Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Lunch with a view..




The last time I went to visit mon ami français Marie who lives by the river in Maylands, one of Perth's oldest suburbs, she suggested we have lunch at the Riverside Woodbridge Cafe in Guildford, it was a Wednesday I recall, of course that was the day it was closed! Returning yesterday was well worth the effort.. it was a warm day making the cool breezes from the Swan River most welcome. Directly across the river the vineyards of the RiverBank Estate Winery..


The cafe/restaurant is part of the historic Woodbridge House estate, built on land originally owned by James Stirling later bought by Charles Harper who built this grand old home in 1885, I bet those big wide verandahs looking out to the river were a godsend in the summer heat back then. Over the past 130 years the house has had many uses, a boarding school for boys and an old age home for woman being just two. Saved from demolition by the government in the 1960's the National Trust opened Woodbridge House to the public in 1970 and it is now a popular tourist destination. I'm sure you know what's coming next.. I'll have to go back and check it out :) Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..



33 comments:

  1. What a great view! And warm!

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  2. Looks idyllic Grace, wish I was there!

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  3. Oh, how lovely!! Doesn't get any better than a great view -- and, yes, WARM!! I shouldn't whine about weather though since we've had a gorgeous, MILD winter!! Hope you have a great week!!

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  4. What a great old house.....and a peaceful view. Reminds me a bit of the countryside in Napa Valley, CA.

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  5. I really like this architecture!
    And what a good idea to eat in this beautiful place . Great moments !

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  6. A gorgeous old building, Grace!
    Aimee is more up on cartoon characters than me. ;-))

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  7. It looks like a lovely spot for lunch. But we want details - what did you have?

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  8. What an idyllic spot for a long lunch

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  9. zo tussen de wijngaarden is niet verkeerd.

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  10. what a place to spend some time...relaxing...eating...visiting with a good friend! very nice!!!

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  11. My kind of place, hands down. Your first photo brings back my childhood days, it looks just like my view from our back patio! What a lovely visit here.

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  12. It's a grand old building! Yes, please go back and take tons of photos!

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  13. The old building is even better than the view!

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  14. Did you travel into another century? It's great!

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  15. What a beautiful place. It is a good thing it's been preserved. I recently started watching an entertaining television series filmed in Australia called Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on Netflix and this reminds me so much of some of the homes I've seen on that show.

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  16. Looks a grand place. I can smell the warm earth.

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  17. Reminds me of some of the rural area here....

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  18. Of course you must go back! It is absolutely gorgeous.

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  19. Gosh honey that's a wonderful building. You are amazing!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    <3

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  20. Lovely pictures Grace and wow what a fabulous place!

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  21. It is a great house as well as cool views from the restaurant.

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  22. Yes, looking forward to the wedding on the estate this weekend - thanks for the sneak-peak, Gracie!

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  23. Well that ticks all the boxes for me.

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  24. What a pretty place to stay and have a look over the river ande the vineyards. I drink some Australian wines sometimes and I like them very much.

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  25. What at lovely place, another on my list of "Places to visit in Perth" :-)

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  26. It is always so wonderful to find an historic place that serves good food.

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  27. Beautiful place for a lunch! Arianna

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