Varun's Daily Diary

Wednesday 3 March 2010

I am getting old. How do I know this? Well, I am suffering - for the first time - from jet-lag! I have always got over it in a day but on this trip, I seem to be coping quite badly to the extent that last last night I was in bed by 10.30 (I am writing this diary entry at 4 am!) totally wiped out and sadly forfeited delicious desserts! I also seem to have deleted a whole load of photos from my day! There's a moral in there somewhere ...

Anyway - GREETINGS from Chateau Yering in the Yarra Valley. It was "filming on property day" today and we got through an enormous amount.

Arrival by helicopter from Yarra Valley Helicopters. The hotel has 250 acres of land ... stretching down to the Yarra River ... and it looks amazing from the air. In 2009, a huge fire swept this area, killing over 170 people. It's taken a year but surely, the Yarra Valley has come back from the brink and there much more green than black visible ...

I arrived in a R-44 ... a small but extremely cute helicopter!

I was greeting by the wonderful General Manager Sue O'Brien who has been looking after us so well that they boys have already remarked that they don't want to leave! Don't get me wrong, I totally agree!

A brief "borrowed" history lesson now:

"This welcoming property in the European tradition is surrounded by historically significant gardens. It is a fitting tribute to Paul de Castella, a Swiss immigrant who established this superb residence in 1854.

The accommodation at Chateau Yering consists of 32 suites individually decorated with different color schemes. Word has spread quickly of the high standard of food and accommodation and the accommodation is full on most weekends.

This heritage listed Victorian mansion on 250 acres, borders the Yarra River and is set amidst established gardens dating from 1854. The luxury period accommodation and award winning Eleonore's Restaurant boast some of the best rural vistas in Victoria, while the lounges and sitting room are a showcase for fine paintings and antique furniture."

I have a Yarra Suite - around 50 square metres in area. Bathroom, lovely bedroom (complete with cat) ...

Living room and suite-hugging balcony ... and views to the Great Dividing Range and Yarra River! These photos got lost - will take more later today!

Eleonore's Restaurant is run by chef Mathew Macartney. He prepares some brilliant, original dishes using local produce as much as he can. It's a popular restaurant in the area and if Michelin was down here, he would be starred. The desserts are to die for! He taught me how to make a truffle ravioli today ... YUM!

The hotel also has a cafe with contemporary cuisine, the Oak Room (conferences & weddings) and the Bar where the property's Food & Beverage manager Cameron Hogarth prepared the "house cocktail" which included Canadian Club whisky and Cointreau ... it was STRONG!