Sorry to leave our beautiful apartment in Margaret River, but more adventures await. Today is the day of the much-anticipated Melbourne Cup (it’s the Triple Crown all rolled up into one); practically a national holiday in Australia. After a short walk about in Margaret River, we make our way to the Cowarump Brewery to place bets and watch the race. We have our bets on 4 horses, none by the way, win, place or show, but have a spirited conversation with a likeminded mate in the bar. The purse at the bar is a huge $16 (AUS).
A short drive away is the Hay Shed Hill Winery; on the list for a long time, for a tasting and pick up a bottle of their Cabernet Franc for later. We drive north and eventually arrive at our destination in the historic area of Fremantle. A really cool place. Our apartment is totally different from the last. We have a quick settle in and walk down to Little Creatures Brewery (on Dick’s list) for some libations and dinner. Mussels and frites, very good.
Mary
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We’ve only had a few days in Margaret River but both Mary & I acknowledge we’ve made a good (and lucky) choice. It’s a quiet town, but a gazillion wineries are a short hop away, beautiful beaches are close, and there’s a plethora of cool/funky restaurants within walking distance. Can’t lose.
The ‘Melbourne Cup’ horse race is as close as you can get to a national holiday in Australia. Schools are closed, there are no city services available, and the population is wired for sound. Unfortunately for us, this is a travel day as we are leaving Margaret River for Fremantle, just south of Perth. We hopped off the highway for a quick stop at the Cowarup Brewery to watch the race. The entire staff comes out front to join us to watch the race. Good fun!
Fremantle is pretty much a suburb of Perth, but with a very cool ‘hippy’ vibe. We didn’t’ get a chance to do a true ‘walk-about’, but our short trek to the shore was interesting with some nice architecture and shots. The ‘Little Creatures’ brewery and restaurant is right on the waterfront – an incredible and huge joint (one of the biggest we’ve ever seen). More to come.
Dick
The Melbourne Cup… We were in Melbourne and most of my classmates went. Is it still about the hats as much as the horses?
I suspect as much, but we were pretty far from Melbourne at the time so no active sightings