NA ="Launceston, Legana, Rosevears, Exeter, Beauty Point, Beaconsfield, Grevally Beach, Rowella, Deviot,";
FE1[0]=" Just a few minutes drive north from the centre of Launceston is the start of Tasmania's premier wine growing area - the Tamar Valley. The Tamar Valley is Tasmania's most productive and best-established wine region, located along t";
FE2[0]="he quiet waters & sheltered shores of the Estuary. The area renowned for its beauty. The fertile banks of the Tamar river have long been recognised as an excellent farming area. In the 20th century apples were the favoured crop wi";
FE3[0]="th vast acreages planted with orchards. By the 1970s however the apple trees were being taken out as export markets for Australian apples were no longer profitable. Some enthusiastic vintners had already planted small plots of vin";
FE4[0]="es but the majority of the land lay fallow till the 1990s. Now the banks of the Tamar river are once again alive with planting and harvesting, but this time the crop is grapes. Today the Tamar Valley is well known for expansive vi";
FE5[0]="ticultural developments, stone and pome fruits, forestry and grazing, tourism, gold mining, aquaculture and industrial developments including wood chipping and aluminium production. Vines now grow in tidy lines amongst eucalyptus ";
FE6[0]="woodlands on hills sloping to the water. The even, mild, cool climate autumn sunshine ripens the grapes, adding a unique cool-climate complexity to the flavour of the wines. The Tamar estuary extends North West  from Launceston to";
FE7[0]=" Beauty Point (west side) and George Town (East Side). The Tamar River Region has been divided into two parts - West and East Tamar Valley. Wineries close to Launceston, particularly those in the Relbia area have been included wit";
FE8[0]="h East Tamar. Pipers River/ Brook Region is immediately to the east of the Tamar Valley. There are more than 50 vineyards in the West Tamar area, and a wide variety of wines availaable from cellar door outlets and restaurants dott";
FE9[0]="ed along the estuary. A Wine Tour Delight.  ";
LA1[0]=" The Tamar Valley is mostly gravelly, basalt on a heavy clay and ironstone base. The open banks and grey soils of the Tamar Valley, contrasts with the vivid red/red brown/orange soils of the Pipers River region which are deep and f";
LA2[0]="riable in some pockets promoting vigorous vine growth. The geology of the Region varies greatly, and includes alluvium and windblown sand, clay, sand and gravel deposits, basalt, dolerite, sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, limestone";
LA3[0]=" and quartzite. The Tamar Graben, a major fault depression, occurs in the region. It has been in-filled by Tertiary deposits of clays, sands and gravels. The northern coastline has extensive areas of sand plains and windblown sand";
LA4[0]=" dunes, forming part of the North East Coastal Platforms. The drowned river valley has Tertiary sediments forming acidic duplex soils (sandy loam topsoils over clay subsoils (Bleached Brown Chromosols at Relbia and lining the estu";
LA5[0]="ary). Most of the vineyards away from the estuary shoreline fringe are based on Jurassic Dolerite. The key soils used are: black, alkaline, crackling clay soils (Black Vertosols) which develop in depressions and lower landscape po";
LA6[0]="sitions; shallow, stony neutral, brown soils with friable clay subsoils on sunny aspects higher in the landscape (Brown Dermosols) or sandy loam topsoils over olive brown clay subsoil soils - 'duplex' (Brown Chromosols) typically ";
LA7[0]="on more southerly aspects and at higher and moister elevations. The major land use in the Region is grazing, of both sheep and cattle on improved pasture, native pasture, partially cleared areas, steeper country and stony land. Da";
LA8[0]="irying is concentrated in areas of higher rainfall around Lilydale, Nabowla, and Springfield in the eastern part of the Region and Flowery Gully, Winkleigh and Glengarry in the west.";
LA9[0]="";
CL1[0]=" The mesoclimate of the Tamar Valley is obviously profoundly influenced by the broad estuary of the Tamar River; while the heat summations are not significantly greater, the net result is wines which altogether belie the climate, s";
CL2[0]="uggesting it is far warmer than the raw figures substantiate. Remember, it is the upper end of the Estuary and not the Launceston basin where the vineyards are located and heat radiation from the river and wind protection are the ";
CL3[0]="main contributing factors. The north coast is the mildest part of the Tasmanian Island. Many vegetable crops are grown on the rich soils of the north coast, as well as apples. Saw milling and pulp and paper mill industries are als";
CL4[0]="o located here. Rainfall is moderate to high. In all areas except the Tamar River Valley near Launceston it is above 900mm (35ins). In the Tamar Valley near Launceston rainfall is as low as 700mm (28ins). The further west you trav";
CL5[0]="el, generally the more consistent the rainfall. The far west of the north coast may receive as much as 1200mm (47ins) in parts. Rainfall is heaviest in winter, especially on the coast. There is a tendency for rainfall to be more e";
CL6[0]="venly distributed in the drier areas.  Thunderstorms are a low 5 -10 per annum in most areas, only near the mountains is this slightly higher. Summer daytime temperatures are mild by mainland standards; the normal range is 20 -24C";
CL7[0]=" (68 - 75F). The Tamar River valley being away from the coast is slightly warmer. Winter daytime temperatures are cool, but not cold. Maximums are in the 10 -15C (50 - 59F) range. Colder outbreaks do occur but never last long. Col";
CL8[0]="d overnight temperatures are common in winter. Frost is common even at the seaside. The Tamar River valley is very frosty, frosts may occur here well into Spring. Snow does not normally fall at sea level, although one or two very ";
CL9[0]="brief falls may occur once every few years. Only above about 200m would any falls settle.  ";
HI1[0]=" European settlement began in the late 1700's when Flinders and Bass found the estuary. Gold mining in the late 1800's brought great prosperity to the region, later to be settled by orchardists in the early 1900's. Shipping along t";
HI2[0]="he Tamar River was then the main mode of transport. The fertile banks of the Tamar River were first planted with apples, with vast acreages planted. By the 1970's however the apple trees were being taken out as export markets for ";
HI3[0]="Australian apples were no longer profitable. Some enthusiastic vintners had already planted small plots of vines but the majority of the land lay fallow till the 1990s. Now the crop is grapes. Legana Vineyard, the oldest vineyard ";
HI4[0]="in the Tamar Valley, was planted in 1966 by Graham Wiltshire. Powercourt Vineyard, the source of grapes for Elmslie Wines was planted in 1972 on the hillside at Legana overlooking the Tamar River. It is one of the longest establis";
HI5[0]="hed vineyards in the Tamar Valley. Marion's vineyard is situated on the West Bank of the Tamar estuary at Deviot. Marion's Vineyard was discovered in 1979 as a, 'jungle bush, blackberry-infested, rock heap' by a pair of American w";
HI6[0]="ine prospectors who thirsted in vain for local wine whilst traveling the apple isle at that time. The founders went against the trend: - 'Too Cold here' oft stated, their homework showed that most of the north Island was simply, '";
HI7[0]=" Too hot'! Their search ended on the west bank of the Tamar River at Deviot. After an agonizing 15-minutes their decision was made. 'Eureka! we have found it!' It was back to California to sell up and migrate back to Tassie. Clear";
HI8[0]="ing and planting in 1980, 1st vintage of 5.5 tonnes in 1983 had the pundits falling off fences. Tassie's first cellar door opened in July that year followed by the first food, music events, weddings etc. 'A celebration of the pion";
HI9[0]="eer spirit and the joy that the wine provides was underway.' Australia's Premier Perfect vineyard site location has been found with 19 vintages to prove it. Australia's Premier Perfect vineyard site location has been found.";