10am saw the Maserati faithfully gather at the Partridge VC Rest Area on the Hume Highway to prepare for our trip south.
Disaster struck us before we were able to set off, the reliable Coffee Van had not turned up, the fruit van that had arrived only satisfied a small number of members and so a Plan B was in order. Thank goodness Andrew Dunne had undertaken a motorbike run through Thirlmere the week before and recommended the coffee at the Thirlmere Bakery. Decision made and we headed for the Old Hume Highway at Thirlmere and had a 15 mins stop for Coffee, well and cakes! Our mixture of Maserati’s from the sixties through to current day turned heads as we drove through the various villages.
The route south from Thirlmere had been upgraded by Council and although we encountered a few potholes, the road was generally in good condition, with evidence of very recent new layers of asphalt.
We arrived at the Centennial Vineyards car park as one group which initiated a mini cars and coffee as other guests enjoyed viewing our cars.
Stephen and Carmel Heywood had been waiting patiently for us as we arrive at the wine tasting area, where we were shown to our table to begin the long process of tasting their wine list.
Suitably educated, members then purchased their favourite wines which were stored for us as we headed to the restaurant for our three course lunch.
A table for 15 was set on the balcony overlooking the vineyards and it was not long before the degustation tasting plate was served for entre. We ambled though the courses and made a number of trips to the bar before it was time to drive the cars up to the winery and load our purchases.
After 30 mins of additional Maserati talk and many photos, we decided around 4pm it was time to head home.
A wonderful outing had by all.
