MARGARET RIVER, AUSTRALIA

G'Day Mate!  

Jim and I just returned from a fabulous week down under in Western Australia.   Most of our time was spent in the Margaret River region (aka the wine region).  It is only a three-hour drive from Perth, but driving on the opposite of the road with kangaroos popping out like deer definitely made it more interesting. 

We were both ready for a drink by the time we got to the cozy B&B.  Ironically, the first drink we had was a ROGERS beer.  Jim and I nearly fell over when we saw the tap!  Apparently, ROGERS is a popular Australia red ale that is brewed by the Little Creatures Brewery. Needless to say, we drank our fair share of it during the trip. 

Maybe we have some Australia Roots...

We also had our fair share of simply brilliant wines!!!  The region is most famously known for their Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Semillon.  We completed 204 wine tastings, and I actually had a wine bruise where my nose hit the upper glass rim in the "smelling" portion - amateur wine consonseiur right here.  And not to worry - most of the tastings were on the 2 days we did wine tours so we did not have to drive. One tour focused on boutique smaller vineyards, while the other hit up the larger, more established ones.  The tours also took us olive oil tasting, cheese tasting, and to a chocolate factory.  

O, so this is my happy place. 

Not a bad afternoon..

Brewery Love.

Serious Game of Jenga

Jim's got antlers, Jenna has a red wine smile

Casual Stroll through the Vineyards

If you know Jim, you can imagine the level of excitement on the chocolate factory tour.  The chocolate factory was gigantic and had tons of samples out. Within a minute of entering, I lost Jim among the warehouse of chocolate.  Eventually, I found him at the "chocolate pick-up" window counter. Go figure. 

MISSING: 30-year old Male. May have chocolate smeared on his face. Possibly carrying a glass of milk.

Amongst all the wine research, we managed to sprinkle in some non-drinking activities. We drove down the coast to tour the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, the most south-westerly point in Australia.  The lighthouse looks out at where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet.  On the drive to the lighthouse, we stopped to tour an incredible cave and drove through a passage of Karri Trees - native to Western Australia.  The white cream bark coupled with their extreme height made us feel like we entered some sort of Pixar movie.  

One of the many rainbows seen on the trip

Seaside Sights

A tad bit windy..

Not a heights guy #scaredycat

When two oceans collide...

Driving through oz-like forests

Watching the surfers
 (less then 24 hours later, a shark attack occurred here #scarystuff )

Jim has golfed around Asia, but this was the first time I joined him for a game of golf amongst the kangaroos.  Seriously kangaroos were hopping along the fairways as we were swinging.   The owner told us that everyone has a story of "downing" a kangaroo with a ball at one time or another.  Apparently, they do not understand the term "FORE!" (thankfully the group of older women playing besides us did... whoops!)

Why yes, those are Kangaroos in the background.

75% chance I whiffed this swing.

What you lookin at?

Jim takes the camera for 5 minutes...

After a few wine-filled days in Margaret River, we spent a night in Fremantle - a quiet port town that is most famous for having the first prison in Western Australia.  The prison was built by British convicts in 1851, and remained open until 1991.  The tour of the prison was phenomenal, and if you are ever in Western Australia, I highly recommend it! 

Freemantle Vibes

One order of the shrimp on the barbie please.

FreeMantle Prison - Made of Limestone, so pretty much easily escapable

Don't touch that.

Ironically, Fremantle is also home to the University of Notre Dame Australia Campus.  It was a very pleasant surprise and we enjoyed touring the old campus buildings and imagining what it would be like to be in college there.  We drowned our college woes at the Little Creatures Brewery - again with some ROGERS beer before heading back to our hotel, which was used as a holding cell for prisoners back in the day. 

So.. he's happy.

Spotted: The School of Business

Little Creatures Brewery

All-in-All Western Australia was a fabulous trip, and we definitely hope to come back someday. Until then, we will just enjoy the case of wine we brought back (fingers crossed we have the will-power to cellar some of it for a few years down the road). 

Cheers!
Jenna and Jim