Tag: Dunsborough

~ Dunsborough Days – Food, Wine, Cocktails and More ~

Over the next couple of days we had many outings planned, wineries, breweries, new and old restaurants, shopping and of course cards would be on the agenda.

Our first stop was a new brewery in town called Southcamp. We enjoyed a delicious lunch with wine and ciders.

They couldn’t resist the temptation to pick up the bats.

Then it was back to the house and straight down to the beach with bathers on. I was definitely going to get in today. Viv and I had a long walk past the sand bank and along the water. Actually quite strenuous pushing through the water. As it’s so shallow I dragged myself back in on my stomach just using my arms, commando style, quite hilarious to watch and very ungraceful.

Mermaid pose

It took at least twenty shots before I managed the last position.

Before going out for dinner we had time for a few games of cards, glass of wine and snacks on the verandah.

Dinner was in town at a restaurant called Blue Manna Bistro. It was a place I’ve been trying to go for the longest time. We nearly didn’t get in though as the booking hadn’t gone through, but the manager kindly set up a table on the deck outside. Although only a Wednesday night, this place was buzzing.

The Fab Four!

Mouth watering cocktails
Seared Shark Bay Scallops
with scallop and crab pot stickers, fresh coconut herb salad and Thai peanut satay
Crispy Fried Prawn Stuffed Soft Shell Crab
with and mango chilli chutney
Banoffee Pavlova
chocolate meringue, miso caramel and five spiced banana

I’m very happy we managed to get a table as this meal was truly scrumptious.

We were up again early the next day and we took a long walk along the beach footpath.

I had fun with the last photo here, although there were complaints about how uncomfortable it was.

Pole Dancers!

Some more sculptures to play around with, my turn this time!

The gap in the sculpture makes a perfect frame.

Then onto our favourite restaurant, Meelup Farm, which I’ve posted about before.


Atlantic salmon, green harissa spice, preserved lemon + honey yoghurt

Aromatic duck curry, black rice, green beans, lime
More Cocktails

Wise Winery was our next stop, apparently the only winery in Australia with a sea view. We had coffee here and stocked up on wine.

All too soon it was time to pack up and head back to Perth, but not before stopping for breakfast on the way home.

A very full boot!
Yallingup Beach

The four of us all agreed we had an excellent few days. Hopefully we will be able to do the same next year.

History of Dunsborough

Prior to European colonisation, the land was populated by Indigenous people, the tribe along the coast was called Wardandi (sea people). These Indigenous peoples referred to Dunsborough by the name of Quedjinup, which means “Place of Women”
The modern town is named after the nearby Dunn Bay, which was named after Captain Richard Dalling Dunn under whom Governor James Stirling had served in the Hibernia and the Armide in 1810–11. 
A general store was opened in 1925 and the town’s first bakery was established in 1930. It seems there wasn’t a school until 1963. During the 1960’s surfing became very popular and the ideal conditions brought many tourists to the region. Source: Wikipedia

Thanks for coming along with the fab four on our journey to Dunsborough

😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎
 


Going Places with Girlfriends {Dunsborough, Western Australia}

It was time for our annual trip to Dunsborough and we set off on Tuesday for a three hour drive down south. As usual Cheryl and Lisa took over the driving, while Viv and I sat like queens in the back. Although only for three days the boot and back of the car were jam packed with cases, holdalls and cool bags.

We stopped for coffee at the same place as last year, Midway Farm Stall.

This is a wonderful little spot for a quick break. There are animals and a playground, great for families.

We decided to have lunch before checking in so stopped an hour or so before we arrived in Dunsborough. A fantastic cafe called The Crooked Carrot, again ideal for families and so much nicer than a service station.

I love having the girls pose and am always coming up with suggestions.

Brown and rusty vehicles

Nothing goes to waste here, truck and pickup graveyard.

There was a wonderful vegetable and herb garden and hopefully all the ingredients could be found in the lunches being served.

Filling the frame with this artichoke flower

Popping to the ladies I noticed a sign on the wall (I must remember this!)

Arriving in Dunsborough around 3pm, we checked in and headed straight to the beach. Geographe Bay has a spectacular coast line but not great for swimming but perfect for a shallow dip and for small children to splash and play.

Viv and I opted to walk out to the sand bank, we did get wetter than intended, but could have walked for miles.

Water, Water, Everywhere

The water is like looking through glass, so perfectly clear.

Stromalites in the middle of the bay

Walking along the beach we came upon this marvellous creation – manmade or natural? We decided it had to be manmade, like the crop circles! Just beautiful though.

Our first evening was spent in our accommodation (four bedroom house) and enjoying a takeaway from the curry van.

After dinner it was wine, cards and chocolate. We are serious card players and can play for hours, although it’s a good job we don’t play for money – I would be seriously poor.

More adventures tomorrow!

Linking to Lens-Artist, Weekend Coffee Share, Sunday Stills and
Water, Water Everywhere.

🚗 Dunsborough Road Trip – Part Two – Eagle Bay and Cape Naturaliste 🚗

After a very good night’s sleep, for me anyway, we took ourselves off for breakfast in Dunsborough. The plan was to walk but the weather wasn’t looking great so we jumped in the car again.

View from our veranda

With so many cafes to choose from but all looking busy everywhere we opted for the first one we saw and chanced our luck for an empty table. It was a good choice and I started the day with a cooked breakfast.

Just a tad more shopping and and a stop at the beach, then it was back to the house and a catch up on the books we were reading and then off out again for lunch.

I had seen these sculptures from the road and really wanted a photo, I’m the one who has the “bright” ideas for posing.

The colours of Geographe Bay are always stunning in various shades of blue and green.

🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸

We were having lunch at Eagle Bay Brewery, which coincidentally is in Eagle Bay. It was a first for all of us and as soon as we were out of the car we saw the views were worth coming for.

It would have been perfect to sit outside but a bit chilly for us!

Even though it was a brewery we’re none of us beer drinkers so opted for a bottle of the local sauvingon blanc. It went down a treat with the delicious salads we all shared.

They had their own vegetable garden just outside so everything was fresh. Of course I took more photos.

More selfies!
Hay Bales – or Bay Hales as I kept saying – too much wine!

As it was still fairly early in the afternoon we drove to the headland of Cape Naturaliste which is the northernmost point of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge. After parking the car we saw there was a trail that led through the bush and wildflowers. There was a couple coming back along the trail and they said they had seen around ten pods of migrating whales! So we carried on to a lookout and saw another man with camera and tripod also documenting the pods. We stood for around 20 minutes and witnessed a fantastic display of whales jumping in out of the water. A bit far to get a good photo but the thrill of seeing so many whales was awesome.

The photos below are just the scenery from on top of the hill overlooking the sea.

Blink and you’ll miss it!


🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳

By this time it was around 5 pm, so on the way back we stopped along the foreshore and waited for the pop-up curry van to arrive. We were having take away that night and a full evening of games!

We were off home the next day but so far we had all enjoyed this time away together, eating, drinking, gossiping, shopping and playing games. Although there was still time for one more winery on the way home.

Homeward Bound

Leaving on the dot of 10 am – check out time – we packed up our bags and headed off. Maybe coffee and lunch on the way, depending how we felt.

We’ll be back!

As it happens Lisa mentioned a winery that she thought we would all enjoy for lunch, called Green Door Wines. Situated in the beautiful Ferguson Valley with views for miles. We didn’t have a booking but fortunately there was a table.

One for the Road!
Intricate carved doors and windows
Carriage style house
Rolling Hills and Furloughed Fields
Picture Perfect Window

Thanks for taking the time to come along on this trip with us. We had the best time and hope to be planning another one for next year.

Be a little boulder and travel more

~ Gallivanting with Girlfriends – Road Trip to Dunsborough, Western Australia ~

We finally set the dates and found accommodation to suit all our needs – basically a room each and at least two bathrooms. I had booked a fabulous house across from the beach with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. This trip was a celebration of Cheryl’s ??th birthday and we had been looking forward to it for a while. So with the boot jampacked with bags, cases, snacks and wine we set off around 9.30 am. The drive is approximately 3 hours, a bit more with a coffee and lunch stop along the way.

Our first stop was a farm shop with a cafe where we had coffee. I’m a bit wary of horses so I thought I was quite brave to go in for a stroke, but this horse was just too adorable not to.

Happy Wives at The Happy Wife, Bunbury

Second stop was a lunch break in Bunbury in a place called The Happy Wife with a view of the water.

We arrived at the house just before the check in time but luckily the keys were in the box already. After we had sorted out who was to sleep in what room, with Cheryl having the best of course we set off for Dunsborough to do a spot of shopping, as you would on a girls’ trip. We all love the shops here as they are very different from Perth and no big name brands. There are some great quirky shops to pop in and out of.

Back to the house and to make a start on the wine and snacks we had brought with us before heading out for dinner.

Making a start on the essentials!

Here we all are having a gossip on our veranda

Time for dinner at Caves House which is around a ten minute drive away. We have all been to Caves House before either to stay or have dinner. It is set in beautiful grounds so we had a wander before heading in for dinner.

Time for another bottle!

Returning to the house after for – yes you guessed another bottle – and a game or two of Monopoly Cards. I have to say the game took a bit of getting used to without a board!

🥂 Until tomorrow for day two 🥂

Castle Rock Beach, Dunsborough

One afternoon during our stay in Dunsborough, Anthony and I set out for a short drive to Castle Rock Beach. I had seen it on the map and had never been before and wanted to see what was there.

We found a beautiful calm cove with perfect swimming waters. It was surrounded by large craggy red rocks. We walked along the footpath along to the rock that I suppose looks like a castle!

Castle Rock Beach

“This Cairn marks the site of the Castle Rock Co. Whaling Station, which commenced operations in 1843 and continued for many years”

  • “Be a Little Boulder”

We were lucky to see so many wildflowers still in bloom. They seem to thrive in the hot sandy climate, especially the flowers growing from the rock.

I love finding places I’ve never been before, I get very excited as if I’m the first! How about you?

Monday Mural – Wildlife in Dunsborough

Blue Tongued Lizard, Kangaroos, Honeyeater and Stingray

A dark menacing sky in the background

Willy Wagtail, Quoll and Possum

Posted as part of Monday Mural hosted by Sami at ColourfulWorld

👯‍♀️ Dancing in Dunsborough – Days Three and Four 👯‍♀️

Day Three

What a fun day today was going to be, a mystery tour had been planned for a coachful of women! Reminiscent of a school outing with our names being ticked off by Vicki as we boarded. It was non-stop chatter from the moment we sat down and Laura our lovely instructor had to whistle very loudly to get our attention. We boarded at 10.30 am and would be back at 4pm, no-one had a clue about where we would be going.

Our first stop was a winery for a quick tour and of course the requisite wine tasting. The winery was Aravina Winery, a 180 acre property with a surfing museum attached in Yallingup. The owners were very accommodating and explained each wine as it was tasted.

👰 A great place to get married 🤵
Just a taste
A step back in time

After sampling many wines we were back on the bus and onto our next mystery destination. This time also stopping for lunch. With much guessing going on we finally arrived at Black Brewing Company. Two large tables had been reserved for us and the staff did an excellent job of serving so many ladies! I was one of the lucky ones who was served very quickly, some were not so fortunate and waited for a while.

A few of the ladies that were still sitting by the time I got around to taking a photo

This place had the most amazing grounds, so after lunch I had a walk around to snap a few more shots. There was intermittent rain so it was a case of dodging it while walking.

A small island sat on the opposite side of the bridge with a stunning gazebo.

Each of the glass windows had a story of winemaking written on them with wonderful artwork. The photos didn’t quite come out the way I wanted.

Back on the bus and our next two stops were more about shopping. The first one was Vasse Virgin Olive Oil. All products were natural, made with olive oil, plant extracts and essential oils. We had a great time here sampling all the products and getting hand scrubs.

What finishes off a day nicely, a trip to a chocolate factory goes down very well with anyone, and that’s where our last stop was, The Margaret River Chocolate Factory.

I bought a few gifts to take home and all the ladies were given a bar by the lovely Laura.

So this was a no dancing day as everyone was pretty tired after a hard day’s touring. A very quiet pizza party was planned for the evening with cupcake decorating for dessert.

Day Four

More eating today with morning tea at Cape Lavender Teahouse. Devonshire Cream teas with lavender scones, cream and jam, just the best start to the day.

I was so happy that they did gluten free also, enjoyed every bite. There was also a gift shop, so did the obligatory shop and came away with even more gifts.

Yallingup Maze was next and then lunch at another brewery. Lisa and I opted instead for more shopping and a walk along the beach before a zumba class at 4.15.

Geographe Bay

Our last night’s party had a Bollywood theme with everyone invited to dress up and bring a curry. The outfits were amazing and everyone made such a great effort and the food was gourmet standard.

And so ends a fantastic five nights of dancing, eating, drinking, making new friends and catching up with old ones. A magnificent achievement by our zumba instructors – maybe next year back to Bali!

💃🏻 Dancing in Dunsborough on a Zumba Retreat 💃🏻 Days One and Two

I’m just back from a wonderful five nights in Dunsborough, Western Australia where I took part in a five night stay Zumba Retreat. It was organised by our three lovely Zumba instructors over four days. There were over 40 ladies in all who participated! I certainly didn’t know all of them but with all the events happening have come away with many new friends. My friend Lisa booked us a three bedroom house in a complex very close to many of the other ladies. It was within walking distance to the beach and the small local town, a winner on all fronts.

Outside
  • My room
  • Kitchen, Dining, Living Room

Geographe Bay, Dunsborough

And so it begins!

Day One

Of course it started with a Zumba class at 9.15 am for just over an hour, ready for a nap already. Back to the house for showers and then off to Clancys Fish Pub for lunch and a shopping session after.

Dunsborough is full of quirky shops selling all kinds of gifts, designer clothes and things you generally don’t need but just have to have. We ended up going home with multiple bags each.

In the afternoon there was a tango lesson, which I baled on, I wanted to preserve energy for the cocktail party later that evening. As you can imagine this was a noisy gathering, so many cocktails and wild dancing.

Day Two

Not too early a start today, a zumba class at 9.15 followed by a morning tea. More zumba at 10.30 – 11.30 am. I am definitely feeling it by now and ready for a rest. Lisa, Rose and I had a quick lunch at our house and decided to go for a drive to a winery and restaurant.

Meelup Farm

I spotted this big boy from the car as we were driving away, I love seeing kangaroos in the wild

Wine tasting at Wise Winery

More Zumba at 3 to 5.15 pm but also missed that! Opting instead for a walk along the beach.

Another big party tonight, well two actually! First a welcome party for the newcomers and a goodby party for the other ladies who were departing.

Our first party involved so many games designed to get to know one other. So much fun and plenty of food and wine and of course more dancing. Luckily the other party was within walking distance and was in full swing by the time we arrived, more dancing and drinking. Ready for my bed.

So far so good, I was actually hoping to lose a few kilos! I doubt that will be happening with all the morning teas, lunches, party food, wine and cocktails. I think it will be going the other way.

Pull up a seat

A challenge hosted by Xingfu Mama

A few from our weekend away in Dunsborough

  • Mongrel Creek Winery
    Mongrel Creek Winery
  • Overlooking Meelup Brook
    Overlooking Meelup Brook
  • Meelup Farm
    Meelup Farm
  • Meelup Farm
    Meelup Farm

Palmers Winery, Dunsborough – Review

This is one of the places we visited during our weekend away in Dunsborough. Below is the mediterranean style entrance to the restaurant. Lucky for us the weather was wonderfully sunny and warm.

I had only booked 15 minutes before we arrived due to a mixup with another place we thought we were going to! We had a choice of tables inside as outside was fully booked. We could see outside anyway, we were just happy to be able to get in somewhere.

There was so much choice on the menu that we decided to share a few dishes, always the best way to eat if you ask me. In our little group we had one GF, one pescatarian and one who doesn’t eat shellfish! We ordered something for everyone and the one who wasn’t fussy got to taste everything!

We started with Parmesan Crumbed Eggplant w/ Buffalo Mozzarella, local Asparagus, Tomato and Basil Sugo Entrée 

Just enough for a taster each but enough to settle down the hunger!

To drink we ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc Semillion to share which went down far too easily and quickly as there was quite a wait for our mains. Anyway we were in no rush and had no set agenda.

Finally our mains arrived and I think I speak for all of us that it was well worth the wait.

Goldband snapper with preserved lemon & herb crushed potatoes, roasted red pepper & caper salsa, asparagus & citrus Beurre blanc 
Balinese roast duck, yellow curry, Pilaf Rice, Steamed Asian Greens & Sambal
Grilled Western Australian Banana Prawns cooked in a roasted Garlic & Parsley Butter

Added to this was also a Green Papaya & bean shoot salad w/ toasted cashews & peanut dressing which was deliciously blended.

I would say my favourite was the Balinese duck curry, but all the dishes were mouth-wateringly divine.

There were some stunning paintings displayed at Palmers, I took a few photos of the ones I liked best.

After lunch was over we had a wander over to the cellar door to have a quick tasting and for me to take a few photos of the beautiful surroundings.

The Courtyard

Relaxed Divas

Everything about this winery was close to perfection. Food was amazing, lovely service from the staff and the grounds outstanding. If you’re ever in this region don’t miss the opportunity to visit.