Into Victoria – Day 11

We had a lovely bed and breakfast in Robe, where we were the only guests. It was right on the seafront, with the breakfast room overlooking the bay. At breakfast purely for Laura’s benefit I read the accident report in todays Australian newspaper, relating to the ore train that ran away for forty six kilometres in Western Australia, before it was derailed. There were 240 wagons and the loss of the cargo of ore alone cost the company $220 million. A huge loss caused by not applying the correct brake.

After leaving Robe we passed through the town named after our grand daughter Millicent so naturally we had to take a picture, would have been better with the young lady herself in front of it!!!.

Lunch was in the original one horse town of Nelson. Situated on a river inlet, it had a grocery store come post office and little else, except picnic tables overlooking the river. It was quite unspoilt and had and amazing variety of birds. In my ignorance I ask one of my readers to identify this species from my photo.

By now we had travelled through half a time zone, Victoria and the rest of Eastern Australia is thirty minutes ahead of South Australia, so for anybody thinking of ringing me up we are now eleven hours ahead of the UK, it does make following Brexit and the Boro less stressful though, as evryting seems to happen in retrospect.

This afternoon saw us approach the western end of the famed Great Ocean Road; we stopped at the remote Bridgewater Head to watch the waves, and then drove through Portland to Port Fairy. This is a small harbour town situated on a river estuary, protected from the ocean by an island at the entrance to the harbour. Our hotel is brilliantly situated right at the water’s edge overlooking the boats. From there I was able before dinner to walk to the lighthouse at the mouth of the harbour, through a reserve dedicated to the shot tailed shearwater.

This little bird migrates to Alaska and returns to the same nest and mate every year. (This is not new found expertise; I read the information board near the reserve).

The lovely evening sun enabled me to take some lovely pictures of the port before we had a simple pizza for dinner, sitting next toe a gentleman who had been born in Southampton before emigrating to Melbourne. For the first time I got the impression that the weather might be more settled.

Western Australia to South Australia Days 9 & 10

I hope I did not let down my regular readers with no blog yesterday but we were travelling from Perth to Adelaide and did not get into our hotel until midnight.

So after our day of gourmet delights on Sunday it was with sadness that we left Margaret River, it probably deserved another day. It was a really vibrant place with beautiful surrounding countryside. On the way north we visited the beach about five miles out of town.

This was a classic Australian surfing beach, there were about twenty surfers in the water, and we watched several surf down the huge breaking waves. With the sun out it made a lovely scene.

As we travelled north we drove through rolling countryside with a huge number of vineyards. For an area that only started wine production fifty years ago it has certainly grown exponentially. Even now though it comprises less than three per-cent of total Australian wine production.

Our coffee stop was at the seaside town of Busselton that boasts a pier of almost two kilometres in length. Being Australia there is of course a round the pier swimming challenge. It was then onto Perth airport to end the Western Australian segment of our trip. We loved the state, the remote beaches of Esperance were unique, Albany was a historian’s mecca, and the Margaret River gourmet experience was great. The vastness and emptiness of the countryside was amazing, while the food and hospitality was lovely.

Our flight to Adelaide on Virgin Australia was not to bad on a crowded aircraft, although I did have possibly the worst beer that I have ever tasted. It was punctual and our bags arrived quickly. 

In Adelaide we have had to acclimatise to a two and a half hour time difference, and as usual we brought rain. However the hotel was very close to the car hire office so the hiring of a new car was easy. We did not see much of Adelaide, but I did note with some horror that the fine station building is being turned into a casino!!!

We left Adelaide for the south coast. Surprisingly once we were out of the suburbs the countryside was as empty as Western Australia. After we reached the coast we drove for miles alongside a shallow lagoon, cut off from the sea by a sandbar. It was a mecca for wildlife particularly pelicans, and lobster.

After a coffee stop we drove into Robe in the late afternoon. This was a delightful surprise. It is a small town (1700 people) that swells to fifteen thousand people in summer. Our B & B is situated next to a small mixed pleasure/fishing harbour. From there, there are walks along the cliff top from where the surf is beating against stunning rock formations. 

The town has a rich history; it was the major disembarkation point for 150,000 Chinese who were travelling to the Victorian gold rush in the nineteenth century. To commemorate this there is an arch inscribed in Chinese near the waters edge.

The coastline was and is treacherous with many boats lost on the local rocks and reefs. They’re on the steps that lead up to the town’s flagpole. I could imagine spending an extended visit here.

Finally this evening we ate very well in the local pub. The fish, smoked trout and red mullet were excellent, while Marion had an very tender lamb rump. More surprising were the local wines from the Mount Benson, Cape Jaffa area a very good Sauvignon Blanc and a quaffable Pinot Noir. Off to the bottle shop tomorrow!!!

Margaret River Foodie Tour – Day 8

No pictures today due to an internet, not a wine issue!

Margaret River is about one hundred and fifty miles south of Perth and is renowned as a wine producing area, and also has become a centre for food production. So the car was parked for the day and we took a small bus tour round some foodie high spots. It was a mixed group, another English couple, a couple from New Zealand, while the rest were young people from all over Australia, led by John our knowledgeable guide. As the day progressed we all bonded and by the end of it were everybody’s best friends including me, nothing to do with the forty wines that we tasted.

We started at a coffee roaster where we sampled Ethiopian and New Guinea coffees. It was then onto the first winery, Redgate. You will see from the photographs that when the grapes ripen the vines have to be covered with netting to protect the grapes from birds including emus. It makes the fields seem as though they are covered in a white mist. What was interesting was that each of the wineries that we visited produced anything up to thirty different varieties of wine, quite different from the more specialised production of European producers. Redgate was a small-scale producer unlike the next winery Watershed that was on a very grand scale. It is obvious that wine production is a profitable enterprise here, as in most other parts of the world. The weather by now had improved and it was a glorious sunny day.

Lunch was at a brewery run by an Englishman, ever up for a challenge I tried the tasting flight of beers. Without exception they were excellent, in particular the wheat beer was a standout. I think that it would make an excellent location for a Men’s Book Club, good beer and food!!!! After lunch we visited a creamery for a brief cheese tasting, I thought that the soft cheeses were a little bland, however the cheddars were excellent, with a deep mature taste.

The next winery was Knotting Hill; yes that is the correct spelling, which was beautifully set on a lake. Finally we visited Fermoy where we tasted an exceptional Muscat, it was so good that it will be part of our luggage allowance.

I have left my impressions of the wines till last, I must say that in the main I though that they were unexceptional. Perhaps this is because the area specialises in white Chardonnays, a variety that is not to my taste and red Cabernets. I found that the wines lacked complexity, and too often it was difficult to distinguish between them. This could be because the area only started to produce wines about fifty years ago, so it is a fledgling industry by European standards. Now this was not my prejudice, canvassing opinion around the group and amongst other people that we have met this was the general consensus. So there were one or two stars but for the most part I thought that the wine was mediocre.

The day finished with an olive oil tasting, these were excellent particular the flavoured ones, a lime and a garlic being standout. Finally we rounded off at a chocolate factory for an ice cream. It was a really interesting day, providing the opportunity to explore the regions food culture fully, and also appreciate the lovely countryside around Margaret River. It was a highlight for our last full day in Western Australia; tomorrow we travel back to Perth to fly to Adelaide.

Valley of the Giants and a Train, well a tram! Day 7

To pack a lot into today we had to leave Albany early, well about 8.30. The Bayside B & B was really comfortable and suited our needs perfectly. We left Albany under grey skies, which were typical of our stay there, however we loved the town for its character and authentic welcome. Our first stop was about one hundred miles due west near the village of Walpole. By now the countryside had changed completely and we were driving through forests of towering eucalyptus trees that grow to over seventy metres. The National Park has built an attraction that allows you to walk in the canopy of the trees via a series of suspended bridges around one hundred and fifty feet off the ground.

They are unobtrusive and the metal grating on which you walk allows you to look straight down to the forest floor.
The structures do however sway somewhat alarmingly. It was a fascinating experience to view the forest from another perspective. It was also constructed so that Marion had no difficulty accessing it. We were doubly fortunate in that we got there before the crowds, and managed to walk round before it seriously started to rain

We then drove another hundred miles west still through the eucalyptus forests to the village of Pemberton, why there? I had heard that there was a tram operating on an old railway formation. Marion, who is experienced in these matters, spotted the railway station, which was like the Marie Celeste. It had the tell tale signs of railway enthusiasm with a huge number of engines and rolling stock rusting away in the sidings gradually being submerged beneath vegetation.

But as 2pm approached things stirred into life, we were sold tickets and clambered the one carriage vehicle, which was powered by a small diesel engine.

It rocked and rolled down the narrow gauge track deep into the woods, giving a perspective that you would not have experienced from the road. It passed very gingerly over several quite high trestle

bridges before after ten kilometres we returned to Pemberton. During the course of the journey we passed the site of one of only two train robberies to have taken place in Australia. It was a really lovely trip.

A piece of ephemera, we drove through the hamlet of Northcliffe, which was named in 1924 after the Lord Northcliffe of Daily Mail fame.

Just as it was getting dark we drove into our destination of Margaret River, where tomorrow we are taking a food and wine tour.

Denmark and a memorial of lights – Day 6

Today we visited Denmark and were nowhere near the Baltic. It is a small town about forty miles west from Albany. It sits on a gently flowing river about a mile from a spectacular bay with sand bars and breakers. One of the features of the river is a large colony of pelicans. While I was trying to photograph them, one adroitly dived into the river, took a fish in its commodious beak and promptly swallowed it.

As you can see Marion enjoyed the lovely views and bracing sea air. Once again the sun failed to make an appearance.

On our return to Albany I decided to walk to the ANZAC museum to investigate the features that I had missed because of the rain yesterday. I also gave me the opportunity to photograph the distinct architecture of the museum for the first time. From the outside the prominence of the window framing the bay is clear. There was also much to see in the grounds.

The fort had been built at the end of the Nineteenth Century, when the individual Australian States financed it as a necessary protection against aggressors. This action was reckoned to be a prelude to the states coming together to found Australia. 

In the grounds of the museum is a beautiful memorial in the form of a field of lights designed by a British artist Bruce Munro. This is thousands of tiny lights on thin stalks that waved in the breeze, and changed colours to form waves of light. The colours symbolised the wildflowers of the area that were blooming when the two ANZAC convoys left for Europe. My photo does not do this justice as the camera over-compensates for the darkness.

Today’s new menu item, kangaroo, I am eating my way through Australian animals. My comment is that it has a great texture but is a little tasteless, so the spices it was served with complemented it perfectly.

Albany - Day 5

We have had a lovely day, despite the weather being decidedly English it has rained all day. This is great for the locals who have not seen significant rainfall for months but not so good for tourists, but actually our day has been very successful.

On the promontory overlooking Albany harbour is the ANZAC Museum and Memorial. It is situated here because the ships taking the troops to Europe to fight in the First World War gathered here before departing from Australia. Albany has a huge natural harbour second only to Sydney in Australia and was an ideal rendezvous point for the two convoys. The museum, which opened two years a go, frames the harbour in its windows so you are always brought back to this starting point.

The photo here does not do justice to the moving memorial that has been designed. The top consists of a flowing stream of water that appears to be disappearing in the harbour. As you look into the water the names of every ANZAC soldier who died in the conflict are scrolling, seemingly synchronised with the water. The symbolism is of the soldiers embarking on the ships never to return.

The museum approaches the war from the perspective of the men, allowing their recollections to build into the bigger picture of the conflict. When you enter the museum you are given a card with a picture of an individual soldier. At various points around the museum you place this on a reader to be presented with archival documents and a narrative detailing their history. Additionally you have an individual speaker that retells the history of the conflict in the words of the participants. All this is pulled together so for instance you can cross reference the ship that each man travelled on and where it was located in Albany Harbour. It is one of the most effective museums that I have visited, using technology to explain not to overwhelm. A fitting tribute to the ANZAC force.

The site of the museum is much larger but almost entirely outside, hopefully we will be able to return tomorrow.

This afternoon we drove along side the harbour to the Tomdirrup National Park that comprises the peninsular at one side of the harbour. It is a very beautiful spot with a wonderful coastline. One feature is a natural bridge of rock that spans an inlet with the sea boiling below. Close by a platform has been constructed jutting out from the cliff so you are seemingly suspended above a deep ravine. 

Even in today’s poor weather it was a lovely spot. On the way back there is a replica of the Amity the first ship to bring settlers to Albany.

I try not to bore you with our eating habits, but tonight it was a first, crocodile meatballs, and very good they were too. Tasting rather like sweet pork served with a cranberry jelly. No more jawing from me then! 

The Road to Albany - Day 4

Firstly the view from our B & B is Esperance, looking over the bay to the Recherché Islands. The sun was shinning brightly this morning so you can see it at its best. We were quickly packed and were away by nine, firstly to fill up with diesel. With petrol stations up to one hundred miles apart you have to take every opportunity. We had thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Esperance, it had the feel of a very remote place and the scenery was wild and quite unique. Also nothing will replace the thrill of seeing kangaroos in the wild for the first time. Incidentally Australia has more specific signs warning of animals crossing the road then any other country I have driven in. Kangaroos, cattle, and horses are commonplace. Tonight we had to watch out for turtles and the Mallee fowl. There were also a couple of others, which I did not recognise. The B & B in Esperance was comfortable, with a simple but good breakfast, and of course the lovely views.

This first part of the journey retraced our steps along the Southern Highway, so we made good progress at a steady 110 kilometres per hour, watching out for passing road trains, monster lorries with two full sized trailers. Due to the lack of traffic driving is very easy. We stopped for lunch in a bird sanctuary, excellent and in common with most of the food so far, well priced. Uniquely I had a bottle of water sourced from rainwater captured at the sanctuary, a first I think.

We arrived in Albany in the late afternoon and found our B & B easily, after a warm welcome we settled into our very comfortable room. I explored the path along the bay, again it is a large natural harbour, with two large bulk carriers anchored waiting to load with ore.

We were recommended a fish and chip café that has just been voted the best in Australia. Once we had navigated the varieties available, we sat down to a plate of bronzie and chips. It was very good; there was no trace a fat on either. Marion puts this down to the fact that they use bran oil at a very high temperature.

We had a quick explore of Albany by car, which looks very interesting. Unfortunately tomorrow it is due to rain all day, if so there is the Australian Anzac museum to visit.