Food for Thought in Margaret River

I'm having a hard time keeping my blog up to date with all the fun things I've been doing! (You know, I actually have that pesky thing called work that takes up my time as well). Earlier, I spent a week on Bali, an Indonesian island, which is a whole different topic for another time. Back in WA, last weekend I drove down to Margaret River for a few days. I had intentionally kept the weekend free of plans, hoping that I could take a trip out of the city. I'm the type of person that really needs to get away in order to keep myself sane, even as much as I love the city. I guess it's the small town / country girl in me. So I booked a last minute B&B near Dunsborough, threw some clothes in a backpack, and drove off early on a beautiful Saturday morning.

Ahhh, Margaret River. I loved this section of WA. Although it is a city, Margaret River refers to the entire region of southwest WA that is a wine and food lover's paradise. Beautiful Mediterranean climate, amazing rolling field after field of vineyards and wineries with tastings galore, and stunning coastline from end to end. A place like this would surely attract hoards of tourists in normal situations, but given the isolation of the region, the numbers are enough to keep it busy but not overcrowded. 

On the trip from Perth, the landscape gradually but dramatically changed until I realized I was smiling a whole lot just from looking around. I made a stop in Busselton to stretch my legs. I had no problem getting a nice walk in, since at 1.1 miles, the Busselton jetty is one of the longest in the world (jetty means pier / dock to my American readers). The jetty was built to assist in the export of timber (due to the shallow waters), as the city had become a major port for the tall timber industry. Thought my dad would like that part. Now it is a tourist attraction and has an underwater observatory at the very end.

The entire coast is riddled with caves as well. I decided to visit the Ngilgi Cave, just west of Dunsborough (pronounced Neel-Gee). The cave is named after a good spirit in Aboriginal stories of the area, who won a battle against an evil spirit (Wolgine) and saved the local people. The Wardandi aboriginals in the area still come to the cave before it opens to the public to honor the good spirit.

I then drove down Caves Road, which offers beautiful sights of many vineyards, and made it to Prevelly Point about an hour before sunset. Prevelly has a popular surf spot so I settled in and watched the surfers ride some waves. The point is popular for sunsets over the Indian Ocean and soon the park had groups of people (locals and tourists) with bottles of wine or a few beers on their blankets. Unfortunately, I personally did not come prepared. The thought crossed my mind to flirt my way to a Heineken from the guys next to me, but it was soon to be dark, with me driving on the opposite side of the road through an unfamiliar and very wooded area, so I refrained.

From there I drove into the actual city of Margaret River and had dinner....probably the best burger of my entire life. I might actually drive the 3.5 hours back there just for dinner one night (a restaurant called MUST Margaret River). I did finally allow myself a glass of Cab Merlot from the region, which was superb. Sure wish I could remember what it was.

Sunday I started the morning shopping at the Margaret River Olive Oil Soap Company and the Margaret River Chocolate Factory. I was informed that there was an old fashioned wine stomp happening at Voyager Estates, a winery just south of Margaret River. All that flashed in my mind was that "I Love Lucy" episode and I was officially hooked. The wine stomp was a great time and a nice community event, although I didn't stay until late afternoon when the actual stomping was to occur. I had to get back to Perth to prepare for the coming week. However, I plan on visiting the area many times - next time, I'd like to drive farther south to Augusta, which is where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet, and watch the whales migrate. Next time I will also hopefully do a wine tour or be with others so I can partake in some wine tastings!!

It really makes me sad to think that I only visited Napa Valley once, and that was 10 years ago before I had a real appreciation for wine and food (now it's pretty evident on my waistline!) The trip also made me think about all the places within 3 hours of <insert city I've lived in> that I never took the time to visit or seldom went there. A few examples I can think of are Devil's Lake near Wisconsin Dells, Galena, IL, or pretty much anywhere in northern Wisconsin. So for my readers - if you've read this far - why don't you take a trip in the local area you live in? I know there are always a million excuses; work, kids, "I'm tired"...I'm sure I've used them all (well not the kids one). But try to make it happen before the opportunity isn't there anymore. Just food (and wine) for thought.

Day Trippin'

I was able to spend a fun Sunday on Rottnest Island with two lovely ladies, Anna and Iveta. Rottnest (aka “Rotto” in typical Aussie style of shortening everything!) is located 18 km (11 miles) off the coast of Western Australia, nearest to Fremantle (south of Perth). We took a ferry with many other people headed there, which took about 30 minutes on a very windy and wavy day. (No worries, I didn’t get sick....but someone else did, which smelled lovely!) Rotto is a very popular holiday destination for West Australians, and many go over for a day of relaxation, like we did. Note: All of the information contained in this blog is a combination of online research, personal experience, and from my own personal tour guide, Anna.

Along with day trippers, Rotto is also popular with school leavers (graduates) who celebrate at the end of their exams in November (called “Leavers week” or “Leavers”).

Rottnest got its name from a Dutch captain, who called it “Rattenest”, meaning Rat’s Nest in Dutch. The rats he was referring to were not rats at all, but Quokkas. Quokkas are small marsupials in the macropod family, same as kangaroos and wallabies. I have never seen one before this, mostly due to the fact that they are pretty rare, only found in southwestern Australia and mostly just on a few islands such as Rottnest. To me, they kind of look like a cross between a tiny kangaroo and a rabbit.  They are nocturnal so we only saw a few, but they are really not afraid of people.

The Dutch were not the first to find the island though, as is usually the case. The Noongar Aboriginals called it “Wadjemup,” meaning “the place across the water.” 

The island also has more history than just a tourist destination. It was used as an Aboriginal prison for men and boys up through the 1930s. It also has quite a military history in both World Wars in housing enemy aliens (WWI - German and Austrian, and WWII – Italian). Also during WWII, several sites were manned with large guns for defence of the Fremantle Port. Fremantle was the major base for the Allies in the Indian Ocean, and any enemy could be attacked from the island before coming into range of the port. We didn’t take a look at any of the guns or military sites, but maybe next time I’m there. We did have a laugh about the railroad, wondering why such a small island needed one….turns out it was to transport ammunition to the guns.

Now the island is mostly recreational. No cars allowed (except for a few delivery trucks for the businesses, and buses). Basically it is for relaxing, snorkelling, swimming, and cycling. We spent the day riding bikes, looking for quokkas, taking pictures of the beautiful coastline, and swimming in the Indian Ocean – not a bad way to spend a Sunday!