Brisbane Baby

After our jaunt to the zoo, we decided we really should start making more plans for our trip up north, especially after we'd passed a sign on our way to the zoo saying it was over 1600 kms to Cairns (we're going further north to Port Douglas, and we've got less than a week to do it).

However, we soon got distracted when Sophie & Dan suggested an outing to Mt Tamborine, which we had heard was a good place to go. So we readily accepted their invitation and headed off up the mountain to some lovely scenic views, cooler temperatures, distillery, vineyard, brewery & cheese factory - what brilliant combinations! I enjoyed a few tasters at the distillery before volunteering to be the designated driver later (only a few tiny tipples, and Dan is a policeman so I definitely wasn't going to risk any loss of license!). Anyone who knows me knows that I severely dislike wine and beer so I thought it was only fair that I let Sophie, Dan & Chris enjoy a brew or two.

So, after the distillery (which I would highly recommend), we headed off to the winery. It looked very swish and I was shocked to discover that the girl serving the others was currently studying for a degree in wine science... I wasn't shocked that she was doing a degree, I was shocked that a wine science degree existed - amazing! From what I hear of uni students, this could be a perfect excuse for your first year drinks - all in the name of research.After the wine we headed to the cheese factory which was on the same site as the brewery. We all had some tasters of various cheeses. My favourite being one called 'Cow Philly'. Now, if I'm honest, I can't remember that it tasted that great, but it was the name that caught me. It was the fact that when I asked the lady for a taster, she heard my accent and realised that I'd be familiar with the type of cheese it actually was - 'Caerphilly' (I'm not 100% on how you spell it). It was just a play on words... oh those hilarious Ozzies! So we each purchased some cheeses (we were having a picnic later) and then went to the brewery where the others had 4 small tasters each, before choosing a full sized drink.

Dan liked his so much that he even managed to persuade them to sell him a case for $40 less than it should've been. Now he's trying to convince Sophie that the next house they get needs to be big enough for a brewing tank thing (first picture) and the car (picture above)... I think she's coming round to the idea!

We drove a bit further and went for our picnic on the edge of the mountain. It had stunning views and is where a lot of hang gliders launch themselves from. It was also quite breezy which made the temperature more bearable. The only down side was literally that, we were on the downward slope of a mountain whilst it was windy - holding onto our lunch was a task in itself. I made efforts to be healthy with the salad that Sophie had kindly prepared, but half the lettuce just flew down the mountain! So I stuck with the cheese I'd bought which was yummy (and heavier, so not so prone to rolling down the hill).

All in all it was a great day out. We even got home safely, despite the long detour down the other side of the mountain (very windy and narrow), and the navigator's falling asleep just as we needed their direction the most! Fortunately they woke up just in the nick of time and the day had a happy ending.

Cheers Sophie & Dan! x