Australia:Albany-Denmark-Augusta-Margaret River - Denmark, Australia
Denmark, Australia
It always amazes me how much stuff you need for a camping weekend! We packed up our rental car and headed to the most easterly point we were going, in order to work our way west then back up the coast. First stop Albany - we got onto the road and were amazed by the farming landscapes. Visions of dry dusty roads had come into my mind when thinking if Australia, but we passed through trees and green(ish) fields full of grey sheep and dairy cows. After a pit stop for a meat pie we arrived in Albany - the oldest European colony, founded in 1829. It was pretty, but we were keen to keep moving so we began our trip west and found ourselves in Denmark. Now THAT is a pretty town. Vineyards dotted around the landscape, and there were brooks and lakes all over the place. We stopped off at Denmark cheese factory and bought some delicious treats, and went to Rockcliffe vineyard and tasted some delicious wines (the Pinot Noir was our favourite!) The weather had turned distinctly British, and totally unused to the cold, I was freezing. Luckily we found a campsite, pretty and full of eucalyptus trees which filled the tent with its fragrance at night time, and we headed to Boston Brewery down the road - ales for Jack, red wine for me and pizzas all round to warm us up. A great start to our little road trip. The next day we got up after a windy, rainy and sleepless night, and packed up the tent in yet more pouring rain (it really was like a British summer camping experience) and got on the road to Margaret River. We went via Pemberton and drove through some beautiful forests. We passed what I think was an elderflower field and lakes with jetties that looked like they were built by the original European travellers. We arrived in Margaret River and put up our tent in Big Valley campsite, which would later be described to us as the campsite from Wolf Creek - I haven't seen the horror film but it did have a pretty creepy air about the place. Unperturbed, we set off to explore the vineyards and marvel at the landscape. We went to the top three in the area: Watershed, Voyager and Leeuwins, and learned so much about the delicate balancing act that's required to grow the grapes. At Voyager a couple were getting married overlooking the grape vines and, aside from the weather, it was picturesque. We had dinner in town at the Margaret River hotel and were blown away by the chilli squid that we had for starter - I realised I had finally found my happy place and that was before the pork belly and cabbage for me and veggie lasagne for Jack AND the mud cake pudding came out! Yep, I could get used to this. After another rough night in the wolf creek campsite we got up early and headed to the most south westerly point of Australia, where the Indian and southern oceans meet. Legend has it that you can spot the meeting point if you look closely enough, but I can't decide if that was just a practical joke from the guy on the counter because it wasn't clear to me! The wind was ferocious, and I felt for all the lighthouse men and their families throughout history who lived there overlooking Cape Leeuwin keeping sailors as safe as possible in what Ellen MacArthur dubbed the most dangerous place on earth. We had a cup of tea and a cookie in the coffee shop then headed back up to Margaret River, and to our first "taste flight experience" courtesy of Duncan and Adele (thank you!) Back to Leeuwins Estate, and we had 5 wines paired with 5 tastes, and although the most expensive meal per gram that I think I have ever had, it was up there with the tastiest - the chefs and winemakers behind this were genius, and our favourite pairing was a Shiraz with pork rillade and plum. Separately the wine and the food were good, but when put together it was really special. On the way out of our very glamorous lunch we spotted an elusive kookaburra in the trees: the icing on the cake! We spent the afternoon in a number of vineyards talking to the cellar door workers and learning about the history and the stories behind all the wines: SO much work goes into each bottle it amazes me. We went to Red Gate and learned about their time in the prohibition era selling moonshine through the red gate, and to Harmons to understand how the cheaper blend wines are made (the helpful Aussie owner there told us - "if it takes good it tastes good - don't even bother to read the s*** on the label!"). We headed to Xanadu and were treated to a glass of £50 red wine because the guy there liked us, and had a great time in Stella Bellas with their Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. The venison shop felt very timely to stop at, with a gorgeous Stag with antlers Rudolph would envy, and the chocolate factory was a treat for any aged chocolate addict at any time of the year. They were literally giving away handfuls!! After a stop at another cheese factory we were too full for dinner, but managed to squeeze in some garlic prawns and sticky date pudding, and went to bed feeling like royalty (even if our mattress had a hole and deflated within half an hour!!) The next morning Jack gave up on sleep by 5am, so the tent was packed away and we were up very early to go and explore the final stops of our trip as we meandered north. We had another pie for breakfast and listened to the local news in the radio, where locals were reminded not to park in the bus stop in town - all the important reports get down to this neck of the woods! We went to cheeky monkey cidery just for a look (it was actually TOO early for a drink though!) and we went to Yallingup to see the coast, famous for its surfing and where I spent my 8th Christmas Day. After a very tasty, excessive and expensive weekend we drove back up to Perth and to the comfort of Ruth's spare bedroom after one of the happiest weekends we have had to date. Margaret River is absolutely stunning, and I feel sure we will be back to explore it even more in the years to come. GB X