Sailors Grave Brewing officially unveiled its new brewery, Dunetown at Marlo Plains last Tuesday.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony, attended by local dignitaries, industry representatives and community members celebrated not only the near completion of the brewery but also the innovative spirit behind it.
Mark Reeves, close friend of owners Chris and Gab Moore, served as emcee for the event.
Member for Eastern Victoria, Tom McIntosh, represented the Minister for Regional Development, Gayle Tierney and highlighted the government’s support for the project, praising the community’s resilience and collaboration in making the brewery a reality.
“I’m proud of the state government for chipping in financially, but it’s a small part compared to the challenges overcome. This is a celebration of effort, boldness, and what it means to the wider region,” Mr McIntosh said.
East Gippsland Shire Council chief executive officer, Fiona Weigall addressed the audience, stating, “This is an example of putting back better after the bushfire recovery. We’re proud to have businesses like this in our region, setting a beacon for others to invest and innovate.”
Ms Moore gave a heartfelt speech about the inspiration behind the brewery and its new expansion.
“The name comes from the location in which we are standing. Right now, we are in the lee of the tertiary and secondary dunes,” she said.
“Metaphorically, Dunetown as did Sailors Grave got its name from the area.
“An era between the 20s to the 80s saw a little sea shanty village down here where my Pa, Jim Nixon, had a house along with many local families, and we used to spend every summer there.
“When I was growing up, I used to pass my dad in the bar in the dunes, and by bar I mean a table and a keg so when we moved back here, we really wanted to evoke the spirit of that period and place.”
Gab always wanted to create Sailors Grave Brewing on the site but financially it wasn’t viable despite parents, Joe and Julie Ingram gifting them the property as part of their succession plan to get their start with the brewery.
“This all wouldn’t be possible without them,” she said.
“We found our home at the old Orbost Butter Factory – an iconic and important building in Orbost’s past and we are really proud to have brought manufacturing back to that building and breathe new light into that old bird.”
However, they soon outgrew the butter factory, prompting mentor Dr Nicola Watts to spark the idea to formulate a presentation of the dream and vision that is now Dunetown.
Initially presented to the Latrobe Valley Authority (LVA) before taking part in the ACRE Breakout Accelerator Program, it was at elevator pitch until the 2019/20 bushfires ravaged the region and came just 4km from the site.
Post-bushfire grants allowed them to bring their vision to life when they secured a $2.35 million grant from the State Government through Regional Development Victoria and the pair set to work unbeknown to what was to follow.
The original $3 million project quickly blew out to $6 million due to the challenging economic conditions that came from the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in building expenses.
However, the pair continued to overcome every challenge thrown at them.
“I might be the dreamer in this partnership, but Chris is the brains,” Ms Moore said.
“If left up to me, Dunetown would be a series of pretty pictures taped together with some cable ties, but Chris has brought this to reality.
“He has had his head into the details for the last three years and here we are.”
Chris explained that “Place is not an intangible thing. It has always been about place, for us it is about the people, the products, the local ingredients and the landscapes and how they all work together and how we express that in beer to a wide audience around Australia and an export audience overseas.”
The brewery, known for its bold and inventive beers, uses local ingredients to capture the essence of East Gippsland’s natural beauty.
From hoppy IPAs to rich stouts and experimental varieties, the new brewery promises to be able to give an even greater variety of brews.
The commitment to sustainability is a key focus, with renewable energy use and reticulated water.
Meticulously thought-out design practices have allowed a greater sense of collaboration with other businesses such as Snowy River Seeds through the cereal cooker where corn and other local grains can be gelatinised and then be used in the beer.
A pilot program with Food and Fibre Gippsland has allowed a six-year dream to come to fruition through a micro malting plant which enables the brewery to malt their own local grains and hopefully be able to develop that industry further in the region with local farmers.
“We want to be the proof of concept so that farmers who are growing grain as a feed crop can celebrate that as a value add and a new industry in the area through our product,” Mr Moore said.
The new brewery features a state-of-the-art brewhouse with six times the brewing capacity, a hospitality venue, a malting facility, barrel room, food preparation area and a cool ship room that was carefully planned by Tom Hardy Design with Built QA incorporating 60-70 local and statewide businesses to build the project.
“Majority of the $6 million went to local and state businesses and hopefully that has been beneficial to the region but it’s more than that, I felt a sense of the more local businesses or people who had an involvement here, the more strengthening of the sense of community that was,” Mr Moore said.
The day concluded with guests sampling Sailors Grave’s beers, eating delectable treats from The Long Paddock, reflecting on the brewery’s journey and celebrating a bright future for Dunetown and the wider East Gippsland region.
While the doors are not swung open to the public as yet, the estimated time frame is early December, leaving only a couple of months at the current Orbost Butter Factory Tap Shack.
