Cheers to a small town whose producers have big ideas

Meeniyan is a small country town - home to fewer than 1000 people - on the South Gippsland Highway between Leongatha and Foster in Victoria.

Despite its size and relative isolation, the hamlet is home to Meeniyan Square (above), a rustic outdoor event space that hosts regular events as being home to Meeniyan Pantry and Cellar, which is a deli, café and music venue.

Every second Sunday, Meeniyan Square hosts a farmers market.

Now two popular Gippsland brands are embarking on a new collaboration with Sailors Grave Brewing joining forces with Trulli to create a new gourmet destination aimed at locals and travellers alike.

Sailors Grave, from nearby Orbost, will have launch a fully kitted-out bar in a renovated shipping container with eight beer taps on February 17 to coincide with the Meeniyan Garlic Festival.

It is planned that The Sailors Grave Outpost will be a hub for the brand to host events, launch beers and to build a bigger connection to greater Gippsland.

“When we could holiday during the last two years of Covid we obviously had to stay close, and we kept on landing back at Meeniyan, largely due to its central location but also because we kept on being drawn to the hospitality of the Trulli family.” says Gab Moore from Sailors Grave.

"We were looking for an outpost for Sailors Grave that was still in Gippsland but closer to our market in Melbourne.”

Sailors Grave Brewing was established in 2017 in the historic old butter factory in Orbost but its beers are now sold across Australia as well as in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the UK.

Trulli, meanwhile, has undergone many transitions and now offers woodfired pizzas, pastries, bread, and gelati, all produced on site. The deli offers a diverse range of products from cheese and meat to pantry items and a wine cellar, specialising in produce from Gippsland.