Jack Rabbit Winery

There are a number of Bellarine peninsular wineries, but Jack Rabbit was particularly recommended (and it was one of the very few, if not the only one, that was open on the day we had available).   We had lunch in the cafe, although there's also a restaurant (which looks fairly classy) in a separate building.   The cafe has a great outlook over Corio Bay, with a view of the You Yangs and even Melbourne.   The day was warm and calm, which meant that we were able to take full advantage of the deck.

 

    
The food was good, too.   I had a burger and Sue had the lamb souvaki, which were both stylishly presented.  Service was friendly enough, and the pinot noir was very acceptable.

Nick's

Nick's wine merchants offers an interesting range of wines, all described in their glossy newsletters in glowing terms.  Sometimes one is almost tempted to buy the wine on the description alone!   So we were a little disappointed when Nick's closed their Armadale outlet and consolidated operations at their Doncaster headquarters.    The shop they previously occupied remains just an empty shell.

But, do they really Armadale shoppers  to venture to Doncaster?  I suppose that their GPS would enable them to find it, but seriously....???

All has not been lost, however, because Nick's returned on a wet Saturday to provide a wine tasting in a nearby restaurant.   We went along, as did quite a few other people, some of who appeared to be there just for the freebie!   Notwithstanding the over-the-top descriptions in the newsletter, we decided that we couldn't bring ourselves to order a dozen of anything on offer (a dozen being the minimum quantity to qualify for free delivery). 

A wine enthusiast?

Luke Slattery, in his column in the Australian a little while back, said -

"I am not, I like to think, a heavy drinker.   I am, rather, an enthusiastic one".

Must remember this description next time my doctor questions me about my consumption of alcohol!

Jones Winery

On our way home, we diverted via Rutherglen.  We had a really nice lunch at Jones Winery - this is a smaller winery, and is apparently still in the family.  I'm almost certain that this is the winery I remember visiting some decades ago, when a group of us discussed the wines with the winemaker over a wooden counter at the back of a winery building that seemed to have started life as a cowshed.  The descriptions in the dining area of the various family members over the years  - and the dairy connection - seemed entirely consistent with my recollection.
The "country" style is still maintained, but the food was good.     We also enjoyed the 2009 shiraz!

Jones

In the interests of time, we didn't check out any other wineries, but instead had a coffee in town followed by a browse through the very well-organised and stocked second-hand bookshop.

Rutherglen

Penguin Market and Ghost Rock winery

Sunday 11 December - After a leisurely breakfast we set out for Penguin, in search of the Sunday market. Although Penguin is over 50 kms away, we made good time because, once we hit the main highway, it was dual carriageway the whole way with a 110 kph speed limit for the most part. The market was quite good, complete with a country and western band in the market square. The music seemed to be in line with the locals' taste.

Penguin certainly trades on its name – see the image below.

We were on our way back to our accommodation (via the coastal route to Ulverstone, which runs literally next to the sea) by mid-afternoon, so had time to stop in at the nearby Ghost Rock winery. We sat on the deck and enjoyed a glass of the local wine overlooking the vines with Bass Strait in the distance.

Dinner was less formal than the previous night, at the local golf club. However, it was perfectly adequate.

We're the only guests at Hawley House tonight, and chanced on the operators on our return. Hawley House is larger than a B&B, but when you're the only guests, B&B etiquette prevails. This involves reporting on what one has had done during the day and providing feedback on the recommendations that have been provided to you in the morning (in our case, the visit to Penguin Market).

View from Ghost Rock winery

         

Bendigo/Heathcote

A couple of weeks back, we had an overnight stay to Bendigo (girls’ trip to the White Wedding Dress exhibition, which I’m told was impressive).  I had a look at the Bendigo gallery, which isn’t large, but it does have a number of nice works.    We also visited the Chinese museum, which seemed to  pretty honest  in its description of history.   And they have several dragons there, for use in the Easter parade – well, the big new one is, the older one has been pensioned off.  On the way back from Bendigo we checked out some of the Heathcote wines and had a nice platter for lunch at the Shelmerdine winery (at Tooborac) - recommended.  However, I didn't take any pictures.