In the car and off down the highway to Margaret River which is the wine and food centre of the area.
We have found a place to stay and head into town for a wander. The headed down to the coast to Surfer's Beach to watch the sunset across the beach.
There is a great restaurant (as mentioned in Lonely Planet) called Wino's which just happens to be right by our hotel. We headed there for dinner which consisted of crispy squid (Matthew had 2 lots!), rocket salad with walnuts, pears and gruyere cheese, pappardalle pasta with broad beans, pancetta, basil, garlic and a hint of chilli. Now I had some brie made from goats milk served with sliced pear and crispy crostini and it was the best brie I have ever tasted this was accompanied by a Leeuwin Estate 'Art Series' Riesling 09 - fantastic!!! We finished off with very small doughnuts with a dipping chocolate sauce. I should mention at this point that the theme of the restaurant is small dishes to be shared so we weren't too piggy here - but it was lovely!
We went to Lake Cave which is located nearby. After lots of steps down into a doline (collapsed cave) we then headed into the cave which was amazing to see the stalagmites and stalactites and the suspended table about the lake. The pictures didn't really capture it that well though. We then had a drive down the coast calling in at Hamelin Bay and saw another stingray just swimming along the shore.
Our trip here wouldn't be complete without a tour of a winery (Cape Mentelle which turns out to be owned by Louis Vuitton Group) (more to my liking than Matthew's!) but it was very interesting to see what goes into the process of getting the grapes into the bottle. In the final room we visited there were 300 barrels which each contained 200 bottles worth of wine which would be worth Aus$100 per bottle - you do the math - that's a lot of money in there! (its $6 million to save you worrying!!)
Got to see some amazing plants at the gardens and maze in town - managed to find our way in and out without getting too lost!
OMG that food sounds to die for! My mouth is watering at the thought! xx
ReplyDeleteSounds like your Margaret River Accommodation
ReplyDeletewas in a good location for Winos and you got to see some of Margaret Rivers best attractions. Winos is great and the Leeuwin Art Series Riesling in one of my favourites, amazing with Oysters. Thanks for sharing and hope you come back again. That sunset at Surfers Point only gets better and better.
Benji - http://margaretriverguide.com.au