In the Cellar at Tahbilk Winery

Pa having a little sip - or two!!!

Day 23 - Still at Hillcrest Caravan Park, Seymour.  Woke to a light shower but that quickly moved off and the day turned into a fine one.  A little cool at first but soon warmed up a bit.  A lot better than yesterday thank goodness.  We hopped up and had a coffee and Pa cooked our toast on the little butane stove we carry in the car.  This is just like camping but in our caravan.  Our resident Park Manager, who I might add is friendly but a little strange, likes walking around with a never ending coke in his hand.  (We did wonder what little extras he might have in the coke). Pa pulled the tail-light off the back of the van to try and dry it out so it didn't keep shorting the electric brakes out.  He did that and we headed out to do some shopping and call in to the information centre to see what we could do in the area.  We decided that the wine we had with tea last night was so nice we should have a look at some of the local wineries.  We took the shopping back to the van and had some lunch and drove out to the Tahbilk Winery (tabilk tabilk-aboriginal meaning place of many waterholes) probably about 30 klms out of town.  Countryside is lovely here too but a lot flatter than what we have been experiencing since about Day 3. There are lots of really nice homes on land around here with lots of nice little racks of lamb walking around.   The winery was lovely with old cottages and gardens and heaps of old machinery and equipment they would have used when the winery first opened in 1860.  We had a look around the cottages and machinery and then went to the cellar door.  The place just smelt of fermented grapes but I guess you get that  when the place is so old and is sitting on top of a cellar.  They had a great display of the history of the winery.  The Purbrick family who currently owns it has owned it since 1925 and now have 5 generations working there and have won many awards for their wines.  We had a look down in the cellar where all the vats are.  It is amazing how they would have built these places with no machinery like we have today.  There was just row after row of huge vats.  Got a couple of great photos of Pa and I looking like we are swigging straight from the vat.(Had to wait a few times for the traffic down there to thin out so we could take the photo without people thinking we were mad.)  When we finished down there we went for a walk on their Eco track which was really just around a lagoon and over an old bridge but it was lovely just walking along the quiet track and getting a bit of exercise.  Drove back to the van and had happy hour.