The Community

Community projects are a way we can all work together as a community. This has been a part of Whitland’s history and past, where the community grew potatoes as a way of funding improvements, eg, contributing to building the Whitlands Primary School in the 1930’s. See some pictures below (click the arrows to scroll through)

Setting a rock before installing the school site plaque

November 2016. Photo by Jenny Ashby

Setting a rock before installing the school site plaque

The Whitlands team that got the (rather large) rock installed, November 2016. Photo by Jenny Ashby

Early Whitlands sign

Bert Bullen out the front of the former Whitlands post office. c. 1940s

First wedding in the Whitlands chapel

The Carroll wedding in November 1944 was the first wedding in the Whitlands chapel.

Croucher Currie house

Circa 1960

Leo and Kevin Croucher

Leo snr and Kevin marvelling at a huge Whitlands frost

Bark hut

The bark hut the Day family lived in. It was not uncommon for families to live in bark huts in the early period following European settlement.

The Days first house

c 1933, original house on the corner of the Powers Lookout road

The Dunning family

Alex, Alice, Dorothy and Charles Dunning. This photo was taken between 1938 and 1941.

Photo courtesy Margaret McSherry, Brisbane

The Dunnings house c.1930s

Bob and Cath Reid on the front porch after the first summer in 1973. This was the Dunnings’ first house and was built by the Whitlands community in the 1930s

Photo courtesy Jane Chalmers

Dunning house

Built by the community in the 1970s

Isaac Evans

The Evans family

Whitlands residents from the 1880s to the 1940s

Isaac Evans

Hardy's residence

Kelly and Emily Griffin

House built by Cecil Croxford for the Jones family

Photo courtesy Jill Schiller

House built by Cecil Croxford for the Jones family

Photo courtesy Jill Schiller

Kevin and Laurel Croucher

Photo courtesy Croucher family

Lionel and Monica Burder

c. 1990

Photo courtesy of Burder famliy

Burder family at wedding in Hawthorn, 1964

Photo courtesy of Burder family

l&m-044, Lionel & Monica Burder, Belgrano 2001.jpg

l&m-058, Mon Fab Jo Lionel & Dave Burder 1960.jpg

l&m-068, Betty & Ray Triado & Monica Burder(centre) c1986.jpg

l&m-041, Whitlands Chapel window - the Horn Mt Buffalo.jpg

Whitfield Whitlands Stage abt early 30s.jpg

2000c Carl & Margret Doring - Wang Heritage Study.jpg

GARDENS

Many of the locals are passionate gardeners, growing food, flowers and all manner of trees and shrubs. The climate can be challenging but the soil is fertile - see some examples below…

PIctures

DELANY GARDEN

Photo by Christine Delany

ASHBY GARDEN IN THE SNOW

Picture by Jenny Ashby

Blooming beautiful, Crouchers garden

Photo by Laruel Croucher

Crouchers garden in shades of red

Photo by Laurel Croucher

Crouchers garden

Photo by Laruel Croucher

Crouchers vibrant garden

Photo by Laurel Croucher

A spring garden at the Crouchers

Photo by Laurel Croucher

Crouchers driveway

Photo by Laurel Croucher

Reds and yellows in the Crouchers garden

Photo by Laurel Croucher

VINEYARDS

The plateau is home to many beautiful vineyards, growing a mix of cool climate varietals destined for a wide range of wines…

Featured

CROUCHER FAMILY VINEYARD

In the middle section of the plateau, in between Jim Hardy’s block and the Domain Chandon Vineyard, is the Croucher Family vineyard, owned by Laurel and Kevin Croucher.

‘‘Our vineyard is about 7 acres very small compared to most. We have Pinot Noir and Reisling grapes all planted in 1990, the spacings were advised by experts back when vineyards were just starting up here, they are 1.2 X 1.7 between rows, in hindsight this is too close. Apart from requiring narrow equipment the vines produce well and have been in high demand since the beginning’’

BURDER FAMILY VINEYARD (EMINENCE)

At the top end of the plateau is the Burder Family vineyard - the highest vineyard in Victoria and one of the coldest sites in Australia.

Planted by David and Sharon Burder in 1999, the 40 acre site is home to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris. The fruit crop is partially sold to sparkling wine producers (Brown Brothers, Domain Chandon and Yalumba have all sourced fruit from this site) with a small selection being used for the Eminence range of wines, made on site by David and Sharon’s daughter Clare.

THE CELESTE VINEYARD

Jim Hardy, one of the world’s most respected viticulturists, planted this site in the early 1990’s. Jim says “we were attracted to Whitlands by its natural beauty and distinctive seasonal changes. We had been looking for a place to grow very high quality wine grapes, where their development could be quite precisely controlled by the cool summer temperatures and careful water management. The limited capacity of the red volcanic soil to retain much of the typically high rainfall plays an important part in achieving that aim.

The Celeste Vineyard is planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Traminer - it is currently managed by Al & Sam from Konpira Maru - who farm the site organically and make the wines with minimal intervention.

HOLLYS GARDEN VINEYARD

16 acres of Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio sand Friulano vines enjoy a northerly aspect on the northern end of the Whitlands Plateau. The vineyard was established in 1996 and has supplied the Holly’s Garden label since that time.

http://www.hollysgarden.com.au/

DOMAIN CHANDON

COLLINA DEL REY

Views

From various spots along the Whitlands Plateau, magnificent views reveal themselves. Mount Buffalo, Mount Cobbler & Mount Buller are particularly captivating, especially when snow capped.

Views