Forty five members and friends boarded the U.S Bus Lines air conditioned coach at Wheelers Hill Shopping Centre and travelled out along Wellington Road to view Cardinia Reservoir following the end of the drought and then travelled on to Grants Picnic Ground at Kallista for a welcome half hour morning tea stop. The picnic grounds are a very popular tourism stop because of the colourful lorikeets and white sulphur crested cockatoos which inhabit the area. Mike, our coach captain, served tea and coffee and produced a selection of delicious biscuits and cakes to nibble.
After washing up and waiting for Charles who went looking for Brenda, (who by the way, was already on the coach), it was then on to Cloudehill Gardens and Nursery at Olinda.
Following a briefing about the history and layout of the gardens we spent an hour or so wandering around the splendid gardens admiring the diversity of plants and specialised gardens.
After Cloudehill we drove on through the Dandenongs to the Yarra Range Estate Winery for a wine-tasing and lunch in the restaurant overlooking the vineyard. Lunch comprised a chicken snitzel with salad and chips, followed by berries and icecream for dessert.
From Yarra Ranges Estate, we returned by coach to Mount Dandenong and stopped at Sassafras to spend some time wandering through the village and its little quaint shops. From here we headed back to Melbourne arriving at Wheelers Hill around 4.30pm after a most enjoyable outing. Thank you Barbara for a great day!