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Murrumbateman
Heading back into wine country, you have a plethora of cellar
door experiences awaiting you at Murrumbateman. The village itself is sprawling
and not very interesting, although there are some historic buildings including
the old Public School (c.1869) and Scots Church (c.1876). The first land grant
in the area was made in the 1820s to Mary Davis, known around the district as
Granny Davis. She is rumoured to have lived to the age of 113. Her grave, like
those of other early settlers, is in the Gounyan Cemetery.
The scenery around Murrumbateman is attractive. Go for a
drive up to Ken Helm's winery and you dip through a lovely valley before climbing up
to the winery entrance. The cellar door at Helm's is in a historic schoolhouse
and the school bell is rung to signal the beginning of the vintage.
Before it became the centre of a wine-growing district,
Murrumbateman was best known for its fine wool industry. The Merriman family,
with their Merino sheep, took a leading role and Sir Walter Merriman was
knighted for his services to the Australian Wool Industry in 1954.
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