Le Tour Charity Dinner

Great charity dinner presented by The Footmen featuring Scott McGory. Scott won a Bronze Medal in 1988, and Gold in 2000 - The Sydney Olympics. He was very generous and passed both medals around the crowd.

He spoke very well about his Olympic career and previewed the upcoming Tour de France. Trent Lowe joined him for an impressive and very interesting insight into what's ahead. Go Cadel!!!

Sunday 17th June 2012 - back to reality

It rained all night but Cathy still ventured out in the drizzle to do her 10km training run. It is just 4 weeks to Run Melbourne and you can sponsor the Monash Childrens team via this link.

Monash Children's

After another delicious breakfast, it was time to pack the Troopy and head back to Melbourne. Plans to pop in on the Dawsons in Kangaroo Ground on the way home were deferred when we couldn't contact them to confirm, but Cathy got out to visit Jenny, Joel and Brianna for afternoon tea.

It has been a wonderful week off, but as someone wise once said,

"Pleasures have to have a beginning and an end or they become routine".

Saturday 16th June - Eating the zoo

David began with 3 lattes at breakfast - amazing the poor waitress! It was a day to laze around in beautiful surroundings. We chatted on Skype with Phil and Sandy in Mexico. A glorious sunny morning turned into a wet and drizzly afternoon so planned bike rides and running were deferred, but we did manage a country drive.

We cleaned up in the spa prior to our special degustation dinner in the evening. With 9 courses and matched wines we felt like we ate our way through the zoo - quail, sashimi, pheasant, pork, eel, chicken, scallop, rabbit and duck - not to mention the marshmallow lemon curd and quince sweets to finish on.

Friday 15th June - A therapeutic day

Waking up in Daylesford, Cathy enjoyed a couple of laps around the Daylesford Lake whilst David kept watch from our waterfront suite. Having worked up an appetite for breakfast, we enjoyed our Eggs Benedict and other goodies.

Retail therapy was the first activity of the day. There were so many galleries and shops to look through. David settled on a new pair of boots and Cathy a woollen hat.

The Pamper package for two was the next therapeutic experience to indulge in and left us feeling pleased that we were having a simple supper delivered to our room for the evening. We did venture back to the lounge after dinner for another snooker challenge. David continues to have the upper hand but Cathy never gives up.

Thursday 14th June - Moving on

All set for another day of exercise (running and cycling) we woke up to RAIN!!! We packed up in the rain, paid the bill in the rain, drove in the rain and met up with Mum and Dad for coffee in Stawell - where it was still raining.

We took a tour through Seppelts underground cellars in Great Western and learned all about champagne and sparkling shiraz. We emerged to more rain. We tried to follow the back roads - just like Jess would have directed Andy down - but came to a wire fence and had to turn back. Mid afternoon we arrived in Daylesford and settled in to our Lake House suite. David still has the upperhand in Snooker but Cathy plans to practice more over the weekend.

Wednesday 13th June - Better do some bushwalking

It's our last day in the Grampians and we haven't been bushwalking yet so we hit the tracks. The Pinnacles walk involved scrambling over rocks and lots of climbing on the way up. That meant "jelly legs" on the way down. It was well worth the walk but freezing out on the viewing platform so we quickly took shelter out of the breeze. on the way down, Cathy added to her collection of wildflower photos - decided she needs to publish a book of holiday flowers!

Silverband Falls was the next stop for a much easier walk along a flood ravaged pathway.

We checked out the cafe scene in Halls Gap before heading home to laze in front of the open fire, watch sunset from the spa and indulge in a good red wine.

Tuesday 12th June - Cycle to Lunch in Dunkeld

Deena and Gus got out their Good Food guide last week to make sure we knew to go to the Royal Mail Hotel for a meal whilst in the Grampians. David rode his bike 70km to Dunkeld and Cathy followed in the Troopy. The meal was superb - such exquisite flavours and beautifully presented.

David got back on his bike after lunch and cycled home. Cathy drove back the Victoria Valley scenic route and stopped to take photos for dad to paint. When she got "home", she decided to get on the bike and cycle out to meet David. As she pedalled toward Halls Gap, she saw a bicycle headlight in the distance; but alas it was a cyclist in a yellow jacket, not her hubby in the red jacket. A little further on, a car pulled over on the other side of the road and reversed back. Her heart sank as she saw the man in the back seat in a red jacket did not wave - "must be a broken arm" she thought as she slowed down. Worse still, it was the front seat passenger who stepped out - to take a photo! It wasn't much further until she heard the phone ring as David arrived in Halls Gap to drink Coke and eat a killer python! We met up and cycled home giggling all the way.

Monday 11th June - a day of Rest and Relaxation

The day began with a relaxing massage. Of course that could only be followed by a herbal tea. We chose to take our tea out in the sunshine. And the rest of the day was spent reading and talking - out in the sun. A magnificent day. We topped it off with a nature walk around Boroka Downs with Neil before opening another bottle of Sparkling Shiraz. A gourmet dinner hamper came to our room ready to cook up - delicious!

June 9-10th Halls Gap Holiday adventures

We checked into Boroka Downs retreat late yesterday afternoon and feel like every need has been provided for. Our day began early yesterday packing our gear into the Troopy. We stopped off in Fitzroy to visit Deena and Gus and finally meet Ayesha, their 4 month old bundle of smiles. We headed out of the Melbourne fog and pulled off the highway in Ballan for a delicious lunch at The Mill Cafe. Arriving in Boroka Downs, Bob and Stephanie ensured we were settled in comfortably. So much so that we slept in until 9am this morning - unheard of for Cathy. She still set off for a run - but trail running is tricky and she had to walk in places as it was so sandy and uneven. There were so many choices for breakfast that we had the bacon and eggs fry up for brunch and left Pancakes for dinner!

We boarded our bicycles and raced down the gravel driveway to the main road. First stop was the Halls Gap zoo. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering around seeing bison, deer, koalas and kangaroos as well as our favorites - the Tasmanian Devil, baby pygmy marmosets and ostriches. We even saw animals we'd never encountered before such as the Himalayan Tahr.

After all that excitement, we cycled another 1km down the road to the Gap Winery for our VIP tasting. Again, we were treated to attentive service and chose some new favorite wines - Cathy loved the Sparkling Shiraz and David loved seeing her try to ride her bike afterwards!

Then of course we had to rinse off in a spa whilst watching the kangaroos graze outside our windows. Looking forward to spending our week here.