On the third day of our train ride, New Year’s Day, we explored the port of Geelong and two nearby wineries. The first winery was ok, and that was followed by dropping us off at the Geelong beachfront to explore in freedom for two hours. 
Sue and I took advantage of the time to get some much needed exercise (after all the eating on a train!) via walking the beachfront. It’s a cute beach, with a Ferris wheel, carousel, and many other smaller activities.
Following our free time on the Geelong waterfront, the bus brought us to the nearby Provenace Winery. This is also an event center, perfect for weddings and corporate parties. They hosted wine tasting and open bar, followed by a full dinner. The wine was spectacular, and the owner/winemaker also offered us barrel tastings. Dinner included a menu of fantastic slow-cooked lamb rump and beautifully baked salmon. I talked with the chef after dinner (who also teaches this craft at the local college) and he told me the lamb was cooked at 80 degrees centigrade (176 F) for 16 hours. It was so good!
On the morning of January 4 we enjoyed a full breakfast at 7:30 AM, and during that time, we saw a large kangaroo hopping across an open field parallel to the train. The beautiful image of that graceful creature will always remain with us. We departed the train around 9:30 AM.
Friday’s adventure was wine tasting in the valley of McLaren Vale (think Napa) with most of the group from our train ride. It’s a fabulous wine region and we were grateful to enjoy it with both long-time and new friends.
On Saturday, Jan 4, we leave this beautiful part of Australia to drive along the Great Ocean Road towards Melbourne.