8^th GHRSST-PP Science Team Meeting Excursion

Please join us for an outing to the Yarra Valley on Wednesday 16^th May 2007. Unfortunately, bookings are now closed for this excursion. Please check your registration details in the GHRSST Social Program list to see if you are booked for this excursion.

Located about an hour northeast of Melbourne, the beautiful Yarra Valley is surrounded by wooded hills and the Yarra and Dandenong Ranges. Numerous wineries around the valley produce some of the finest white wines in the world.

We begin with a tour of the Healesville Animal Sanctuary. This spacious wildlife park is home to over 200 species of Australian animals including koalas, dingoes, kangaroos, wombats, emus, and many more. A special platypus enclosure in which day and night are reversed allows visitors to view platypus going about their nightly foraging. Another highlight is the 20-minute Birds of Prey presentation, in which birds of prey that have been rehabilitated at the sanctuary fly right over the audience!

Volunteer guides will show us around Healesville Sanctuary, sharing information on the animals and their habits, or you are free to explore the sanctuary at your own pace.

Our next stop will be Riverstone Estate Winery where we will enjoy a wine tasting from their selection of premium quality boutique wines. We will then enjoy a 2-course gourmet BBQ dinner in the restaurant with stunning views over the Yarra Valley. The menu for the 2-course dinner is:

Main Menu – choice of: Porterhouse Steak, Venison Steak, Kangaroo Prime Steak, Chilli Buffalo Sausages, Barramundi, Prawns, Calamari, Vegetarian - Sausages & Burgers

Desert: Choose from our selection of cakes - Cheesecakes, Mudcakes, Black Forest

The cost for this outing is A$94 (including packed lunch and 2-course dinner), payable at the workshop. Partners and families are most welcome to join in.

We will leave from outside main entrance to the Bureau of Meteorology Building (700 Collins Street, Melbourne) at 12:30 pm and travel by coach. A sack lunch will be provided to eat on the bus. We expect to return to the Vibe hotel at about 10:00 pm.