The Mornington Peninsula

Barbara and I enjoyed a week’s holiday at the Nepean Country Club, Boneo, on the Mornington Peninsula in the last week in October.  Due to the good winter rains the peninsula countryside look like the rolling hills of Britain.

We drove down on Saturday 22 October, leaving at 5 am and arriving at 5 pm with breakfast at McDonalds Gundagai and lunch at a café in Seymour.  Dual carriageway is only missing at Tarcutta, Holbrook and a small town further south.  All but the Holbrook bypass should be open before Christmas.  In Economics class, during my final year at High School, in 1968, our teacher (who loved Mao) told us that if a dual carriageway was completed between Sydney and Melbourne, billions of health costs arising from motor accidents would be saved.  Now, 43 years later, this is nearly achieved.  Australia has been slow developing some important infrastructure items!

London Bridge Beach

Sunday we enjoyed the farmers’ markets at Red Hill buying some lovely products for the week’s feasting.  Later we drove along viewing some ocean beaches to Portsea, last town on the peninsula.  We drove back through Sorrento along Port Phillip Bay.  Monday was rainy and we hibernated, reading our books.  Tuesday we went on a resort run wine tasting excursion to nearby Cups Vineyard.  Later we searched for and found some delectable local cheeses and then meandered along the coastline of Western Port.  Wednesday was another resort excursion to the street markets at Mornington.  We drove via the beautiful Arthur’s Peak (named after the one in Edinburgh) and returned along the Port Phillip Bay picturesque shoreline.  Thursday we returned to Arthur’s Peak and did a circuit walk followed by a visit to historic Heronswood.  Friday we visited more beaches along the Bass Strait coast.  See our holiday photos at http://gallery.me.com/davidheyc#100152.

Point Leo

Flinders West Head

Cape Schanck

Arthurs Seat view to peninsula

Heronswood

St Andrews Beach

Saturday we drove to Melbourne to shop and visit friends.  We enjoyed dinner at friends Chris and Alison, their children and other friends Fiona and Angus.  We had stimulating conversation discussing world issues.  Sunday we drove home.

Other recent activities include dinner at the Rice Paper with a cousin and husband, an exhilarating Lennon McCartney Songbook concert, working on the raised garden, lunch with a long time professional colleague, facilitating for Company Directors and meeting with a new financial planner.

Oh ….. And we returned to everyone living at Club 55 – our children, one wife plus us – seven!  So, here we are in four bedrooms plus the second lounge room, with one bathroom and an extra toilet.  Just as well we all get along so well!

And there is more!  On the first Sunday we were away, Buttons moved in.  Buttons is a three year old, white and black cat; smaller and thinner than Muggles; always lived inside and is a scaredy cat.  Buttons is warming up to us and seems to bond with women faster.  Her previous owner could not have a cat in her new accommodation and, so, we volunteered to have her.  Today she is wandering around the house more, hissing at Muggles when they were in the same room (Muggles couldn’t care less) and letting me stroke her a few times.