DISCOVERING SOMETHING NEW IN SOUTH GIPPSLAND
Friday, Mar 6, 2020
Early February revealed Expanding Horizons on the road again for another successful Famil, taking 22 clients accompanied by Planning Department staff to discover something new, this year into Southern Gippsland, Victoria – Prom Country.
What a gorgeous area of the country this is! With good rainfall all year, this is lush country with a heavy focus on dairy, wines, and food in general – it’s a ‘Foodies’ delight!
Meeting at Melbournes Tullamarine Airport we set off with our first stop at Caldermeade Farm and Café for a much appreciated morning tea featuring delightful sugar free scones over which Adam and John shared their plans for future expansion making the property more group friendly, plus the addition of a cheese factory. They are looking forward to more group business in the future – happy to assist with that!
The town of Korumburra was a real eye opener and typical of the region. Lots of interesting café’s and product shops, an ideal stopping point for any group – especially including a light lunch at the Burra Brewery Co, of course accompanied by a tasting paddle of their bevvies! Boutique brewing is becoming very popular and in combination with wood fired pizza and other delights makes a welcome lunchtime treat.
The highlight of the day had to be the visit to Beloka Kelpies. This is a true Aussie experience, Paul is a laid-back farmer with a great sense of humour and along with his partner Anneke, they run a highly successful working dog school, training Kelpies. And what a cheeky bunch they are, running through their paces with the sheep flock and also herding Indian Runner ducks to boot! Hilarious! A certain EH staff member had to go through a bag check to make sure she left behind the kelpie puppy she fell in love with…
Prom Country Lodge, Foster was our destination for the next two nights; it’s ideally situated, being the closest motel accommodation for Wilsons Promontory. After the busy day the welcome drinks followed by a smashing in-house dinner in the delightful restaurant was certainly enjoyed by all!
Day 2 saw us heading deeper into Wilson’s Promontory to Tidal River to join Pennicott Wilderness Journeys for a 2 ½ hour cruise. No need for a jetty, as the boats used are amphibious with 3 retractable wheels that allows them to drive straight off the beach – amazing! The cruise took us to South Point, the southernmost tip of mainland Australia and into the waters of Bass Strait to explore The Glennies, Anderson Islets, Anser Island plus the iconic granite monolith, Skull Rock. There was a bit of chatter about the possibility of having to cope with “Mal de Mere”, as it was a bit overcast, but we were assured by a wag the ideal cure was a band aid across the belly button, one of which was issued to everyone on the drive down. Despite a choppy return, needless to say no one was sick, so something to be said for the placebo effect – that and a dose of ginger tablets! After a picnic lunch we headed off to Waratah Hills Vineyard to sample Neil and Judy’s excellent range of wines accompanied by a delicious cheeseboard . We returned to the motel for a freshen up before heading off to the Promontory Restaurant and Winery for dinner and a chance to meet some of the owners of local wines, olives and cheese. It’s a fabulous location with a fabulous view over the valleys and the meal was just…fabulous!
Our last day saw us in Port Albert, firstly visiting the ‘dead centre’ of the town, Alberton Cemetery for a talk on the quiet residents, before heading into Port Albert for morning tea and a visit to the fascinating Gippsland Regional Maritime Museum. Port Albert’s famous for its fishing and Wildfish Restaurant located on the jetty provides their delicious version of Fish N Chips – accompanied by local wines of the region.
It was a great 3 days spent in the company of our lovely clients all of whom we regard as EH Family! A BIG thankyou to Destination Gippsland, the Wellington Shire Council and all our supplier partners who helped in putting this great weekend together. Click here to view a link of our sample tour.
