Woke up to total quiet. The solitude is so refreshing. A fog lay over the scenery.

After breakfast at the D’VE, we headed off to the Healesville Sanctuary, one of the big 3 zoos in Victoria. It is such a great place to visit. And being the end of the school year, the place was full of running and screaming children. 😦  I’m sure I was exactly the same. We went into the parrots cage and were offered the opportunity to feed the birds. We both had a go, herewith a photo of Chris and a green bird of some description.

After the Sanctuary, we headed over to Punt Road winery for tasting. As the driver I utilised the spitoon, and I must say the wines were crisp and fruity (whites) and blackcurrent and peppery (reds). We then headed off to Napolean next door for some beer and cider sampling – Chris had 4 beers and I had 4 ciders, see the cider tasting paddle below.

We then walked all of 3 metres from the Napolean bar to the Meletos restaurant. Having learnt a little from last night, I had two entrees. The roasted baby beetroot salad was very flavoursome, and the chicken liver parfait (entree as main) was smooth and creamy. I have decided I will try growing baby beetroot next season in Karratha. I think if I set aside 2 garden raisers for that, I can try taking them out at different stages to work out the best time to pick them.

On the way back to the D’VE, we stopped at the Yarra Valley Chocolateire. I was a little concerned on the way in that there were 3 big coaches out the front (like the 9 or 10 at the Sanctuary) so hoped it wasn’t full of kids. Luckily, the buses were for seniors. I am considering moving here to retire so that my tours from the old folks home are to wineries and chocolate manufacturers. There are also pokies in every town but I can happily give them a miss.

Anyway, when I got inside, it was like heaven. There were so may flavours, types  and mixes of chocolate. And there was an icecreamery! Sheer heaven. So I bought some truffles and an icecream – buttermilk flavour. Was better than the ones I made myself. Unfortunately, I stared at the below stand for a good 5 minutes weighing the options up in my mind, before deciding maybe I just could not get through this chocolate bar in a reasonable time. Plus I didn’t thin my system would be able to handle the amount of sugar in one hit. So I took a photo instead.

Afterwards, we headed back to the D’VE and I had a good couple of hours laying on my bed and reading a book to let all the food settle. Then we headed off to the Dixon Creek Cafe Bar and Grill for  $20 Steak and Ribs Night. Chris had the Steak, I had the Ribs. They were soft inside with a crispy shell/skin, with a tasty honey BBQ sauce. Now back to base and rest in preparation for another day of wineries tomorrow!

As I head to bed, the sun is going down, the birds are chirping, and I wonder why I didn’t try this years ago. Will definitely have to hit up my friends Rob and Donna to go back to their farmstay in Mount Barker next winter.