Our sole purpose at Learmonth Cider Plus is to deliver an authentic cider-related experience – whether you just want to purchase genuine award-winning heritage ciders or learn all there is to know about cider making or even make your very own cider from scratch.
Learmonth Cider Plus is located in the old Learmonth Primary School at 318 High Street (Sunraysia Highway), Learmonth.
Here you can:
- purchase our award-winning 321 Ciders and our innovative Learmonth Ciders
- learn all there is to know about cider production – from planting, pruning and picking, through to brewing and bottling
- make your own cider using your own fruits.
A brief history: 160 years in the making
The seeds for Learmonth Cider Plus began over 25 years ago. It coincided with a family decision to relocate from Melbourne to the Ballarat area. Spring Vale Farm, overlooking Lake Learmonth, was chosen for its rural location close to Ballarat.
Spring Vale Farm – the name reflects the nearby natural springs – was originally an outstation to 19th century homestead ‘Ercildoune’. It featured in a book of the time entitled the ‘Journey of a Welsh Swagman’. Spring Vale Farm has been used for a wide range of purposes over its 160 years; many of the out-buildings were run-down. Over the past 25 years the main house has been extended and renovated, as have the out-buildings.
Early inspiration for cider making came from travelling and working in Ireland, the UK and Europe. So began the hard work of planting the orchard that now supplies the heritage apple varieties for our award-winning ciders.
There are now over 40 varieties – including Kingston Black, Yarlington Mill, Brown Snout, Court of Wick, Somerset Redstreak, Reine des Hâtives, Michelin, Brown’s Apple, and Stokes Red – and 1,000 trees that provide the unique characteristics of our ciders. Vintages vary from year to year depending on the season’s growing conditions and the selection of apples picked. We seek to work with these variations and celebrate the evolution of the orchards.
Production of our award-winning 321 Ciders began in 2011. Since then, the former Learmonth Primary School has been redeveloped into a modern, community based micro cidery and training facility that is now Learmonth Cider Plus — ‘Plus’ because it is about active learning and capability development, not just the ciders.
The Learmonth Cider Plus product range includes:
321 Cider:
Cuvée, Pet Nat, Traditional Still, and Heritage
• These have been inspired by both the traditional ciders of England and Ireland, as well as European approaches including Champagne Method, adapted to take account of our environment, and in particular the micro-environments of Spring Vale Farm.
• These award-winning ciders are created from the many heritage apple varieties grown locally at Spring Vale Farm.
Upcoming releases…
• In 2027 we are planning our first release of ‘Tombinos’, initiated in 2023. Tombinos is our name for a distilled apple brandy cider, inspired by both traditional French ‘Calvidos’ and the Indigenous place ‘Tombin’ (Lake Learmonth).
• We will be releasing an alcohol free cider in 2026 called 321-0. The aim will be to ensure that the character of our heritage and traditional styles are able to be enjoyed by those who do don’t want alcohol.
Learmonth Cider – Innovations
• Using specific apple varieties from the Spring Vale Farm orchard and from the newly planted Learmonth Research Orchard these new, innovative ciders will be hand-juiced and produced in small quantities.
• We have also been experimenting wit a superior ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’. Initial results are very encouraging.
• We have produced a range of apple-related food products, including chutneys, which are quite different from general market products because they draw on our unique range of fruit. We plan to reintroduce these products.
• A small number of pear trees have been planted to enable experimentation with ‘Perry’. This fruit produces a cider that is ‘soft and subtle’.
Community Cider – Learning, Training & Making
• Our Community Cider initiative has been very successful. Bring your own apples or pears to Learmonth Cider and learn how to produce your very own cider.
• Our Cider Making courses will teach you how to choose the right apples, find a specific flavour with unique ingredients, brew and bottle.
• End to end programs aim to build the capability required to establish, grow, pick, and manage a sustainable operation — for purpose, as well as for profit.
Purchase online
Purchase your favourite cider online:
Delivery is free within Ballarat (Postcode 3350). Deliveries are made each Thursday. Courier charges apply for deliveries to outer Ballarat, Melbourne, Geelong, Creswick & Daylesford.