By Chris R.
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| Gardens at St Erth |
After wishing to visit for many
years, we finally decided in early November to take a whirlwind trip to
Victoria to stay at Bed and Broccoli, Australia’s first vegan bed and breakfast
and visit the much anticipated Edgar’s Mission. Leaving the Sanctuary,
even for just a short time, requires much planning and coordination, so it was
decided that we would we just stay two days and four of our amazing volunteers
would hold the fort.
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| Qantas vegan breakfast |
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| First light at Perth Airport |
Departing the Sanctuary before
sunrise, we managed to get a bargain early flight and enjoyed watching the colours of the sky as the plane left Perth. We were pleasantly surprised at our
in flight vegan breakfast, a delicious mushroom and spinach tortilla. Soon we arrived to a cool and cloudy Melbourne. Our hire car was booked
and the customer service assistant questioned our plans as we did the
paperwork, noticing the fluffy sheep looking out my bag. We ended up
chatting for some time about animals and rescue centres in Victoria and she wished
us well on our travels.
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| The drive to St Erth |
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| The Gardens of St Erth |
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| Fireplace at St Erth |
With a few hours to spare before
arriving at Bed and Broccoli, we took the scenic road through the Wombat State
Forest to visit the Digger’s Club’s Garden of St Erth. We were excited to
finally visit, having been Digger’s members for many years and growing a number
of their heritage plants. Their café unfortunately did not offer any
animal free afternoon tea items, but we were able to buy a hot soy mocha
to warm us, with the temperature now a low 9C. Misty rain shrouded
the bushland and the gardens of St Erth were extra special. We spent over
two hours enjoying the organic plantings and native surrounds, finishing with a perusal of the shop to collect gifts for the family at home.
The countryside on the drive from
St Erth to Bed and Broccoli was scenic and we admired the old buildings and
even older trees in many of the heritage towns though which we passed. Arriving just as the night was settling in, we were greeted by our host Nikki,
followed by her hopping clan of joeys. Bed and Broccoli was green and
inviting. So many animals peacefully going about their business
signalled that our next two days were to be idyllic. Nikki provided an
enjoyable and comprehensive tour of the accommodation and some lovely background
on the animals cared for at the property.
We had made the excellent
decision to order dinner at Bed and Broccoli both nights of our stay. The
first meal was cannelloni with a creamy pea filling in a spicy sauce, followed
by an amazing freshly baked butterscotch pudding. Both were cruelty free,
amazingly delicious and filling.
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| A Bed and Broccoli breakfast! |
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| Creamy Curried Penne |
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| Cruelty Free Cannelloni |
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| Butterscotch Pudding and Ice Cream |
Nikki did not disappoint on day two,
with a dinner of creamy curried pasta and vegetables, followed by an amazing
lemon pudding to fuel us following an incredible day at Edgar’s Mission.
Following dinner each night, we watched the sun disappear and small bats begin
their adventures around our cottage. They are gorgeous, busy little creatures and provided us with much entertainment.
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| Happy Hens at Bed and Broccoli |
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| Resting Cow at Bed and Broccoli, made by Moo-tique Yarns |
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| Welcoming Hens |
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| Sunset at Bed and Broccoli |
Our two days flew quickly and
soon it was time to head to the airport for home. Upon our departure we
were lucky to catch up with Nikki and Scott and learn more about the incredible
wildlife care undertaken at ‘Red Box Wildlife Shelter’ which runs from the
property. So many lives changed and hope given due to her dedication to
the cause. Despite the busyness of running the bed and breakfast and caring for
a number of rescue animals, she still makes time to help native wildlife in
need.
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| Bed and Broccoli support PVAS |
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| Flying west |
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| Time to go home to our animals |
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