hear stories from the days when shipwrecks were as common as seagulls, with an astounding 180 ships believed to have sunk along the Shipwreck Coast in less than five years.

The night show, complete with lights, sound, and sea spray, brings the coastline’s most dramatic stories to life.

If you’re staying the night, Simon’s Waterfront offers relaxed dining with fresh local seafood and oceanfront views. Order the catch of the day and toast to the sailors who never made it ashore.

5. Learn to surf in Torquay, Lorne, or Anglesea

kid having a lesson with Go Ride A Wave — Learn how to hang 10. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Whether you’ve surfed before or can barely stand on a board, Go Ride A Wave will have you upright in no time. Torquay’s calm beaches are ideal for first-timers, while Lorne and Anglesea bring a bit more energy for those unafraid to get dunked.

Bells Beach, just down the road from Torquay, has even hosted the world’s longest-running professional surfing competition since 1962. So, for those eager to have a gander at pros using surfboards like they’re an additional appendage, the competition usually runs sometime in autumn.

6. Tackle the trails in Forrest

Barwon Flow Trails Otways Flow MTB — Hire a bike and explore MTB trails through the Otways.

Forrest is a haven for mountain bikers thanks to an expansive network of trails through stunning natural scenery. The Forrest trail network has almost 100 kilometres of singletrack across 36 trails, so there’s something for every level of rider. That’s including more than 60 kilometres of purpose-built mountain bike trails winding through the Otways’ dense forest. Cycle through ancient myrtle beech trees and towering tree ferns, with smaller ferns and soft mosses forming a carpet at your feet.

Hire a bike from Forrest MTB Hire and take your pick from easy, scenic rides to more challenging singletracks, such as Red Carpet or Rollercoaster.

7. See wildlife up close in Apollo Bay

bush rat on Wildlife Wonders tour — Get help spotting the locals. (Image: Doug Gimsey)

If spotting koalas and kangaroos in the wild feels like winning the lottery, Wildlife Wonders gives you guaranteed sightings without cages or crowds. Every visit to the sanctuary helps fund the Conservation Ecology Centre which supports endangered species across the Otways, so your business is appreciated by humans and animals alike.

The guided walk takes you through protected Otways habitat where you might spot potoroos (or joey lookalikes for those unfamiliar with a potoroo), wallabies, and sleepy koalas lounging in the trees.

8. Visit the Cape Otway Lightstation

Towering over the sea on a cliff above the Southern Ocean, Cape Otway Lightstation has been guiding ships since 1848. Before the lighthouse was built, Cape Otway was one of the most treacherous points on the Victorian coast, with dozens of shipwrecks occurring in its surrounding waters. Pick the right day, and you may bump into a local willing to tell you about the wreck of Eric the Red .

While at the Cape Otway Lightstation, explore the keeper’s quarters, walk the coastal trails, and take in views that only stop short at the horizon.

And no, contrary to popular belief, the Round the Twist lighthouse is actually located in Split Point, just shy of two hours in the direction of Melbourne. Nothing’s stopping you from embarking on a lighthouse crawl, though.

Plan your next no-stone-unturned journey along this iconic Aussie road at visitgreatoceanroad.org.au.