Fleurieu Living Magazine Autumn 2013 by Fleurieu Living Pty Ltd

T H E B E S T O F S O U T H A U S T R A L I A’ S F L E U R I E U P E N I N S U L A A N D K A N G A R O O I S L A N D

FLEURIEU LIVING MAGAZINE

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Key Personnel

Contributors

Petra de Mooy Petra is a publisher, an interior designer, a furniture maker and a devotee of good food, good design and good stories. She is also mum to Lucy!

Heather Millar Heather arrived on the Fleurieu Peninsula eight years ago, by way of London, Melbourne and Hobart. She runs a freelance editorial consultancy from Willunga, and enjoys the spoils of life amongst the sea and vines. www.zestcommunications.com.au

Jason Porter Jason has worked as a graphic designer and creative director both locally and overseas for more than twenty five years. He’s really tired now and would like to go home to tinker with his hi-fi.

Robert Godden Robert is a tea writer, presenter, video blogger and blender with local business The Devotea. www.the-devotea.com

Leonie Porter-Nocella Leonie is a survivor of decades of academic editing and ghost writing. She quite fancies herself as a food, coffee and wine connoisseur and an animal rights advocate. Editing FLM brings a little light into her life after all those mind-numbing PhDs.

James Potter Allegedly conceived in a hot-house, James believes all gardens are improved by a drink and a gentle dig. He works, sometimes, as a garden designer.

Brenda Pearson Brenda settled in the Fleurieu Peninsula from Canada with her family four years ago. She thinks it rocks!

Alan Colton Prominent migration agent and retired solicitor, veteran body surfer and boogie boarder – Alan dumps on Boomer Beach and how to ride it.

Robert Geh Robert Geh can’t remember who to blame for his descent into photography, but he has been a purveyor of fine commercial photography servicing many clients over the last two decades.

Gerry Wedd Gerry Wedd has studied jewellery making, painting, drawing and ceramics. He has exhibited nationally & internationally, and has work in many public collections. From 1991 to 2005, Gerry designed for Mambo and has surfed regularly since he was twelve.

Grant Beed Grant has recently moved to Port Willunga with wife Lisa and their four boys. After working in the film and television industry in Sydney for over ten years, they have now opted for a wholesome beach side existence on the Fleurieu.

Kate Washington Kate grew up overseas and settled in the Fleurieu region for its amazing lifestyle and to pursue sustainable agriculture. She works at Bickleigh Vale Farm producing organic seedlings and vegetables and is completing a Masters in natural resource management.

Alexandra Paxinos Alexandra is a twenty-one year old Marketing graduate and occasional blogger. Her position here at Fleurieu Living exposes her to all the things she loves: food, fashion and social events.

Louise Pascale Louise is a journalist and producer based in Adelaide. Her love of the Fleurieu began years ago when her parents bought a property in Carrickalinga. Louise takes every opportunity to head south where her mobile is out of range and only her mum knows how to find her.

Publisher Information Merenia Vince Merenia is a New Zealander who has wandered far afield to Sydney, London and now Adelaide where she is raising her small children. She loves writing, cooking and her husband. In her spare time she is also an occupational therapist.

PUBLISHER Fleurieu Living Magazine is published four times a year by Fleurieu Living Pty Ltd. ISSN 2200-4033

Zannie Flanagan Zannie has been helping to drive South Australian food culture for over 30 years, particularly the food culture of the Fleurieu. She contributes to a number of publications and presents regular seminars & workshops on the development of the regional food culture.

EDITOR Leonie Porter-Nocella

Meredyth Cilento Meredyth is a woman with eclectic life experiences, an unquenchable thirst for adventures and new challenges, and an almost religious belief in beauty.

PUBLISHING EDITOR AND MANAGING DIRECTOR Petra de Mooy

ADVERTISING SALES Brenda Pearson EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Alexandra Paxinos GRAPHIC DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION Jason Porter jason@fleurieuliving.com.au PRINTER Graphic Print Group

Monique Gill Writer, communications consultant and parttime poet Monique has worked in publishing for over 20 years. She escaped to the Fleurieu last year, seduced by its laid-back lifestyle and postcard-perfect scenery. She and daughter Alexa (with various furry creatures) live in Goolwa. Mike Lucas The right side of Mike’s brain has enabled him to be a children’s author and owner of Shakespeare’s Bookshop in Port Noarlunga. His left side has qualified him as an engineer. He is cognitively ambidextrous. Stephanie Johnston Stephanie Johnston is a former book publisher turned town and country planner. She is interested in how good planning and design can harness and enhance the ‘core drivers’ of a community – culture and commerce.

DISTRIBUTION Integrated Publication Solutions SUBSCRIPTIONS www.isubscribe.com.au ALL ENQUIRIES Petra de Mooy petra@fleurieuliving.com.au POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 7, Sellicks Beach South Australia 5174. ONLINE www.fleurieuliving.com.au www.facebook.com/FleurieuLivingMagazine COPYRIGHT All content copyright Fleurieu Living Magazine Pty Ltd unless otherwise stated. While Fleurieu Living Magazine takes every care to ensure the accuracy of information portrayed in this publication, the publisher accepts no liability for errors contained in editorial or advertising copy. The views of the contributors are not necessarily endorsed by Fleurieu Living Magazine. Printed on paper from well managed forests using environmentally friendly vegetable-based inks.

Contents

52 FEATURED HOME: The Shack – A family shack at Sellicks Beach with a history stretching back more than half a century.

58 FEATURED ARTIST: Brian O’Malley shares his poly-ocular views of the Fleurieu.

FOOD AND WINE

MARKETS & EVENTS

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

74 Bekkers’ Birth – Painting a new picture of McLaren Vale Wines.

08 Diary Dates and Events to mark on your calendar.

33 Gluten Free – where to get some of the best gluten free foods on the Fleurieu.

COUNTRY LIFE

GROWERS & PRODUCERS

36 Normanville – A country town with a growing heart.

66 The Butcher – Ian Shaw on his journey to becoming one of the region’s favourite butchers.

42 Chef and Cook – Entrée Main and Dessert – Gluten Free and delicious. 24 Blessed Cheese – Blessed be for this great community cafe.

14 The Baker – Toff and Cara West. Community, the daily bread, babies and balance.

FEATURED DESIGN: The Waldorf School – Head, Hand, Heart. The community and learning spirit of the Steiner School in Willunga.

FEATURED INDIVIDUALS: ‘Salt Dogs’ – four surf-loving locals tell us why they love their Fleurieu lifestyle and the surf at Middleton.

FEATURED VENUE: ‘The Australasian’ – Discover this hidden treasure at Goolwa.

FRONT COVER PHOTO: The Waldorf School hall photographed by Robert Geh.

LIVING GREEN

BOOKS

PENINSULA PEOPLE

41 The Dirt – James gets honest about his pillaging past.

78 Book Reviews – Autumn reads like this.

77 Karel Vandersteegan – From Belgium with Love.

WEDDINGS

BEING SOCIAL

82 Sarah James and Nick Martin – 22 December, 2012.

84 Peter Thorpe and Rachael Upton – 3 March, 2012.

FASHION 80 Shopping Local – What to buy. Where to buy it.

FLM gets out to see who was at the events: · Leconfield · Langhorne Creek Vignernons’ Day · McMurtrie Mile · Harvest Festival Gala Dinner · Harvest Festival · Goolwa Regatta

50 Alan Colton – Fifty years of Summer at the back break of Boomer. 62 Stephen Anthony – If we could we wood. 68 Lindy Downing – For the Birds.

HISTORY 34 The Loch Sloy – Piecing together mysteries of the sea.

ACKNOWLEDGES

A special thanks to the advertising partners that have made a long term commitment to FLM.

designed for living

Welcome to FLM Designing a high quality magazine with the exacting standards for which we are now respected does not come easily; but the experiences along the way are rich. What better way to find yourself drinking some of the best wines the region offers than over lunch at Fino? Or hearing about someone’s passion for making only the best chocolate possible – or offering the best cheeses available? Each subject is taken as a new opportunity, and all stories are nurtured from inception to the final product. Walking through the front doors of the Australasian at Goolwa for the first time – we were blown away. See this amazing venue revealed in its full glory on page 18. We also visited artist Brian O’Malley at his eco-friendly house in the scrub – and heard all about his vast and varied history. Experiencing his paintings in person was a real highlight. Hanging out with photographer Lindy Downing in Goolwa – and sitting in the old stone cottage she uses as her studio was also a rare treat. Reading James Potter’s column, ‘The Dirt’ (albeit always later than we ask for it) ... we just love his ability to write a great story. In the weeks before we go to print we get somewhat busy, but we always find the time to appreciate some of the spoils of our work. Taking photos with Alice Bell at Aquacaf in Goolwa allowed us to enjoy the beautifully prepared food at the end of the shoot (see page 42). When we accompanied Mr. Geh on the photo shoot at the grounds of the Waldorf School, we got to watch our kids run around totally immersed in the great environment they’ve created. As the magazine becomes a part of the community on the Fleurieu, we hope you share a bit of ownership in it. We would like the locals who love it to subscribe (and we would love the businesses that see it as a general asset to the entire region to advertise)! Finally, we would also llike to thank the three new Advertising Partners that joined us in this issue.

“Hi Jason and Petra Happy new year! A quick note to tell you I’m sitting in Goolwa Library, looking through the Summer edition of the mag, and marvelling at the array of advertisers. A huge congratulations! (And the content continues to be tops!) Best wishes for a successful 2013 and catch up soon.” Best regards, Troy Forrest “Hi Petra I have just purchased my Summer 2012 copy of Fleurieu Living and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Was just wondering if it is possible to obtain the first two editions from somewhere? Congratulations on your publication - something long overdue for the region. We lived in the Barossa for several years and always enjoyed reading Barossa Living but was unaware that we now have one on the Fleurieu. Up there all the newsagents and supermarkets always had it on their front counters which encouraged both locals and tourists to buy it. We have had a house at Encounter Bay for 25 years and just love the beauty and peacefulness of the region – a great escape from the bustle of the city. Do hope you can tell me where to obtain the back copies and look forward to many more years of enjoyable reading about our beautiful region.” Kind regards Ros Pettman “Hi Petra, I saw your magazine whilst waiting in the Willunga Vet the other day, looks great, high quality art work, I was impressed.” Cheers Richard Baxter Singing Bird Art and Photography “Hello Petra, My wife Joylene and I suscribe to and have enjoyed the Fleurieu Living publication — appreciative of how you and your team showcase the Fleurieu so well.” Kind Regards, Rob Edwards Amanda’s Cottage

Left: Perhaps the most photographed landmark on the Fkeurieu; the old Port Willunga jetty. Photograph by Robert Geh. 7

MARKETS & EVENTS

Diary Dates Markets, Festivals and Events.

Markets: Willunga Farmers’ Market In the Willunga Town Square every Saturday from 8am to 12.30pm. The Farmers’ Market has a real buzz, is wonderful for regional produce — and you just know that all the diehards will be there each week, come rain or shine.

Goolwa Wharf Market Goolwa Wharf — every first and third Sunday of the month from 9am to 3.30pm. With around 80 stalls there is a myriad of goods on offer. Bric-a-brac, collectibles, plants, books both new and old, and hand-crafted goods.

Willunga Artisans’ Market In the Willunga Show Hall (opposite the Willunga Farmers’ Market) on the second Saturday of every month. Local art and craft, with a little bit of something for everyone.

Kangaroo Island Community Markets Lloyd Collins Reserve, by the beach at Penneshaw — first Sunday of the month from 9.30am to 1.00pm — with Kangaroo Island’s top food producers selling a range of fresh local produce in a great village atmosphere.

Victor Farmers’ Market At the Grosvenor Gardens, Victor Harbor every Saturday from 8am to 12.30pm. Over 32 stalls, with locally caught seafood, organic vegetables, seasonal fruit, local honey, mushrooms, fresh flowers, Fleurieu regional wines and much more. Well worth the visit.

Meadows Country Market Meadows Community Hall on the second Sunday of the month from 9.00am to 3.00pm. Local produce, crafts, collectibles, plants and bric-a-brac. A true country market. The Original Open Market Beach Road, Christies Beach first and third Sunday of the month from 9 to 2pm. Bric-a-brac, second-hand goods, fruit, vegetables — they have the lot! Strathalbyn Market In Lions Park, South Terrace, Strathalbyn. On the 3rd Sunday of the month from 8am to 2pm. Bric-a-brac, produce, coffee, pies, apples, plants, soaps, jewellery and much more in wonderfully historic Strathalbyn. Yankalilla Market In the Agricultural Hall, Main South Road, Yankalilla on the third Saturday of each month. Craft and Produce Market featuring goods from the local area. You’ll be surprised at what you may find! Willunga Quarry Market Adjacent to the Willunga Oval, every second Saturday of each month, rain or shine! A real gem, from fantastic coffee, tarot readings to that hard to find plant and local produce — it’s not to be missed. Port Elliot Market At Lakala Reserve Port Elliot, on the first and third Saturday of each month. A typical country market with plenty of fresh local produce on offer as well as a good mix of other goods such as bric-a-brac, books, fishing gear — even a $2 stall! There is sure to be something here for everyone. Aldinga Bay Art, Craft and Produce Market When: 8am to 1pm. Fourth Sunday of every month. Where: Corner of Aldinga Beach Road and Pridham Boulevard. Arts and crafts from local artisans and fresh local produce.

Festivals and Events: Clayton Bay Rat Race Regatta Where: Clayton Bay Boat Club, Clayton Bay When: Saturday 23rd March 2013 The Rat Race Regatta was born several years ago when a couple of local sailors had an impromptu race in the waters near Clayton Bay and Rat Island. The race starts in the Goolwa Channel from Clayton, through Snug Cove, across Marshall’s Bight, behind Rat Island and back to Clayton. Working Sheepdog Trials Where: Nine Mile Road, Strathalbyn When: Saturday 23rd – Sunday 24th March 2013 Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm both days. Free Family Event Working sheepdog trials showcase some of the best working sheepdog and handlers in South Australia. Come and watch as the dogs work five sheep through a series of obstacles in a fifteen minute time frame. Meadows Four Day Easter Fair Where: Meadows Memorial Hall, Main Street, Meadows When: Friday 29th March – Monday 1st April 2013 Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm both days. Free Family Event The Meadows Four Day Easter Fair will host stall and a large treasure market with local produce, clothing, books, plants, ceramics, animals on display and much more. Bring the family for a free outing with plenty of good country food and teas.

Willunga Waldorf School Autumn Fair Where: 1 Jay Drive, Willunga When: Saturday 6th April 2013 Free Family Event Filled with stalls, games, food, entertainment and more, the Willunga Waldorf School Autumn Fair is a fun day out for the whole family. A Vintage Sunday at Yangarra Estate Vineyard Where: Yangarra Estate Vineyard, Kangarilla When: Sunday 14th April 2013 Time: 12 – 5pm Free Family Event Gather your friends and head down to Yangarra Estate to celebrate Vintage 2013 in the Vale. Adelaide’s hippest roaming food truck, Burger Theory, is bringing their iconic mobile kitchen “Pearl” for a relaxing day filled with fine wine, awesome burgers and acoustic tunes. Buenos Aires in the Vales Tango Festival Where: McLaren Vale region When: Friday 19th – Sunday 21st April 2013 Staged in McLaren Vale and Willunga and sponsored by Southern Cross Tango, the Buenos Aires in the Vales Tango Festival combines romantic tango music, expert dance tuition and great social events with the stunning scenery and fine local food and wines of the McLaren Vale region. >

Open 7 days 6.30am - 4.00pm 13 Old Coach Road Aldinga, South Australia.

MARKETS & EVENTS

Kangaroo Island Feastival Where: Various locations across Kangaroo Island When: Thursday 25th – Tuesday 30th April 2013 The annual 2013 Kangaroo Island FEASTival is a six-day culinary and viticultural adventure featuring a range of pop-up dining events and experiences staged in a collection of wilderness and private locations around Kangaroo Island. Anzac Day Dawn Services Where: Victor Harbor – McLaren Vale – Yankalilla When: Thursday 25th April 2013 Time: 5:45am Come and commemorate the ANZACs at a dawn service, held at various locations throughout the Fleurieu, with the Cross of Fire Sacrifice followed by a ‘gunfire’ breakfast. McLaren Vale Vintage & Classic Where: Various wineries & cellar doors around McLaren Vale When: Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th April 2013 Voted Community Event of the Year in 2011, and winner of a bronze award from the SA Tourism Awards in 2011, the McLaren Vale Vintage & Classic is a great family celebration of vintage and classic

motoring. Enjoy a great mix of gourmet food, world-class wines, music and the arts in the relaxed atmosphere of McLaren Vale’s wineries and cellar doors. Langhorne Creek Winemakers Wine Judging and Showcase Tasting Where: Grand Marquee, Langhorne Creek Memorial Oval When: Sunday 5th May 2013 Time: 11am – 4pm Cost: $15 Enjoy a day out and sample the best of the wine entered into the 2013 Langhorne Creek Winemakers’ Showcase. Food is available throughout the day and selected wines will be available to purchase and take home. McLaren Vale BankSA Sea and Vines Festival Where: McLaren Vale region When: Saturday 8th – Monday 10th June 2013 Come and celebrate the renowned wine district of McLaren Vale at the annual McLaren Vale BankSA Sea and Vines Festival where SA’s premier chefs and restaurants will feed your senses and local wineries will share their cellar doors, wines and stories with you.

So French, So chic

Stylish Gifts, homewares & ladies fashion

Mon – Sat 10.30am-4.30pm Sun & Public Holidays 11.00am-4.30pm 29 North Terrace (Next to Port Elliot Bakery) PORT ELLIOT 08 8554 3645

The Arts Centre, Port Noarlunga, is located in the Old Institute Building on Gawler Street. The institute has played an important role in the creative and cultural life of the region for many years. This flexible arts venue offers a performance space, two rehearsal studios, a visual arts studio and meeting room. The Arts Centre plays home to a number of local arts, craft and theatrical groups. The centre is part of the Out of the Square consortium, a metropolitan entertainment circuit providing the best South Australian performers and talent to entertain audiences.

THE ARTS CENTRE GAWLER STREET PORT NOARLUNGA

8326 5577 | www.onkaparingacity.com

Woodcroft College is closer than you think

With two dedicated buses servicing the Fleurieu Peninsula, departing from Goolwa and Sellicks Beach, our students can travel from far and wide to access our internationally accredited curriculum. We invite you to join one of our College tours and see for yourself why parents choose Woodcroft College. Junior School (Reception to Year 5) Tuesday 7 May, commencing at 9:15 am Middle & Senior Schools (Years 6 to 12) Tuesday 21 May, commencing at 9:00 am For further information, or to obtain a prospectus, please contact Tracy Bonser on 8381 0491. Woodcroft College is an Anglican, coeducational day school from Reception to Year 12.

Bains Road Morphett Vale T: 8322 2333

www.woodcroft.sa.edu.au

Good in bread Leonie Porter-Nocella seeks the secret of work–life balance in running a 7-day a week business with an infant (or two). Photography by Grant Beed.

When you realise that Toff (Christopher) and Cara, the groovy and attractive young owners of Aldinga’s red-hot Home Grain Bakery have an active, ‘switched on’ young son under the age of two ... and it’s blatantly obvious that Cara’s currently got another bun in the oven (sorry ... I don’t know what made me say that, but I just couldn’t help it ... ) you can’t help but wonder how they do it: make it work, that is! Yes, their age and obvious glowing health have to be a factor, but it can’t be the whole answer ... so I made an excuse to drop by ... It seems that during the normal months; that is, everything that isn’t summer, Toff goes in to work the morning ‘shift’ while Cara stays home in nearby Port Willunga to look after young Trip. Yes, I wondered about the name too. His real name is James Francis III — hence ‘Trip’ — triple. Then they swap over. Brilliant. Trip gets his fair share of both parents, and they, him. For busier periods and a chance for a bit of peer-play Trip goes to the Coach Road Child Care facility a couple of doors away from the Bakery. All very perfect. But what of the madness that is summer near a beach; even worse, several beaches? It seems they have the perfect solution for that also. An au pair. And since Cara is an American from Virginia, their au pair is from Montana. It’s just all too perfect! The couple bought the shop on Old Coach Road, previously idling along quietly as a General Store, with the idea of opening their own bakery. The implausibly impressive part of all this, especially considering that neither had ever been bakers, nor run a business, is the runaway success they’ve made of it in just their first year. I just had to ask. Research. That seems to be the answer. They travelled over four months through twelve countries before settling on the Fleurieu (Toff ‘s a McLaren Vale native) keeping

a meticulous journal where they recorded everything that had impressed them in the many coffee houses and small cafes they came across over the course of their trip. It was this journal they referenced when planning their own bakery cum cafe cum coffee shop, incorporating all the features they’d liked in overseas establishments. ... And on the subject of coffee, it is my personal prejudice that an establishment can be hastily summed up by the quality of the coffee. Happily, Cara and Toff score highly using this criterion. The coffee is not only great, but local as well — a doubleplus. They source beans from Villeré Artisan Roasters in McLaren Vale. Lovely. And on the subject of promoting local products, they’ve designed ‘pies of the month’, so far featuring Goodieson’s Stout & steak, which won a gold medal at the Great Aussie Pie Competition back in September, Ducks in a Row red wine & duck, and my personal favourite, the Moroccan lamb pie using our local Scottish lass’s Thistle be Good Moroccan spice mix with mint & lemon yoghurt squirted into it, sauce-like, as it’s placed into the bag. Another aspect that needs to be mentioned is that Toff ‘created’ his sourdough starter almost 2 years ago in Port Willunga. In my book that is quite some achievement for a non-baker. My own attempts at this have always proved fatal ... for the starter, that is. Now so far it sounds as though they just jumped into a bakery and magically started baking away. That’s not the case. During the time they were renovating/transforming the shop a young fellow happened to stop by and asked if they needed a baker ... and of course they did! This chance meeting has turned out to be a match made in heaven! Mat Goodrich, the young fellow, has been winning awards all over

Far left: There’s nothing like the smell of fresh baked pastries in the morning. Above: Toff tackles the morning shift. Above right: Cara and Trip.

the place. The window of the bakery currently features a photo of Mat gracing the front cover of the prestigious Australian Baking Business Magazine, honouring his amazingly tasty ciabatta recipe. But without taking anything away from Mat, who’s obviously an extremely talented baker, part of the secret of this bakery’s success lies in the fact that Cara and Toff have had the good sense to allow Mat to exercise his creative side without stifling it. Promoting ‘ownership’ and creativity always has to be good for business. It’s this generosity of spirit that is felt on some level or other as soon as you enter the place. All employees appear to have a upbeat air of ownership, right down to the eager young lad stocking the drinks fridge. As mentioned earlier in reference to Mat’s creativity in the pie arena, they always give priority to promoting local business — which is huge to the person operating a small, single-person cottage industry on a shoestring. It’s huge even to the winery or brewer who receives a chance to be seen and experienced by a segment of the public who may not otherwise ever come into contact with their product. They were even one of the first to support and promote FLM from day one! However, for this couple the real prize is the number of people they’ve met through the bakery, many of whom have become good friends. But in their own words (and this is the real key to success) ‘is in how many people appear to feel at “home” here. It’s important to us that it will remain, quite simply, a place we like to be’.

The implausibly impressive part of all this, especially considering that neither had ever been bakers, nor run a business, is the runaway success they’ve made of it in just their first year.

suppor ting our local community for ever ything you need

ANZ BWS Liquor Chemmar t Commonwealth Bank

In the hear t of McLaren Vale you will find the newly expanded and renovated McLaren Vale Central Shopping Centre, boasting a huge 3750m 2 Coles Supermar ket. The selection of items on offer are bigger and better than ever seen before in the Vales. New retailer s to the Centre will include The Perfect Cup, McLaren Vale Gourmet Cuisine and The Crepe Shop. You will be amazed at the quality, variety and freshness of food on offer for both dine in and take away. A treat for the palate and a must to experience.

Coles Countr y Life Fashions Ellis Butcher s

Flight Centre also coming to the centre will complement the other 14 shops, making McLaren Vale Central a tr ue one stop destination for all your needs. Over 500 car par ks await, new toilet/disabled and parenting facilities and dedicated pedestrian pathways all add to the simplicity and ease you will experience as you explore the new family friendly centre.

Fleurieu Dental Flight Centre Manfield Newsagency

There is no longer a need to travel beyond Main Street McLaren Vale â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is all here waiting for you! So, experience the BIGGER & BETTER McLaren Vale Central Shopping Centre for your self â&#x20AC;&#x201C; suppor ting our local community for ever ything you need!

McLaren Vale Baker y McLaren Vale Fr uit and Veg McLaren Vale Gourmet Cuisine Mistr y Kwik Foto Police Station Southern Vales Chiropractic Centre The Chocolate Box The Crepe Shop The Perfect Cup Westpac agency

130 Main Road, McLaren Vale SA *

Please check with individual retailer s for trading hour s

OPEN 7 DAYS

The Willunga and Aldinga Page

CELLAR DOOR 17 HIGH ST WILLUNGA Fr i d a y to Monda y 10 a m–3pm HITHERANDYON.COM.AU

Alma Hotel Top Tucker 7 days. 11 Hill Street Willunga. www.almahotel.com.au Ph: 85562027 Beergarden, free Wi-Fi, bottleshop, TAB, SA Lotteries. “Pouring great beers for over 150 years.”

The vision of Tooth 32 is to be the best upmarket dental practice in the growing and prosperous Fleurieu region. We offer our appreciative clientele the opportunity to accept the best dental treatment. Tooth 32: Shop 25a Aldinga Central Shopping Centre, Aldinga Beach Road, Aldinga Beach SA 5173 Tel 08 8557 6565 hello@tooth32.com.au www.tooth32.com.au

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Coffee & Cake Wednesday 10am ~ 4:30pm Thursday to Sunday 8am ~ 4:30pm Friday 6pm ~ late 27 High Street, Willunga Ph (08) 8556 2379

Local feel · Historic · Open 7 days Lunch 12 - 2, Dinner 6 - 8.30 Open fireplace · Pokies · Live music Cold beer · Up & coming events Friendliest pub on the Fleurieu Great food · Cosy & comfortable. 3 - 5 High Street, Willunga Ph 8556 2135

Dana Kinter art + collectables studio | 17b High St, Willunga www.danakinterartdesign.com

Relax a while amongst the vines Au Pear Restaurant / Café 192 Main Road Willunga Open every day for lunch from 12 ~ 3 Breakfast from 8 ~10.30 Weekends & public holidays 8.30 ~ 4.00 Tel: 8556 4005 www.aupear.com.au

Goolwaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surprise package Robert Godden finds a gem where the River meets the sea. Photographs by Andy Rasheed.

Winners of the 2012 SA Tourism Awards in their category, The Australasian in Goolwa’s main street seems intent on turning that supposition on its head; providing an experience that is an integrated part of the adventure, not just a staging post. Built around 1858 as a pub, and as is obvious from the ‘for sale’ section of the business pages, country pub ownership is a difficult gig these days. This one got in ahead of the trend – it closed as a pub in 1934 and was a private residence from 1954 until 2003. In 2003 Deborah Smalley and Juliet Michell came across it quite by accident and re-imagined it. Given that Juliet was a jewellery designer and Deb a psychiatric nurse, the journey to turn a dilapidated State Heritage-listed home into a thriving and award-winning boutique hotel was not straightforward. ‘Scarcely conceivable’ is more accurate. It was back to school for the duo. Juliet trained as Chef and Pastry chef and Front of House while Deb studied Accountancy. They spent several years working out what they wanted, and then went through the torturous process of gaining planning permission, refining as they went, and working around every problem and knockback. If you’re going to take on the challenge of renovating a listed building at the end of a river during a decade of drought, why not do it during a Global Financial Crisis? > Left: Even small details are carefully considered. Top: The unassuming exterior gives only subtle clues as to the treats waiting within. Right: A skilful blend of old and new can be appreciated in the public spaces.

Too often the accommodation we stay in when travelling is just packaging: it’s the box our holiday comes in; the shrink wrap around the goods, rather than part of the surprise.

Looking though online reviews, the service is praised in equal measure as ‘perfect’ and ‘unobtrusive’, which indicates that they are getting it right. It’s worth noting that not one of the online guest reviews – 29 of them across five sites at the time of writing – was anything less than five out of five. It would seem that nothing fazes the pair, so from 2007 until 2009 the renovations finally took shape, and as you can see from the photographs, there is much clever detail in the result. Even though Goolwa was the first Australian town to be awarded Cittaslow status for its relaxed way of life and a commitment to fresh, healthy living, it appears to have a ‘standard SA country’ main street. But stand back in that main street and The Australasian blends in, looking only marginally different to thousands of other double-storey 19th century Australian pubs. As you draw closer though, there are a few clues that this place is something special. The outside of the building has been meticulously restored, is faultlessly tidy and has discreet signage and modern entry way. Then the experience becomes unique. From the foyer through to every corner of the public space – and the rooms – there is a meticulously-achieved alteration of the environs. Deb and Juliet recast ‘Australasian’ as ‘Austral/Asian’ and there is a lovely array of touches ranging from Japanese-style minimalism and simplicity to lush, bright splashes. The cleverness of completely changing the look and feel of such a familiar environment within the restrictions of a listed building is played out here to an amazing degree. Not because the owners have skirted close to the edge of the rules, but rather because the selection of pieces and design elements bring out a different texture in those parts that have not been altered. As an example, rather than plaster over an entire wall there’s a space where parts of the original stonework have been left. By hanging an elegant Japanese silk robe that straddles both parts, the old is seamlessly tied to the new. 20

Whereas much of the décor is well-scaled to suit the overall ambience, items that offer comfort, such as armchairs and baths, are generously proportioned so that style never wins over substance. This is unashamedly a couples’ retreat. There are five rooms, each with a different personality; yet all within the theme. The rooms range from the Garden Room – which has a private garden as the name suggests – through to the Quirky Room, which is on an angle. As a guest you are free to choose a room that suits you. Or you might choose one that is radically different to your usual environs – just for the experience. With a two-night minimum stay, unwinding is pretty well mandatory. Deb and Juliet have a deeply ingrained sense of the level of service that they wish to provide. Looking though online reviews, the service is praised in equal measure as ‘perfect’ and ‘unobtrusive’, which indicates that they are getting it right. It’s worth noting that not one of the online guest reviews – 29 of them across five sites at the time of writing – was anything less than five out of five. It’s with this sense of perfection that they approach the restaurant at the Australasian. Every month Juliet creates a three-course set meal according to their principles of using fresh, fine-quality South Australian produce and wines. The dining room seats up to 34, depending on configuration, with dark timber tables gleaming under Danish pendant lights. The meals start at 7pm and are a local sensation: there’s a waiting list for a table for about half of these nights. Despite this, a table is always reserved for each hotel guest couple unless they instruct otherwise. ‘The restaurant now has many local regulars who will come for dinner at least eight or nine times a year to try the monthly menu’

explains Deb as she bustles around on a busy Saturday morning. Caroline Treloar is a local who is always on the lookout for a special occasion as an excuse to go to The Australasian for a meal. ‘You walk into another world once you’re inside. You feel incredibly welcome there; it’s relaxed and friendly yet sophisticated at the same time. The set menu is always appealing and interesting; the food is fantastic and plentiful’. Carol is also of the opinion that it’s good value for three courses. She also describes the wine list as ‘well-priced and local’. Having won over locals with their culinary delights, the serious business of filling the rooms is something they work hard at. Deb explains that ‘Most of our guests are from Adelaide or elsewhere in South Australia, but we get a good proportion that have travelled from interstate, or internationally. For some, we’re an ideal two-night stopover on the way to Kangaroo Island.’ ‘We try to ensure they have a totally local experience by promoting local sites of interest from the wetlands to the Encounter Bikeway to a local micro-brewery’. Many international visitors come by way of the exclusive boutique hotel directory, Mr & Mrs Smith Hotels, which rates The Australasian highly. The directory visits each potential location and only includes properties that meet their exacting standards. In order to provide the level of service they insist upon, The Australasian is only open Wednesday to Saturday nights. And it’s on a Saturday that FLM spoke to them. Moreover, it’s the night Deb and Juliet have been invited to a Gala Event in Hobart – The Australian Tourism Awards, where they are representing South Australia in the Luxury Accommodation category, against multimillion dollar resorts interstate.

Far left: There are five rooms, each with a different personality; yet all within the theme. And all just as luxurious as the next! Above middle: The dining room seats up to 34, depending on configuration, with dark timber tables gleaming under Danish pendant lights. Top right: A truly indulgent dessert. Above: The rear boasts a fantastic deck where one can enjoy pre-dinner drinks.

They made the decision to eschew the ceremony and work as usual because of the impact it might have on that day’s accommodation and dinner guests. Despite having great staff, they insist on personal supervision of all aspects of the business. ‘There’s always something to do: something to improve’, explains Deb. Based on the way both diners and hotel guests gush on social media and on holiday site reviews, room for these improvements is extremely hard to spot. 21

To taste or to blend? Experience a unique day at d’Arenberg.

Enjoy an in-depth look at winemaking and the age old techniques that are still used at d’Arenberg, such as foot treading and basket pressing, in a structured tasting or wine blending session in our original 19th century stables. Structured Tastings Experienced staff will share our winemaking philosophies while exploring current and back vintage wines across our extensive range. The wines presented can be tailored to any group and options include varietal showcases, museum wines and icon flights. One hour session $15 per person. Group size 10 – 20.

Wine Blending Sessions The Blending Bench is a hands on, interactive experience where you play winemaker, and then bottle a 750ml sample of your favourite wine blend to name (in a quirky d’Arenberg fashion) and take home to show off to your friends. 90 minute session $60 per person, includes a bottle of your best wine. Minimum four people, or join our Sunday Blending Bench 12 noon sessions, no minimum numbers required. Advanced bookings are required. Email cellardoor@darenberg.com.au or call 08 8329 4888. Corporate packages available.

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Blessed be

Heather Millar enjoys a coffee with the owners of Blessed Cheese, the café the locals love in the heart of McLaren Vale. Photographs by Grant Beed.

‘It ticked all the boxes,’ says Rob. ‘We thought we could mould it well into that thing we had enjoyed so much in Paris, and there was the added benefit of being on the Fleurieu.’ Every morning I head to my favourite café for coffee. Every morning I see familiar faces. As a freelancer who works from home, it’s a great start to the day – sharing coffee in what feels like an extension of my home, before heading back home to the quiet; just me and my computer. So it is that instead of gathering around the water cooler at the office, we McLaren Vale locals gather around Rob and Jo Kolencik’s coffee machine at Blessed Cheese, right in the heart of our township. It’s definitely the ‘it’ place of the moment in the area. Though owner/ proprietor Kolencik is humble enough to admit that this could change, every café has its day. But ‘Blessed’ as we locals like to call it has been the favourite for a few years now. Kolencik puts it down to the fact that he and Jo work hard at it – and choose the best ingredients and produce. But the truth is, it’s more than just hard work – it’s the years of experience they bring to the party. ‘I was born and bred into hospitality,’ says Rob whose father was a chef, and with whom Rob started his apprenticeship. Rob later spent seven years as proprietor of the restaurant and kiosk at the Botanic Gardens, then seven years catering up at Carrick Hill, Springfield. He met Jo through the industry and they worked and dreamed together. In 2000 the idea for their own café was born. The Kolenciks were travelling through Europe, and in France they stumbled upon the inspiration for Blessed Cheese. ‘We fell in love with this little café in Paris,’ says Rob. ‘It had gourmet food for sale – duck confit and truffles on the shelves, and a little

cheese cabinet – and one long table with virtually a set menu featuring beautiful, seasonal, fresh bistro food. We thought, wow, wouldn’t it be great to do something along these lines?’ When they returned they began looking around Adelaide, and further afield in regional South Australia for a place, and that’s when Blessed Cheese came up for sale. ‘It ticked all the boxes,’ says Rob. ‘We thought we could mould it well into that thing we had enjoyed so much in Paris, and there was the added benefit of being on the Fleurieu.’ Jo was born and bred at Second Valley on the Peninsula and Rob in the southern suburbs of Adelaide – and this was already their weekend fishing and camping stomping ground. The Kolenciks bought Blessed Cheese in 2008 when it was more of a cheese shop than a café, with just a few tables to sit at. They ran it just as it was for the first few months, then shut down for a few days for renovations – knocking out a wall and opening the place up. The decision began to pay off immediately, as customers began pouring through the doors. ‘We use really good produce’, says Rob. ‘It’s more expensive, but we use Fleurieu milk and our bread is from Small World Bakery in Langhorne Creek. It costs more than supermarket milk and bread, but it’s so much nicer; we buy Hamlet’s bacon for the same reason … it comes down to sacrificing a little profit to make sure the quality is extremely high; but it pays dividends in the end because we are always busy!’ ‘The other reason I think it works is because people want to come along and say g’day and be recognised, and know that we know what they like‘.

‘We also bend over backwards to do something different, changing the lunch menu every few weeks, and the breakfast specials. We have a passion for getting it right – from the tables being clean, to the high quality food, and friendly staff,’ says Rob.

Top far left: Cheese. Top: Facade from the street. Above left: Bread. Above: The Kolenciks.

The Kolenciks currently live in Maslin Beach, but are looking to buy a bit of land so they can grow produce to use in the café kitchen: herbs, salad greens, tomatoes. ‘Our food is fresh and healthy, with lots of locally sourced produce. In the end, it’s about putting yummy food on the plate!’ ‘Blessed be’, say the locals. 25

A school in the landscape

Stephanie Johnston gives us a Waldorf-Steiner education. Photographs by Robert Geh.

Left: The gate to the Kindy. Above: Class 2.

Whimsical, quirky and playful architecture underpins the core tenets of a Waldorf-Steiner education. ‘Pinch yourself, is this real? To get a whole school to design? That doesn’t happen very often …’ Batik artist, builder, and occasional bus driver Jerry Keyte couldn’t believe his luck when the parent group at the fledgling Willunga Waldorf School asked him to collaborate with fellow parent Andy Bragg to design the school’s new campus. What transpired was an extraordinary relationship. Andy had vast experience with the housing trust as a building inspector. He had taught set construction and design and brought with him computer and project management skills. ‘I was still scratching on a piece of tracing paper at that stage,’ says Jerry. ‘He was a straight line man, and I was a bent line man, and somehow, he taught me a little bit of restraint, and I taught him … ‘Come on, let’s do this, and what about that?’ So while Andy-the-numbers-man churned out lists and spreadsheets, Jerry-the-jubilant-maverick brought with him a lifetime’s passion for graphic design, carpentry and the art of batik, along with a uniquely organic approach to integrating a building’s purpose with its occupants and surroundings. Among projects already tackled by Adze Character, Jerry’s Willunga-based building design and drafting company, were a rustic rural retreat for a local film director inspired by the remnant ruins of

historical limestone cottages, a leaf-shaped studio-cum-barn that seems to grow out of the client artist’s garden near Yankalilla, and a strongly symbolic ‘eagle house’, with outstretched wings and a roof made up of a herringbone ‘nest’ of steel rafters supported by a massive burnt bushfire-surviving red gum, and complete with beakshaped front-door portico. When Andy and Jerry partnered to create the master plan for the Willunga primary school campus in 1994, the school’s kindergarten and classes had been operating out of a series of homes and halls around the district since the inception of the school in 1989. Before that, the parents, (including Jerry), used to bus their children to the Waldorf School in Mount Barker, working their way through an ever-changing procession of vans and vehicles, among them the infamous ‘Silver Giant Bus’, a Leyland Swift 12,000 litre V6 monster, which brought many a headache to the parental bus group before being replaced by a brand new 22-seater Mazda. ‘You couldn’t have a full-time job because you were a bus driver,’ says Jerry. ‘As drivers we’d often carry on and do a school day excursion for a class, so you were very strongly integrated into the life of the school.’ By 1985 the group was managing a bus and a van. Students kept coming, numbers kept rising, and, according to the school’s founding kindergarten teacher Marita Huxholl, the question had to be asked; ‘How many buses and vans will we purchase? Is it time to start another school?’ >

The school was eventually able to purchase some land on the edge of the Willunga township. ‘A dusty old almond block was a far cry from the vision we’d imagined for so long,’ recalls Marita. ‘Tall trees, native scrub, fertile farming land, a creek running through the property … dream on!’ It was Andy who pointed out, ‘Anyone can build a beautiful school on a stunning site, but we’re going to build a school on land that we’re going to transform into something magnificent.’ ‘This is where it got really exciting,’ continues Jerry. ‘To come up with some early words that would mould you and hold you over twenty years of designing was quite poetic and very satisfying.’ Together with the staff, Jerry and Andy established the four platforms on which they would design and build the school. The first of these was the adoption of energy efficiency. The second was the promotion of a low toxic environment. The third embraced a biodynamic or organic approach, and the fourth aimed to encompass the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian architect, esotericist, social reformer, and founder of anthroposophy, the spiritual movement that informed his approach to education.

So behind all the hardcore design work, was this philosophy. ‘We had to try and get into the heads of the certain teachers like Ali Mazzone, who were just incredibly passionate about their understanding of what a child’s growth, psychological, physical and spiritual, was,’ explains Jerry. ‘We had to try and understand this, and put it into the fabric of the building.’ Head, heart and hands. Although Waldorf schools have many distinguishing characteristics, this dedication to teaching and cultivating ‘the whole child’ is at the core of the kindergarten-to-yeartwelve curriculum. ‘Just as the curriculum uses the cultural history of humans on this planet, so too does the architectural metamorphosis of the school follow the history of the built form.’ The designer takes me on a tour, elucidating the various stages of the curriculum along the way. The soft bough shelter, or cave of early humans is the starting point. The kindergarten building has a soft inner space devoid of detail or corners, and is filled with a warm low light, like a womb. When we peak inside, the children are all asleep.

Head, heart and hands. Although Waldorf schools have many distinguishing characteristics, this dedication to teaching and cultivating ‘the whole child’ is at the core of the kindergarten to year twelve curriculum.

According to Jerry, ‘We wanted a building that was friendly, fat and bulgy, like a mother hen.’ The designers created the illusion of a bulging building by using rounded timber butting boards on the outside corners. ‘The design of the doors to each classroom aims to create a feeling of anticipation and excitement,’ he adds. ‘The sense of entering a defined, safe and protected space begins at the kindergarten gate, as children enter the solidly fenced garden.’ The Waldorf curriculum is based around daily ‘main lessons’ of two to three hours, with each lesson block or theme lasting three to five weeks. The first few years involve story-telling around folk and fairy tales, then fables and legends, followed by tales from the Old Testament. Literacy and numeracy, science, music and art, as well as practical and technical skills, are taught along the way. Jerry shows me a door straight out of a fairy tale at one classroom, while another takes on powerful animal-like qualities. Cedar shakes evoke scales and feathers, and the multi-faceted form articulates primeval struggles between dark and light, good and evil. Jerry explains how the more traditional farmhouse form of the year three classroom leaves fantasy behind to embody the agrarian evolution of human kind, and the teaching of horticulture, building, spinning and weaving. >

Previous page top: The tranquil gardens make the kindy a delight for both teaching staff and students. Previous page bottom left: Cedar shakes evoke scales and feathers. Previous page bottom right: Kids playing in the found object orchestra. This page top: Playing on the parkour course. This page right: The lschool library. 29

Waldorf education is deeply bound up with an oral tradition, so the courage and humour of the Norse myths inform the class four curriculum. Built of large timber poles and stone, that classroom mimics a Norse Longhouse. ‘This was the last classroom that Andy was involved in before he became very ill,’ Jerry reveals. ‘He died just prior to the high school being started, but the power of his thoughts and influence are realised in the new structures.’ A kindergarten to year twelve curriculum had always been a part of the school’s vision, and the school had its eye on an adjacent almond block, all the more precious for being farmed organically. When it first came on the market in 2000 there was no money to buy it, but a few years on, an offer from the school was accepted. Jerry then worked with the staff and the local community to overcome the challenges of attaining planning approval to build on that rural-zoned land. The result was a second master plan that concentrates the high school buildings in a landscaped garden, and leaves a significant area of land free for horticulture, reflecting the wider Willunga community’s desire to protect productive agricultural land from urban and township encroachment. Educational facilitator Felicity Hickman shows me around the high school, which formed its first year twelve class in 2009. We meet in the calm, light-filled environment of the library, built of rammed earth and glass, and covered with a soft, curving roof that sits like an open book. The technical studies building to the south provides a strong contrast. Mimicking an early 20th century industrial building, it is all angles, corrugated iron and heavy steel. Tall narrow windows provide light and conserve useful wall space. The surrounding landscape includes sculpture gardens and outdoor spaces where sculpture and blacksmithing are taught. Felicity explains how the school strives to maintain the balance of intellectual, artistic and practical pursuits throughout the high school years, with all students studying all subjects all the way through to year twelve. ‘People wonder how you can do that and still compete for places at universities,’ she says. ‘I can only say that we do.’ The first four years of year twelve graduates have seen every student who has applied for a university place receive an offer in the first round. Comparisons with mainstream schooling indicate that while those students tend only to be interested in the things that are going to be examined, the Waldorf students are interested in exploring ideas for their own sake. ‘Our students actually know how to learn and they are interested in the world. They want to know about the frontiers of human endeavour in all sorts of fields.’ We visit the science block, where twin lecture theatres at opposite ends of another organic, curved building encourage students to focus on the magnificent red gum demonstration benches. This time it is the Willunga Hills that inspire the roof form, which is carried through to the ceilings inside. A physics main lesson is in progress, 30

Top: The school hall. Above: Detail of the entrance to the technical studies building. Right: The technical studies building.

and I am told that those curves are conducive to creativity, and to an informal, expansive and divergent style of learning being undertaken. This brings us to the jewel in the crown of Jerry’s design work at the school. Linking all the major pathways, the school hall and courtyard provide a playful and inspiring multi-purpose space for school gatherings, performances, eurhythmy (an expressive movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner), and gymnastics. There are two music rooms, set-making spaces and large storage areas for sport and drama. Steel portal frames span the main hall and high rammedearth walls provide structural strength, acoustic attributes and pleasing aesthetics. A high continuous strip of windows allows the roof to float above the walls, and a long concertina glass door opens to the outside courtyard, complete with a fun, shell-shaped roof and steel colonnades adorned with a cellular motif. Patterns embossed in the rammed earth begin as the Willunga Hills and evolve, Escher-like, into leaves that blow away, symbolising the architectural metamorphosis from the nurturing and protected environment of the primary school, to the graduate student who is ready to take on the world.

All products are produced and packaged at Myponga on the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula. Proudly SA owned and operated. Find your nearest retail stockist or outlet that chooses to use local products.

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Fleurieu Milk & Yoghurt Company 325 Rowley Road, Myponga SA 5202 | Ph: 08 8558 6020 | Fax: 08 8558 6021

Starting point of the McLaren Vale Cheese and Wine Trail, Blessed Cheese combines a specialist artisan and farmhouse cheese shop, licensed café and providore. Pack a picnic or dine in our casual café for a regional breakfast, lunch, coffee or cake and of course ... cheese.

150 Main Road McLaren Vale 5171 T: 8323 7958 F: 8323 7918 E: info@blessedcheese.com.au W: blessedcheese.com.au

Gluten free Fleurieu Meredyth Cilento gets to grips with ideologically sound food for intolerants and their cohorts on the Fleurieu.

Perhaps I should describe gluten intolerance to those lucky people who haven’t had to worry about it. In case you are reading this in your lunch break, I won’t go into an overly detailed description, but bloating (and a belly like a poisoned pup) is not a good look; headache, diarrhoea, general listlessness ... and I guess you are getting the picture. Some years ago if you said you were gluten intolerant people would raise an eyebrow, give a half smile (or perhaps a sneer?) and make you feel as though you belonged in a club of hypochondriacs and malingerers. Even sceptics in the medical profession are now acknowledging that while it is probably not life threatening, it is a valid and uncomfortable challenge for sufferers. Why the exponential increase in the number of people affected? The simplest explanation is that many of the foods we eat these days have been contaminated with chemicals of some kind or another, either in the growing or processing stages, which irritate our gut and interfere with our absorption of nutrients. So, cut gluten out of your diet. No wheat, barley, oats, rye, semolina, spelt or triticale. (Sorry chaps, that means no beer.) Sounds really simple, but you will be amazed at what may contain wheat — for example, toothpaste! Allow an extra hour to do your weekly shop; reading labels takes forever. It is, however, possible for the whole family to enjoy gluten free foods, and the grains that are acceptable include rice, buckwheat, sorghum and now quinoa from South America, which you can buy at health food shops and supermarkets. The Foodland at Seaford has a great GF section and a supervisor open to suggestion and keen to help. Most restaurants these days accommodate gluten intolerants. The best of them will tweak existing menus on request. Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Mexican places usually use ingredients that are fine, though as always, it pays to check. Try the Victory Hotel Bistro at Strathalbyn for delicious, great value for money Aussie-style meals tailored for you. The Mr. India Restaurant at Port Elliot serves authentic food in traditional GF style that will have you licking your lips. The Beach House Café on the esplanade at Encounter Bay serves generous GF wood oven ‘pizzas with personality’, and North Indian ‘curries in a hurry’. The venue is modern, casual, sassy, smart and will suit all the family, with fish and chips a speciality too. Give them warning before you come and they’ll hand cut chips and cook them separately.

This home made gluten free pizza looks delicious whichever way you slice it!

The no frills McLaren Vale Chinese Restaurant opposite the Singing Gallery has a long standing reputation. The Green Room at Willunga serves the freshest of ingredients to loads of regular customers and has the best selection of GF ‘afters’ you’ll find anywhere. They also make great GF bread on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so popular it’s sensible to order beforehand. The Fleurieu Pantry in Port Noarlunga, with its charming and slightly eccentric décor is guaranteed to please, curry pastes made fresh for each customer set the nose twitching and the taste buds tingling, and they especially cater for gluten intolerants and vegans. I wish I could point you in the direction of mouth watering cakes, biscuits and desserts, but they tend to be elusive. It’s often the case that I’ll watch fellow diners tucking in to gorgeous looking food, while I’m left toying with my coffee, having opted out of the ubiquitous pavlova or fresh fruit I’m offered. I’m puzzled because it’s easy to use rice flour, for example, in sweet biscuits and pastry, which would be fine for everyone. The internet has thousands of excellent recipes that shouldn’t be hard for an interested chef to adapt. There is one person who sells marvellous GF sweet stuff at the Victor Harbor and Aldinga markets, but she’s always sold out before I get there, which should give others the idea of the potential market begging for a smart entrepreneur. Although ice-cream contains flour, I hear there is super tasty gelati in a shop in Penneyvale Shopping Centre on Penney’s Hill Road at Hackham, so if ever you’re nearby … make a detour!

Piecing together mysteries of the sea Louise Pascale brings to light the continued search for the Loch Sloy, wrecked off the coast of KI in 1889. In the age of online shopping and instant gratification it is hard to imagine a time when products could take almost six months to be delivered. But for those who lived on this side of the world at the turn of last century that was the norm and for some, their orders never arrived.

keep up with them. Once they reached the Rocky River mouth he refused to go on, so leaving him fresh water and whisky Mitchell and Simpson continued their journey north.

According to the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources there are approximately 800 known shipwrecks in South Australian waters with over 80 off the coast of Kangaroo Island. While all shipwrecks were a tragedy some played a pivotal role in South Australia’s maritime history, and one such ship was the Loch Sloy.

Meanwhile it was now nine days after leaving his fellow castaways and McMillan reached the home of the Bates on the South West River. Finding no one home he followed a cart track west for two days before stumbling in to the Rocky River homestead of the May family. Alerted to the tragedy Charles May gathered his brother-inlaw John Hosken and on horseback the two men set out to find the survivors. He also sent his 15-year-old son George May to Cape Borda Lighthouse to notify authorities of the shipwreck.

Owned by Glasgow Shipping Company this cargo ship carried both supplies and passengers. At the helm was Captain Peter Nicol who left Glasgow on the 5th January 1889 with his 26 crew and seven passengers. Its passage was fairly uneventful until they reached the southwest waters off Kangaroo Island.

Cape Borda Lighthouse second keeper William Smith then set out immediately to find the three men. While riding along the coast near Ravine de Casoars he found Simpson and Mitchell. It was now seventeen days after the shipwreck and three of the four survivors had been found.

In the early hours of April 24 the Loch Sloy hit a reef in Maupertuis and within half an hour broke up. Many passengers and crew died instantly from the pounding waves and debris. Except four men, able seamen Duncan McMillan and William Mitchell, apprentice John Simpson and passenger David Kilpatrick.

A search party of Kangaroo Island residents, lighthouse keepers, police and volunteers then gathered to find Kilpatrick. Sadly he was found dead almost a month after the ship had sunk a mile and a half from where Simpson and Mitchell had left him.

Settling in to caves on the coast the men survived on tins of herring and whisky washed ashore. After three days McMillan set off south to find help leaving Simpson and Mitchell to haul the ill Kilpatrick up the cliff face where they then set up camp by a creek bed. After another three days when McMillan had not returned, the men set off in a northerly direction; however Kilpatrick was now too weak to 34

While many of the Island’s residents played a role in the search for the Loch Sloy survivors, it held particular significance for the May family. Their Rocky River homestead was the daily gathering point for the search party and when Kilpatrick was finally laid to rest it was flowers from their garden that were placed on his grave. Charles’ son William May later wrote:

Far Left: The Loch Sloy left Glascow on the 5th of January 1889 with twenty six crew and seven passengers. Left: The sinking of the Loch Sloy came at the end of a series of shipwrecks and was the catalyst for the establishment of the Cape Du Couedic lighthouse.

In the early hours of April 24 the Loch Sloy hit a reef in Maupertuis and within half an hour broke up. Many passengers and crew died instantly from the pounding waves and debris. ‘The party made our house at Rocky River their head-quarters, and my mother was kept busy catering for them. After several days the body was found near Sandy River, and was buried where found, a rough head-stone marking the grave.’ During the search Charles and William discovered the bodies of others from the shipwreck washed ashore. ‘How many bodies we recovered I cannot say but I remember we buried eleven in one day,’ wrote William May. In all 13 bodies were found and buried where they lay. The sinking of the Loch Sloy came at the end of a series of shipwrecks and was the catalyst for the establishment of the Cape Du Couedic lighthouse. Today the Loch Sloy rests off the south-west coast of Kangaroo Island with just a mound of rocks laid by Charles May pointing to her whereabouts. However the Department for the Environment, Water and Natural Resources and Flinders University have teamed up and believe they are close to finding her exact location and the burial sites of those washed ashore. Masters student Lynda Bignell of Flinders University began working on the project back in September 2011. The following December a trip to the Island was planned to help identify the locations of the graves. ‘Fortunately, some features on the landscape presented as possible sites and so a further trip was planned for March 2012. On this trip we not only had the continuing support of the Parks and Wildlife section of The Department for the Environment, Water and Natural Resources on Kangaroo Island, but also the local walking group, who knew the area well,’ she says.

‘(However) the trip didn’t turn up anything positive except blisters on the field archaeologist’s feet!’ Continuing their research back on the mainland students began painstakingly piecing together information held in state archives. ‘You had to not only decipher the writing but also to make allowances for differences in grammar and word usage at that time. Even the handwriting was formed differently,’ recalls Bignell. ‘It was also frustrating as the very document that would potentially have given us the answer to our question, the Coroner’s records, had been recycled in World War Two due to a shortage of paper.’ Yet their greatest discovery would later be found out at sea. ‘Historically the whereabouts of the ship has been roughly documented but we used a special maritime metal detector at that location and it came up with a high reading, indicating that something is definitely down there,’ says Bignell. ‘It’s quite exciting because we originally went out there to look mainly for the graves, the search for the shipwreck was just one part of our extensive research into the incident.’ Yet finding the shipwreck is pivotal to the project, as it will allow it to be protected under the Federal Historic Shipwrecks Act. This will also open new opportunities for the Island’s tourism. ‘Archeology is really evocative,’ says Maritime Museum Director Kevin Jones. ‘For the past 20 years I have worked in maritime museums and it has always been very clear there’s a great fascination with shipwrecks. A part of that is the process of uncovering the wreck and the solving of a mystery.’ The Maritime Museum’s shipwreck exhibition has toured nationally and continues to be very popular with visitors. Jones also cites the Shipwreck trail on the Great Ocean Road as a tourism drawcard. Yet for Bignell it is not just about finding the shipwreck. ‘We are all hoping that an interpretive trail can be organised in liaison with Parks and Wildlife on Kangaroo Island and that some sort of event can be organised should we find the burials to honour the victims,’ she says.

To Normanville, with love Merenia Vince shares her love affair with Normanville, on the delightful west coast of the Fleurieu.

I have a confession to make. Once, to me Normanville or Yankalilla were as one, close together, virtually indistinguishable. Now I know better! Normanville and Yankalilla are two small, old-world towns in the Bungala Valley nestling along the Bungala river flats, sleepy and timeless, swaddled by undulating farmland. They have a beguiling air of nostalgia; this is country Australia; of preserving jars and scones, of hard work and a simple way of life connected to the land. Unhurried, historic Yankalilla, the hub of this farming region, is captivating and worthy of its own story; but now, come west along the valley and discover Normanville – the little sister village; the seaside version with an incredibly beautiful beachscape. Normanville beach is a heart-achingly lovely intersection of ancient land, river and sea; a scene of serenity and wilderness gathered into one. Protected by a sea-garden of heritage-listed native sand dunes which burst with tiny flowers in the spring, the beach with its historic jetty sits centre-stage in the grand sweep of Yankalilla Bay. Stretching south the beach runs into rocky foreshores and folded hills sheared off at the sea edge. Turning north, Carrickalinga’s smooth, tawny hills slope gently, almost sliding into the sea to form the northern curve of the Bay. Here also is the endpoint of the Bungala River, a meandering stream that runs dry over summer and doesn’t quite reach the sea, with the estuary recorded by the first settlers as a chain of ponds, hollowed into a watercourse for farming. For the original inhabitants, the west coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula forms part of the melancholy dreaming trail of Tjirbruke, a creation ancestor of the Kaurna people. Heartbroken Tjirbruke walked this trail with the body of his beloved nephew, forming springs with his tears, his journey ending at Cape Jervis.

Sunday afternoon sees ‘Normie’ Beach at its best; a scene of gentle activity, a world apart. The Surf Club carries out unhurried exercises. An amiable club member tells me the sea here is free of rips and the shortness of the jetty a blessing for beach users as it prevents fishing mess and hooks on the beach. The ocean is so reliably calm in this bay that Vac Swim classes are held here every summer. Fleurieu Sailing operates from nearby Wirrina Cove and their lovely yacht, Lady Eugenie, often glides gracefully across the Bay. Although I don’t see any horses on this particular day there is ‘evidence’ on the sand of a nearby horse riding school.

Slightly south and out of town is a simple Catholic church, Normanville’s second-oldest building and home to a family of kangaroos who apparently like the peace and quiet of the historic cemetery. The strip of beach between Carrickalinga and Normanville is a classic stretch for walkers; with summer and winter regulars as well as visitors enjoying this beat. The only jarring note in this tranquil scene is the tired-looking council-leased kiosk-café with queues of day-trippers spilling out the door for as they wait for pricey icecreams and chips. It was recently described as ‘a sadly under-exploited venue, unequal to the setting’ ... and all the locals I talk with agree.

Despite a couple of jarring exceptions, the unique nautical, riverside, and heritage flavour of this town is worth treasuring, with several shops like the iconic Jetty Food Store, the Court House Café and Hooked on Books already contributing to the atmosphere.

South of Jetty Road is a very appealing original part of town. Here, in between the holiday houses and sea shacks are historic stone cottages. This part of town has some marvellous old-survey properties complete with rambly gardens full of ancient fruit trees. It’s heartening to see some of these charming heritage homes being loved and restored back to life. Main Street, the town hub, is eclectic to say the least, yet somehow manages to remain charming. There are handsome heritage buildings, including the oldest in the town – the Normanville Hotel, established in 1851. Slightly south and out of town is a simple Catholic church, Normanville’s second-oldest building and home to a family of kangaroos who apparently like the peace and quiet of the historic cemetery. The church was built for (and by) the many Irish Catholic settlers in this region and still serves the community, thanks to the luminous pastoral care of Sister Margaret Anne, and (the frequently barefoot) Father Tom. Mr Norman, a dentist and one of the first European landowners in the region, arrived in 1849 and developed the town, immodestly naming it after himself. His dream of a UK-style beach resort was overtaken – with the district proving to be a productive wheat, cattle and wool growing area, and Normanville, albeit with a much longer jetty, becoming a key port on the coast. Normanville is, I sense, a town that is evolving, unsure if it wants to be a holiday destination or remain a town for locals ... and not quite sure of how to juggle these disparate roles. Despite a couple of jarring exceptions, the unique nautical, riverside, and heritage flavour of this town is worth treasuring, with several shops like the iconic Jetty Food Store, the Court House Café and Hooked on Books already contributing to the atmosphere. > Top left: Normanville beach at sunset. Top right: The Court House Café. Bottom right: Jetty Food Store.

Some great work has been done recently to freshen up Bungala Park with the installation of a renovated picnic area, new signage and sculpture on poles. This year the Yankalilla and District Historical Society plan a history trail of storyboards explaining points of interest from Yankalilla to Normanville. Biennially in April Normanville hosts the Leafy Sea-Dragon Festival, celebrating arts and culture in the region. Named after the locallyfound rare, marine creature, the festival is a weekend of art exhibitions, music, theatre, and environmental and heritage events. Ruth Eisner explains that the festival aims to ‘celebrate the fairly big artistic swell’ in the area, and fellow organiser Alex Abbott says this festival helps to ‘change the perception of the area as a temporary holiday destination, and showcase the established community’.

My experiences of the Normanville community are of warm-hearted people with a huge amount of enthusiasm and vision for their township. The vibrant Natural Resource Centre, is something of a community hub with one of their most popular ventures being the monthly ‘Vege Swap’ with good coffee, morning tea, entertainment and the swapping of home-grown produce. Even one of Normanville’s cafés involves community co-operation. Much of the fresh produce at the Jetty Food Store is grown in the backyards of townsfolk and sold on through the store. Over the years I’ve fallen in love with Normanville, and I don’t mind who knows it. I’ve been swept away, not just by the natural beauty and the rustic township, but also by the people ... and I’d move there in a blink. >

Things to enjoy on a Weekend in Normanville: • Start the day with an early morning beach walk between Normanville and Carrickalinga. • Revel in the heirloom produce at Jetty Food Store and collect some of their gourmet takeaway for a picnic at Ingalalla Falls, 10km inland. • Admire contemporary art at Studio 13, an art studio and shop housed in an historic cottage with a beautiful courtyard garden.

• Ask Louise at Hooked on Books to show you Normanville’s historic jail cells behind her beautiful shop. • Enjoy tapas and dinner in the graceful historic Court House Café. • Sail at twilight with Fleurieu Sailing for a romantic perspective of this beautiful coastal area. • Visit Yankalilla with historic stone cottages and its 50’s bungalows with flower-filled front gardens: a beguiling old-world town.

Leafy Sea-Dragon Festival Leafy Sea-Dragon Festival 13 - 21 April, 2013 www.lsdf.org.au Coming up this April, the biennial Leafy Sea-Dragon Festival promises a rich celebration of arts and culture in the Yankalilla Bay and southern Fleurieu peninsula. The festival website gives detailed information about the many mouth-watering events on offer, including an artist studio trail, numerous art exhibitions, and literary, music, performance, environmental, and history events. Located in a variety of venues and properties, the festival provides a unique chance to peek into interesting corners of the region, as well as showcasing the lovely Fleurieu peninsula and the creativity it inspires. Event and booking information are included in the website below and printed programs and tickets are also available at the Yankalilla Visitor Information Centre, 163 Main South Road Yankalilla 08 8558 0240 / 1300 565 842. Here are two higher end events that promise to raise the bar for this festival â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not be missed: Mulberry Farm Sculpture Walk 13 - 21 April www.lsdf.org.au/events/mulberry-farm-sculpture-trail A work of art in its own right, Mulberry Farm is a precious 50 acre property of garden and wilderness wrapped around the Carrickalinga creek, just north of Yankalilla. Ruth Eisner and Alex Abbott have nurtured the property over many years into a haven of art, music and conservation and have offered the farm as the stunning setting for a Sculpture Walk over the ten days of the festival. South Australian sculptors have been invited to form a work which interprets the land and sea of the southern Fleurieu and select a location for their sculpture in this outstanding natural setting. Fairweather Island 13 April www.lsdf.org.au/events/fairweather-island Previous page: Riders from the nearby horse riding school can often be seen enjoying a ride on the beach. Top: The ever-fascinating Leafy Sea-Dragon. Bottom: The Normanville jetty.

Fairweather Island is the first piece of professional theatre to be brought to the Leafy Sea Dragon festival. Depicting the life of celebrated Australian artist Ian Fairweather, it is a solo performance by renowned actor Dr Steve Gration who also wrote the play based on his research into the life of this reclusive artist, who spent many years of his life on Bribie Island. This promises to be a highly atmospheric performance, held at a private property in Second Valley in a wonderfully converted shearing shed. Note: This project has been assisted by the Australian government through the Australian Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. 39

The Normanville Page LUXURY HOSTED ACCOMMODATION

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books · wine · gifts cards · toys · games Main Street Normanville SA 8558 2433

Luxury Accommodation in Normanville PO Box 132 Normanville 5204 Phone 08 8558 3223 Mobile 0417 583 222

www.jettyfoodstore.com.au

Homegrown, homecooked – from our paddock to your plate. Cheryl 0411 286 377 Andy 0414 940 721 enquire@lushpastures.com.au www.lushpastures.com.au

the court house food · wine · art

Normanville’s best kept secret Open for brunch and lunch 7 days

Open for Lunch and Afternoon Coffee Wednesday to Sunday Dinner Wednesday to Saturday

Open for tapas and evening meals Thursday to Sunday

Daily Specials showcasing fresh local produce

Fabulous food from the Fleurieu

The Court House: 52 Main Street, Normanville, South Australia Phone: (08) 8558 3532 Email: court.house@optusnet.com.au

Bookings: 8598 4184 www.leonardsmill.com.au

yourself e s r e ironment | heritage m im | natural env

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The Dirt James Potter tells why gathering food from trees, vines and herbs growing in parks, median strips or overhanging fences is not just for thirteen year old boys whose interest lies more in the projectile qualities of the pomegranate than its suitability for tonight’s couscous. Just the other day, when terracing our little orchard, I raised the ire of my (common law) wife when I downed one of my poor little apple trees with the excavator bucket. We harvested its fourteen, bitter fruit for cooking. ‘It was an accident!’ I protested. Though I’ve been party to it many times, the felling of any fruit tree has always felt like a moral crime. I’m sure many feel the same way. If you’re an Orthodox Jew it’s even more serious. There are teachings in various Jewish scriptures railing against the cutting down of fruit trees – with dire consequences unless you have an excuse like mine – or preferably better. Remember to pack your Torah next time you head off to rail against your favourite property developer and his Nullarbor vision. The definition of fruit tree can be broad – a strict adherence can include many indigenous species that have never caused anyone in their right mind to salivate. The centrality of food plants to the lore and law of all traditional and sustainable cultures is not news. Traditionally in Australia it was the only game in town, and the incredibly integrated and subtle practices developed by aboriginal peoples to sustainably manage food and fibre resources were technologies far more sophisticated than those employed by contemporary agriculturalists. If you are city bound and you’ve given up managing your food resources by totemic oversight or a carefully lit fire, you could turn to the bounty that is the urban street. Gathering food from trees, vines and herbs growing in parks, median strips and overhanging fences is not just for thirteen-year-old boys whose interest lies more in the projectile qualities of the pomegranate than its suitability for tonight’s couscous. Well established in some cities, urban foraging tours and workshops will soon be a staple for every aspiring metropolis. Eons ago, with youthful zeal and a belly full of fermented fruit we germinated a similar plan. The ever-resourceful housemate, Mr Dawson, proposed we map the vegetative gifts of our neighbourhood for continuing efficient harvest. This was a comparatively analogue era, and the serious intent wilted after the papery scale of the project dawned. Later today some kid will probably be selling the Urban Fruit Map app for your Smart-Thing. All this eco food vibrancy is surely a wet dream for government visionaries. Just think of the possibilities. Our city blocks transformed into vertical farms! Hipsters with Fowlers Vacola tattoos planting row after row of cabbages! Fresh lettuce at Christmas Island prices! Seriously, have you ever tried to grow enough to feed yourself and your family? It’s a tough gig, far from impossible, but it requires centralised planning and military persistence! Cue the Cubans. The Cuban organoponicos were originally industrial scale Sovietestablished hydroponic schemes. Minus the Soviet chemicals, freak out for a while about the prospect of feeding the people, add compost, Australian permacultural know-how, continue state subsidies and voilà! (We will just ignore the complex and not so

Above: Regency era boy gorging on stolen fruit (c1830 engraving).

cheery aspects of Cuban food production and focus solely on the image of beautiful people and their organic bounty.) Inspiring stuff nevertheless. So we’ve crossed the globe and gone all sacred and personal, then historical and political and yet no clear plan to garden our way into food sustainability? Don’t despair. Don’t plan. Don’t plant. Just do the sexy bit. Pick up your secateurs, a sturdy bag, locally made liquid refreshments and head off into your favourite patch of Fleurieu Peninsula to do the fun stuff. Feral olives to pickle and press, quinces for jelly and paste, blackberries for jam and pies, rogue fennel bulbs and seeds, figs and grapes and apples and acorns* if you ask nicely I can show you a few 160-year-old pear trees, perfect for potent perry. * Not so obvious is the boundless culinary potential of the acorn. My Henny-Penny moment occurred a few years ago and the net result of kitchen lab crossover was dense, cakey bread ... with an emphasis on function over form. Truly a great gut-filler this stuff staved off hunger for hours. It is an experiment that, though generally successful in proving the palatability of the famous nut, remains unrepeated in our house, good luck with yours. ‘The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia’ by Bill Gammage, Allen and Unwin, 384pp; $49.99 This is in San Francisco http://foragesf.com/wild-food-walks/ And these guys know a stack about native foods http://www.sanativefoods.org.au/ 41

FOOD & WINE

A cook, a chef and three delicious recipes Leonie Porter-Nocella absolutely adores her role as ‘chief taste tester’. Photographs by Alice Bell.

Carolyn Woods – chef Carolyn Woods is a somewhat contradictory sight when glimpsed through the gaps between the counters, ‘manning’ the stoves with a confident bearing a little at odds with her diminutive physique. Even the do-rag covering what I later find to be a mass of wild red hair appears a bit at odds with expectations. However, I’ve come to Goolwa’s Acquacaf on the banks of the Murray – where the now full and healthy river runs its course to the nearby sea – just to meet with Carolyn, but although she’s probably seen me waiting, she never breaks concentration on the job at hand and soldiers on rhythmically until the last plate hits the table. Then, and only then does she pull off the do-rag to come over and introduce herself. Despite the wait I find her every bit as charming as the recipes she’s given us to share with you via these pages. Carolyn began her culinary career at 17 as a kitchen hand at Lipson House in Port Adelaide, where she was happy in their culture of ‘teambuilding’ – a culture that many other establishments would be wise to take on. Happy staff = Happy customers. Can’t fail. Anyhow, Carolyn went on to obtain full qualifications as a chef and to work in many well-known and respected restaurants including: Kingsbrook (Middleton); Mesa Lunga (market precinct, Adelaide); Fino (Willunga) and The Salopian Inn (McLaren Vale) back in its days as a fine dining establishment. It’s noteworthy that most of the eateries are on the Fleurieu, and even her current home retains the pattern of Fleurieu living, being, as it is, in the quiet river town of Milang. >

Dinnerware furnished by Above: Chef at Aquacaf in Goolwa, Caolyn Woods.

Escabeche of Coorong mullet. Serves 4 as an entree Preheat oven to 180 C (fan-forced 160 C)

Heat oil to low medium heat & blanch veg in oil until just soft, add thyme, saffron then chardonnay vinegar and take off the heat.

• 4 x Coorong mullet (in fillet form) • 1 x eshallot • 2 x tender, yellowish ‘inners’ of celery stalks • 2 Dutch carrots (small-type) • ¼ bunch thyme • Pinch of saffron • Sea salt & white pepper • 100 ml chardonnay vinegar • 250 ml olive oil • 30 ml veg oil

Season the mullet fillets with sea salt & white pepper on flesh side only. Heat a medium- to heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add veg oil and when warm add mullet fillets skin side down and cook until skin is crisp and golden and the flesh beginning to cook, but not fully cooked (since the residual heat from the marinade will finish cooking the fish through).

Method Trim mullet fillets of any wings and separate into 2 x 1 fillet. Peel and slice shallot lengthways. Peel and slice carrot diagonally. Slice celery diagonally also.

Place in a shallow tray/dish and cover with warm marinade and allow to cool to room temperature. Serve 2 single fillets per person with vegetables and some marinade. Best with some warm crusty bread to soak up the marinade and all the great flavours. If Coorong mullet is unavailable you can substitute Australian herring or sardine fillets ... or ask a fish monger for something similar to any of the above-mentioned fish. >

FOOD & WINE

Carolyn’s crispy skin duck breast with red cabbage, apple and roast almond. Serves 4 Ingredients; • 4 x 180-220 gram duck breast (air-dried in fridge for 3-4 days to dry out skin) • 1 teaspoon 5-spice mix (coriander, clove, cinnamon, star anise & white pepper) • Sea salt and white pepper • ¼ red cabbage • 1 pink lady apple • ¼ bunch flat leaf parsley • 100 grams roasted almonds (20 minutes @ 1500c) • 50 ml sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar • 100 ml olive oil Method To prepare salad; 1. Finely slice cabbage lengthways as you would for coleslaw. 2. ¼ & core apple, then slice thinly & add to cabbage. 3. Roughly chop parsley then finely chop some of the stems for extra flavour. 4. Chop roasted almonds lengthways (like slithered almonds). 5. Toss the salad together then season with sea salt & white pepper. 6. Dress with vinegar & olive oil, then set aside while cooking duck breast.

To prepare the duck; 1. To cook the duck breast, use a medium- to-heavy based frying pan or skillet on low-to-medium heat (slow and low heat will develop a crisp skin and slowly render out the excess fat). 2. Cook skin side down and season flesh side with 5 spice, sea salt and white pepper. 3. Drain off excess fat as it renders out (this can be saved for frying potatoes later if required or desired). 4. When skin is golden and crisp seal the flesh and sides but don’t cook all the way through. You are looking for medium to medium-rare only. 5. Allow to rest 5-8 minutes in a warm spot skin side up. 6. Assemble salad on plates either in centre or to one side 7. Slice duck breast through flesh side lengthways getting 5-6 slices per breast 8. Serve sliced and slightly fanned on the salad with skin side up.

Zena Tomlinson – cook Zena came here from England as a five-year-old and her first job was at Haigh’s ... surrounded by chocolate. Every woman’s dream! Since those days she’s worked alongside chefs of considerable repute, including a stint at the iconic Jolley’s Boathouse. She now lives in the Cittaslow town of Goolwa, and until very recently her tiny frame presided over the stoves at Cafe Lime, going right back to the days when it was owned by Carol Harrison and where they turned out some of the best cakes you’ve ever tasted. I believe she’s even won awards for them (not that you’ll hear it from her). She’s chosen my long-time favourite to share with us today, and even the coeliacs will be delighted to find that it’s not only suitable for them, but will possibly be the best damned torte they’ve ever tasted! Her first foodie memory was being taken as one of 5 very young sisters to Hahndorf where they all got to share a German cake. Maybe this memory is so very special because once a cake has been divided into 5, your own tiny portion becomes so especially memorable! But now she seems to have left cooking altogether and taken a sharp turn in a completely different direction: working in, and studying child care; but it would be great to see her cooking again in some venture or another. It’s such a shame to see all that wonderful culinary talent go to waste. Anyhow, try this recipe ... and you’ll understand my rave ...

Zena’s gluten free chocolate, date and almond torte Ingredients 250g good dark chocolate 250g almonds 200g sliced, pitted dates 12 egg whites 1 cup of caster sugar Method Grease and line a 23cm spring-form cake tin and pre-heat an oven at 180 degrees. Place the almonds in a food processor and process until ground. Add the chocolate and process along with the almonds. Put all the egg whites in a clean bowl, add a pinch of fine salt and using beaters, beat whites until peaks form, slowly adding sugar while continuing to whisk. Gently fold the sliced dates into the meringue mixture along with the chocolate and almond mix. Pour into the prepared cake tin. Bake in oven at 180 for 30 to 40 mins or until it’s browned on top and feels firm in the centre. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.

Salt Dogs Gerry Wedd introduces us to four typically die-hard Middleton surfers. Photographs by Grant Beed.

For most surfers life revolves around the seasons and cycles of the winds, the tides and the waves, waiting to seize those moments when the elements align. Many surfers spend their lives moving around on a quest for that perfect wave and warm tropical water, a ‘surfers’ paradise’; then there are those who move to Middleton. I moved to the south coast over ten years ago when it became harder and harder for my wife and me to make that late hot trip back to the suburbs after a weekend of surfing and socialising with friends who lived here. Although only an hour or so from Adelaide, the coast had the qualities of an earlier time: empty blocks, quiet streets and uncrowded surf. My sister (also a surfer) had first taken me to Middleton around 1968 and I had been coming down for most weekends since. The onset of middle-aged stiff limbs and lost surfing hours sealed the deal. There are other elements apart from the surf that continue to draw people here. Almost every morning at dawn there is a familiar sight on the Port Elliot to Middleton road. A slight, wetsuit-clad woman is making her way home after her daily, dawn surf. Later in the day the same figure can be seen again – walking the same stretch of road with her dog – this time wearing a safety vest, and carrying a large bag for collecting rubbish. She does this with a great deal of pride and also keeps an eye out for any graffiti that may have sprung up overnight, helping keep the coastal roads free of debris and visual noise.

Almost every morning at dawn there is a familiar sight on the Port Elliot to Middleton Road. A slight, wetsuit-clad woman is making her way home after her daily, dawn surf. The woman is Maureen Hatch. She moved to the area 26 years ago and has made it her mission to surf every day. Maureen began surfing at age 11 on the south coast of New South Wales and later moved to inland SA but found she couldn’t bear being away from the ocean so came to Port Elliot in 1987. Like many who have made the move she loves the solitary nature of surfing on this coast and chooses the very early mornings for the peace and isolation, though she maintains that it’s getting much harder to steal those quiet moments due to the influx of retired Old-Salts. She has picked up rubbish from the local roadsides as long as she’s lived in the area but has now formalised her commitment by becoming a Kesab volunteer, scouring the roadside twice a week. >

Left: Jock Gordon. Above left: Maureen Hatch. Above right: Peter (Coxy) Cox.

Above: Barbary O’Brien.

Along with the influx of baby-boomers, retirees and sea-changers, there has been a surge of female surfers of all ages appearing in the Middleton line-up. Seventy-five-year-old Jock Gordon is also a daily presence at Middleton. Jock is mainly seen gazing out to sea, checking the surfing conditions and chewing the fat with a few local Salts who have also made Middleton their surfing home. Jock has surfed in and around the region since 1964, often dragging the family along with him in an old Bedford van. Honeymooning in Torquay he surfed while his wife Dot waited patiently on the shore. Jock’s sons (and grandsons) are also firmly ensconced in the surfing way of life. Though Middleton isn’t their prime surfing destination, security and community play a large part in their decision to ‘stay put’. Another familiar silhouette on the seat overlooking Middleton Bay is that of Peter ‘Coxy’ Cox, who settled here years ago after spending many of his weekends driving to the surf between here and Adelaide. Peter and his wife Christine moved here in 1988. Christine played a major part in developing competitive surfing in the area and indeed the whole state – assisting her uncle in founding the South Australian Surfing Association. Coxy remembers the first contest proper, which was set up due to encouragement from American Surf Film producer, John Severson who was enthused about the area after meeting a bunch of local surfers. Christine (nee Bedford) was part of a surfing and board-making family and introduced Peter to what was, at the time, a budding sport in SA. It’s a rare evening that Peter isn’t seen staring out at the Southern Ocean, often sharing a sociable drink with one of the locals. Barbary O’Brien is either a surfer who makes art, or an artist who surfs. She is also a self-confessed ‘gregarious hermit’. After having led a largely urban existence as an artist she was drawn to the area by the lure of surf and affordable real estate. In 1982 she came to Adelaide for the Festival of Arts where she made her way down the coast on surfing jaunts – occasionally camping in her Volkswagen bug. Within a year of moving here in 1989 she joined various civic groups working towards regenerating the dilapidated endemic flora. She can still be seen walking along the coast between Port Elliot and Middleton, up and down the small cliffs checking on the progress of the planting. Barbary’s art practice also tends to revolve around the sea and her own personal politics. She works from her home studio and has been the driving force behind a number of community art projects in the area, recently having a major exhibition at Signal Point

Art Gallery in Goolwa as part of the ‘Just Add Water’ program. Now, none of these stories is ‘out of the ordinary’ at anywhere along the Australian coastline; in fact being ‘girt by sea’ inevitably leads to people making interesting life choices. In Australian and worldwide terms the waves at Middleton are consistent but often lacklustre. In 1980 during a National Surfing Title at Middleton an interstate wit renamed the spot ‘Dribbleton’, due to the low quality of the surf. Paradoxically, these very conditions are what keep Coxy in the region. Proudly competitive (Peter won the national ‘Legends’ surfing title in 1996) he feels it is the relentless and often difficult surf that gives him a competitive edge when competing interstate. For him the flat-faced waves are a training ground for reading the conditions and coping with paddling through miles of white water. The variety of conditions and waves also appeals to Barbary, who in recent times has adapted her approach to riding waves to encompass body surfing, by way of the use of a small wooden hand-plane. Along with the influx of baby-boomers, retirees and sea-changers, there has been a surge of female surfers of all ages appearing in the Middleton line-up. They ride everything from state of the art performance surfboards to cumbersome ‘mals’ (surfboards longer then 9 ft) stand-up paddleboards and body boards. This is a welcome change in a pastime that can sometimes exhibit the worst kind of self-absorbed macho behaviour. However, Middleton differs in this way and as a surfing break that attracts crowds much bigger than its quality deserves, there is surprisingly little animosity in the line up. Although quite busy in the summer months, the area quickly quietens down once the school holidays end – which is right when the waves and weather seem to take a turn for the better. This is the time that the locals wait for, when the beach is quiet and still, and you can sneak down for a surf on your own or with a handful of friends. Late February and early March often find locals at the beach in the evening, soaking up the ending of summer. When I asked Maureen why she has remained here through the changes, the influx of people and holiday houses, she reflected that ‘[Sometimes] you get days where you’d just like to freeze time it’s just so lovely. I take the dog down the beach and it’s just perfect.’

Alan Colton revels in

Fifty years of summer at the back break of Boomer

A sense of purpose can give a sense of place, and I think the opposite is also true: that a sense of place can give a sense of purpose. My relationship with the back break at Boomer Beach, known by locals as Bullies, began in 1963 when I was 15. I am not familiar with the origins of the term, Bullies, and so am not sure whether it refers to the nature of the waves, or to the break itself – perhaps a bit of both?

The action in the back break at Boomer takes place over a comparatively small area, where the ocean swells steepen and rise up on a rock-bottom reef some 80 metres off the beach. The swells have travelled some 400 or 500 kilometres from the deep lows in the Southern Ocean as they pass from west to east. As the winds drop after the passage of the fronts, the swells straighten and become more regular ... getting my attention.

My mate Rod Twiss and I ventured away from the ‘safe beach’ at Chiton Rocks one summer day and made our way down to Boomer. We stopped there and watched four guys in their 20s pull on their fins and head out to the back break. At that time it had a somewhat fearsome reputation, and perhaps still does. However Rod and I had

The lower body of the swell meets resistance from the reef’s shallower depth, causing the wave face to rise and steepen, with a foaming break the ultimate result. This is the target area of the boogie boarder; to ride the steep wall and the foaming break from the top so that the greatest speed and longest ride on the wall of the wave

We stopped there and watched four guys in their 20s pull on their fins and head out to the back break. At that time it had a somewhat fearsome reputation, and perhaps still does. However Rod and I had never seen anything like it, and with teenage enthusiasm we bought fins of our own, headed back to Boomer and found we could ride those waves as well as the next guy. never seen anything like it, and with teenage enthusiasm we bought fins of our own, headed back to Boomer and found we could ride those waves as well as the next guy. I have continued to do so for each of the next fifty summers, and have now moved into my second half century of catching the swells at the back break of Boomer Beach: first as a body surfer, until the days of the big surf mats, and finally into the current era of boogie boards. Catching waves and trying to keep in front of them is hard work. You need to take enough breath and produce enough kicks to ride in and actually reach the beach. In those early years there was a gang of us who would meet at Boomer: Rod Twiss, Alastair and Colin Wood, Harry Perks, and Colin Sibly. Most of us still get into the surf to this day, but some have stopped coming to Boomer in favour of other breaks and beaches.

can be obtained. If the wave is strong enough it will carry through the shore break without re-forming, enabling the rider to get to the beach. I enter the water to the right hand side of the beach where the heaviest break doesn’t occur, making it easier to get out. Most people who go to Boomer do not get beyond the shore break and this gives the beach its fearsome reputation. Pull on a pair of fins and strap on your board, get through the shore break and head out the back to the area where the water blackens underneath you, indicating the presence of the reef below – in line with the change rooms above the beach, and some 80 metres from the shore. It is then a matter of watching the sea all the time for the telltale lines perhaps 50 to 60 metres ahead of the slightly darker and larger swells. These indicate the possibility of a set coming through and the surfer must be ready for this.

As the swells approach you must pick those you feel will break – not ahead of you but immediately behind you – so that you can turn towards the beach and kick as hard as you can with your fins, and pull with the arms to attain sufficient speed to be travelling almost at the same speed as the approaching swell. If the wave face is at the correct steepness you will then be picked up to take the drop ... and feel the incredible surge and speed of the Boomer wall. People are put off from enjoying these wonderful experiences by two things: a fear of sharks and a fear that they will somehow be hurt in the process. In the 50 summers and autumns I have surfed there I have seen a shark only once, when I swam by myself in the area with a bronzie for some five or so minutes – not expecting a shark where I had usually seen dolphins. I left the water only when I no longer felt comfortable with the length of time the bronzie remained in the area. The other fear people have is that they will somehow be hurt or be unable to cope with the vigour of the waves. Of course fine and correct judgments of the sea are difficult to make, but if caught in a big set where there may be three or four waves breaking ahead, you must dive underneath them and keep your board with you by its wrist rope so that you can remount after the white water has passed. If you are unlucky enough to ride into a dumping shore break or be caught and buried in a big wave out the back, the washing machine effect is very real. You will be tumbled about but there is no real risk of hitting the bottom and the discomfort passes quite quickly and you will then regain your breath and composure. The important thing though, is to get back out as quickly as possible to where you won’t have waves breaking in front of you. I have surfed out the back many times with Mike Nunan, formerly of the Australian Institute of Sport and the North Adelaide Football Club, along with his old Sturt-playing mate Neil Craig, coach of the Crows for years. I was there in December 1967 when there was a surf carnival at Boomer with a visiting South African team of great surfers. Word came through that the Australian PM Harold Holt had been reported missing from a beach near the Portsea Back Beach in Victoria.

Previous page: Boomer Beach on a warm summer day in 2013. Top: Long time friends Rodney Twiss (left) and Alan Colton (right) have been body surfing at Boomer for over 50 years. Above: Rodney’s archival photo of Alan in the surf at Boomer in 1966.

Aware of the vigorous conditions then at Boomer, and knowing what would have prevailed at Portsea, I immediately called Holt as ‘gone’ as I knew that anyone missing in surf of this magnitude would be most unlikely to have appeared again. So it was for Harold Holt. Boomer means a lot to me. I enjoy the experiences of the huge takeoffs and fast rides ... and simply the sense of place being in the water over the reef, surrounded by the elements. I also enjoy the camaraderie of the guys I surf with but do not know, and even the acknowledgements from beach-goers who have observed my rides. My old mate Rod Twiss and his wife Regina still come to the south coast regularly and stay at Victor Apartments, run by my wife. Rod’s son, William, has taken up boogie boarding and has become very good at it in the last two or three seasons. My girls have not followed their father to the back break at Boomer, but I live in hope that one day they will and come to enjoy what I have enjoyed for many years. 51

All in the family

Petra de Mooy talks to Ali Phillips and the team about the evolution from weathered family shack to architectural dream home. Photographs by Scott Harding.

Driving up the Esplanade at Sellicks Beach from the General Store, you will find an array of new and modern beachfront homes. It is always a bit of ‘the shock of the new’ when you see these homes interspersed with the old shacks and other newish but older homes which, in contrast, now look quite dated. The most unusual home in this eclectic mix is ‘the pebble house’. The facades are decorated with the smooth round rocks found on the beach below and inspired during a time when it was not illegal to take truckloads of your beach-finds home for personal construction projects. The mailbox is a miniature replica of the home and incorporates tiny pebbles of the correct scale. Anyone who has seen the home will attest to its value as a conversation piece and lack of conceptual restraint. However, just a stone’s throw from this eccentric design you will find a very tasteful example of beachfront architecture. The home, completed in 2010, was designed by Williams Burton Architects and carefully built by design and construction company, Urban Habitats. The story of the property and its home is perhaps not entirely unusual, but the transformation from its beginnings is extraordinary. I met with third-generation family member, Ali Phillips (nee Michell) to get the story. Ali’s grandparents, Colin and Kaye Michell, bought the property and its original dwelling in 1951. The shack was enjoyed by the Michells and their three children for many summers, and was later shared by the grown up Michell siblings and their children for most of the summers since. The property holds great memories of holidays spent fishing, boating, swimming, playing games and exploring the beach. An old photo of the family taken next to the shack shows the hills and farmland stretching out behind the property – almost completely empty of the houses that now fill the space between the Esplanade and South Road. The original shack was very small, and eventually had an addition put on to help accommodate more people, but as the three families grew and the children became adults, the shack required a lot of maintenance and repairs while at the same time lacking the space required for the extended family. It started to dawn on the respective family members that the shack was in need of either a total revamp or a rethink. The decision to tear down the old shack did not come easily, but after careful consideration it became the shared project of two of the Michell siblings, who now owned the property, along with their now grown up children, to build a new modern structure that would allow some privacy for the separate but related families, while maintaining some common areas to share.

Previous page: The Michell family beach house as it stands today. Completed in 2010, the new home was designed by Williams Burton Architects and built by Urban Habitats. Above: The original shack that was purchased in 1951.

The brief was simple: create more space for the growing families and enhance the amazing views available while maintaining sensitivity to both the environment and the original dwelling. ‘Everyone had an emotional connection to the shack and there were so many memories: it did pose a challenge to overcome the sentimentality of the original property and let go. We didn’t want anything like a shiny new box that did not have any life to it. We still wanted to bring warmth into it and so the selection of natural wood, stone and steel was one way to achieve this’, says Ali. These elements give the home great warmth and character – and relative to the more homogenous white and planar and rendered homes that inhabit much of our foreshore, it is a delight. The contrast of the beautiful external stone chimneys with the corrugated iron and warm wood elements make for a very dynamic and interesting structure. The roof line soars up to the sky and allows maximum enjoyment of the open plan living area that opens out onto a large deck. > 53

Architect, Robert Williams, was good friends with Ali’s aunt, Trish Cosh (nee Michell), so after looking at their impressive portfolio it was easy for the families to make the decision to use Williams Burton Architects. Robert Williams says: ‘The wind is often an issue for esplanade properties around our coasts, and we quite often address this with multiple decks, as we have here, with a more sheltered deck at the rear for the windier days’. ‘I like the way the design addresses the sea views, the western sun, and the Esplanade. As a design concept it is not too serious, and looks like a beach house should. As keen fishing and water sport families, there was also a need to provide plenty of garage space for car and boat storage, as well as areas for washing down boats and cleaning fish. I like the way the houses screen the messy car and boat activities at the back of the property.’

After looking at a few different plans visualising how the construction would be split into two separate dwellings, the eureka moment came when they decided to have the driveway go down the centre, giving maximum use of the space available while making the small compromise of a shared driveway.

Ali reflects, ‘we had lots of meetings together and what was really great was that we kind of had a project leader from the two families to go to the meetings and then go back and work through design elements with the rest of our respective families’. ‘Dad was not as sentimental about the old shack and was quite happy to keep things like some of the board games and an old fan from the original shack, but he was also happy to move ahead with the new building and trusted me to make a lot of the decisions.’ After looking at a few different plans visualising how the construction would be split into two separate dwellings, the eureka moment came when they decided to have the driveway go down the centre, giving maximum use of the space available while making the small compromise of a shared driveway. The two separated homes joined by the one roof and bridged by a common deck at the back offers a great solution to both separate and shared spaces.

Above: Open plan living area opens out to a large deck. Above right: Ground floor entertaining area. Bottom right: Views from the lounge stretch down the coastline.

When it came time to find a builder the family again turned to some of their family connections. ‘Jock Merrigan, Director of Urban Habitats, went to the same school as my eldest cousin Andy; and Josh Semmler, who is the building supervisor for Urban Habitats, is also a friend of ours. We trusted in them because of the personal connections but also because their work looked really good.’ Urban Habitats has an excellent design and construction team with over 30 years’ experience, and has built extensively over the Fleurieu Peninsula. Their work is of high quality, and utilises up to date techniques and excellent material knowledge to create their award winning buildings. As a design and construction company, Urban Habitats encourages and promotes energy efficient design and construction methods.

The Michell house adopts this approach well, with inclusions of large capacity rainwater storage (50,000 litres), solar panels feeding back to the grid, grey water recycling, recycled hardwood timbers, double glazing to all windows, concrete slabs to ground and upper floor while aiding in thermal mass and sound dampening, to name but a few. As Jock Merrigan, Director from Urban Habitats states: ‘It was vitally important that Urban Habitats ensured that the intent of the designer and the architectural integrity of the original design were maintained. Apart from some minor material changes, the product is an excellent reflection of the initial design.’ ‘The architect’s initial design recognised the importance of what a beach shack should represent, and also what the new building was replacing. > 55

The exposed timber rafters and large skillion roof were all part of an overall design detail to reflect a more coastal feel.’ Some of the stone used in the project was salvaged from the original stone fence built by Ali’s grandfather decades ago. Other stone was sourced from a local ruin, while the additional stone required came from a local quarry. Urban Habitats used local bricklayer and stonemason (Steve Lewis) to carry out all of this work. Ali also had the help of her cousin and interior architect Katrina Kluzek, who worked closely with Jock to design the kitchens and bathrooms, among other interior features. ‘We love the cabinetry and Katrina was great at helping us work through all of the finer details, right down to where to put the light sockets and electrical outlets,’ says Ali. The family also had interior decorator, Lisa Waters, help with the free-standing furnishings, lighting and a few other unusual elements, like the rawhide area-rug that she found through a local (Port Elliot) tannery. The white leather couches were also custom made to fit the space. The landscape design by Peter Stubbs was planned for minimal maintenance, but provides interesting texture and colour contrast with the use of striking sculptural plantings like the Dragon Trees 56

(Dracaena Draco), while other coastal plants like Cushion Bushes (Leucophyta Brown ii) work exceptionally well with the waxy brown leaves of the Caprosma Karo. Peter has a place by the Aldinga Scrub and knows how harsh the elements can be on foreshore properties. The use of hardy exotics like the Dragon Tree and the Caprosma Karo combined with native coastal plants and trees like the Banksia, Cushion Bush and Woolley Bush make for a monochromatic display of beautiful texture that can be enjoyed all year round and can be left for months at a time with only minimal maintenance. Ali and her family are very pleased with the outcome of this project, but most importantly, they have maintained their long-standing relationship as a tight-knit family sharing their beloved shack and paving the way for another 60 years of summers spent at the beach. Ali says, ‘Sellicks is a bit of a hidden gem for us. It is so easy for us to get to from Adelaide. On a good run it is only 45 minutes but we feel like we are a world away’.

Above: Bold graphic images contrast beautifully with the organic pendant light from David Trubridge.

A Poly-ocular view Zannie Flanagan sees the Fleurieu from a different perspective.

Landscape artist Brian O’Malley lives at Aldinga beach with his wife Bridget, sons Oscar and Flynn – and Dot the dog.

Brian’s interpretation of the practice however, seems more related to the views reflected in curved mirrors – like those found at ‘dangerous corner’ intersections. It’s as if his compositions have been distorted by a convex lens attached to a satellite way above the earth – ‘… it’s a bit of 14th century Chinese landscape painting meets Google Earth!’ he admits. >

The family moved to the Fleurieu from Mount Barker in 1998, and following the sale of their unique fabric printing and clothing manufacturing business, bought a block of land at Aldinga Beach. The couple then embarked on a sustainable building course before designing and building the house they now call home. Enfolded by views of the Willunga Hills and the Aldinga Scrub and with the ocean lapping just beyond the sand dunes, their environment is undeniably South Australian. You may have met Brian, with his trolley of painting paraphernalia, easel set up and canvas displayed, painting directly from, and surrounded by unmistakable Fleurieu vistas. Brian explained that for him to really capture the landscape when at the easel, all his senses must be engaged in the painting process. For this reason he can be seen out on the coastal cliffs or on a roadside with his trusty trolley beside him, often painting long after the light has faded. For those who know him it will come as no surprise to learn that Brian doesn’t mind interacting with the various interested spectators who stop to see what he is doing and who unselfconsciously offer their opinions on whether what he’s doing is ‘any good’. ‘I’ve even had people bring me a bottle of wine to share’, Brian jokes enthusiastically. He clearly regards this as a real bonus and his irrepressible sociability and sense of fun are often represented by a beach walker hidden within his paintings like a random Wally. On first viewing, his landscapes appear hyper real. But there is more than a touch of the surrealist at work here, subtly distorting, making you want to stand on your head, or easier still, turning the painting around in order to follow the multi-focal vistas on the canvas. This is Brian’s unique and self-proclaimed ‘poly-ocular view’ of the world. ‘The stimulus to paint the multi-dimensional landscape I see before me and place it in a composition contained within a frame, is my personal challenge’, he reveals. I asked Brian what led him to see the landscape in his particular ‘poly-ocular’ way. Brian explained his interest in multi-perspective image rendering that he first discovered in Japanese woodblock prints and 14th century Chinese landscape painting. In these conventions, valleys and exaggerated rocky cliffs disappear up the canvas, and conventional perspective is read from bottom to top. He cites 20th century artists such as Escher and the cubists as examples of modern artists who also experimented with multiperspective rendering of images.

Left: Road to Chapel Hill, 84 cm x 140 cm. Acrylic on canvas. Above: Yellow Stringy Bark, Range Road Willunga, 59 cm x 73 cm. Acrylic on canvas.

‘Painting is a self-indulgent pleasure and I am compelled to paint this landscape.’

I asked Brian what led him to see the landscape in his particular ‘poly-ocular’ way. Brian explained his interest in multi-perspective image rendering that he first discovered in Japanese woodblock prints and 14th century Chinese landscape painting. In these conventions, valleys and exaggerated rocky cliffs disappear up the canvas, and conventional perspective is read from bottom to top. He further explained that once he has selected a landscape, he methodically pencil-sketches a plan of how the view will pan the canvas. When he has it clear in his mind he then journeys forth into the physical landscape to determine the places that offer the best opportunity to see, and then paint, the defined ‘poly-ocular’ plan he has already sketched. Only then does he begin the painting process that takes him from one selected vantage point to another as the painting progresses. ‘Sometimes I return to the one spot over and over again to make sure the detail is right’, he says. Once completed, the paintings tend to draw the viewer in … allowing discovery, in the minutest exquisite detail, of a local feature you might recognise. Even though rendering his images to canvas is painstaking, challenging and totally absorbing, painting is not Brian’s only creative outlet. There are also multiple perspectives to the ‘life of Brian’. He is an equally astute entrepreneur who applies the same creative intensity he uses to solve problems of composition on canvas, 60

to entrepreneurial projects that engage and challenge him. When I first met Brian and Bridget they were developing Marbelesque, their natural algae fabric printing business that saw them exporting their hand-printed fabrics and clothing designs to over twenty-two countries. Within ten years of starting the business Marbelesque was available from Macy’s in New York to Carnavale de Venise, the giant neckwear company based in Milan. ‘At one stage we sold six kilometres of neckwear in the States in such a short time that we were working up to sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. We had 450 outlets and it was getting bigger and bigger’ … Bridget recollects. When the stress and workload of the business began to take a serious toll on their health, the couple decided to take stock, and following the birth of their sons Oscar and Flynn they made the seachange to Aldinga Beach. Another such project is Papyrus Australia, founded by Ramy Azer, an Egyptian engineering student Brian mentored while lecturing at the University of South Australia. Much like Brian and his reinvention of the old art of marbling, Azer saw an opportunity to adapt the ancient technique of paper making from papyrus, to the conversion of post-

harvest waste trunk of the banana palm into alternative forest wood products used in the paper, packaging, furniture, building and construction industries. This world first technology has the potential to deliver rural communities in over 160 countries much-needed value-adding and employment opportunities. Brian’s most recent entrepreneurial project is the development of the ‘Ocloc’ system, designed to solve the environmental catastrophe that the replacement of broken arsenic-soaked vineyard posts pose for the wine industry … and ultimately the wider community. Until recently trellis posts that rotted below the soil, or were broken during mechanical harvesting, were difficult and expensive to replace. In response to the problem Brian and his partner, vigneron Nigel Catt, developed Ocloc – a device that can be wrapped around posts at the point of the break and bolted into place much like a splint on a broken limb. Ocloc is now not only saving grape-growers’ time and huge expense, but it is also reducing the environmental problem of toxic waste. In 2010 Ocloc was named Wine industry Supplier of the Year and was chosen as winner of the ABC’s New Inventors Viewers’ Award. At first glance, there seems little to connect Brian’s diverse interests. However on closer inspection, there is another strong theme that provides the clue to what is at the core of O’Malley’s being. Growing up on a farm ‘wedged between the desert and Southern Ocean’ in the south-east of South Australia, his is a passion borne out of a love of country that developed during his childhood and still permeates everything he does today. It is represented in his paintings, and it is at the heart of his involvement in the eco-friendly projects he supports. Brian’s ‘poly-ocular’ view of the world helps us all see our world differently and serves to remind us of the wonder of our place in this complex and fragile environment and of what is possible if we all take responsibility to preserve it. Last year Brian won the Gorgeous Festival’s inaugural painting prize, and his artworks are represented in the SA Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Victoria, the National Art Gallery of Canberra and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Brian is currently painting for an exhibition to be held at Maxwell’s Winery in McLaren Vale in November.

Above left: Fleurieu De Lis, 90 cm x 150 cm. Acrylic on canvas. Above right: Port Willunga Evening, 90 cm x 150 cm. Acrylic on canvas. Right: Brian O’Malley painting at Blanche Point.

If we could we wood Petra de Mooy chats with furniture maker Stephen Anthony. Photographs by Stephen and Grant Beed.

‘In the building trades, a joiner cuts and fits joints in wood without the use of nails, screws, or other metal fasteners. Joiners usually work in a workshop, because the formation of various joints usually requires nonportable machinery; in contrast, most other kinds of ‘woodworkers’ usually work on site. A “joiner” usually produces items such as interior and exterior doors, windows, stairs, tables, bookshelves etc; cabinet makers are often regarded as producers of fine joinery.’ Wikipedia

Far left: Detail showing dovetail joints. Photograph by Stephen Anthony. Above: Stephen at work. Photo by Grant Beed.

‘The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.’ William Morris.

‘I think I was really lucky where I ended up, A – because they took me on, and B – because they were doing really good quality work.’

Traditional joiners are a rare breed these days and the skill required to learn the basics of this trade takes years – while honing your skills in all of the finer details can take a lifetime. Stephen Anthony grew up in West Sussex. His dad was a draughtsman and his uncle was a joiner. ‘So I was always aware that woodwork existed as a job.’ After studying art and photography at the local college and moving out of the family home in his early twenties, Stephen realised he needed to get a job. A classified ad looking for an experienced joiner prompted him to call and inquire. Despite not having the necessary qualifications, the owner could see that Stephen was keen to learn and decided to give him a go.

The company Stephen worked for (Chittleburgh and Sons) specialised in solid wood joinery and worked on contracts for individual clients and companies requiring high-quality woodwork, like the National Trust. After some time working there, Stephen began to realise that he wanted to work on his own projects and that he would only be happy for a limited time making stuff that other people had designed. The experience Stephen gained in traditional joinery, combined with his qualifications in art and photography has given him a great grounding as a well-rounded designer, maker and artist. Stephen likely is not fussed about what terms are used to describe his job or his work, as long as he is doing it to the best of his ability > 63

and that there is integrity in the final product. ‘I do care about design, but ultimately it is just as important that it works. I like to make things that are not too different but pay respect to tradition; I am not trying to reinvent the wheel. I get a real kick out of a drawer that is made so well that you know it is going to function the same in ten years as the day it was made.’ Stephen landed here on our fair shores (Aldinga Beach) only four short years ago. In that short time he has married, had two kids, designed and built a house and set up a business, sharing his very well-equipped workshop with long time resident and retired Willunga Primary School Principal, David Munzberg. ‘People are amazed when they find out that I actually go and select the wood for the furniture I make for them … and that the somewhat warped and rough timber in my workshop that sometimes still has bark on the edges, is going to become the table I am making for them.’ In these days of mass production and cheap imports it is tough to find clients who appreciate the inherent quality of the bespoke and handmade, but Stephen is kept busy with a growing stream of work that includes one-off cabinets, repairs, tables, desks, and so on …. ‘I love the way the clients react. You have a bit of apprehension when you deliver something, so when they are really happy with what you have done and genuinely overwhelmed by having something hand-made, it is great.’ The process of having a piece of furniture custom-made is a rewarding one. Stephen explains: ‘Often when I meet with a new client I try to find out exactly what they want and then go away and produce a range of drawings: one that encompasses exactly what they want and then some variations 64

that may be something they have not thought of. I find people are quite receptive to these suggestions and we usually wind up somewhere that is a variation on what they originally had in mind.’ For designer-makers there is a distinction between custom work – that is, made to a client’s specifications, and the equally rewarding, but often more challenging speculative work, where a designer – maker works towards their own brief to explore new techniques that a client may shy away from. ‘At the moment I am really excited about a new piece I have come up with for our house.’ The tall drawer unit made from ‘morticed and tenoned’ Tassie Oak houses a bank of drawers with a beautiful floral pattern engraved in the drawer faces. The inspiration was a mix of practical (it had to fit in a particular space) and visual. Inspired by English craftsman, William Morris along with Japanese prints – the seamless design and appealing colour on the drawer faces is a unique and feminine design that has great potential for further exploration. Commissions are welcome!!! Stephen has also created a showcase for his work in the home his wife Robin and he have made together. All of the windows and doors are made ‘from scratch’ out of Western Red Cedar and Tassie Oak. Most of the free-standing furniture is custom made and the kitchen is a combination of Olive wood and Blackwood. Eventually the whole place will be fitted out with Stephen’s furniture. A great gift for their kids and the generations to come. www.handmadefurniture.com.au.

Willunga Waldorf K-12 School ... where children love to learn. OPEN DAYS All welcome; Wednesday 8 May, 9:30 ~ 11:00 am, Wednesday 5 June, 4:30 ~ 6:00 pm. 1 Jay Drive Willunga South Australia 5173. Phone: (08) 8556 2655 www.willungawaldorfschool.sa.edu.au.

“Down by the Sea” Giu al Mare is a contemporary self-contained beach house a minutes walk from Moana beach. It is only a short drive to the McLaren Vale wine region and historic Willunga. This beach-side escape has a shaded deck area and a stainless steel fully equipped kitchen for those who love to cook. With 3 bedrooms it can sleep up to 6 adults. things · people · places www.heidiwho.com heidi@heidiwho.com 0402 716 406

Enquiries and reservations: Bronte Camilleri Mobile: 0411 190 547 Email: camill@internode.on.net Web: www.giualmare.com.au 65

Meat and greet Leonie Porter-Nocella looks at meat enhancement and confirms that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Photographs by Grant Beed.

It takes a while to draw Ian out of his British reserve (well ... his father is a Yorkshireman) ... but once it’s out, the passion pours out in buckets. The first thing I notice as I’m sipping across a table from Ian is that embroidered on his uniform is ‘since 1954’. This looks a little odd as I doubt that he’d have even been born then. It seems that in 1954 Lloyd Ellis opened the butcher shop in a small building across the road from the current shop in the McLaren Vale Mall. Lloyd’s two sons took over from their father, but eventually one of them announced that he’d be retiring ‘soon’. Ian’s father, who’d almost always been self employed, and therefore not afraid to take the leap into the gamble that is small business, informed Ian – who was at the time working for the Ellis brothers – that it may be a good opportunity ... and that ‘perhaps it was time to settle for a while’. Before coming back to Australia to work for the brothers Ellis, Ian had been slaving* away in Scotland for 12 months as a butcher labourer and was all packed and ready to head back there again; but meeting his now wife, Emma and seeing an opportunity with the shop. Ian says, ‘I put two and two together … and as they say, the rest is history.’ 66

Note: *slaving away refers to the way in which Scottish butchers were still expected to sling heavy animal carcasses over their shoulders, walk up and down steps, and sling them off again – dozens of times a day. Ian’s back still remembers. With courage borne of his father’s urging he bought out the retiring brother, eventually bought out the other brother and is now the proud co-owner, with Emma, of Ellis Butchers ‘since 1954’ with the addition of two young daughters, Kate and Tara. Now the story is about to enter a new phase. As you may (or may not) know, the McLaren Mall is undergoing renewal and expansion. Ellis Butchers will be relocating to the new, improved part, with more space, more light and opening directly on to the car parking area. While this is more than a little disruptive to business it has given Ian, who has taken on the job as Project Manager, a perfect chance to design a shop with features he’s long wanted. There’ll be much more space and equipment for them to go on making their own award-winning smallgoods. Even in their smaller space, last year they managed to take out the ‘Best South Australian Bacon Rasher’. Now he’ll have the space to install a longed-for Dry-Aged Beef cabinet. It seems that dry-aged-beef is more tender, has more flavour, and slices can be cut to your exacting specifications from

Ian seems to be on close terms with most of the chefs in the area. In fact the first I’d ever heard of him was well over a decade ago when I’d asked Russell Jeavons ... of the unconventional and legendary Russell’s Pizza ... where he sourced the wonderful lamb he used in his boat-shaped Turkish-style slowcooked lamb pizza.

Far left: Ian Ellis in his butcher shop in McLaren Vale. Left: Choice cuts; Ian sources Fleurieu wherever possible.

pieces you stipulate after having studied them in the new cabinet; which has been made by a company in Victoria specialising in ‘de-humidifying’ refrigerators that keep the beef in a dry environment at between 0 and 2 degrees, thereby inhibiting bacterial growth.

working with him for a while in a reciprocal arrangement whereby he showed Peter the butchering business while Peter taught him marinades and other meat-enhancing techniques. Peter now works as State program coordinator for Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

This is merely one of the features that the additional space will permit. Another is that Ian will be able to indulge an irrational passion we both share: Cook Books! He’s not only going to display/ sell at least 100 assorted cook books, but he’s going to be one of the first to stock Peter Kuruvita’s new line of Sri Lankan spices and sauces, along with the products of Simon Cunningham – local chef turned mine manager, turned ‘chef with a new line’ – including stocks, glazes, mustard fruits, passata (pasta sauce) and more. The line will be called: Mr Cunningham’s Exceptionally Fine Fare. Watch for it. If the name’s anything to go by it’ll be spectacular!

However, no matter how hard you may try, it’s still very difficult to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. You still have to source the best product you can, because no quantity of herbs and spices will make it tender ... or ethical. Ian sources Fleurieu wherever possible. Dennis Thorpe buys his beef, with Graham Hughes buying his lamb. Poultry is from Ash at Inman. I didn’t ask about the pigs, but he showed me his phone screen with heart-achingly beautiful photos of pigs living in surroundings I wouldn’t mind for a camp-out myself. If I were the camp-out kind ... that is.

One of the really touching things about Ian is that he has a quite tangible passion for the food industry in general. And he’s always on the lookout for new ideas to add to his already impressive array of all things meaty. While we were casually chatting about food I arbitrarily mentioned a lovely combination of flavours I’d recently eaten. Out came the phone and as he tapped away he said offhandedly: ‘That’d make a great sausage!’ 67

For the birds Monique Gill gets up close and personal with Coorong Connoisseur, Lindy Downing. Photography by Lindy.

It would be safe to say that there are few people who know the Coorong as well as award-winning digital artist and wildlife photographer Lindy Downing. Lindy lives a stone’s throw away from the River at Goolwa and a few kilometres from the Murray Mouth – and has spent decades documenting the bird-life, beauty, erosion, rehabilitation and ever-evolving nature of the Coorong. Lindy’s fascination with feathered creatures started early in childhood, while she was growing up on 5000 acres near Meningie. She always had birds around her and as a young girl loved nothing better than sitting out on the wood heap, chatting to them — many of them rescued magpies and galahs. Lindy was given her first camera, a Kodak Brownie Star flash, at the age of 11. It was a gift that initiated her lifelong interest in photography. Her uncle, an industrial photographer, first inspired her and four years later she’d progressed to a 35mm camera, followed by her first SLR. Lindy, who always had an artistic bent, also enjoyed drawing and painting, and as a teenager tried her hand at oil painting. She went on to study photography at the Underdale College of Advanced Education and watercolour painting under the guidance of prominent South Australian artist Ruth Tuck.

In 2000, she purchased her first digital camera. ‘I was very excited, but as soon as I’d taken a few shots I realised that it was a complete waste of money: it only had 1.3 mega pixels! So I decided to wait for the technology to develop.’ Having grown up in the Coorong and Lakes district, Lindy feels very much a part of the local landscape. It was witnessing the destruction of its flora and fauna over the 20-year time frame spent in Goolwa that became much of the driving force behind her work. ‘There had been so much clearing; and so many waterways had been rechannelled ... I really became concerned. As I walked the riverside I had a sense that things were changing – that the number of birds was fast diminishing.’ This compelled her to paint as many birds as possible while it was still an option, starting on both fabric and silk. Then, in early 2000, came the avian flu outbreak. ‘With all our migratory birds, this horrified me and it made me wonder what it would be like to live in a world without birds’.

‘Birds are indicators of the environment. If they are in trouble, we know we’ll soon be in trouble.’ Roger Tory Peterson (1908-1996), American ornithologist & artist

Almost at the same time ‘The Big Dry’ tightened its grip, leaving swathes of riverbed exposed and the ecosystem threatened. The drought really brought it home that bird numbers would be diminishing even faster. ‘It suddenly hit me that I might run out of time to paint all the birds, so instead I started photographing them.’ Fearful of opportunity slipping by at an ever-increasing rate she bought her first proper digital camera. Now there was no stopping her and she spent almost every day outside, criss-crossing the landscape, clicking away. ‘I stopped counting when I hit 110 local birds,’ she chuckles. > Previous page left: Great White Egret. Top left: A pair of Red Necked Avocets ‘stepping out’. Top right: A Red Wattle Bird. Right: Lindy Downing. Photograph by Alexandra Paxinos.

Lindy’s drive and commitment has resulted in a very agile and welltravelled body and mind. Her wisdom about the environment and concern for this place are evident in both her photos and her own environment. The garden leading to the studio displays an absolute respect for native flora and fauna. ‘Birds have inspired me in so many ways,’ says Lindy, ‘and I have no doubt at all that they communicate with us.’ Once, staying at the Mouth House on the River Murray, Lindy walked over a sandhill and into the dunes. ‘Suddenly, a Great White Egret landed right beside me. It wasn’t frightened of me at all ... in fact, we were kind of in awe of each other. It was a very special moment and from then on I became quite obsessed with this particular bird and I photographed it at every opportunity.’ Another incident that increased her conviction that there is real communication between us and the avians came when Lindy discovered a lone baby Red Wattlebird outside her house. She carefully placed the bird in a 70

box under her pergola so that the parents could come to feed it. A little later she became aware of an adult Wattlebird tapping at her window. ‘I went outside to check on the baby. It had fallen out of the box and was wedged between some rocks.’ She carefully placed the bird in a bigger box, hoping that this may prove more fruitful. But the next day the adult bird was again tapping at the window. When she went outside to see what was going on she found that the baby had died. As she sat next to it both parents arrived. ‘These birds spread out their tail feathers and started a strange, almost ritualistic dance. The choreography was mesmerising; I had never seen anything like it. It seemed like a thank you for my attempts to help.’ These days Lindy doesn’t go out as often as she used to. Being wiser to both the habits and habitats of her subjects means she knows when and where to photograph to best advantage. ‘My photography is also seasonal. In spring, I focus on mating behaviour; in summer, it’s all about the babies; come autumn, I capture flocks, but good light will always tempt me to venture outside, camera in hand.’

‘The joy of being out in Nature photographing her gifts is more than words can convey. For more than eighty seasons I have walked the dunes, the river banks and the wetlands – and each season Nature gives up more of her secrets.

Much of her time is spent teaching photography through Coorong Imaging, which she set up eight years ago. Situated in a 150 year old renovated stone hut, the working studio also displays photographs and digital media featuring local fauna, flora and landscapes. Lindy’s skill as a wildlife photographer is well known and her work has won many awards, the most recent being first place in Section Two of the Solar Art Prize at the 2012 Royal South Australian Society of Arts. However, for Lindy, by far the most important aspect of her work is to pass on knowledge that will enable others to both see and appreciate the unique remnants of wilderness areas around the river and the Coorong, thereby increasing the number of people who will stand up to protect it for future generations. In her own words: ‘The joy of being out in Nature photographing her gifts is more than words can convey. For more than 80 seasons I have walked the dunes, the river banks and the wetlands and each season Nature gives up more of her secrets. I have come to know which creatures I will find, depending on the temperature, the wind, the season and the run of the river. The many and varied nuances of Nature make every journey new and every discovery adds to the wealth of my time here. If everyone were aware of this rich fabric there would be no struggles to protect it.’

After rain comes a rainbow ... There have been many changes to the birdlife in and around Goolwa that can be attributed to the breaking of the drought; for example: •

Aboriginal people say black-tailed native hens build in numbers during the prelude to a flood ... and ‘that’s exactly what happened in 2010. Native hens were relatively prolific at that time on Hindmarsh Island and around the outer wetland areas of Goolwa.’

• Crested Grebes, rarely seen around the river over the last 12 years nested in Goolwa for the first time again last spring. • Australasian Grebes have made a re-appearance two years post-drought and have nested in wetlands on Goolwa’s fringe. •

The Red-necked Stint, which flies in from Siberia, can once again been seen in relatively large numbers, foraging in the shallow waters beyond the Barrage and at the Murray Mouth.

‘While things might look flush once more in this region, there’s still a way to go before bird numbers reach pre-drought levels.’

A book is not out of the question. But, says Lindy, with a twinkle in her eye, she’s hoping for a sponsor ... Previous page top left: Great White Egret photographed from the bird hide at Goolwa (pre-drought). Previous page bottom left: A boat left high and dry. Previous page bottom right: Fresh water mussels died by the thousand during the drought. Above right: Pelican during ‘take-off’.

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Painting a new picture of McLaren Vale wines Kate Washington visits husband and wife winemaking team Toby and Emmanuelle Bekkers. Photographs by Grant Beed.

In 1998 the Art Gallery of South Australia presented art works depicting the Fleurieu, entitled ‘The Painted Coast: views of the Fleurieu Peninsula coast of South Australia.’ In various styles and media, the artists captured the region’s rolling hills, lush vines by the sea and warm coastal light. The title of the exhibit aptly describes the beauty of the landscape adored by locals and coveted by visitors. We now find on this painted landscape a new opportunity for another kind of artistic impression – winemaking. In speaking with localbased wine couple, Toby and Emmanuelle Bekkers, we quickly realise that like the colours available in the artist’s palette, the winemaker’s palate can also experience wondrous abandon in the possibilities produced by the region’s terroir.

extensive winemaking career in Australia and France. The 2011 vintage is their first release from this new palette, influenced by their wine knowledge and skills developed both here and in Europe. The Bekkers’ winemaking philosophy is that good wines require careful viticulture, targeted vineyard selection, followed by a gentleness and respect of the fruit in the winery. In their first release label, BEKKERS 2011 McLaren Vale Syrah they feel that through this approach the fruit is able speak for itself.

For the first time, the Bekkers have brought together the full scope of their professional expertise and creative talent in the wine industry to impress upon the canvas a new and more contemporary picture for high-end wines from the McLaren Vale.

Importantly, this small-batch vintage (less than 150 dozen produced) shows that McLaren Vale has high quality fruit and the right people to produce world-class wines. This label is born of patience and perseverance and shows that the Bekkers want to deliver only a top quality product. Toby says, ‘We have been fortunate to see the best that the world of wine can offer in France. Access to some of the world’s greatest wine estates greatly influences our commitment to attention to detail.’

The couple has created the first instalment of BEKKERS Fine Wine of Australia. The family-run company blends Toby’s understanding of McLaren Vale’s soils, geology and climate with Emmanuelle’s

He continues, ‘However, nothing I have seen elsewhere has diminished my conviction that McLaren Vale can produce wines of equal quality. To be recognised as such, every region needs a few

emblematic wines. Not everyone can operate at this price point, but having one or two in the region is extremely important.’ Emmanuelle, or Emma, as she is called by friends and family, grew up in Toulon, France, on the Mediterranean coast. She completed a degree in Oenology at the University of Montpellier, in addition to a degree in Biology at the University of Marseille. She worked for La Domaine de la Baume (then part of the Hardy Wine Company) in the south of France, which led to her first vintage in Australia in 1995 at Hardy’s Tintara – and a chance meeting with Toby. Following on from Tintara, Emma took a winemaking position at Hardy’s Reynella, and later, as winery manager and senior winemaker at Langhorne Creek and Boar’s Rock. She has been the winemaker at McLaren Vale’s Chalk Hill since 2001 and runs her own winemaking consultancy business – Oenologie Requin (www. oenologie-requin.com). During the Australian winter Emma returned to France working vintages in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Languedoc Rousillon, further honing her skills. During this peripatetic time she developed her own characteristic style, producing wines with refined texture, restraint and delicacy. Emma’s light hand and minimalist approach is reminiscent of a style more familiar in Europe, yet with a place in the Australian context. The challenge, says Emma, is ‘minimal intervention but constant and careful monitoring of the fruit in fermentation.’ She insists that, ‘Doing nothing,’ which is sometimes the most necessary approach, ‘is the hardest thing to do’. The Bekkers apply the French word Syrah (Shiraz) on their label. They feel it best represents the wine style – that is, McLaren Vale intensity coupled with delicate aromas, flavours and a fine, silky texture. It also serves as recognition of Emma’s heritage. Such vast experience on the Fleurieu has imparted to Emma a deep understanding of the flavour profiles found across the Peninsula. This insight, coupled with the knowledge Toby has amassed planting and managing vineyards across Australia, is a winning formula for the couple’s first foray into fine wine making.

Wines. His guiding influence in bringing ‘natural viticulture’ to the region was bred out of an interest in uncovering hidden grape and wine quality through non-invasive techniques, not only in the vineyard but also the winery. Toby’s philosophy is that great wine starts from exceptional detail in the vineyard and it is to this objective that he runs an expanding consultancy in organic and biodynamic practices (www.tobybekkers.com). Bekkers also reveals that ‘to be a good viticulturalist you need to understand the winemaking process’. McLaren Vale not only provides a unique geological expression, soil profile and climate for growing grapes, but also a great environment for raising a family. Emma said during her first vintage in McLaren Vale she instantly had the conviction that this was somewhere she could live. She attributed the initial source of this comfort to the coast, admitting it made her nostalgic for her own home region. Although enjoying their lifestyle, they still feel the pull back to France, to keep up connections with their network of esteemed winemakers and friends. Their children are bilingual and this young family confirms how a relationship borne out of a vintage romance and spanning two continents can breathe new life and passion into the wine industry. Toby explains, ‘McLaren Vale dominates the label in deference to the importance of provenance, and my aspiration is for both McLaren Vale and BEKKERS to stand proud amid the world’s most coveted wines and their craftsmen’. When speaking with this highly skilled and passionate couple about why they decided to dabble at the top end, you get the feeling it is just simply something they ought to be doing. It does not take an artistic eye to appreciate that the Bekkers are making their own small, but very important impression on the palette of the painted coast.

Toby was born and bred on the Fleurieu. While attending Willunga High School, he spent his afternoons and weekends as any other teenager – surfing, fishing and generally immersed in coastal living. He completed his Agricultural Science degree at the University of Adelaide (Roseworthy campus) and an Honours degree in Viticulture at the Waite Institute. These globally-recognised institutions have produced a number of well-known figures working in the South Australian wine industry. And why do those born and trained in the Adelaide and Fleurieu regions choose to stay and work here? According to Toby, McLaren Vale’s strength is in its diversity and quality of fruit. Furthermore, he adds, ‘It seems to me that most people become de-sensitised to the beauty of their home region. McLaren Vale is a paradise and it is worth taking the time to consider just how special [it] and the Fleurieu are.’ Until 2010 Bekkers was responsible for over 700 acres of vineyards in his role as General Manager and Senior Viticulturalist for Paxton

Far left: The Bekkers family on their vineyard. Above: Bekkers 2011 McLaren Vale Syrah. 75

The McLaren Vale Page

Open Friday - Monday 11-5pm Open Friday - Monday 11-5pm Open every day in January 2013 (except New Year’s Day) Open every day in January 2013 (except New Year’s Day)

Road, Willunga, SA 5172 Ph (08) 8556 2441 Gaffney Road, Willunga, SA 5172 Ph (08) Gaffney 8556 2441 www.battleofbosworth.com.au www.springseedwineco.com.au www.battleofbosworth.com.au www.springseedwineco.com.au

‘Winemaking from the heart, it’s that simple’

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primoestate.com.au Primo Estate • Wirra Wirra • Sabella Vineyards 08 8323 6800 Olivers McLaren Vale ph.+61 8 8323 9196 cellar@tapestrywines.com.auTel: www.tapestrywines.com.au Olivers Road, McLaren Vale ph.+61 8 8323 9196 Road, cellar@tapestrywines.com.au www.tapestrywines.com.au Hugh Hamilton Wines • Vale/Inn • Red Poles

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Taste the Paxton range of Biodynamic wines (rated 5 stars by the Paxton range of Biodynamic wines (rated 5 stars by Taste James Halliday), wander the grounds or just sit on the deck while James Halliday), wander the grounds or just sit on the deck while enjoying the view and a glass or two of the AAA Shiraz/ enjoying Grenachethe view and a glass or two of the AAA Shiraz/ Grenache or the award winning Chardonnay with a cheese platter. or the award winning Chardonnay with a cheese platter. Paxton Wines: Wheaton Rd, McLaren Vale Paxton Wines: Wheaton Rd, McLaren Vale Ph: (08) 8323 9131 Cellar door open 10am – 5pm 7 Days Ph: (08) 8323 9131 Cellar door open 10am – 5pm 7 Days

Visit Yangarra’s cellar door on the northeastern edgecellar of McLaren taste our estate including Visit Yangarra’s door onVale the and northeastern edge ofwines McLaren Vale and taste our ‘The child is both the hope and promise for mankind ... our most precious treasure.’

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Taste the Paxton range of Biodynamic wines (rated 5 stars by James Halliday), wander the grounds or just sit on the deck while enjoying the view and a glass or two of the AAA Shiraz/ Grenache with a cheese platter. Paxton Wines: Wheaton Rd, McLaren Vale Ph: (08) 8323 9131. Cellar door open 10am – 5pm 7 Days

New faces on the Fleurieu

Alexandra Paxinos talks to chocolatier, Karel Vandersteegan, and finds out what life ‘down under’ is like from a Belgian perspective.

‘Someone once said to me that if you choose a job you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.’ When Karel Vandersteegan first visited Adelaide in 1994 he immediately fell in love and knew it would one day be his home. In 2009, he packed up his life in Belgium and moved to Aldinga Beach on the Fleurieu, with the idea of being close to the beach and only a scenic drive away from the City of Adelaide. There was no catalyst for moving here; no reason other than having fallen in love with our culture and our scenery – and that perfect combination of sun and sea. ‘The air is clean, the weather is nice, and the people are friendlier… it’s the “no worries” attitude that I love.’ In Belgium, Karel worked in the insurance department of a Bank. In Australia, he’s making chocolates for a living: he’s living the Australian dream. He studied a Bachelor of Company Management, majoring in Insurance, and worked in the industry in Belgium for over 15 years. When he first moved to Australia he worked for BT Financials, but soon fell back into his old routine and realised that ‘this is not really it for me’; that he wanted more of a creative life. Soon before leaving Belgium Karel graduated from a two-year Artisan Chocolatier course and decided to follow his dream in Australia. He founded Chocolique and started to teach chocolatemaking, eventually taking on the role of full-time chocolatier. ‘When you migrate, you leave everything behind. You leave your family and friends behind, you leave your job behind, and you start from scratch. It’s like being given a second chance. So I thought, if I take this big step and come over to Australia, why not go all the way? And you know, so far it’s working for me.’ Karel’s previous employment in the insurance industry differed substantially from his new one as chocolatier, meaning that he had absolutely no business knowledge of the chocolate industry. He started out from scratch, testing to see what worked and what didn’t. One of the biggest cultural distinctions Karel observed was that in Belgium people tend to buy a whole box of chocolates, whereas in Australia they tend to buy only one or two. So he adapted to the Australian demand and the Australian taste. He started to create traditional favourites such as Rocky Road, Coconut Rough, and Almond Clusters, using Callebaut chocolate, ‘the best of chocolate in Belgium, in my point of view’. With nothing but a lot of enthusiasm and the knowledge of how to make great-tasting Belgian chocolates, Karel has built Chocolique into the successful brand that it is now. The chocolates are now sold through cafés, wineries and selected shops, as well as retail markets and festivals.

Above: ‘Chocolique’ proprietor Karel Vandersteegan, moved from Belgium to Adelaide in 1994.

Most recently, Karel has been assisting with the planning of the new McLaren Vale Market, which will focus on fine foods such as fresh fish, olive oil, gourmet breakfasts, wines, and of course, chocolates. His newest project has held a focus on Chocolate Fountain Hire for parties and functions for all ages. ‘Australia is the land of opportunity and I took that opportunity! I work more now. I work 6 days a week, but I don’t want to go back. I’d rather work 10 hours a day, 6 days a week making chocolates, than 8 hours a day in my previous job. Someone once said to me that “if you choose a job you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life” and I feel like, even though I work harder, I’m more relaxed.’ Starting a new life in another country involves a transition that you must go through. ‘It starts off with a lot of comparing in the beginning, but you leave that behind and you start to appreciate all the things here that you didn’t have before. You can see the ocean after work, and you really start to appreciate that.’ Three and a half years down the track after migrating, Karel feels that every day he’s a little more integrated. He’s come to the point where he’s starting to feel he belongs here. Recently he travelled back to Belgium to see what was happening in the chocolate industry, and of course to see his family. When he landed back in Adelaide, he felt he was coming home!

MUSIC & BOOKS

Book Reviews by Mike Lucas.

courageous, determined individuals are among the thoughts that this story provokes. The narrative sometimes reads like a fairy tale, which adds to the feeling that this couldn’t possibly have happened in any world or at any time, let alone the one we live in, a mere seventy years ago. But the places are real, the characters are real, and the puppets truly come alive and tug at the heartstrings through the ruins of Warsaw, the icy tundra of Siberia and modern day New York.

Fractured by Dawn Barker

Published by Hachette Australia ISBN 9780733629853 $29.99

The Puppet Boy of Warsaw by Eva Weaver

Published by Orion Publishing Co. ISBN 9780297868286 $29.99 The story of Mika, a young Jewish boy who inherits a coat from his grandfather during the occupation of Warsaw, has the makings of an iconic novel, already being compared to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Book Thief. The sense of disbelief at the hardships that the victims on both sides of the war had to suffer deepens like the snow that accompanied the atrocities during those terrible years. Within the deep, secret pockets of this wondrous coat, Mika discovers a plethora of objects, including a puppet that will change, not only his life, but that of countless others. How inanimate, seemingly insignificant items can decide the fates of numerous lives, and how tyrannous, ignorant machines can be conquered by 78

Australian child psychiatrist, Dawn Barker’s debut novel about the tumultuous aftermath of a family tragedy takes the characters to the edge of a precipice, pushes them over and gazes down upon the damage caused with wide eyes and head in hand. When Anna and her newborn baby, Jack, disappear, her husband and family are forced to question not only her motives and her sanity, but also their own contributions to the events leading up to that day. The dynamics of the characters are at the core of this novel, while the skill of the narrative is in maintaining the pace of the story by building a platform for each of the unremarkable characters to voice their fears, their hopes and their self-driven guilt. The fragility of life and family, and the unnoticeable ease with which the day to day routines that we take for granted can crack and eventually shatter are explored and demonstrated with realism ... and without overstatement. This is life and love, despair and forgiveness, hate and pity. This is about actions and consequences, and learning to live with wrong decisions, misread signs and unchangeable tragedy. Reading groups should book a longer meeting. There is a lot to contemplate and discuss here.

Great Anzac Stories: The Men and Women Who Created the Digger Legend by Graham Seal Published by Allen and Unwin ISBN 9781743310595 $29.99 The origins of the Anzac tradition and the legendary evolution of the digger are presented using firsthand accounts from the front lines of the major wars of the last century, and from the home front that witnessed the tragic departure of so many of its young men and women. The book concentrates mainly on World War One, from the heroism and horrors of the first day at Gallipoli, through the huge loss of life at Fromelles and the fierce fighting at Pozières, and features human tales of courage, humour and suffering. But there are also similar accounts from World War Two, Korea and Vietnam, where the word ‘digger’ developed to evoke the ageless persona of the Australian soldier, and

‘Anzac’ grew to mean so much more than the original acronym. Personal anecdotes, letters sent to distant loved ones, and journalists’ reports portray the hard reality of life on the front line, while the independent, individualistic and non-conformist roots of the digger are balanced against his selfless, patriotic and unyielding character. The legends of Anzac are explored, the symbols of commemoration are explained, and we are left with the already deeply ingrained knowledge of the sacrifice given by those Australians lost, injured or permanently scarred by the savageries of war.

Morgravia. Populating these two worlds in a constantly evolving, energetic and substantial story of good versus evil is an impressive cast of deeply portrayed characters.

cartoonist. Together, they have created the first in a new series of picture books to celebrate iconic characters from Australia’s past. In the year when Ned Kelly’s body has finally been laid to rest, more than 130 years after the famous shootout at Glenrowan Inn and Kelly’s subsequent execution, this story richly recounts the disadvantaged beginnings, the unfortunate events and the sad injustices of the law which led Ned Kelly down his infamous path to a tragic end. Historically engaging, and balancing bold reality with the need to soften the edges for the younger audience, Janeen Brian’s rhyming narrative will educate and entertain children who will undoubtedly feel the need to discuss the motives and misgivings of the real characters of this legendary tale.

Meet Ned Kelly Written by Janeen Brian Illustrated by Matt Adams Published by Random House Australia ISBN 9781742757186 $19.99 Janeen Brian is the award winning author of picture books, short stories, poetry, nonfiction, short fiction and novels for young people and the educational market. Matt Adams is an award winning illustrator and

Demons and dragons; queens and champions; love and death. Seemingly disparate threads intertwine and hidden histories are revealed as the encroaching threat to the kingdom of Morgravia increases and the relationships between the main characters change and gain clarity. The real world of Paris is well researched, and the fictional city of Pearlis is brought to life as the ancient, bustling capital of Morgravia. Despite the inherent difficulty in finding originality within the increasingly popular fantasy genre, this novel succeeds in doing just that. There is romance; there are battles; there is magic and the fulfilment of destiny. But there is also a plot that never stands still, a sense of reality in an alien world and a whole lot more that flows from the pen of this highly accomplished scrivener and you are left with a mild hope that maybe … just maybe, this may not be a standalone novel after all.

Matt Adams’ illustrations are wonderfully colourful and eccentric, with a hint of darkness and intrigue that children love to return to in storybooks. With an accompanying timeline of the sad events that dictated the ill-fated life of this notorious bushranger, this is sure to be a bestseller and a must-have for schools across the country.

The Scrivener’s Tale by Fiona McIntosh Published by Harper Voyager ISBN: 9780732292454 $32.99 The first standalone fantasy novel by bestselling Adelaide author, Fiona McIntosh, is capacious and well crafted, contrasting modern-day Paris with fictional, medieval 79

RETAIL

What to buy. Where to buy it.

“French” dining Chair (Also available in natural) RRP: $269 Modern Beech clock, navy face RRP: $69.95 Natural and white soft basket RRP: $49.95 Coast by design 34 The Strand, Port Elliot 08 8554 3448

SanCerre galla jacket, mosaic vinney street tank, ricci pants Available at: All That Jazz 29 North Terrace Port Elliot SA 08 8554 3645

Penny’s Hill 2011 Cracking Black Shiraz Blue Gold Award winner at the Sydney International Wine Competition 2013 Approx. RRP: $22 Available at: • Dan Murphy’s • Vintage Cellars • Other fine wine retailers www.pennyshill.com.au

SHOP LOCAL: Our small providores, cafes, wineries and boutique shops are chock full of great products. Unique and high quality items are available on your doorstep.

34 The Strand | Port Elliot | 8554 3448 | bbd.net.au

School Holiday Studio Sessions Includes a portrait session in picturesque Port Elliot and a 5x7â&#x20AC;? print. FLM price: $50 (RRP: $225) Alice Bell Photography 45 The Strand, Port Elliot SA 5212 0409 670 209. www.alicebell.com.au

Sister store to Balhannah by Design Trading 7 days

Talinga Flavoured Olive Oils $13.50 Blessed Cheese 150 Main Road McLaren Vale SA 5171 www.blessedcheese.com.au

...a breath of fresh air... 81

Fleurieu Weddings

Sarah James and Nick Martin: Nick and I met in 2006 through a mutual friend and over a hot curry at the Lion Hotel in North Adelaide. We were surprised and subsequently delighted at the eminent arrival of our son, George, not long after.

In 2009 a position at d’Arenberg as Winemaker and Brand Ambassador, plus the bonus of doting grandparents nearby brought us to the Fleurieu Peninsula, Aldinga Beach.

Amelie, our flower girl, wore her great-grandmother’s, handembroidered dress and was carried down by my sister and official witness, Georgina McInnes.

After renovating a 1950s shack it became evident to me that Nick was not going to propose marriage. So on our annual holiday, and by now pregnant with our daughter Amelie, at a favourite restaurant ‘Nautilus’, in Port Douglas ... I did.

Fino was the obvious choice for our reception. In their younger days, Nick and Co-owner, Sharon Romeo, worked together in Adelaide. I have also been working with Sharon and David Swain since moving to the Fleurieu.

I ‘found’ my engagement ring in Nick’s ‘Glory Box’, passed down from his Great Grand Mother – an honour to wear and a tradition that we hope will continue.

We have a simple philosophy of sharing good food with friends. The shared menu was impeccably put together by David and included: Kangaroo Island crayfish and heirloom tomatoes; cold smoked kingfish and radish; carrots, lima beans and horseradish; rabbit cotechino and lentils, dry aged scotch fillet, kipflers and green beans.

Over the following months, the girls at Art of Paper in Willunga guided me with the invitations. Printed on handmade paper, each one came scrolled and tied with brown string and a hand collected shell. Boxed and sealed with more brown string and a wax stamp. The ceremony was held in the Palmer Street reserve, set off beautifully by sweeping timber stairs and part of our daily walk to the beach. It is a natural amphitheatre and the perfect bridge between sea and scrub. 82

Nick is an avid collector of fine wine and for such a festive occasion we had magnums and double magnums of Pol Roger, Petaluma, Wynns, Yering Station and Vini di Rufina which were all hauled from his cellar. They were well worth the wait and perfectly complemented Sharon’s award-winning wine list.

Not to take away from the regional charm, Fino was simply decorated with antique bottles that had been collected mainly from Kangaroo Island and filled with sprigs of Australian native flora. A rich fruit cake, baked by my mother, Diana Nolan, was simply and beautifully teamed with a single origin, chocolate ganache by Tamara Piec and finished with fresh Australian flowers. The breathless 30-degree day was perfect for a beach wedding. As was the balmy night just meant for dancing! Greg from The Black Cockatoo in McLaren Vale, set him self up on the outdoor dance-floor and played tunes that had both young and old dancing. It was one of the most beautiful days of our lives. Our marriage is a natural progression. It will enable us to establish an environment where our love can grow, where our children can be raised with joy and stability and where family and friends will always be welcome. Nick and Sarah James-Martin 22 December 2012. >

Peter Thorpe and Rachael Upton: On the 3rd of March 2012 we were married by Sue Oliver in the gardens of ‘White Hill’ at McLaren Vale and had our reception in the Chaff Shed, also on the property. About 60 family and friends attended. Photography by Richard Baxter.

We’d met in 2003 while studying at Flinders Uni and were good friends for a couple of years until 2005, when we started going out together. Our first ‘date’ was going together to a Green Day concert! We eventually became engaged in November 2010 while on a trip through London, Morocco and Spain. I’d been carrying the ring in my pocket for four weeks before finally deciding to propose in a spot overlooking a valley in Rhonda, Spain. For the wedding Rachael wore an amazing magnolia coloured dress while I chose a smart suit. All floral arrangements were done for us by a friend – in orange, white and greens. The reception was catered by Todd Steele from Chef Steele Catering (in Willunga) and we were pleased to receive so many compliments on his food. Shared platters on the tables made this a special meal to share with our friends.

Our menu consisted of: • bbq’d side of ocean trout with salsa verde; • Fleurieu leg of lamb with fetta, almonds and mint; • chemoula-rubbed free range chicken; • profiteroles with macadamia ice cream; • mini pavlovas; and finally, • an amazing wedding cake. Photos were by Richard Baxter of Singing Bird Photography. We absolutely loved his work with so many of our photos just so amazing and unusual. The photos were taken in and around White Hill garden and beachside at Port Willunga. The wedding cake was just absolutely incredible – a chocolate and raspberry cake, shaped to look like an old suitcase with stickers from NZ, Tokyo, London and Paris – all of which was edible and representative of the places we had been together. (We have backpacked extensively.)

The theme of the wedding was vintage travel: with the invitations looking like boarding passes (from www.idoityourself.com.au). The dates looked like vintage postcards, while the menus and seating plan were printed with vintage world maps as a background. Another of our really personal touches was a wine box into which we placed letters to each other and a bottle of Oliver’s Reserve Shiraz to open on our 5th Wedding anniversary. This box was hand carved by my Dad (Jim Thorpe) using a combination of Australian Huon Pine and Ancient New Zealand Kauri (chosen because I am from Australia and Rachael from New Zealand). Also carved on top of the box were intertwined gum leaves and NZ silver fern ... representative of the same intertwining Australia/New Zealand theme. Our bridesmaids were Jaime Cahill and Hayley Upton with groomsmen Mark Thorpe and Brianna O’Reilly (Grooms-chick!)

We’d met in 2003 while studying at Flinders Uni and were good friends for a couple of years until 2005, when we started going out together. Our first ‘date’ was going together to a Green Day concert! We left on an extended honeymoon to Langkawi, which included an overland camping trip through Africa, backpacking in Croatia and volunteering in Cambodia. We’d both like to extend thanks our parents, family and friends for making this such an amazing day for us ... with special thanks to all who travelled here (many from overseas).

SOCIAL PAGES

Being Social: Langhorne Creek Vignerons’ Day On the 18th of November 2012, Langhorne Creek provided a great day of food, wine and live entertainment with their Vignerons’ Day at Strathalbyn Racecourse.

Being Social: McMurtrie Mile Launch and Tour FLM enjoyed the McMurtrie Mile launch and tour on the 13th of December 2012. Take a wander down McMurtrie Road and explore some of McLaren Vale’s best art, wine, food and beer.

01: Aaron, Isaac & Barbara Friedewald 02: Fiona & Alan Kemp 03: Jill Bourne, Julia Nicholls and Annette McInerny 04: Lisa Raven 05: Miranda and Graham Lang 06: Phoebe Waters and Jack Richards 07: Michael Pertrucci (Sabella) 08: Lisa McNicol (Wirra Wirra) 09: James Trenerry and Alex Aumeier (Hugh Hamilton Wines) 10: Ros Miller (Red Poles) and Amber Kemp (Hugh Hamilton) 11: Kerry Mortimer (Chook’s Little Winery Tours) 12: Maria and Joe Pertrucci (Sabella).

Being Social: Leconfield Wines FLM dropped by to catch The Satellitesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; live performance, accompanied by good wines and a delicious sausage sizzle at Leconfield Wines Cellar Door on the 27th of December 2012.

Being Social: Love Velo Bringing in the crowds for the Tour Down Under, Love Velo was held at the McLaren Vale Visitor Information Centre on the 25th of January 2013. The evening was the perfect outdoor mix of boutique jazz, food and wine, celebrating a love for both the McLaren Vale region, and all things cycling.

01: Roy and Vicki Brammer 02: Tiffany Kevern 03: Lou De Leeuw and Karen Lever 04: Deirdra Prime and Christine & Neville James 05: Andrew Jarvis, Leanne Lawrence, Wayne Smith and Yvette Becke 06: Tyson Kalz and Jemma Slevec. 07: Rosalind Clarke 08: Alisha Gangell and Abbey Threadgold 09: Michelle White, Robyn Holder, Judy Reeves, Clair Ramsdale and Julie Kammerman 10: Catherine Shaw, Emma Shaw and Nat & Justin Morley 11: Tracy Smith 12: Catherine, Matthew and Oliver Freeborn.

SOCIAL PAGES

Being Social: Harvest Festival Gala Dinner On the 11th of January FLM attended the VIP Gala Dinner at Serafino in McLaren Vale to kick off the 2013 Harvest Festival. Great food and wine was enjoyed by all who attended.

01: Adam and Karen Jacobs and Jill and Martin Lightfoot 02: Heath Amber and Tanya and Richard Angove 03: Bruce and Dina Hatwell and Paul and Linda Jenkins 04: Erica McBeath and Russell Williams 05: John and Jenni Mitton 06: Carol Allert and Karen Dowd 07: Victoria Angove and Heath Amber 08: Chook McCoy, Kerry Mortimer and Pam & Hugh Hamilton 09: AndrĂŠa Van Zyl, Richard Dolan and Bec Hardy 10: Nina Conroy and Bozena Filo.

Being Social: Harvest Festival On the 12th of January a huge crowd gathered to enjoy all the festivities on offer at the Harvest Festival Event. A great day out for the whole family!

Being Social: Goolwa Regatta On the 27th of January, FLM joined the crowds at Goolwa and watched the sails come in at the 50km Milang to Goolwa Freshwater Classic. Both the weather and the event were spectacular.

01: Ellen Fisher, Annabel Bowles, Captain Capsicum, Holly Hogarth 02: Laura Hill 03: Joe Petrucci and Jenni Mitton 04: Bert and Sue Briggs 05: Simon Boerth and Sam Fauser 06: Domenic Maione, Vicky Vasarelli, Mario Lonardo and Pasquale Clemente. 07: Rodney and Regina Twiss with Alan and Diane Colton 08: Hans and Agnes DeJong 09: Sharon and Simon Tonkin 10: Lachy McLaren, Lyn Robers and Brendan Murray (Vice Commodore, Rear Commodore, Commodore) 11: Gemma Van Den Akker, Michelle & Taylor Hughes, and Allison Van Den Akker 12: Peter Hughes and Ben and Jason Van Den Akker. 89

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Overlooking the River Murray in Goolwa South Australia. Offering simple, fresh and delicious food. Opening Hours: Thursday to Monday Breakfast: 08.30 ~ 11.30 Lunch: 12.00 ~ 15.00 Coffee and Cake 08.30 ~ 16.00 Saturday Night Dinner 18.00 ~ 20.00 Extended Hours for School and Public Holidays. 94 Barrage Road Goolwa SA 5214 Phone: 8555 1235 Website: www.aquacaf.com.au

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Subscribe to Fleurieu Living Magazine for one or two years and go in the draw to win a dinner voucher for ‘Eat at Whalers’ worth $200. Competition closes on 7 June 2013. The winner will be notified by phone or email and announced on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/FleurieuLivingMagazine on 14 June 2013. A voucher for $200 will be mailed to the winner and be redeemable at the restaurant until 30 September 2013. You can subscribe online at; www.isubscribe.com.au/FleurieuLiving/ OR by filling out and mailing in the subscription form in the magazine. Good luck! Terms and Conditions: Subscriptions must be received by Fleurieu Living before 5pm on 7 June 2013 to be considered for the draw. One entry is allocated per subscription. The winner must be over 18 years of age.

Why just ‘make-do’ with supermarket teas? Here on the Fleurieu, we get to eat and drink the best local fare. This now includes The Devotea Teas, taking the US and UK by storm. They are created and blended right here on the Fleurieu. Buy packets to enjoy at home at Adelaide Fresh Fruiterers, Morphett Vale. Or enjoy a cup at: Café MESO/Simply Organoleptic, Chalk Hill Road, McLaren Vale, Au Pear Restaurant, Main Road Willunga or Peninsula Bar and Restaurant, Links Lady Bay.

Find out more online at the-devotea.com. 93

25th to 30th April 2013 Become part of an extraordinary FEASTival. Explore Kangaroo Island’s natural wilderness, gastronomy, wine and lifestyle through an exciting collection of island dining events

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Table Surfing • Shared-table dining with the locals in their own homes • Tasting Kangaroo Island – big day out, wine and food tastings, signature dish competition

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GOOLWA KITCHENS & WARDROBES Winner of multiple HIA Awards including Kitchen of the Year and Best Renovated Kitchen. In-house designed and manufactured kitchens, wardrobes, vanities and all storage cabinetry. We pride ourselves on offering a complete service, ensuring your project runs smoothly and is completed to a very high standard. 36 Gardiner Street, Goolwa SA 5214. Ph. 8555 3522 admin@goolwakitchens.com.au www.goolwakitchens.com.au

COME IN TO OLIVER STREET ... you’ll find an eclectic mix of imported English antique furniture, photographic prints of local surrounds on canvas, mosaic lazy susans, recycled oregon tables and other treasures. Formerly Britannia Antiques in Hahndorf, owners Jill and Stuart have been importing antique furniture from the UK since 1993 and have now moved permanently to the Fleurieu. Located behind the BP at 19 Oliver Street, Goolwa. Open 7 days. Contact 0437 692 929 any time.

GREEN TANK GALLERY If you love art, visit John Lacey’s contemporary gallery/studio and meet this award winning artist. Enjoy the diverse range of quality impressionistic and expressive landscapes.

BUENOS AIRES IN THE VALES TANGO FESTIVAL 19-21 April at the McLaren Vale Institute. A celebration of tango arts & culture, featuring dancers from Argentina and across Australia. Stunning shows with live music by Zephyr Quartet & social dancing. Tango dancing workshops for beginners through to advanced dancers. Free introductory lesson. Bookings essential ph: 0419 309 439 http://www.southerncrosstango.com.au

VICTOR APARTMENTS Spectacular ocean viewed boutique accommodation. Relax and unwind in one of five fully equipped apartments, retreats and townhouses. Individually, designed and decorated with elegant style. All with stunning ocean and island views in the elite area of town.

BEYOND BEAUTIFUL STYLE LOUNGE This style lounge in McLaren Vale offers a range of hair services – including extensions, makeovers, style cuts and colours. Come and get pampered with Algologie facials, massage, pedicures, waxing and tanning. Wedding hair and make up packages are also available. A friendly staff and great atmosphere to come in to relax and enjoy their services.

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All in the Family

Head · Hand · Heart and his poly-ocular views

Salt Dogs

Old surfers learning new tricks A seafront shack with history & heart

McLaren Vale Region · Goolwa · Victor Harbor · Yankalilla · Kangaroo Island