Happy Birthday to me! I have been so fortunate to spend my Birthday in other countries. This is the second time I have been in Australia for my birthday. Life is good! Today we left about 9:00AM for Healesville Sanctuary in the morning, lunch at the old Grand Hotel and then some winery visits in the afternoon, finishing the day at a chocolatier!
I had visited this sanctuary during my last visit to Australia and I was really looking forward to sharing the experience with Ian and the boys. It would be their first time seeing kangaroos, koalas, tasmanian devils...and other animals unique to Australia. On the drive to the sancturay we spotted some kangaroos on the hillside.
We opted to buy the "Magic Moments" experience for the boys. They were able to enter the area with the kangaroos and feed them. The assistant told us that the kangaroo the boys were feeding had a joey in her pouch. We did not see him/her but cool to know that this was a mama with a baby tucked safely in her pouch.
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This place has been around since the 1930s and started as a research facility. It has evolved to also be a place for rescue and rehabilitation for injured animals.
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Kylar thought it would be fun to box a kangaroo, luckily we found this one. :-) |
Look closely and you can see the wallaby standing just right of the rock.
After our visit at Healesville Sanctuary we went to lunch at the Yarro Glen Grand Hotel. The boys enjoyed some Chicken Parm with chips (fries) and salad. Ian a risotto with roasted fennel and me calamari with Greek salad. All was delicious. And the building was spectaular, old and quirky inside, an eclectic mix of furniture and wall displays.
Yarra Glen Grand Hotel
Headed out to visit a couple of wineries. First stop was Yileena Winery. Here we sampled a sparkling white, some red and took in some wonderful views.
Headed out to visit a couple of wineries. First stop was Yileena Winery. Here we sampled a sparkling white, some red and took in some wonderful views.
The cellar doors were open at another winery, the Yarrawood Winery. Here we tasted some more wines and decided to buy a red to take home with us. Again the views were spectacular!
The cellar doors were open at another winery, the Yarrawood Winery. Here we tasted some more wines and decided to buy a red to take home with us. Again the views were spectacular!
Our last stop today was a chocolatier. Great shop with lots of different chocolate treats, including 3 bowls of chocolate chips to sample..white, milk and dark. Yummy!!!
Yarra Valley Chocolaterie
Back at the Dolly's house we ended the evening (after my nap..touring is tiring!) watching rugby. The Brit Lions are in Sydney playing the Australian Wallabies. When we were in Sydney they played in Melbourne, would have loved to have gone to the game but the dates didn't work out.
Tomorrow the boys and Ian will be going to Oz Comic Con and Diane and I will go to their beach house. Looking forward to another memorable day!
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