Okay, this is probably day-trip territory for those who live in Melbourne, but at least they have…read moreregular trains running up here. Anyway, J-Ward is the restored remains of a prison for the criminally insane. In fact it was a part of the other Insane Asylum that is located further down the road. You can really only go inside on guided tours, which do run regularly, though not daily. They also have specialised tours, such as staying the night in the cells (which the haunted aspect of it does add a bit of colour too it). Great look into the past.

Lovely wines and amazing cellar We popped in for a quick…read morewine tasting at this picturesque winery and ended up spending almost 2 hours there. We took the self-guided cellar tour which took us through a network of some super interesting underground cellars. The wines are really good quality so we had a really enjoyable wine tasting.

Lovely cellar door nestled next to the oldest planting of vines in Victoria and close to the centre…read moreof Great Western. An extensive range of beautifully crafted wines to taste with the Riesling and the Shiraz LSV being my personal favorites. No restaurant as such but you can assemble your own lunch by choosing items from the selection of hams, cheese and condiments that sit waiting in their well stocked pantry. Local is the theme here, with much of the food on offer being raised or grown in the Great Western and Grampians regions. The staff were very knowledgeable about the wines and exuded country kindness. Drop by Bests for lunch next time you need a break between Melbourne and Adelaide. PS Don't forget to visit the underground cellars while you are there!

Drop in here for a wattleseed damper and a coffee or tea. Lovely setting and lots of bush tucker…read moreoriented food. Yum. Pick up a jar of rosella and Davidson plum jam or a jar of bush lime jam. Visit the free centre for a bit if local Aboriginal history or explore the grounds.

This is a pretty major winery, so it's not the type that I would generally visit, except that I do…read morelike visiting random places, including wineries, so I decided to pay it a visit. It certainly is pretty professionally set up, but like a lot of wineries that I have visited, they have some outdoor seating, and a good selection of wines. The thing is that they tend to be new releases, so they really haven't quite reached the shelves yet. Hey, it wasn't bad actually.

Iconic Winery This is an amazing winery with lots of history…read moreand lovely grounds. We turned up late in the afternoon, so didn't have a booking or time to make a booking for a tour of the underground cellars (longest in Australia). We did have time for tasting though and the cellar door staff took the time to tell us a little about history of the winery which was great!!

This lovely winery is situated out past Ballarrat in a town called Beaufort. We happened to be…read morelucky enough to be involved in the "Sit and Stay a While Event" at the winery and I can honestly say I was impressed with the Winery. If you have kids, the place is definitely kid friendly, although there isn't a playground or anything like that. When we arrived, all the kids that were with us got a balloon (for us to blow up) and a Lollipop. We sat down and had a lovely time in the sun listening to the live music and enjoying the wines. The tasting was wonderful as well. I'm not a fan of reds so they didn't go over very well with me, but all of the whites were great, and the sparkling is absolutely wonderful. The staff was extremely helpful and Michael is a friendly nice guy as well. They also have, on site, One Goat (which a friend of mine realised may be why they have a line of wines called One Goat) and they have two sheep. One of the sheep is amazingly friendly so it definitely keeps the kids entertained for a short bit. There is a bit of room for kids to play on the grass and we happened to bring a footy, so all was well with the boys there. Can I also mention that the winery even had sunscreen to share? Not many places do that! Just a heads up, in the winery tasting room, they accept credit cards but everywhere else (outside drinks and food) they only accept cash!

Disappointing winery with a weird vibe. Generally lower order than other wineries in the area, our…read moretasting here was contrived and awkward. Wines were lower quality than others we visited in the area. Needs refurbishment and a reconfiguration of its business model.

Spectacularly good winery. Superb range of amazing high quality wines. Very impressive and…read morefriendly cellar door and service. Hard to convey how good the wines here really are. The rose is easily the best in the area, the Chardonnay the same. Several levels of Shiraz are simply extraordinary. These are wines of rare quality. We almost didn't come here. The prices had us worried. But, there is truly something here for everyone now as a range of lower price wines has been added and they're affordable for everyone. This is a great winery. I left with four bottles, my friends right and two respectively. A tasting here is a a rare and humbling experience. It's a reminder of how great Australian wine can be. Whatever you do, do not miss it.

Wines are excellent and the cheese board was superb. Pricey cheese board mind but then again it was…read moregood cheese.

In my view, one of the truly great Australian wineries. Been coming here for nearly ten years…read more Summerfield's reds are the stuff of legend and are extremely highly rated. Came here again today. The wines were beautiful. Bought half a dozen, and my friends bought more. The Shiraz in particular is spectacular. Among the best in the country. If you're interested in good wine you cannot fail to go here. It's exceptional.