11 Feb: Bicheno (TAS) --> Freycinet (TAS) --> Cradle Mountain (TAS).
Ah, Monday... a day to sleep in for the Becks. +Marc and I grabbed a quick breakfast in Bicheno before heading to Freycinet Vineyards, owned and managed by a good friend of a good friend of ours (+Michael Z). Some unexpected chaos was thrown in to our hosts for the morning, so we spent about 45 minutes chatting with one of Lindy and Claudio's able team members, Diana, in the Cellar Door.
We tasted some of the current releases and learned more about Tasmania and the culture as Diana is a native. She was very gracious to us until Lindy was able to free herself from her other commitments (READ: 3 kids) to show us around. Lindy went to university with "Z", a trusted friend, and she educated us on some of the very specific challenges of growing grapes and making wine in Tasmania, as opposed to the rest of Australia. It was a very interesting chat because it was not just about the geological and meteorological roadblocks, but also some of the political ones thrown by the "big companies", which is unfortunate for real wine consumers, regardless of price point. It is similar to the power distributors have in the US.
Claudio was finally able to join us after some unexpected chaos and shared with us thoughts on the 2011 and 2012 vintages. The 2012s are close to being released. BTW, I should add that Claudio and Lindy win awards annually for their flagship Pinot - not just in Tasmania, but across the globe. And we were grateful for the time they both spent with us on educating us about Tasmania and Freycinet with respect to winemaking and other things.
We then had a quick stop for lunch in Campbelltown (great sandwich place reco from Lindy), picked up a thumb/wrist brace for me with Saturday's unfortunate fall (after consulting with VERY trusted family friend - pretty much family - Jill K.) and then headed to Cradle Mountain.
The mountain was shrouded in fog and grey. The plan was to climb that tomorrow, but everything I read said that if clouds were present in the morning, do something else. So I knew at dinner that we needed a Plan B. We arrived at the lodge, which was nice, and took a couple of quick walks around the property to see some waterfalls, animals, etc. Tasmanian Pademelons (similar to wallabies) were everywhere. Saw a wombat too. Fun.
Had dinner at the pub and came up with our Plan B. We'll see what happens on Tuesday.
Thanks again for tuning in. Pics with descriptions are updated through the 11th of March. Check it out when you have time.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeasawaterclown/sets/72157632680608349/detail/
P.S. -- Yes, two trusted friends in one post. Marc and I are beyond lucky to have such fabulous people having our backs in life.
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| Kookaburra at Freycinet Vineyards |
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| Tasmanian Pademelon sighting at Cradle Mountain: 1st of many while we stayed here |
We then had a quick stop for lunch in Campbelltown (great sandwich place reco from Lindy), picked up a thumb/wrist brace for me with Saturday's unfortunate fall (after consulting with VERY trusted family friend - pretty much family - Jill K.) and then headed to Cradle Mountain.
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| Sunset against Cradle Mountain Lodge |
Had dinner at the pub and came up with our Plan B. We'll see what happens on Tuesday.
Thanks again for tuning in. Pics with descriptions are updated through the 11th of March. Check it out when you have time.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeasawaterclown/sets/72157632680608349/detail/
P.S. -- Yes, two trusted friends in one post. Marc and I are beyond lucky to have such fabulous people having our backs in life.