Grapes, Vines and All Things Wine: Mt. Tambourine

With a treasure trove of wineries nestled in the green countryside so close to Brisbane, we couldn’t resist a visit to the picturesque Tambourine Mountain.  

 

Mt. Tambourine Distillery

 

Our first stop was somewhere a little different: Mt. Tambourine Distillery. A kitsch wooden cabin, stacked high with tantalising flavoured vodkas, whiskeys and liqueurs in mysterious medicinal-style glass bottles. It was like entering Santa’s grotto for adults! Greeted with a lemongrass vodka shot at 10am definitely woke me up ready for the day ahead, za zda-ro-vye!

The Grotto

 

We made our way to the wineries next. First up was the much anticipated, award winning Witch’s Falls. We had already been lucky enough to receive a bottle as a gift from friends, which had been delicious, so we couldn’t wait to try more. Winding our way through the vines in the garden, we indulged in numerous tastings, before purchasing a bottle of the woody, buttery Viognier. I can’t wait to pair this with some seafood.

 

Witch's Falls Winery

Fill it up!

 

Lunch was enjoyed at Mason wines, al fresco amongst the vines and the chatter of tropical parrots, overlooking the mountains. Wine tasting here was in an amazing room stacked high with hundreds of wine bottles, adding a vintage feel to the experience.

Mason Wines

Lining the stomach

 

The next winery was Cedar Creek, where you simply chose ‘Sweet or Dry?’ for each tasting, before enjoying a chocolate ‘Baileys’ style liqueur for ‘dessert’. *Hic* In high spirits, we made our final stop at Mt. tambourine Brewery and Cheese Factory; gorging on delicious cheese and supping local brews whilst enjoying live music. A great way to end the day!

Cheers!

 

 

Feeling slightly weary the morning after, we blew away the cobwebs by going for a walk around D’Aguilar National Park. We relished the cool, fresh air as we strolled around the lake, scattered with beautiful yellow water lilies.

D'Aguilar National Park

 

However, the temperature and humidity soon started to soar, so we ducked into the forest café for coffee and cake as wallabies hopped past.

 

Now to fire up the barbie and crack open the Viognier…

Oz versus UK: Things I'll Miss....

With less than a month left working down under, it’s got me thinking what I’ll miss about Oz when I leave and what I’ve missed about the UK…

Aussie Sunset

Things I’ll miss about Oz

• The fact that every day that I’m not on work, I’m ON HOLIDAY. So much fun!
• The Weather - Blue sky never gets boring. And I haven’t missed wet feet and frizzy hair from rain.
• Great Barrier Reef - A once in a lifetime amazing experience that I’ll cherish forever.
• Forgetting what socks are (and coats) - I found a pair of socks stuffed at the back of my wardrobe the other day gathering cobwebs. Flip flops forever.

Great Barrier Reef

• Public Transport - Involves catching rays on the top deck of a ferry when commuting to the city centre, bliss.
• Avocados - Soooooo delicious out here.
• Mangos - Even more juicy and delicious.
•  Al fresco dining - Really going to miss enjoying a delicious meal and glass of bubbles in the twilight warmth of the outdoors….without a coat!
• Local wildlife - It’s amazing to see all the unique wildlife here, like kangaroos, koalas and kookaburras, as well as all the stunning marine life – turtles, rays, dolphins and whales everywhere you look!
• The Beaches: Of all the places I’ve visited in the world, Australia’s beaches really are the most beautiful to me. Soft golden sand and the most turquoise water I’ve ever laid hands on, it even beats Hawaii!

Queensland Coastline

 

 

Welsh Waterside

Things I’ve missed about the UK

• Cheese - Yes, they do some good cheese out here, but it’s hard to find, and doesn’t quite cut it like back home, despite their efforts.
• Pints - Most pubs serve ‘schooners’; a measly half measure that is an insult to the pint. We’ve found the solution is to buy 2 at a time.
• Green - One advantage to our wet UK weather is it makes everything so beautifully GREEN. Everything has a yellow tinge to it in Oz, and just looks a bit sorry for itself. I never thought I’d hear myself say that I’d miss the smell of freshly cut grass, but I do. I’m looking forward to some green scenery when we visit Tasmania in South Australia.
• Christmas - It was such a novelty having a seafood bbq on the beach for Christmas, but I did miss wrapping up warm and wandering the Christmas markets with a glass of mulled wine in my hand, gobbling on roasted chestnuts.
• UK Fashion - The clothes suck here. And I'm SERIOUSLY missing Primark. ‘Nuff said.

British Coastline

• Winter walks along Whales’ beautiful coastline - But I’m happily contenting myself with summer walks along beautiful beaches instead.
• Seasons - I'm missing the beautiful daffodils and cute little lambs in the fields come spring.
• Magazines - Missing all the girlie mags. Nothing beats UK magazines.
• TV - Okay, so I don’t miss it much because we’ve been so busy exploring whenever we have free time, but I’m salivating at the thought of binge watching 6 months of Hollyoaks on catch-up when I fly home.
• Boots (the shop) - Every girls skincare and cosmetic dream, ’Priceline Pharmacy’ just doesn’t deliver the goods here in Oz I’m afraid. I can’t bear thinking about how many loyalty points I’m missing out on!

British Beaches

Are you team Brit or Aussie?