We just had a lovely break on the Mornington Peninsula; staying high on the hill in Dromana, within a hop skip and a jump from the wonderful Red Hill area. We indulged ourselves a couple of days and meandered around the area calling into wineries and food places along the way. We really enjoyed ourselves at Ten Minutes by Tractor winery where a helpful young man took much time in explaining wines to our 21 year old son, Marcus (who we are trying to educate away from mixed drinks and beer to wine!). The young man in question created a friendly and non-threatening environment for Marcus to feel comfortable in asking a range of questions on wine – it was very pleasant indeed!
We also tried some delicious cheeses on the balcony at Red Hill Cheese, where they have quite a lovely system set up to try the cheeses using a tick off sheet with all the cheese names clearly listed so you don’t forget as you go along. Staff there explain the types of cheeses and how they are made before letting you loose on them, another great experience! The setting on the balcony amongst the tall forests surrounding the homestead is just delightful.
Stawberries too were on the menu. We left Sunny Ridge Stawberry Farm armed with mountains of the sweetest, plumpest strawberries I have eaten in ages and I must admit to also buying a jar of their chocolate dipping sauce which accompanied our stawberries later that night – wicked but wonderful!
On one of our day trips we also stopped off for lunch at The Long Table in Red Hill South who specialize in regional seasonal produce and Peninsula wines. The food was exquisite and the wines superb; coupled with an inviting ambience it too was worth the visit. Actually we also came out of there armed with some local produce; the Leontyna extra virgin olive oil they served with the bread was so stunning we had to ask what it was and bought some, I highly recommend you find some!
Another day saw us having a light lunch at Stillwater at Crittenden’s winery which is set on a small lake on the property; the perfect place for lunch under the umbrellas out on the lawn on a nice day. Their little local produce shop also saw us walking away with armfuls of goodies.
The break ended all too quickly but with its easing driving distance to Melbourne we’ll surely go back again and again; for those of you heading down that way pop in to the Dromana Visitor Information Centre for all the food and wine maps and have yourselves a wonderfully wicked time.
Cheers for now, Pauline
Rostrata Country House in Central Victoria offers a home away from home in the country. Visitors can feed the animals, pat the ponies, bike ride, and in the nearby area fish, bird-watch, hike or gold-fossick to name a few activities. Dot and Colin are happy to share their farming experiences with you too!