Impromtu trip to Margaret River - Augusta - Part 2

It's taken a while but I have finally recovered from my cold/flu. It really took a toil on me. Although the cough is still there, it's not as bad as the coughing fits I was having before (it was coughing fits to the point that I was getting woken up at night from it!). Alas, post viral coughs always linger longer than one thinks.

Anyway, I managed to dig up some funny photos from my trip down to Margaret River- Augusta back in November. These real cheesey photos/poses were taken in the beautiful surroundings of Leeuwin Estate, Voyager Estate, Cheeky Monkey, Canal Rocks and Busselton Jetty.

The wooden pillars from old trees at the bottom of Leeuwin winery restaurant and cellar

At the entrance of the Rose garden at Voyager Estate

Overlooking the rose garden and the rest of the estate at Voyager Estate

The rose arch in full bloom at Voyager Estate

 In the vineyards of Voyager

Stocking up the wine pantry at Voyager Estate

 Muscle Muscle Man! I wanna be a muscle man... hahah 

@ the carpark at Canal Rocks

Soaking the rays and watching the views at Canal Rocks

Best range of ice cream ever in Margaret River - Miller's Ice Cream!

 Taste testing everything at Margaret River Olive Factory (Natural Olive Oil Soap Factory).

Has the best olives and dukkah and dips ever. Along with amazing smelling homemade soaps, lotions, creams, candles. Worth checking out.

 

Beer tasting at Cheeky Monkey - very huge brewery, with an interesting looking menu, which I was unfortunately unable to try as my tummy was way to full. As for the beer? Well, I am never a fan of beer so to ask me would be very bias. All I can say is the ale is rather bitter for my liking. They also have a good kids area.

Coffee break on the way back home

  Walking the Busselton Jetty - which stretches almost 2km out to sea!

The tiny house at the end of the jetty houses a restaurant and a mini aquarium. If you are feeling a little lazy, you can always opt to talk the little rail that runs along it for a small fee.

Next post I promise will be about food. I have a long list to write about, but I seem to be missing my photos. It's what happens when you use 2-3 different types of cameras to capture my outings.

White Elephant Cafe

There may be no actual elephant at the White Elephant cafe, but I take the cafe's name as a metaphor for the way the waves roll in and out of the beach, I mean after all the cafe is situated on the beach, quiet literally climb over the patio and you'll have sand between your toes and the waves lapping at your feet. Beautiful and the perfect location.

As for the food? We had a very early breakfast and the White Elephant offers the standard breakfast menu filled with your big breakfast of eggs, bacon, mushroom, hashbrowns, then there was bircher muesli, pancakes and toast.

We were trying to be very good, so ended up ordering a big breakfast for MC and BB and a chocolate crossiant for me and mum and of course all accompanied by coffees.

Not having tried anything other than the breakfast usual, I can't really comment on the food, except that the chocolate crossiant had enough chocolate to satisfy me and the big breakfast was hearty goodness.

The coffees - well made, not brilliant but wasn't bad.

The views? - spectacular!



Just be aware to get there early, it gets busy rather quickly.

Berry Farm

Berry Farm will have to be one of my favourite places to visit. It's situated in the Margaret River region, tucked away on Bessel Road, in the Rosa Glen valley. It has a huge ground to cater for their berry trees- boysenberry, strawberry, raspberry, mulberry trees as well as having avocado trees and a huge area for kids to play in. It's all so picturesque and lovely.

The farm specialises in homemade jams and berry wines and the cellar allows you to try the full range of wines and jams, dressings and their "Cahoots" range of sauces. Apart from their very yummy jams and sauces, the Berry Farm Cafe is so picturesque with native birds and flowers of all sorts, it's the place to relax and enjoy the farm's homemade, delicious food. A place for any food lover.

When I was last there, we cut it really fine to get served their lunch menu, arriving at 2:55pm (lunch finishes at 3pm, after which afternoon tea starts). But I'm so glad we made it on time because the lunch was just what was needed after a long day of travelling around South West of WA.

BB, MC and I ordered the infamous South-West slow cooked beef in red wine sauce pie. It was just divine.   Big chunky pieces of beef in a lovely sauce with delicious, fluffy puff pastry. No wonder it's Berry Farm's top seller. To top it off it came with lovely fresh salad. 

Mum wasn't in the mood for the pie and she wasn't in the mood for the just salad, so she went for the fish of the day - which was the dukkah coated barramundi with salad. It wasn't too bad, but the size of the barramundi fillet was little to be desired and it was a little dry. The salad, mixed with the farm's dressing on the other hand was fresh and light. 

Lunch is never complete without dessert, and the other great thing about the Berry Farm is their scones with homemade cream and jam. The scones were light and fluffy, perfects scones - two is enough to share between four people after having a rather filling lunch, and paired with their cream and jam, a tea favourite was just the perfect something naughty post lunch.

If the scones weren't enough, and us being a little too hungry, we also ordered the Boysenberry Pie. Filled with juicy boysenberry in homemade pastry. It's a little on the big size after such a big meal, but nonetheless it was polished. Definitely one that can be shared on a lovely afternoon tea. The only thing I would comment on is that the pie was a little on the dry side. Needs something like cream or better yet, ice cream. Then it really would be fantastic.

After lunch, we walked over to their cellar and stocked up on fresh avocados (a decent sized bag for $10!), and their homemade jams. Couldn't have ended a late lunch on a better note.

If you are down by Margaret River, make sure you check them out and go for lunch or if not for lunch, definitely for tea of some sort, you won't be disappointed. The garden itself is a delight!

Impromptu trip to Augusta-Margaret River - Day 1

I'm so behind on my postings.. but a couple of months ago, in the middle of November to be exact, I had a lovely impromptu trip to Augusta and Margaret River for a weekend at the start of November with my beloved mum and two girlfriends (who are much too fun and camera addicts, they just have the best ideas for poses - I couldn't be happier!).

We left the city at 630am (running 30mins behind schedule leaving) but ended up at Margaret River town centre at 930am - toilet break and stroll around the gorgeous town before hitting the road to Augusta. We went caving - Jewel Cave, then to the the Southern most point of Australia - Cape Leeuwin before heading to beautiful Hamelin Bay (pity it was a little overcast). Had lunch at Berry Farm (such beautiful scones and the beef and wine pie is such hearty goodness - more on this when I get a chance to clear my massive backlog of posts!!) Visited Margaret River mouth and the beach before relaxing at the beach resort.

Next day was a day of wineries - eating at Watershed (which still is atrocious in its service and the food is so lackluster - I'm so grateful for the entertainment card otherwise totally not worth it. We should have gone to Voyager).

I will leave the photos to do the talking..

Our first stop after quickly stopping by Margaret River town to collect the region map we made our way to one of Margaret River's famous caves, Jewel Cave where ventured into the cave to marvel at the beautiful formations.

After the one hour tour and a coffee stop from our coffee flasks we made our way to the Southern most part of Australia (and of course Western Australia) to the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse in Augusta, where the Indian Ocean ends and the Southern Ocean starts, where we climbed way too many steps to experience the winds from the ocean and see a marvelous view of the sea.

and of course nothing beats a jump shot in front of the lighthouse on the edge of Western Australia.

 

 After the exercise at the lighthouse nothing beats a stroll to Hamelin Bay (even if the weather started to go cloudy and angry-looking).

Then by that time it was definitely time for lunch and one place to go to is a little cottage with amazing homemade steak pies, scones and bosenberry pies. So we ventured to the Berry Farm and were lucky to just catch the end of their lunchtime (10minutes before afternoon tea is served and we miss out on lunch!).

Berry Farm is just so lovely, I write it in another post soon, promise. Sitting in their lovely garden filled with beautiful wildflowers, plants and local birds. It was just the most perfect place to sit relax and take in the day and appreciate the beauty of nature, oh and of course have delicious homemade food!

See, how beautiful the garden at Berry Farm is?! Such an arry of colour and the birds love the Berry Farm's homemade jam as much as we did!

After a lovely, but extremely late lunch (it was like 3pm!) we made our way to our resort by the beach! This is of course before stopping by to see the Margaret River rivermouth and the beach! By that time it was sunset, freezing cold and was raining on and off. Regardless, the view was spectacular.

Seeing these photos makes me want to go back to Margaret River region again. I never get tired of the place despite going every year, there is just something so soothing and relaxing about doing nothing but eating, sleeping, going to wineries, beaches in an area you know well and, anyway I haven't even touched the places I want to wine and dine there.