in which many peacocks are to be seen

The day before I turned 20, See-Ann, Rachel and I (whom I will now dub as the Three Market-eers because our names are too long to type in one sentence without getting distracted) went for a lovely brunch session near Templestowe. I can't for the life of me remember the cafe name (it might have had been something to do with poets), but the food was so drool-worthy and worth the driving effort. It was a charming, sleepy little cafe hidden in a tiny alley. It was so small that the sunlight couldn't really hit the window panes well enough to light up the cafe in daytime, but it was so quaint that I'm ready to forgive all the badly lit photos we took inside it.

 From top left, clockwise: See-Ann had the scrambled eggs on toast with spinach, Rachel had organic muesli with yoghurt and poached apples (which we kept referring to as peaches...in our pre-adventure intoxicated state), and I had the tomato, mozzarella and spinach toast. I also had the tastiest latte in a mug. Not many places in Melbourne serve their coffees in mugs anymore... something I wish they would bring back because coffees are unequivocally better-tasting in mugs, not espresso cups. Or glassware (!!!).

See-Ann and Rachel still posing. I was eating and taking photos of them arranging their plates. By the time they were done, I was done!

 So after eating our way through 2 hours, we drove up to Montsalvat, a beautiful 200-acres worth of lush grass, galleries and peacocks. Montsalvat is still running as an artists' commune, and in it currently resides about 10 local artists, who contribute to the many small galleries dotted around the commune. The wonderful thing about Montsalvat is that it's only $10 for student entry, and you're pretty much free to roam around the place as long as you like. There are only a handful of spots that are strictly residential, but they're cottages that the artists and landowners reside in, so that was completely understandable. Would've been a tad awkward if we'd used their bathrooms by mistake.

 See-Ann being a gentle(wo)man. It was nice of her to remember I was running after the two of them most of the time.

 The prettiest daisies that we subsequently murdered.

Pensive portraits next to a Monet-esque lily pond. We heard toads in the distance... scary.

One thing about Montsalvat (and we've unanimously agreed that it's a rather successful ploy on the landowners' part in roping in more tourists) that really amazes me are the free-range peacocks. I know it makes me sound like a country bumpkin but free-range peacocks! Not one, or two, but imagine a family of peacocks strolling acres of land, surprising you at random turns. Which was what happened to us when we got there - we'd be busy snapping shots and all of a sudden this comes into the viewfinder.

 They also have a penchant for perching on ridiculously high rooftops. How did they get up there??

We also found a peahen, much to See-Ann's surprise.

If you have a day to spend with a group of close friends and good company, we highly suggest Montsalvat. The Meeting Place is the name of the restaurant that has made it semi-famous within culinary circles, which is always a plus.

Love,
Hannah