In spring, the vines are just starting to grow again, with the harvest due in autumn

Having lived in Melbourne for more than a year, I finally had the chance to go on a winery tour one fine spring weekend.

My good local friend Jen offered to take me to some wineries nearby after she found out I'd seen nothing of Victoria's vineyards except from the tourism brochures.

Our options were either the Grampian or Pyrenees wineries, which along with Ballarat make up the Great Grape Road Touring, wine regions offering visitors a scenic view as well as wide ranges of mouthwatering wine. Ballarat itself is a nice town with rich cultural heritage inherited from the gold rush heyday. The town is an hour's drive from Melbourne.

"It's not as famous as the Yarra Valley, but you'll enjoy the Pyrenees," said Jen, as we decided to head there because from Ballarat, where Jen's mother lives, it is closer than Grampian.

She was right, as the picturesque hilly area was a perfect weekend escape for us.

Our journey started at around 10 a.m., after a lazy Saturday breakfast, enjoying various homemade jams made by Barbara, Jen's mother. We were lucky to have good weather, considering it is usually still quite chilly in Ballarat and beyond during October, even with spring upon us.

Along the road was a striking bright yellow canola farm. All kinds of birds, none that I could name, were flying in the clean blue sky.

"It's easy to grow canola here. Mostly it's made into oil and used in the food processing industry," Barbara explained. Every now and then she slowed the car down and pulled over so we could take pictures.

This woman has amazing knowledge about the plants and wildlife of Australia. She tirelessly explained to us different kinds of gum trees, native plants, birds and just about anything that we wanted to know during the road trip.

Barbara also told us that the Pyrenees were named after the rocky mountains that span the border between Spain and France. The vast vineyards first started back in the late 19th century, yet did not last. The modern vineyards were planted in the 1960s.

According to the Visit Victoria website, the Pyrenees are home to 44 wineries that grow 25 varieties of grapes. These vineyards helped establish the Pyrenees' reputation as producers for, among others, the savory and spicy reds. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are among the best varieties from the region.

At about midday, we arrived at our first winery, the Taltarni Vineyards in Moonambel. It wasn't very busy, so we had a good time tasting different selections of fruity wines. Although I'm far from being an expert wine taster, I would say that I love almost everything offered as long as it's not dry. However, I found the sweet sparkling Late Harvest Riesling 2005 the most flavorsome.

"This is going to be perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon picnic later *in Melbourne*," my friend Ria said of the sweet and fruity white wine first released in 1999. We ended up buying a bottle each.

Another friend took a nice Cabernet Sauvignon as a gift for her thesis supervisor following a recommendation from the barman.

"It's a good choice. Very moderate as it's not too strong, yet still good for a chill-out time," he said after we told him that we didn't know the supervisor's preference.

"I suppose he likes red wine, hey?" he added in a broad Australian accent.

We got a little too excited for a bit and began thinking about buying different kinds.

"Take it easy girls, we're heading to more places after this," Barbara warned us.

After quick tea break and a five-minute drive past scenic hilly vineyards, we arrived at our second winery. The Dalwhinnies is a little more isolated and nestled under the brow of a hill. It has a small testing area for visitors with a modern glass design that provides a lovely view of the vineyards down hill. There, guests can also enjoy appetizing snacks and a cheese platter while tasting the wine.

We tried different ranges of white and red, but could not decide what we liked the most. Since the wines were pricey, ranging from A$35 to $150 (US$32 to $136) a bottle, we decided not to buy any - too expensive for a student budget.

The vineyard looked stunning and the spring sunshine was irresistible, so we decided to enjoy a bit of a walk with the dog around the vineyard.

The grape vines had just started growing, yet they still looked beautiful. The best time to enjoy the vineyards is in early autumn in March, when the vines are full of fruit and ready for harvesting.

The hilly landscape reminded us of the highlands around Bandung and Puncak, in West Java, which also make for a perfect weekend getaway. The only difference is that here they are full of grape vines instead of tea plantations.

Spring had sprung, and daisies were blooming everywhere. We made a daisy-chain tiara for Molly the dog, who seemed to enjoy the walk in the stunning hills.

We took a bundle of pictures, and off we went to the next destination. We had a quick check at the Summerfield cellar, tasted some reds and decide that we were too hungry to enjoy the wine.

We then drove to Avoca, a quiet small town with classic old buildings from the gold rush era, to have lunch.

Our initial plan was to go to a caf* offering various old-style Australian meat pies, with different fillings including exotic meats such as kangaroo and crocodile. But a friend just wanted to have a safe lunch, so our choice was a cute little caf*, the Olive and Lavender. The caf* serves homemade food and has a small yard for the dogs.

It was the perfect choice as all the food was tasty. I was satisfied with my feta cheese quiche and a strong latte to keep me awake the rest of the afternoon.

Following lunch, Barbara took us on a small bushwalk around a small waterfall. The walk was good to awaken us before we continued to our final destination, the Mount Avoca winery.

Mount Avoca spoiled us with flavorful wines and we ended up buying some. I opted for a white Trios, a blend of the three fruity wines Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon. I think it's going to be a perfect companion for a seafood dinner or even spicy Indonesian cuisine, as recommended by the woman serving us.

Driving back home, we saw a mob of kangaroos in the bush. About two or three males, which looked bigger than the rest, led the group through the green bush. We pulled the car over and took some pictures of them, which didn't seem to bother them.

Barbara said kangaroos were most likely to be seen during dusk.

"It's time to start hunting for food," she said.

After they disappeared into the bush, we continued our journey back to the city center. The next destination was Maryborough, a small town east of Ballarat, where we would spend the night in Jenny's family property and experience a simple life, but without Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, in the bush.

"It's gonna be great, girls. My dad has prepared a bonfire and we can roast marshmallows on it. And tomorrow, we should get up early to do some bushwalking in the neighborhood," said Jenny. She added that if we were lucky, kangaroos usually came into the yard around the house in the morning or early evening.

And that really happened. we ended our weekend retreat by filming and chasing tamed kangaroos in bush that evening.

- Photos courtesy of Agustina Wayansari

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