General News
19 October, 2022
Floods flatten Darlington vineyard
THE operator of Mt Emu Creek Wines in Darlington is among those picking up the pieces after flooding ravaged Victoria.
THE operator of Mt Emu Creek Wines in Darlington is among those picking up the pieces after flooding ravaged Victoria.
Mt Emu Creek Wines operates from Darlington’s Jellalabad, a historic 1830s homestead located just off the Hamilton Highway.
Winemaker David Farnhill, who has operated in the region for more than two decades, said the water level at Mt Emu Creek had rapidly risen last week and left a trail of destruction throughout the vineyard.
“Our bottom vineyard on the peninsula has flooded out, which has taken the vineyard out completely” he said.
“When the river came up it was flowing probably a metre in and out over the top of the vineyard and the posts.
“All the rubbish and logs have come down and basically just flattened the place.
“The creek was flowing really fast because the water wasn’t getting away; the bottom is so badly flooded, there is just no escape for it.”
Mr Farnhill said as the water level began to subside it was clear the trellising and irrigation had been destroyed and the vineyards flattened.
In addition to the damage the vineyard sustained, cottages he was developing to create a tourist oasis on Mt Emu Creek had flooded up to around one metre.
“Hopefully we will be able to stand the vines up again, but we’re going to have to wait to see what the weather will do,” he said.
“Early indications suggest another rise could be on the way so there is probably not much point in doing anything if there’s a chance the water level gets back to where it is now.
“The vineyards alone have probably sustained between $80,000-$100,000 in damages.
“We were in the process of opening a cellar door but it looks as though that is going to go on hold because we’re not going to have the funds to be able to put that all together.”
Even before the water level rose, Mr Farnhill braced for the worst. The property had experienced flooding during the floods of January 2011, but the bottom vineyard closest to the creek had only been planted around three or four years ago.
“We knew it was going to be bad a day or so before the water level even started to rise,” he said.
“We were cleaning the whole property up and getting it ready for spring – we’d even planted a bunch of palm trees out the front.
“It just came up so quickly this time.
“We haven’t really heard from anyone what is happening upstream or downstream, so Darlington is a bit like being in the outback right now, but all you can really do is get on with life.”
