Your Margaret River Region Magazine Winter 2019

magazine 14 | WINTER 2019

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Your Margaret River Region magazine

EVENTS THIS WINTER

Your pull-out guide to what’s on this winter

In this issue

• Seek out the region's spice experts • Chow down at this year's Cabin Fever • Discover the best winter reds • Celebrate 30 yearsmargaretriver.com of Boranup Gallery | WINTER 2019 1

Award Winning Wines | Restaurant open for lunch 7 Days a week | Casual Bar WA surf & Sports car gallery open to the public 7 days | Weddings & events 2

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Award winning wines

innovative dining

spectacular weddings

barrel room event space

wa surf gallery

sports car gallery

open daily 10am - 5pm 61 thornton road, yallingup WA www.aravinaestate.com (08) 9750 1111

magazine

Editor’s Letter I

The MRBTA acknowledges the Aboriginal people of Western Australia as the traditional custodians of this land, and we pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

t’s no secret that winter in the Margaret River region is, from the locals’ point of view, one of their favourite times of year. The crowds of summer have died down and those once-busy beaches take on a new, more austere beauty all of their own. There’s something very special about seeing a winter storm roll in towards the Margaret River rivermouth – just make sure you’ve got somewhere warm and cosy to retreat to when the rains finally come. We’ve put together an extra seasonal section for this issue – Winter’s Tales – to help you make the most of the colder months. Cabin Fever is a high point on dark nights, with plenty of food and drink-focused events to discover. Don’t miss the finale at Settlers Tavern; it’ll be a great chance to toast Jon Snow’s favourite season.

Fergal gets to grips with some of the region’s top wineries’ red wines, and also talks to the Dr Karl of wine tours, Cellar d’Or Tour’s Geoff Andersson-Hord, a wine expert with an encyclopedic knowledge. Busselton and its surrounds have become something of an epicentre for micro-brewing, so if you’re in the mood for a handcrafted brew, Jennifer has some suggestions on how to spend a very pleasant few hours getting to know some frothies.

The perfect way to escape bad weather is to head underground – and the cave system below the Margaret River region is definitely worth exploring. Don’t forget to look upwards too; there are a couple of places in the region where you can test your nerve in the treetops. Head indoors too and find out more about the region’s rich artistic community; Boranup Gallery is celebrating 30 years at the forefront of fine furniture-making, while Caroline Juniper is following in her famous artist uncle and father’s footsteps, but carving a completely new path too as a screen-printer.

Surfing in winter is one of the biggest drawcards for those who crave such challenges, but did you know that Yallingup was something of a bolt-hole for men keen to avoid the call-up for the Vietnam War in 1970s? Read Tom’s amazing story about surfers who went AWOL in paradise.

On top of all that, we’ve got the usual mix of suggestions for leisurely long lunches, authentic Far East Asian cuisine right here in Margs, and ideas for what to do with Dad on Father’s Day. Happy reading,

Gabi

Share pics, videos and thoughts during your stay via our social media.

We’ll repost our favourites!

The Margaret River Region

@margaretriver

@MargaretRiver #margaretriver

Plan and book your holiday with Your Margaret River Region local experts.

Find us at the Busselton, Dunsborough, and Margaret River visitor centres. email welcome @margaretriver.com or call (08) 9780 5911, seven days a week!

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PUBLISHED BY PREMIUM PUBLISHERS 26 John Street, Northbridge Perth WA 6003 | Ph (08) 9273 8933 EDITOR Gabi Mills gabi@premiumpublishers.com.au ART DIRECTOR Cally Browning cally@barecreative.com.au SALES MANAGER Natalie du Preez (0426 752 352) natalie@premiumpublishers.com.au PHOTOGRAPHIC Tim Campbell (timcampbellphoto.com) Elements Margaret River (elementsmargaretriver.com.au) COVER IMAGE Sugar Loaf Rock by Russell Ord CONTRIBUTORS Dianne Bortoletto, Cassandra Charlick, Danielle Costley, Tom de Souza, Brooke Evans-Butler, Fergal Gleeson, Jane Hammond, Mia Lacy, Joanne Marriott, Jennifer Morton, Lizzy Pepper, Janine Pittaway.

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES natalie@premiumpublishers.com.au EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES gabi@premiumpublishers.com.au PRINTED BY VANGUARD PRESS All rights reserved. No material published in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without prior written authority. Every endeavour is made to ensure information contained is correct at time of going to print. ©2019 YOUR MARGARET RIVER REGION MAGAZINE is published quarterly by Premium Publishers on behalf of the Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association.

Visit premiumpublishers.com.au

PREMIUM PUBLISHERS FINALISTS

Mumbrella Travel Publication of the Year

WHAT YOUR MARGARET RIVER REGION GOT UP TO IN

"Cape Leeuwin lighthouse still in use today over 110 years later . . . rotating the lamp was done by hand – just madness!"

By @sdp_photographics

"They are big bugs!"

By mangr0ve_jack

Autumn

"Tried my hand at some astro photography when I went glamping. It was great to have my camera in my and again. Boogaloo Surf and Yoga." By @_annabelclaire_

"Autumn adventures . . . mushroom spotting in the pine forest. The red guys are beautiful, but only from a distance. Thanks Kelly Fritsch for a great lesson and forage." By @sw_secrets

"The claret ash trees at Fraser Gallop Estate."

By @timpcampbellphoto

We'd love to share your instagram pics!

Take a pic, make sure you use #margaretriver by August 1 2019 for your chance to see it featured in the next issue.

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Contents

WINTER 2019

Eat & Drink

52

14 Eat & Drink news 16 B is for Beer (and Busselton) 20 Starring role 22 The perfect marriage

Wine & Wineries 24 Keeping it in the family 28 Time for a snifter 30 Seeing red 34 The full bottle 36 Mulling it over

36

38 Linger longer over lunch

Nature & Environment

Art & Wellbeing

60 Joy to the coral in the deep blue sea

78 Local hero - Ian Beniston

Winter’s Tales Special

80 Art's heart of the region

42 Warm welcome at the Tav

82 Land of the salt water people

44 Spice mistress, wine master

84 Silver screen legends

48 The heat is on

86 Capturing nostalgia

52 Girls just wanna have fun

88 Striking a chord

58 Into the whalederness

62 A shining local light 64 The good life 66 The enchanged wood 68 Chasing waterfalls

Active & Adventure 70 AWOL in paradise

90 Rediscover Busselton

30

74 Highs and lows 76 Dear Dad

78 66

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AWOL in paradise

p70

Rediscover Busselton

p90

Warm welcome at the Tav

p42

The enchanted woods

p66

map key

A shining local light

p62

PICK UP YOUR MAP AT THE VISITOR CENTRE!

Winter highlights

JULY UDDERLY WONDERFUL

How to spend winter in your Margaret River region FIND THE LATEST EVENT LISTINGS AT MARGARETRIVER.COM/EVENTS

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Grab your cow onesies and mooch on down to Cowaramup for the annual Deja Moo Fair.

It’s one of the region’s most original - and eccentric - annual events, so expect heaps of fun and games for everyone. As Cowaramup Hall is under renovation, the entire event will be held outdoors this year. The theme is once again vehicles, so expect a line-up that includes vintage machinery and veteran car exhibitions, live demonstrations from the local fire brigade and the main event, the Cowaramup Open Wheel Professional Amateur Trophy (or Cowpat Award for short).

It’s a competition event for home-made unpowered miniature wooden race cars, racing in a series of knockout heats along a 10m long sloping track. // Cowaramup Oval and Duggan Pavilion, July 13, 9am to 2pm.

Visit cowaramup.com.au

HUNKERING DOWN

Winter’s cosiest foodie fest is back, and this year Cabin Fever Festival has a line-up

of over 35 events taking place across the Margaret River region between July 19 and 28. The packed program includes a series of collaborations between some of Perth and the south west’s most exciting restaurants.

Vasse Felix and Long Chim Perth will join forces to create a Bangkok x Margaret River Degustation, titled The Muralist, where guests are invited to take the front seat for a wine revolution of sauvignon blanc semillon surprises. Chefs Lucas Fernandes (Long Chim) and Brendan Pratt (Vasse Felix) will create a six-course fusion menu, curated and hosted by internationally-awarded winemaker

NOUGAT

Delicious handmade French Style Nougat. Over 36 different flavours

WINE

Award winning white and red wine. Decadent creamy liqueurs Virginia Willcock and Gourmet Traveller’s Australian Sommelier of the Year Emma Farrelly.

Yarri head chef Aaron Carr and Snake and Herring winemaker Tony Davis will go head-to-head with Oakridge Estate’s chef Matt Stone and winemaker Dave Bicknell in a collaborative lunch and dinner series, Game On, with a focus on game (obviously this one’s not for the vegetarians).

Arimia will be teaming up with Young George’s Melissa Palinkas for a degustation dinner centred around sustainable, wastefree produce (think ‘nose-to-tail’ and ‘root-toshoot’), something both parties are extremely passionate about, in their event Arimia x Young George go the Whole Hog. Arimia’s head chef Evan Hayter is looking forward to working with industry friends to showcase the best of the region.

“Cabin Fever Festival is a true representation of our region," he says. "A

local festival, run by locals with an emphasis on what makes us unique. Arimia will collaborate this year with good friends and true advocates for change. Our events will focus on the importance of seasonality, food ethics and environmental impact, culminating in some damn good food and drinks.”

Hayter will also be partnering with Fervor’s Paul ‘Yoda’ Iskov to create an Arimia x Fervor Pop-Up Restaurant in the centre of Margaret River town for five nights of the festival.

Think fresh, organic and native ingredients (including cocktails), an intimate setting and a multi-course dining experience. // The full festival program and tickets are now available. Cabin Fever Festival, now in its third year, is laden with unique events for lovers of decadent food, fine local wines and live music, and featuring collaborations between chefs and winemakers. The Festival runs from July 19 to 29.

Visit cabinfeverfest.com.au.

STAY

3 different accommodation Three different accommodation options options to choose from

PICNIC & PLATTERS Enjoy wine by the glass overlooking the lake

248 Tom Cullity Drive, Cowaramup.

Tel: 08 9755539 info@bettenaysmargaretriver.com.au www.bettenaysmargaretriver.com.au

Winter highlights

AUGUST IN THE PINK

A week-long event driven by passionate businesses will see the region ‘pink up’ to raise money for the McGrath Foundation, giving a much-needed boost to breast cancer research fundraising.

From pink costumes, to pink ice-cream, pink lights, and pink wine – visitors won’t be able to miss the visual show of support collectively coming together.

What to expect The Beer Farm will hold the inaugural Pink Up Your Region Ball and other major venues have confirmed their involvement including Studio Gallery (A Brush with Pink), Settlers Margaret River (hosting pink-themed music), and Temper Temper and the Margaret River Chocolate Company (with limited pink chocolates).

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Where will your donations go?

Donating and supporting the event in-region from August 5 to 11 will mean you will be directly supporting the McGrath Foundation.

Pink up your Region donations will be put towards placing specialist McGrath Breast Care nurses wherever they are needed around Australia.

The McGrath Foundation funds 132 McGrath breast care nurses in communities right across Australia, who have supported more than 70,000 families since 2005.

Some stats about breast cancer • Breast Cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in females in Australia.

• It is estimated that 18,087 women and 148 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

• In Australia, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 85. // Visit margaretriver.com for event information

MOVIE MAGIC

Set in the seaside centres of Busselton, Bunbury, Dunsborough and the Margaret River wine region, CinefestOZ will once again premiere feature films and events in the region’s cinemas, wineries, small bars and galleries, making it a feast for the senses and an unforgettable five-day getaway.

The $100,000 CinefestOZ Film Prize always attracts record entries of Australian features and documentaries, giving visitors unparalleled opportunities to see previously unseen movies, before the rest of the world in many cases. // Tickets can be purchased to major events from early-July, with the full program of events and screenings available from July 26.

CinefestOz, various locations, August 28 to September 1. Visit cinefestoz.com for full program details.

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Winter highlights

SEPTEMBER DIRTY WEEKEND

Grab your mates, grab your kids or even grab your dog – the mud run for everyone returns to Bootleg Brewery in September and promises to be the ultimate spring holiday fun.

Touted as the craziest, funniest and muddiest obstacle race in the south west, this is an event that’s all about having a muddy good time with family and friends. The actionpacked, family-friendly, five-to-six kilometre Mud Mayhem course is suitable for every family member aged nine and above.

Back by popular demand, you can keep those little mudsters entertained with the return of the Kids Course or wear out your pooch in the Muddy Paws Challenge. // South West Mudfest, Bootleg Brewery, Sept 29, 8am to 6pm, mudfestwa.com.au

PLANNING AHEAD RIDE ON

Entries are now open for the iconic Cape to Cape MTB, which takes place in the region from October 16 (riders registration) to October 20.

Cape to Cape was first held in 2008 to a field of about 100 frothers. A decade

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later, it now holds the title as Australasia’s longest running and biggest MTB multi-stage endurance race. Over 1,600 riders hit the trails for the 10th year anniversary ride in 2017.

The grand plan from year one was to introduce a new major mountain biking event to the magnificent south west of Western Australia, one that engaged the community, showcased the fabulous countryside and something that riders would enjoy and return to year after year. From the outset the

organisers saw this event as more “a ride not a race” but even the most social riders can’t help but get caught up in the rivalries that four days of stage racing brings out in friends and strangers alike. Many return to catch up with those they’ve met and ridden with in previous years. Sharing stories and a beer after each day's race is as much a part of the experience as time spent in the saddle.

With multiple check-ins and water points included, riders are well looked after. Each day’s racing finishes at the event village with local hospitality on offer. Every stage is unique and will be super enjoyable with the final day starting and finishing at the renowned Colonial Brewery, the perfect place to celebrate achieving something truly epic. // Visit capetocapemtb.com to register and find out more.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

The Augusta Adventure Race will be the last (and biggest) thanks to Rapid Ascent’s decision to return to the ‘original’ format and declare 2019 the finale for the long-running event.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of the ‘last hurrah’ entries are now open.

The original (more popular) format and timetable includes the traditional non-stop Augusta Premier Adventure Race, beginning with the iconic run below Cape Leeuwin lighthouse. With the Augusta MINI Adventure Race, and Junior Survivor happening on Saturday, this will build as one of the best Augusta events on record. // Augusta Adventure Race, November 2 to 3, Colourpatch, Albany Terrace and surrounds. For full details visit rapidascent.com.au/AugustaAdventureFest

IMAGE Henderson Photographics

GOOD TIMES • LONG LUNCHES • FUNCTIONS

WEDDINGS • ROMANTIC GETAWAYS

CAVES HOUSE HOTEL is ideally situated in the heart of the famous Margaret River Wine Region, and within walking distance of the famous Yallingup Beach.

Winter is synonymous with cosy fireplaces, mulled wine, long lunches or dinners or romantic getaways.

Come and experience our NEW WINTER MENU, beautiful accommodation, as well as our famous HIGH TEAS.

18 Yallingup Beach Rd, Yallingup | Ph: 9750 1888 A/H: 9750 1830 caveshousehotelyallingup.com.au

Eat & Drink

EAT & DRINK NEWS

from around the region TAKE FLIGHT AT HOWARD PARK CELLAR DOOR

By FERGAL GLEESON

Margaret River Rosé wins Gold at World Rosé Championships in Poland

H

ot on the heels of winning the trophy for best rosé at the 2018 Perth Royal Wine Show and the coveted Pink Jacket trophy for best rosé at the 2018 Margaret River Wine Show, as well as gold at the 2018 Wine Show of Western Australia and gold at the National Wine Show, Margaret River’s Coward & Black Vineyards Lady Margo Rosé took out one of only six gold medals in a field of hundreds of the world’s best rosés at this year’s World Rosé Championships in Krakow, Poland.

Speaking from their Wilyabrup vineyard, Coward & Black’s coowner Patrick Coward said that he was “utterly delighted” with the win which was a testament to the amazing terroir of Margaret River and to the meticulous work of their winemakers and vineyard team, aptly headed up by Kim Rose.

“The world is waking up to Margaret River rosés,” he said, noting that Margaret River wineries have featured in the top six

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rankings each year since the World Rosé Championships began in 2017.

Made from 100% dry-grown shiraz grapes from the company’s Wilyabrup vineyard, the 2018 Lady Margo Rosé was made in a style similar to the wines produced in the birthplace of rosé, France’s Cotês de Provence.

Only the best fruit was meticulously selected and handharvested then the whole bunches of shiraz were crushed, de-stemmed, and pressed off skins into tanks.

“While Margaret River is renowned for its cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, it’s the region’s recent success with rosés that is taking the world by storm,” said Patrick.

“Within 10 years Margaret River will be as renowned for its rosés as it is for its cabernets and chardonnays,” he said “Who would have thought that after 51 years of winemaking we’d stumble on a new style of wine that we are absolutely brilliant at?”

THERE ARE EXCITING developments at Howard Park’s cellar door. Howard Park have added a seated tasting experience which will allow you to taste flights of some of their very best wines in a comfortable, unhurried environment.

The Icon Wine Flight of their two flagship wines – the Allingham Chardonnay and the Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon – is tasted alongside two special back vintages of the cabernet sauvignon – the 2004 and the 1995 (which are drinking beautifully).

This experience is available everyday for $25 per person.

After more than 30 years of accumulating a museum of wines, Howard Park is now sharing that back catalogue with the public through its wine club and cellar door.

Vintages from as far back as 1995 are now available across varieties like cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, riesling and shiraz.

The museum wines will be rotating

Fresh fish to go

REST, RELAX, RECONNECT Romantic, secluded, self contained chalets with candlelit sky-view spas, kingsize double beds and tranquil forest outlooks, on 240 acres of natural beauty.

through a changing roster of tasting flights.

These will also include the Jeté range, the award-winning méthode traditionelle sparkling wines, and tastings from their collaboration with French winemaker Pascal Marchand for the Marchand & Burch Australian and Burgundian wine collection. Book in advance for group tastings of seven or more people.

Otherwise just show up at the cellar door and taste a little bit of Margaret River history.

BLUE MANNA BISTRO is expanding its offering with new quality takeaway options, a victim, in a way, of their own success.

“The takeaway options have become too popular to sell through the restaurant itself,” says Blue Manna Bistro’s Lena Cockburn.

“To be able to properly showcase our freshly prepared takeaway options we will turn Shop 3 at Cyrillean Way into Blue Manna Takeaway incorporating Oceans Fresh Seafood next door, offering the freshest seafood possible.”

That means customers will be able to feast on teriyaki fish bento boxes (grilled Augusta pink snapper with teriyaki sauce and a selection of hand-made nigiri, maki rolls, Japanese pickles and traditional condiments), sashimi boxes of the day, chilled southern bluefin tuna poke bowl with hawkers rice, sweet onion and edamame, fish and chips, and hot seafood chowder for those colder days at home.

“All our seafood is sourced as locally as possible with fisherman fishing for us from Augusta to Exmouth,” says Lena. “In addition, all our fish is line-caught and filleted in the restaurant by experienced chefs.”

Get your seafood fix the way it suits you best; you can choose fresh, ready-to-cook seafood from Oceans Fresh Seafood or if you fancy a night off from cooking, opt for the restaurant-quality takeaway options to eat in the comfort of your own home from Blue Manna Takeaway. There’s always the option too to pull up a chair at Blue Manna Bistro, where it’s all cooked to perfection with an Asian twist.

Visit bluemannabistro.com.au

R E ST, R E L AX, R ECO NNEC T Romantic, secluded, self contained chalets with candlelit sky-view spas, Kingsize

double beds and tranquil forest outlooks, on 240 acres of natural beauty.

231 Yelverton Road, Yelverton Margaret River Wine Region Phone (08) 9755 7110 or email reception@forestrise.com.au

231 Yelverton Road, Yelverton Margaret Raiver Wine Region Phone (08) 9755 7110 or email reception@forestrise.com.au margaretriver.com

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WWW.FORESTRISE.COM.AU

Eat & Drink

is for beer

(and Busselton)

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Here for the beer? Of course you are. Jennifer Morton finds the froth in the region’s north.

JahRoc Galleries is a must see destination for all furniture and ar t admirers. Situated in the hear t of Margaret River, it is the largest contemporar y galler y in the South West showcasing a diverse range of Fine Furniture, Fine Ar t, Jeweller y, Glass, Ceramic and Sculpture. It is home to their own line of award winning designer JahRoc Furniture (est 1987). JahRoc use local specialty timbers to hand craft their bespoke heirloom furniture.

Visit JahRoc Galleries and f ind out why all that do, leave inspired.

A

s craft beer gets ahead of commercial beer, at least in style, taste, creativity, and popularity, the hoppy refresher is finally making a strong presence in the top end of the region.

It doesn’t take much for me to get hopped up about beer, so, as I write this, I’m sitting at The Goose overlooking the glistening sea and the majestic Busselton Jetty. I’m sipping (OK, guzzling) a couple of local favourites from Wild Hop Brewing Company and The Beerfarm.

The Goose has 12 taps featuring craft beer (mainly) from the region with pale ale, ginger beer, cider and a mid-strength ale as the four staple varieties on offer. If you can’t get around to the breweries, this is a great place to sample the local wares, especially during their daily happy hour.

But if you are mobile, definitely make time for a trip to Wild Hop’s fantastic brewery restaurant on Wildwood Road. They’re the newest hopheads on the block and, so far, are killing it with their creative, thirstquenching brews.

I meet up with Ali Scott-Malcolm, director, for lunch to chat about all things craft beer. It’s high noon, and the industrial-themed eatery is nearempty; a calm after the storm of beer drinkers blew through the premises in huge numbers since their February opening. So eager were people to try Wild Hop’s ever-changing beer on tap that staff sometimes arrived to queues on the footpath waiting for the family-owned brewery to open at 11am.

Ali pours me, 2 Plumz for 1, which was created in collaboration with east coast brewers, Mountain Culture Beer Co, and we sit near the fireplace. I’m an IPA and pale ale drinker, but this German gose-style beer is light, fruity, and a tad sour – perfect for midday. As we chitchat over lunch, tables fill up with and thirsty patrons head to the bar.

She tells me the biggest sellers are the pilsners and pale ales. The first batch of pale ale, Ghost Legs, was gobbled up greedily, and now they’ve moved onto Lacey Grace, which is a little bit lighter in malt and alcohol by volume (ABV), but still mighty in taste.

Open daily 10am-5pm 83 Bussell Highway, Margaret River Ph. (08) 9758 7200 E. info@jahroc.com.au

www.jahroc.com.au

Eat & Drink

Because the Short Shorts Pilsner has been so well-received, it will be a mainstay beer, but otherwise, there will be a lot of experimenting in the brewhouse.

“The boys are really happy with that recipe, so that will probably be the one to stay consistent,” says Ali. “Trying new recipes keeps it interesting for the brewers, the staff, and the customers.”

Unlike many of the other breweries who can and bottle their beer, the only way to have Wild Hop at home is to take away a growler (two-litre jug) of your favourite brew. So far, the NEIPA is the biggest seller says Ali.

BREWING REVOLUTION Eagle Bay Brewing Co has been creating interesting brews, right, since 2010. Below, Wild Hop's Ali ScottMalcolm is overseeing something of a brewing revolution in Busselton.

Opposite, Rocky Ridge Brewing Co. beers, image

by Juniper Scout Imagery.

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“That style of beer, the New England IPA, is the cult favourite at the moment,” says Ali. “It’s very volatile so the aromatic elements will drop off quite quickly, which means it’s something we brew small batch and mostly serve through the brewpub,” says Ali. Currently on tap is their Tropic Blunder NEIPA, a juicy little number that is way too easy to drink. After a sample of it, I’m hooked.

“The beers have been received well, and the food too; it’s been a great experience. The most humbling thing is the amount of word-ofmouth customers that we are getting through.”

Once you’ve been to Wild Hop, it’s easy to discern why the three-generation, family-owned brewery has been so well-received from the beer-loving public.

Also, getting good word-of-mouth is the Rocky Ridge Brewing Co. cellar door on Marine Terrace. This laid-back beer tasting venue is the brewery’s second Busselton CBD premises (along with Darleen’s on Prince Street), who’ve, believe it or not, just celebrated their second birthday.

“Busselton has always been home. We wanted to explore a couple of different options: our cellar door which is Rocky Ridge-centric and Darleen’s, which is more encompassing with

approximately one new release every 10 days,” says Hamish.

Although summer may be congruent with beer drinking, Ali and Hamish agree that darker, maltier beer is especially palatable in colder months.

“Darker beers tend to go well in winter as they are more drinkable at warmer temperatures and exhibit flavours that many find desirable in cooler months: chocolate, coffee, roast flavours.They also tend to have a higher ABV,” says Hamish.

Rocky Ridge and Wild Hop are two of the newest breweries to settle down in the region’s north end (Eagle Bay Brewing Co. has been here since 2010), making it something of an epicentre for beer lovers.

“We aren’t going to slow down with new releases and will continue to have the same quality-focused approach. We’ve got a few exciting side projects in the pipeline, including a big increase in our barrel projects, further development of our farm-to-glass mentality, and some tweaks to both Darleen’s and RR Cellar Door,” says Hamish.

And with the prospect of another brewery opening close by, it sounds like Busselton’s beer scene is just ramping up. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Restaurant, Gardens and Cellar Door Open Thursday to Monday 8:30am ~ 5pm Breakfast and Lunch

Cellar Door featuring

Margaret River

options and varieties for everyone,” says owner Hamish Coates. “We’re super proud of our beers and want them to have a home.”

I love the idea of a cellar door for beer, and I must say, this one is in an ideal spot to catch Busselton’s beautiful sunsets. Choose from tasting trays of three, six, or 12 samples (100ml each) from their 24 taps.

“We love to experiment and enjoy playing with flavours and ingredients. We have

Find Busselton beer here: wildhopbeer.com.au rockyridgebrewing.com.au eaglebaybrewing.com.au beerfarm.com.au thegoose.com.au

Playground • Gardens • Local Art Coffee • Cake • Drinks all day Dog friendly 1172 Wildwood Rd, Yallingup Siding Ph 9755 2000

www.rivendellwinery.com.au

Eat & Drink

THE MARGARET RIVER REGION IS OVERFLOWING WITH ALL THE MAKINGS OF A DELICIOUS, FOODIELOVING HOLIDAY. JENNIFER MORTON SPEAKS TO THREE CREATIVES ABOUT THEIR FAVOURITE REGIONAL HERO INGREDIENT.

Starring role O

ne of the best things about visiting a renowned food region is sampling the local ingredients. And there’s plenty of opportunity at winter food festivals like Truffle Kerfuffle and Cabin Fever where some of the most loved regional products are thrust into the spotlight. But the best news of all is this: you don’t have to wait for a gourmet gathering to sample the best of the region.

MARRON Chef Aaron Carr at Yarri Restaurant and Bar in Dunsborough feels fortunate to have so many outstanding local products to showcase in his cooking. The menu at Yarri features local lamb, beef, venison, and organic vegetables. But Aaron’s favourite local ingredient is marron.

“Marron are endemic to this little corner of Australia; unique to the south west. They grow in the fresh cold waters of dams and rivers, which keeps the flesh delicate and sweet,” he says.

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The prehistoric-looking decapod crustacean looks like a lobster and is often served in the shell. At Yarri, patrons can expect marron which have been wrapped in paperbark, cooked over coals, then served in a butter sauce with crispy saltbush. Aaron says it’s the local ingredients that inspire his creativity and he feels a responsibility to showcase it in the most delicious way.

“We only use West Australian ingredients. I believe we owe it to our producers to show the ingredient in the best possible way. I also believe in food tourism. I don’t think someone wants to come to the south west to eat Tassie salmon.

They’re here to eat and drink local produce that is unique to WA,” he says.

Visit yarri.com.au

CACAO NIBS Cacao may not be endemic to the south west, but there’s certainly a lot of gourmet chocolate produced in the region. For six years now, Eagle Bay Brewing Co and Bahen & Co Chocolate Makers have teamed up to put discarded cacao shells to good use with the creation of Brewer Series Cacao Stout.

“We’re really excited to continue our partnership with Bahen & Co,” says Nick d’Espeissis, head brewer and co-founder at Eagle Bay Brewing Co. “It’s great to use their uniquely sourced cacao husks that are otherwise a waste-product of chocolate making.”

It takes 20kg of cacao husks to make 1,000 litres of stout. The shells give the brew a rich bittersweet flavour of dark chocolate and coffee. Aromatically, you’ll detect cherry, which may evoke childhood memories of your favourite chocolate bar, says Nick.

“There’s always been elements of chocolate lended by the roasted malt used in brewing stout. But using cacao husks from Bahen & Co creates more of a chocolate flavour and also a unique flavour because the beans are sourced from different parts of the world. The husks also tend to give it a fruity character, which helps to round the flavour and give a point of difference,” he says.

It sounds like the perfect brew to have in front of the fireplace this winter.

Visit eaglebaybrewing.com.au

RAIN WATER Possibly the most prevalent regional ingredient in winter is rain water, something we often take for granted. But Evan Hayter, head chef at Arimia knows too well how reliant the ‘off the beaten track’ winery and restaurant is on it.

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“We use only rain water throughout the property. In the restaurant, it’s served on the tables, in cooking, as well as to wash dishes. In winter, it fills the creek where I farm a thousand trout for use throughout the year. Rain water fills the dams that we use to water our kitchen garden that produces a lot of what you’ll find on our menu, and to water the vineyard, when desperately necessary. It also hydrates the pigs we use for regeneration of the land, as well as on the menu,” he says.

Evan creates his menu around seasonal availability. One dish that is heavily dependant on water is his braised pork leg ragu with handmade tagliatelle. Rain water is used for brining, boiling, and braising to make this gourmet pasta dish the perfect example of how important this hero ingredient is in the kitchen and beyond.

Visit arimia.com.au margaretriver.com

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*Conditions apply - see website for details.

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The pe

iage

Rustico at Hay Shed Hill is the place to go if you’re turophile (that’s cheese lover to you and me).

Their wine selection isn’t bad either.

rr

Eat & Drink

m t c e a f r

By DANIELLE COSTLEY.

I

t’s late afternoon and the Hay Shed Hill vineyard is aglow in a dazzling display of orange hues as the sun descends over the Wilyabrup valley. A gentle breeze stirs the jarrah and karri trees that border Rustico restaurant, which is blissfully ensconced among the old grapevines.

The last stream of customers is enjoying a wine and dessert share plate on the deck. The smell of coffee lingers invitingly as I enter the restaurant and find chef Mike McAllister busily preparing a charcuterie board. I watch his expert hands at work, slicing, dicing and meticulously plating the meat and cheese selection.

This casual café opened in Margaret River three years ago, specialising in share plate Mediterranean tapas cuisine. Renowned for its degustation menu, Rustico also has one of the largest European cheese offerings in the south west.

A TASTE OF CHEESE AND WINE I am guided through a wine and cheese pairing by the knowledgeable staff, who take great delight in regaling stories about the interesting producers behind each cheese. The Italian blue goat cheese, for instance, is made by a father and daughter team in Italy, with an annual

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production run of only 5,000 pieces. This Monte Enebro is delicious with a pinot noir. My next selection is a Cornish Kern English hard cheese, which I devour with a glass of 2015 Hay Shed Hill Malbec.

We taste, sip and swirl our way through a Brilliat Savarin French soft cheese by Will Studd, followed by a buffalo blue cheese.

“Each cheese has an interesting story to tell,” Mike says, while carving a slice of San Simon hard cheese, placing it delicately onto a cracker.

“This Spanish cheese has been smoked and moulded into the shape of a tear drop, allowing every piece of the cheese to have a different flavour and texture.”

The next offering is a selection of Rustico small bites. There’s house bread with truffle butter, smoked chorizo with a cider glaze, mixed olives, white anchovies with grilled lemon, and heirloom tomatoes with garlic, basil and lavosh.

“You must try our specialty chorizo,” he grins lasciviously, twirling a bite-sized piece of the meat between his fingers. “Creating this chorizo was a great experience,” says Mike, who spent months alongside David Hohnen from The Farm House developing the Spanish sausage for the restaurant menu. “

David approached us about making a chorizo for the restaurant when we first opened.

It was a real team effort, with lots of trial and error until finally (after many, many failed attempts) we hit success.”

Only the meat from female pigs is used during curing and menu preparation. “We get better results as the female animals are less muscular, which allows for a more tender end-product.

It is also common for male pig meat to be tainted with the flavour of testosterone the older the beast becomes, which creates an unwanted chemical taste and aroma.”

The chorizo is both tender and smoky and I am told it is also a ‘cleaner’ product as it doesn’t contain any phosphates or additives, unlike

Savour our award-winning wines and seasonal menu nestled between native bushland and old vines.

3277 Caves Road, Wilyabrup

many other chorizos.

“We preserve our meat by using a traditional smoking technique with beech wood chips, which imparts a sweet and smoky flavour profile.

This also eliminates the need for additives to stabilise food for a longer shelf-life,” adds Mike.

This visit has been a sensory revelation, with its menu drawing inspiration from this pristine region with innovative cuisine driven by bold and vibrant flavours.

It has certainly been a pleasant way to while away an afternoon.

COOKING CLASSES There are regular cooking classes where you can learn how to shuck oysters, prepare scallop ceviche and make a perfect pork crackle or paella.

FEED YOUR SENSES Discover how your senses impact the tasting experience at Rustico’s fivecourse sensory masterclass during the Cabin Fever festival.

Visit rusicotapas.com.au

Cellar Door & Café WINTEROpen 201910am 23- 5pm daily www.clairaultstreickerwines.com.au

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Wine & wineries

FOLLOW THE SMALL FAMILY WINERY TRAIL AND YOU’LL DISCOVER SOME LITTLE GEMS.

BY FERGAL GLEESON.

KEEPING IT IN

the family

F

ive boutique wineries in the Margaret River region have joined forces to create the Small Family Winery Trail so I spoke to Karen Karri-Davies from Cape Grace Wines about the reasons why they’ve designed the trail.

“There are now 95 cellar doors in Margaret River so people are overwhelmed when they come here,” Karen says. “They don’t know where

to start! So we put together a trail that people can do over a day or two half-days.”

The trail solves a problem for many visiting the region. While it’s not hard to find the great estates such as Vasse Felix and Leeuwin Estate, it’s not easy to work out an itinerary of smaller producers.

“The criteria to be a member of the trail was that the winery had to be owner operated so that visitors could meet the owners when they go to

the cellar door,” Karen tells me. “They have to make at least the red wine on site. Two of the wineries, Arimia and Glenarty Road also have restaurants.”

The trail starts with Windows Estate and Arimia in the north of the region. Then you swing down through the heart of Margaret River to Cape Grace Wines and Brown Hill.

You can conclude your trail with a visit to Glenarty Road down south in Karridale.

“All the wineries have that relaxed, organic feel,” Karen tells me. “It’s a bit like a farmers market where you can talk to the person who’s grown the vegetables.”

WINDOWS ESTATE Jo and Chris Davies are the proprietors of Windows Estate which Chris planted more than 20 years ago. Jo was telling me about their minimal intervention approach.

“We see the farm as an eco-system. We don’t do a lot to our wines because the winery should be a small part of the process. It takes 12 months to grow grapes,” Jo says.

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“We want vintages to reflect the site.”

Jo’s husband Chris ‘fell into’ the wine industry when he worked in a vineyard after leaving school. Now a qualified viticulturist, the passion is for maintaining the health of the vineyards.

Windows are in their third year of the organic certification process and should be certified in

Their range aims to show a different side to more commercialised wines. For example their sauvignon blanc gets skin contact to develop a more textural style. Their chenin blanc is inspired by the famous Vouvray wines from the Loire Valley of France. They spend 24 months on lees and spend time in clay vessels and oak barrels.

They are designed to age for up to 10 years.

Windows have a Red 5 Star rating from the Halliday Wine Companion.

“The aim is to disconnect from the stress of life for a while,” Jo says.

ARIMIA ESTATE For Arimia owner Ann Spencer, it’s all about sustainability. The winery has recently become certified organic. Arimia see themselves as farmers first and foremost. Much of the food on the restaurant’s menu prepared by chef Evan Hayter is sourced on the property. These include everything from the olive oil, to the vegetables, to the pork in the ragu and the trout from the property’s dam.

The winery and restaurant are bordered by IMAGE Tim Campbell

the vineyard and winery in December 2019.

“Our cellar door is in its 10th year. We don’t want it to be some place where you just come in and taste wine. We want people to immerse themselves in what we do and how we do it.

Our cellar door staff are very experienced and take people on our journey from the grape to the bottle.”

The Cellar Door exhibits local photographers as well as local producers of cheese and condiments.

CELLAR DOOR OPEN 11AM - 4PM 4 9 3 M E T R I C U P R OA D, W I L YA B R U P, WA 6 2 8 0 | P H : + 6 1 8 9 7 5 5 7 5 5 3 F R A S E R G A L L O P E S T A T E . C O M . AU

Wine & wineries FOLLOW THE TRAIL Cape Grace Wines' owners Karen and Rob Karri-Davies, below and this page. Opposite, Brown Hill Estate's cellar door (image by Frances Andrijich) and owners Gwen, Jim and Nathan Bailey in the barrel room. Inset, Glenarty Road's Kerfuffle Archy's Drop Fortified Savvy.

Cape Naturaliste National Park offering a rustic, picturesque setting for lunch or a tasting.

They offer a wide range of alternative varietals for the region such as petit verdot, grenache, mourvedre and zinfandel as well as bordelaise-style wines.

CAPE GRACE WINES Cape Grace was established in 1996 by Robert and Karen Karri-Davies and is now in it’s 20th

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vintage. Production has been kept small to maintain quality which allows them to use ‘small batch’ equipment like a basket press. They hold a 5 Star rating from Halliday Wine Companion and have collected three trophies and over 175 medals.

“The tin shed winery in the forest” is how Karen describes the cellar door. “You drive down a gravel road to the winery. Wildflowers grow by the roadside. It is a working winery.Visitors can see the barrels, tanks, open fermenters and

basket press. During vintage you smell the wine being made! We are surrounded by bushland so there are stunning views from the window of the tasting room.”

Their range includes the classic Margaret River varietals as well as still, sparkling and dessert versions of chenin blanc and single varietal malbec, cabernet franc and petit verdot.

Cape Grace offer a variety of experiences throughout the year including “The Winemakers Pick” during vintage where you get to immerse yourself in the winemaking process.You pick grapes, prepare them for fermentation, taste upcoming releases from the barrel and conclude with lunch to reward you for your hard work.

BROWN HILL ESTATE A visit to Brown Hill Estate’s cellar door, located within its winery, allows you to see the winemaking process firsthand. Owned and operated by the Bailey family, they will guide you through a tasting of the three ranges made

from only estate-grown grapes.

Visitors are served by Gwen, Jim or Nathan Bailey. It’s a family affair. Nathan makes the wine and Jim and Gwen planted the first grapes so you will be able to ask any question about the growing of the grapes through to the making of the wine. The cellar door is open seven days a week from 10 to 5pm.

Their wines have collected significant awards over the years including ‘Best in Show’ for the 2014 Perseverance Cabernet Merlot at the 2018 Decanter World Wines Awards. They have previously been awarded Small Producer of the Year by The West Australian Wine Guide.

GLENARTY ROAD Glenarty Road is a sustainable farming and winemaking venture based in Karridale. It’s run by husband and wife team Ben and Sasha McDonald. Ben does the farming and Sasha the winemaking.

They are both passionate about ecological farming. “My family have been farming for five generations,” says Ben, “and I want us to be farming for at least another five.”

“We have designed our gardens to have both form and function with bay leaf hedges, rosemary hedges, olives, coffee, green tea, to be able to use in the kitchen and cellar door,” Sasha says. “Our veggie patch also supplies a large amount of the kitchens needs.You can’t get much fresher than that!”

On the farm they utilise ducks, chickens and guinea fowl for pest control, taking care of snails, grasshoppers and weevils.

FOLLOW THE TRAIL ONLINE: margaretriver.com/itinerary/ small-family-winery-trail or pick up a copy of the trail guide at one of the participating wineries.

Glenarty Road and Kerfuffle represent their premium and everyday ranges and less common styles too like savagnin and sauvignon blanc.

But wine is only part of the story for visitors to Glenarty Road. The restaurant, the farm and a plethora of animals make Glenarty Road, uniquely family friendly.

Wine & wineries

No need to travel to France for the famous and traditional pairing of Bordeaux and black truffles.

Dianne Bortoletto uncovers the secret of truffle and wine pairing in Margaret River this winter.

I

t’s been well reported that the Margaret River wine region has similar characteristics to France’s famous Bordeaux region. Those characteristics were the catalyst for planting the first vines, which, 50odd years on, has seen Margaret River become a premier wine region in Australia that produces some of the country’s, and indeed the world’s, best cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay.

Bordeaux (the wine) is only produced in Bordeaux (the place) and is predominately cabernet sauvignon-blended with cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot and malbec.

Just down the road from Margaret River, a short country 90-minute drive, is Australia’s most prolific truffle region, Manjimup, on track to produce over 12 tonnes of black truffles this winter.

Truffle season is short and this beguiling prized ingredient fetches prices of up to $3,000 per kilo.

Gavin Booth, of Australian Truffle Traders,

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Time for a

snifter

says there are strong similarities between France’s well-known truffles region and Australia’s.

“Bordeaux is famous for wine and in the next region there’s Périgord, famous for growing black Périgord truffles. Just like we have Margaret River and Manjimup, regionally and stylistically they are very similar,” Gavin says.

“As for wine and truffles, Bordeaux has a long and well established relationship with truffles, it’s traditional. I think cabernet merlot and the more complex-driven table wines are especially suited to truffles.”

Fraser Gallop Estate sales and marketing manager Dario Sirotti says that stylistically Margaret River wines have followed those of Bordeaux.

“Truffle is such a delicate ingredient that I’d choose the Fraser Gallop Parterre Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that’s matured a little, or the Parterre Chardonnay.”

In fact, Dario isn’t the only one to suggest

chardonnay pairs well with truffle.

Cape Lodge consultant executive chef Tony Howell says that, in Australia, chefs have the freedom to play around with flavours.

“We’re not stuck in our ways or chained to hundreds of years of tradition or thinking that something must go with something else like they are in other parts of the world,” says Tony.

“Having said that, truffles should never be matched with a floral wine like riesling or a young red wine.

“I love Jerusalem artichoke with truffle, a puree or a creamy textured soup topped with freshly shaved truffle – sensational – and it goes well with a quality chardonnay.

“Parisienne gnocchi with beurre blanc and truffle matched with chardonnay is also delicious. Risotto with truffle is perfect with a pinot. And a mushroom truffle risotto with a nice little medallion of Margaret River venison works beautifully with cabernet. We had a special last winter of local wagyu beef carpaccio with truffle that was stunning with cabernet.

“Cabernet has richer flavour that marries well with the earthy flavours of the truffle. And of course being winter it is perfect time for both.”

Vasse Felix head chef Brendan Pratt says that key to pairing truffle with cabernet is to choose a wine that’s aged.

“A cabernet sauvignon that has a bit of bottle age, say 10 years or more, has tertiary aromas of earthy mushroom notes that go well with truffles. We always have a back vintage wine by the glass available at Vasse Felix and I think it’s worth paying a little extra for your wine when eating a decadent truffle dish,” says Brendan.

“It’s a big thing in Europe for red wine and

truffle matching, such as Bordeaux, which is powerful with higher tannins than our cabernet which tends to be lighter and more elegant, but with a bit of bottle age, the tones become developed.

“The Tom Cullity Cabernet is very smooth and soft, it’s a really elegant wine that pairs well with beetroot, mushroom and truffle.

“A lot of the dishes we do are chardonnaybased which matches well with butter, mustard, eggs, the things that lend themselves to truffle.

“We’ll use truffles in simple ways and we usually have a pasta dish on the menu with truffle in winter, like a bigoli whole wheat thick spaghetti that has a lot of body to it and cooked al dente with pecorino cheese, egg yolk and lots of shaved truffle.

“For dessert we’ll do a roasted Jerusalem artichoke custard tart with truffle – the artichoke is super sweet so hardly any sugar is added to it and we infuse the cream with truffle for 24 hours and make that into a custard, then right before serving, we shave lots and lots of fresh truffle over top.”

Brendan says that he likes to start using truffles after the first bout of heavy rain.

“The rain makes the truffles more pungent, they need a lot of water. I’ve been told that this year with all the rain it’s been great for truffles, maybe not so good for wine.”

Rain, hail or shine, indulge a little this winter and enjoy truffles during their short season with a bottle of your favourite Margaret River cabernet or chardonnay.

TIPS

Your Margaret River Region magazine’s wine writer Fergal Gleeson has some tips on pairing wines with truffles.

“If it’s a red meat centred dish, I would recommend 10-year-old or older Margaret River cabernet from one of the region’s leading wineries such as Cape Mentelle, Cullen, Xanadu, Howard Park or Fraser Gallop Estate because those earthy, savoury bottleaged characters pair well with the truffles intense flavours. The tannin and acid of cabernet are a classic with red meat,” Fergal says.

“The more elegant expressions of Margaret River chardonnay will pair well with truffle risotto. They’ll cut through the richness of a risotto with those clean citrus flavours. Try to avoid heavily oaked examples. So think about chardonnay from Clairault Streicker, Aravina Estate or Voyager Estate.”

TRUFFLE KERFUFFLE, June 21 to 23 Join truffle hunters and their clever canines to search out prized truffles, visit the marketplace for a taste of the region or get your truffle fix at special longtable dining events. Indulge in fireside cooking sessions in the Chef’s Cabin, watch free cooking demonstrations and entertainment on the festival grounds, discover the farmers, producers, winemakers and community that make up the Southern Forests.

Visit trufflekerfuffle.com.au/

Margaret River Winery and Brewery Tours 10am to 5pm daily – Free pick up from Margaret River, Dunsborough and Busselton

Visit seven Margaret River attractions with 40 local wine, food, beer, cider, chocolate and cheese tastings! $110 adult, $50 child including lunch.

Bushtucker Canoe Tours Adventure down the pristine Margaret River with a Bushtucker guide!

For full details on all of our tours call (08) 9757 9084 or visit bushtuckertours.com

Wine & wineries

Seeing red It’s that time of year where we reach for a red, says Fergal Gleeson.

Alternative Reds

ARAVINA ESTATE LIMITED RELEASE TEMPRANILLO 2016

WINTER IN MARGARET RIVER IS MORE LIKELY TO INVOLVE A PICNIC BY THE BEACH THAN ‘STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING’ BUT WE STILL NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE IN

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SEASONS. NORTHERN WINTER EXPRESSIONS SUCH AS TO ‘CATCH ONE’S DEATH’, ‘BLANKET OF SNOW’, ‘BUNDLING UP’ AND ‘DEAD

JUNIPER ESTATE MALBEC 2016

OF WINTER’ ARE THANKFULLY NEVER APPROPRIATE, NO MATTER HOW VIVID YOUR IMAGINATION. HOWEVER, A DARK NIGHT, THE SMELL OF A SLOW ROAST, AND THE CRACKLE OF AN OPEN FIRE DO MAKE YOU WANT TO REACH FOR A HEARTY WINTER RED. READ ON FOR SOME OF THE REGION’S FINEST COSY WARMERS. 30

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Aravina Estate is a well-known tourist destination in Margaret River, and apart from the cellar door there is a beautiful restaurant, sports car gallery, a kitchen garden and the West Australian Surf Gallery. Winemakers note:Vibrant garnet in appearance, the nose has lifted petals and juicy plums. A powerful fruit-driven entry on the palate is followed by dense and savoury tannins creating a wine of style and intrigue.

Enjoy now and for the next eight years.

Visit aravinaestate.com

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We’ve all swirled easy drinking commercial malbec from Argentina in a glass. It’s no bad thing. But this single vineyard malbec from Juniper has a higher calling. It shows balance, elegance and structure with smooth tannins and a savoury feel leading to a spicy finish. Most Margaret River malbec plays the role of extra in a cabernet blend. A wise choice, then, to give this malbec centre stage. Juniper Estate is one of Margaret River’s oldest wineries with vines planted in 1973. Their Cellar Door won the 2019 award for Best Large Cellar Door in Margaret River from Gourmet Traveller Wine.

It is open daily.

Visit juniperestate.com.au

Shiraz/Syrah

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STREICKER BRIDGELAND BLOCK SYRAH 2014

VOYAGER ESTATE PROJECT U11 SYRAH 2016

This wine is consistently one of my favourite syrah/shirazes and has collected heady scores from wine critics James Halliday (95 pts) and Ray Jordan (96pts). It comes from Streicker’s coolest site and is carefully made by the very talented Bruce Dukes. He includes the stalks in the ferment to add extra character to the wine.

There is beautiful ripe fruit in this medium-tofull-bodied wine with a great depth of flavour and texture. There’s also leather, pepper and cloves. The quality of the reds and whites across the range is excellent. Cellar door open daily, tours and café on site.

Visit clairaultstreickerwines.com.au

Voyager Estate’s Project wines reflect a desire to create distinctive wines from special parcels of fruit. The Project wines include the unusual such as a chenin viognier blend and a sparkling rosé as well as the more familiar. The syrah has a beautiful nose promising a world of berries.

There’s lush, silken fruit with a smooth tannin stitched gently through it. The wine is pretty and vivid but it’s balanced with a freshness and savouriness. I’d buy some for now and some for later. The Project wines are only available from the cellar door or their website. Cellar door and restaurant, which was awarded Regional Restaurant of the Year by the 2018 WA Good Food Guide, are open daily.

Visit voyagerestate.com.au

HOWARD PARK LESTON SHIRAZ 2015

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Howard Park have the rare advantage of premium vineyards in both the Margaret River and Great Southern regions. And so their cellar eoor can offer you cabernet, chardonnay, shiraz, sauvignon semillons but also critically acclaimed rieslings and the internationally -awarded Jeté sparkling wine range. Their range spans everything from the everyday to the super premium. Leston Shiraz is Howard Park’s best Margaret River Shiraz and comes from a single vineyard. The wine is in the happy place of offering ripe dark fruit flavour with good tannins. Feels classy and complete now but also highly age worthy, which is something of a trademark for 2018 Gourmet Traveller Wine Winemaker of the Year Janice McDonald.

Visit howardparkwines.com.au

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I COOK WITH WINE, SOMETIMES I EVEN ADD IT TO THE FOOD.” ~ W.C. Fields

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Wine & wineries Merlot

ROSILY VINEYARD MERLOT 2017 Black fruit, plums, spiciness and a nice savouriness runs through this bright and lively merlot from Rosily Vineyards. Rosily’s prices make you jump for joy but the quality and attention to detail shouldn’t be forgotten: handpicked, certified organic, estate grown merlot grown on clay soils. They form part of an excellent range that is unpretentious and hard to fault. Cellar door open at weekends and holidays.

Visit rosily.com.au

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MOSS WOOD RIBBON VALE MERLOT 2016

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This is a silky smooth merlot with fine tannins and flavours that range from earthy to bright and refreshing. The consistent quality of Moss Wood merlot means that it sits comfortably in any ‘right bank’ Bordeaux company. Keith and Clare Mugford continue to push the boundary of how good Australian merlot can be. It’s age-worthy for sure but much more drinkable now than most cabernet of equivalent quality. Moss Wood are one of Margaret River’s founding wineries and make a range of wines recognised as among the best in the region.

Visit mosswood.com.au

Cabernet & Friends

CULLEN DIANA MADELINE 2017

CAPE MENTELLE CABERNET MERLOT TRINDERS 2016

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Cape Mentelle Trinders is designed to be highly drinkable in its youth but also to go for 10-plus years in the cellar. The 2015 was jawdroppingly good and I wondered if this vintage could replicate it. Thankfully it does. Trinders 2016 leads with blackcurrant fruit but there’s also a smokiness and sinewy tannins which add complexity. It gets the balance just right between ripe fruit and the extra character that lifts a red above the ordinary. Margaret River produces some very good cabernet merlots around the $30 price point and this one of the best of them.

The cellar door is open daily with a variety of options in terms of tastings and private tours.

Events include Movies at Cape Mentelle and the International Cabernet Challenge.

Visit capementelle.com.au

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If you were putting together the iconic Australian half dozen you might well have a Cullen Diana Madeline as your cabernet representative such is its track record. 2017 was a cool and long vintage for Margaret River and Vanya Cullen has produced an elegant rather than opulent cabernet blend. It’s restrained at just 13% alcohol. There’s nothing showy - the focus is on purity. All in all it’s a beautiful artisanal wine. Cullen Wines is one of Margaret River’s first wineries.Vanya is a passionate environmentalist. Cullen is certified biodynamic and the winery is carbon neutral. The cellar door is open daily. There are private winery tours options, accommodation and a ‘two chef hatted’ restaurant.

Visit cullenwines.com.au

FRASER GALLOP ESTATE PARTERRE 2015 Fraser Gallop Parterre Cabernet is one of

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the most ‘Bordeaux’ like Margaret River cabernets.

I’ve a few hibernating in the cellar with a 7-10 year drinking window in mind. The 2015 shows sweet fruit but interwoven with black tea and leather. There’s plenty of intrigue and a bright finish. All in all, a cerebral wine that holds its own in any company. It now sits in the middle of the Fraser Gallop Estate cabernet offering with Palladian at the top and the cabernet merlot as the entry point. Cellar door open daily (NB: tours dont run during winter). Keep an eye on the website as they hold regular events.

Visit frasergallopestate.com.au

FISHBONE JOSEPH RIVER CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015

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Joseph River Cabernet Sauvignon is the ‘alpha male’ of the Fishbone range. The ambition is to emulate elite Bordeaux. The wine has pedigree also, a previous vintage won the Jimmy Watson trophy, Australia’s most established red wine award.

The flavours are of black fruit, olives and bay leaf.

This wine will come into its own in five-plus years. Below Joseph River, Fishbone Wines have two tiers of wines: the Black Label range of premium, age-worthy wines and the Blue Label of easy-drinking wines. Cellar door open daily.

Their Japanese restaurant at the Cellar Door, was a finalist in the 2017 Gold Plate Awards.

Visit fishbonewines.com.au

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THE FULL BOTTLE

Wine & wineries

Meet the Dr Karl of Wine - Geoff Andersson-Hord of Cellar d’Or Tours knows a thing or two about wine, as Fergal Gleeson discovers.

G

eoff Andersson-Hord is an expert on wine the way Triple J’s long-running expert on everything, Dr Karl, is, well, an expert on everything. Geoff runs Cellar d’Or Tours which specialises in Margaret River wine and brewery tours and, as far as wine queries are concerned, he’s your go-to guy.You have the question - and he has the answer.

Geoff caught the wine bug in his early 20s "when table wine wasn’t popular in Australia apart from with Italians and Yugoslavians", as he puts it. “‘Red claret’ was the drink for men which could be just about anything and a sweet white or sparkling wine for the ladies.”

He devoured Len Evans’ wine books (Australia’s first full time wine critic) and swatted up with wine appreciation courses. “I’d go out to the Swan Valley to Houghtons to do tastings,” he says.

When he was semi-retired from his career in broking, the opportunity to finally break into the industry arrived when a winery tour business came up for sale. Geoff bought the business and has taken it as an opportunity to learn ever since.

“When I’m talking to vignerons and the wine makers I’m building up my knowledge every time that I go out,” he says. “I’m thoroughly happy with what I am doing.”

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“During the tour the guests get to visit a working winery,” he says. “There they’ll see the crusher, the press, the fermentation tanks and taste wine from the barrel. It gives an idea of how grapes are processed once they are picked.

“We show them how the vineyard works, for

example the pruning process, so that they have a better understanding of how grapes become wine. Then we look at the whole process after the winery at the first wine-tasting.”

“The presentation only takes 20 minutes. I give a succinct narration that’s not boring or

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JOIN THE EXPERT Geoff Andersson-Hord of Celar D'Or Tours, left, is one of the most knowledgeable wine guides in the region.

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Brookwood A family winery that run an excellent tasting. They go through the wines properly so that the tasting takes about one hour. They also have a great little restaurant in a lovely location. The winery is immaculate.

Evans and Tate I like to showcase the different styles of the region. This is a larger corporate which offers a bigger range of wines. They have an art studio featuring local artists. The Cellar Door staff are very helpful.

Bettenay’s They make beautiful funky French nougat, honey creamy liquer and a coffee cream liquer. Other wineries that he includes on his tours include Aravina, Happs, Woody Nook and Amelia Park Wines.

Cellar d’Or also offers customised private tours but most people prefer to leave it up to Geoff. As he puts it: “Sit back, relax and have a great day, without having to drive.”

More at cellardortours.com.au

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*CheckOF our website for seasonal opening times.

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LIVE MUSIC / EVERY SUNDAY LIVE MUSIC / EVERY SUNDAY OPENING DAILY / 7/ AM - LATE WALK-INS WELCOME FamIly FRIeNDly OPEN DAILY FOR LUNCH BREAKFAST MENU / 7 AM - NOON OPENING DAILY / 7 AM LATE BOOK ONLINE / GROUP BOOKINGS AVAILABLE WALK-INS WELCOME / FamIly FRIeNDly FAMILYOPEN FRIENDLY / BOOK ONLINE ANDDAILY DINNER / 12-LATE FOR LUNCH LUNCH + DINNER MENU / 12- PM - LATE BREAKFAST /BOOKINGS 7 AM NOON BOOK ONLINE / MENU GROUP AVAILABLE AND DINNER / 12-LATE GROUP BOOKINGS LUNCH + DINNER MENU /AVAILABLE 12 PM - LATE

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BUSSELLAVENUE HIGHWAY CHURCHILL

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Evoi wines One of the best. This is run by a ‘one man band’ and people love it.

There is nothing flash about it but many people prefer the boutique wineries.

Mongrel Creek The cellar door is very ‘Australiana’. Larry Schoppe is most entraining as a host. They are a husband and wife run vineyard and their wines are excellent.

VISIT IN TOWN ANDUS VINEYARD VIEWS

2807 CAVES RD, YALLINGUP WA +61 8 9756 6640 ADMIN@SWINGS.COM.AU

HIGGIN S LANE

GEOFF’S FAVOURITE CELLAR DOORS:

Yallingup 4km Dunsborough 13km

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over long,” he says. “I just want to give people an idea of the region and why it is so special.

Margaret River accounts for just 2% of the total grape harvest in Australia yet a significant percentage of the premium wines sales. Why? Because the fruit is so good!”

There are always lots of questions from his guests. “Why are wine grapes so small? Where did wine originate? How many wineries in the region? What types of grapes are grown? When to wineries harvest the grapes? Why do they use French oak?”

Whether the question requires a brief or an in-depth answer, Geoff loves shooting the breeze with guests and he is very passionate about the place. “Margaret River is the most marine-ised of wine regions, feeling the effect of the ocean which surrounds it on three sides,” Geoff says. “It’s unusual because most of the vineyards are surrounded by natural corridors of bushland.”

The wineries on the Cellar d’Or tour are handpicked by him. “There is no such thing as a bad winery in Margaret River,” Geoff says.

“They won’t survive. So for me it’s all about the cellar door staff. It depends on the level of experience and if they are passionate about the subject.”

The aim is to provide a great experience at a very affordable price. Lunch is included at Aravina Estate or Caves Road Collective which is a microbrewery winery and distillery.

“I want to really showcase the region. It’s a very relaxed tour but more than that it’s personal not rushed. Everyone has a great time. We get consistently excellent reviews on TripAdvisor,” Geoff says.

Wine & wineries

Mulling it over

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Coffee in the morning, a cuppa in the afternoon; but what to drink under the blanket of night time?

Cassandra Charlick has hunted down the solution to keeping warm in a wine region: mulled wine.

H

eating wine is something that has been done for centuries all around the world – it’s a surprisingly universal drink. After all, we all want to stay toasty and warm when it’s cold out.

For Germans, it’s glühwein. The Swedes have glögg. The French order a vin chaud, The English, mulled wine. Orralt bor.Varené víno. Svarené víno. Bisschopswijn. Grzane wino.Vinho quente.

Izvar . . . the list goes on. Almost every country has a name for the alchemy that transforms table wine to a sweet, warm nectar that helps defrost icy fingers and put a fire in the belly.

It was the Romans who first recorded the heating of wine, along with the addition of spices, way back in the second century. As they travelled – and conquered – much of Europe, they might not have brought the warm weather with them, but they did bring the art of winemaking and viticulture throughout the continent. There are more variations of mulled wine than you can poke a stick at (marshmallow optional). Traditional additions to the base of red wine include all manner of fruits including lemon and orange, and plenty of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, star anise, ginger, and cardamom. Add a Nordic twist and whack in a spirit if inclined – after all, it gets darn cold that far north.

Sounds pretty good, right? So what’s the secret to making a decent drop? Well, according to Billy Phillips, Margaret River’s bartender extraordinaire, it all comes down to the quality of the ingredients AND getting the temperature just right.

“Bringing it up to 90 degrees is about perfect to infuse the spices,” says Billy. “My top tip is to bring it up to boil with the spices, and then take it off the heat and add the fruit. Just remember, boil up with spice and cool down with fruit. Simple.”

You can let him do the work and sample his delicious concoction at Morries this winter, or if you would prefer to give it a whirl at home, Billy has put together a foolproof recipe for us mere mortals to follow (right).

If this all sounds too hard, there are also a few mixes available from local sources. Pop by Tassell Park cellar door where you can sample a glass of their mulled wine and enjoy the views. Their mulled wine has been so popular that they offer sachets to make at home. The Providore Mulled

designs in nature

Wine Spice mix is made from 100% organic ingredients and available from their shop on Tom Cullity Drive. The mix is a careful blend of dried orange segments, cloves and cinnamon chips. Simply mix together with a small scoop of brown sugar and a bottle of red wine. When all the flavours have infused, strain and sip.

Morries’ Mulled Wine Ingredients 4L Margaret River red wine 400ml fresh orange Juice 400g caster sugar 3 cinnamon quills 1 thumb of shredded ginger Method Pop it all in a pot and bring to simmer/light boil then take off the heat As soon as you take it off the heat add strawberries (chopped), an apple (chopped) and 10 dashes of Angostura Bitters.

Garnish with assorted berries and candied orange. If you are making up a big batch for a party, just keep it warm at 70-85° and serve.

jewellery designed and handmade in Margaret River Open 10am ~ 4pm Monday to Saturday 611 Boodjidup Road 08 9757 6885 info@payetgallery.com.au www.payetgallery.com.au

Eat & & Wine Drink wineries

LINGER LONGER OVER LUNCH A LONG LUNCH ACCOMPANIED

BY A BOTTLE OF SUPERB MARGARET RIVER WINE IS THE PERFECT WAY TO SPEND A WINTER’S AFTERNOON. DIANNE BORTOLETTO FOUND SOME OF THE REGION’S BEST FOR YOU. VASSE FELIX The oldest winery in Margaret River,Vasse Felix’s restaurant is gorgeous with its suspended fireplace, natural stone walls and wooden beams.

The restaurant places great importance on sourcing the best local produce and the food is sensational. The menu changes daily and there’s the option of a five-course tasting menu that can be matched with Icon, Premier or Filius wines.

Head chef Brendan Pratt makes everything from scratch and you’ll also spot the odd native Australian ingredient such as muntries and salt bush. The restaurant was awarded two chefs hats in the 2018 Australian Good Food Guide. It’s not just the restaurant winning awards, the wines are beautiful too with the Heytsbury and Tom Cullity rated 97 points by James Halliday, so don’t skip a tasting at the cellar door. The elevated view from the upstairs restaurant over the vineyard will make it an unforgettable lunch. Downstairs you’ll find the lounge area with a fireplace, an art gallery,

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cellar room and there’s tours available for exclusive access to the wine vault.

Vasse Felix, Caves Rd & Tom Cullity Dr, Margaret River. Ph 08 9756 5000 Visit vassefelix.com.au/

VOYAGER ESTATE Voyager is visually stunning. Outside, the white stucco Dutch inspired building stands proud on the beautifully manicured grounds with the prettiest rose garden in the region and the biggest Australian flag in the country, after the one at Parliament House in Canberra.Voyager’s Spanish head chef Santiago (Santi) Fernandez delivers Voyager’s signature seven-course Discovery Menu, each course inspired by one of their wines. There’s also a four-course menu for those with less time. Their wines are sublime and the restaurant service absolutely first class.

The restaurant setting is reminiscent of a French luxury chateau with the rich drapes, chesterfield sofas, and ornate light fittings, you could almost forget you were at a winery. There’s also a high tea on weekends that starts at 10.30am.Voyager is a good choice for a long lingering fine dining experience or if you’re wanting to impress someone special.

Voyager Estate, 41 Stevens Rd, Margaret River Ph 08 9757 6354 Visit voyagerestate.com.au/restaurant/

ARAVINA ESTATE Since the late 80s, diners have enjoyed long lunches at the beautiful winery on Thornton Road Yallingup, once Amberley, and for the past nine years, Aravina Estate.

Aravina’s restaurant, under the direction of executive chef Ben Day, is the perfect place to while away a winter’s afternoon. Ben’s menus are based on seasonality, local ingredients, and flavoursome native ingredients like estate-grown lilly pilly, wattleseed and lemon myrtle.

Other local produce for winter includes hedgehog mushrooms, truffle and Wagin chicken. Heartwarming persimmon, mandarin and rhubarb make dessert a must, and estategrown heirloom potatoes, cavolo nero and Jerusalem artichokes also feature.

Aravina caters equally well for couples and groups and the set pricing structure for lunch means there’s no need to sweat over the smartphone calculator when it’s time to pay. A two-course lunch is $65 and three courses just $75. Mad not to do the latter! Select matched Aravina wine by the glass, or a five-course degustation plus matched wines for $140.

Outdoor heaters provide warmth on the enclosed terrace with sweeping views across the lawns, vineyard and dams.

While we enjoyed a delicious three-course lunch from the autumn menu, Ben assured us

one of our favourite entrees, the Wagin Duck charcuterie board, would be making an appearance on the winter menu as a share-style board.

With warm and knowledgeable service, stunning hydrangea, rose and camellia gardens and other points of interest like the WA Surf Museum, a winter’s afternoon at Aravina is time well spent. ~ Janine Pittaway Visit aravinaestate.com

ARIMIA ESTATE Tucked away down a dirt road, just getting to Arimia Estate’s cellar door feels like an adventure in itself. Inside, its' beautifully relaxed, styled with an elegant touch of shabby chic. The wines are stunning and the food is great, made with produce that comes from their own garden or reared themselves. The estate produces its own pork, eggs, olives, olive oil, trout, grapes, honey, marron and organic vegetables and the rest of the ingredients are sourced locally. Chef Evan Hayter designs the menu based on the seasonal produce available. The seasonal imposed limit on produce gives rise to a highly creative environment with

excellent outcomes. What isn’t so easily apparent is that Arimia is totally off the grid. That’s right, it’s solar powered and has a zero-waste policy.

Arimia Estate is a quiet achiever and definitely worth checking out.

Arimia Estate, 242 Quininup Rd,Wilyabrup Ph 08 9755 2528 Visit arimia.com.au/restaurant/

CAPE LODGE Boutique country hotel and winery Cape Lodge has an elegant restaurant that under chef

Tony Howell has won multiple esteemed awards that put the spotlight on Margaret River as a culinary destination. Not usually open for lunch, Cape Lodge is holding a few special lunch events this winter. If you like to cook, then there’s a cooking classes each month: Black Truffles and Mushroom on June 15, Bastille Day on July, 13 and Truffles Glorious Truffles on August 10. The two-hour masterclass is followed by a long table lunch, so if your other half is like mine and prefers to eat rather than cook, they can come along for the lunch only.

The best thing about winter is, without question, truffles. Manjimup, Australia’s biggest truffle growing region, is just 90 minutes from Margaret River and celebrates the black gold during foodie festival Truffle Kerfuffle from June 21 to 23. If you miss Truffle Kerfuffle, head to Cape Lodge on August 24 for a truffle dog hunt followed by an indulgent long lunch matched with local Marchand & Burch wines, Howard Park’s celebrated Australian/French wine project along with wines from Burgundy.

BREWERY, CIDERY, WINERY AND RESTAURANT OPEN 10AM TO 6PM EVERYDAY.

Fun, Fresh, Local and Delicious!

XANADU WINES Situated among vines and gardens deep within the Xanadu Estate is the restaurant with a big open stone fireplace that screams long winter lunch. It’s a stunning setting. The menu is modern Australian with Mediterranean slants, a tribute to head chef Melissa Kokoti’s Cypriot heritage and her travels through Europe. Dishes are inspired by the ingredients available from local producers, neighbouring farms, the sea as well as what is seasonally grown in their vegetable garden. Awarded one chefs hat in the

4259 CAVES ROAD, MARGARET RIVER, WA, 6285 PHONE: 97 5552019 555 margaretriver.com | WINTER

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Wine & wineries

Don’t miss . . .

There are many other worthy winery restaurants in the region to enjoy a long lunch at The new-ish Glenarty Road, Leeuwin Estate and the one-hatted Amelia Park Restaurant, as well as more casual breweries Brewhouse, Colonial Brewery, Black Brewing and Settlers Tavern, along with straight-up eateries including the two-hatted Yarri, Bunker Beach House, Arc of Iris and the White Elephant Beach Café (right) that has a fireplace and views of the wild-winter ocean, just to name a few.

FRESH FISH AND COOL VIBES Blue Manna Bistro serves up some of the freshest seafood and fish in the region. Right, Vasse Felix's restaurant is the perfect place to spend a few hours.

2018 Australian Good Food Guide, the restaurant was also listed in WA’s Top 50 Best Restaurants by the West Australian Good Food Guide in 2017 and 2018. The wines are award-winning and the restaurant wine list features current and museum vintages, as well as special release wines that cannot be found anywhere else.

316 Boodjidup Road, Margaret Rive Ph 08 9758 9500.Visit xanaduwines.com/

RUSTICO AT HAY SHED HILL If you’re looking for a relaxed vibe with banging food, then Rustico at Hay Shed Hill is a great choice. The tapas menu is as mouth-watering as the dishes themselves. One of the reasons most people love Rustico is the popular six-course tapas degustation matched with premium Hay Shed Hill wines. There’s also pizza and a massive selection of European cheeses if you prefer to graze. Leave time to do a wine-tasting at the cellar door that has 25 wines on offer. The food, the service, the menu choice and the wine are

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all on point. It’s a pretty setting too. Be sure to book, it’s a popular place and for good reason.

Rustico at Hayshed Hill, 511 Harmans Mill Rd, Wilyabrup.. Ph 08 9755 6046 Visit hayshedhill.com.au/pages/rustico-at-hay-shed-hill

BLUE MANNA Blue Manna Bistro in Dunsborough is booked out more often than not and has a stellar reputation around town. Blue Manna Bistro specialises in, you guess it, Blue Manna crab and seafood cooked with an Asian influence. The Asian influence comes from chef and owner Coby Cockburn who trained in Far North Queensland under an English chef who had a passion for Asian cuisine. His own travels through Thailand and Indonesia have also influenced his cooking. In winter, Blue Manna’s menu will adapt to the cooler weather with heartier warming dishes like chowder, bisque, laksa and curry, all with an Asian twist.

1/16 Cyrillean Way, Dunsborough

Ph 08 9786 5051 Visit BlueMannaBistro.com.au

CULLEN WINES Biodynamic and organic principals guide not only the winemaking at Cullen but the kitchen too.

The cellar door along one wall forms the entrance to the restaurant and it feels warm with exposed beams and wooden clad walls. Out over the deck are vineyard views and if you’re there during the right time of year, you might spot broad beans growing between the rows. The food at the twohatted restaurant is simple, almost all organic and sourced from the kitchen garden onsite or locally.

Cullen’s highly regarded prized wines are made with minimal intervention, which when coupled with good service and delicious food make it a fantastic lunch experience. Rug up and wander through the organic spiral kitchen garden after lunch, it’s wonderful.

Cullen Wines, 4323 Caves Rd,Wilyabrup Ph 08 9755 5277.Visit cullenwines.com.au/

IMAGE Gordon Becker Photography

Winter' s tales

Winter in the Margaret River region is an extra-special time and with a unique foodie festival - Cabin Fever Festival - it's the perfect time to visit.

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Winter warmers - Cabin Fever Special

Warm welcome at the Tav SETTLERS TAVERN IS MORE THAN JUST A PLACE FOR A GOOD FEED. IT’S PRACTICALLY A MARGARET RIVER INSTITUTION.

W

alking along the main street in Margaret River on a cold winter’s day often entails dodging the weather and finding retreat in a warm, cosy atmosphere.

Welcome to Settler’s Tavern, which offers exactly that in the rustic style bistro and pub.

Grab yourself a table or nook and enjoy the toasty fire, comfort food and snuggly atmosphere.

Settler’s Tavern or ‘The Tav’ as it’s called by locals, is located on Margaret River’s main street. It’s a traditional pub with a twist, the town’s premier music venue, wine bar, bistro, and sports bar that also offers two alfresco areas. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also a smoke house with a proper American Yoder-brand smoker that’s fired up daily. The Texas-style beef brisket is the signature dish where it’s cooked ‘low and slow’, producing a succulent,

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tender, smoky carnivore experience.

The Tav prides itself on using the best local seasonal ingredients available serving tasty pub fare, from basic burgers to local Black Angus steak, freshly caught seafood (including oysters shucked to order) and gourmet dishes in between. You won’t find many other pubs that make their own desserts, pickles and sauces from scratch either.

It’s not just the food that has the punters drooling. The internationally-awarded wine list is what sets Settler’s apart from the rest.

It offers 25 wines by the glass and 600 local and imported bottles. The owners pride themselves on the continually evolving wine list offering organic, biodynamic and sustainable wines where possible. Choices include multiple vintages of highly sought after bottles

- you’ll see big names along with emerging “young gun” winemakers. There is something to please everyone, from the weekend novice to the well seasoned connoisseur.

Apart from the mouth-watering wine list,

THE PLACE TO BE Celebrate the end of Cabin Fever at the Settlers Tavern special event in the car park, with live music and delicious food and drink served to guests.

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the blackboard above the bar offers rare premium wines by the glass, giving you a chance to snaffle some benchmark wines on the list, while not committing to a bottle.

Keeping the list fresh and exciting is what

the Tav prides itself on.

Servicing families, through to couples on romantic dates, to staff just knocking off from work and tourists, the Tav has something to offer everyone. From 11.30am to 9pm, Settlers is primarily a casual family restaurant, serving people and families. By night, it transforms into a live entertainment venue with many genres of music on offer. Over 250 shows are offered throughout the year. Thursday nights are laid-back dinner shows, while weekend nights are targeted to younger crowds who like to boogie. You’ll find the Sunday sessions are family-friendly, featuring acoustic-based melodies that you can tap along to.

The venue has been awarded a swag of awards including AHA’s Best Regional Casual Pub Dining 2018 (Hall of Fame), Gourmet Traveller’s WA’s Wine List of the Year & Best Listing of a Region’s Wine 2018, TOP 100 BARS Sunday Times, WA Awards of Excellence 2018/2019, Best Pub Restaurant Wine List (Hall of Fame), Best Regional Hospitality Venue 2018/19 (Hall of Fame) and, most recently, the best Steak Sandwich in the South West (2019).

Winter warmers - Cabin Fever Special

Spice mistress wine master

Sarina Kamini and Brad Wehr are turning conventions on their heads in their chosen fields spice and wine. By TOM DE SOUZA.

S

arina Kamini and Brad Wehr are not people who abide by conventional standards.

Brad, an organic winemaker, and Sarina, a self-titled spice mistress of Kashmiri descent, shun typical industry ideas of what constitutes good flavour, and instead find perfection in the wild processes of experimentation in their twohour Spice and Wine Masterclass.

The class, which explores the relationships of flavour between four wines and spices, blends art, science, and magic in a sensory journey which Sarina says works to change the way you think about food and refine your intuition in the kitchen.

“There is an element about what Brad and I do that is unconventional, because we are both unconventional people. We have an unusual approach to what we do. When that happens as an alchemy, things turn to gold,” she says.

“Ultimately, what we’re exploring is the expression of flavour, and how far can this can be

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pushed and how much of myself I can reveal and how I can surprise myself in the pan and in my life.”

“Brad has that same drive in his wine, to find difference and let them find their own expression and take them to their furthest edge before they corrupt and become undrinkable or unusable. Really where we align is on that philosophical principle of pushing those outer limits of flavour – a loosening of our approach

to living and eating and drink, and how can we be unconventional and make it amazing and surprise ourselves.

“This is about totally changing the traditional way of thinking.”

Sarina’s unique approach to food manifests from her Kashmiri history. She grew up between India and Australia in a primarily Hindi household, and her family background meant

SPICE OF LIFE Sarina Kamini, below and opposite, has brought deep knowledge of spices to her cooking classes.

Brad Wehr, left inset, is a wine expert.

cooking became an assumed passion and defined her philosophies on food.

“Food is a perspective,” she says.

“Culture sees food less as physical nourishment than emotional and familial expression. In an Indian context it comes down to spice. Indians are driven by expressions of the spice flavour. It’s a European idea to have produce and consider seasoning it. It’s an Indian ideal to want to extrapolate the flavour of spice and see the produce as a vehicle. It’s an inverted way of looking at food.

OPEN EVERYDAY FOR EVERYONE 11am - 5pm ph:08 97553554 |

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Winter warmers - Cabin Fever Special COMBINING SPICE AND WINE HELPS TO DEVELOP THE MORE SUBTLE AND DELICATE FACULTIES OF THE PALETTE ...

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“So when I take my spice classes, it’s actually turning the idea of food on its head and approaching it in a different way. All those beautiful seeds and nuts and leaves, they are the prize, and really, you’re just looking for ways for

them to achieve their best expression.

“It’s making the spice the primary, as opposed to a secondary or tertiary ingredient. It’s changing the way we think about spice.”

While food and wine have a long history of evolution and side-by-side cultivation, Sarina says that all combined flavours have complex interrelationships, and combining spice and wine helps to develop the more subtle and delicate faculties of the palette and is a constant source of surprise, even to her and Brad.

“Everything you put in your mouth and everything you put into the pan has an impact on the end result,” she says.

“These are two culinary profiles that aren’t typically seen to match, but what we’re finding is that we’re learning new things all the time, and that’s why we love it. We’re finding things from each other, from the taste results, and from the process of experimentation. It’s a surprise to us.

“There is just an infinite possibility of unexpected flavour outcome. The experience of it is out of your skin.”

Sarina met Brad while she was working at Blue Ginger, a wholefood shop in Margaret River, and says they established an immediate

ALWAYS SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT

TASTE TEST Join one of Sarina and Brad's classes and discover new perspectives on spice and wine.

connection on a personal and professional level.

Brad, the owner and winemaker of Amato Vino, operates a little differently to most conventional winemakers. He works with ultra-small batches, picking grapes by hand and adding almost zero additives to the fermentation process. It’s a wild and unconventional approach that commands nature be first-in-charge, and to Brad, that is the magic of the process.

“Perfection is subjective,” he says.

“What is perfection? For me, perfection is not just making a wine that looks linear and conforms to general standards. Perfection is the process of experimentation. Perfection is seeing how far you can push something, taking things to their edge, and being surprised at the results.

“It’s also what this masterclass is about. It’s an exploration and a starting point for people to refine their intuition,” says Brad. “It’s inspiration, it’s knowledge, and understanding being inside the heads of a winemaker and spice mistress, and how people can translate that to their own kitchen and their own lives.”

Brad and Sarina’s ‘The Spice is Right’ masterclass will take place during Cabin Fever, on Friday July 26, 3 to 6pm.Tickets are available online at cabinfeverfest. com.au/events/the-spice-is-right/ or at the Margaret River Visitor’s Centre.

GO ON, GIVE IN TO YOUR SWEET TOOTH. Indulge in South West cuisine overlooking Bunker Bay with house-made desserts by French pastry chef Romain Lassiaille. A decadent way to end your evening.

Only at Pullman.

WINTER DINING OFFER Purchase any entrée + main course to receive a complimentary 'Boomerang of Petit Fours' for your table.

pullmanbunkerbayresort.com.au Conditions apply - see website for details.

A restaurant located at

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on The

heat is It might be getting chilly outside, but thanks to the region’s Asian influence, there’s plenty to feel warm about this winter.

By CASSANDRA CHARLICK.

T

here is little wonder that the Margaret River region is a paradise to visitors from our neighbouring countries. Pristine beaches, expansive and untouched wilderness, world class wineries and incredible produce; all only a few hours flight away from the densely populated cities of south east Asia.

At least 47 per cent of international visitors to Western Australia are from Asia, and, unsurprisingly, many of these return with a

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piece of their heart left here. Luckily, a number of culinary masters have decided to take the leap and settle down in the south west of Australia. Leaving the familiar sights, smells and tastes of home and relocating to a country town can seem daunting, but the incredible power of food has helped these stovetop artisans settle into Margaret River life.

Chow’s Table

Owner and head chef of Chow’s Table, Mal Chow, grew up in Kuala Lumpur, and his culinary skills have been refined during stints at some of the best restaurants in Australia including Vue de Monde in Melbourne and Tetsuya’s in Sydney. His food at Chow’s Table, however, has taken him full circle back to where it all started.

“I decided to go back to my roots and do Chinese/Malay, something Margaret River

hasn’t seen before. Chinese/Malay was the type of food I was brought up with. Malaysia has a mix of Chinese, Indian, Sri Lankan, Portuguese and Malay influences. It’s a melting pot when it comes to different kinds of food. Curries to fried noodles to roast meats.

Everything in one country.”

Chow found himself drawn to Margaret River through family ties, this time though thanks to Amanda, his wife and mother to their two boys.

“Margaret River has so much to offer. I think even sometimes I take for granted how good we have it here. Wine, beer and food. That is my ideal day off in the region. Doesn’t matter what type of food or what type of wine, beer and food. We’re spoilt for choice down here.”

Margs and I’ve made certain dishes that are famous back home but done differently here. For example, I’ve done Singaporean chilli yabbies.”

There are, however, some challenges with trying to capture the comfort food of his childhood when living in regional Australia.

“Being down south, it’s hard to get certain Asian products, specifically Chinese sauces and fermented products. Another major difference to cooking back in Malaysia is having to adjust taste to suit the palate down here: tempering the spiciness of the food and presentation of the dishes.

“At the same time though, the fresh produce makes life easy to work in the kitchen here.

Being in the Margaret River region we are lucky to have similarities, an abundance of fresh seafood and fish, fresh fruits and vegetables. I found I can be a bit more playful with my food mixing both Chinese/Malay cuisine with the varietal of produce we have here in Margaret River. Marron, yabbies, venison are products we can get readily in

growing up there was in line with the lifestyle of the people. Busy parents working in the afternoon told their kids to go and shop for street food for the family dining table, such as kushikatu (panko fried pork) on skewers, okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancake) and tenmusu (small onigiri with shrimp tempura).”

While there are many differences between his hometown back in Japan, there are plenty of similarities.

“Japanese and Australians both avoid disagreeing with each other (even when they really want to) so that there are always friendly vibes,” Miki says with a laugh.

“I saw the quality of life and the spirit of people surrounding this town. Margaret River has a collection of people from other places and the town has been built by the people who chose to live here and want to be part of the town. My ideal day off is paddling out

Miki’s Open Kitchen

Seeking a different quality of life, Miki moved to Margaret River from the city of Nagoya, Japan, where he grew up in the ghetto of Nakamura.

“I was born into a concrete jungle.

Downtown Nakamura used to be an Akasen citai surrounded by geisya and yakuza offices.

A bit like a red light district but still lively.

Even though it’s a busy town; in the Nakamura neighbourhood people live closely together and therefore know and help each other. Food

with my son, I just couldn’t do that back in the middle of a city in Japan.”

The region has played a major part in the evolution of his cooking style, not simply thanks to alternative produce and customers palates, but very much thanks to a different beverage of choice. No longer in the realm of beer and sake, living and working in a wine region has influenced his approach to kitchen.

“My process of creating dishes has changed, keeping in mind how the dish will pair with a particular wine was not a concern until I was working down here.”

Teddi’s Big Spoon

Jin and Teddy are a perfect pair. Both chefs

IMAGE Cassandra Charlick

in their own right, Jin moved here from Seoul 13 years ago. She was busy studying restaurant management when she met Teddy, also a working holidaymaker and a chef from South Korea. The two fell in love with the town of Margaret River and with each other, opening Teddi’s Big Spoon three years ago on the main street.

“We were so impressed with the lifestyle and beautiful environment when we arrived here. It was so different to back home in Korea. In Korea, the population density is much higher than Australia, it is very competitive to get a good job. Work is the priority in Korea but in Australia, we are able to focus on our family being the most important part of our lives.”

The restaurant is a family affair, with two young children in tow and a close knit team of staff. Jin is often the friendly face you will margaretriver.com

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IMAGE Samira Damirova

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SPICE UP YOUR LIFE Left, MasterChef's Samira Damirova loves the ingredients of the Margaret River region.

Below, Miki's Kitchen produces amazing authentic Asian cuisine.

Opposite, Jindu's Margaret River Kimchi is handmade.

The tradition of making kimchi goes back over 2,000 years and has numerous health benefits. see front of house at the restaurant, that is, when she isn’t busy making the ample kimchi supplies. The restaurant uses kimchi as a key ingredient on the menu, along with a host of traditional Korean flavours.

“When developing our menu, we tried to adjust the level of spice in the menu for Australian palates, and also the unfamiliar smell of Korean traditional ingredients.

Soybean paste and fermented cabbage kimchi can be rather pungent to noses that haven’t grown up with it like we have.”

Teddy is well known for some of the fastest knife skills in the region – a quick look at the dishes coming out of the kitchen and it is hard to believe that there’s not a mandolin in sight. It helps to have wonderful produce to work with though.

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“We source as many ingredients as we can from local suppliers, the community is one of the greatest parts of living down here.”

Samira Damirova

Familiar to most from last year’s MasterChef television series, food photographer and self-taught kitchen goddess Samira Damirova has brought the flavours of her motherland Azerbaijan to Margaret River.

“I was born and grew up in Baku, Azerbaijan's ancient city of wind and fire.

Baku is situated on a peninsula on the west coast of the Caspian Sea where the streets of the Old City (Icheri Sheher) are paved with cobblestones and inhabited by timeless architectural paragons. For centuries Azerbaijan, has been known for its food and

spice trading ties through the famous Great Silk Road that connected the Far East with the West.

“I have had the greatest fortune to have grown up in a family of incredible cooks. Both my maternal and paternal grandmothers were remarkable in their culinary skills along with my parents who have deeply influenced the way I cook today. Most of my childhood was spent at my maternal grandmother’s house.

“She worked at the local flour mill plant, often received as a part of her pay cheque a few sacks of flour, so as one could imagine, there was no shortage of it in the household.

We often sat in the kitchen for hours making traditional meals such as dumplings, meat and vegetable pies, bread and other countless pasta endeavours.

IMAGE MR Kimchi

TRADITIONAL CHINESE/MALAY CUISINE WITH A MODERN TWIST IN YALLINGUP, IN THE HEART OF THE MARGARET RIVER WINE REGION! “As my husband, Troy is an avid surfer and the lover of ocean and the countryside we eventually moved to one of Western Australia’s most renowned tourist destinations, Margaret River. Here, we are surrounded by so much beauty and abundance; there’s an ample array of glorious produce to work with. It’s a pure blessing.

“My passion for food spilled into food photography which has led to my food photography business I run alongside private cooking classes from my home studio here in Margaret River. I’m now working on my first cook book to introduce Australians to the culinary customs and recipes of my home land.”

Margaret River Kimchi

Visitors to the Margaret River Farmers’ Market find it hard to walk past Jindu’s delicious (and generous) helpings of his kimchi without taking some home. Having moved to Margaret River eight years ago from Daegu in South Korea, it was a big shift to a rural town of 14,000 from a city of over two million people. He discovered the region after visiting his sister living in Perth, and was drawn to the natural environment

and the small-town community.

“The sheer number of people combined with heavy traffic and noise is intense in South Korea. I think the balance here is a little bit better – or certainly in Margaret River, where life outside work is more relaxed and the sense of community is strong.”

Jindu’s kimchi is handmade, using local ingredients from the region. The tradition of the fermented dish goes back for over 2,000 years and has numerous health benefits, though Jindu has his own twist on the recipe, even creating a vegan version.

“I’m now much more interested in discovering and sourcing new natural ingredients and working on ways to incorporate that in my food. Having lived in Margaret River, I have learnt just how important it is to use fresh and local ingredients to obtain the best results. There is a shared passion for life, work and food here and back in Korea.”

And what to do with a day off?

“Coffee, maybe a snack and the view from Surfers Point or sitting amongst the regions karri forests are simple and hard to beat.”

OPENING HOURS Wednesday/Thursday 12pm ~ 3pm Friday and Saturday 12pm ~ 9pm and Sunday 12pm ~ 4pm

U12 5 Quininup Road, Yallingup Ph 08 9755 2681

www.chowstable.com.au

Winter warmers

Girls just wanna have fun

It’s time for a winter getaway with the girls and Cassandra Charlick has some ideas about how to spend that precious time together.

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ather up the girls and stretch out on a long weekend filled with pampering, overdue catch-ups and plenty of time for toasting marshmallows by the fire. From spa treatments to cooking classes, luxury skin care and yoga classes – it’s all here in the Margaret River region.

I’ve rounded up some ideas for a girls' weekender – no matter what your style. Mix and match between the suggestions or follow one plan to a tee. It’s all about YOU this weekend.

The Foodie Tribe If your girlie get-togethers are all about eating food, talking about food or cooking food, then this itinerary has your name on it. Cape Lodge is your pick when it comes to a bed for the night – and a breakfast of dreams the following morning. Executive chef Tony Howell is one of WA’s top culinary ambassadors and after dining on his dishes for brekkie, you can stick around and learn the tips of the trade at one of his regular cooking classes at the lodge. It wouldn’t be a trip to Margs without a quick wine -tasting in the afternoon, there are plenty of options to choose from on Caves Road on the way up to lunch at Aravina Estate, one of Yallingup’s best places for an elegant girly feed. If you were sensible and booked two nights, you can wake up on Saturday morning

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COOKING WITH FRIENDS Join Cape Lodge's executive chef Tony Howell for a fun cooking lesson (left).

If you'd like to make your own perfume, head to Vasse Virgin or if you just want to relax and be pampered, Bodhi J at Injidup Spa and Resort is unbeatable

and hit the award-winning Margaret River Farmers Market . Don’t forget your basket, as you’ll be gathering up a feast. Take your pick for lunch at one of the many outstanding winery restaurants, before one last afternoon of indulgence on the way back home.

The Wellness Tribe It’s all about balance, right? Get together for a beach run in the morning, and you can justify those sugary (yet so tasty) cocktails in the evening. We’ve got the perfect blend of health and indulgence to leave you girls energised, refreshed and indulged for your weekend

away. Start the day in style, waking up at Injidup Spa and Resort. With stunning ocean views and a secret pathway down to the sea, you can kick off the day with a brisk beach stroll before a healthy breakfast and a gander at some local artwork at Goanna Gallery and Bush Cafe nearby. Exercise. Tick. Delish food.

Tick. A bit of culture. Tick. And it’s not even lunchtime yet. Take your pick from one of the many Cape To Cape paths for some fresh air before learning about how to feel good from the inside out. Arimia hold the banner high for the paddock to plate movement, and you can be certain the pork on you plate is the most ethically reared and locally sourced you

can find; direct from the estate itself. Next up, it’s time for a well-deserved massage – after all, it IS a girls pamper weekend. Bodhi J at Injidup Spa overlooks the Indian ocean and you can’t get much more luxurious than this in the south west. The decadent on-site villas are another accommodation option if you just don’t want to leave. No need to bother with a big dinner – grab a cheese platter and a bottle of wine for a night in with the girls.

Guaranteed you will be asleep early with the fresh country air anyhow.

Day two, and it’s time for something a little different. Why not try a making your own perfume at one of Vasse Virgin’s natural margaretriver.com

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perfume workshops. Pick up a few olive oil goodies on your way out for good measure.

Or maybe it’s just time for another massage – Zen Body massage in Busselton are the ideal stop on your way back up Bussell Highway, or for another night down here you can sample the healing Hawaiian techniques of Kahuna Bodyworks in Margaret River. They run massage workshops too; don’t forget that everyone loves a friend who can give a good shoulder rub.

trail rides, make-up lessons, and even a male nude life drawing class. Another option is to let the team at Abbey Beach Resort look after you with their new ‘girls winter weekend package’. Spend two nights in one of their spacious lakeside apartments and enjoy a full day bubbles tour with Margaret River Bubbles, tasting some of the best Margaret River region sparkling wines, enjoying a gourmet lunch at a boutique winery, a chocolate tasting and much more.

The I-Just-Want-To-Relax Tribe

The-Perfect-Setting Tribe

Kids. Work. Relationships. Eat this. Don’t eat that. Workout x times a week. Get eight hours sleep a night. This grown-upping thing is hard, isn’t it? So it’s totally legitimate to spend a holiday, well, holidaying. Relax, rejuvenate and head home after a weekend with the girls with a smile on your face and some unforgettable memories. Jesters Flat has just launched

Seashells Yallingup is perfectly located. You feel like you’re away from it all but at the same time close enough to enjoy the region’s best winter offerings. Nestled on the edge of 4.5 hectares of beautiful heritage-listed gardens, guests can enjoy birdsong from their private balconies, or wander through the gardens and beyond.

Signposted walk trails from the gardens

a new farmhouse trek very much aimed at the girls' weekend away market. You’ll enjoy two full days of forest horse riding, with accommodation in a nearby B&B. The shared cosy farmhouse-style base includes all meals and beverages. So just jump in th car, and head down after work on Friday - they’ll even supply the riding boots, oilskins and gloves if the weather’s wet. Or if you just want someone else to put together the weekend for you, The Holistic Hen do exactly that.

With two winter retreat options to pick from, you and the girls can select from activities such as Champagne pilates, meditation, horse

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connect through to the ‘ghost trail’ to Yallingup Beach and through the bush to Ngilgi Cave, both short but delightful walks to see two of the region’s best attractions.

Several world class wineries are just a few minutes’ drive away from Seashells Yallingup, and there’s dining options aplenty for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between.

The heritage Caves House Hotel sits adjacent to Seashells, so guests can also wander over for a meal or a drink at any time of day. A cosy dinner by one of the fireplaces with a glass of local red is a very easy option.

But Seashells Yallingup’s large apartments also lend themselves to staying in, coming complete with a galley kitchen, dishwasher

and all the essentials. Dunsborough is just 10 minutes down the road to get supermarket supplies.

Guests are able to make their one or two-bedroom apartment their own, with the option of self-catering, provision of a washing machine and dryer, and weekly servicing.

If you prefer a daily service, this can be arranged for a small fee. Rooms are simply styled, with a nod to the art deco style of Caves House Hotel.

Studio spa rooms with king size beds suit singles or couples, one bedroom apartments are fully self-contained with a separate bedroom and lounge, kitchen and laundry, and two-bedroom apartments are perfect for families or couples travelling together.

Cape Lodge

THE FINAL SHOWDOWN

THE FINAL SHOWDOWN

Winter Warmers: accommodation picks to stay toasty with fireplaces and spas.

These spots all have an open fire AND a spa to keep those relaxed bodies toasty as long as possible. Yep, here you can skip straight from the spa to the open fireplace without leaving your accommodation.

Yelverton Brook Eco Spa Retreat & Sanctuary MARGARET RIVER Bridgefield Guest House MARGARET RIVER Bushy Lake Chalets MARGARET RIVER Silversprings Cottages, Weddings and Wine MARGARET RIVER SADDLE UP AND EXPLORE Head to Jesters Flat for a unique weekend away with friends. Below, The Holistic Hen will take all the stress of organising a girls' break away - and create a bespoke experience.

Most two-bedroom apartments comprise a studio room and one-bedroom apartment interconnected by an exterior secured, common door.

Part of Yallingup’s beauty is its peaceful charm. There’s no major town centre – just a friendly general store, German bakery, and casual café on the beach along with Caves House. There are numerous artists who call it home too, so make time to visit The Studio Gallery. Yallingup is the place to unwind and enjoy the beach, bush and bounties of local producers – cheesemakers, chocolatiers and olive oil makers are just the start.

THE FIN

Spa Cottage DUNSBOROUGH Kangaview MARGARET RIVER Yallingup Lodge Spa Retreat & OM Day Spa YALLINGUP Yallingup Luxury Retreat YALLINGUP Karri Ridge Chalets KARRIDALE Gracetown Caravan Park MARGARET RIVER EMPIRE Spa Retreat YALLINGUP Cape Lodge YALLINGUP Arum MARGARET RIVER Waters Edge Margaret River MARGARET RIVER Private Properties - don’t forget that many Private Properties holiday homes have fireplaces and places to chill - visit privateproperties.com.au

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Situated on a secluded beach in the heart of the Margaret River wine region, Injidup Spa Retreat features 10 luxurious villas, each with a private plunge pool and stunning ocean views.

31 Cape Clairault Road, Yallingup 6282, WA 56

(08) 9750 1300 | stay@injidupsparetreat.net.au | www.injidupsparetreat.com.au

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Perth’s multi-award winning day spas extends it’s exquisite offerings to the Margaret River wine region with Bodhi J @ Injidup Spa Retreat.

An eco-luxe spa experience, with the most breathtaking views.

Perth | Highgate 08 9466 8260 • The Westin | Perth 08 6559 1818 • Wembley 08 9387 5152 Injidup | Yallingup 08 9750 130 • Wellbeing Studio @

Qantas International Transit Lounge T3 Perth Airport

www.bodhij.com.au

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IMAGES Naturaliste Charters

Into the Whalederness

Winter means whales, as we welcome these majestic animals to the WA coastline from their Antarctic feeding grounds. By JANE HAMMOND.

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ach year thousands of humpback whales travel up the WA coastline to breed, and females impregnated the previous year come to give birth in the warm northern waters. In spring they return southwards with their calves.

Augusta is the mecca for winter whale watching, an unmissable chance to see these breathtaking creatures breaching, rolling, tail diving and spy hopping (pushing their head out of the water for a look around).

You’ll also have the rare chance to see humpbacks having a whale of a time playing with southern right whales, which hang around the south coast during the cooler months. Cruise guides will help you spot other ocean life, such as dolphins, seals, sea

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eagles and albatrosses. With luck, you might spot a rare blue whale into the bargain!

DID YOU KNOW? WA is home to the healthiest whales in the world, thanks to our clean waters and low shipping density. No wonder a whopping 40% of the world’s humpback whales travel along our coastline each year. Scientists here have counted around 35,000 creatures, and reckon they give birth to 3,000 calves every winter.

Whale poop is nature’s way to offset carbon.

Each day, a humpback whale eats up to a tonne of krill, which are very high in iron. Whale poop creates iron-rich fertiliser for the ocean’s garden. The healthier the plants, the more carbon they consume - result, healthier planet!

More than 2 million whales were taken by commercial whaling in the southern oceans during the 20th century, driving them almost to extinction. Scientists say it will be many more decades before we reach pre-whaling numbers. Southern right whales remain endangered.

Whales have been swimming in the oceans for 50 million years, and the rare blue whale is the largest mammal ever to have lived on the planet. Growing to 25-30m and sometimes weighing in at well over 100 tonnes, they dwarf the gigantic humpbacks at a mere 16m and 30 tonnes!

Imagine being pregnant for 12 months and giving birth to a 1.5 tonne baby that needs 240 litres of milk a day. Such is the life of a female humpback whale! Male humpbacks court them by singing the longest and most impressive songs in whaledom. Some cruises have hydrophones to allow you to hear the whales sing.

Meet the locals

Naturaliste Charters is a familyrun business and the first whale watching operator to provide the chance for members of the public to get up close and personal with whales in the region.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2018, Paul and wife Alison bought the business in 2009 and have expanded their offering to provide some of the most memorable experiences that guests will have on the high seas.

“We’ve got the biggest number of humpback whales seen anywhere in the planet migrating up the Western Australian coastline, from 30,000 to 35,000 humpback whales. Additionally, geographically we have the longest season in Australian waters; starting late May and finishing in early December.”

Everyone on the vessel is highly trained educated in animal behaviour from killer whales to sperm whales, humpbacks to dolphins.

“It’s really an educational journey that guests have when they come on board, it’s a privilege for us to be able to share the knowledge with guests and have them come off the boat

having not only seen these amazing animals but learn about them too.”

From humble beginnings eight years ago, these guests and researchers are now taken out on state-of-the-art boats worth over $2.5million.

“Being in that landscape on a daily basis, particularly Augusta and Dunsborough, is such a lucky place to operate. Especially with the $5 million marina in Augusta now; when we started it was off the beach. It also makes it more accessible. Our goal is to have as many people experience the majesty of mother nature and the ocean. It’s only when they understand how precious it is, that people begin to realise how important it is that we protect it and save it from destruction.”

AUGUSTA WHALE WATCHING TOURS There are experienced tour operators operating throughout the winter months from Augusta Boat Harbour. Check the Margaret River website to find the tour that suits you best.

Visit margaretriver.com or pop into one of the visitor centres for more information.

Wha le Watc hing Killer Wha le expedi ti onS ec o Wilderne SS tour S

BOOK NOW 9750 5500 | www.whales-australia.com.au

Nature & Environment

Joy to the coral in the deep blue sea UNDER THE SEA

WHILE WE FACE WORRYING NEWS THAT SOME AUSTRALIAN CORAL REEFS ARE UNDER THREAT, BUSSELTON HAS A HAPPIER STORY TO TELL. SPECTACULAR CORAL IS THRIVING UNDER THE BUSSELTON JETTY, AND, BEST OF ALL, ANYONE CAN ENJOY IT THANKS TO AN UNDERWATER OBSERVATORY AND DIVING TOURS. BY LIZZY PEPPER. 60

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The famous Busselton Jetty stretches 1.8km into Geographe Bay, a relic from a thriving timber industry in the late 1800s. Sharing valuable underwater real estate on the timber piles are a colourful crew of soft and hard corals, sponges and over 300 marine species. Fish, starfish, crabs, octopuses, seals and even a curious humpback whale have been seen.

Descend eight metres to the seafloor, via the jetty’s underwater observatory or with a snorkel or dive apparatus, and you’ll gasp in awe at bright orange, purple and white corals and sponges decorating the timber. They dance to the gentle rhythm of the swell, moving in time with the small waves above.

“It’s predominantly a soft Carijoa sp. coral, and, unlike its hard, reef-building tropical cousins, it loves the shade provided by jetty structures,” says Sophie Teede, Busselton Jetty environmental officer. “The corals eat zooplankton, an animal plankton made up of microscopic crustaceans and worms or larvae of other sea creatures

including sea stars and cucumbers, sponges, molluscs and fish eggs.”

What makes it so bright? It’s the symbiotic relationship between coral and sponge, says Sophie. Fluffy white finger-like coral polyps become encrusted with bright orange sea sponge. The sponge provides shelter from predators and rough sea conditions, while the stinging cells within the coral protect the sponge from predators.

THE UNDERWATER OBSERVATORY Take the little red solar-powered train for an easy ride to the end of the jetty or stretch your legs and enjoy the 1.8km stroll.

A guided tour allows you to access the ocean beneath the jetty while staying completely dry.

A spiral staircase takes you past 11 large acrylic viewing windows, from which you’ll see an incredible array of marine life.

“Fish include beautiful reef fishes such as wrasse and old wives, stingrays and, at this time of year, Australian salmon can be seen on their

annual migration. During the mid-late winter southern right and humpback whales can often be seen from the jetty,” says Sophie.

During winter months a virtual reality experience is added to the tour if visibility through the windows is poor.

Book at busseltonjetty.com.au or call (08) 9754 0900. There is an elevator in the observatory and special provisions on the train for people with limited mobility.

SNORKEL, SCUBA OR DIVE Alecia Macdonald, manager of The Dive Shed, says Busselton Jetty has “a concentration of marine life that rivals any tropical coral reef, and its ease of access makes it perfect to grab a tank and go”.

She’s completed over 1,000 dives in Busselton, organises biannual marine debris clean-ups, played a role in the jetty’s conservation and environmental protection and

even hosted the first underwater shave for the World’s Greatest Shave.

“I enjoy diving there the most when the bright orange telesto corals are feeding, with their white fronds extended out to filter the nutrients from the water giving each pylon a fluffy, white appearance. My favourite species under the jetty would be the nudibranch, a colourful sea slug.”

“It’s a great place for a first diving experience, with a nice shallow depth range of 5-8.5m, great visibility during the summer months and without tide or currents to worry about.”

Seasoned divers can develop underwater photography skills with plenty of macro-critters waiting to be discovered. “The Jetty pylons stand like tall, brightly coloured rainbow trees making for excellent wide-angle shots.”

The Dive Shed offers snorkel and scuba tours and training for people aged 10+ andadvanced diver courses.Visit diveshed.com.au or call (08) 9754 1615.

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Nature & Environment

T

here’s a slim chance of becoming a lighthouse keeper in Australia. Based on the fact that there are only around 350 lighthouses across the country and a population of 24 million, it’s not a career one would encourage the kids at school to pursue.

But Paul Sofilas, Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse Interp. Officer (and site manager) was clearly unperturbed by the figures when he applied for a role at the lighthouse back in 1999. Paul had trained in accounting then worked in the mining sector but found himself spending an increasing amount of time in Augusta - walking and mountain-biking the Cape to Cape. He heard through friends about a job at the lighthouse, was interviewed for the role at Lake Cave and got a call that night that he’d been successful. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Paul’s career at the tallest lighthouse in mainland Australia.

Paul grew up in Bunbury but frequently holidayed with his family in Augusta. Growing

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A shining local light

Paul Sofilas has been the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse keeper for 20 years, and he enjoys his role looking after the tallest lighthouse on mainland Australia more than ever.

By SOPHIE MATHEWSON.

up, Paul didn’t really think about a long-term career, but he always had a fascination with storms and loved nature. Paul clearly remembers one of his first childhood books being Tintin’s The Black Island, which had a lighthouse on the cover set on a rock in Scotland. “It was my first Tintin story which I loved. My godmother bought it for me and it’s kind of funny because it was one of my favourite books and years later I end up living at a lighthouse!”

In the early days at the lighthouse, before Paul first moved in as the caretaker, he didn’t own a car. “I rode to work each day and in winter got to experience seeing the whales in the bay, and ride against pretty strong headwinds. I suppose I got a real feel for the whole environment.”

When he first started, Paul recalls feeling there had been a loss of connection between town and the lighthouse, partly from when the last official keeper retired. From the beginning, he made a conscious effort to rebuild the relationship with

INSPIRED BY TINTIN Paul Sofilas has been the lighthouse keeper at Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse since 1999, a role he was inspired to pursue after reading The Black Island when he was a child. Left, Paul with Doopa The Dog.

the community. He began having open days with local groups catering, celebrated events around shipwrecks and International Lighthouse Day, and really gave the ownership of the heritage asset, back to the community.

Being one of the most unusual jobs on the planet – I had to ask the clichéd question – what is it you love about your job? Paul’s answer – the natural environment and the people he meets. “I

get a real energy from the storms, the whales, the sunrise and sunsets. I also get to meet and talk to really interesting people.” Paul has met Oscarwinning film directors, sailors, and just regular people with great stories.

Some days Paul still pinches himself that he is the caretaker of such an important piece of land.

“Sometimes I walk out at night and see a ship passing, and the lights on at the top of the tower and I think, I’m at the corner of the continent.

I used to surf and I love the coast but I never thought I’d live at a lighthouse.”

The name Paul means small and humble in Latin – and up against the lighthouse he is just that.

Small in stature but humble in his achievements.

Paul was nominated for and won the Golden Guide award in 2009 and continues to hold community events at the lighthouse year round.

Congratulations Paul – you are an inspirational beacon of light to Augusta’s community and beyond.

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Nature & Environment

The good life Head on down to the farm this winter in the region and discover the origins of natural, healthy food.

By JANE HAMMOND.

F

arms are just the best.

Thrive on the freshest of fresh produce, indulge in local wines, honey and oils, pick your own fruit, warm up by a wood fire. Here are some of the best experiences.

FARM STAY IN COMFORT Redgate Forest Retreat is a great alternative to the farm stay.

Think seclusion, country life, wellies and dogs.Yes, you can bring your pooch to stay in one of three chalets or the family sized homestead, and enjoy invigorating walks through acres of rainrefreshed bush and meadows.

Just ten minutes south of Margaret River, your nosiest neighbours are the local cows - a wonderful taste of country living.

Yelverton Brook Eco Spa and Chalets provides a unique eco-friendly spa holiday experience in private beautiful hand-built earth chalets within the boundaries of a gorgeous native wildlife conservation sanctuary. Centrally located in the heart of the Margaret River wine region,Yelverton Brook is the ideal place for that private or secluded, small group or romantic getaway. If you’re keen to spot some local wildlife, you’ve come to the right place. The owners have fenced the entire 100 acres with a special predator-proof fence of rabbit netting and

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FARM FRIENDS Wonky Windmill Farm, above, allows visitors to get handson with the resident animals.

Right, Cullen Wines' self-guided biodynamic spiral journey.

electric wire to discourage predators digging and climbing over entering the property. That means it’s a safe spot for wildlife to thrive and prosper - and for you to watch them in their natural environment. There’s also a breeding facility for critically endangered Australian wildlife like the woylie, a 20cm high kangaroo.

FARM FRESH DINING Among the many locavore dining options around the region, two stand out for their commitment to sustainability.

Glenarty Road farm and winery in Karridale has created an impressive ecosystem, where sheep graze amongst the vines to control weeds and improve the soil, while chickens and guinea fowl keep the bugs at bay.

As well as 26 acres of vines, the farm has fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, a macadamia grove and a hop field. The restaurant, open for lunch Thursday to Monday, serves up seasonal produce, grass-fed lamb and Augusta seafood, accompanied by Glenarty wines; 40% of the ingredients are grown or raised on the property.

Cullen Wines is the place for biodynamic viticulture. Take a tour of the vineyard and garden, or explore their self-guided biodynamic spiral journey with hands-on explanations of the production process.

Then settle into the restaurant for another journey through wines and dishes incorporating ingredients from the garden and local growers.

Cullen is halfway between Margaret River and Dunsborough.

HANDS-ON FARM FUN Sunflowers Animal Farm and Farmstay is ideal for anyone who wants a farmstay experience to remember. Guests staying at the

farm have unlimited free access to Sunflowers Animal Farm and free buckets of food (within sensible limits) to feed the 300-plus animals, including kangaroos, llamas, horses, chickens, ducks, dogs, geese, bunnies, turkeys, a Clydesdale horse, roosters, kids, guinea pigs, lambs, a pony, guinea fowl, pigs, rabbits, an ostrich, chicks, galahs, ibis, an emu, cows, sheep, goats, alpacas and Pommy the talking corella.

Pony rides, tractor rides and DVDs are also included in the price. Sunflowers Farm offers four self contained units sleeping between four and nine people. The units are well appointed and include all linen, TV/DVD player, full kitchen, microwave, log fire or aircon, barbecues, kids playground, high chairs available, cots available and free guest laundry.

Big Valley Farm is a lovely familyfriendly farmstay campsite where guests are encouraged to join fellow guests around the campfire in the right season. It’s a quiet haven for travellers, nestled amongst the hills of the family-run picturesque working sheep farm, ten minutes south east of Margaret River. The farm encompasses a beautiful secret valley hidden from the outside world by State Forest. There’s even a brand new attraction - a guinea pig petting station which has been a big hit with visitors. Best of all, it’s centrally located to many tourist attractions of the area including wineries, restaurants, art and crafts, bush walking, caves, canoeing, and abseiling.

Hands-on fun is the kind we remember, and kids are especially into getting involved. Wonky Windmill Farm offers just this, with a crowd of animals to feed and fruit for you to pick.

Owners Michelle Fleming and Bev Clarke employ dedicated staff to help children feed a lamb or calf, bring out the guinea pigs for a cuddle, and answer questions. Animals living at Wonky Windmill include goats, sheep, ponies, kangaroos, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, llamas, emus and deer.

Orchard tours run right through the winter, an ideal time to pick citrus fruits. Wonky Windmill grows spray-free lemons, mandarins, oranges, grapefruit and a popular favourite, lemonades - a cross between a lemon and a mandarin, sweeter than lemons with a tang that mandarins don’t have.

You can sample the farm’s olives, EVOO, jams and preserves too in the Farm Shop before you leave, and indulge in some hearty farmhouse cooking.

So get the gum boots on and defy the elements this winter for a tactile and tasty farm experience. Wonky Windmill Farm is 20 minutes from Yallingup and Dunsborough.

You’re invited

BEHIND THE SCENES

Discover the vineyards Explore the wines Experience food pairings Daily tours at 11:30am (except Thursdays and Sundays).

331 Wallcliffe Rd, Margaret River.

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL Call (08) 9757 0812 or email cellardoor@capementelle.com.au Visit www.capementelle.com.au to book online

IMAGE Joanne Marriott

Nature & Environment

Enchanted WOOD THE

Be inspired by nature at Karridale Cottages and Hop Farm where families can unwind in a rustic retreat on the edge of the forest.

Joanne Marriott ventures into the bush in search of hidden treasure and discovers a magical world on the Karridale Scavenger Hunt.

I

’m crunching my way through the native bushland in awe of the gnarled and bulbous trunks of the old marri trees and the bright velvet green moss that carpets the fallen logs. “Shhh Mummy, you’ll scare the possums,” exclaims my three-year-old daughter in a worried whisper. She peers up into the canopy above, carefully examining the overhanging branches for evidence of the beady-eyed bush dwellers.

Then she giggles, “look, there!” and points to a rusty animal shape hanging amongs the jagged sawtooth leaves of a banksia. Its just one of the clues we’re searching for along the Scavenger Hunt at Karridale Cottages and Hop Farm.

Five cottages all blend perfectly into the surrounding bush, each one built from natural stone, with pillars of tree trunks upholding a corrugated roof, sheltering a veranda immersed in the sounds and scents of the forest. I close my

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eyes and hear only delicate birdsong, the gentle hum of bees, distant cows in pastures beyond and the restless breeze bristling the treetops.

An axe pierces a tree stump, and bundles of firewood are stacked in a makeshift shelter.

Everything has been designed for outdoor living and feels in harmony with nature.

Inside, thoughtful little touches add to the rustic charm. A jar of dried flowers fills the room with scents of lemon myrtle, a tree branch forms a hanging rail on the wall, rustic lanterns are suspended from the ceiling either side of the bed and little jars of tea welcome us in the kitchen. A small cast-iron wood heater promises cosy firelit evenings and does not disappoint.

“I want it to be a reflection of who we are,” says owner Olivia Hertsted, “so people can walk in and get a feel that we’re really into the environment and sustainability, that the materials

are really natural and reflect the environment around them.”

In the scattered afternoon sun, we easily stumble into the world of trees fringing our veranda, past fronds of bracken, over a velvety log and then we’re on the Scavenger Hunt, passing blackened tree hollows and trunks so intertwined that I can’t tell where one starts and the other ends. The trail leads us from one natural wonder to another, with activities to complete and puzzles to solve along the way.

The idea was born when Olivia received a text from one of her guests. “She had a highpowered job and a busy lifestyle, and often relied on the iPad to entertain the kids after school,” explains Olivia. “They were really hooked on technology and being connected all the time.

When they came to stay at the cottages, it was the first time in their life that they put their devices

down. She texted me to say thank you, because the kids actually got outside and were teaching their parents about nature.”

The Scavenger Hunt embodies Olivia’s creativity and love of nature. She hopes it will inspire many more families to get out exploring together. “ Even though we as parents may have spent more time outside when we were growing up, we’ve forgotten how to actually explore and show our kids how to make something out of nothing; how to use things in nature to make a game or an art piece or how to just look at nature as something other than a picture but something that you can be part of, that you can connect with, that you can climb on, that you can explore.”

The Scavenger Hunt was brought to life in collaboration with Nature Play WA, and

launched as one of the 90 trails on the Nature Play WA app. CEO Griffin Longley explains that it’s increasingly challenging to encourage a generation of digital natives to switch off and spend time in the outdoors. “The research shows there is a clear need to help families and kids take the first step out of the house and into nature. The app is a way of facilitating this first step without overwhelming the experience, but it also makes it quite magical with stories and insights on science, history and culture.Very quickly the awe, the excitement and the sensory richness of the experience will take over.”

My daughter’s excitement after finding her first possum on the trail is contagious and we hurry along through the banksia grove, on the hunt for the next hidden treasure.

Visit karridalecottages.com.au.

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR We’re going on a scavenger hunt - and you can expect to find magical views, wildlife in their natural habitat and Indigenous flora along the way.

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Nature & Environment

Do go chasing waterfalls This winter, wrap up and venture into the great outdoors. You’ll be rewarded with an aweinspiring roar from these natural wonders that can be just as relaxing and therapeutic as the toasty fire waiting for you at the end of the day.

By JOANNE MARRIOTT. Images by TOURISM WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND SEAN BLOCKSIDGE.

WATER WORLD Beedelup Falls near Pemberton and right, a winter waterfall in full flow. Right, kayaking waterfalls is a challenge but great fun.

D

on’t go chasing waterfalls” is sound advice for most of the year in the Margaret River region, when your dreams of finding majestic cascades in bountiful flow, will evaporate just as quickly as the hardearned beads of sweat you gleaned from hiking there. But with the winter rain comes the rush of rivers and the awakening of the creeks and valleys of the south west. The parched earth is revived with a hurried flow of water and the little known waterfalls of the region spring to life. So make the most of winter while it’s here, and the unique gifts it bestows upon the landscape. Tread carefully with consideration for

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the environment, and be mindful that many of these waterfalls are sites of cultural significance for the Wardandi people.

River Discovery Company. He regularly treats his guests to a stop here in winter. “You can hear it rumbling away up the Margaret River valley when it’s in full flow - an impressive sight and sound that attracts all the locals, keen to witness the winter spectacle.”

YALGARDUP FALLS

QUINNINUP FALLS

Close to Margaret River,Yalgardup Falls are tucked away at the bottom of Kevill Road, just opposite Waterfall Cottages. The rich tanninstained water approaches gently from upstream, before plunging over the dark, blocky ledge and scurrying away to get lost in a thicket of paperbarks and peppermints. “This is one of the most spectacular and easily accessible waterfalls in the region,” says Sean Blocksidge of Margaret

This tranquil retreat is found tucked away up a little valley, just inland from the Cape to Cape Track. It’s a 2km hike north from the Moses Rock Road car park, along cliff tops shrouded in coastal heath, past a viewpoint and a wooden bridge, until the descent down a steep sand dune towards Quinninup Beach. Just before reaching the beach, you’ll spot trail markers to the right, heading along Quinninup Brook and up to the

Sean Blocksidge of Margaret River Discovery Co’s top tip: Yalgardup Waterfalls on Kevill Road is one of the most spectacular and easily accessible winter waterfalls in the region. You can hear it rumbling away up the Margaret River valley when it’s in full flow. An impressive sight and sound that attracts the locals to see the winter spectacle. I’d always said it was far too dangerous to kayak, with body smashing rocks and good chance of a trip to hospital.

Then one day we watched a professional kayaker go over the falls when it was in peak flow. The bloke nailed it before a rather deflating entanglement in the tea trees. falls. Stick to the path and avoid straying onto the red mud, which is an area of cultural importance to local Indigenous people. The falls come into view as a series of granite steps chiselled into the green bushy ridge. A scramble down the last sandy section, through grassy undergrowth, reveals a hidden sanctuary where the stream cascades down between towers of rock into a magical little pool.

MEEKADARABEE FALLS

Further Afield

Further south along the Cape to Cape Track, Meekadarabee Falls is a relaxing 2km walk along a wheelchair-friendly path from the recently restored Ellensbrook Homestead. Ellen and Alfred Bussell, drawn to the freshwater supply, chose this sheltered site as their home in 1857.

“Around mid-afternoon we crossed a little stream, the beauty of which took my breath away,” wrote Ellen Bussell. “Water cascaded over grotto in a limestone cliff forming a pond that ran back through the floor of the cave, emerging a short distance away to travel to the sea.” The stream trickles from Meekadarabee Cave over moss-covered rock, forming a freshwater spring in a verdant oasis of ferns and peppermint trees.

This is a mystical place, home to the story of two dreamtime spirits and known by Aboriginal people as “the bathing place of the moon”.

BEEDELUP FALLS

IRONSTONE GULLY

An enchanting world of karri trees towers high above Beedelup Brook. An easy stop along the Karri Valley Explorer Drive near Pemberton, there’s a short 300m walk through tranquil forest to reach the falls. The path leads over a suspension bridge to the lookout, where spray erupts and the stream thunders down over granite steps beneath your feet. It carves a fern-fringed course downstream towards the lake at Karri Valley Resort. The Beedelup Falls Loop Walk is a more adventurous 4.5km hike taking in the karri forest, lakeside and Walk-Through-Tree.

It’s a scenic drive along Goodwood Road, through rolling farmland and orchards, past marron and alpaca farms before winding uphill to this peaceful forest reserve between Capel and Donnybrook. It was designated a recreational area for settlers of Capel River back in 1903 and remains a popular picnic site and bush camping area. The stream meanders through jarrah forest, crossing under the road and across a slab of rust-red ironstone before gushing over the rocky step into a pool of moss-covered boulders. It babbles away through long grass past ferns and banksias and tall kangaroo paws, heading into the secluded forest to find the Capel River.

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Active & adventure

Going

AWOL

in paradise

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Open now!

A group of surfers headed to Yallingup in an attempt to avoid conscription to Vietnam.

Tom de Souza tells their fascinating stories.

L

ate 1960s. The Vietnam War is raging to a bloody peak and the horrific details are overshadowing government propaganda. Public sentiment is shifting and a cultural revolution is sweeping across the world.

Peace, love, and happiness are penetrating proud patriotic and subservient traditions. The world’s youth don’t want war. They’re making it known.

It’s around this time that surfing begins to emerge as a bona-fide counter-cultural indicator.

Surfing was emblematic of the revolutionary ideals, and a middle-finger to authority and war.

The two opposing worlds of surfing and war came to a clash in many a young surfer who was conscripted. Some went, others rebelled and sought refuge in Yallingup, a burgeoning surftown in the bush, and as far from war as you could get.

Some of the surfers who escaped to Yallingup still live there today. They’ve graduated from panel vans in the car park to houses, and many have recently retired from respectable careers.

Some even still surf, and remember the great lengths they took to avoid war.

These are their stories.

Ian ‘Mitch’ Mitchell was 19 years old and living in Perth with his parents when his marble came up in the conscript lottery.

“It was literally a marble,” he says. “They had marbles with a number on them in a drum, and if yours came up, you had to go.Well, mine came up.”

Once the initial shock wore off, Mitch wasn’t too concerned. He was adamant he would not go to war, and the alternative punishment of jail didn’t faze him either.

“I just thought, I’m not going. The idea of going off to a jungle in a foreign land and being given a machine gun - shooting other guys and having them shooting me - it was just ridiculous.

I could barely get my stuff together to go for a

surf. Let alone fight a war. So I just thought, well I’ll come down here [to Yallingup].”

Mitch kept putting off his medical examination, but the letters kept arriving in the post. One day a final warning arrived urging him to go in immediately, and Mitch came up with a plan he thought would fool the doctors.

“I just had a surf at Cott Main, and was sitting around at some mates’ house, near the beach. We were choofin’ away, and someone came up with the idea that if you get a whole lot of al-foil and roll it into balls and swallow it, it’ll come up on the x-ray machine and look like you’ve got lung cancer.”

So Mitch rolled up the tin foil, swallowed it, and went in for his medical. But things didn’t work out exactly as he planned.

“In those days the x-ray machine was on a big swinging arm,” he says.

“The radiographer swung it right around under my chin and pushed it up really high. I pulled it down, to my stomach. He goes, ‘what are you bloody doing? Leave it alone.’ I felt like saying, ‘yeah, but all the alfoil is in my stomach, you’re gunna miss it!’ So that didn’t work. Then I went home and had to make sure all the alfoil came out again.”

Fortunately for Mitch he was never called up to fight. A few months after his medical, Gough Whitlam became Prime Minister and abolished conscription. Mitch was free to go surfing.

“Gough Whitlam may not have been the greatest man to run the economy, but he’s the greatest prime minister we’ve ever had as far as I’m concerned.You won’t hear a bad word about him from me,” he says.

With the wisdom of hindsight, Mitch remembers the Vietnam War as an event that divided the community, and says the people he knew who fought returned to a different Australia.

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Active & adventure “They had a terrible time when they came back. They were called murderers. War must be awful. They’re not all bad people and they copped a lot of abuse. A lot of us young guys, it’s a shame we didn’t have more empathy for them.

You went to war and you were a mongrel.

“It was kind of like us and them. We were

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young and idealistic and it took me a while to realise that they weren’t bad guys, they just thought they were doing the right thing.”

While Mitch managed to avoid the army, Pete de Bruin wasn’t so lucky. Bruno, as his mates call him, was turning 20 years old in June, 1972, when he was called up for the July intake.

He debated dodging the draft but was convinced to “do the right thing” by his parents, whom Bruno respected. He was about to get on the plane to Puckapunyal, a training barracks in Victoria, when he changed his mind. But by then it was too late.

“We got to the airport early, and I knew then and there I was not going. I was going to go straight out. Taxi home, pack some clothes, grab a board, ring a friend, and, you know, pick

me up down the back lane, and I’ll hitch down south. Lo and behold, I’m heading straight out the door, and my mother and father walk in the door of the airport to say goodbye,” he says.

Bruno’s parents convinced him to go, but as soon as Bruno got to the Puckapunyal barracks he knew he had made a mistake.

“It was a huge shock,” he says. “We got kitted out with uniforms, they were barking orders at us and giving us lectures on rifles and guns, and I’m not into that. I’m not into rifles, I’m not into weapons. I’m a lover, not a fighter. I wanted out of there.”

Bruno planned to climb over the fence. But the barracks were out bush and Bruno had been brought in in the dark. Sentries guarded the gravel and barbed wire perimeter. Too afraid to escape, Bruno was forced to make another plan.

“I planned to feign a fit,” he says.

“Hyperventilate and wriggle around. So the second night I did this jiggle and a wriggle. We were in a lecture. There were 40 or 50 people there – the corporal and the sergeant too - but I didn’t care. I wanted to get out of there.”

Bruno’s superiors knew he was faking it, and the next day he was sent down to the medical

centre and given a bottle of Valium to calm his ‘anxiety’. But as Bruno was on his way out, the desk sergeant told him something that inexorably determined his plan.

“He said to me, ‘you wanna get out of the army, don’t you mate.’

And I just told him. ‘yeah, I do’. He said, ‘I’m a conscript too, I know how you feel. Just keep doing what you’re doing. The last intake, there was a recruit who said he had fits, and they didn’t believe him. He was in a bunker with three recruits and the corporal. He pulled the pin on a grenade, dropped the grenade, went into a fit and killed them all.

Keep doing what you’re doing. They won’t take the risk.’”

When Bruno woke up the following morning he told two of his mates he was getting out of the army today. They laughed at him.

Later that day, he ate the entire bottle of Valium and feigned another seizure while marching. This time, his plan worked.

“I did the whole hyper-ventilation thing, lay on the floor and really got myself red in the face. This time they believed me. They carted me off to the medical centre, and the funny part of it was, the two guys I told were the ones who had to chair-lift me down there.”

Bruno was relieved from active duties and sat out the remainder of his time in the medical corps, until the war finished. He later travelled to New Zealand and Europe, where he surfed with Mitch, before eventually realising his dream of settling in Yallingup.

A few years earlier, in 1967, Barry Young avoided conscription because of the board bumps on his knees. He was in South Australia when he got called up, and planned to make the most of his last six months of surfing freedom by travelling to Western Australia.

“I knew WA had good lefts - I’m a goofy footer - so I quit my job and headed over,” he says.

“I came over and lived here for six months out of a car, a panel van, in the Yallingup car park. And then had to go for my medical in Bunbury.”

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WE GOT KITTED OUT WITH UNIFORMS, THEY WERE BARKING ORDERS AT US . . . I'M NOT INTO RIFLES, I'M NOT INTO WEAPONS. I'M A LOVER, NOT A FIGHTER. “In the course of the medical, I stripped down to have my physical examination, and they noticed these board bumps on my knees and feet – in those days we were riding malibus, which you had to knee paddle, so I developed these big mounds, callous kind of things. The doctor knew if I didn’t surf they would slowly go away. He asked me if I wanted to go in. I said, ‘mate, I’ve never shot a rabbit. I don’t want to go in the army, I’m a surfer’. So he signed a paper and I didn’t have to go in. I got out with board bumps.

“I dodged a bullet.”

Barry has lived in Yallingup ever since, and is still an avid surfer.

He’s since worked as an agent for surfing corporation Quiksilver and won a couple of Aussie titles, and says he wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Surfing has been my life all the way through,” he says.

“I’ve lived the dream.”

Yallingup’s surfing history is memorialised in the WA Surf Gallery, at Aravina Winery.

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Highs & lows TWO UNIQUE ADVENTURES AWAIT IN YOUR MARGARET RIVER REGION, BOTH PERFECTLY SUITED TO WINTRY DAYS. ZIP LINE THROUGH THE WORLD’S LAST REMAINING TUART FOREST OR TAKE AN ADVENTURE TOUR THROUGH NGILGI CAVE AND SEE THE CRYSTALS EVERYONE ELSE MISSES.

BY LIZZY PEPPER. IMAGES BY TIM CAMPBELL PHOTOGRAHY.

ADVENTURES HIGH Fancy flying through the forest on an exhilarating zipline, unicycling between trees or climbing a swaying, suspended totem pole ladder where the reward for your nail-biting 18-metre ascent is nine awesome zip lines? Calling all adrenaline junkies, you’re going to love this natural high.

Forest Adventures South West is a brilliant allweather adventure, and rain just adds to the fun.

Experts are on hand to help you master the safety equipment and deal with any nerves. The equipment is superb – a double carabiner safety system ensures you’re 100% secure.

It’s not all dizzying heights, and with six courses to choose from, there are family friendly courses with fun obstacles such as the crawl-through

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lobster traps suspended metres above the ground and the snowboard that flies between trees.

Adventure seekers can challenge themselves on courses 5 and 6. Beat the climbing wall record time, swing across a void onto a cargo net, then the only thing between you and terra firma is a BASE jump. It’s a free fall at first, then the magic system kicks in and gently lowers you to the ground. The anticipation and the first fraction of a second of falling will have your heart in your mouth, then you’re fine. It’s time to test those nerves.

Great for kids aged 7+ and taller than 110cm.

Forest Adventures South West, 12 Ludlow Park Road, Busselton. Bookings recommende.Visit forestadventures.com.au

art | food | wine

ADVENTURES LOW There’s no room to lift your knees when you’re commando crawling down Ngilgi Cave’s ancient river bed. Instead, clamp your mouth shut to avoid a gob full of vivid orange sand and use your toes to propel yourself forward.

This is the deepest part of the million-year-old Ngilgi Cave, 45 metres below ground. Shayne, our guide, talked about the cave’s history and formation, and we switched off our torches to experience mind-bending darkness.The sort of darkness that makes you imagine you can see things.

It’s a two-hour exploration of the deepest

parts of the cave, where you’ll climb and crawl past pristine dogtooth crystal, hollow glass-like straws and creamy flowstone that people on the regular boardwalk tour miss completely.

There are over 100 caves beneath the Leeuwin-Naturaliste ridge, created when water hollowed out the limestone rock a million years ago. Sparkling calcite crystal formations began decorating these caves around 500,000 years ago.

Suitable for adults and kids aged 10+ Ngilgi Cave, 76 Yallingup Caves Road,Yallingup Bookings essential.Visit margaretriverattractions.com/ caves/ngilgi-cave/ C

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MONKEY AROUND

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Next Level Monkey Business is the newest attraction for those keen to stretch the whole family's zipline and rope course skills. Founded by Paul and Ali Martin, who ran famed eatery Squidlips, have created a familyfriendly destination next to Clancy's Fish Pub in Dunsborough. There's also a nature playground and kiosk.

Visit nextlevelmonkeybiz.com.au

GALLERY | Open 10am daily (closed Tuesdays) T 08 9756 6371 W www.thestudiogallery.com.au BISTRO | Lunch Thursday - Monday Dinner Saturday T 08 9756 6164 W www.thestudiobistro.com.au | WINTER 2019 75 7 Marrinup Drive, Yallingup, 6282

margaretriver.com

Active & adventure

DEAR DAD Father’s Day is on September 1 this year, which means you’ve got all winter to find the perfect present. Jennifer Morton finds the best experience gifts to get dad out and about.

November from Busselton or Dunsborough.

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ather’s Day isn’t the only time to spoil Dad, but it’s the best time. This year, swap the socks, jocks, and ties for experiences that will stay in his memory for years to come. The Margaret River region is teeming with fantastic adventures, delicious meals out, laid-back boozy afternoons, and family-themed outings that will take Dad out of his comfort zone or let him relax into a new one.

WINE TASTING Dads with discerning tastes will relish the chance to sample the region’s most excellent wines.

Book him in for a wine tour with Cheers Wine Tours for a day of tasting and mingling with like-minded wine lovers, topped off with a gourmet lunch at an iconic winery.

BREWERY LUNCH

COASTAL BREAKFAST It’s hard to find a dad who doesn’t love a good feed of bacon, eggs, pancakes, waffles, and coffee in the morning. Luckily, the region has heaps of breakfast spots to take dear dad on Father’s Day morning. Other coastal options include White Elephant Beach Cafe in Gnarabup and The Goose in Busselton.

Both serve up delicious breakfast eats and fantastic sea views.

TAKE A FLIGHT Give Dad the thrill of seeing Geographe Bay from 5,000 feet above sea level. Tiger Moth Adventure Flights offers aerobatic plane rides over the bay that will have your father

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experiencing flips, barrel rolls, and deep dives in an open cockpit tiger moth bi-plane.When you’re after an adrenaline rush for him, look no further.

WHALE WATCHING Just in time for Father’s Day is the southern migration of humpback whales (from September) and blue whales (from October).

Witnessing the whales trek south to Antarctica is a perfect family day out. Surprise Dad with a gift voucher from Naturaliste Charters for a whale watching cruise between September and

If Dad likes a cold one, there are many options to give the gift of local craft beer.Take him on a DIY beer tour to sample the best brews of the region.

Think Wild Hop Brewing Co, Caves Road Collective, Cheeky Monkey, Settlers Tavern, The Beer Farm, and throw in a tasty lunch of wood-fired pizza at Eagle Bay Brewing.

HEAD TO THE TREES Possibly one of the region’s most family-centric adventure zone, Next Level Monkey Business in Dunsborough. Dad will feel like a kid again as the whole family spends two hours monkeying around on adrenaline-pumping ropes course.

Located on beautiful natural bushland adjacent to Clancy’s Fish Pub, you can head next door for a reward lunch afterwards.

DID YOU KNOW . . .

ON THE GREEN Dad’s big day happens to fall on the first day of spring, and with a little luck, the sun will shine.

Golfing fathers will love a day on the green at the Margaret River Golf Course. The par-72 course makes for a fantastic Father’s Day doing something active and enjoyable.

ART ATTACK The Margaret River region is blessed with many talented artists who have their wares on display in galleries, studios, cafes, and restaurants. Take Dad for a stroll along Yallingup’s art trail with a lunch stop at The Studio Bistro where fine art and gourmet meals meet.

BUNKERS BEACH HOUSE were delighted to host the host the MasterChef Australia judges for lunch in beautiful Bunker Bay recently. Matt Preston and his companions tucked into the new menu additions of octopus with XO (which Matt declared to be so “insanely good” they immediately reordered) followed by a mouth-watering and delicious deconstructed cheesecake. If you’re bringing Dad along, there’s always something new cooking in the Bunkers’ kitchen. Look out for even more seasonal, locally sourced dishes coming soon. Situated right on the beach, with ocean views, the restaurant is open for breakfast from 8.30am to 11am and lunch from midday to 3pm Thursday to Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday).

Visit www.bunkersbeachhouse.com.au for more information.

SWEET TREATS If your pa has a sweet tooth, then he'll be in heaven during a visit to the Margaret River region. Make sure you drop by Bettenay Wines and Margaret River Nougat Company they've recently surveyed what their top nougat picks are and the flavour combinations will blow your mind. Pop into the Cellar Door and sample some of their delicious nougat and while you're there, enjoy a glass of your favourite wine or liqueur. If chocolate’s more his thing, why not pop a box of the Margaret River Chocolate Company’s new drinking chocolate? The new flavours include After Dinner Mint, White Chocolate Malt, No Added Sugar and Aztec Spices, as well as a revamped Smooth Original.

The Aztec-inspired take on the new range is also said to give amazing health benefits lucky Dad. For location and contact information for all of the above, visit margaretriver.com

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5 STAR WINERY JAMES HALLIDAY - AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION 2019

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Art & wellbeing

local hero

IAN BENISTON

The Original Potter BIG WAVES LURED POTTER IAN BENISTON TO MARGARET RIVER AND THE MAN BEHIND SENSEI POTS IS HAPPY DOING WHAT HE LOVES.

BY DIANNE BORTOLETTO.

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f you’ve dined at Vasse Felix or Yarri restaurants, then you would’ve eaten off the creations of master potter Ian Beniston. He hand crafted every piece of stoneware in those restaurants from his Yallingup studio, Sensei Pots.

Sensei means ‘master’ in Japanese and Sensei Pots is a tribute to the Japanese Masters, considered to be some of the best potters in the world.

Over a 30-year career, Ian has been commissioned to make everything from artworks and sculptural pieces to functional tableware.

His work has a distinct Japanese aesthetic, a fusion of East meets West and of classic pottery and ceramic art.

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“I’ve worked hard over many years to master the art of a few Japanese glazes which are considered difficult in the ceramic industry,” says the 53-year-old.

“I really like the way the Japanese do things. They let the art form come through without overdoing it, they seek perfection in imperfection, letting nature have a role in how the artwork forms, the way the glazes work and the clay flows.”

He is renowned for creating lustrous copper red glazes known as ‘ox blood’ or ‘sang de bouef ’, which are among the most beautiful glazes in the ceramics world and incredibly

difficult to perfect.

Ian is also known for producing decorative art pieces and sophisticated functional pottery.

“I enjoy making everything from tableware to art. I like the production side as well as the creative side for the art pieces, which provides a good balance for a potter. It allows you to really hone your knowledge of raw materials, to take

highly developed skills and let the creativity run.

“It’s always about high quality, nice curves, good form and a beautiful finish.”

While this master craftsman has had many requests, he’s never taken on an apprentice.

“I have thought about it, and believe me, I’ve had plenty of people ask. I’ve had that many bearded guys with top knots walk in asking me to teach them the art of pottery. Thanks to the hipsters and the foodies, there’s a resurgence of handmade products, which is great,” Ian says.

“It wasn’t always the case. In the naughties (2000s), being a potter was like being in the desert. I kept potting but it was hard to make a living out of it full time, so I did what I had to do to pay the mortgage and the bills, labouring, laying bricks, mixing mud, that sort of thing.”

Originally from New Zealand, Ian says he was chasing waves as a 21-year-old and hitchhiked across the Nullarbor in 1986 with nothing more than $100 in his pocket.

“I could see that tourism in Margaret River was growing, so that’s when I started pottery here, originally supplying the local art galleries."

Ian’s first job as a 17-year-old back in New Zealand was for a potter wedging clay, where he quickly developed his feel for the mud, spending hours watching his employer at the wheel.

“When I first started working in Margaret River, there were seven potters in the region

but many fell by the wayside in the 2000s when glass was in vogue and pottery wasn’t.

Now there’s just a few of us.”

Ian has a beautiful studio where visitors can view the gallery, purchase a piece or two and watch Ian at work in his studio through a window.

“My wife jokes when I’m working - don’t poke the grumpy potter!"

Ian’s customers are as varied as his pieces, from Perth locals to international visitors.

“I just sent a pot to Canada and I’m sending another one to New York, New York,” Ian says.

“People buy a range of domestic ware and art pieces. My domestic ware is a bit of artform as well, I believe that everyday ware should be beautiful and you should love using it. Best of all, it’s really hard-wearing, especially the porcelaneous stoneware,” Ian says.

Ian’s passion for ceramics is evident and his passion for surfing hasn’t waned.

“I still surf as often as I can, I surf every week, sometimes two or three times a week. I have three sons who surf, so it’s a great excuse to take them to the beach,” Ian says.

“As long as I can make pots and go surfing, I’m a happy man.”

SENSEI POTS – Studio & Gallery 17 Huntington Court, Quedjinup,Yallingup Ph 08 9756 6666 For opening hours visit senseipots.com.au

Did you know: There’s two basic sorts of pottery: earthenware which is fired terracotta between 1,000 and 1,100 degrees, and stoneware which is fired to 1,300 degrees. Porcelain is fired to the same temperatures as stoneware.

www.bluemannabistro.com.au facebook.com/BlueMannaBistro 1/16 Cyrillean Way, Dunsborough 08 9786 5051 margaretriver.com

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Art & wellbeing

Art’s heart of the region Boranup Gallery’s reputation for excellence has been 30 years in the making. Janine Pittaway reports.

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raftsmanship is something that can easily be taken for granted. It’s a word we throw around, but the skills and time required to create furniture, artwork and beautiful design are becoming rarer in our age of flat-pack furniture, online shopping and instant gratification.

For 30 years, James Howieson has thrown his passion into creating stunning furniture from timber collected in and around his workshop and gallery in the breathtakingly beautiful forest of Boranup, 21 kilometres south of Margaret River.

Boranup Gallery has grown to become an institution and a must-visit attraction in the region over three decades, but It hasn’t been all plain sailing for James and his wife Anne.

In 1989, with just a tent, a single shed as a workshop, a freshly-dug dam and generator,

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they started to build their rammed-earth gallery.

James’ vision included a towering cathedral roof which he made from demolition wool store jarrah. He built a workshop from salvaged timbers, and once complete he had a place to make the gallery’s window and door frames.

The gallery opened in December 1989 in time for Christmas, and, as it turned out, building the gallery was the easy part.

Construction followed a struggle with the Shire to gain approval for the gallery, as they deemed it ‘too isolated’ for a workplace, divided from main roads by a national park.

“It was such an unknown,” James said. “Will it work, can we get through the appeals process, the time it took to find the loopholes to get it approved. The Shire originally said it would

never work but we found a track alongside the original Caves Road which was gazette as a road as it was a road reserve for Caves Road.

“I spent $40,000 to bituminise it and eventually they couldn’t knock us back.”

The Boranup Gallery was used to showcase James’ stunning collection of fine timber furniture, as well as original paintings, sculpture, jewellery, ceramics and glass by more than 100 talented artists from the region and from across Australia.

It’s most certainly been a driver in Margaret River achieving a reputation as a destination for art lovers, which continues to strengthen to this day.

James quickly gained a list of discerning clients who ordered multiple handcrafted jarrah, marri, sheoak, and blackbutt fine furniture pieces that have been shipped around the world, and most of it was achieved through word of mouth.

While the furniture orders don’t necessarily come in as fast now as they did in the mining boom era, James’ passion hasn’t ebbed and he is still

hands-on in the workshop and on the floor, working seven days to keep producing stunning bedroom, dining room, office and kitchen furniture.

Visitors continue to be impressed by the detail and beauty of his pieces in the gallery.

“People are gobsmacked by what we do,” James said. “We get a huge volume of travellers through – international visitors, wedding guests, interstate tourists … I get told half a dozen times a week it’s the best gallery they’ve seen.We get great support from local tour operators and accommodation providers too who send visitors to us.

“What we do can’t be done anywhere else.

Fine timber is hard to come by elsewhere in the world. We’ve invested in our raw materials and collected it locally and stored it for the past 30 years. I’m still able to make single slab dining tables, which blows people away.”

There’s gorgeous giftware and souvenirs, including burl gift boxes, cutting boards, placemats and small pieces handcrafted by James in the workshop.

Boranup Gallery is complemented by Café Boranup, which, combined, create a gorgeous morning or afternoon out in the forest. Café Boranup serves hearty breakfasts, gourmet lunches and delicious homemade treats.

Let’s hope West Australians and visitors to the region continue to treasure and support the amazing timber and craftsmanship we have on our forest doorstep to ensure it will be a part of our lives for another 30 years.

Find Boranup Gallery at 7981 Caves Road, Margaret River, open 10am to 4pm daily, and check out James and the gallery’s latest work on Facebook and Instagram or visit the website at boranupgallery.com.

DELICIOUS SEASONAL BREAKFAST & LUNCH MENUS ABSOLUTE BEACHFRONT DINING

MEN OF WOOD James Howieson has been creating beautiful fine timber furniture for 30 years. His Boranup Gallery is a must-visit destination in the region.

Book now at

margaretriver.com | WINTER 2019 81 8284 | 08 9756 BUNKERSBEACHHOUSE.COM.AU FARM BREAK LANE, BUNKER BAY, WA 6281

Art & wellbeing

LAND OF THE SALT WATER PEOPLE

With unity comes community - or so says Iszaac Webb, cultural custodian from the Undalup Association Inc.

By MIA LACY. Images by MIA LACY AND WENDY SLEE.

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I

n front of us are well-known features of the coast at Castle Rock: ochre coloured cliffs rising from brilliant blue seas and seabirds circling overhead. However Iszaac Webb is describing a Castle Rock none of us are familiar with: the songlines of the Country – the Boodja – that his people have recited for generations.

“Everything is written into the land by songlines. Our ancestors’ stories tell us how to manage our country,” he says, and goes on to recite the names of the hills and valleys, describing the point where the salmon always run before telling us of Wadan, the great spirit of the sea the Wadandi people of the Margaret River region respect and are named for.

Iszaac (Zac), a cultural custodian, is one of the knowledge keepers from the Undalup

Association Inc., a not-for-profit undertaking cultural community events, projects and workshops. As chairperson, Zac is busy preparing for this year’s NAIDOC Week.

“It’s a time of unity where everyone can learn about our culture as well as strengthening spiritual and social well-being within our community.

Without unity, you don’t get community.”

NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) Week celebrates history, culture and achievements and this year the cultural components of the festival will centre around the 2019 theme - Voice. Treaty.

Truth. Let’s work together for a shared future.

Undalup is the Wadandi word for Busselton and derives from a great Wadandi warrior called Undal. The Association’s NAIDOC program of

Stay at

cultural workshops and events will take place at the Youth & Community Centre Building, 47 Bussell Highway, Busselton, and is sponsored by Act-Belong-Commit.

Zac agrees the belonging to community aspect of NAIDOC Week is a significant benefit.

“As well as reaching out to our own people and the wider Margaret River community, it is a way for visitors to interact with our culture and, for a brief time, feel connected to Nala Boodja – our Country. We have excellent presenters drawn from our traditional owners and elders who we recognise as having CCCC – Continuous Cultural Connection to Country – and who express our history and heritage through a program of workshops and exhibitions featuring art, bushfoods and medicines, cultural weaving and dance, family wellbeing and sports.”

At the heart of the program, there is food.

“We are featuring a Makaru menu at our popular Bushfood Café – Makuru is the name of the Wadandi calendar season of the months of June and July. Our chef ’s emu pies and kangaroo sausage rolls are said to be the best in the south west. We have a plant and tree workshop which is all about understanding how everything is connected – we talk about the singing and how the Boodja links all its parts together. Our program wraps up with fantastic sports games for youth and a hip hop dance and acrobatic workshop with children.Visitors can book our adult workshops and book children into theirs – we always ensure we have complimentary age activities in our program. The workshops and activities are all free – all you pay for is the delicious food at our café.”

The final day of the program will see all the children display their new talents in a performance during the Family Fun Day. NAIDOC Week, July 9 to 13,Youth & Community Centre Building, 47 Bussell Highway, Busselton.

Contact: Festival Director Rachelle Cousins 0437782840. Visit undalup.com for more information.

SUMMERSTAR TOURIST PARKS in the heart of Margaret River RIVERVIEW TOURIST PARK

MARGARET RIVER TOURIST PARK RIVERVIEW TOURIST PARK

(1km from town centre)

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RICH HERITAGE NAIDOC Week in July is a great opportunity to learn more about the Indigenous people of the region.

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MARGARET RIVER TOURIST PARK

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TO BOOK YOUR STAY visit www.summerstar.com.au and receive a 5% direct booking discount.

MARGARET RIVER TOURIST PARK 44 Station Rd, Margaret River | Ph 9757 2180 info@margaretrivertouristpark.com.au

RIVERVIEW TOURIST2019 PARK 83 margaretriver.com | WINTER 8 Willmott Ave, Margaret River | Ph 9757 2270 info@riverviewtouristpark.com.au

Art & wellbeing

Silver screen legends

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indfulness is a great thing, but I didn’t need any prompting to be present and grateful the day I sat in the audience at the CinefestOZ Jury Lunch at Amelia Park listening to director extraordinaire and Oscar-winner Scott Hicks. I was rapt – like everyone else – with the perfect blend of cuisine and fine wines, talent, creativity, and passion that seems to run in the very veins of everyone who comes to this luscious film carnival.

The largest destination film festival in Australia not only packs a punch but consistently hits above its weight. When an event – itself created to bestow glittering prizes - attracts two of the highest awards from Australia’s tourism industry, its quality is assured. This year, the excellence of CinefestOZ’s delivery model and its maturity was recognised at the Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards by Gold in the Festivals and

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CINEFESTOZ, THE LARGEST DESTINATION FILM FESTIVAL IN AUSTRALIA, IS BACK FOR ANOTHER JAM-PACKED YEAR OF PREMIERS AND STAR-STUDDED EVENTS.

BY MIA LACY. IMAGES BY CINEFESTOZ.

Events category, followed by Silver at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.

Festival CEO, Malinda Nixon, remembers its inception in 2008.

“We’ve grown from a community event in Busselton attracting 1,800 attendances to almost 29,000 guests last year. In August 2019, CinefestOZ will feature over 200 exciting screenings and film-related event options spread across more than 30 venues. We always have an incredible line-up of films and this year

CinefestOZ is a massive collaboration between the Margaret River region community, the Western Australian State Government’s Regional Events Program long-term corporate partners Rio Tinto and Screenwest. City of Busselton is a much-valued Premium Partner, along with The West Australian.

In Busselton/Margaret River, Major Partners include Forester Estate, Shire of Augusta Margaret River, South West Development Commission. Special thanks to the CinefestOZ Movie Crew, Orana Cinemas, Your Margaret River Region, Eagle Bay Brewing Co, Busselton Toyota, Supper Road, CQ University, Busselton Boulevard, Leeuwin Civil, WAN Regional (Times) Newspaper Group.

How to CinefestOZ August 28 to - September 1 Browsing this year’s festival program and grabbing tickets is easy.

Early Bird Tix on sale July 5.

Film Prize screenings and events, lunches and cosy short film screenings - some of the festival’s most popular events are on sale early.

Full Program from July 26 The full program hits!

Head online or visit your local Visitor Centre to get the full program of events.

Visit cinefestoz.com Stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram or sign up for news.

should be very strong, based on the number of Australian films produced recently.”

Cinephiles and gourmet travellers are both satiated with the format of this festival because organisers have successfully placed a dual focus on destination experiences and film-related activities. At CinefestOZ, you can glam up for a red carpet premier screening of a much anticipated Australian film - complete with real film stars – then bus out the following day to a degustation lunch in one of Margaret River’s finest wineries. Here, the festival’s In Conversation format gives you the most delicious behind-the-scenes experience with contributions by a panel of the film’s director/ producer/actors matched with the ambience of world class wine and cuisine.

One astounding feat is how the festival manages to embrace the entire Margaret River region.

“CinefestOZ happens in 35 venues across Busselton, Dunsborough, Eagle Bay,Yallingup and Augusta. We know the key to the festival’s success is the belief and acceptance of it by the south west region, its people, volunteers, businesses and venues. It’s quite unique! And importantly, the choice of place and venues matches the diversity of our audience. We attract

people of differing age, gender and interests.

Some like to immerse themselves in general screenings, some like the cosy short film Side Bar events in bars and restaurants and others love the premiere events and parties.”

Busselton has its very own Walk of Fame where Australian film icons and CinefestOZ attendees like Jack Thompson, Hugo Weaving, Bryan Brown, Joel Edgerton and Jacqueline McKenzie have been immortalised with their SLick (Screen Legend brick) outside Orana Cinemas.

Last year’s Screen Legend and jury chair was Sigrid Thornton of The Man From Snowy River, and Sea Change fame. Like all previous festival guests, she has become a powerful advocate.

“I’d been trying to get to CinefestOZ for a long, long, time. Film industry colleagues told me ‘you have to come down’, so there’s a reputation here like no other. And it has the richest film prize in the country; $100,000 to the filmmakers, which is quite extraordinary. It is a really serious film festival with a lot of breadth and depth – the Indigenous film program; IndigifestOZ, plus a student program – all wrapped around the very close and warm community."

This year, CinefestOZ will launch internationally in Singapore on August 22 at the

STARS ALIGN Sigrid Thornton was the Screen Legend at last year's CinefestOZ and this year is expected to be attract even more audiences to the richest film prize in Australia.

Margaret River on Tour event, with MRBTA and the Margaret River Wine Association and Australia's South West. It is an exciting step for the festival, directly targeting international audiences to visit the beautiful Margaret River region.

Getting there is half the fun Kick back, relax and explore the scenic Margaret River region on one of our luxury road coaches.

Leave your car at home and enjoy WA’s stunning South West with Transwa instead. You get to unwind and enjoy the scenery while we do the driving.

Our five-star road coaches are fully accessible and air conditioned, with on board entertainment, USB ports and toilet facilities.

We travel between Margaret River and Perth 12 times a week, and offer a variety of concession discounts.

Plan your journey by visiting transwa.wa.gov.au or call 1300 662 205.

Bringing WA closer

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Art & wellbeing

Capturing nostalgia Local screenprinter Caroline Juniper has found a formula for sweet success.

By MIA LACY. Images by CAROLINE JUNIPER.

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aroline Juniper’s roots in Margaret River run deep.Very deep. She touches the edge of a newly minted screenprint she is showing me. It’s a familiar coastal scene; flowering shrubs framing the edge of green butting up to the dramatic beach. I ask if it is near Gracetown.

“Yes, and it’s Juniper Road – named after my family,” Caroline smiles. “This was a very special

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commission. It is going to be the cover of my uncle Richard Rossiter’s book, Refuge. It’s a story all about the region we call home.”

Caroline comes from a family of artisans.

Her father, Geoff Juniper, was the first man to start making furniture professionally in Margaret River in the 1970s. He often incorporated his original trade, blacksmithing, into his furniture as well as creating stand-alone pieces. His brother – Caroline’s uncle – was Robert Juniper AO, a famous WA artist who, among many distinctions, designed the coat of arms for the Commonwealth Law Courts in Perth.

“Margaret River was a creative hub then and it still is now. My mother has just written a memoir and the stories are amazing. It’s a social

history, and it will be launched this year.”

I am curious to know what Caroline thinks defines the Margaret River region.

“I was born in Margaret River, and I think the essence is in its light and the colour. To me, it’s best described as nostalgia – that’s the vibe I connect with and I think my clients do too.”

Since 1999, Caroline has divided her time between creating her own works and teaching art at Margaret River Senior High School. She is a very accomplished artist, and discovered a love of creating screen prints early in her career.

“I finished a Bachelor’s in Art and was attracted to screen printing because to me it was the right technique to deliver both the vivid colour and the light. I learnt the technique at university from a print maker and simply latched on to it.”

“I’m inspired by the works of Henri Matisse and a Polish painter named Charles Sovek.

I work from a photo. I’ll see a composition somewhere and snap it. Often, it can be quite a drab photograph and I’ll make it happy. I suppose I see a brighter version, and that’s what I create.”

An artist friend once called Caroline a colourist, and she says it’s quite an apt description.

“I love colour and mix all my colours myself.

Screen printing uses one screen with a drawing underneath. I place colours one on top of each other and I block the screen out after each one.

You have 15 pieces of paper, say, if you are doing an edition of 15 prints. Once the paper is all locked in, you apply the first colour - usually the lightest colour - and you screen that 15 times, then clean the screen with water and do the next colour, placing the drawing underneath. Repeat, repeat! It takes around four days to do 15 colours

onto an edition of 15 prints.

Caroline is inspired by the historical vignettes she spies scattered on the outskirts of Margaret River’s

townships. One of her popular prints, St Margaret’s, Station Road, was commissioned to celebrate stories of the region’s Scottish migrants. “It was a lovely idea by a good friend of mine,” Caroline explains.

“Twelve female artists created a print to celebrate the south west’s Scottish migrants. The exhibition was called The Tartan Fleck and my work was the launching print of the exhibition.

There’s actually a sister St Margaret chapel in Edinburgh Castle.”

For Caroline’s artworks, visit facebook.com/ CarolineJuniperScreenPrints/ Refuge by Richard Rossiter launches at the Margaret River Bookshop on July 11.

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Art & wellbeing

STRIKING A CHORD Brooke Evans-Butler talks to the musicians who helped promote tourism in the region with the latest video campaign by the Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association.

T

he Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association (MRBTA) recently released five new promotional videos as part of their Rediscover campaign. To be played at visitor centres around the region, the videos are striking – showcasing the beauty, as well as the vibrant life, of the region.

On watching the videos, it is not only the visual aspects that stand out – each of the videos feature amazing music, from local West Australian artists. We talk to the artists featured about the campaign, their music and what they love about the south west region.

REDISCOVER DUNSBOROUGH AND YALLINGUP The Rediscover Dunsborough and Yallingup video features the upbeat song Love Not Yet by Leah Miche.

“I recorded the song in 2008 with my band of the time Miche Suite, so it is quite an old track,” says Leah. “The band isn’t together anymore but when we were, we toured a lot in the south west. The song has a pretty uplifting vibe – lyrically it references imagery of coastal locations and sailing seas, so it is fits quite well to promote the area.”

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The fact the song is being used in a campaign to promote Dunsborough, is quite a coincidence, given Leah’s own love story.

“I wrote that song before I met my partner,” Leah recalls. “The song was about a love I hadn’t found and then I met him! He was living in Dunsborough at the time, and nowadays we travel there together with our little family.”

Leah says she loves the Margaret River region.

“I have spent a lot of time in Yallingup, and camping at Geographe Bay and Margaret River, the townships are also great to visit and spend time with friends; we love that coastal holiday vibe.”

She hopes to rediscover more of the region, along with her current band, Fourth State. “We would love to book some shows in the south west in the future,” she says.

REDISCOVER AUGUSTA For musician Josh Garner, having his music featured in the campaign was a wonderful alignment.

“I’m yet to release much music online as I’m still enjoying the creative processes; so when my song Feels Good was requested for the Rediscover Augusta campaign, I decided it was time I started sharing and expanding my

musical endeavours,” he says. “The song itself is about WA, with some other inspirations gathered from my travels through Africa and abroad.

But the essence of the song is about living in a potential utopian environment: “Where the desert meets the sea”. So I guess that fits our southern coastlines nicely. There’s some natural reverb throughout the track that gives a friendly coastal tone to the music and, like all film, the music must encourage the vision being portrayed. I’m very happy to help bring light to the beauty of our regional coastal towns and the nature that surrounds it, as that’s where I’ve spent the majority of my life; bouncing around WA, enjoying the fresh air, amazing waves, food and wine and all the unique people.”

A keen surfer, Josh says he loves the stretch of land between Margaret River and Augusta.

“The karri forest is incredible, and the beaches at Boranup are a lot of fun,” he says. “As for the waves, I enjoy surf spots like The Box in Margaret River, Mitchell’s Wedge, and some other fun breaks between Yallingup and Margaret River.

Augusta has this wild wave called Water Wheel, which I’ve surfed a couple of times. It’s rugged and exciting right near the lighthouse. It’s a powerful place, with a very healing energy. I hope

I’m still riding these waves into my old age and I hope the dolphins and whales keep visiting these locations. Nature seems to be thriving around these parts and I really hope it stays that way.”

REDISCOVER MARGARET RIVER The Rediscover Margaret River video features the song Better Days by The Meltdown.

Musician Simon Burke says Better Days was the first single the band released. “It’s a song about change and that good things can be just around the corner, even if it feels like there’s a bit of darkness around,” he says.

According to Simon, The Meltdown’s music is a good fit for the campaign. “I love the Margaret River region and we’d like to think our music is well suited for travelling and being

on the road,” he says. “I can’t go past the surf, the coastline and the deep blue skies, but also the people and the food.”

REDISCOVER BUSSELTON Featured in the Rediscover Busselton video is San Cisco’s song Metaphor. Looking at San Cisco’s songs, the band was a clear choice to be included in the Rediscover campaigns – their earlier album name Gracetown, shows their fondness of the region.

San Cisco’s Jodi Davieson says he doesn’t get to the south west as much as he would like. “But when I have time I’m pretty keen to get down there,” he says.

Jordi says he loves the ocean most about the region and when asked about anything he has ‘rediscovered’ in the region, he is cheekily elusive. “A few secret spots I haven’t been to in some time,” he says.

To view the Rediscover, videos visit margaretriver.com

margaretriver.com

THE BEST DAYS The musicians behind the Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association's new ReDiscover video campaign bring something special to each clip.

Scan to watch:

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21st birthday. The family has raised close to $100,000 in the past two years and continue to be active fundraisers.

“In 2016, I walked from Byford (Perth) to Augusta and raised $40,000,” Keith says. “It took me twelve days and fourteen pubs. The last leg to Augusta was wonderful, there must’ve been 30 people walking with me.”

“I’m going to keep doing that last leg every year as a fundraiser for Fallon’s Fund – it’s about fifteen kilometres.”

YOUR MARGARET RIVER REGION HAS RECENTLY Originally from Armadale, sheep country, the Munday’s moved to Augusta about three years ago.

PRODUCED A NEW TOURISM VIDEO ON AUGUSTA. “I love the people in Augusta, there’s not one THE END RESULT IS INSPIRATIONAL TO that SAY THE LEAST. person I’ve met from Augusta I wouldn’t invite to dinner,” he says. “Like our neighbours at

By SOPHIE MATHEWSON Main image RUSSELL ORD Boogaloo – we work closely with them to give our guests the best experience we can.”

Visit kuiparks.com.au/parks/munday-camp-ground

discover BUSSELTON

YOGA ON THE LAWN IN YALLINGUP Historic Caves House in Yallingup is making the most of its stunning garden and lush lawns by offering outdoor yoga Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8am. Find your flow in natural surrounds followed by a two minute walk for a surf or a refreshing dip in the Indian Ocean sounds like the perfect way to start the day.

Entry is $15, mat hire is $3 and bookings are made online at caveshousehotelyallingup.com. au/special-events/ Caves House Hotel 18 Yallingup Beach Road, Yallingup 08 9750 1888 Visit caveshousehotelyallingup.com.au

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A

s a sailor based in the Geographe Bay, Nic Bowan Sant can see Busselton from a perspective that most others can’t. He sees the jetty from the horizon, looking back towards town. Sees people at a distance cycling by on their bikes, kids playing on the marine-themed nature playground, early morning coffees and late drinks at the foreshore bars and cafes and kids skating against the sunset.

But it’s quiet from where Nic sits on his 12-metre Simpson Catamaran – Into the BlueYonder.

Nic has sailed his yacht along the west coast as far north as the Montebello Islands off Dampier. Next year he’ll be heading to the Kimberlies and onwards to the South Pacific. But Nic stays planted in Geographe Bay because, as he’ll testify, you just can’t beat it.

“It’s like a playground for yachts, nice and calm and good constant winds. This time of year I would say it is the best place to anchor up as there is always another part of the bay you can hang out in, and depending on the wind, the cape is a real paradise. I’m constantly telling other boats to come here! It’s easy to get to the shops and you’re always close to somewhere to have a cold beer, what more could you want?”

If you haven’t visited Busselton in a while, it is far from a sleepy seaside town. Busselton has grown into a great regional city that is alive with new hipster bars (Darleens), must-visit bakeries (Baked), awesome mural art (The Goose), and an events calendar that will have you wondering when to make the next trip (CinefestOZ, Busselton Jetty Swim, and Geography Bay Race Week just to name a few).

There are so many different perspectives to view Busselton from.You can go up high in the Tuart Forest and run a zipline through the trees, dive below the jetty and see some of Australia’s finest surviving coral formations, or you can just get out on the water like Nic – spot pods of dolphins and migrating whales and listen to the water lap the boat. The view from all directions is worth the journey. re-live, re-energise, and rediscover Busselton today. margaretriver.com

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GETTING AROUND

BY COACH TRANS WA Trans WA19 travels from Perth to Margaret River every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with optional drop-offs along the way and returns to Perth the same day. Keep hold of your ticket and return to Perth at a later date.

Visit wa-getaway.com.au

BY CAR MARGARET RIVER RENT A CAR To see the best of the region, hire a car or people mover from Margaret River – all you need is a driver’s licence, even if it’s an interstate or international one. Visit margaretriverrentacar.com.au

BUSSELTON & SOUTH WEST RENT A CAR Offering delivery and pick-up throughout the south west, Busselton & South West Rent a Car is a local, family-owned car rental company.

Visit busseltonswrentacar.com.au

AVIS SOUTHWEST CAR HIRE Explore the beautiful Margaret River region at your own pace with a rental from Avis Southwest Car Hire in Busselton. One-way rentals are available back to Perth.

Visit avis.com.au

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IN STYLE MCLEOD TOURS Take in Margaret River’s scenery and attractions with the knowledge of local expert and awardwinning guide Neil McLeod. The three-day Escape tour provides pick-up from your Perth hotel or Perth train station, comfortable bus transport, three days touring with a dedicated tour guide, delicious food and wine, and an exciting itinerary. Visit mcleodtours.com.au

WESTWARD AVIATION CHARTER SERVICES Depart from Jandakot Airport as the sun rises and enjoy stunning views of the Swan River, Fremantle Harbour, Rockingham, Mandurah, the Peel Inlet and Bunbury then on to either Busselton or Margaret River. Westward Aviation will transfer you from the airport to the city and take you back at no extra cost.Your return journey will be just as spectacular with the sun setting over the Indian Ocean and the night lights of the City of Perth.

Visit margaretriver.com/members/westward-aviationcharter-services/

VIRTUALLY YOUR MARGARET RIVER REGION APP The latest version of the Your Margaret River Region app features more than 1,000 things to do, as well as service points located throughout the region. Available online and offline for both Apple and Android devices, the app also features an audio tour of the Busselton Jetty.

WINERY EXPLORER APP Explore Western Australia’s incredible wine regions from the palm of your hand with The Winery Explorer App. It lists every WA cellar door and wine region in beautiful detail and offers up-to-date information. The app is available to download for free for Apple devices.

OUR FAVe INSTA ACCOUNTS @southwestlife_

ESQUIRE CLASSIC CHARTERS

@tweetsouthwest

Want to travel in style? It doesn’t get more stylish than in a Silver Spirit Rolls-Royce from Esquire Classic Charters. There’s no better way to enjoy a private charter, special event or winery tour in the Busselton, Dunsborough,Yallingup and Margaret River region. Visit esquireclassiccharters.com.au

@elementsmargaretriver @margaretriver @margaretriver_style @discovermargaretriver @experiencesmith

STAY

ABBEY BEACH RESORT LUXURY HOTEL AND APARTMENT ACCOMMODATION IN A RESORT SETTING, LOCATED ON THE BEACH IN BUSSELTON Enjoy fully serviced, self contained apartments and studios, each with a private double spa and balcony.

Abbey Beach Resort is a 4.5 star leisure resort with countless facilities and amenities. The Resort has an atrium restaurant, pool side café, several bars, a 25 metre indoor heated swimming pool, 2

outdoor pools, tennis and squash courts, spa, gym and sauna for your enjoyment.

Stroll to the beach, tour wineries, art galleries and many other local attractions.

For a holiday or short break you are assured of comfort and style at Abbey Beach Resort

595 Bussell Highway, Busselton WA Freecall 1800 017 097 • Ph 61 8 9755 4600 • info@abbeybeach.com.au www.abbeybeach.com.au

BIG VALLEY CAMPSITE

JACARANDA GUEST HOUSE

NESTLED AMONGST THE HILLS OF OUR FAMILY OWNED WORKING SHEEP FARM, JUST TEN MINUTES SOUTH EAST OF MARGARET RIVER.

PARK YOUR CAR AND WALK EVERYWHERE

The farm encompasses a beautiful secret valley secluded from the outside world by natural forest. Bring your Caravan, Motorhome or Tent to relax and enjoy the open space, amazing nights skies, friendly farm animals and the family friendly atmosphere. Pet friendly.

Busselton famous Jetty, beach, shops, cafe and restaurants all just a short walk away.

Jacaranda Guest House is centrally located, has 7 guest rooms all with own ensuite, r/c airconditioning and free wifi.

It is nestled amongst english style gardens, where You can just relax or enjoy a bbq.

Continental breakfast is included in the price.

30 West Street, Busselton, WA Ph 08 9751 5973 • jacarandaguesthouse1@westnet.com.au www.jacarandaguesthouse.com

Ph 08 9757 5020 bigvalleymargaretriver.com.au

KARRIDALE TAVERN

CAFE BORANUP COUNTRY ATMOSPHERE IN THE FOREST 10am-4pm Weekdays. 8am-4pm Weekends.

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FRIENDLY COUNTRY TAVERN AND RESTAURANT

Great coffee. Home baked scones and cakes.

Augusta Abalone and Whiting.

Variety of vegetarian and GF options.

Breakfast and Lunch Menu.

Serving meals all day 11am - 9pm Local beer and wine.

Lunch • Dinner • Bar • Snacks.

Next to Boranup Gallery.

7981 Caves Road, Forest Grove WA 6286 Ph 08 9757 7279 | www.cafeboranup.com

Bussell Hwy, Karridale, WA Ph 08 9758 5523

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STAY FOOD & DRINK

Affordable Dog-Friendly Range of Quality Accommodation and Camping Sites in Busselton.

.

Tel: 9755 4082 585 Caves Road, Busselton

our winter antidote

www.fourseasonsresort.com.au SUNFLOWERS ANIMAL FARM & FARMSTAY

It’s never too cold to deny yourself a Simmos.

5561 Caves Road, near Margaret River Ph: (08) 9757 3343 • farmerjones@sunflowersfarm.com www.sunflowersfarm.com

08 9588 8877 107 BUSSEL HWY (MAIN STREET)

w: www.elkamo.com.au • e: info@elkamo.com.au COCKTAILS + TAPAS + FOUR HOTEL SUITES

We’re open every day 10am to 5pm.

161 Commonage Road, Dunsborough.

simmos.com.au

Simmos134_Margaret-River_Magazine.indd 1

BLUE OCEAN FISH & CHIPS AUGUSTA Come eat where the two oceans meet in the spectacular location of Augusta. Experience the taste of our mouth-watering local fish, grilled or fried with yummy gluten-free chips.

Variety seafood products, combo packs, selection of kids’ packs, burgers, drinks and ice creams available.

Blue Ocean is located in the centre of town.

Open 7 days a week Lunch 11.30am ~ 2.00pm • Dinner 5.00pm ~ 8.00pm Tel: 08 9758 1748 • 73 Blackwood Avenue, Augusta

14/5/19 4:31 pm

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN GELATO AND SORBETTI Authentic Italian gelato and sorbetti made in-store by owner Andy using natural ingredients.

Dairy and gluten-free flavours available.

FOR OPENING HOURS PLEASE CHECK FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE 32 Queen Street, Busselton WA Ph 08 9751 1477 / gelatobuonissimo / gelatobuonissimobusselton

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DIRECTORY

We offer farmstay accommodation in 4 fully self contained units, sleeping between 5 and 9 people, near Margaret River in the South West of Western Australia.

Sunflowers Farmstay is ideal for big groups of friends or families (max 28 people).

Wander through the Animal Farm, with over 350 very friendly (mainly) farm animals, at any time during your stay. Sip local wines while admiring our stunning views: wild kangaroos grazing on rolling hills covered in beautiful wildflowers.

• Over 60 udderlicious ice cream flavours created from local full-cream milk.

• Picnic & BBQ area. Adventure Playground.

• 18 hole mini-golf – get a group going.

• Barista coffee and toasted paninis.

• Warming waffles and sensational sundaes.

FOOD & DRINK

ARTS & ACTIVITIES

Book your spot in the spring issue Opening hours: 10am – 6pm everyday 08 9755 5555 4259 Caves Road, Margaret River www.cheekymonkeybrewery.com.au

caves

Contact Natalie to book your space in our next issue of Your Margaret River Region Magazine.

Call 0426 752 352 ARTGEO CULTURAL COMPLEX

Discover an ancient wonderland at Ngilgi, Mammoth, Lake and Jewel Cave.

To book drop into your nearest visitor centre or call: (08) 9757 7411

WHERE ART AND HERITAGE MEET ArtGeo creative hub for the visual and performing arts features galleries, studios, workshops, coffee house and theatre in heritage-listed buildings close to Busselton foreshore. open daily 10am ~ 4pm Queen Street Cultural Precinct, Busselton 08 9751 4651 | artgeo@artgeo.com.au | www.artgeo.com.au

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ARTS & ACTIVITIES

TOURS

JOHN STREATER FINE FURNITURE JOHN STREATER FINE FURNITURE AND ART GALLERY

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF FINE FURNITURE & ART CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF FINE FURNITURE & ART

T:08 9757 7585 lnfo@boranupgaller y.com www.boranupg allery.com

JESTERS FLAT

Professionally guided HORSE RIDING TOURS, suitable for all abilities. From forest treks to beach rides, we have a horse riding adventure just for you.

105 Blythe road, Yallingup Siding 6282 WA Open daily 10am to 4pm Ph 08 9755 1211 www.streaterfinefurniture.com

ASK a LOCAl!

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Visit our gallery in the heart of Boranup Forest 7981 Caves Rd, Margaret River Open in 10am - 4pm of Mon - Sun Forest Visit our gallery the heart Boranup aller y.com T:087981 9757Caves 7585 Rd, lnfo@boranu Margaret pg River www.boranu pg aller Open 10am - 4pm Mony.com - Sun

Drop in to one of our four accredited visitor centres in Busselton, Dunsborough and Margaret River for friendly, expert advice.

1549 Rosa Brook Rd, Margaret River Ph 08 97574 562 bookings@jestersflat.com www.jestersflat.com /JestersFlat

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TOURS

. affordable . quality .

Margaret River Food & Wine Tours phone: 0417 948 933 email: vintagetours@bigpond.com www.winetoursmargaretriver.com.au

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Bookings are essential

MARGARET RIVER TOURS

HALF + FULL DAY Wine & Scenic Tours

PLAY A ROUND IN MARGARET RIVER Keen to combine some golf with a trip to WA’s wine country?

Margaret River Golf Club is the highlight of any golf tour to the south west. There aren’t many golf courses in the region that rival Margaret River for scenic beauty and sheer golfing challenge. The 6,092 metre, par 72 course is highly regarded by golfers from all over WA and beyond.

Clubs, buggies and carts are available for hire.

Ph: (08) 9757 3161 •bookings@mrgolfclub.com.au E bookings@mrgolfclub.com.au 599(08) Walcliffe Road,•Margaret River Ph: 9757 3161 E golfshop@westnet.com.au margaretrivergolfclub.com.au 599 Wallcliffe Road, Margaret River margaretrivergolfclub.com.au Bookings are essential

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GREAT RATES & SERVICE at Bunbury, Busselton & Collie Oneway Rentals (to Perth) available

Sample plate at Venison Farm Sample French Nougat at Bettenays Cellar Door Cheese & Crackers at Knotting Hill Samples at the Cheese & Chocolate Factories Sample Liqueurs & Cocktails at The Grove Free bottled water on board Gourmet Lunch at an Iconic Restaurant (full-day tour only) See our NEW CHEERS MARGARET RIVER VIDEO online!

.com

9757 2270 or 0474 721 836

MARGARET RIVER’S ORIGINAL Half Day and Full Day Gourmet Wine & Dine.

Visiting 6 wineries daily, including Voyager, Watershed, Leeuwin, McHenry Hohnen, Vasse Felix, Brookland Valley, Juniper Estate, Stella Bella & Brown Hill.

Full Day tours feature lunch at Watershed.

All tours enjoy complementary vineyard platter as well as tastings of small goods, cheese & chocolate.

Ph 0419 917 166 info@margaretrivertours.com www.margaretrivertours.com

Don’t miss out next time Contact Natalie to book your space in the spring issue of Your Margaret River Region Magazine.

Call 1800 679 880

To make a booking visit avis.com.au

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Call 0426 752 352

E: natalie@premiumpublishers.com.au

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