NA ="Ballarat, Clunes, Creswick, Buninyong, Learmonth, Smythesdale, Scarsdale, Snake Valley, Carngham,";
FE1[0]=" Winelovers are spoiled on the Great Grape Road touring route, which encompasses the wine regions of Pyrenees, Grampians and Ballarat. Easily accessible from Melbourne and the Western Highway, the area presents an intriguing blend ";
FE2[0]="of history and innovation. Townships still bear the remnants of goldrush days and proudly preserve their heritage. The scenery is as varied as it is beautiful. Wineries are mostly smaller producers, with a hands-on approach and an";
FE3[0]=" emphasis on quality. Ballarat is a major provincial centre located 110 km west of Melbourne via the Western Freeway and 441 metres above sea-level. The town's name derives from the indigenous occupants of the area (said to be the";
FE4[0]=" Wathawurung) who called it 'Balla-arat' which is said to mean 'a good resting place'.   As the coolest of the three regions it is not surprising that Ballarat is developing a reputation for fine pinot noir and chardonnay. As well";
FE5[0]=" as contributing to premium sparkling wine, these varieties are showing distinction as still wines. Vignerons and winemakers producing the notoriously fickle pivot noir grape have learned to take advantage of the low temperatures ";
FE6[0]="and yields. The results are subtly fragrant, complex wines of many layers.  ";
FE7[0]="";
FE8[0]="";
FE9[0]="";
LA1[0]=" The diversity of soil types, rainfall levels, temperatures and micro climates in the Victorian Central Highlands Region has given rise to one of the most varied agricultural communities in Australia , from potatoes to lavender, de";
LA2[0]="er, ginger, garlic and traditional pastoral and cropping enterprises.This is prime gently rolling, undulating agricultural country, is also one of the coolest of the wine growing regions of the Australian mainland. Many areas have";
LA3[0]=" deep red volcanic soils.";
LA4[0]="";
LA5[0]="";
LA6[0]="";
LA7[0]="";
LA8[0]="";
LA9[0]="";
CL1[0]=" Ballarat is infamous for being one of the coolest parts of the State both in summer and winter, only Drumborg and Macedon are as cool. The saving grace is a relatively high number of sunshine hours. Ballarat experiences a temperat";
CL2[0]="e climate with four seasons. Because of its elevation, at 450 meters above sea level, mean monthly temperatures tend to be an average 2-3 degrees below those for Melbourne. The mean daily maximum temperature for January is 24.9 de";
CL3[0]="grees Celsius, while for July it is 10 degrees C. The mean annual rainfall is 705 mm, with August being the wettest month (77mm). There are an average of 198 rain-free days per year. Ballarat is particularly well suited to the pro";
CL4[0]="duction of fine examples of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. In particular, the delicate flavours of Pinot Noir demand a cool climate, with maximum temperatures below about 27°C during the ripening period fo";
CL5[0]="r ideal flavour development.";
CL6[0]="";
CL7[0]="";
CL8[0]="";
CL9[0]="";
HI1[0]=" In the severe drought of 1837 a group of Scottish squatters left the Geelong area and headed north in search of superior sheep and cattle pastures. They became the first white men to see the land on which the town would emerge. On";
HI2[0]="e of the party, William Cross Yuille, camped adjacent Black Swamp (now Lake Wendouree) and established the 'Ballaarat' station in March 1838 around present day Ballarat and Sebastopol. A settlement developed at Buninyong and it wa";
HI3[0]="s there, on August 8, 1851, that blacksmith Thomas Hiscock, found the first gold of the Ballarat goldfields. The small rush that followed brought John Dunlop and James Regan who started prospecting on the Ballarat Station. On 21 A";
HI4[0]="ugust they struck gold at the location which became known as Poverty Point in the White Horse Range and, by mid-October, there were over 2000 diggers combing the area. During the Gold Rush of the 1850s Ballarat was deemed to be on";
HI5[0]="e of the most affluent cities on the world and its imposing Victorian architecture, wide streets and beautiful gardens remain. Ballarat's modern wine history began with the planting of Yellowglen in the 1970s. While too cold for t";
HI6[0]="he proposed Shiraz and Cabernet, the area proved ideal for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and Yellowglen soon became one of the country's top sparkling labels.";
HI7[0]="";
HI8[0]="";
HI9[0]="";