Perth Hills

The Perth Hills wine region stretches along the Darling Scarp from Serpentine to Bindoon. The town of Bindoon is 90 kms, or only a 55 minute drive, north of Perth.

Easily the most historic town in the region is New Norcia, on the Moore River. In 1846, Benedictine monks arrived to bring a mission to the local aborigines. Two Spanish Benedictines, Rosendo Salvado and Joseph Serra first established themselves at a site about 8 km north of the town. Soon after they moved the mission, and in 1847 laid the foundation stone of a monastery at the site of the town today. The site was named New Norcia, after Norcia, the birthplace of St Benedict in Italy, and today New Norcia is the only monastic town in Australia.

Another interesting town of the Perth Hills region is Toodyay, just 85 km from Perth on the Avon River. Toodyay is thought to be derived from the local Aboriginal word 'duigee' meaning a 'place of plenty'. In 1831 an Ensign Dale explored the area and his reports of its fertility soon led to European settlement. This process was much accelerated when James Drummond and others drove a trail from the Swan River. Flooding caused the original town to be abandoned in the 1850s and a new town was established 2 kms further upstream and named Newcastle. However, it was eventually thought this led to too much confusion with Newcastle in New South Wales and the town was given the old name of Toodyay once again.

The Perth Hills did produce some wine in the 1880s but thereafter appears to have been predominantly orchards until, as elsewhere in Australia, the great wine boom of the 1970s and 1980s began. Now the region benefits from a number of boutique vineyards and wineries, most of which can be found around the town of Mundaring.

The Perth Hills region runs along the Darling scarp from south to north and is made up of a number of valleys and rivers such as the Swan, the Avon and Helena that flow through the area. The climate is one of hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters and many locations are between the 100m to 400m level, with winter frosts occurring in the valleys.

The boutique winemakers of the Perth Hills regions have experimented with many varieties, but Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon stand out in particular. Other varieties are Chenin Blanc, Shiraz and Pinot Noir.

The Bickley Wine Trail runs through the Perth Hills regions and along it can be found a number of cellar doors with restaurants, and other activities. One such is the Lake Charlotte winery in Wooroloo on the Bailup Road. Only an hour from the centre of Perth, Lake Charlotte sits on 100 acres of natural bushland and has beautiful views from its cafe balcony. Another vineyard of note is the Hartley Estate, located in the charming Chittering Valley, and again less than an hours drive from Perth. Established in 1999, the Hartley Estate is on more than 250 acres right up against the Avon Valley National Park. The property ranges in elevation from 90m to 250m and is set in landscaped gardens dotted with thirteen specially commissioned sculptures.

The Perth Hills has a number of special events through which you can sample its offerings, made all the easier by its closeness to Perth. These include the Annual Bickley-Carmel Harvest Festival in May, the Perth Hills Wine Show, at Mundaring, in August, the Kalamunda Wine Show, in September, and the Bindoon Wildflower and Wine Show.

Originally founded in 1846, New Norcia is the home today of 18 Benedictine monks. Once closed to the world, visitors can now tour the beautiful chapels, church bells, courtyards and enjoy the Spanish style architecture, all while surrounded by Australian bush. Included are such buildings as the boarding schools, St Ildephonsus' and St Gertrude's, the Abbey Church (which holds the tomb of Rosendo Salvado, one of the founders), as well as the monastery itself. The Museum and Art Gallery even has a painting by Raphael.

Located just 8 kms outside of New Norcia, and providing and interesting counterpoint to the old world feel of the Benedictine Monastery, is a ground station for the European Space Agency. Opened in March 2003, it is a 35 metre radio dish designed to enable communication with deep space projects, such as the Mars Expressprobe launched in 2003. New Norcia was chosen due to its reliable weather and latitude.

Also within the Perth Hills region is a 28,000 hectare hardwood forest called Julimar. It sits, surrounded by farming land on all sides, like an island in the middle of the Chittering Valley.

Perhaps some of the best wines of the Perth Hills region are made from Chardonnay. But this is not to deny the value of its Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, often blended, these are always full flavoured and reliable wines. Finally, the Shiraz of the Perth Hills is not to be dismissed lightly, a generous and well maturoing wine.