Day 6 (Margaret River)

Day 6 in Margaret River

0700 - 0900: Tired of driving around aimlessly and after the wonderful dinner recommendation, we decided to take up Sharon's recommendation regarding a local tour conducted by Mr Neil Mcleod who was also a resident in town. Nothing like being shown the locals by a local i suppose, and honestly, after such a wonderful time, i'm convinced things can only get better in this lovely country. So we signed up for it and had plenty of time to relax in the morning before traveling out of our motel.

Margaret River with Neil Mcleod: Winery, gallery and brewery tour @ AUD 85 per head including lunch.

To put it simply, this tour turned out to be one of the best choices i've made this holiday. And its worth every dollar. Neil is an excellent tourguide who's generous, kind and very funny.

Paul Rigby's Place

Very Friendly Mutt

Peacock and Peahens

0900 - 1000: Our first stop took us to the famous Paul Rigby's house. Now i would never have planned to visit a famous cartoonists place if not for the tour. And honestly, it was a humbling and liberating experience.
How so? Well, Paul Rigby has already left the world as it is and his work endures on. Talk to anyone about the little boy and the dog hidden in cartoons and you'll get people scrutinizing hilarious cartoons just to find them. He was famous and people remember him for good reason.
The peacocks and peahens are a symbol of his life as his wife tells us. On the week before he died, he dreamt of peacocks and completed his last work. Which was that of an European peacock. After his death, 2 peahens strode into the premises and simply stayed there. Till now, as the pictures above shows, the peacocks and peahens continue to rest and protect the place. Its a humbling experience. And a wonderful one.
Our next 2 stops took us to our first actual winery experience at Leeuwin estate and Brown hill vineyards.

Greenery

Beautiful Place

King of Wines

Leeuwin Estate Restaurant

Gallery

Cellar

1000 - 1200: Wine wine wine! Who doesn't love good wine? Well, i'm not a wine connoisseur but i do like refreshing tasting beverages. To visit a place that they are made, however, is something totally new to me. Leeuwin Estate vineyards was our first stop and honestly, it was glorious.
The winery itself is huge and tastefully done up with a chic and relaxing ambiance. Simply looking at the beautiful building and its difficult not to feel drawn into a different era of enjoyment and comfort.
However, thats not all, the whole idea of visiting vineyards is so that you can taste their wines. And like a typical Singaporean, i'm glad to report that wine tasting is totally FREE. Basically, you get a glass of their wines, taste it, and if you like it, buy it. If not, thats no problem. Now, that is excellent stuff.

Vineyards after they are picked clean

Brown Hill Vineyards

Moving on from Leeuwin Estate, we visited the second winery where we had another 7 different wines to taste. Now, this is where i bought a bottle of wine.
Brown Hill vineyards is less known then Leeuwin mostly because its not exported. The wine stays in Australia and basically doesn't leave the country. Which is a shame because they do have some pretty refreshing whites.
The wine i bought was an elegantly named Autumn Mist. Its a nice sweet white which is derived from a late harvest which gives it a nice sweet tang. Costing only AUD 18, its a steal if you ask me.

Moo moo!

Cowaramup Brewery

Interior and view

1200 - 1300: Next up, lunch. By this time, everyone was a little tipsy from the sudden huge influx of alcohol and were already laughing hysterically for no apparent reason. (Alcohol is a wonderful thing isn't it?) So we were pleasantly delighted by our next destination which promised even more alcohol but this time, in the form of beer.
Cowaramup brewery is a local microbrewery specialising in a selection of beer, or ale if you prefer. However, they also serve food which, as it turns out, to be rather good as well.

Beer Choices

Counter

The Taste Platter

Grilled chicken with ham and chips

Fish and Chips

Lunch was a simple and joyous affair, mostly because the food was good and the environment was extremely comfortable. However, its also because of the wonderful group of people in the tour and our kind tour guide. Which basically means, it was an excellent tour all around. No complaints from me.
The beers was an additional order from myself and thus, cost about AUD10. Do not be deceived, the sampling portions were generous. Still, out of the 5 beers, i only took to the Hefeweizen which is more or less a smoother and sweeter version of Singapore's Tiger beer. Food was good as well, being included in the tour. Portion size was adequate and since we're already stocked up on alcohol, it really didn't matter. The chicken and ham was good. Fragrant and succulently soft, its difficult not to like. The fish was a little less tasty but mostly because it was cooked with a lighter taste palatte in mind. Wedges were great though. Not too oily, hot and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. I think its rather difficult to find an equivalent in Singapore actually. Surprising how something so simple can taste so different.

Front Door

The restaurant

Parting Glimpse of the Brewery

After a nice lunch and wonderful conversation with our fellow mates on the tour, we left the brewery for yet more wine! I don't think i'll ever get sick of wine tasting but this is complete indulgence. Bring it on!

Picture Perfect Scenery

Lost Plot Winery

1300-1345: Lost plot winery is yet another wine you'd be hard pressed to find overseas. The host and owner of the winery is quite a character as well. Funny and arrogant, he can certainly set tempers flaring if you're not in a humourous frame of mind. However, it was alright with one exception when he tried to sell his son to my gf and asking her to reconsider. I took it in good humour though. The wine here belongs to the dry category which basically means, it wasn't my type.

Margaret River Chocolate Factory

Ho ho, wild turkeys! (or was it game hens?)

Its full of people in here

I can't say i wasn't tempted

So much to choose so little time

1345 - 1445: Chocolates was our next stop and honestly, the indulgence here is incredible. The factory was a nice modest affair with a small viewing gallery showing the process of chocolate creation. The draw of the place is the free chocolate for tasting which we took in abundance. We also ended up buying the most chocolates from the place. Spending about AUD 50 - 60 on chocolates is something i pretty much don't do but this place was an exception. And i'm glad i did as well as the chocolates were smooth and had just the right amount of sweetness and bitterness.

The lake before the estate

The Lenton Brae Estate

Beautiful Surroundings

Lenton Brae Estate

Cute Dog

Passion for Wines

1445-1530: Our last winery visit for the day brought us to yet another picturesque and peaceful place for yet more wine and indulgence. Another winery that you'll have difficulty finding anywhere else in the world. Lenton Brae estate wines have character and as usual, i only liked the sweet whites. Margaret River wines somehow got me addicted to it and even now, i'm still looking for their wines.

Olio Bello Olive Oils

Olio Bello

Venison Farm

1530-1700: Olio Bello and MR venison are our last stops of the day before we conclude the tour. To me, these are the least exciting places but its really interesting. I never knew they could have so many flavors for olive oil and that venison can be cured in so many ways to make it so tasty. Still entertaining, still worthwhile to be in the tour. (Or maybe its just that i've had too much wine and beer to feel anything else except happy?)

Beautiful Place

The River Sea Intersection

Margaret River

Margaret River

The Setting Sun

The Coast

1700-1800: The tour actually concludes after the venison but Neil decided to give us a slight bonus by showing us why MR is called MR in the first place. The above are the shots of the insection between Margaret River and the sea which gave the town its name. In the picture of the blazing sun is a splash of water which indicates a whale spraying water and breaking the surface. The one thing about it all is how beautiful everything is, its simply amazing how close the sky is from the sea when you are standing there. The slow rolling waves, gentle sea breeze, beautiful greenery and the wonderful company just constantly reminds you, life is beautiful.
Many thanks to Neil for the tour and the insightful commentaries on the town. MR is a great place to visit and i heartily recommend it.

Brown Hill Autumn Mist (AUD 18)

Brown Hill Late Harvest

The late harvest from Brown Hill is sweet, light and refreshing. Aptly named as Autumn Mist, its a light white with strong citrus flavors and plenty of taste. We finished this in a day.

Back in our favorite restaurant

The Cosy Interiors

1900 - 2100: Being our last night in MR before we leave for Singapore the next day, it was only right to visit the restaurant that caught our tastebuds the night before. And so we did and it was much better then the previous night too.

Wild Rice with Prawns and Salad (AUD 20 - 25)

My gf was feeling rather full and thus, she ordered the wild rice with prawns and salad. Again, the sauce was delicious and prawns came in abundance, 10 fresh, succulent and utterly huge prawns round up the meal for a decadent experience.

Reef And Beef (AUD 25 - 30)

Closer Look

My order, was the reef and beef which i've been eyeing the day before and it was glorious! Thick, juicy and absolutely delicious steak done medium rare atop a bed of potato gratin and greens with shrimp and scallop on top. The pictures here belie the wonderful taste it exudes and value it creates. In my opinion, this is priceless. I could go for seconds of this if my stomach wasn't so full after it. The taste is unreal. I highly recommend anyone in the vicinity to have this if they life beef and seafood. Absolutely glorious.

Margaret River Chocolate

Back in the motel, we had more wine, some delicious chocolates and a nice movie before retiring for the day. And thus ends the last day of our tour in MR and Australia.

Reflections on Day 6: It was a wonderful day. I enjoyed not having to drive and following the commentaries of Neil and my fellow tour mates. Everyone was happy, helpful and enthusiatic about the things we were doing. The day started wonderfully and ended on a perfect note as well. Its simply one of those days where one feels it should go on forever. Loved this day to bits.

Day 7: MR back to Perth

All good things must come to anend and soon. It was time for me to say goodbye to MR and return to Perth for our trip back to Singapore. This last day, we didn't really get to do much since much of it was spent on the trip back to town to return our vehicle and to get a ride to the airport. All in all, the food at the airport was the first bad food we had in Australia and doesn't serve to marr the experience too much.

Conclusion: I'll come back to Australia for sure. No qualms or 2 ways about it. The food is excellent, the people are great, the service is wonderful, the weather and locations are glorious and the wine is dirt cheap. How can i not return? However, i'll take a different flgiht the next time and will put myself up as i go along to ensure i get the best deals. In the end, i'd say to everyone to go visit the country. Its worth every dollar. Cheers and take care.