Wildlife and Wine

Today was our visit to the Healseville Sanctuary.  We met up with Curt and Natasha downtown after they handed in Curt's application for his new visa and then Gary at the Blackburn Station to start our day.  We drove out through the Yarra Valley which is wine and dairy country to the sanctuary.  The park was well laid out, taking us on a ciruitous route passed koalas, kangaroos, dingos, Tasmanian devil, pelicans, emus,  reptiles and of course the platypus (which were smaller than we thought).  A presentation of the birds of prey of Australia was really well done.  Picnic tables provided a sunny spot to enjoy our lunch. 

The trip back began with a stop at the Chandon Winery which specializes in champagne.  We made it in the doors with 5 minutes to spare but we were allowed to stay and sample the champagnes.  The setting was gorgeous with a blooming rosebush at the end of each row of grapes.  The tasting area overlooked the valley and vineyards.  From there, we proceeded to Natasha's home where we enjoyed Gary's homemade moussaka for dinner. 

A quick search of caches revealed one in a park nearby.  Off we drove to the park and easily discovered the cache.  We boarded the train back to the city at 9:18pm and were back to our hotel by 10pm.