As we approached The Vines on Avon, Common Brown Butterflies in their 1000s gave us an unexpected but delightful welcome. Where the kaleidoscope (sounds prettier than ‘rabble’ or ‘swarm’) of winged inhabitants were intent on fluttering to is anyone’s guess. It was an inspiring start to a terrific afternoon of filming for Wellington Shire’s ‘Middle of Everywhere’ advertising campaign.
Situated near Maffra in Gippsland, The Vines on Avon sits amid beautiful sweeping lawns and gardens that beckon one to venture further into the vineyard and onward to the enticing Gippsland landscape of vivid greens and blues, and mellow golds.
The Vine’s Tammy was a wonderful hostess, happily helping accommodate all our filming requests – furniture was moved, displays fiddled with and spaces filled with lights, cameras, tech equipment, crew and local film stars in the making. There was a lot of laughter and good humoured banter, making for a relaxed environment for shooting the TV commercial.
The Vines’ skilled chef whipped up a delicious meal and before finishing packing the mountain of equipment away, we snuck into his kitchen to capture a genius at work. Tucking into the divine roast and perfect pink prawns was a fairytale ending to a long but hugely successful day of filming.
Maybe we will find ourselves at The Vines on Avon sometime in winter, warming our toes in front of a blazing open fire whilst sampling more of the gastronomical delights The Vines has to offer. Now, that’s a tempting thought!!
