Another slow start but by Noon we were on our way. I love our lazy mornings and try to have a little moment of gratitude for them each day. I know these will feel far away when we are home and needing to get off to work and school.

Our plan for the day was to visit a bunch of wineries, which is what this area is known for. We were too late (and cheap) to get on any of the tour buses, so we did a self-guided tour. Since we were driving we didn’t go too crazy at each stop, usually shared a tasting.

The first stop was Cullen wines. It was full of couples and this was the first time today I realized, oh yeah, Valentine’s Day. The vibe for all straight couples in Australia is a hot and very put-together woman, and then a guy who looks like he is ready to go skateboarding with his bros at any moment. High socks, shorts, and long hair even if he’s 40+.

Cullen felt very fancy and not very kid friendly. Nick did a quick tasting while Millie and I walked around the gardens, but we didn’t stay long. On our drive we talked about getting chickens at home, and seeing the big planters made me miss my garden!

Our next stop was Wills Domain. We were looking forward to this one because we read that it had a playground, but when we arrived there were no kids and the playground was right next to a bunch of couples having their fancy valentines lunch dates. Despite it we had a nice time and ordered a delicious charcuterie plate. It had a beautiful view overlooking rolling hills of vineyards.

At this point we realized fancy wineries on Valentine’s Day didn’t quite match our vibe, so we pivoted and went to a family friendly brewery down the road, Wild Hop. It was packed with little kids and had a fun playground. It was overlooking water and reminded us so much of similar spots in the Hill Country. All day today we kept saying how much this area felt like home.

Our next stop was called “Swings and Roundabouts”. A terrible name but the best stop by far. It was huge and full of all sorts of people, from bachelorette parties to retirees. But mostly it was families. It had a massive playground and lots of grass to run free. We had an early dinner of wood fired pizza and more meats and cheeses.

We decided on one final stop as a Valentine’s Day treat, Gabriel chocolate. The sweet young guy behind the counter gave us a chocolate tasting and explained the flavor differences between all the places they source their beans (Ghana, Peru, Madagascar, Ecuador, Uganda). We decided on a bar from Peru, and Millie got her belated Ice Cream Friday cone.

We drove back to our Airbnb and at the very moment we stepped inside it started raining. Nick and Millie watched a movie together (Hook). I sat on the porch with my portion of the chocolate bar and a cup of tea, listening to the rain. It smelled like wet eucalyptus. Heaven. As the sun started to set I walked out on the driveway and took this photo of the clouds. Western Australia has stolen my heart.