NA ="Launceston, Legana, Hillwood, Relbia, St.Leonards, White Hills, Breadabane, Pateena, Hadspen";
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 is renowned for its beauty. The fertile banks of the Tamar River have long been recognized as an excellent farming area. In the 20th century apples were the favored crop ";
FE3[0]="with 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 v";
FE4[0]="ines 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 ";
FE5[0]="viticultural 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 eucalyptu";
FE6[0]="s 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 t";
FE7[0]="o Beauty Point (west side) and George Town (East Side). The Tamar River Region has been divided into two parts - West and East Tamar Valley. There are few wineries on the East side of the estuary - mostly near Hillwood. Wineries c";
FE8[0]="lose to Launceston, particularly those in the Relbia area have been included with East Tamar. Pipers River/ Brook Region is immediately to the east of the Tamar Valley. There are more than 10 vineyards in the East Tamar / Launcest";
FE9[0]="on area, and a wide variety of wines available from cellar door outlets and restaurants near Hillwood and just south of Launceston in the Relbia area. 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 soils at Relbia are Bleached Brown Chromosols - acidic, duplex, sandy clay loams over heavy clays, with moderate to imperfect drainage. The major land use in the ";
LA8[0]="Region is grazing, of both sheep and cattle on improved pasture, native pasture, partially cleared areas, steeper country and stony land. Dairying is concentrated in areas of higher rainfall around Lilydale, Nabowla, and Springfie";
LA9[0]="ld in the eastern part of the Region and Flowery Gully, Winkleigh and Glengarry in the west.";
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. Sawmilling and pulp and paper mill industries are also";
CL4[0]=" 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 t";
CL5[0]="ravel, 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 m";
CL6[0]="ore evenly 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";
CL7[0]=" -24C ( 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 lo";
CL8[0]="ng. Cold 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 tw";
CL9[0]="o very 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. The vineyards in this region are loca";
HI4[0]="ted near Hillwood on the eastern side of the Tamar estuary and just south of Launceston near the North Esk River. East Arm Vineyard on the east arm of the northern Tamar River, near the Batman Bridge, at Hillwood, started when Joh";
HI5[0]="n Wettenhall and Anita James moved to Tasmania in 1993 having previously selected and purchased a rock strewn site which was considered suitable for production of premium quality wine grapes. The property was originally a land gra";
HI6[0]="nt to a soldier on retirement from the British Army in 1830 and is part of one of the very earliest soldier-settlement schemes in Australia. The total area is about 25ha, of which 15ha is considered suitable for wine growing and t";
HI7[0]="he rest is either natural bush or part of the land set aside for the house and winery. The nearby Hillwood Vineyard was planted in 1992 to sauvignon blanc, cabernet, pinot noir and merlot. Recently there has been a lot of interest";
HI8[0]=" in the Relbia area just south of Launceston on the banks of the North Esk River. Old Stornoway vineyard of 60 hectares at Relbia produced its first fruit in 2001. Sharman's - 'Glenbothy', established in 1987 is a 3.3 hectare vine";
HI9[0]="yard nestled in the rolling farmland of Relbia overlooking the North Esk River. David Jenkinson planted Bundaleera Vineyard in 1996.";