Category Archives: holiday

BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL PT 2

Posted on May 16, 2010 by shaynna

Tranquil river in the heart of Bright

Front of Boynton’s Feathertop Winery, and well we did have to sample their hospitality.

I am so grateful Bright has the most stunning scenery to explore on foot and bikes as there is so much food and wine to explore that you have to keep active to work it all off!

We walked to town , rode the Mountain trail (which happened to end up at a Feathertop winery- of course!) and finished our arduous day with an in-house massage, stoked the open fire, played cards and enjoyed the peace.

Riding the bike trail

It’s easy to get lost in the grand scenery, but don’t forget to look down.
You never know what you might see!

The last morning we had a long breakfast with the morning papers (yes we did it hard didn’t we) and I took myself off to explore the local shops while hubby rode his bike to get his fix of local football.
The shops were a great mix of craft, lollies, kids toys but the shop that sticks in my mind the most was Country Tales book store. It IS what every bookstore should be. Rows and rows of books with lots of little stands showing favourite books with individual reviews. Once I had my selection and went to the counter the girl behind the counter was so enthusiastic, knew the books I picked up (and everyone else who came to the counter) and talked about how much she loved them that I couldn’t wait to sit under a tree and get lost in them. She had just opened the store 5 days before and her passion filled the shop and rubbed off on everyone that entered. I do hope you get to Bright and her store as I haven’t had such a wonderful retail experience like that in a long time!

Go to the Country Tales Book Store and ask for Sally, she is gorgeous!!

So that is our 3 day adventure in Bright, Parts 1&2. I hope you get to this magical part of Victoria as it has put a spell on my husband and I and we are planning to go back again next year.

P.S. I didn’t ask the outcome of the local footy, but to my defense he didn’t ask about my shopping either

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BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL PT 1

Posted on April 26, 2010 by shaynna

After a four hour drive (with our stop to Benalla) we passed our first winery, trail of Autumn leaves were beginning, but what made us stop was a fence made of bikes.
Bike riding to Bright is not a simple task but there is a disused rail line called the Murray Mountain Rail Trail that has been turned into a bike track. I wonder if this fence is made from some of those that didn’t quite make it?
We made it to our accomodation – The Odd Frog with two choc frogs to greet us and our food fest had begun.

A ten minute walk into to town and we walked the streets to find a restaurant to celebrate our 10yr wedding anniversary for the evening. Most were closed on a slow Thursday so our only options were a small cafe or cuisine at Simones, who by the way has two chef hats.
‘We are expensive’, was our introduction to an inquiry if they were open. Yes, it was but hey 10 years married is a bit of a milestone in these times so ‘expensive Simone’s’ it was. Dinner booked and now to fill the rest of the day.

The beauty of Bright is everywhere you turn is a park or outdoor area more stunning and inviting than the next. Opposite Simone’s we stepped into the boutique Bright Brewery and decided on a sample tray of their beers. Seeing as though I hate beer I had a sip of each and left the tasting to my husband. What made the bitter taste more palatable was the view of the weeping trees, oaks and if you have kids, they can play on the fort-like playground as you watch from the outdoor bench seats.
Back to room to get ready we used the telescope on the suspended balcony but didn’t need it as we were almost at arms reach of the local kangaroos.
Relaxed and ready for the the evening we made it to Simone’s and luck be it a food critic was on the next table so we also got the best food and best service possible.
Verdict – expensive, but definitely worth it. (Oh, and lucky we went there as I was surprised with a diamond ring for our anniversary – wouldn’t have been so glamorous in a small cafe!)