OUR STORY

Long before grapes were planted and wine was made in the Yarra Valley one of the regions vital assets was timber. This wine pays tribute to the Britannia Creek Sawmill and its pioneers that paved the way for todays winemakers.

Forests and Sawmillers

Travel those rolling hills of Victoria’s Yarra Valley, layered in seemingly endless vineyards, and it is almost impossible to imagine a time when these gentle slopes were covered in trees, not vines. But of course, forest it once was. And what a resource they were for the early settlers around Melbourne.

The sawmillers took advantage of these forests around the time of Federation, when the region was opened up with a railway beginning from the town of Lillydale, through the Upper Yarra and finishing at Warburton. This allowed better access to the region.

The Britannia Creek Sawmill

The Britannia Creek Sawmill was established by a Mr Richards in 1905, who subsequently sold it to Cuming, Smith & Co the following year. It quickly became one of their most important, and largest, sawmills, using what were then advanced, steam-powered drag saws and log splitters. Little were they to know, later in history the woods from these areas would be become integral in developing the classic wines the Yarra is now known for.

The original sawmillers may have had no idea what they were enabling but they can rest easy to knowing that the vineyards which replaced their forests now produce some of Australia’s finest wines.