About Us

 Nellie could not have been given a more perfect place to park. The 1969 aluminium Viscount van had seen some sights in her years. With the Millard family, she'd rolled the breadth of Victoria's roads, from the Cape Schanck cliffs to the Yarrawonga riverbank, but she's home now. 

For good. Permanently parked with a view of the Mandurang Valley, Sheepwash Creek, and one of the region's prettiest vineyards. Thanks to Nellie, and her new-found friend, Polly, this place has been dubbed Vin Du Van, or Wine of the Van. Blake Millard moved his beloved caravan to this property, along with the rest of his family, in 2021, mid-COVID-19 pandemic, in a lockdown-inspired tree change. Blake and his partner Annalise Bailey had worked for airlines when the pandemic progressed and grounded the world's planes. "COVID inspired a lot of people to reassess life and move away from the city," says the former Melburnian. The couple both lost their jobs, “sat on their hands” for a couple of months, then started looking at properties.

"We had planned to move in five years' time, but thought, let's go now," Blake says. "In retrospect, it was probably the best thing that's ever happened to us." Initially, Blake and Annalise were motivated to buy and run a country pub, but a drive to Bendigo and a viewing of the former Lynnevale Estate quickly changed those plans. Just one glimpse of this valley from the house and cellar door was enough to captivate them. As it does for all who now visit. "Some things you can't manufacture," Blake says on the elevation and view across the vines. He says a typical reaction of a first-time visitor is, "Oh my god, I never knew this was here".It's taken two years of physical work to transform the property into what's here now; a French vintage-inspired cellar door, bistro and function space, an inviting garden and flourishing vineyard. A place for locals to wine and dine on the weekend, and for intimate weddings. And sometimes, for visitors to stay awhile in the vintage vans. "The house and vineyard had been on the market for 18 months, and it needed some elbow grease and TLC," Blake says. The couple has also built up their wine stocks and added to the five-acres of 25-year-old Shiraz Cabernet, grafting in 10 rows of Pinot Gris."We've made new friendships and new relationships and I'm learning something new each day. I'm a great believer that you're never too old to learn something new, as long as you've got the motivation."Blake and Annalise were also fortunate to engage a semi-retired viticulturist from the much-loved Margaret River wine region. So, the bottles with the beautiful Vin Du Van peacock label are increasing, although exclusively available for tasting and purchase from this property. Blake grew up on a farm at Kilmore, where his grandfather raised sheep and cattle and his father trained horses, including the 1970 Melbourne Cup winner Baghdad Note. "I come from the country, so moving here has almost been like coming home," he says. "I've loved every minute of it. Over winter I've loved the crisp mornings and the frozen puddles – all the things I remember as a child and missed. "I'm incredibly fortunate to wake up to this every day. It's just so grounding." This, from someone who once spent half their working life in the air and over the seas... "It's our little piece of provincial France in Bendigo," Blake says. "And that's what we were trying to emulate."

BENDIGO MAGAZINE