West Gippsland charm.....

During the weekend after our trip to Perth we had a little taste of spring as the sun shone for a few days.  We decided that it was time to get the van out of storage and head out for a weekend somewhere in the great outdoors.  We were tossing up whether we would just do a quick run up to Linton and spend the weekend at the bird sanctuary or pop up to Daylesford instead.

As the weekend approached the winter weather returned with a vengeance  and the forecast for the both these places was for the possibility of snow and minus overnight temperatures.  I decided that while I might be crazy enough to camp in the rain, I was drawing the line at snow under canvas.  I know, where was my spirit of adventure!  And so with that idea out the window I turned my attention to wotif and discovered a delightful little B and B in Nilma North.

Springbank is just as beautiful as the website claims.  A charming and elegant homestead circa 1892, the Victorian style weatherboard house has seen many additions but still retains it character.  The two rooms in the main house are Evison and Batema, named after early pioneers.  While both sounded lovely we chose the Batema suite with its full en suite and separate sitting room and were thoroughly spoilt with an open fire, chocolates and port to stave off the winter chill after our day of exploring.  A separate cottage has been converted from the original 'cream room' of the dairy complex and this provides self contained accommodation.

We arrived late on Friday night after first stopping for dinner at the Darnum pub.  The steak was good, the pub very rustic and Bill enjoyed the huge open fire to warm up before we ventured back out into the cold cold night.  Nilma North was only 10 mins away and soon we we knocking on the door and meeting our hostess, Kaye.  She made us feel very welcome and left us to settle in but only after making us a coffee with a slice of delicious homemade cake.  Soon after we were climbing into the beautiful old iron bed where we slept like logs in the beautiful quiet country property.

The next morning we joined Springbanks other guests at breakfast and it was here that we were blown away not only by the beautiful views but by Kaye and Chris and their amazing breakfast.  Bed and Breakfast while usually quite yummy mostly offer a fairly predictable menu.  The website says breakfast is a treat and we can certainly tell you what a very special treat it is.  The jewel in the crown so to speak.  Prepared by Kaye and served by Chris we were treated to cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt and juice before being presented with Kaye's famous baked pears served with a caramel sauce.  They were delicious and well worth a visit just to try them!  And still there was toast and pastries to have with the coffee.  Not for me, I couldn't fit any more in.

We spent a very enjoyable hour or so over breakfast with Kaye, Chris and the other guests Julie and Ivan.  Normally we would not advertise who we met along the way but this counts as a free plug as Julie and Ivan own and operate Munns Lawn and grass seed.  Julie is the third generation to continue the business started by her Grandfather and they were here doing a training run across Gippsland.  As many of her clients are the same as Bills they found they knew a lot of people in common and breakfast was a very friendly and fun affair and I'm sure none of us will ever forget their parting words as they left a little later - 'sit your arse on Munns grass'.  

We too left soon after for a day of exploring.  Returning later that afternoon we spent an hour or so in our lovely little sitting room with the fire keeping us warm before driving just 15 mins away to the Yarragon Hotel were we had dinner on Saturday night.  Another country pub with lots of country atmosphere and a delicious though huge dinner.  We couldn't eat it all.  Chris had kept the fire burning while we were out and so we came home to a warm cozy corner and spent a lovely evening reviewing our days adventure before climbing into our comfy iron bed once again.

With no other guests for breakfast the next morning we were spoilt again this time with Kaye's crepes with blueberries.  These too were delicious and once again there was no room left for toast or pastries.  Again Kaye and Chris made us feel so welcome and it was almost two hours later when we thought we had better pack our bags and leave our wonderful hosts in peace.  We had enjoyed our stay so much and if anyone needs a special place to stay in West Gippsland you have found it right here at Springbank.

And so I'll leave it here and be back soon to tell you all about our adventures in the surrounding area soon.

Until then........