Cork pops for winery

By Dion Teasdale
TWO long-awaited commercial projects at Healesville’s east end are expected to open for business within six months.
The Beechworth Bakery is scheduled to be operational by mid-year, while the Innocent Bystander Winery is expected to open its cellar door at the end of March.
Construction of the $3 million Beechworth Bakery and adjoining car park is scheduled to commence in early February, after building contracts were signed last week.
Developer Ian Braham, from National Development Solutions, said he was pleased to see the project moving forward.
“There have been hurdles along the way, but things are on track for the bakery to be up and running mid-year,” he said.
Mr Braham said the single-storey bakery, which will seat 200 people, would provide up to 40 part-time jobs.
He said the car park, which will include spaces for up to 140 vehicles, was scheduled to be completed in April.
Shire of Yarra Ranges executive officer of major projects, Ian Stewart, said he was excited to see the project going ahead.
“It has been in the pipeline for a long time, so we are very pleased to see it start,” he said. “Council has always seen it as a positive development for Healesville, offering significant employment and long-term economic benefits.”
Meanwhile, the Innocent Bystander Winery, which is already operating its winemaking facility, is in the process of finalising the opening of its cellar door.
The winery’s sale and marketing manager, Suzanne Tyzack, said the cellar door would combine a wine-tasting and sales area with a pizzeria and cheese room.
She said the cellar door had taken longer to finalise than the winery had anticipated, and that the final stages of the project would be commence soon.
“We are aware that the Healesville community has been wondering what is going on at the site and I can assure them that there is definitely more to come,” she said.
Ms Tyzack said the winery’s concrete facade would be dressed with wood panelling and there was landscaping work to be done around the building.
Mr Braham said once the winery and bakery projects were operational, he would focus on finding a tenant for the third site in the development.
“The bakery and winery will be our bookends and once they are completed, we’ll follow up on expressions of interest for the middle site,” he said.
The site had been earmarked as the location for a micro-brewery – a proposal that was rejected last year.
“We are confident that we’ll find a tenant who will complement the winery and the bakery and make the whole site a manufacturing and retail hub for the town,” Mr Braham said.