A bridge too far on the tasting trail, perhaps, but maybe it's a case of too-high expectations and severe burnout in the taste buds. Too much of a good thing, and all that.
Given those factors, I wasn't keen on more tasting. So we headed downtown, stopping at Tourist Information for details we needed to plan the next morning's Lake Cave excursion and other information. From there, we headed off to base camp for the next two nights at Margaret River Tourist Park.
Once we'd settled in, thoughts turned to dinner. Since we hadn't formed any definite plans, we walked back into town, partly to work up an appetite and partly to avoid driving over darkened unfamiliar roads at night.
The walk up and down the main street failed to produce anything that grabbed Madam's imagination, so we found our way into the Settlers' Tavern, where the food turned out to be excellent. The drinks options were more than merely interesting.
Hardly surprising, really, given the fact that the establishment had picked up the Best Pub Restaurant List gong at the Gourmet Traveller Wine Wine List of the Year Awards.
Madam's catch of the day went down well. So did Hughesy's 300 g Scotch fillet with accompanying mashed potato that operated on a whole different playing field to the old-style mash I'm used to.
After a cleansing ale, I couldn't resist a glass of Forester Estate Alicante Bouchet, a full-bodied red as opposed to the Rockford tannin-free take on the teinturier variety.
We weren't, however, inclined to hang about inside as the external temperature plummeted (any delay would only mean that it'd be even chillier when we finally ventured outside).
We made our way home at a brisk walk that threatened to develop into a trot as we entered the home straight. Inside it was a case of on with the old reverse cycle and an early night with a good ten hours' sleep to prepare for a second day on the tasting trail.