The Long family’s love affair with wine can be traced back through the generations to their earliest descendant to reach Australia, Michael Long. Arriving in Australia in the 1800s, Michael had a free passage, due to some earlier objectionable conduct! Michael was convicted of stealing lead from Colonel Horner’s (father of the famed “Little Jack Horner”) coach house in Mells, England.
On arriving in Tasmania, Michael established himself as a trustworthy servant working for the regiment. This is where the love affair began and like many affairs it became a torturous one. He was again caught stealing, but this time his passion was wine and cheese. A sentence in solitary confinement was his reward.
Years later, Peter Long (Michael’s great grandson) and wife Maureen established the Silent Range Estate vineyard in 1998 along with the aid of their six children, who came from all over Australia to plant the vineyard. Peter’s long-time dream, to build a winery, started with forays to South Australia in the early 1970s, with great friends Rod & Veronica Scott and ten children in tow. Trailers returned to Victoria with bulk wine purchased from McLaren Vale and Coonawarra, where family and friends ran the bottling line. Rod & Veronica later established Dulcinea Winery in Sulky, near Ballarat,Victoria.
After retiring from a long career Engineering Fibreboard Manufacturing Plants, taking them all over the world, Peter and Maureen created the vineyard primarily as a grape growing venture contracted to Bailey’s of Glenrowan. After making a little wine in 2000, which won some awards, they thought they were onto something. So, when Bailey’s could no longer continue the contract, the natural extension to wine production was made.
Taking the reins of Silent Range Estate from Peter & Maureen in 2010 were son Tim & wife Lisbeth. Having definitely fallen for the wine business, after making many trips from their fast-paced Sydney lives to Victoria’s North East, the high power couple, decided on a tree-change and moved to country Victoria to raise their young family and continue the Long family’s love affair with wine.
Although no longer at the helm, Peter continues his interest and passion for wine and at 73 years of age will receive his Diploma of Wine Technology.
Known for their welcoming hospitality the Longs look forward to meeting you on your visit to Silent Range Estate.
Silent Range Estate is one of the homes of the Barking Owl, a creature that emerges from the Warby Ranges at night. If you are quiet, you can hear the Owls eerie wail, said to be like a womans scream.
Silent Range Estate incorporates its vineyards, winery and cellar door operations on the eastern slopes of the Warby Range close to Glenrowan. The region consistently produces outstanding wines due to its ideal growing conditions.
The Warby Ovens National Park is located 10km west of Wangaratta. Access is directly off the Hume Freeway with entry points from either Warby Range Road, Yarrawonga Road or Glenrowan-Boweya Road.