We passed a sign to the Gold Battery on the way into town and we decided to come back and have a look after visiting the Information Centre. So it was our first port of call after lunch and picking up the information we needed. I thought this was such a clever way for small towns to ensure their history is seen when it is probably difficult to have volunteers manning the attractions. When we visited the Visitor Information Centre this was one of the attractions I inquired about. We were given a code to enter the exhibit so when we entered the gate the walked to the door and we put the code in and walked into what was not much more than a shed but very well set up. We had a quick look around and then chose the video we wanted to see from the screen on the wall. The information was excellent and there was a model of the gold processing machine behind the glassed area so we could relate the information to the set up we were looking at.
We took a walk down Main Street and looked at all the interesting buildings. There is a lot to see and we enjoyed reading the history of the various buildings.
Leaving town we stopped to have a look at the ruins of the Vidal cellars. There is an information board out the front which is worth reading.
Rutherglen Estate Winery, this was our first stop of the day and I would like to say we were greeted by a miserable server but really we weren't greeted. Maybe it was a bit early for him to be up and about but we were made to feel like he had more important things to do and we couldn't get a smile out of him. Anyway we bought a bottle trying to cheer him up and then walked around to the cafe for a coffee. We were pleasantly surprised by the reception here and the staff were most helpful. We sat outside and had our coffee and enjoyed this part of our visit. So the wines were good and well priced but service in the winery horrible. The service in the cafe was good which was quite welcome after our initial experience.
On the way home we drove through the lovely little town of Wahgunyah. A very small town which is beside Rutherglen. I gather it has a history similar to Rutherglen because of it's proximity and also because of the historic buildings that line the main street.
