NA ="Bunya Mountains, Kumbia, Maidenwell,";
FE1[0]=" The South Burnett is one of Queensland's leading wine regions that features some of the largest vineyards and wineries in Queensland through to smaller boutique cellar doors and distilleries. The region is located two and a half h";
FE2[0]="ours north west of Brisbane, and one and half hours from the Sunshine Coast. Daily wine tours to the region operate and many of the cellar doors are open seven days a week. The South Burnett is bordered by the Great Dividing Range";
FE3[0]=" and the flourishing red paddocks of Kingaroy. This region is the fastest developing wine area in Queensland. Currently there are 600 acres in 25 vineyards in the area ranging in size from experimental plots of one acre to large c";
FE4[0]="ommercial vineyards. There are several cellar door outlets with wine tasting and sales facilities in the region. The largest vineyard in Queensland is Clovely Estate with more than 173 hectares under vine. Varieties grown include ";
FE5[0]="Chardonnay, Semillon, shiraz, merlot, cabernet, Verdelho and some Italian varieties. Vineyards were established around the early 1990s at the time a report by Macarthur Consulting, Brisbane was delivered recommending the region fo";
FE6[0]="r viticulture. The main towns in the region are Kingaroy, Wondai and Murgon. There is a cluster of vineyards north of Kingaroy, another north of the Bjelke-Petersen Dam and a few near the Bunya Mountains. The region has a sub-trop";
FE7[0]="ical climate with high rainfall during the growing season and water available from dams in the dry season. There are a number of soil types all of which are suitable for vines. Grape varieties include Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvign";
FE8[0]="on Blanc, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. The region, only a day trip from Brisbane, has a well-marked wine trail with plenty of cellar doors along its route and in March the annual Wine & Food in the Park Festiva";
FE9[0]="l showcases the region's produce. Harvest time: late January to early March.";
LA1[0]=" The town of Kingaroy is the geographical centre of the region, which is basically defined by the Blackbutt, Brisbane and Coast Ranges in the east, the Great Divide to the south west and west, and gently declines to the Central Bur";
LA2[0]="nett and Burnett River to the north. The Stuart and Booie Ranges run south to north through the centre of the South Burnett, with undulating 'rolling' landscape to the Stuart and Boyne River plain in the west and Barkers Creek in ";
LA3[0]="the east. There is an unusually diverse range of soils, described in ascending order as light sands, a variety of light clay red soils through to brown and black clays. The red, brown and black soils are of moderate to high fertil";
LA4[0]="ity, and all have a pH level suited to viticulture. The soils are principally basalt and granite-derived, with small areas of volcanic soils in northern parts of the region. At lower elevations sandy alluvial soils are common, and";
LA5[0]=" on slopes red soils of light clay, through to brown and black clay predominate. The red, brown and black soils are quite fertile, and controlling vine vigour becomes an issue.";
LA6[0]="";
LA7[0]="";
LA8[0]="";
LA9[0]="";
CL1[0]=" The climate of the South Burnett can be classed as sub-tropical. November through to March is very hot and the heaviest rainfall occurs during the months of December, January and February. The hottest months are December and Janua";
CL2[0]="ry. During an average year, there are only ten days where the temperature exceeds 32°C and one day when the temperature is over 38°C. So, while the area is hot, temperature Variability is relatively low compared with other inland ";
CL3[0]="grape-growing regions. Temperatures are comparable throughout the region except for a minor effect of elevation. The 'normal' rate of variance is -0.6°C per 100m increase in elevation. Rainfall is summer dominant with about 70% fa";
CL4[0]="lling between October and March. The rainfall is highly variable. Erosion in summer can be quite severe due to run-off from high intensity storms. Thunder storms can be expected on about 30 days a year, mainly in summer. Frosts oc";
CL5[0]="cur in most of the area. Low lying areas have the highest number and severest frosts. June, July and August are the coldest months averaging 24 heavy plus 22 light frosts a year at Kingaroy. Occasional frosts occur in May and Sept";
CL6[0]="ember.";
CL7[0]="";
CL8[0]="";
CL9[0]="";
HI1[0]=" While the modern day history of the South Burnett region dates back only to 1993, vines were first planted in the early 1900s and wine for home consumption was made from some of these vines. As in the Granite Belt, table grapes we";
HI2[0]="re used both for winemaking and eating, and a small table grape industry has continued in existence since that time. Clovely Estate, the largest vineyard in the region was formed in 1998, following extensive research into the Sout";
HI3[0]="h Burnett's potential for grape production and a recognised opportunity for Queensland wine industry growth. A report was commissioned in conjunction with the Queensland Government (The Macarthur Report 1994), to assess the agricu";
HI4[0]="ltural and winery viability of the South Burnett region in Queensland. The report revealed very similar viticultural and climatic conditions between the South Burnett region and the Hunter Valley region in New South Wales, making ";
HI5[0]="it ideal for wine production. The growth of the wine industry since 1993 has been rapid: as at June 1999 there were 32 growers with a total of 226 hectares of vines, three processing wineries, and five cellar door operations. Sinc";
HI6[0]="e that time further plantings have taken place, with yet more in the pipeline.";
HI7[0]="";
HI8[0]="";
HI9[0]="";