Cottage
We had our first weekend get-away into the Yarra Valley, known for its wineries, food, nature, and adventure.
We traveled with a best mate and GF of my BF. The 4 of us rented what I would call an Air BNB. It was a lovely little cottage near the animal sanctuary and town.
Wineries
The first winery we visited was Yering Station. I was disappointed by the tastings, all of which were sour with no real flavor. The grounds were nice but the art was uninspiring.
The second vineyard was Badgers Brooks which yielded a more promising taste experience. The location was heavy on the family-friendly amenities which included swings and play structures outside. There was a large party with karaoke so the ambiance was less than ideal.
We had lunch at the Yarra Valley Dairy where the goats and cows were all visible in the panoramic view from the restaurant. There was one cheese that was as light as air. The whole experience was memorable.
Four Pillars Gin
We rounded out the day with a visit to Four Pillars Gin Distillery. I had the the G&T paddle. Since I can’t drink tonic due to medicine contradictions, I just sampled the gin straight which is my preferred method anyway. Although it was supposed to be 3 shots, I got 4. The extra shot was their standard gin and was tasty enough. The other 3 were: Rare Dry Gin with Orange, Navy Strength Gin with ginger and lime leaf, and Bloody Shiraz Gin with dark citrus. My favorite was the Navy Strength.
We went back to the cottage, had more wine and cheese, and watched the newest “Bill and Ted’s” adventure movie. Silly but fine.
Sunday
Sunday was a walking day. We started at Donnellys (no apostrophe, really) Weir and ventured to the Maroondah reservoir. I loved the giant fern trees that I remembered from 30 years ago. I learned that the habitat was called a temperate rain forest. Cool. We saw a couple of deciduous trees and were told that all native trees are evergreen so these deciduous trees were out of place. I loved the eucalyptus and fern landscape.
Next we moved on to the Healesville Sanctuary where we saw emu, koala, kangaroo, platypus, echidna, and lyre birds. The dingos looked as if they had been bathed and brushed recently. They were majestic creatures. A raptor show confirmed that I would not like to be a mouse being hunted by one of these birds!
I was exhausted but happy at the end of our trip.
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