Wine, Cheese and Barley!

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For my birthday this year we went to Lala Land on Chapel for a few drinks. Then it was off to Rutherglen for the weekend with Sean. The region is famous for it's wineries and gourmet food😊. On Friday night we just made it as far as Wangaratta. We had breakfast there in the morning before slowly making it to Rutherglen. We stopped off in the historic little town of Chiltern on the way. It's like a town from a Western (it was actually used in a Disney movie). We visited the quaint homestead by the lake and had a look around the town museum. For two bucks you really can't go wrong!

We made it to our motel in the arvo. Later we visited the All Saints winery and the Indigo Cheese factory. It had a fantastic avenue lined with ancient elms. The cheese was fantastic, but the winery itself was a little bit commercial. In the evening we went to a local pub for some Aussie steaks and later drove down to the river.

The next day we tried to visit Drinkmoor winery but that was closed. Next we tried our luck at Cofield. The owners here were very friendly. Their wine was ok. After that we headed for Rutherglen itself. Here at Rutherglen cellar door we discovered a fantastic Durif. Mmmmm. We took a break and sat in the sunshine to enjoy a beer from Binvara. Before we departed the town we went to visit the water tower. It's a little different to most as it's shaped like a wine bottle! A tribute to the main industry in the area.

We started to make our way back to Melbourne but not without stopping off at the best winery EVER - Andersons. The owner is a perfectionist when it comes to wines. Next stop was the Milawa Cheese Factory - delicious! We also couldn't pass the famous Brown Brothers without stopping.

The Barley Banquet was the following weekend. Emma, Jurt, Don, Kristen, Sean and I donned our formal wear to attend the party in the field! It was great day out in the country. We stayed down on the farm at Kristen's place (thanks for being a great host!).

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Photos

Orchid fever
My birthday pressie from Sean

Willy wagtail
maybe

Sean
Having a drink by the Murray