This city of mine is for the curious minded, for those who seek the stories that lie beneath the surface. Private dining in the Guard’s Room of a bank from the 1800’s. Two men named Percy and the reinvention of their traditional corner store. The rattle and strum of a Blues Tram with a side of craft beer and local wine. You’ll be surprised at the experiences to be found in some of Bendigo’s heritage spaces…I’ve collected just a handful to share…
The first thing I did when I arrived at the Wine Bank on View was imagine myself sinking into the leather couch by the fire with a coffee and dessert on the way home from a late movie. Then I remembered an autumn afternoon I’d spent in the courtyard, wine tasting under the guide of an expert from a local vineyard…lovely French accent included. We once sought refuge from the warmth of summer under the cool cavernous ceilings and dark wooded interior, having drinks with friends between ceremony and reception. But today, I was here for a lazy lunch, flipping through the Sunday papers with a slow cooked lamb shoulder ragu.
That’s my favourite thing about the Wine Bank, there’s room to share so many spaces and occasions within this stately Victorian era building…it can be whatever you need it to be. I love wandering the little “passageways” formed by the walls of bottles, browsing the names and regions of their wine selection. There are over a thousand choices, vintages from our own doorstep in Bendigo through to the reaches of Italy and Spain.
The private function “Guard’s Room” at the top of the staircase intrigues me. Being built in 1876 to house various banks, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some good stories to be told. I’m already planning a brunch with visitors from Hobart…truffled eggs and smoked salmon outside overlooking the View Street arts precinct sounds like the perfect way to begin the day. But then, a cosy catch-up dinner with old friends in an alcove with its very own fireplace also sounds tempting. So, when will you next visit the Wine Bank on View?
(Wine Bank on View – 45 View Street Bendigo – Facebook)
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