Margaret River, more than just wines

So it turns out I've had giardia for about 8 weeks and the medication to fix it meant I couldn't drink alcohol for 3 days... the exact same amount of time we were set to be in Margaret River for. As I'm not a big drinker, or much of one at all really, it wasn't the end of the world, but I do like a good port and I had been looking forward to taste testing a few and just generally enjoying the good food, good vibe and pretty surrounds at a couple of wineries. I thought about delaying the medication but I have been so very unwell it just didn't seem worth it. Fortunately, there's lots more to do in Margaret River than visit wineries. There are chocolate factories, The Berry Farm, cheese places and more, and the caves (but they're in their own post).

We visited the Cheeky Monkey Brewery & Cidery for Greg. Like all vineyards, it is located in a stunning setting, with beautiful views, lush green hills and surrounding vines. Greg did some sampling while I supervised the kids at the playground. I can't comment on the beer or cider, although I do know Greg found a very nice beer, but they playground was very good for kids of all ages. I wish it was in the Hunter Valley, exactly as it is, as I'd love to go and enjoy a long lunch with my friends.

The Margaret River Chocolate Factory was a must stop for us all. They have milk, white and dark chocolate buttons for you to sample and I have to say, their white chocolate is the most delicious white I have ever tasted. Greg and Tilda really enjoyed the milk chocolate and Rory was just happy with any bits we gave him, although he did seem to show a preference for the dark, which surprised me. They have a viewing window but unfortunately weren't actually making chocolate while we were there. We were surrounded by nicely packaged chocolate goodness... what more could a girl want? They make chocolate into all types of shapes, which seems to be a bit of a specialty for them. There were chickens, golf balls, surfboards and more. My favourite was the quokka shaped chocolate but for $25 for not a lot of chocolate, I just couldn't part with my dollars. Given that we're on a tight budget it's a bit hard to stretch to that much money just for chocolate.

Chocolate mixing, milk, white and dark

A beautiful wren outside the factory

We checked out Temper Temper and I really enjoyed this. It tends to focus more on flavoured chocolate mixes like white chocolate and peppercorns, fig and orange milk chocolate (which was delicious!) and chocolate coated dried berries to name a few. They had 3 different flavoured chocolates to try, plus a range of single origin chocolate from around the world. The single origin chocolate started at 49% milk chocolate, then 65% Ghana chocolate, through a number of countries up to very dark (maybe 99%) dark chocolate. They make hot chocolate, served as straight hot chocolate or single origin flavoured, plus other drinks and some chocolate snacks. We had single origin hot chocolates. I had Ghana hot chocolate, Greg had 70% Queensland hot chocolate and the kids enjoyed chocolate lollipops. My hot chocolate was delicious, the most delicious I've ever had, and has made me want to experiment a bit more at home, rather than just use the tinned Cadbury stuff.

We also visited The Berry Farm. This place is so pretty I could have stayed all day. It's great because you can taste different jams, sauces and of course, my goal, the port. Greg did the hard duty of tasting the port while I just sniffed it to get an idea of whether it was one I would like or not. But, I did get to try some jams and sauces. They have a cafe that serves yummy smelling food but we didn't stay for a meal. It has a very good playground, but unfortunately the kids got swooped by magpies and had to leave because they were scared. Fortunately they also have a great little play area for kids inside the tasting building, so they were entertained while we tasted. This is the place we bought the most goodies from.

We also checked out Lloyds of Margaret River. I don't really know how to describe it. It is a bit like finding a treasure trove as it is full of lots of rooms and seems to go on forever and has lovely giftware, household and kitchenware, Christmas ornaments and more. It seemed so bright and colourful and I really enjoyed shopping there.

We also went mountain biking on some trails near Wharncliffe Mill, which is where we stayed. It's a nice caravan park set in a National Park in what was an old mill and logging area. The mountain bike trails were great. They are very popular. There was a little one, with some log jumps, tight turns and tight bits between trees from the caravan park down to the start of the trails. Rory could do this track (with a couple of pretty big spills) on his balance bike. Then Greg and Tilda, then Tilda and I had a turn each following the Pines and part of the Old Chimney trails. They were really well marked and the Pines is graded easy. It was loads of fun rolling down a hill through a beautiful forest, cruising around tight turns and over some little bridges. We had a great time. Although I did discover just how much being sick for so long has knocked me about as I really struggled with anything physical.