After saying goodbye in Pemberton to our friends Cheryl and Vaughan we drove onto Yallingup for our overnight stay at Caves House. Although we had previously had dinner here we had never stayed. Spending the night is always something I have wanted to do. The inside of Caves House is wonderfully well kept and has some fabulous artwork on the walls. Not only that but there are lovely art deco ornaments decorating tables and fireplaces. The ceilings are adorned with many kinds of light fittings all unusual in their own way.
Reception and Lobby Area
The Wyadup Room
A cosy lounge to relax, mixing the old and new. Where you can sit and enjoy a cocktail or nightcap in front of the roaring fire.
Indijup Room
A casual dining room for larger parties with an open fire, with art deco ornaments on top of the fireplace. A beautiful stained glass parrot light decorates the ceiling.
The Nigligi Room
A wonderful black and white tiled dining room with a 1950’s feel complete with photos of Marilyn Monroe on the walls. Open for breakfast and lunch.
The Yallingup Room
A beautiful dining room decorated with white cane chairs and modern summer themed art on the walls. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We had dinner at the hotel and had to eat in the lobby area as the Yallingup Room was fully booked. Food is ordered at the counter at the front where there is a casual/sports bar. It is pub food with a variation, as in Curry/Pasta/Fish of the day or otherwise steaks, pizzas and burgers.
Breakfast used to be a buffet but with the outbreak of Covid 19 it is just off the menu.
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Accommodation
We stayed in a Heritage Double room complete with small sitting room and an amazing bathroom. The bed even had a dual fitted electric blanket, great for me who likes a warm bed and hubby who likes it cold!
Coming down for breakfast after a very good night’s sleep
Before setting off back to Perth we had a walk down to Yallingup Beach through the gardens of Caves House.
Changing into his walking shoes sitting in the “boot” of his car
Caves House is a great place to hold a wedding or any kind of reception because of the large rooms for entertaining. Also if you have a special birthday or anniversary. I enjoyed my stay there, it has a friendly and relaxed atmosphere and is within walking distance to a beautiful beach. All in all a five star stay.
An apt quote for me and hubby, he loves roads and I love to travel!
Last week we had a mini midweek break with our good friends and drove from Perth to Porongurup for two nights followed by a night in Yallingup. The drive takes around 4 hours and 30 minutes. On the way down we stopped at a small town called Williams that sits practically on the Albany Highway. We had a bite to eat in the small cafe there and a quick wander through the woodshed after. Of course we felt we ought to buy something to bolster the economy. Hubby bought a very smart Merino wool sweater and for me a Merino cardigan.
As we gradually drove further away from Perth the sky was darkening and we could see heavy rain clouds ahead, the weather was not looking good for our first night.
We also stopped at a winery in Mount Barker to pick up some wine from the cellar door to have with dinner that night. Plataganet Wines is actually named after the English Royal House, although it doesn’t date back that far! Inside there is a fantastic framed Plataganet family tree.
Making sure he likes it
Finally arriving around 4.30pm in Porongurup we checked in and went straight to our cottage. Our friends Cheryl and Vaughan were already there having beat us by at least an hour!
By this time it was very bleak! Cold, wet and windy. There are no restaurants in Porongurup, although there is a bar and restaurant at the place we were staying, Karribank Cottages, but sadly didn’t open until Friday. So a BBQ it was on the verandah of our cottage. We had brought with us all sorts of goodies, plus a few bottles of wine and no-one had to drive anywhere.
Our cottage
Lamb chops and steaks
One of the empties!
The morning after the night before I woke up with a bit of a headache! Then Anthony tells me that he’s forgotten one of his medications, which is ironic as when we left Perth he said “do you remember the last time we went away and I forgot one of my meds and we had to phone the chemist in Perth and find one locally to have the script faxed”. “Well you won’t do that again in a hurry”, I said. Sure enough we did exactly that! We drove to Mount Barker to find a chemist and arrange for the script to be faxed, so while we were waiting we had breakfast and a wander around.
Things didn’t seem to be going plan at all. We couldn’t find any wineries open with a restaurant and it was still raining. So we decided on a drive to Albany and have lunch there then try to get to the Porongurups in the afternoon.
Albany
Albany is the oldest colonial settlement in Western Australia and is home to the old whaling station. A convoy of more than 40 ships, with 30,000 troops and nearly 8000 horses from both Australia and New Zealand, sailed from Albany on November 1 1914. There are so many historical buildings and churches in Albany dating back to the 1800s.
Albany Town Hall
Scots Church – 1892
St. John’s Anglican Church
A few of the churches in Albany
The famous Liberte Restaurant and Bar in Albany. First built in 1909 in a style reminiscent of an English mansion. It has been bought and sold a number of times over the last century and is now a restaurant/bar serving Asian fusion food.
We had lunch at a place called Garrison, no surprise that this was located where the army was stationed up on the hill. It has beautiful views overlooking King George Sound. Here we had a fabulous lunch with great service.
Off to a head start
Views of the Sound
Fried Jerusalem Artichokes with feta cheese
Iberico Pork Pinchos
Seafood Mix Linguine
Duck Confit
Happy to see they didn’t feature Pie of the Day on the menu!
We had a short walk around through the old barracks and buildings.
National Anzec Centre, Source: Wikipedia
Porungurup National Park
One of the reasons for our drive to Porungurup was to walk on the granite skywalk, I really hadn’t done enough research to know this was beyond my capabilities. Firstly we had left it too late to do anything more than just have a look around at ground level and secondly it was at least an hour’s walk and a “scramble over rocks” to get just to the first level. Well at least we had a look around and saw troops of kangaroos.
A little attempt at walking 😂
I was warned not to get closer as you never know with wild kangaroos whether they will take a swipe at you or not!
The photos below are ones I have taken from Pinterest just to show everyone how fantastic it would have been!
Not for the fainthearted or the weak!
Another “stay in the cottage” dinner with more wine that night as there is really nowhere to eat within a reasonable driving distance. We had stopped off at a supermarket on the way back to stock up with cold meats, pate and cheese.
A few photos from around Karribank Cottages
The next day we checked out at 10 am and had breakfast at the very cute Porongurup Tea Rooms just at the bottom of the road and then headed to Pemberton with a stop at Lake Muir and then Manjimup for lunch. At Pemberton we said goodbye to Cheryl and Vaughan and drove onto Yallingup for our overnight stay at Caves Hotel.
Don’t think we’ll be filling up here!
Lake Muir
A ready made frame
Lake Muir
Pemberton
Pemberton, the home of the Gloucester Tree. Something I had never heard of before until Cheryl mentioned it. It is the world’s second tallest fire-lookout tree and stands 58 metres high. There are rungs all the way up if you feel inclined to climb it. At the top there is a steel and aluminium cabin and viewing gallery.
That’s high enough for us, Anthony was inclined to go higher before I ordered him down!
Some of the local residents
And then it was onto Yallingup for our overnight stay at Caves House.
Living in Western Australia we are fortunate to have many wineries around us. Whether they are in the Perth Hills, Swan Valley or further down south towards Margaret River, we are surrounded. We don’t live too far from Perth Hills or Swan Valley and tend to visit for Sunday lunch or sometimes midweek. There are always a few new ones popping up and I like to visit places we haven’t been before, although that is getting harder. Also it’s a good excuse for hubby to take the car for a spin.
Not all the wineries have restaurants attached and some are just “cellar door” only. All are located in beautiful countryside with fantastic views.
A few weeks ago we tried Brookside in Bickley which is in the Perth Hills. The journey for us takes around 40 minutes and we try to get there for 1.30 pm to avoid the lunchtime rush. The restaurant itself is called The Vineyard Kitchen and it has a wonderful menu, featuring homegrown vegetables and fresh local produce.
Front of the restaurant with tables outside and heaters
Back of the restaurant
The Three Wise Monkeys
Twice Cooked Duck Leg
Slow cooked Beef Cheeks
Spiced lamb and feta parcel
Panko crusted pork cheek
The winery is set in beautiful grounds and has its own fruit trees and vegetable garden. It’s a good place for a family lunch as there is plenty of space for a runaround after with the kids. There are also some lovely rustic spots for photos.
Wonderful winter weather
The toilets!
Weeping willows
Ornamental arrangement
A winter garden
Tempranillo Leaf
Hello there!
I’m definitely going to add this winery to my list of favourites. It was great to stretch our legs around the vineyards after our lunch and a few wines!
Thanks for reading and watch out for some more reviews of Western Australian Wineries.
My partner in wine, Cheryl
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If you liked this you might also like other posts about wineries.
Incorporated in today’s post is a double challenge: Sculptures and Perspectives. Sculpture Saturday hosted by Mind over Memory and July Perspectives hosted by The Life of B
This is from Sculptures by the Sea in Cottesloe. An annual event where sculptors enter their exhibit. Some are put together at the beach over several days. It’s a great free event that lasts two weeks.
On the left you can see me and my parents having a bit of fun with this mirrored sculpture. The name of the sculptor is Silvia Tuccimei.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone else’s posts from these challenges.
On a sunny day a few weeks ago I took my parents and nephew who are over from the UK for a stroll around the harbour. All restaurants, cafes and pubs were only open for takeaways during this time. Many people were out and about enjoying the last of the Autumn sun, trying to stick to the social distancing! It is an easy 30 minute drive from Perth down the freeway and also just 30 minutes from where I live.
Fremantle is mostly known for its maritime history but is also a very popular tourist spot and is home to the famous Cappuccino Strip.
Weekdays are definitely less busy than the weekends and we found a parking spot in no time right on the harbour front.
On top is the famous Joe’s Fish Shack a great restaurant with harbour views Bottom pic: The Fremantle Tourist Wheel
We stopped and bought drinks from the e-bike cafe and while we were waiting for our order, I noticed the most beautiful painting on the wall at the back of the cafe. It was painted by a lady called Maria Bowers who has now sadly passed away.
A fantastic backdrop for these e-bikes.
E-bikes are a fun way to get around Fremantle. Not that we took this opportunity with my parents both in their 80’s! I believe you can hire or buy these bikes.
Some of the quirky sculptures and artwork around Fremantle
Kidogo Arthouse Situated in the charming 1884 heritage-listed Old Kerosene Store on Bathers Beach, Fremantle
Round House
The Fremantle Roundhouse is the oldest public building in the state of Western Australia. Opened in January 1831, it was built to hold any person convicted of a crime in the settlement until 1886. Since then it’s been a Police Lock up, accommodation for the Water Police, and a storage facility for the Fremantle Ports. (Source: helloperth.com.au)
The view from the top of the Round House
The fishing boats that are still in use in the harbour
Little Creatures Brewery popular with both locals and tourists. Apparently a former crocodile farm, but now a brewery. It’s a great place to have a casual drink, lunch or dinner. You can also take a tour of the brewery.
That’s all we had time for during this trip, but there’s so much more to do in Fremantle.
Some links below of other things to see and do in this town. (Please check during Covid opening times to these places)
Da Nang, a coastal city in Central Vietnam is a place we’ve visited a few times as it’s relatively easy to fly to from Perth. Also the airport is very near the coast, which means you can be on the beach by lunchtime! The coastline stretches for 30 kilometres and has many resorts lining the road. Our first stay here was in a hotel not on the beach but across a very busy road and it seemed that we had chosen a spot very popular with the locals. When we went over for our first swim there was hardly an empty spot in the sea!
The view from our hotel window
Da Nang is halfway between Ho Chi Minh City in the South and Hanoi in the North. It’s a good place to spend a few days before heading off to either Hue a few hours North or Hoi An in the South. In fact most hotels in Da Nang offer a shuttle service to Hoi An.
We caught a taxi to the Novotel in the city and took some photos overlooking this busy city, in contrast to the stunning peaceful coastline.
Da Nang is definitely a place I will be visiting again.
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Dalwallinu, Western Australia
We visited Dalwallinu on a wildflower road trip in September a few years back. It is located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, around 250 km from Perth. Dalwallinu is the first town on the wildflower tour. Every year the wildflowers start appearing anytime from June in the North and sweeping south to finish in November. We stayed one night in Dalwallinu and another in Moriwa. The flowers are incredible and appear all over the roadside and grow in the harshest of conditions.
Perth to Dalwallinu
Enjoying happy hour in the delightful surrounds of our accommodation with smoke billowing from a bonfire in an upturned oil barrel!
We had to keep stopping along our drive because there were so many beautiful views.
A pig look alike tree
A carpet of purple flowers
The circular flowers are known as Christmas wreaths and seem to flourish in these sandy conditions.
If you ever visit Australia during these months this is certainly a tour worth doing, but be sure to book accommodation early as there are very few motels or hotels along the way and they get booked up very quickly.
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Denmark, Western Australia
Finishing with another place in Western Australia, this time way down south. Denmark is over 400 km from Perth, too far for a day trip but great for a weekend or mid week break. We have travelled to Denmark a few times in the time we have lived in Australia. There are wonderful wineries to visit and it’s a good place to visit Walpole where the Valley of the Tree Tops walk is located.
It was named Denmark after a naval surgeon, Alexander Denmark in 1829. Before this it was called Leeuwin’s Land after the Dutch East Indiaman, Leeuwin. This was back in 1622. Any sailing ship in the 1600’s was called a Dutch East Indiaman.
There are so many rental properties in Denmark it’s hard to know what to choose. We booked a cute little house in the middle of the forest.
As you can see by the photos we went in the middle of winter, but we had a cosy fire in the house we rented.
Some of the birds that came to the balcony every morning waiting to be fed.
Some from our morning walk. Hubby contemplating another 25 years with me 😆 And that’s not our house, just a ramshackle shed in the middle of the woods.
There are so many places to visit just outside of Melbourne, just an hour or two away, so it’s easy enough to fit in a side trip during a four day visit.
Our first day trip was spent at Ballarat Wildlife Park. It takes around 90 minutes to drive from Melbourne and it’s a beautiful park to spend an afternoon in, especially as they have koalas. You do have to register your names at the entrance and pay a bit extra for the koala experience, but as these cuddly creatures are becoming more extinct I thought it was worth it. The park is situated on 37 acres of bushland and has more than 100 free roaming kangaroos.
We spent a couple of hours here looking at all the different animals and it is a very hands on place, being able to feed the kangaroos. Judging by the amount of food on the ground I think the kangaroos are pretty bored with it and definitely not hungry.
Our encounter with the koalas
These are just a few of the photos I took of all the different animals there, and the ones I could get decent shots of! The other animals they have are penguins, birds, crocs, Tasmanian tigers, snakes, emus, wombats, quolls and aligators. There are also two Sumatran tigers there.
There is a licenced cafe there where we had lunch. In my opinion though it’s probably better to bring your own picnic.
PARK INFORMATION
Opening hours: 9-5 pm daily. Closed Christmas Day
Admission: $35 for adults – $19.50 for children. There are group discounts for families.
Animal Encounters: – $40 – $80, I believe for groups of four or less.
As you can see it makes a great family day out, admittedly not cheap but it’s good to see the animals well cared for in a natural habitat.
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On our way back to Melbourne we had a quick pitstop at Lake Wendouree. A beautiful spot to have a picnic and a walk. Then it was back to the city for dinner. A very tasty Korean.
Another trip to Melbourne! This time I decided to try a hotel (The Ink Hotel) instead of an apartment and as usual was visiting Laurence and Maddy. My nephew Tom was over from the UK and came with me. The main reason I chose a hotel over an apartment was because the price was the same and also for the Air bnb apartments they wanted a hefty deposit up front, to be refunded a week after your departure. I liked the fact that there is a proper reception for any issues that may come up.
After picking up our luggage from the Virgin terminal, in my wisdom I thought we would take the Skybus into the City. The board saying “20 minutes into the City” seemed too good to be true. Well it was. Approximately 90 minutes later we arrived at The Ink.
Tip: Do not take Skybus on a late Friday afternoon over a long weekend!
First Impressions
The check in was quick and easy and the staff are friendly and helpful. The check in desk is located on the ground floor along with the bar/sitting/eating area. I loved all the artwork on the walls and looked forward to having a drink at the bar later. It had a great casual vibe.
The Ink is the building in the middle
Very bohemian!
“A drop of ink may make a million think”
As we had rooms on the 12th floor I thought we might get a bit of a view! Not much in my case and none at all for Tom. Still the room was very cosy and everything you wanted was there. We had “pocket rooms”, but there are other rooms that are bigger.
The Room
Huge comfy bed and pillows. Good lighting and USB ports either side of the bed. There was also a safe next to the bed. In the wardrobe there was an iron and ironing board and hair dryer. Dressing gowns for your comfort. A snug desk with lamp plus more USB ports with a fridge underneath.
Not completely without a view!
The Bathroom
Lovely toiletries placed right at your fingertips. The toilet is to the side of the shower.
The Ink is very conveniently located and close to the South Bank and Casino, both within walking distance.
We had breakfast here most mornings and although the menu is limited, the coffee is free and there will be something to suit everyone. Eggs how you like or a healthy bowl of muesli.
Lastly Tom and I enjoying our free welcome drink in the lounge
I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone going to Melbourne for a few days. It’s a great “no hassle” hotel with the availability a full time reception and just a short walk to either the tram or bus stop.
For our last day in Melbourne I was determined to get out and about away from the city, much to the disappointment of hubby, who just wanted another shopping day. So we drove up to The Dandedongs on a grey, cold and rainy day! They’re about an hour out of Melbourne so it’s the perfect day trip.
Map of our round trip
We stopped first at Puffing Billy in Belgrave to have a look at the old steam train and just as we reached the top a train was pulling in. Luckily I didn’t book us a ride through the hills and forests as it was too rainy and windy.
Puffing Billy was constructed in the early 1900’s to open up remote areas. In 1953, a landslide blocked the track and, because of operating losses, the line was officially closed in 1954. It was re-opened again in 1962 due to the tireless efforts of volunteers. Today it is just a tourist attraction taking visitors through the leafy hillside of The Dandedongs.
Laurence and Maddy up in the trees
A few from the official website
Once we’d had a quick look around and read about the history we jumped back in the car to look for a good place for lunch. There are so many cafes, restaurants and pubs we didn’t have to go far. We stopped at Micawbers Tavern for a traditional Aussie lunch, Parmis and schnitzels all round. It reminded me of a cosy country pub in England.
Parmis and schnitzels all round
Enjoying a pint in Micauber’s Tavern
We then went further up into the hills to Skyhigh Mount Dandenong, but the rain had set in for good so there was absolutely nothing to see! This is what you can see on a clear day. This will definitely be another day trip.
The road ahead
On the drive up to the top
Back home we warmed up and dried off before setting out for our last dinner of this trip. We headed into town for a favourite place of Laurence and Maddy’s, a Korean BBQ place in Chinatown called Bornga. A very busy and lively place where it’s quite difficult to book, but it’s worth just turning up and leaving your phone number, there’s normally only a five to ten minutes wait.
A quick cocktail before dinner in a bar called Storyville
A great feast for our last dinner!
And once again all too quickly our four day weekend was over! Until the next time.
