Still in the YARRA VALLEY

Moving on from the Chocolate Factory. We dropped our DS#2 and his Overseas Guest at Healesville Sanctuary for the next few hours.

While they enjoyed encounters with Aussie Wildlife, DH and I did a little touring on our own.

The Yarra Valley has a lot to offer, however for us, the Wineries hold little interest and it is still Winter so the Orchards are closed. You start to wonder what else is left.

But then it IS dairy country and the Yarra Valley Dairy was open and samples were to be tasted.

A little further down the road another farm gate sign brought us to The Big Bouquet.

This is a modern working Cut Flower Farm where you can learn all there is about growing Gerberas.

And when we'd had enough of flowers we said "Hello" to the resident herd of Alpacas and headed off for a wonderful Coffee and friendly chat with the staff, while trying (unsuccessfully) to ignore the awesome Alpaca garments, rugs and wool in the gift shop.

Road Trip - YARRA VALLEY Victoria

If you find yourself pondering if there is such a thing as TOO Much Chocolate I would highly recommend a visit to Melbourne's Yarra Valley.

Not only does it have beautiful rolling hills, stunning scenery, farm gate sales and the odd vineyard or six.... it also is the home of the
Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery.

Walking through the door of this newly built Chocolate factory, we are greeted by the sight of piles of chocolate curvature buttons.
And a rather friendly sign asking you to "Please use a Spoon when sampling".

Having booked for the HOT CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL - we were shown to a table where we were treated to 45 mins of chocolatey bliss. The festival is showcasing 31 different Hot Chocolate flavours in 31 days (actually it is 8 flavours per tasting changing weekly - so you could go back each week and try them all!)

Bookings for the tasting sessions are essential as they sell out quickly - but there is still much to tempt you.

Row upon row of glistening chocolates and special treats to buy -

.. and that is before you get to the Cafe!

After all that chocolate? -
I opted for a cleansing Cup of Tea!







Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery
35 Old Healesville Road
YARRA GLEN VIC 3775

Road Trip - PHILLIP ISLAND Victoria

Melbourne may not have put on a fantastic day today weather wise, but we only have a couple of days to fit in some road trips.

Deciding to brave the cold and potential rain we headed for Phillip Island.

We started at the Koala Conservation Park where this little lass was enjoying breakfast, watched Sheep shearing and Whip cracking at Churchill Island...

'blew out the cobwebs' with the surf rolling in at The Nobbies, and ended the day by sitting on the beach watching Fairy Penguins come ashore.


And rounding off a perfect day - we pulled in on the way home - away from all the city lights and just looked up into the clear night sky at the majesty of a 'billion' stars.

Sorrento Back Beach - Mornington Peninsula Victoria

Lately the Family stress levels have been mounting so whenever I need to blow the Cobwebs out - I 'make tracks' and head for the Beach.

With a perfect September day being provided,
I picked up my parents - got my DH to wag work (Officially it is called Family stress leave) and hit the road.

Sorrento Back Beach is now a good 20 mins closer than it used to be with the opening of the new Peninsula Link Freeway, a perfect road and not one traffic light for 90 km.

Arriving just on 12:00 we settled in at the Restaurant on the Cliff (All Smiles, Sorrento) with a view of the Ocean and the sound of Surf pounding on the shore to enjoy a lunch of gourmet Fish and Chips.

Being the start of school holidays the usually secluded beach was well populated with families and local children having fun in the surf.

The tide was coming in and creating some strong waves which were a ton of fun for these lads but not so for 'the lady in white' who was sitting on the sand one minute and in the water the next! - Oooops.

Reluctantly I had to turn my back on the waves, trudge back up the sand, collect Mum & Dad from their seat and head for home.


Not quite sure about Dad but DH was more than happy with the outing!

126 Asian Cuisine

We have walked past this very unassuming little Chinese Take-away for the past 12 months as we have been sampling all the restaurants that Upper Heidelberg Road  Ivanhoe has to offer.

With a small dining area in front, for those that want to stay - we settled into a booth, where we could share a plate or two. And I must admit that I wasn't expecting anything exceptional - I was wrong - very wrong!
Oh my! What have we been missing?

The dumplings were so wonderful (obviously 'home' made).
That they were totally gone before I even thought to pull my camera out.

Then the glistening Prawns in Sweet Chilli Sauce and the Beef in Oyster Sauce followed by some Special Fried Rice.

Prices were very reasonable for the serving size and there was more than enough for 2 to share.


The only disappointing part of the meal was - we didn't have any room left for Banana Fritters and Icecream for dessert!
Something I will have to rectify on our next visit!






126 Asian Cuisine
126 Upper Heidelberg Road
Ivanhoe Vic 3079

Ph:  9499 1689


Open 7 days
Takeaway and Dine in

Gloria Jean's - Polaris

Situated opposite Bundoora Park and beside La Trobe University at the Polaris Town Centre is Gloria Jean's.

The cafe is small, but bright and inviting and although it can get quite busy, owners Sash and Rosa always make me feel welcome anytime I walk in.  It is also the perfect place to leave DH with a coffee and the paper while you do a spot of shopping at the adjacent supermarket.

On this particular visit they were serving the most gloriously light little "Cakewiches".

Looking like a Sandwich, they seem to be made from Hazelnut Sponge and light chocolate mousse filling, so intriguing I just had to try one. They also come in a "White" variety with Vanilla Sponge, white chocolate and raspberry filling.
Available for a limited time and marketed as "Cake on the Go" I preferred to sit and enjoy mine with a mug of coffee.

(I love these mugs they are so comfortable to hold - and along with other store branded products, they are for sale from any Gloria Jean's if you want one to take home!)

Like other chain or franchise cafe/restaurants that are around all Gloria Jean's have the same menu. 

But it is the staff that makes one more special than another, it is what brings you back, even though it may not be in your local area. This, is my favourite Gloria Jean's. 

Gloria Jean's

(Polaris Town Centre - Off Plenty Rd.)

42 - 44 Copernicus Cresc.

BUNDOORA 3083

Ph: (03) 9468 5015

Monday to Friday 7:00am- 6:00pm
Saturday to Sunday 8:00am- 5:30pm

Mustbar - Doreen

Out and about on Saturday, we decided to turn left and keep driving until we found a Coffee Shop.


And that is how we found this delightful comfortable, modern Coffee/Bar/Cafe.


Officially in Doreen, we just followed signs that invited us into the Laurimar Estate and there at the end of the road was MUSTBAR.

With the pavement and upstairs balcony so popular there were no tables left, we settled down in a sunny niche inside.

I was particularly taken with the wall art Spreadsheet of how to make good wine and the felt tiling that clad the feature walls leading up to the balcony.

Looking at their extensive gourmet menu I just wished we had more time to order something other than Coffee and Cake.

I have never found a Barista that could make Fair Trade Coffee taste good - - - until now.

Serving the smoothest Organica Coffee I have ever tasted. Coupled with the most delightful Hazelnut Honeycomb Cake (sharing just one piece between us) and a small chocolate surprise on the spoon made for a beautiful afternoon tea.

On leaving I commented
"This is no where near us but ... We would love to come back!"



MUSTBAR
1/90 Hazel Glen Drive
Doreen  Vic  3754

Ph: 9715 2123
Open 7 days