Relaxing in Jamieson....

After spending last weekend at home checking Fred Williams Infinite Horizons at the Ian Potter Centre we decided it was time to have a little break at one of our favorite places and so we headed off on Friday night to Jamieson.  We arrived very late but Angie and Freddy still invited us in for a cuppa before giving us the key to Azalea Cottage.  It was lovely to see them again and hear their news of the past year.  I can't believe it's been that long since we were here last time.

Once inside we lit the fire and didn't turn off the heater until the flames had well and truly taken over.  The fire then burned all weekend until we left on Sunday morning and we enjoyed waking up to our cozy warm lounge room each morning.

We had a slow start to Saturday morning before taking a drive along the Licola Rd to check out some of the local camping areas.  We found that these were all closed for winter but still enjoyed our drive.  We passed dozens of 4 wheel drives during the morning and decided that there was obviously a rally on so we stayed out of their way.  

Leaving the bush bashers to their fun we drove on to Kinloch Winery were we spent a couple of hours relaxing with a wonderful lunch and a glass of Pinot beside their fire.  And we left with another 8 bottles to add to the wine rack.  

We drove back to our cottage taking a scenic route and enjoyed seeing the snow capped Mount Buller across the fields.  Once home we had a wander down to the river before deciding that the warm fireside was the place to be.  Driving into town for dinner we discovered that all the 4 wheel drivers seemed to have met at the pub so we kept on driving the 5 kms round to the Jamieson Brewery where we had a yummy dinner beside their fire. Seemed to be the theme for the weekend and soon after we were back in front of ours for the rest of the evening.

It was hard to leave on Sunday morning but we were on our way by 11.00 and stopped in Mansfield for morning tea at the bakery.  Our next stop was Yea bakery for lunch where we had a pie and a piece of their yummy Blood Plum slice.  While I don't think a bakery crawl is as dangerous as a pub crawl when you are driving I can tell you it is not any good at all for the waistline.

A little further on we came across the sign for Kerrisdale Mountain Railway and so this time decided that as it was a nice day we would stop and have a look at it.  What a little gem we found.  The Kerrisdale Mountain Railway is a unique railway built to two foot gauge on a zig zag formation.  So that it can reach the maximum height on the property in the shortest distance there are steep grades and tight curves making the ride up to Summit Station a spectacular event.  

The Railway and Museum have been put together by eager volunteers over a fifteen year period and started out as a hobby that is now open to the public.  There are a number of little carriages, with 'George' being named for one of the men whose dream it was to 'tinker with trains'.  The museum is full of early steam engines and boilers and you could easily loose a few hours in here.  

Outside the views over the King Parrot Creek Valley are wonderful and looking further out you can make out Mt Buffalo in the distance.  Our train driver was full of interesting facts about the early explorers coming across the ranges from NSW looking for Western Port Bay and thinking they had found it when they got to the You Yangs.  

There are more relics from life in the Goldfields when you reach Summit Station.  We are so glad we stopped and saw this wonderful little bit of Victoria.  Certainly worth a visit from anyone who has ever liked travelling on a train.  Check it out on the website to find out about all the great stuff there.  Once we arrived back at 'Bottom Point' station we said goodbye to our engine driver and headed for home.

With another weekend over it was time to head back to work for another week.  Still very cold in Melbourne but Bill was able to escape for a while as he headed north to the Sunshine Coast for a few days work.  He arrived back home on Friday night just in time for another chilly weekend, this one spent catching up with family and friends.

On Saturday night we joined everyone at Faye's place to celebrate Maree's birthday.  We had a great night and it was good see you all again.  Sunday lunch was next on the agenda and we enjoyed a fun few hours with Astrid, Hans and Travers at the Blue Room in South Melbourne.   A nice relaxing weekend all round.

And so now it's time to think about what to pack for our next adventure - we are off to Perth next week to celebrate Taegan and Gareth's wedding.  We are so looking forward to the big day but more about that next time.

Until then.......