Gold+Grapes+and+Garden

History, a bit of wine and cheese, some jam and honey and inquisitive goats – all ingredients for another great bus tour! This time we head north for a visit to the Montreal Goldfield, where our hosts will fortify us with tea and damper before showing us the fascinating history and artefacts from these early diggings. Then off to the Tilba Valley Winery for wine tasting and a lunch of locally-sourced produce, before heading for afternoon tea to an organic farm where the jams are freshly made, and the weeding is done by goats.
 * Bus Tour **
 * Last year's tour sold out quickly – so book in early for this one! **

**Date:** Tuesday 5th April **Time:** 8:00am to 5:00pm **Cost:** $55 (non-members $70), all inclusive. Any purchases at own expense. **Contact:** Ian Robertson on 0411 368 495 or email u3asc.programs@gmail.com **Bookings:** [] **Limit:** 60 __ Further details: __ Montreal Goldfields: @http://www.montrealgoldfield.org.au/ Tilba Valley Winery: @http://www.tilba.com.au/tilbavalleywines.html Lemonthyme Organic Farm: <span style="color: #e8083e; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Ours is a 15 hectare mixed farm which is certified organic with SCPA. We have an orchard comprising mixed species of fruit which Marianne makes into jam for sale in a number of local shops and tourist outlets. We also have a small citrus orchard and supply local shops with excess fruit. Our laying hens produce organic eggs which we mainly sell to the Candelo Wholefood Shop in Bega. The ten beehives on our property provide us with all the honey we need and we sell any excess to local shops.We have recently introduced dorper meat sheep to provide us with home grown lamb.

<span style="color: #e8083e; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Because it is an organic farm we need to control the weeds without using herbicides and this is achieved by grazing our crossbred boer goats, which are particularly good at controlling fireweed and blackberries. We produce our own compost and worm juice to be used on our vegetable garden and around the fruit trees. As part of our organic certification we have fenced off 10 acres of regrowth forest to provide a wildlife area for native species etc.

<span style="color: #e8083e; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Afternoon tea will be provided and our jams and honey will be for sale.

<span style="color: #e8083e; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Please wear stout walking shoes.