Great Ocean Road - First Stop: Red Hill - Red Hill, Australia
Red Hill, Australia
After a hectic day yesterday, and a late night all-round, the already over-ambitious 9am wake-up was destined to fail. And it did. We were supposed to pick up our rental car at 10am but we only managed to drag ourselves up at 10.30. Then we called Mum and Dad to find that they were still in bed sparko. So we didn't even make the check-out time of 11am and had to extend it by a couple of hours. Once we had all made ourselves look semi-respectable we met in the restaurant for breakfast. We all felt like rubbish so a big breakfast was on the agenda. Large plates of omelettes and pancakes were delivered to our table along with tea, coffee and orange juice. We all fed the hangovers whilst chatting about the game last night. It was a great match and we'd been so unlucky to lose but - as I've said - it'll make the Sydney game a brilliant one. Then Luke and Dad went to pick up the car from the city centre whilst Mum, Conor and I stuffed the last of our stuff into bags and brought them down to reception. I haven't even done any shopping but I've still apparently acquired more clothes. It's never a good thing when you have to bounce up and down on your case in a crazy attempt to zip it up. Finally the guys arrived with the car; we piled all our luggage into the boot and made tracks. We didn't have a long journey today though. I think the length of the Great Ocean Road that we will be travelling down will only take us around 8 hours in total. Today we were heading to Red Hill - an hours drive south of Melbourne. It's a really beautiful area set in amongst acres and acres of stunning vineyards. Of course, vineyards means cellar doors. And cellar doors means wine. More wine. Not the ideal day to be sticking alcohol in my face. Nonetheless we were eager to stop at the Foxey's Hangout cellar; with almost the same name as ours it was a must. I didn't have any wine myself but apparently the Shiraz was very nice - so it could be worth a try if you're a red wine drinker. We sat outside on the decking which had the most picturesque views. It was really calm and peaceful and we sat overlooking their vineyards and the lush green landscape. It was a little chilly but at least it woke us from our dreary, hungover, haze. It was near 3pm so we decided to have a light late-lunch too. Foxey's Hangout is run by two brothers who had previously owned, and run, very popular and award-winning restaurants. So it's no wonder that their wine company has also been dubbed a great place to get some food as well as a glass of wine. We ordered some tapas to share between the five of us. It came out in stages with each small dish being replaced by another once we had finished. We had warm crusty bread with olive oil and nuts which was followed by more unique dishes: salmon; pear with tuna bresaola, vinocotto and radicchio; meatballs with a creamy dip; BBQ quail served with a lemon wedge; and zucchini fritters with goat curd and basil. Everything tasted very nice. Even the quail, which I was initially reserved about, was exquisite. I would definitely recommend stopping here for some great food and even better service for those passing by Red Hill. I hadn't know this previously but the Mornington Peninsula is one of Victoria's gourmet capitals. Thus, the region prides itself on serving fabulous food. I would 100%25 agree with this assertion because we had an equally delicious dinner this evening. At around 4.30pm we found our hotel; the Lindenderry. It provides lovely boutique accommodation and is set in 30 acres of English-inspired gardens. The rooms are very quirky and cosy and the atmosphere is very personal with only 40 guest rooms available. Mum and Dad went up to their room for a power nap so me, Conor and Luke decided to play tennis on the courts here at the hotel. We played for about an hour and a half vigorously competing against each other. It was good fun and did actually help to shift my hangover. We decided to call it a night around 6.30pm when the rain starting getting heavier and we were all worn out. When we turned the courts' flood lights off we were left in complete darkness to find our way back to the dimly lit hotel. We shuffled up the grass banks, stomping as we went to frighten off the snakes we had convinced ourselves were there, and finally made it to the decking area. The next problem: a door. How the hell did we get back in?! We walked carefully, still in pitch black, around the building until we heard a huge crash and a yelp. Luke, who had been leading the way, had walked straight off the balcony. It wasn't a huge drop but he'd managed to hurt his wrist. We couldn't even help because we didn't know where he was. We literally couldn't see a thing. Once we had discovered that he wasn't hurt - badly anyway - Conor and I burst out laughing. I swear I just can't help myself. Any sort of trip, fall or bang just triggers a fit of the giggles with me. We finally did manage to work our way back into the building and from there it was easy enough! Although the corridors are pretty confusing and maze-like. So after wearing ourselves out completely we got showered and ready to go into Red Hill for a late dinner. It was very, very quiet in town and it didn't look like anything was even open. We went into the Long Table - a highly recommended restaurant - only to be told that, at 8pm (!!!), the kitchen was closed. If it wasn't for a kind lady's advice then we might not have even found anywhere to go. She recommended us to eat at Epicurean just a stone's throw away. The building is very deceiving though; by day their bakery at the front is open so during the evening, when the bakery is shut, you wouldn't even know that there is an astounding restaurant hidden behind it. The decor is very stylish with large wooden bench-style tables, open fires, high ceilings and an open kitchen. It immediately gave off a great vibe and the luxurious menu exceeded my expectations. It's an Italian-themed restaurant and I can't help but be slightly deterred when I don't entirely understand the menu. But, like I said, the quality of the food was above and beyond what I had anticipated. The food was presented beautifully and I felt bad to mess up the enormous detail and precision that had gone into making it a picture perfect dinner. I ordered the Pollo chicken breast with spicy red cabbage and - instead of brussel sprouts (eww) - honey roasted carrots. All I will say is you have to go there and try it for yourself. I'm sure the Long Table does fantastic food too but I'm shocked that Epicurean isn't up there with the best places to dine in Red Hill. It was one of the nicest meals I've had since being in Australia. It hasn't been the most strenuous of days and has been largely revolved around eating and relaxing. Hopefully we will all feel much livelier tomorrow after an early night though. Red Hill seems to be more focused on dining and wine-tasting anyway though so we're only embracing the culture! Excuses?! We deserved a bit of an off-day anyway! Our next stop, Lorne, seems to have a lot more to offer in terms of activities including whale watching - which is in its peak season - so I'm excited to head there tomorrow and have a bit of a busier schedule. Until then, it's time for bed!