Prickly Mo
Tim Lynch's Prickly Mo takes its name from a type of wattle pioneering landowners around Eugenana called 'prickly Moses' or 'prickly mimosa.' The 35-year-old vineyard was planted by Lynch's parents - John and Aileen Lynch (nee Girdlestone) - on land that has been in the Girdlestone family for more than 120 years.
Early plantings included Chardonnay, Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Gris, Merlot and Pinot Noir. The former apple orchard sits on grey sandy loams. Well-drained but less fertile than the deep rich red soils found closer to the coast.
Sadly, John Lynch passed away in 2000. Eileen, meanwhile, bravely soldiered on, periodically selling the vineyard's small, hand-tended crops to fellow wine producers including winemakers Greg O'Keefe and Guy Wagner.
In 2010, Tim Lynch left a successful commercial business career in Melbourne to return home and begin a vineyard rationalisation and restoration program, subsequently creating the Prickly Mo wine label.
With his octogenarian mother lending a hand, Lynch has since transformed an old shearing shed - built by great grandfather Gordon Girdlestone - into a rustic cellar door. Its corrugated-iron walls and pot-belly fireplace perfectly encapsulate Eugenana's bucolic charm and character.
Tim Lynch's active commitment to weekend live music has made Prickly Mo a key destination for the myriad performing artists who live and work in the North West.
Indeed, Prickly Mo is frequently cited by Tripadvisor as a must-visit destination for those looking to combine local live music with good quality, local food and wine. This is tourism hospitality with down-home authenticity.
The small-scale vineyard has come a long way since its earliest days of operation. But every vigneron will tell you the best way of making a small fortune in the industry is starting with a large fortune. Tim Lynch sold his 2014 crop in order to fund the developments required to place the vineyard on a more secure financial footing.
Today, the Prickly Mo portfolio includes estate-grown Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, made by Andrew Gaman at nearby Eastford Creek. Periodic releases of Riesling are sourced from other vineyards.
In 2025, Lynch began adding another string to his Prickly bow. On-site winemaking.
Watch this space.
Key details:
Tim Lynch: owner/vigneron
Aileen Lynch: vineyard hand
Andrew Gaman: consultant viticulturist and contract winemaker (2020-2024)
Vineyard/cellar door address:
62 Lakeside Road, Eugenana TAS 7310
Telephone:
+61 (0) 430 315 705
Email:
tim.lynch7@gmail.com
Website:
www.facebook.com/PricklyMo
Tasmanian viticulture takes place within a diverse mix of soil types and microclimates.
Climate data* for sites in North West Tasmania highlight the wide diversity of growing conditions here. Consider: Leven Valley Vineyard (MJT 15.3°C; 701 GDD) and Scott's Mill Estate (MJT 17.5°C; 1149 GDD).
Vineyard sites on the Australian mainland are far warmer than those in Tasmania.
South Australia's Piccadilly Valley* (MJT 20.4°C; 1730 GDD) and Macedon Ranges* (MJT 19.9°C; 1365 GDD) in Victoria are regarded as the coolest GIs in their respective states.
Climate data* for Eugenana, Tasmania, 1995-2024:
- Total annual average rainfall: 944mm
- Growing season average rainfall (Oct 1-Apr 30): 520mm
- Average autumn rainfall: 202mm
- Mean January temperature: 16.7°C
- Growing degree-days: 949 GDD
- Average no of hot days (35°C or more) per year: 0
- Average no of cold days (minimum 4°C or less) Sept 1-April 30: 19
*Source: My Climate View, utilising past data from the Bureau of Meteorology and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Funded by the Australian Government.
Last page update: January 2026