A lovely day out

For a pre-Christmas treat, we drove north through the Mount Lofty Ranges to a new micro-brewery that has recently opened near Carrickalinga, about 45 kms from home. Some friends told us about it and we thought we'd give it a try.

The drive through the Fleurieu Peninsula was delightful - just what I love. Hills rolling up and away all around us, some thickly wooded, others glowing golden in the midday light and dotted with hay bales. A big cloudless sky.  In the distance the Gulf St Vincent.

We finally arrived after taking a short cut which looked ideal on the map but which entailed a steep gravelly road that was signed 'For 4-wheel drive only'. Oops. But we made it and were pleasantly surprised to see the place quite busy.

Forktree Brewery is one of South Australia's newest craft breweries. It's in a converted shearing shed that provides fabulous views over the hills and down to the sea. The farm that the shearing shed is on was once part of the sprawling Forktree Estate, dating from the 1800s, hence the name Forktree Brewery.

It was too windy high up on the hill so we scuttled to the deck. Here you can see the view towards the gulf.

The decor and atmosphere is delightfully Australian. The views from the picture windows bring the landscape inside.

Here I am tucking into my coconut prawn salad which I must say was absolutely scrumptious. Steve's hamburger looms large. You can see he has sampled the beer.

 A great choice for a day out.