Alexandra Times at KellyGang 19/8/1876
(see next)
A TRIP ACROSS THE BORDER
BY W R
(see first part of this article)
I visited the Post and Telegraph Offices, which are also fine stone buildings, each having a large staff of officials busily engaged. The Mechanics’ Institute is an important institution in Albury, as it is used both for business and pleasure. During my stay a grand ball was held there given by the bachelors in return for a Queen's birthday ball given by Captain Brownrigg, PM. Of course the company consisted of the elite of, this part of the country. I was much gratified to hear that our late police magistrate, Mr Pitcairn, who was so universally respected during his residence in Alexandra, would ,attend the ball, and that I might have a chance chat with him, as he had often invited me to spend a day with him at Beechworth; but it was not to be, for it was about 5'o'clock in the evening when I saw Mr Pitcairn, accompanied by Mrs Pitcairn, driving his two favourite ponies through Townsend street, and I had to leave by the early train next morning.
I next directed my steps to the world – renowned wine cellars of Mr J T Fallon, which l had long wished to see, and if there had been nothing more to see in Albury I should have considered myself well repaid for all my trouble. I had read with great interest the reports in the Argus respecting this wonderful business and the energy of the proprietor, who is, I consider, the great miss of the place, for he is not only making himself heard in the colonies, but in Europe, India and in every centre of civilisation. Albury should be proud of its enterprising townsman.
The gentlemen in charge of the establishment was extremely courteous to us, and conducted us through the lower cellar, a wonderfully large place, containing a perfect forest of 1000gal. casks of wine. We were next directed to another part of the cellar to inspect what they call the "Albury infants," viz., 2000gal. casks, the largest I have ever seen, all filled with first-quality, wine. Everything in the shape of machinery for forcing wine to the upper storey, filling, mixing, bottling, labelling, and packing, is simply perfect. We tasted several samples of old wine, which were superb. We were informed that Mr Fallon is in London at the present time endeavouring to form a company with several hundred; thousand pounds capital to carry out this business on a grand scale. May success attend his efforts is the wish of myself and every one I have heard mention his name.
There are many smaller cellars in and around the town, but we only visited Mr Greer’s, a very extensive establishment, the cellar, which is excavated in the side of the mountain, being well filled with 1000gal casks of wine. We tasted samples of different kinds, and; like Fallon's, it was splendid. I only, wish we had a few cases of it in Alexandra. To save machinery for forcing the wine from one place to another, Mr Greer has erected large ledges or platforms rising one above the other, so that the new wine is received at the upper storey and then goes through the various processes of racking off, &c., down the several stages until it gets to the bottom, where it is fixed for exportation or storage. In this floor the bottling and other preliminaries are carried on. The proprietor seemed quite wiling to show visitors everything of interest connected with the establishment.
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