Junee

We jumped in the car and headed out into the countryside in search of chocolate and roundhouses yesterday for Harry's 9th (belated) birthday gift. After a couple of hours driving past patchwork quilts of vibrant green and gold, we found what we were looking for in the town of Junee...

...and boy did Junee deliver!

We stopped for a quick morning tea at a local bakery and then it was time to get down to the business of trains in roundhouses. 

The Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum was superb. 

We've done our fair share of railway museums and this one was up there with the best. 

Harry and Jack lost themselves amongst the giants in the roundhouse, ducking in and out of locos and carriages and comparing them to the model versions we have at home.

 The volunteer guides were a goldmine of stories, just great to have a chat to and the HO scale model railway gave Harry some fab inspiration for his own future design.

I love country towns and country towns with beautiful old buildings are perfection.

After a morning of locos and carriages we popped over to the old flour mill which now houses the Junee Licorice & Chocolate Factory. 

It's a foodie's mecca and a popular one at that. We had a totally delicious, lazy lunch in the sunny courtyard of The Millroom, with its live music, grapevines and rustic walls. 

The boys had a play on the jumping castle to burn off some pent up energy while Shan and I had a chat to the resident alpacas. We stocked up on some punchy Raspberry Licorice and belgian chocolate and then decided mid afternoon that, regrettably, it was probably time to head home.

About an hour from home we took a detour off the Hume Highway at Jugiong to grab a coffee at Longtrack Pantry. I've been following these guys on Insta for yonks and finally had the opportunity to experience their incredible coffee and sweet eats. It was heaven! 

The boys had one last play in the nearby park before the last leg of driving, so I snapped a crabapple tree that stood in the playground resplendent in blossom and humming with bees.

Such a delightful day and well worth the drive. 

I love these country adventures!

xx Em

Bright

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” 
― Edith Sitwell.

I love being curled up in our cosy home during winter but I equally love to rug up in layers and head outdoors to explore. We're home from a long weekend with a bunch of my in-laws in beautiful country Victoria. As par for the course, I have plenty of happy snaps, so make yourself some tea and get comfy.

It was a wet and unhurried journey south through the countryside on Saturday, stopping off at Gundagai for coffee and Albury for a spot of lunch. We arrived late afternoon in Porepunkah, staying in cabins surrounded by woodland and overlooking the Ovens River. The boys loved exploring the trails and roaming the holiday park with their cousins and the occasional stray kid who joined in their games. It reminded me of the wonderful freedom to roam I had as a kid when we holidayed in caravan parks...such a sense of adventure and excitement. I went for a bit of a ramble myself on Sunday morning, capturing the quiet beauty that nature reveals in mid-winter.

On the Sunday we ventured into nearby Bright for lunch at a local brewery, a play in the large adventure playground and stroll about the town.

 We stopped for an essential post-play energy fix at Bright Chocolates. The heady aroma of cocoa hits you in the face as you walk in the door and everyone's endorphins magically lift. 

Harry and I stayed in town for an extra hour to have a Harry/Mummy date. He raced alongside the river on his scooter while I strolled behind him, then we stopped for a coffee at the Blackbird Cafe and had a peek at a few stores including the divine Christmas All Year Round store. It felt absolutely perfect walking into such a glorious store in the middle of July. Christmas in summer goes against the grain with me. I know that's odd, given that I'm Australian, but there you have it. Some mulled wine and gingerbread would have gone down a treat! I found a new ornament for our tree that I couldn't possibly leave behind and was sorely tempted to bring home the sweet four-legged fellow we saw on our way out of the store. I really feel that his name should have been Engelbert.

Sunday night we toasted marshmallows over the fire and Husband took the kids for a moonlight walk across the river. When they got back the kids played with glow sticks and the eldest two put on an impromptu dance number for the adults just before the rain set in.

Monday morning we packed up, said goodbye to the Nanny & Poppy and set off for the historic town of Beechworth to do a bit of exploring. Its such a pretty town and I could happily spend an entire weekend nosying around all the historical sites. I think a trip next Autumn is called for. We had coffee and sweet treats at the famous Beechworth Bakery, went for a wander along the main street and poked about the museum, then bid farewell to the kids and my sister-in-law, homeward bound. 

Another adventure for the boys to file away in their childhood memories.

xx Em.