Vibrant Victoria

We love northern Victoria, and try to take a week long road trip there each winter. Andrew calls it (ahem) our 'booze cruise', as we always visit a bunch of wineries and come back with a dozen or so bottles of wine to restock our tiny cellar. (I say cellar, but I mean cupboard in the laundry. Never mind. It does the trick.)

Last week we spent the first night of our journey in Wangaratta, partly because I'm a little addicted to the potato cakes with smoked salmon, rocket and Milawa mustard they serve at Scribblers Cafe:

The potato cakes had become less rustic than

they were on previous visits, but were still good

Andrew enjoyed the French toast, which was served with

honey, fruit and cinnamon sugar (and his inevitable side of bacon)

We were also interested to see that the menu featured Shakshuka ... another favourite brekkie dish. If only I hadn't been craving the potato cakes I would have tried it ...



Next stop was Bendigo, a charming city with some great architecture and a rich history of gold mining.

We enjoyed the tram workshop visit and tram ride ...

... and the local food platter at Coffee Business ...

... and the Golden Dragon Museum!

Guerilla knitting is alive and well in Bendigo

After leaving Bendigo we spent one night in Euroa, a surprisingly delightful wee town. We can recommend having dinner at the Seven Creeks Hotel. The décor was eclectic and the food delicious.

Last but not least, we spent two nights in the Rutherglen wine district, where we ate, drank and were merry. As well as buying wine from six fairly obscure cellar doors, we popped in to the Milawa Cheese Factory and discovered a fabulous goat's cheese called Ceridwen. It's bound to become a new favourite.

Blessed are the cheesemakers!

We're back home in Canberra now but will keep visiting Victoria. A great place to explore.