Melbourne & Mornington Peninsula

Well our first week at the Frankston Discovery Holiday Park has flown by. It is very nice with a new area for caravans. It is nicely laid out, with large concrete slabs, so is easy to keep clean. We've erected the full annexe for the first time, and given that our weather has been, shall we say, "Melbourne Like", it has been great. Lots of shops and centres nearby, so it is a real city experience for us after lots of small towns. Oh, and we are back in the traffic, which we definitely haven't missed!


T'Gallant Winery & Restaurant


Arrived in time for the last event in our week of celebrations, our 28th Wedding Anniversary, on 1st May. This time it was John doing the research, and I came up with T'Gallant Winery, in the hills of the Mornington Peninsula wine district. Good choice Ando! The research was spot on. It was an overcast, cold, and sometimes rainy day, but with the fire roaring, and the food and wine to warm our innards, we celebrated in style. A nice added touch was the live music, which was provided by the guy who has been John Farnham's backing vocalist forever. We couldn't remember his name, but JF always referred to him as the hippy. Any JF fans will remember him well. Anyway, he was very good, and certainly added to the occasion. The place was really buzzing, with the Pizza Bar doing a roaring trade, and the trademark Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, was disappearing in large doses.


Our lunch at T'Gallant Winery 


Our meal was in the main restaurant, and it was a delicious mix of French Provincial and Italian. Crab Cakes and Pizza of the Day, shared for entrees, followed by Ricotta & Spinach Gnocchi with braised duck and Asian greens (sorry while I wipe the drool off the keyboard!), for Carol, and a Casserole of Chicken, Bacon and Vegies for John. Washed down with a glass of the Pinoir Noir, it was fantastic. Shock! Horror! No room for dessert. It was just a gorgeous afternoon befitting the Duke and Duchess of Brentwood.

On Tuesday we were joined by the lady Robyn of Canterbury for a few days of relaxation and rejuvenation. Having travelled Tiger Airways, we found Robyn dazed and disoriented at the City bus depot (only kidding - she had a great flight down and back. It was the bus that broke down!), and whisked her away for lunch at St. Kilda Pier, followed by a little sight seeing on the way back to Frankston. We settled her into her accommadation in the motel section of the park, and had a nice home cooked meal in.


Some of the relics at the Exhibition


Wednesday we were off to the city to see the Tutankhamun Exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. The new Motorway system that now reaches as far as Frankston, is fantastic. Barry O'Farrell take note! We travelled the 55kms into the city in 35 minutes, and Barry, if we hadn't wanted to drive we could have caught the train. That's one of those long linked things that run on rails to where the people live in the outer suburbs. Hopefully you can get some for Sydney soon!

The Exhibition was well organised, and with our pre-purchased tickets, we were in after a short wait, and the treasures were beautiful. It is amazing to think that they are 3,300 years old, and still in excellent condition. We took the audio tour, mostly because the girls couldn't resist the chance to have Omar Sharif whisper things in their ears. John found it informative, rather than erotic!

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Along the Artists Trail at Sorrento



Homes & Gardens along the Artists Trail

hursday we did the tourist thing and drove out along the Bay to the towns of Sorrento and Portsea. It is a lovely drive along the shores of Port Phillip Bay. There are the lovely seaside and holiday centres of Dromana, Rye, Rosebud and Blairgowrie along the way, setting the scene for the poshness of Sorrento and Portsea, a playground of the rich and infamous. We stopped at a Yacht Club to take a walk out on their pier. We ran into a guy fishing who turned out to be a wealth of information, having been in the area for 30 years. He gave us a long list of places to see, places to eat, and a real gem, in telling us about "The Artists Trail" at Sorrento. It is a secluded walk along the clifftops, between Sorrento and Point King. It goes through the backyards of some of the magnificent homes of the rich people, as you open and close a series of gates. We would have never found it without his directions. The trail highlights the spots that the great Australian Artists, Streeton and Boyd, used to sit and paint some of their famous landscapes. Some of the paintings have been reproduced onto boards, facing the scene that was painted. Fantastic imagery. All the way along the walk are the scenes looking down at the beaches, bathing pavilions and jetties as you look out across the bay, and behind you are those magnificent homes and gardens.

The girls at Sorrento

Having walked up a hunger and thirst, it was time for coffee and sustenance. No shortage of places in Sorrento. We found a likely stop, that had a big sign "Best Vanilla Slice on Earth", and Carol went straight for it. A closer examination found it had lots of nice goodies, so orders were placed for soups for Robyn and John, and that Vanilla Slice for Carol. All exceptionally good, and the vanilla slice was so big, Robyn and I got a taste too! A walk around all the very nice shops in Sorrento was mostly for looking. A $900 pair of shoes with a 50% Off sticker, still sounds a lot, not to mention the tiny little top that was $600, or about $30 per square inch ! Still, it doesn't cost to dream.

Back home for a quick change, then back on the Motorway to town, for dinner and show. Dinner was at a pub we found, with the lovely name of The Elephant and Wheelbarrow. The Elephant is for the size of the meals, and the Wheelbarrow is how they deliver them to the table! No dessert here! Just off to the show, "Rock of Ages". It was fantastic. If you love the rock music of the'80's you'd love it. We had a ball, and our hearing should be back to normal around next Friday, which is when we will also hopefully find the last of the foil confetti that rained down upon us, and keeps falling out of our hair, clothes, bags and most body cavities!

Alas, come Friday it was time for Robyn to leave us. More babies to be delivered. We went into town for a bit of retail therapy, at the new Myer Centre, which is quite a transformation. A nice lunch in one of the alleyway cafes, that are so Melbourne, and it was time to drop Robyn off at the bus depot for the trip to the airport. This is where the bus broke down! But Robyn still made her flight, and we had a happy ending.

Saturday and Sunday have been lazy days, with cold and wet weather not enticing us out. So all that is left to say is HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mums, and Jenny & Dave, have a wonderful and safe holiday in Europe.