I won the lotto!
No joke… I really won the Oz lotto in March.
1,300 AUD were burning a hole in my pocket and I couldn’t believe my luck!
Once the shock wore off and I collected my winnings from lotto headquarters it was time to decide what to do with it.
Being the sensible guy that I am I thought I should pay off a bill, or put it away for a rainy day. My wife, on the other hand, had bigger plans.
I believe her exact words were, “You don’t pay bills with found money.” It was then the decision was made to go on holiday.
We decided to take my winnings and head down to the Margaret River region of Australia. It’s been said that the Margaret River region of Western Australia is world class when it comes to food and wine…especially the wine. I felt the need to verify such a claim and couldn’t think of a better way to spend our winnings than on good food and wine.
The Margaret River region is about a 3 hour drive south of Perth, with young children it’s closer to 4 hours. The area is mostly known for its wineries, but is also gaining recognition for other great dairy products, specifically cheese, chocolate, and ice cream. In some ways, it sounds quite a bit like Upstate New York, though with a different accent.
We stayed in the small town called Yallingup in the northern part of this amazing wine region. Our accommodation was a cabin in the middle of the woods, making for a rustic feel. Okay, let’s be honest, the Brandolinos weren’t paying to stay at a 5 star spa resort. I may have won the lotto, but I didn’t hit the big jackpot! Besides, I had always wanted to stay in the “bush” and my wife was hoping for some kangaroos outside the door.
We were there for a long weekend so we didn’t have to rush everything into a day or two. However, that didn’t stop us from taking a walk to the microbrewery within the first few hours of our arrival. The place was really cool and obviously well thought out. There was a playground for the kids, a wide array of great tasting beers, and great food.
We decided to ease into the affair and held off on the wine tasting until the next day. Because we have young children who nap, our strategy was this: start early, alternate wine tasting with food tasting venues, have lunch on the road and be back to the room in time for naps. This would maximize my wine sampling and make the kids happy too.
Who knew my kids would be professional free food samplers. We started by going over the proper etiquette of tasting. They had to be reminded of things like, “You touch it, you take it”, “If you don’t like it spit it in a napkin not back on the tray”, and “Only dip your spoon in the jam once.” I don’t think the people of Margaret River ever saw kids who attacked the samples with such relish.
As for my wine tasting, I went at it with the same gusto as the kids did with the food. The wines were top notch and the atmosphere was amazing. Most of the wineries we went to had a play area for the kids and amazing food so everyone was happy and well fed! Let’s be honest, I was feeling a little giddy myself!
After a relaxing evening at the pool we returned to our chalet only to realize we had visitors. My wife pointed out the window of our chalet and exclaimed, “What IS that?” Remember now, we are staying in the bush. We are in the middle of a forest with a few other cabins around, but mostly trees and wildlife. Well, it wasn’t the kangaroo my wife was hoping for, but some beady eyed marsupial starting at us from our porch. “What if I were out there enjoying a glass of wine?” my wife exclaimed! I began to crack up.
That’s when we saw another pair of beady eyes.
***This all went down during a live phone chat during The Morning News. For a re-play of the event check the video library portion immediately to the right on the margin dated 2/27/09***
There were two of these animals that we couldn’t really identify and they weren’t afraid of us. I was trying to get a closer look and some pictures so we could identify the little guys and my wife was screeching in the background not to go out there, what if I get bit or worse…what if they came in! I got my pictures and the animals hung out there for most of the night. Once they realized they weren’t getting food from us they didn’t come back for the rest of the trip. It took quite a while to find out that it actually was a possum and not a bandicoot as we, well, I previously thought.
One of the highlights of the trip for me was the last winery that we went to, and we only stopped because the name intrigued me; Guinea Run. Being of Italian decent I felt I owed it to my ancestors to see what this place was all about.
Boy was I glad I did!
We parked the car and were treated to the most amazing views and scrumptious food. It was the perfect atmosphere. They even had chickens running around (no, not my kids, but actual chickens!). The kids thought it was fantastic and they even had an apple juice tasting of their own. The sun was shining and I couldn’t think of a more perfect place to be with my family.
Two full days of this was ideal. It was a beautiful trip and a great adventure for all of us. Maybe I’ll hit the lotto again soon so we can go back!
http://www.margaretriver.com/pages.asp?code=500
