It was one of those days.
Spilt coffee, broken fax, creative (“in my own time”) graphic designer, looming deadlines …

I was about to give up and hit the town when an email appeared in my inbox. The subject line simply read “fun and adventure wanted”.

Ironically, here I was being asked for fun – the one thing I’d lacked all day.

So I asked myself, how many times could I instil fun in one day, one itinerary, one visit to Melbourne, one family?

The Crowe family from Dunedin in New Zealand were headed to Melbourne for a week of family fun (an oxy moron I know).

I was to create a dream.

The essential ingredients – city, country, nature, adventure, wine, food.

Let the adventure begin.

Climbing aboard three private BLACK Robinson 44 helicopters an exhilarating ride to Phillip Island started the day. Landing was simple – green, lush fields housing a boutique vineyard. Evoking a feeling of being a million miles from anywhere – a little corner of the state to ourselves.

With the winemaker and owners a journey through the vineyard gave way to a heady exploration of the wines. An intimate lunch of prime beef spit roast in the old milking shed prepared us for the next piece of the puzzle. Back in the choppers and an unforgettable flight round cape Woolamai to see one of Australia’s best surf breaks, from above.

Buckling ourselves in – we took an adrenaline pumping, stomach turning, triple lap lightening ride around the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in V8 Supercars, topping speeds of 250km an hour. Thankfully the wine had taken the edge off …for some…..for others, the prime beef was wasted.

After a few drinks and a game of pool in the local pub, it was time to cap the day off with some iconic fun – no trip to Phillip Island is complete without the Penguin Parade, a glorious feat of nature – the adrenaline pumped for an entirely different reason.

A sumptuous seafood and champagne dinner at Harry’s restaurant was the final toast to the family of fun.