Meeniyan

The romantics of South Gippsland reckon that the small town of Meeniyan took its name from the word the local Aboriginals use to describe the 'moon framed behind trees over the water.' And such imagery might explain why so many creative people have decided to hang their shingles over craft workshops and art galleries in Meeniyan. The biggest showplace on the town's gallery row is Craft Merchants, which offers browsers and buyers ten rooms of craftware, Australiana and Victoriana. An 8km drive to the north-east takes you to the Lyre Bird Hill Winery where the cellar door is open on weekends and public holidays for sampling the local chardonnay, riesling, traminer, pinot noir, shiraz and cabernet saugvignon. A small town 150km east of Melbourne, Meeniyan is in the foothills to the Strezlecki Ranges. A brisk walk on the 3km bush trail, blazed round the town as a Bicentenary project, gives the visitor a glimpse of the district's bush working up an appetite to attack the dinkum local tucker.