Episode 30: Great Escapes
Join host Suzie Wilks with Glen Moriarty, Brodie Harper and Blair McDonough this week as the Postcards team explores some fantastic accommodation around Victoria. We also offer 10 sensationally discounted Melbourne hotel packages in our Great Escapes special.
From the open waters near Port Fairy to the calmer flow of the Murray, we show you where to wine and dine your beloved and shop till you drop, Melbourne-style.
Chateau Yering
Suzie's glamorous stay at Chateau Yering starts with one of life's great luxuries, room service breakfast! If you manage to leave the comfort of your suite you can also venture downstairs to the Sweetwater Café for a light brekkie, or make it morning tea with the amazing array of cakes and scones.
Chateau Yering offers a choice of 32 rooms, with four different types of suites all equally as sumptuous as the next. Each room has been decorated in English country style and thoughtfully finished by an interior designer. There's also the antique-filled ballroom in which to enjoy a glass of the local wine, a private dining room for special occasions, or the library room and a bar area for a late night drink. The Oak Room is the newest option for a function and it overlooks magnificent gardens.
For dinner there's Eleanore's Restaurant, which you can't go past. Awarded one chef's hat in The Age Good Food Guide Awards for 2009, the kitchen is run by Matthew Macartney. His style of food is best described as contemporary Australian and some of his signature dishes include seared red mullet with citrus, carrot and fennel, wagyu beef with roasted beetroots and to finish, mandarin cannelloni with a pistachio sponge. Yummy!
Chateau Yering Historic House Hotel
42 Melba Highway, Yering, Yarra Valley
Ph: 9237 3333
www.chateauyering.com.au
Royce Hotel
If you're looking for some accommodation, Tourism Victoria's new Melbourne Accommodation Guide is a great resource, and it's where Brodie finds the Royce Hotel. The Royce Hotel was once Melbourne's most glamorous car showroom, and that's where it gets its name. These days, there's still plenty of glamour at this five-star designer boutique hotel, from its expansive lobby, complete with sweeping staircase, through to it's recently redeveloped suites. The Royal suites are the real showstoppers. A four-poster king size bed takes centre stage, but there's still plenty of room to relax in style and loads of luxury in the Italian marble bathrooms. Step out onto the balcony and take in the breathtaking panoramic views of the Shrine of Remembrance and the city skyline.
Dish, the hotel's award winning restaurant, has a warm, inviting atmosphere, and chef Leigh Dundas dishes up an inventive selection of modern, Australian dishes. Next door there's The Amberoom, where you can grab a boutique beer or one of these specialty cocktails at the amber lit bar.
Brodie discovers a shopping secret down the road at Federation Square, from where you can hop on a free shuttle bus that will take you to Chadstone, 'the fashion capital'. The shuttle is free, and included is a passport that gives you discounts of up to 30% at many of the centre's 440 stores. So, in just 30 minutes, you'll be off and shopping.
Royce Hotel
379 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Ph: 1800 820 909
www.roycehotels.com.au
Free Chadstone Fashion Shuttle
Ph: 1300 668 467
www.chadstoneshopping.com.au
Echuca houseboat
The mighty Murray is without a doubt Australia's most famous river. The only way to cruise along it is on one of the legendary paddle steamers that have called this place home for the last 100 years, like the P.S. Hero.
As soon as you step on board you'll be blown away by how much has gone into restoring this amazing boat. Attention to detail is the key here, as every part on this boat was re-engineered to look exactly the same as the original. But what's more impressive about the Hero is that it seems like she handle just about anything. She can cruise for a few hours or a few days, cater for four couples or 75 guests for everything from conferences or wedding. And with a commercial kitchen and chef on board, you can wine and dine your way anywhere alone the river.
Spending a bit of quality time on the river is a given when you come to Echuca and a definite must-do on your list in this region is to grab a feed at Oscar W's. The restaurant takes up prime position in the old port and has been serving up the goods in Echuca for over 13 years. During this time it's picked up a stack of awards for consistently providing quality food and the type of environment that just keeps bringing visitors back to the beautiful setting.
Oscar W's Wharfside
101 Murray Esplanade, Echuca
Ph: 03 5482 5133
www.oscarws.com.au
Hero Enchanted Journeys
37 Murray Esplanade, Echuca
Ph: 03 5482 3411
www.hero.net.au
Port Fairy
The historic seaside village of Port Fairy, located right at the end of the Great Ocean Road, is a perfectly preserved nineteenth century shipping port, complete with plenty of old world character and its fair share of fine food and beautiful accommodation. It takes almost four hours to get there, six if you take the scenic route on the Great Ocean Road. So once you're there, you might want to slow down for a while.
First off, some food at Portofino on Bank, an award-winning restaurant with a modern Italian menu and a chef who believes in taking things slowly. Blair tries the local octopus, tenderized in white wine, olive oil, and tomatoes. After slow cooking for three hours, the octopus is quickly chargrilled and served with some couscous and a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice.
Koroit is a 20-minute-drive from Port Fairy and it's where you'll find Patrick's luxury bed and breakfast. It used to be Saint Patrick's convent and was built with 28 rooms to house 20 nuns, but now there are just five designer bedrooms, each with its own beautiful ensuite. The rooms are all individually decorated but the best of the bunch is room four, which comes complete with a king size bed, a lounge with a gorgeous antique couch and a spectacular copper bathtub. Patrick's is packed with things to do. You could take a stroll through the park-like garden, settle in with a good book in the library, or make a break for it in the billiard room.
Portofino On Bank
26 Bank Street, Port Fairy
Ph: 03 5568 2251
Patrick's Luxury Bed & Breakfast
55 Anzac Avenue, Koroit
Ph: 0428 416 104
www.patricksbnb.com.au
What's on
The Royal Melbourne Show
Springtime in Melbourne is show time, so make sure you are part of the fun of this year's Royal Melbourne Show, an 11-day celebration that brings country and city together.
Where: Melbourne Showgrounds
When: 17 - 27 September 2009
More: Ph 03 9281 7444 or visit www.royalshow.com.au
Tesselaar Tulip Festival
If you're after a great weekend outing then head to the Dandenongs before 13 October to join in on all the festivities of the Tesslaar Tulip Festival in Silvan.
Where: Silvan
When: 16 September - 13 October 2009
More: Ph 03 9737 7777 or visit www.tulipfestival.com.au
CHICAGO - the musical
Melbourne's latest stage spectacular, Chicago, is currently playing at Her Majesty's Theatre with an exciting all-star Australian cast, so get your tickets soon!
Where: Her Majesty's Theatre
When: Now playing
More: Ph 1300 795 012 or visit www.chicagothemusical.com.au
