Travel Diary - part 2

And so on to the next part of our adventure .....

We left our hotel this morning (Sunday) for a 10 minute walk down to jetty 3 to embark on our

Swan River Wine Cruise.  Our captain gave a very good commentary pointing out various landmarks along the river and slowed down when we saw some bottlenosed dolphins frolicking next to the boat, including a young one.  

She pointed out 'mum, dad and the kids' going for a paddle

 (ducks, that is, and the baby ones were like little fluff balls).

It was lovely to see so much parkland on both sides of the river, mostly accessible by paths and roads, and lots of people enjoying fishing or bike riding or just sitting enjoying the quiet.

There are homes along the river as well, but not too many.

Of course as this was a 'wine cruise' we got to sample a number of different whites and reds, along with a cheese & biscuit platter each.

We arrived at Sandelford's Winery for a guided tour on how the wines are made and matured, followed by a lovely lunch, which included more wine to sample and a glass of our choice.  By the time we left and got back on the boat I felt I wouldn't need to eat for another week! 

 Some very old vines in the garden of the winery

On the way back, the bar was open for yet more wine 

or a cup of tea or coffee along with cake.

One of the crew members decided we were all too quiet, so put some music on and entertained us very nicely by his singing, only finishing as we arrived back at the jetty to disembark.

After a good night's sleep, we were picked up at the hotel at 7.20am for our 4 day tour of the south west region of the state.  Our first stop was morning tea at Bunbury where we enjoyed watching dolphins playing in the bay.   From there we followed the coast south through Busselton past vineyards, market gardens and farms, stopping at the Bootleg Brewery for lunch, where we got to sample some beer.  I don't particularly like beer but decided to try some anyway, and was surprised that the first couple I tried actually weren't too bad.  They also made a cider which was quite nice.

After lunch we visited another winery which just happened to be Sandelford's Winery!  Most of their grapes are grown here in the Margaret River region and transported to the Swan River winery for processing and making into wine.

Down the road we stopped at the Margaret River Chocolate Co. which smelled absolutely divine ..... mmmm, and around the corner the Providore shop to sample jams, sauces, relishes ... so yummy!

We continued from there along the coast stopping at Canal Rocks for a cuppa and wander around before making our way back to Busselton for our overnight stay.

Canal Rocks

 

Busselton is known for its 1.8km pier.  A couple of people on our coach walked all the way to the end but most only went a short distance along.  From here we watched the sun set over the Indian Ocean.  Perfect end to a lovely day!

Busselton Pier

Hope you are enjoying my travel diary - if so, join me again tomorrow as the adventure continues.

See you soon!