Off for our usual Sunday jaunt to a winery in the Swan Valley. We haven’t been to the Swan Valley for a while, preferring to go into the Perth Hills for the views. More wineries are located in the Swan Valley, along with restaurants, cafes and farm shops. We had lunch at Riverbank Estate overlooking the green vineyards. There’s a mediterranean ambience here, maybe due to the terracotta and limestone brick architecture.
The service and food were excellent. As it was a super hot day there were hanging water spouts squirting a cool mist over us.
On the way out I stopped to take a few photos of the decorative window frames.
This week was the last of the school holidays and I went with Elena and the munchkins to the WA Museum, Boola Bardip. I’ve never been before so was interested to see what was there.
Boola Bardip means many stories in Whadjuk Nyoongar; the Country on which the Museum sits.
A fantastic museum for all ages and takes visitors on an enchanting journey through the ages. There are many exhibits to see and also interactive displays and games for the kids to enjoy.
My favourite exhibitLooking out over the rooftops
We all had the best time, especially as naughty Ninny said yes to a stop in the gift shop!
The rest of my week was spent shopping, a zumba class, dinner with friends and of course Bridge.
I was surprised that Anthony agreed to accompany me to see Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning. What a hectic ride of a film, so many car chases and implausible stunts, I read Tom Cruise does his own! Anyway I enjoyed it especially the scenery, set in Venice and the Austrian Alps. By hook or by crook, I will visit Venice one day. The film went for so long that we missed our restaurant booking but managed to get a table at the next door Indian, Bollywood which was delicious.
Today (Sunday) Anthony suggested a winery in Bickley Valley. About a 45 minute drive from our house and it has been a beautiful sunny day. I chose Plume Winery which has amazing views over the hills and vineyards.
Vista and Views
Not a cloud in sight
Inside the restaurant
Lunch with a ViewCellar DoorPlume PlatterMy ChauffeurPull up a Seat
With the weekend upon us it meant Laurence and Maddy were able to join us for a day out. We all fancied a winery but with so many in Victoria where to go, North, South or East? After some research we decided to wing it and try one in the South East, Mornington Peninsula. Well our first choice didn’t work out which was Foxey’s Hangout, but the carpark attendant suggested we try the sister winery around 15 minutes up the road, called Morning Sun Vineyard. There wasn’t much sun around but plenty of wine.
The menu was short and tapas style so we just ordered every item! Sadly I forgot to take many photos of the food as it disappeared all too quickly. The staff and service were excellent and you could taste any wine. The location was just perfect and it was very cosy inside.
Parmesan coated broccolini Figs wrapped in parma ham
A luscious Shiraz for three and a “flight of whites” for me.
Not much left on those platesAn almost perfectly quartered photo – Cows galloping across the field
Another fractioned photo!
The Gang
A wonderful way to spend a Saturday, family, food and wine
On the drive home we passed by a stunning mural on a water tank, so I jumped out and took a few photos. Located on Arthurs Seat Road it was painted by Michael Leeworthy. It depicts life in Arthurs Seat and is a tribute to the local firefighters. I’m linking it to PPAC.
Taking a look back at my November. Another month gone past in a flash and Christmas is now just a few weeks away. Here are some of my memories of November.
We started off the month with a little trip to Dunsborough which I’ve already posted about.
💜 My precious little peeps 💙
“Pull up a Seat“
Oldest and youngest
In the middle of November we had a day’s outing to a winery in the Chittering Valley to an event called “A Taste of Chittering” held at Nesci Winery with some good friends. The only thing that spoiled a lovely day was the masses of flies! We hardly dared open out mouths.
Don’t these two lovely ladies look cute as gumnuts. They are so talented walking around all afternoon like that.
🍷 We made some time for some tasting after lunch 🍷
The fourth Thursday of every month is when we hold our Bookclub meeting. The November bookclub is the last of the year and our Christmas get together. This year we gathered at a house overlooking the ocean. We had a fabulous lunch and Mango Daquiries with a great discussion of the book.
Now the Summer has finally arrived I love to sit out for my happy hour 🍹 and listen to the different birds that congregate in my neighbour’s tree. From Kookaburras to Rainbow Lorikeets, Willy Wagtails and Parrots, not all at once of course. My jasmine is out and also the gardenias are in full bloom and the garden smells divine.
I’m now looking forward to a few parties in the coming weeks and tomorrow the tree 🎄 goes up with some help from my little elf.
Margaret River is in the South Western area of WA and a popular tourist spot Nationwide and Worldwide. The beaches are great for surfing and swimming. It’s a wonderful place to visit in the winter and we generally try to get down once a year for a short break. So after Pemberton we drove back up to enjoy a two night stay. Margaret River is home to many wineries and restaurants, it’s hard to know where to go when you only have a couple of days.
We stayed at our usual hotel Margarets Beach Resort and had a small unit with a balcony. I had asked for a partial seaview and that’s what we got. Although it was a fair way in the distance. This hotel is actually located in Gnarrabup and ten minute drive from the town itself. Very peaceful.
Our room
Sunset from the balcony
That night we drove into town to a South American Tapas restaurant, El Toro. We had quite a few plates between us. It was a fantastic restaurant, the food and service were wonderful and I definitely enjoyed my mojito listening to latin music.
Mojito Monday!
The next morning we walked down to the local cafe, White Elephant, for breakfast. This cafe sits practically on the beach. It was a bit chilly but we sat outside so we could enjoy the beautiful view.
“Healthy”
We were lucky to have such a glorious day to sit and take in this gorgeous view.
Gnarrabup Beach
Walking back to our apartment
A bit later we drove to Eagle Bay to Wise Winery for lunch. It’s one of our favourites and never disappoints.
A lightish lunch! A creamy Chicken Liver Parfait, Spicy Green Beans and Duck Confit with a wood sorrel sauce.
Of course you can’t go to a winery and not have a glass of wine
Wise Winery has stunning views overlooking the Indian Ocean
We definitely needed a walk after this lunch, so drove to Yallingup and walked down to the beach from the carpark at Caves House and back.
There were a few whales out there in the distance.
The sun through the trees
I was determined to see the sunset back at Margaret River that evening, so around 5.30 pm we walked back to the White Elephant Cafe and sat and watched a magnificent sunset.
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…
Yallingup is in the South Western region of Western Australia. Its a great spot to visit for a short break especially from Perth. The drive takes just under three hours. With so many places to stay it was so difficult to decide, we eventually chose the Sienna Lodge and it did not disappoint! Situated in…
We left Perth on a Sunday morning for an overnight stay in Pemberton. Stopping for lunch in the vibrant green Ferguson Valley and then for a look at the fabulous Wellington Dam Mural. The journey takes around 4 hours from Perth, Pemberton is located in the South Western region of Western Australia.
Lunch was at St. Aiden’s Winery, and we shared a couple of dishes. This was a beautiful winery and one that we had never visited before.
St Aiden’s Church
After lunch we headed over to the Wellington Dam Mural located just outside of Collie, WA.
The mural is called Reflections and is the largest mural in the world painted by renowned world artist Guido Van Helten. He spent three weeks talking to locals and also staying in an Aboriginal community to get a sense of what they would like to see painted. If you would like to read more of this story click on the link Reflections
Individual images of the mural. What an amazing feat this is and it was well worth the detour to look at this awesome mural.
The time was ticking on and we still had another two hours drive ahead of us, or should I say dear husband did!
I had booked a placed called Forest Lodge Resort, one because it looked nice and two as it had a restaurant attached so Anthony didn’t have to drive anymore that night and could enjoy a drink or three!
We arrived just after 5pm and it was still light so as soon as we had checked our room we went for a walk around the grounds. We got an upgrade!
Our room and viewSo many kangaroos roaming freely
From our walk around the lake
So calm and serene
The setting sun on the lake
A Giant Californian Sequoia Redwood planted in 1935
By this time it was happy hour so we headed over to the bar and restaurant for a drink before dinner.
The resort is owned by a German couple. Ingo is also the cook, hence the name of the restaurant – Chef Ingo’s. Their daughter Selina seems to be receptionist/waitress/and jack of all trades. Service was impeccable and Selina was a delight.
A drink in front of a cosy fire
Smoked Pork Belly
Smoked Duck
Spiced Rib Eye, Red Cabbage and mash
Dinner was quite salty, so just drank more wine to quench our thirst!
We had a relaxing and very enjoyable overnight stay here, and we will definitely be back again. Tomorrow Margaret River beckons with a few stops along the way.
It was Maddy’s Birthday today and a day out at the River Tamar Wineries was on the itinerary. After letting them have a bit of a lie in from their late night, we set off around 11 am. We took the West Tamar Highway and our first stop was Grindelwald. From the name you can would be correct in thinking it was modelled on a Swiss village. Built in 1989 by Roelf Vos, a Dutch immigrant to Tasmania, for his wife after they visited Switzerland. The story is that she loved Switzerland so much the he built a village just for her!
As you can see the weather has cleared up beautifully.
There is a hotel here and a few activities for kids around. It’s very quaint but I don’t think I could spend a night here.
Our next stop was Marion’s Vineyard, established in 1979 by a Cypriot and Californinan couple with stunning views across the Tamar. There is no restaurant here but there is a beautiful area to enjoy a bottle of wine and a cheese platter. As we had reservations for lunch elsewhere we just did the wine tasting. If you buy a bottle the tasting is free. We had acquired quite a taste for Tasmanian wine so we did buy a few bottles between us.
It was such an interesting winery with lots of quirky decor in a taverna type setting.
This painting was on the wall inside the bar area and I just loved it. Can you recognise all these characters? Hubby knew them all of course, Laurence and Maddy had no idea, I knew most.
A stained glass image of the barn at night. The barn is pictured in the featured image.
The essential rusty tool exhibit, all Australian wineries have one!
From here we drove to our lunch venue, Timbre Kitchen, located in Velo Wines. When our waitress handed us the menu we wanted to order nearly everything on it! It all looked so delicious and of course once again I forgot to take photos of the food.
Naturistic lighting
After a most enjoyable lunch, there was still enough time left to visit another winery for some more tasting! With so many wineries to choose from it was hard to pick just one. In the end we opted for The Swinging Gate. We were lucky to get a table as it was very popular with the wine tours, bookings are recommended. This time we were served at the table for different tastings and given a sheet of paper to mark down our verdicts.
I thought the “waste not want not” attitude to various items of furniture was a great idea, hence the doors on the wall.
A view from The Swinging Gate of Domescape Glamping in the Vines.
And really that was all we had time for, most of the wineries close at 4pm. A relaxing drive back to Launceston and tonight was our last night in Tasmania.
Time for another trip to a winery. This time we will be visiting Sittella Winery in Herne Hill, Swan Valley. We visited on a lovely sunny day in the week and it was a good job we had booked as it looked very busy. We had a table overlooking the beautiful vineyards that surround the restaurant.
The winery is named after the Sittella bird and they nest along the banks of the Swan River.
It was opened in 1998 by Simon and Maaike Berns. Maaike is Dutch Indonesian which is why the menu is so interesting.
My mum and dad enjoying the view
The restaurant is called The Nest and the menu had a great variety to select from so it took us a while.
Winemakers Plate; Kangaroo and to finish Sittella Strawberry Basket were just some of the dishes we had.
I have to mention the Sittella Strawberry Basket was without doubt the best dessert I have tasted in a long while!
Inside the restaurant, decorating the walls were some beautiful murals and artwork.
Even though it is winter now, everything is still so green and lush, except perhaps the vines themselves! The gazebo looks to be sinking and it’s not just a wonky photo I took.
Sittella is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm. It’s definitely best to book especially on a weekend. As I mentioned it’s situated in the Swan Valley just over 30 minutes from Perth’s CBD. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did if you ever get a chance to visit.
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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Yallingup is in the South Western region of Western Australia. Its a great spot to visit for a short break especially from Perth. The drive takes just under three hours.
With so many places to stay it was so difficult to decide, we eventually chose the Sienna Lodge and it did not disappoint! Situated in between Barnyard Winery and Cafe Lavender on Caves Road, it was just a short drive into Yallingup and around 10k from Dunsborough. Its owned and managed by a very friendly Lithuanian couple – Raminta & Egis Rusilas, they also own the beautiful “Barnyard Vineyard”.
Sienna Lodge
Freerange as you can get!
Arriving just after 4pm we dropped our bags in our room and headed over to take a look at the beach and then happy hour at the iconic Caves Hotel. A few snaps of the wild coastline of South West WA.
Dinner that night was at the gastronomic restaurant of Lamonts and as it was so busy Kate Lamont was waiting tables herself. Always a good idea to book ahead as this place is nearly always full.
Next morning as the Barnyard cafe only opens for breakfast on weekends we headed into Dunsborough for our freerange poached eggs on sourdough toast with coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice. Back to Sienna to decide where to have our next feast but first a stop in the Barnyard cafe for a midmorning glass of wine and a little look around.
Testing the local vintage
As there are so many wineries, we again had the difficult task of choosing where to go for lunch. We wanted to try something new so we headed over to the Brookwood Estate.
The menu had some tasty tapas options which was perfect for lunch.
prosciutto wrapped fillet mignon and grilled prawns with chill and coriander aoli
Dinner that night was in Caves Hotel as it was just down the road from us, also many places were fully booked due to the school holidays. Caves is always a good choice as it has such a great atmosphere, you can be casual and eat outside or dress up and eat inside. Food is always good and portions so large that one dish is enough for two. We had a chef’s platter to start, and sticky ribs to share. There were leftovers!
Some sculptures that caught my eye
Skateboarding chick
Stuffed Jeans to go!
The late afternoon sun shining on these trees at Caves Hotel
By the next day it was already time to check out. Time fly’s when you’re having fun, theres only so much you can eat and drink in two days! We drove into Yallingup and had an excellent breakfast in the general store which is also the Post Office, just by Caves House. Its not that well advertised that they even do breakfast. On the drive back we were recommended to drop by the Bunbury Farmers Market. Its a great place to stock up on fresh local produce. We even bought some lunch here and stopped at Heron Point to eat it.
And that was our very short two night stay over, until the next time we fancy a break!
