FLEURIEU LIVING T H E B E S T O F S O U T H A U S T R A L I A’ S F L E U R I E U P E N I N S U L A A N D K A N G A R O O I S L A N D
FLEURIEU LIVING MAGAZINE
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AUTUMN 2019
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Historic Woodburn Homestead: Surprise and delight Spoilt for choice: New locales on the Fleurieu A label of love: S.C. Pannell Fleurieu coffee revolution Create your pet-friendly escape A fertile mind: Trailblazer David Paxton Art · Design · Food · Wine · Fashion · Photography · People · Destinations
Road-trip anyone?
Sales, holiday rentals & permanent property management Independent – Premium Service & Local Knowledge – Community Support & Charity – Strong Fleurieu Portfolio
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We’ve packaged our ferry fares with accommodation at Vivonne Bay Lodge to bring you the perfect Kangaroo Island getaway! Set on 206 hectares with walking trails and beach frontage, Vivonne Bay Lodge is a great base for your trip. Immerse yourself in nature, sample local food, sip on a wine or gin and settle in to the slower pace of island life. Call 13 13 01 or visit sealink.com.au *Conditions apply. Package price includes 1 night accommodation, twin share in a private room (share bathroom facilities) and continental breakfast with return SeaLink ferry fares for you and your car (up to 5 metres in length). See website for details and other places to stay. Valid to 31 March 2019.
The Glasshouse Luxury Holiday Rental at Middleton Point
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The colours of the Fleurieu in Autumn. Awesome!
DRYSDALE on display at Mile End.
Sarah Homes are #1 for holiday homes and homes that make you feel like you’re on holiday. It’s easy to see why! With generous living areas and expansive decking they provide brilliant space for entertaining or relaxing. Wide opening sliding doors and full-length windows deliver wonderful views, like the vineyards in full Autumn splendour. They also let you retreat to sunlit comfort. We’ve a great selection of 1 and 2 storey homes. Visit a Sarah Homes display village and discover just how easy it is to make the most of the Fleurieu’s Autumn weather. We’re open every day from 11am to 5pm*
The Drysdale 3e from an awesome $102,500 *. Golden! * Terms and conditions apply, please see our website for more details. Pictures for illustrative purposes only. BLD 175837 SHO493
STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS
Key Personnel Petra de Mooy Issue 30 and seven years in print are rapidly approaching. I feel a party is in order.
Jason Porter Jason has worked as a graphic designer and creative director both locally and overseas for over thirty years. When not in the office, he can usually be found tweaking the crossover filters on his ridiculously over-the-top hi-fi system. Esther Thorn Esther Thorn is a storyteller. She has worked as a journalist for twenty years in print, radio and television. Esther believes small things, like commas and apostrophes, are important. This makes her an irritating dinner guest but a good editor. Holly Wyatt A self-described ‘city-escapee,’ Holly moved to the Fleurieu chasing wide-open spaces and the spoils of semi-rural life. Those spoils include a good coffee in the morning, a glass of wine in the evening and a bountiful supply of inspiration for her art, music and work. Lulu Our company mascot Lulu started appearing in way too many of our Instagram posts – so now she has her own profile (sad, we know) where you can follow her charmed life. Search for ‘miss_majestica’ if you’re so inclined.
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Featured Contributors Jake Dean Jake Dean is a Maslin Beachbased writer and waverider who welcomes any nude jokes you’re willing to throw at him. Raised in Brighton, his move south represents one step closer to his dream home of Port Elliot, and puts him strategically close to vineyards bursting with shiraz. When he’s not surfing, you’ll find him hanging with his wife and knockabout 21-month-old son or writing tepid fiction that’ll likely stay locked away in his desk drawer forever. He has written for publications around Australia but says none compare to FLM when it comes to combining his passions for the coast, vines and local produce.
Ynys Onsman Born in Tasmania, Ynys was startled by how dry and flat South Australia seemed when she moved here twenty-five years ago. She has since come to love the unique beauty of the Fleurieu Peninsula, particularly her home between the Aldinga scrub and beach. She loves reading, music and eating whatever delicious produce the region has to offer. She is constantly inspired by our friendly and diverse community. Having spent many years writing, she believes everyone has a story worth telling and enjoys the opportunity to help them share it.
Publisher Information Nina Keath Writing for Fleurieu Living Magazine allows Nina Keath to hear inspiring stories from passionate people making a difference on the Fleurieu. She pays this privilege forward in her role as Chair of Ideas on the Fleurieu, a think-tank hosting regular public events showcasing people’s ideas for our beautiful region. She is also a founding trustee of the Awesome Foundation Fleurieu, funding awesome ideas $1000 at a time. In her day job, she works at City of Onkaparinga, collaborating with the community to build greener, more resilient and sustainable places to live, work and play. Nina is a graduate of the 2017 Fleurieu Future Leaders Program.
Other contributing writers and photographers Mel Amos, Summer Boag, Annabel Bowles, Aise Dillon, Bonnie Dowie, Poppy Fitzpatrick, Nicola Gage, Robert Geh, Gill Gordon-Smith, Pip Kruger, Ron Langman, Mark Laurie, Kate Le Gallez, Angela Lisman, Heather Millar, Deb Saunders, Marcus Syvertsen and Corrina Wright.
PUBLISHER Fleurieu Living Magazine is published four times a year by Fleurieu Living Pty Ltd. ISSN 2200-4033 PUBLISHING EDITOR AND MANAGING DIRECTOR Petra de Mooy petra@fleurieuliving.com.au EDITOR Esther Thorn ADVERTISING SALES Holly Wyatt holly@fleurieuliving.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jason Porter jason@fleurieuliving.com.au PRINTER Graphic Print Group DISTRIBUTION Integrated Publication Solutions SUBSCRIPTIONS Print: isubscribe.com.au Digital: zinio.com ALL ENQUIRIES Petra de Mooy petra@fleurieuliving.com.au POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 111, Aldinga, South Australia 5173. ONLINE fleurieuliving.com.au facebook.com/FleurieuLivingMagazine instagram.com/fleurieulivingmagazine/ COPYRIGHT All content copyright Fleurieu Living Magazine Pty Ltd unless otherwise stated. While Fleurieu Living Magazine takes every care to ensure the accuracy of information in this publication, the publisher accepts no liability for errors in editorial or advertising copy. The views of the contributors are not necessarily endorsed by Fleurieu Living Magazine. Printed on paper from well managed forests and controlled sources using environmentally friendly vegetable-based inks.
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DINING AT d’ARENBERG With breathtaking views overlooking the rolling hills of McLaren Vale, d’Arenberg is the idyllic place for an unforgettable dining experience.
d’ARENBERG CUBE RESTAURANT
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Open for lunch from 12pm, Thursday–Sunday.
Open for lunch from 12pm, 7 days.
Luxury degustation dining with optional wine pairings, designed to surprise and delight. Sit at the Chef’s Table for an extended menu, dedicated sommelier, and private dining area.
Showcasing the best of local and regional produce, with seasonally changing menus. Enjoy à la carte dining, or indulge in a degustation, with vegetarian and vegan options available.
@darenbergwine • @thecuberestaurant • @darrysverandah 58 osborn rd, mclaren vale • t. 08 8329 4888 • wine@darenberg.com.au
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South Australian HIA-CSR Winners 2017: GreenSmart Sustainable Home (Major Award) Lightweight Construction (Award) Custom Built Home up to $400,000 (Commendation) new homes
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THIS ISSUE
Contents
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FEATURED HOME Historic Woodburn Homestead: Surprise and delight.
NEW BUSINESS FEATURE Spoilt for choice: New locales on the Fleurieu.
FRONT COVER PHOTO: by Robert Geh.
FOOD & WINE
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
58 Design behind the wine at S.C. Pannell: A label of love
12 Diary dates: Autumn really is the best – and there are plenty of festivities to enjoy
102 Uncorked: Wine reviews by the award winning Gill Gordon-Smith 62 Coffee revolution 100 Producer profile: Virgara’s Garden 78 Olive oil: the goods on some of the Fleurieu’s best olive oil 76 A taste of Autumn: Food and wine matching by the Fleurieu Kitchen
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34 Tasting Australia: April 5 to 14 Fleurieu highlights 80 Armfield Slip: Birthplace of the South Australian Wooden Boat Festival April 27 to 28 66 Festival Fleurieu: April 13 to 22
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FEATURED VENUE Daringa House and Colton Cottage at Oxenberry Farm.
FEATURE Seas of success: Sealink celebrates thirty years. Photograph by Isaac Forman.
44 FEATURED HOME A rare find at Goolwa.
BOOKS & WORDS
DESTINATIONS
BEING SOCIAL
92 Great reads by Mark Laurie of South Seas Books, Port Elliot
96 Create your pet-friendly escape
HEALTH & WELLBEING
PENINSULA PEOPLE
56 The story of your life: Exploring the benefit of telling your story
86 Remembering Clive Simmonds
106 FLM sees who was out and about at: · Kimbolton cellar door opening · Storm Boy launch Victor Harbor · Big Easy Radio launch · All About Health Aldinga Coach Road opening · Swell Taphouse Australia Day Opening
ART & DESIGN
HEART OF THE COMMUNITY
WEDDINGS
50 Karl Meyer: Nature is a teacher
26 Heidi Lewis: Many hands make light work
104 Andy and Alicia Dallisson – married on 21st December 2018 at Leonards Mill
24 Boutique and unique: Karri Nott in her idyllic locale
54 Trailblazer: David Paxton, A fertile mind
36 Meeting Megan Caldersmith: Couturier in the Vale
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ACKNOWLEDGES
Our advertising partners A special thanks to the advertising partners that have made a long term commitment to FLM. GOLD PARTNERS
BRONZE PARTNERS
il (Bookings 03 9005 7750) ad, Goolwa on 8 and 9 April ographic Exhibition at wa from 9 to 23 April Mike - Kids Magic y Hall, Goolwa on 17 April den Boat Festival at the n 22 and 23 April el Griffiths at Centenary
Silent Disco 4 Kids Party at Strathalbyn Library Community Centre on 27 April *Sista Girl, at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 5 May Our Mob 2015, Aboriginal arts at Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa from 5 May to 11 June Good Things Small Packages, at South Coast Regional Art Centre, Goolwa from 5 May to 18 June *Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - The Elton John Tribute Show at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 20 May * tickets/ booking required
ll Council’s Visitor Information Centre on 1300 466 592. Alexandrina Council a copy online for more events in the region, www.alexandrina.sa.gov.au
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Brand culture As a thank you to our advertising partners, we would like to showcase these amazing enterprises via a short introduction to their respective businesses. Each issue will offer some insight into three of our partners.
Oliver’s Taranga The Oliver family’s collection of handcrafted wines maintains the same authenticity as William Oliver’s original batch nearly two hundred years ago. The family’s long standing respect for ‘good old gut instinct, that only comes with a lifelong knowledge of the land and a love of wine’, has seen six generations of success on their hundred hectare ‘Seaview’ property. With a commitment to tradition and a passion for simple, quality winemaking, Oliver’s Taranga has remained one of McLaren Vale’s most recognised and respected wineries. The Oliver’s Taranga vineyard supplies a variety of grapes to not only its own brand, but to many other premium wine producers in the McLaren Vale region and beyond. Through their entwinement with the local wine industry as well as the broader region and its local sports clubs and charities, the family and brand have seamlessly become one. Their 2018 moscato, ‘the year that our tractor took off, sans driver’, and their 2017 grenache, ‘the year Ben reversed over the wine samples’, are just two anecdotes adorning their bottles that reflect the brand’s character and its core values of family, friends and the farm. Tatachilla Lutheran College The learning experience at Tatachilla Lutheran College aims to empower students with a fulfilling life which values self-worth, pursues excellence and serves others. The college focuses on teaching and learning that is personalised, innovative and challenging; wellbeing that is taught, built and embedded in the community; and service learning that transforms on an individual and global level. ‘Our dynamic staff are the backbone of our school community. They are dedicated professionals who give immense time to their vocation, much of it behind the scenes’. The unseen work of the education world! Staff work in collaborative teams and where able, share in
team teaching experiences. And they give beyond the normal idea of a classroom – running sports teams, dance teams, enrichment activities, tutoring clubs, drone clubs, environmental programs, bands, choirs, musicals and much more. The college community is kept involved and informed of the rich and diverse experiences of our reception to Year 12 students’ learning through social media, fortnightly newsletters, smartphone apps, local media, connecting with parents through student-led conferences, class blogs and student exhibitions. Strand Gallery A mutual passion for supporting and promoting local artisans, creating a quality environment and enhancing the region, were the perfect recipe for what was to become the Strand Gallery, a beautifully curated space in the heart of Port Elliot. Ron Langman and Sonya Hender strike a fine balance of what artists want to exhibit with what visitors want to see, offering a journey for visitors, ‘from their past preferences to a fresh appreciation of new works’. The gallery is positioned adjacent to Thunderbird restaurant and both ventures independently provide a unique offering to the township, whilst also drawing clients to each other, allowing time to immerse in the creative space over a wine or meal. Both Ron and Sonya enjoy contributing to the success of young people and artists alike through offering their time, skills, experience, mentoring and sponsorship. It was meaningful to both owners to create an inviting and embracing space for all art appreciators from international, seasoned collectors to local, young, aspiring artists. Unlike many successful art galleries, they have not relied on a strong online presence. Rather, their reputation has grown organically from advocates within the community and visitors’ recommendation to friends and art lovers.
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Welcome to FLM From the FLM team
From our readers
It’s almost autumn and we’re having our last hot gasp of summer. Welcome to issue 28!
Hi Petra, I would like to once again thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity to showcase my home and to share my story. I will forever treasure this beautiful publication – I have already bought twenty copies to share with my family and friends over Christmas! Jenny Vonic-Joyce, cover summer 2019.
Recently, we took the time to read the Onkaparinga Council’s strategic plan for tourism and the statistic we found most interesting – as one of many small businesses operating on the Fleurieu – was that eighty percent of tourism to the region is made up of daytrippers. That means they’re mostly coming from Adelaide or they may already live on the Fleurieu. Of the total tourism income, close to twenty-five percent comes from friends and family who are visiting locals. So what we have here is a very localised economy that’s greatly influenced by the people who call the Fleurieu home. FLM strives to be a publication that uncovers the best of what the region has to offer. We hope that in our own way we have helped put the Fleurieu on the map and that people use the magazine as a guide when they visit. But more than that, we want locals to get more familiar with the Peninsula. In the last year alone we have seen close to thirty new, mostly small, boutique businesses open. The ethos around Buy Eat Shop Local – though a bit overused – is what underpins the strength of our local economy. During the slower autumn and winter months, it’s important that as locals, we get out and about. In-bound tourism is seasonal, so let’s keep the spirit of entrepreneurship thriving and support small business.
Just got a copy of the magazine! Omg ... I cried ... happy tears!! What a beautiful article! I’m proudly messaging the whole world and telling them to buy a copy! ... I just bought five copies in Marion! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Amanda Westley, featured artist summer 2019. TESTIMONIALS ‘Fleurieu Living Magazine is the perfect conduit for us to promote the gallery and we have been very fortunate to have had some great articles about our artists. There are few quality media opportunities that target the South Coast and Fleurieu demographic, but we find that the readership of the magazine is a good match with our visitors.’ Sonya Hender, The Strand Gallery. ‘When I first moved to the Fleurieu I came across this magazine. I loved the photography in it and I said to myself: ‘It’s my goal to be in there one day.’’ Angela Lisman, Photographer and artist. (And so she has.)
The idea of regional pride, exclusive experiences, an insider’s view and ‘off the beaten track’ are all concepts that are really valuable. The Fleurieu is full of entrepreneurial successes and natural wonders, yet locals sometimes feel the tyranny of distance. Venturing beyond the tried-and-true can feel too hard in our busy lives. Especially when it’s chilly! Let’s be tourists in our own region. Let’s strengthen the backbone of small local business. Let’s get out and about to try all the new locales, kick-arse coffee and regional events! Team FLM.
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MARKETS & EVENTS
Autumn Diary Dates LOCAL MARKETS:
COUNTRY MARKETS:
Aldinga Bay Art, Craft and Produce Market 11am – 3pm Fourth Sunday of every month at Central Way, Aldinga Central Shopping Centre, with arts and crafts from local artisans, as well as fresh local produce.
Kangaroo Island Farmers’ Markets 9am – 1pm Skip breakfast and enjoy Kangaroo Island’s top food produce and a great village atmosphere by the beach at Penneshaw Town Oval on the first Sunday of every month, including Easter. For discounted market ferry fares, visit sealink.com.au.
Willunga Farmers Market 8am – 12.30pm Willunga Town Square every Saturday come rain, hail or shine, with fresh produce from more than eighty farmers and artisan food makers. Become a member for discounts on all goods, and enjoy the nourishing community atmosphere every week. Willunga Quarry Market 9am – 1pm Browse an eclectic mix of everything ranging from secondhand tools to plants and crafts on the second Saturday of every month, adjacent to the Willunga Oval. Willunga Artisans and Handmade Market 9am – 1pm An inspiring curated market showcasing local art and handmade goods in the Willunga Show Hall on the second Saturday of each month. It’s a great place to buy a unique, handmade gift. Goolwa Wharf Market 9am – 3pm. The Goolwa Wharf Market is held on the first and third Sunday of every month, with around eighty stalls including bric-a-brac, collectables, fresh local produce, plants, books both new and old, hand-crafted goods and delicious food and coffee. Port Elliot Market 9am – 2pm A typical country market with plenty of fresh local produce, plants, bric-a-brac, books, fishing gear, and even a $2 stall. Located at Lakala Reserve on the first and third Saturday of each month. Victor Harbor Farmers’ Market 8am – 12.30pm Every Saturday morning at Grosvenor Gardens, you can choose from thirty plus stalls, with locally caught seafood, organic vegetables, seasonal fruit, local honey, mushrooms, fresh flowers, Fleurieu wines and much more.
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Meadows Country Market 9am – 3pm A true country market with seventy stalls selling local produce, crafts, collectables, plants and bric-a-brac at Meadows Memorial Hall on the second Sunday of each month. Myponga Markets 9.30am – 4pm The old Myponga Cheese Factory welcomes you every Saturday, Sunday and most public holidays to browse a variety of stalls, including art, books, fine china and glass, toys, local leatherwork, coins, records and fossils. There are also waffles and gelato for those with a sweet tooth. Strathalbyn Markets 8am – 2pm A quaint, country-style market with bric-a-brac, local produce and condiments, craft, plants, jewellery and much more in historic Strathalbyn. A trash and treasure stall is also now available for anyone who wants to have a garage sale not at home. Located at Lions Park on the third Sunday of every month. Yankalilla Craft and Produce Market 9am – 1pm Held within the Agricultural Hall every third Saturday of the month, this lesser-known market is a surprising little gem offering homemade jams and preserves, delicious sweet treats, locallygrown fruit and vegetables, plus craftwork, trinkets and unique gifts. Below: The Willunga Waldorf School Autumn Fair on 6th April is always a favourite.
FESTIVALS AND EVENTS: MARCH Fringe in Goolwa March, 9-11 The Adelaide Fringe Caravan rolls into town to celebrate one of the highlights of the Just Add Water arts and culture program – a weekend jam-packed with comedy, musical theatre, exhibitions, workshops, and live music across multiple venues at Goolwa Wharf Precinct. Cost: free At the Wharf Goolwa March 10, 1.30pm – 5pm Following the Goolwa Caravan, enjoy live music by the superlative Steve Brown Band on the deck at Signal Point. Local food and wine available on the lawns. Twilight Food Affair Tatachilla Lutheran College March 22, 4.30 – 9pm Tatachilla Lutheran College will come alive as it stages its annual Twilight Food Affair: an enjoyable night for the entire community. Held on the college grounds, this family-friendly event showcases the best of the region’s food and wine, offering live entertainment, rides, fun activities and the Wayne Phillis Ford fireworks display. Beachside Food and Wine Festival Christies Beach Esplanade, Rotary Park March 24, 12 – 9pm Enjoy a host of stalls and entertainment and soak up the coastal views with the best regional food, wine and beer on offer. The Safe Harbour Project Normanville Foreshore March 30 Take hold of a paintbrush, join in conversation and enjoy an interactive pop-up art installation to help raise awareness of asylum seekers detained offshore. Watch the four-metre-long wooden boat centrepiece grow as a symbol of hope, as it attaches to brightly decorated miniature boats made by you.
APRIL National Basketry Gathering Aldinga Holiday Park April 3 – 8 Learn the craft of basketry and explore local attractions at this relaxed, low-key event within walking distance of the coast and native scrub. Get your craft on!
Willunga Waldorf School Autumn Fair April 6, 10am – 4pm All are welcome to celebrate one hundred years of Waldorf education and thirty years in Willunga with good food, live music, fun activities and craft stalls. Fleurieu Sounds Aldinga April 6, 4pm – 12 midnight This is going to be one fun party. Seven of the finest music acts – Fraud Millionaires, Fistful of Trojans, Bermuda Bay band, DJ Es’Ay, Escapism, Jimmybay Music and DJ Big Chip will perform in the laneway between Maxwell’s Grocery and the Home Grain Bakery in Aldinga. There will be food and wine and kids are welcome. McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic Main Street (street parade starts at 11am), McLaren Vale and local wineries April 6-7 One for the motoring enthusiasts, enjoy this celebration of vintage and collectable cars from the Fleurieu and beyond at this free street parade. The charity dinner held on the Saturday night will raise funds to purchase medical equipment for the local hospital. Fleurieu Coast Fun Run Normanville – Carrickalinga April 7 Run, walk or stroll either 5km, 10km or the kids’ dash through this picturesque loop featuring beautiful beaches, coastal paths and community parks. Twilight Market in the Museum Yankalilla Historical Museum April 12, 4.30 – 8.30pm On the eve of the Festival Fleurieu this twilight market is going to be bustling! Stalls will showcase producers, artisans and businesses of the Fleurieu Coast. Come down after work or while you’re on holidays and enjoy local beer, wine, food and entertainment. Festival Fleurieu April 13 – 22 An eclectic festival program bursting with something for everyone, including arts, music, literature, food events and hands-on workshops. Art from the heart of the Fleurieu Coast. Regen Festival Seaford Quarry Reserve 12 April, 3.30 – 9.30pm Celebrate the Battle of the Bands finalists and Youth Recognition Awards with plenty of fun for everyone including fire twirling, face painting, visual and performing arts, wildlife experiences, a youth market and plenty more. > 13
MARKETS & EVENTS
FESTIVALS AND EVENTS cont: Aquafest Goolwa Aquatic Club April 13-14, 9am – 5pm Aquafest is a fun day outdoors for the whole family featuring boat racing, outboards, and hydroplanes.
Knights Beach Pro Body Boarding Competition Knights Beach, Port Eliot May 24 – 26
Skate Art! Yankalilla Skate Park April 17, 1 – 8pm Play on your scooter, skateboard or BMX, find a treasure at the Kids Community Market and enjoy entertainment by local artists and musicians ahead of an impressive digitally-projected interactive art experience.
Dine A Mile Fundraiser Supporting the Hutt Street Centre and Food for Futures. Eileen Hardy Room, 202 Main Road, McLaren Vale June 1, 7pm – 11pm Enjoy a long table table dinner on Saturday June 1 and we will bring some of the best our region has to offer. The historic Eileen Hardy Room will be festooned with lighting and styled for the event. Chef Karena Armstrong from the Salopian Inn will be bringing the mains! There will be grazing platters of fine regional produce to start and amazing desserts from Real Food Life. All complemented by Hardy’s Wines and local craft beers. Check the Dine A Mile facebook page for tickets and information.
Big Easy Radio Two Year Celebration Big Easy Radio cellar door, Aldinga April 19, 5pm – late Celebrating two years of good wines and good times with food, wine and great music. The second Big Easy event will be held under the palms on Easter Friday with music from Yatri and Sidwho. Check Big Easy Radio on social media for ticket details. Wooden Boat Festival April 27 – 28 There will be boats-a-plenty, on water and land, ranging from canoes and rowing skiffs, to traditional wooden boats large and small. At the Goolwa Wharf Precinct you can enjoy local food, wine and music as well as great views of all the on-water activities. The Festival extends from the Goolwa Wharf Precinct along the Murray River to include Armfield Slip, Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club and Goolwa Aquatic Club. Here you can enjoy more activities and entertainment. Families with children have a fun opportunity to explore the festival and discover the rich culture and history of wooden boats by following the Pirate Trail. Face painting and other craft activities will also be on offer for the little ones. Plus there’s boat parades led by the paddle steamers, sailing races, demonstrations and fireworks launched from the Hindmarsh Island Bridge.
MAY Langhorne Creek Wine Show Tasting Memorial Hall and Lake Breeze Wines May 3, 10am – 5pm Sample the best local wine indoors ahead of lunch on the lawns by the fabulous Simon Burr of the Ol Factory Inn at Lake Breeze Wines, where the Champion Wine and Top of the Class Awards will be celebrated. Langhorne Creek Wedding Trail May 19 Experience the best the Langhorne Creek region has to offer for your wedding or special celebration at this free event. Six premium Langhorne Creek venues will showcase suppliers across every area of wedding planning in a variety of wedding styles. Take the opportunity to discover the natural beauty, peaceful seclusion and country hospitality of the suppliers in this surprisingly accessible region less than an hour from Adelaide. Visit langhornecreekweddingtrail.com.au to book free tickets.
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EARLY JUNE
2019 Sea and Vines McLaren Vale Region June 8 – 10 The McLaren Vale Sea and Vines Festival has grown to become one of the largest wine-region events in South Australia by attendance, and is a proven popular Australian June long-weekend destination, with 2019 attendance projected at 15,000 across the three days. The festival’s aim is to drive the McLaren Vale ‘brand’, and enhance profitability and sustainability of the region’s wine and tourism businesses. Check the internet for information and links to tickets for all of the above events.
Below: Don’t miss the Langhorne Creek Wedding Trail on 19th May – a free event that showcases six outstanding wedding venues in the region.
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Surprise and delight Story by Kate Le Gallez. Photography by Robert Geh. Styling by Marcus Syvertsen.
Page left: Personal touches – with flowers from Harvest Studio. Above: Woodburn Homestead was built in 1864 and now offers a striking destination wedding venue and accommodation packages.
When Cindy Westphalen thought about her dream property, she had very specific criteria in mind. It wasn’t necessarily about the size of the property, or its particular location or facilities. It was about the feeling she wanted to experience. ‘I wanted to drive up a long driveway and come upon a surprise,’ she explains. ‘I never thought I’d actually find it, but then we drove up the driveway here and this beautiful old house was standing there all alone in this landscape and I thought ‘I’m in heaven’.’ ‘Here’ is Woodburn Homestead in Langhorne Creek, which Cindy and husband John purchased shortly after they first ventured up that eucalypt-lined driveway in 2017. Since then, the Westphalens have set about thoughtfully restoring and enhancing the original
house and nearby chaff shed and stables. Together, the family has coaxed that kernel of an idea into a striking destination wedding venue and accommodation. Situated on forty-two acres cradled by the Angas River, Woodburn Homestead was built in 1864 by Matthew Rankine, son of William Rankine, one of the earliest European settlers in the area. Quality sandstone and brick construction and careful maintenance by a series of owners in the intervening 155 years have shepherded the house into the present in remarkably good condition. That said, there was plenty to be done when Cindy took over the property. ‘It was in a bit of disrepair, but it was all cosmetic, nothing structural,’ she explains. Case in point: the house was surrounded by ‘220 metres of the ugliest green Colorbond fence you’ve ever seen,’ Cindy says. The fence is now long gone, replaced by a cottage-style garden lovingly planted by Cindy and her eighty-two year-old father >
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Previous page top and bottom left: The chaff shed has been expertly revived by stonemason Rick Wheatley and now functions as an open-air chapel. Bottom right: The corrugated iron stables hold a great deal of charm. This page above: The master bedroom has generous windows that open out to the wraparound verandah and garden.
Situated on forty-two acres cradled by the Angas River, Woodburn Homestead was built in 1864 by Matthew Rankine, son of William Rankine, one of the earliest European settlers in the area. Philip Scrivener. On one side, lawn stretches out beyond the plantings of roses, lavender and daisies towards a magnificent Moreton Bay Fig. Its unexpected presence on the plains offers welcome shade and a little whimsy in the form of a swing hanging from one of its substantial boughs. Inside, the cosmetic enhancements continued. The four bedrooms, which sleep up to ten people, have been decorated in a heritage style. They’re serviced by three fully-renovated bathrooms and a beautifully appointed country-style kitchen. All the historic features you might expect are present, like fireplaces and leadlight glass, but the house also offers some unusual treats. A belvedere attic reached via a steep staircase rewards visitors with 360 degree views across the plains. Outside, carefully restored stone steps lead down into a half-sunken cellar, accented by exposed beams and brick fireplace, which is now a hideaway for cosy winter dinners. A short distance from the house, a generous lawn now covers what was previously horse yards. The lawn is framed by the sandstone chaff shed, corrugated iron-clad stables and newly-built toilet and kitchen block. An overgrown mess when they bought the place, the chaff shed has been expertly revived by stonemason Rick Wheatley
and now functions as an open-air chapel. The absence of a roof adds drama, the should-be roofline now a marriage of golden sandstone, red brick and blue sky. Beyond the far wall, a windmill, repositioned from elsewhere on the property, solemnly keeps watch. The interior of the stables was gutted to open up the space, which now comfortably seats eighty. The corrugated iron shell and exposed wooden studwork remain, while tools reclaimed from the buildings and nearby paddocks readily remind guests of the building’s former agricultural life. The need for more light was met by installing a large window at one end, a treasure salvaged from a demolition sale. The most significant new build on the property is the toilet and kitchen block adjoining the stables. The toilets provide necessary facilities for guests with a slicker, more modern fit-out than the main house, while the kitchen is the hub of Cindy’s catering business, Cindy’s Classic Gourmet. Designed by Amanda Bragg and built by Delatorre Constructions, it’s no shrinking violet despite housing the back-office operations. The original plan was to clad the amenities block in tin, but builder Todd Delatorre suggested stone instead. When it came to finding >
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Page left: The large entryway looks a picture of romance adorned with a floral arrangement from the Harvest Studio at McLaren Vale. This page: The home is filled with original detail, modern amenities and character. The owners’ collection of paintings is displayed throughout.
the stone for the build (as well as for the stone walls at the driveway entrance), Cindy was typically resourceful. A chance meeting at the local pub led her and dad Phil down the road to a nearby farm where they collected three trailer-loads of stone by hand. Out the back of the stable and shed, restoration works are ongoing. On the day I visit, stonemason Rick and Cindy’s son-in-law Peter are laying slate flooring and finishing an outdoor fireplace. Son Michael is working on a new wirelessly-controlled lighting system, while his recently dug trenches await pipes to irrigate another soon-to-beinstalled patch of lawn. While daughter Lucy, a qualified chef, isn’t currently onsite, she’s sure to be along soon.
All this activity and the good-natured ribbing we overhear as we wander by offer an insight into how this business works. While Cindy may be the front-woman, it’s a family and community business in the truest sense. Cindy trusts her own eye and vision, but clearly values the collaborative efforts of her children and the expertise of the tradespeople they work with. ‘Michael can do anything,’ says Cindy. And it certainly appears to be true, his contributions range from design (he worked closely with Bragg on the new kitchen and toilet block) to project management (of the new build) and manual labour (digging out the floor of the cellar was one of his more ‘fun’ jobs). And he works the bar at weddings. Rick too has been integral to the restoration > 21
Above: There is much to discover at Woodburn Homestead. Bottom left: A magnificent Moreton Bay Fig offers welcome shade and a little whimsy in the form of a swing hanging from one of its substantial boughs.
process. ‘He has incredible vision,’ says Cindy, ‘it’s been fantastic seeing him bring it all to life.’ Underlying everything is Cindy’s passion for this place and the work she does. She’s having a ‘special birthday’ this year (her 60th she confides), but this impending milestone seems to only spur her on. ‘I love what I do,’ she says, ‘I love the fact that I get to meet and work with young people, including my own children, it keeps me young.’ It’s this incredible energy that enlivens this surprising property at the end of the long driveway, turning it into something truly special.
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Karri’s idyllic locality Story by Annabel Bowles. Photography by Poppy Fitzpatrick.
Some may recognise Karri as one of the friendly faces behind the coffee machine at Aldinga’s Goodness Coffee Co. Along with a knack for making a mean latte, Karri has a talent for anything she turns her hand to; whether it be in the kitchen, the veggie garden, or in her cozy bedroom adorned with plants and pastel prints. Karri has lived in the Aldinga Arts EcoVillage for the past twelve of her twenty-one years and has always been interested in biodiversity. Although, that affinity may have been inevitable for someone named after the native Acacia pentadenia: commonly known as karri wattle. Unlike many of her peers who have fled to Adelaide or interstate cities, Karri’s idyllic locality has firmly planted her feet in its soil. After completing her schooling at Tatachilla Lutheran College in 2015, she began volunteering at the Village Greens, an organic market garden based in the EcoVillage. Karri then spent ten months travelling and volunteering in farms across Europe, and returned home in the latter half of 2017 to resume her work at Village Greens, though this time as a part-time employee during summer. Village Greens is a one-acre plot that grows salad greens, colourful heirloom produce and over forty different types of vegetables. Produce ordered through its website is picked and delivered on 24
Wednesdays and the rest goes to the Willunga Farmers Market each Saturday. Although Village Greens isn’t certified organic, managers Nat Wiseman and Lucy Chan are passionate about organic practices and sustainable agriculture that ‘grows great food and great communities.’ As well as being a great source of local produce, Village Greens’ use of common land encourages young people to get involved in farming. The unique opportunity provided to those who are interested in agriculture, but lack financial capital to acquire property, is just one of the reasons Karri appreciates Village Greens. She also loves being able to step outside, walk around the corner, and spend her summer days pulling and planting with neighbours and friends she’s grown up with. Her face beamed as she showed me photos of carrots that look like aliens and strawberries sprouting seeds. ‘When you pull out carrots that are hugging each other and potatoes shaped like hearts … it’s so beautiful,’ she tells me. ‘I just love vegetables.’ Karri is also starting a goat cooperative with her friend Phoebe Paterson de Heer. They’re planning to introduce two does with kids to the Village. It will be an experience, rather than a commercial pursuit, in managing their own agricultural project with a small production of dairy products. Karri sees goats as an ethical dairy source, as does produce more milk when they’re left with their kids. She’s also on a mission to reproduce an ‘amazing’ goat gouda she once tried in New Zealand and hasn’t been able to find since. When Karri’s not in her overalls, kneeling over a patch of beets, you might find her at the University of Adelaide studying a degree in Environmental Policy and Management. Karri did admit to me that she
Page left and above: In her botanical illustrations, Karri has taken to recreating the food she loves to grow and eat: peaches, pomegranates, carrots and apricots feature among her latest work. Below: Karri at home in her family’s garden.
spends more daylight hours in her bedroom than on campus, but upon visiting her humble abode I soon understood why. Paintings and illustrations, both her own and magazine cut-outs, were delicately arranged around the room. Framed pink proteas and finely-outlined coral drawings peeked out behind overflowing plants and metre-long cacti. Classic novels lined up snugly between potted succulents and wacky sculpted faces sat in front of her floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s a space anyone could happily spend hours in. While I could have perused Karri’s room all day, I’d come to see her botanical watercolour paintings. She’s taken to recreating the food she loves to grow and eat; peaches, pomegranates and apricots are among her latest artworks. They have a depth of colour and intricate detail, yet a soft warmness that could only be achieved by studying them outside beneath the sun and leaves. A bunch of beautiful wonky carrots also caught my eye, which Karri exhibited at last year’s ‘Pocket Power’, an event run by Youth Food Movement on food waste. She tells me: ‘like vegetables, my art is never perfect, but that it makes it more real’. But in my eyes, the twisted orange characters and the rest of her leafy, bright creations are pretty flawless. Only a selection of pieces Karri cannot seem to part with are reproduced in a few life-size prints. She prefers to sell her original artwork, not only to preserve the vibrancy of the paintings, but to maintain a connection between artist and appreciator.
and her ‘farm to table’ approach. Through wholesome plant-based recipes, as well as stories of her agricultural experiences locally and abroad, Karri encourages people to: ‘grow whatever you can, wherever you are, regardless of whether you own fifty acres or a sunny kitchen windowsill.’ One can also admire (and buy) Karri’s prints on Frankly Fodder. The curation of art, recipes and stories seamlessly tie together her environmental ethos and holistic way of life. Karri’s wonderful creations can be found on franklyfodder.weebly.com. Otherwise, pop into Goodness on a Saturday or Tuesday and chat to her over a cuppa.
Among all of these endeavours, Karri also finds time to jot down some of her culinary creations and share them on her blog Frankly Fodder. She uses this platform to create conversation on food connection 25
Above left and top right: Kanchanaburi, located near the Thai-Burma border in western Thailand is home to more than fifty orphaned children. In April this year, Heidi Lewis (bottom right) will ride 500 kilometres to raise funds to build an orphanage there.
Many hands make light work Story by Petra de Mooy.
Since beginning Fleurieu Living Magazine in 2011, we have had many amazing contributing writers and photographers. During production of issue two, Heidi Lewis from Heidiwho Photos came forward to offer her photography services. Each issue since has featured her images and it has been so rewarding having her as part of our team. Heidi has an amazing eye and a can-do attitude that makes her easy to work with. She is also up for any challenge. In the seven years I have known Heidi, I think she has been travelling for close to a quarter of the those years. Whether it is with family, friends or ‘on assignment’, she likes to get off the beaten track. In 2018 we sent her into the bush, during winter, to walk for five days on the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail – actually, to be fair, she volunteered. I don’t think there would be many who would do this alone. The sense of adventure is real with Heidi.
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In April, she will don lycra and head to Thailand. She has been training hard because she will be riding 500 kilometres as part of the Australian-based charity The Hands Group. Heidi will ride as part of ‘The Family Law Project Team’ which is headed up by her cousin. The sixty-eight riders across all of the teams will fundraise close to $350,000 to support the New Life project – an orphanage in Kanchanaburi, located near the Thai-Burma border in western Thailand. More than fifty children call Kanchanaburi home and many have come from difficult situations: sexual abuse, substance addictions, slave labour – or they simply have no family to care for them. To participate in the fundraiser, each of the riders has to raise $5000. ‘I am always looking at different ways of giving back,’ says Heidi. ‘It is my way of being a better person and making the world a better place.’ Even the smallest donation will help. Let’s get her there! https://www.handsgroup.org.au/my-experiences/event/businessblueprint-thailand-ride-2019/7286/
Visit Historic
OXENBERRY FARM - Est. 1840
• Cellar door boutique regional wine production • Unique Grapple Ciders • Daily Café
• Barista coffee • Event facilities • On farm accommodation
26-28 Kangarilla Rd McLaren Vale, www.oxenberry.com Ph: 08 8323 0188
SCARPANTONI Estate Grown - Family Made Est. 1979
Scarpantoni Estate wines are classically ‘McLaren Vale’ in style, particularly the reds - being generous, mouth-filling, full of ripe fruit flavours and regional characteristics. Our range of wines covers a wide spectrum, from crisp, dry sauvignon blancs, chardonnay and rosé, to full bodied shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and fortified wines. Over the past five decades the wines have amassed an enviable collection of hundreds of wine show awards, including ‘The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy’. The Great Australian Shiraz Challenge, Winestate Shiraz of the year award and The Great Australian Red award. Visit our cellar door and winery, experience the fascinating range of varietals and wine styles that we produce exclusively on site. Tel:(08) 8383 0186, Scarpantoni Dr, McLaren Flat SA 5171, www.scarpantoniwines.com
Brick by brick Story by Kate Le Gallez. Photography by Angela Lisman.
Page left: Daringa House and Colton Cottage again stand strongly side-by-side after undergoing extensive renovations and restoration by current owners, the Scarpantoni family. Above: Landscape designer Lesli Hewett (a descendant of the original Hewett family) took great care in designing the gardens around the two buildings.
The first time Michael Scarpantoni stood inside Daringa House, he was just a child. His best friend was the nephew of Ken Maxwell, who owned the house at the time. Then, it was cold and damp. Concrete had been rendered part way up the wall in an attempt to stabilise the brickwork, while the floor went up and down creating different levels where there shouldn’t be any. Decades later, this personal connection, alongside the home’s historic significance as the first dwelling in McLaren Vale, would sustain Michael and brother Filippo (Fil) through the three-year project to rebuild Daringa House, quite literally, brick by brick. Daringa’s story began in 1840, when Charles Hewett and William Colton arrived in the southern vales from the English county of Devonshire. The two farmers established Oxenberry Farm and Lower Oxenberry Farm respectively, the properties covering much of what’s now McLaren Vale. That same year, Colton built Daringa House. Hewett’s house no longer exists, most likely destroyed by flood. But in an early settler example of waste-not-want-not, the recovered stone may then have been used to build a smaller adjacent building in around 1890. This is the building now known as Colton Cottage. The two buildings were then continuously inhabited until 1999, first by the Coltons, followed by the Semmens family and finally the Maxwell family.
The Scarpantoni’s part in Daringa’s story begins, indirectly, in 1958. In that year, Domenico Scarpantoni — Michael and Fil’s father — bought a 14-acre block of land in McLaren Vale. This block was part of the original Oxenberry Farm, explains Michael, although the large landholding had been broken up by then. The property was young Michael and Fil’s home until they moved to McLaren Flat in 1979. ‘We knew this land as kids,’ Michael says. ‘We roamed every inch of it pretty intimately.’ And so, as Domenico planted his first vines on Oxenberry land, he also cultivated a deep connection to the area in his young sons. It’s not surprising then, that when the remaining parcel of land known as Oxenberry Farm came up for sale about twenty years ago, the Scarpantoni brothers bought it. A year later, they also bought the adjacent land that included Daringa House and Colton Cottage. This modern-day Oxenberry Farm is home to the Scarpantoni’s Oxenberry Wines label, a café and a range of accommodation options, which now include the renovated historic buildings. ‘It was a good spot,’ says Michael. ‘It had a lot of history for us. Ultimately, we always wanted to restore the houses, I just needed to think about it for twenty years first.’ Those twenty years weren’t kind to the buildings. They were largely uninhabited after the Maxwells moved out in 1999 and when the reconstruction work began in earnest in 2015, Daringa House in particular was badly dilapidated. Architect David Bennett of Bennett Design, who advised on the project, offers a blunt appraisal: ‘It would’ve been much easier to bulldoze them, you quite literally could put your finger through the wall,’ he tells me. ‘Now, they’ll go on for a long time because they’ve been given a new purpose.’ >
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Top left: The original floors couldn’t be salvaged and were replaced with century-old jarrah floorboards salvaged from the old Clarks Shoes factory in Adelaide. Top right and above: Guests are greeted with a complimentary platter, bubbles and Italian chocolates from Oxenberry Farm.
Walking down from the Oxenberry cellar door, we find that purpose now fully realised. The two humble buildings stretch out from each other on an angle, embracing the slate courtyard in a seeming welcome to guests arriving for an overnight stay. The stone walls are the original limestone accented by the rich rust-red of ironstone. Now masterfully re-pointed, they look ready to take on their next phase of life. The aim for both buildings was to preserve as many original features as possible, overlaying history with the trappings of a modern, luxe accommodation experience. While Colton Cottage was structurally sound, Daringa required a complete rebuild from the ground up. Every brick was taken down and the floors — which lay directly on the dirt — were pulled up, to enable modern ventilation and footings to be retrofitted. The walls were rebuilt using the original bricks, cleaned and rotated 180 degrees to hide their age scars. An ever-soslight wave in the wall line was also maintained, faithfully reproducing the variation created by ground movements over the past 180 years (‘it made it fun for the guys putting the verandah on,’ says Michael).
The original floors couldn’t be salvaged and were replaced with century-old jarrah floorboards. They came from the old Clarks Shoes factory in Adelaide, bought by Michael twenty years ago (‘I thought, I’ll need them for something,’ he says). The roof, miraculously, only required reinforcing. Entering Daringa, the front door leads into a kitchen and cosy dining nook. The kitchen’s modern farmhouse feel, like the rest of the interior, was designed by Mary Harben of GHD. The view above the expansive farmhouse sink looks out to the courtyard, the window framed by simple white subway tile. The black enamel Smeg oven commands attention, but other appliances have been discreetly hidden away to push thoughts of modern technology out of mind. The lighting too has been designed to retain the original feel. Pendant lights have been used sparingly above the dining table and for bedside lighting, but the remaining lighting sits, unobtrusively, flush to the ceiling. The sitting room is simple but comfortable, the neutral furnishings gathered around the original red-brick fireplace. Two bedrooms are each serviced by an ensuite with bath. > 31
Above: Colton Cottage has kept much of the integrity of the original build without compromising on comfort or style. Bottom left: All of the bathrooms have beencompletely renovated in crisp whites. Bottom right: Delicious platters on arrival.
The smaller bedroom is Michael’s favourite — he’s tickled by the story that it was originally built for a horse, with the fireplace built for equine, rather than human, comfort. The doorway to the ensuite is the only one that’s been raised, after one too many head-knocks. Elsewhere, the original door and window frames remain. The more compact Colton Cottage is entirely separate, offering studio accommodation. Elements of the original engineering efforts are visible, with a large, rusty bolt emphatically fixed to the wall above the doorway. Now, these features simply lend charm. Inside, the ironframed bed and small kitchenette sit on top of the original slate floor, with a full-sized bathroom waiting through the far door.
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Back outside, the newly-landscaped gardens are full of English garden standards — roses, oleander, lavender and fruit trees among them — settling into their beds. In a moment of perfect serendipity, these gardens bring the Daringa story full-circle. Michael explains how, based on a friend’s recommendation, he invited a landscape designer out to Oxenberry to discuss the garden. The designer’s name? Lesli Hewett. ‘I asked her whether there was any chance she was related to the first European settlers here,’ says Michael. ‘She said she was, and that she knew her family came to McLaren Vale, but she didn’t know exactly where. I just looked at her and said ‘you’re sitting in the very spot’. Because of that, I think she put a lot of love into the garden design.’ It’s immediately clear to anyone that visits these historical buildings that love, and a whole lot of dedication, has secured their future.
For 25 years, Bennett Design Architect has been creating beautifully tailored, sustainable, award winning solutions. By drawing inspiration from nature, we pride ourselves on designs and material selections which coexist harmoniously with the surrounding land. Using this method, we work closely with our public and private clients to produce designs for a range of applications including wineries, homes and everything in between.
Bennett Design Architect Pty Ltd · 107 Main Road McLaren Vale SA 5171 · (08) 8323 7737 · contact@bennettdesign.com.au
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Tasting Australia April 5-14 / Fleurieu highlights Ditch the garden hose and take a breath. Autumn gives you permission to enjoy a full-bodied Tasting Australia experience, with top notch food and wine. One of the nation’s flagship events is set to launch a 10-day sensation overload. Fully immerse yourself and dissect every step of the paddock-to-plate process at the Salopian Inn Family Dinner, or indulge in a lavish long lunch doing nothing at all, except ‘enjoy being’. Coriole Vineyards Gather for the Producer Waiters Dinner April 12, 7-10.30pm Celebrating 50 years of quality winemaking, Gather will host a sixcourse beverage-matched dinner created by Chef, Tom Tilbury, and served to you by the local producers themselves. Quiz them on foods ethically harvested, sustainable products, and the processes and philosophies that underpin their brands. d’Arenberg Cube Surrealist Ball April 6, 7pm-12am Let your imagination run wild for a night of extravagant decadence where premium food, wine and cocktails, stunning views and five levels of cube surrealism inspire your own unique creativity. Be sure to make a statement by combining black tie with the weird and wonderful.
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Kay Brothers Cellar Door The Charcutier and The Winemaker: A Masterclass April 6, 3-5pm In the surrounds of a heritage-listed cask room, make the most of this masterclass on pairing premium wines with fine charcuterie from Parma Quality Meats and Smallgoods. It has been described as a match made in heaven. Maxwell Wines Lime Cave Experience April 12-13, 7-10.30pm Explore a hidden lime cave amongst the vines at Maxwell Wines with a six course feast for the senses. Head Chef Fabian Lehmann and team will pair Maxwell’s premium wines with the best local produce, including mushrooms grown in the cave, metres from the dining table.
Salopian Inn Family Dinner With Karena Armstrong and Emma McCaskill April 10, 6-9.30pm Join Emma McCaskill and Karena Armstrong, two of Adelaide’s most talented and generous chefs, for a family meal where the humble midweek dinner takes a passionate, modern turn that will appeal to the foodie experts and the kids. Serafino Glamping April 13, 2pm start over two days Get back to nature in style with your glampsite nestled amongst hundred-year-old gum trees and sparkling under magical festoon lighting. Enjoy a locally-sourced three course dinner prepared by executive chef Daniel Armon, before toasting marshmallows over a fire pit and enjoying the outdoor lakeside cinema. A cooked breakfast the following morning will set you up for a full day exploring the local delights.
Wirra Wirra Discover Wirra Wirra April 6, 11am - 2.30pm Be immersed in all things Wirra Wirra and learn the secrets of biodynamic vineyards with a tour of the Scrubby Rise and Chook Block, before tasting their premium wines. Explore the original ironstone cellars and learn about barrel ageing, and taste five of the winery’s best labels complemented by local handmade chocolates. Top it all off with a regional two-course lunch and matched wine from Harry’s Deli.
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Meeting Megan
Story by Corrina Wright. Photography by Deb Saunders.
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Page left: Fashion pieces constructed in embroidered lace handmade at She Sews. Above: Owner and seamstress extraordinaire Megan Caldersmith with a vintage lace collar made by her grandmother which will soon be incorporated into a custom piece.
Turning up the skinniest of driveways opposite the Almond Train on Main Road, McLaren Vale, you come across the humble structure that is home to ‘She Sews’. But once inside the tiny beige building, a veritable Aladdin’s cave opens up. And there, in amongst the brightly-coloured jewellery and accessories, the French lace, the sumptuous silks, the smooth linens, and rows and rows of extraordinary handmade dresses, you will find owner and seamstress extraordinaire Megan Caldersmith. It is quite a modest base for someone of such extensive talents. Megan is an artist, seamstress, stylist, designer, mother, collaborator and entrepreneurial business owner. We are lucky that she and her family chose to call the Fleurieu home after time spent in Adelaide, Western Australia and the Coonawarra. Megan’s grandmother Pearl was a very accomplished lace maker and dressmaker. She supplied the Women’s Work Depot in Adelaide, a co-operative that opened after the First World War, where talented women could sell their handmade items to contribute to the earnings of their household. These timeless skills were passed onto her daughter, Megan’s mother Ros, and in turn to Megan.
Megan learnt to sew at just five years old. While she loved fabrics and sewing, her first passion was art. After school she enrolled in a Fine Art degree at Underdale, majoring in photography and textiles. But Megan worried about the limited commercial applications of her chosen study path. She decided to transfer into a Diploma in Fashion, majoring in marketing. For Megan, it was so important to be able to make a living in a job and industry that she truly loved. Megan had spent a number of years working in the fashion industry in Adelaide, notably Dynamix BodyWear and Puddle Duck Designs, when an interesting opportunity caught her eye. Betrothed Bridal Boutique on Kensington Road was up for sale at the same time as Puddle Duck Designs was closing its doors. She discussed this opportunity with then colleague at Puddle Duck, production manager Nikki Atkinson, and the two decided to form a partnership, running the Betrothed business successfully for twelve years. It is at this juncture that I should point out that Megan is a full-blown, diagnosed, license holding, borderline crazy wedding addict! She admits to this happily, even when I may have been unable to stifle a small groan and eye roll, giving away the fact that I am not so much in the wedding-loving camp. Megan loves absolutely everything about them, especially the dresses, the ceremony and being able to be a part of someone’s special day. So, owning a bridal boutique was her true happy place. The accolades and awards for Betrothed flowed >
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Above: Megan works at restyling a precious family heirloom. Right: Custom-made gowns in silk and European lace.
in, culminating with the business taking out the big gong at the prestigious National Bridal Awards in 2000. But all great things have to come to an end. Nikki married and moved to Wilmington in the state’s mid-north, and in 2003 they sold the business. After the birth of their first son Eli, it was time to devote some energy to husband Matt’s budding winemaking career, moving first to Denmark in Western Australia, and in 2005 after her daughter Zoe was born, to the Coonawarra region in the south-east of South Australia. While living in Penola, Megan maintained her dressmaking with her own made-to-measure bridal and evening wear studio, and was drawn back into textile artistry. The Caldersmith family was also completed by the arrival of son Liam. Megan collaborated with luminary Penola-based textile artist Joann Fife, developing numerous exhibitions and becoming very involved in the Penola Arts Festival. During this time Megan was dying silk and wool, blending art and fashion using corsets as a medium, and building on her lace-making skills inherited from her grandmother. Megan learnt to construct lace in a new way, even incorporating precious lace that Grandmother Pearl had made many years ago, into new wearable art with a story. 38
After nine years in Penola, the Caldersmiths moved to their forever home on the Fleurieu. Matt, working as winemaker at Hardy’s Tintara, and Megan, opening ‘She Sews’ in McLaren Vale specialising in alterations, bridal and evening wear, and made-to-measure clothing. Megan now travels overseas to places like Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia to source unique designer fabrics each year. She has also become an in-demand stylist on local photographic shoots and has plans for a textile art exhibition incorporating children’s textile art lessons at Fleurieu Arthouse. Megan laments that she no longer has any of the lace or garments that her mother or grandmother made left, they have all been repurposed into something new and beautiful in their own right. The women in my family are also gifted seamstresses, and my chat with Megan inspired me to pull a dusty, musty old suitcase out from under my bed. It contains precious dresses, laces, crochet and knitting that the women of my family created, and it felt wonderful to touch their detailed handiwork from as far back as the 1920s. I think I will always be in awe of the skill and artistry involved in creating a timeless outfit, which Megan has in spades. How lucky we are to have someone of her talent ensconced within our local community.
NEED A LOCAL BUILDER YOU CAN TRUST? Welcome to Catalyst Homes
Call 0448 033 709 or email info@catalysthomes.com.au www.catalysthomes.com.au buildwithcatalysthomes
South Seas Books
South Seas Trading
53 North Terrace, Port Elliot P: 8554 2301 www.southseasbooks.com.au
56 North Terrace, Port Elliot P: 8554 3540
is an independent bookshop on the Fleurieu’s south coast. South Seas will ignite your imagination.
offers a selection of vintage art and design pieces · clothing · jewellery · giftware and books in an evolving Arcadian haven.
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Seas of success Story by Esther Thorn.
Left: The SeaLink Ferry Terminal at Cape Jervis. Above: The island awaits – and is full of beautiful landscapes and winding roads. Photographs by Isaac Forman.
It’s hard to see the appeal of a struggling ferry service called ‘Philanderer Ferries’. Named in honour of its founder, the operation barely broke even conveying mainly Kangaroo Island residents to and from the mainland. But in 1989 a Malaysian company did see possibility in the venture and bought it, renaming it SeaLink. A few years later SeaLink was brought back to South Australian ownership, heralding the start of what would become one of this state’s most impressive success stories. Today SeaLink Travel Group is an ASX listed company, has an annual turnover in excess of two-hundred million dollars and employs more than sixteen-hundred staff across Australia. The company owns a veritable smorgasbord of tourism ventures, including a travel agency, adventure tours, resorts, ferries, barges, coaches and a historic paddle wheeler. ‘We’re the biggest marine tourism transport business in Australia, and one of the fastest growing South Australian companies,’ managing director Jeff Ellison tells me proudly.
We’re in the boardroom of SeaLink’s Adelaide offices; a surprisingly humble room for such a successful business. The walls are undecorated, save for a print of an 1802 map of Kangaroo Island by a French cartographer. But the lack of boardroom adornments is indicative of the company’s strength; its ability to shine the light on its destinations and remain a reliable and economic link to unique locations. ‘Our charter was always to connect Australia’s icons and landscapes with the world,’ explains marketing manager Julie-Anne Briscoe. Julie-Anne has been with SeaLink since 1992 and is infectiously enthusiastic about both the business and its destinations. ‘We always looked at Kangaroo Island as a microcosm of Australia,’ she says. ‘We just had to get the world to take notice.’ So SeaLink spearheaded an ambitious campaign to make Kangaroo Island a must-see destination on international visitors’ wish lists. ‘We went to many of the big tourism trade shows around the world and focused on really building good relationships with travel agents and wholesalers,’ Julie-Anne says. ‘We invited them to visit Kangaroo Island and welcomed them with open arms, and they are still making bookings with us to this day.’ Julie-Anne knows the tourism industry and the Fleurieu well. She was born in McLaren Vale Hospital and grew up in Willunga, where her family ran bus company Briscoes’ Motor Service. ‘Briscoes’ buses > 41
Top: The ferry terminal has been modernised and upgraded for the comfort of travellers. Bottom left: One of the original ferry services to and from Kangaroo Island: ‘The Philanderer’. Bottom right: Managing Director, Jeff Ellison.
serviced Cape Jervis from Adelaide to meet the Philanderer Ferry,’ she says. ‘If there were only two or three passengers going to Cape Jervis, my mum and I would meet the bus at Old Noarlunga and drive them down in our family car.’ In contrast to the Briscoes small-scale service, SeaLink transports over eight million passengers around Australia each year. But Julie-Anne’s philosophy remains the same. ‘We keep doing what we do, and we make sure we do it well, no matter where we are operating,’ she says. Over the years, SeaLink has had its fair share of competitors start up on the Kangaroo Island route … and inevitably fail. The first of these was the ‘Island Seaway’, which was owned by the State Government and operated between Port Adelaide and Kingscote until 1995, when it was discontinued. Then came the high-speed ‘Super Flyte’, which carried up to 510 passengers between Glenelg and Kingscote, until the cost of a fast boat, rough weather and poor facilities at Glenelg forced it to close in 1997. ‘Enigma’ took its place with limited services until late 1998, when it was withdrawn because of a lack of viability and ‘shallow water’. In 2004 the short-lived KI Ferries SA catamaran operated between Wirrina Cove and Kingscote for just five months, before the business failed financially. Throughout all these ventures, SeaLink continued to operate with little fanfare, instead focussing on promoting Kangaroo Island as a destination. ‘We never slashed our prices, we never tried to compete in their world,’ says Jeff. 42
The approach paid off, not just for SeaLink but also for Kangaroo Island, where tourism has become the biggest industry and thirty percent of passengers are now from overseas. Using the same business model, SeaLink has grown to have eighty marine vessels, as well as a fleet of sixty-two coaches, four-wheel drives and other touring vehicles. The company now operates in every state except Victoria. Most recently, SeaLink made a bold decision to branch out from transport and bought two resorts on Fraser Island, which are being refurbished and upgraded. ‘We were already providing over a hundred thousand meals a year on our cruises and at our lodge on Kangaroo Island, so we knew that we certainly had the potential to move into resorts,’ Jeff says. Julie-Anne shows me the glossy brochures they’ve created for Fraser Island. They depict enticing white-sand beaches with azure water and untamed rainforests. The caption reads: ‘Fraser Island, where memories are made.’ But in making memories for tourists, SeaLink is also changing the lives of small business owners across Australia, who are reaping the rewards of a thriving tourism industry. And the company is creating its own legacy; proving the benefits of a smart business model, foresight and a sense of generosity. ‘It’s been such a wonderful journey being part of SeaLink’s story,’ smiles Julie-Anne. ‘We’re so proud of what this South Australian company has achieved, and there are many great things still to come.’
INSPIRED LIVING
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A rare find
Story by Petra de Mooy. Photography by Robert Geh. Styling by Marcus Syvertsen.
Page left: The polished concrete in the entryway has pieces of coloured glass collected from around the block before the builders arrived. Above: The home is elevated by two metres to capture river views.
The day prior to my first meeting with Robert Jennings and Elizabeth Blieschke in Goolwa, it was a whopping 46 degrees in and around Adelaide. ‘A good test for any home and it was about 26 degrees in here (without air-conditioning) so pretty good,’ says Liz. The cross ventilation, fans and high ceilings specifically designed for their new build had worked effectively to mitigate the harshest day of summer sun we had seen in a while.
so another move was at hand. ‘We decided we were at the time of life that we needed a single story and wanted to be closer to amenities,’ Bob says. ‘We were lucky enough to hear about this block and grabbed it.’ The block they now sit on was a rare find. It is right next to the river on a private road – so very quiet but it’s still walking distance to the township. ‘We’re also addicted to views,’ he adds. Each day they see sailboats, fishing boats and tourist boats like the Oscar W, as well as an array of land and waterbirds. They are close to the train line – now only in use for the Cockle Train. They are also adjacent to a beautiful old stone building called The Chart Room which was used to house the maps and charts for the riverboats and paddle steamers from days gone by. Bob tells me that the stone from the chimney was selected to match the stone on this building and it is a lovely echo and a standout feature of the main living area.
Bob and Liz had initially built on the Fleurieu in 1990 – a holiday house on Middleton Beach. They lived in Adelaide at the time and both worked for the Advertiser as journalists. Many of you who follow motorsport will likely know Bob’s work.
Another thoughtful touch is the polished concrete in the generously proportioned entryway. The couple had asked to incorporate a bag of polished glass they had foraged from around the block. ‘We suspect the land around the property had been used by the old paddle steamers as a dump,’ says Liz. In the earth they found old bits of brown, green, clear and blue glass that add a lovely bit of history and colour to the floor. Other personal touches are the map of the Murray River on the pantry splashback-, Liz’s artwork and mementos from their travels. >
When the couple decided to make a career move to Sydney, they sold their city home and kept the house at Middleton with the intent of retiring there one day, which they did close to a decade ago. The Middleton home was two-storey and required a fair bit of upkeep,
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Page left: The living room looks out to the river and the historic Chart Room where captains of paddle-steamers and riverboats stored their maps and charts from days gone by. Top left: The open plan kitchen and living area. Top right: The master bedroom. Bottom left: An old printing stamp tray displays a collection of shells and rocks. Bottom right: The backsplash in the walk-in pantry has a hand-painted map of the lower Murray and lakes.
When Bob and Liz first bought the block in 2016 they borrowed some scaffolding from the neighbour to get an idea of how high they needed to be to attain the right vantage from which to see the river. Just two metres they worked out. The wraparound decking and floor to ceiling windows in the main living area give them a great vista from every corner. Bob and Liz hired building designer, Scott Cooper to draw up the plans. They wrote a brief and knew that they liked the look and thermal properties of rammed earth and polished concrete and, of course, the views. Liz also had a collection of reference images which they bundled up for him to use as inspiration.
When it came time to find a builder they looked at a few options. ‘We talked to Scott about a few builders but we had seen what Don Bailey had built in the Beyond Development at Hayborough,’ says Liz. ‘And we knew he was quite a fastidious sort of person so we chose him and we were pretty impressed by his attention to detail.’ Indeed, the home recently won the Country Builder of the Year Award at the 2018 HIA building awards. Don Bailey was enthusiastic about the process of working on the project. ‘From a client perspective they were lovely people to work with and appreciated the fact that we were available to meet on site whenever required to check in on the progress – we had a lovely > 47
Above left: The generous deck offers unencumbered views of the river and Chart Room. Above right: The home features many of Liz’s paintings, as well as foraged collections and mementos from their travels. Bottom right: A painting from a trip to Greece and other collections.
relationship,’ says Don. ‘We were thrilled to be selected to build the house. It is such a striking home in such a beautiful location on the South Coast.’ The final product has exceeded the couple’s expectations. Features like the double glazing, a sheltered balcony for winter, large wooden beams on the verandah and lovely light-filled rooms are all well conceived. The contrast between the finely finished polished concrete, rammed earth and glazing are beautiful. Looking to the future, provisions have also been made to accommodate Bob and Liz as they age, with a long ramp on one side if mobility becomes an issue. A water wise low-maintenance garden also adds to the sustainability. ‘We were very particular about what we wanted and it is very specific to our needs.’ says Bob. The location next to the slip and a small marina suits them really well too. Bob has an avid interest in wooden boats and is part of a group of volunteers who both build and maintain boats at the Armfield Slip – also walking distance from them. Bob and Liz feel very lucky, ‘Goolwa is just a great little town,’ says Liz. With Bob’s volunteer work and a close community around them, they have found a great lifestyle in a very comfortable home.
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Wander, explore and discover... Visit Alexandrina
Kunyi June Anne McInerney My Paintings Speak For Me at South Coast Regional Art Centre, Goolwa from 21 March to 5 May Submerged - Stories of Australia’s Shipwrecks at Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa Wharf Precinct from 25 March to 6 May Southern Surf Festival at Middleton 26, 27, and 28 April
Photo courtesy of South Australian Tourism Commission
Nature Play Forest Festival * at Kuitpo Forest on 16 and 17 April Aquafest at Goolwa Aquatic Club, Barrage Road, Goolwa on 13 and 14 April 2019 South Australian Wooden Boat Festival at Goolwa Wharf Precinct on 27 and 28 April A Musical Soiree – At the Wharf* at Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa Wharf Precinct on 10 May
JamFactory Icon 2018 – Clare Belfrage: A Measure of Time at Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa Wharf Precinct from 10 May to 13 July The Bald Eagles* at Mount Compass War Memorial Hall on 25 May Knights Beach Pro Body Boarding Competition at Knights Beach, Port Elliot on 25 and 26 May * tickets/booking required
Photo courtesy of South Australian Tourism Commission
For bookings and enquiries please visit www.visitalexandrina.com or call Council’s Visitor Information Centre on 1300 466 592. Alexandrina Council continues the ‘Just Add Water’ arts and culture program in 2019. View a copy online for more events in the region at www.alexandrina.sa.gov.au/jaw
Currency Creek · Goolwa · Victor Harbor Early Learning – Year 12 investigator.sa.edu.au · Enrol now on 8555 7511
Providing the opportunity for you to be
YOUR BEST SELF 49
Karl Meyer – Nature is a teacher Story by Petra de Mooy.
Page left: ‘Foci’ 2018 – Sculpture by the Sea – Bondi. This page: ‘Tracks’ 2016 – Mount Gambier – The adaptive reuse of discarded railway tracks provides a connection to Mount Gambier’s industrial past.
Karl Meyer is an artist and designer specialising in public art. He originally studied industrial design in Adelaide before discovering a more creative outlet through exhibition design. It was here that Karl found a rewarding niche. ‘It is everything from idea through to the concept – then you move into digital and mechanical and physical but there is also psychology and it is all about conveyance of ideas,’ he says.
a four-wheel-drive tractor and like hard work …’ This piqued their interest and they were drawn to it. ‘Even finding the gate initially was a challenge,’ Karl says. For a few years they lived there part time in a yurt purchased from Mongolia. They worked on the property on weekends but with a third baby on the way, felt ready to move there permanently, which they did in 2005. By then they had built a beautiful home that was more family-friendly overlooking the valleys and ocean below.
Soon Karl wanted to branch out further and so moved into public art – since 2009 he has had a very successful track record, completing numerous installations around Australia, including in Adelaide, Bondi, Mount Gambier, Townsville and Canberra.
‘There is a remoteness but there is also connection,’ reflects Karl. Their kids walk half a kilometre to get on a bus to school and the shops are only twenty to thirty minutes away. The drive up is a bit hairy but the rewards are great. Here the family lives very close to nature and the elements. The house is, of course, off grid but they live very comfortably with a large solar array, an orchard of fruit trees, free-range chickens and a healthy vegetable garden.
In 1999, Karl and his partner bought a heritage listed property in Parawa. Their first child was on the way and they had made a conscious decision not to spend their ‘raising-a-family’ years in the city. The advert for this stunning, yet hard to reach property had a hand-drawn picture of a kangaroo and read, ‘if you want to own
The lifestyle in this pristine wilderness has proved fruitful in other ways too. ‘Parawa and the Fleurieu provide considerable space for contemplation in nature and the marine environment,’ Karl says. He tells me he has always seen nature as being one of his best teachers and it has inspired much of his work and philosophical viewpoint. > 51
Top: ’Tidal’ 2018 – created for the theme ‘Landfall’ for the Lorne Sculpture Biennial. Bottom left: ’Transition’ 2019 – created for the Heysen Sculpture Biennial. Bottom right: Artist/designer – Karl Meyer.
Recently Karl has been lucky to be working closer to home. In 2019 he will install a public work at Cape Jervis. The sculptural piece will act as a reminder of the treacherous waters around the cape, with that stretch of coastline being littered with shipwrecks. The skeleton of a hull made of steel will be erected to create both a gateway and a shelter. It will also serve as a place of reflection. Karl was selected as an artist but also as a member of the community and worked through a lengthy process to embody the maritime nature of the coastline and its harshness. Last year he also won a public art competition for a Mainstreet Gateway art installation at Victor Harbor. ‘Elemental’ will add ‘vivid colour and connection to the core of the Victor Harbor region. The swirling forms will provide interpretations including water, birds, earth, air, plants and animals.’ 52
Again, Karl has done due diligence on trying to create a piece that, in a way, peels back the layers of the place. The planned work attempts to encapsulate the natural beauty of the region that is anchored in a geological past formed by the striking Granite Island, the Bluff and spectacular Waitpinga cliffs. Working on a large scale piece in a community space invites a feeling of ownership by the general public. Karl has shown great versatility, sensitivity and care in creating his work. His ability to respond to the unique nature of each site is honourable.
SAMSON TALL McLAREN VALE · CELLAR DOOR · WINERY · GALLERY 11- 5, 7 DAYS · 219 STROUT ROAD MCLAREN VALE · SAMSONTALL.COM.AU
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TRAILBLAZERS: Esther Thorn meets David Paxton:
A fertile mind Photograph by Aise Dillon.
The collection of titles in David Paxton’s office bookcase is an eclectic one. Wedged between bestsellers and crime novels are the ‘The War Diaries of Weary Dunlop’ and ‘Cottage Gardens in Australia’, and a hefty variety of others. They speak of someone with varied interests and pursuits, who can’t easily be categorised. David Paxton is such a man. He’s one of Australia’s most highly respected viticulturists and a clever entrepreneur. But he’s also a passionate biodynamic farmer, who’s spearheaded the organic wine movement in both the region and the nation. It’s 42 degrees in the shade on the day of our interview, but, despite the heat, David has spent the morning in the vineyards. He’s nurtured his vines for over thirty years and won’t let a heatwave keep him indoors. We’re sitting across a generous antique table in his McLaren Vale office, drinking water out of wine glasses. David flicks me a coaster, explaining he thinks the table belongs to his son and so we’d better look after it. It’s a small gesture but it explains why David Paxton is so likeable; his offhand, relaxed manner belies a genuine thoughtfulness and deep attention to detail. David grew up as an only child in a family who owned a small land holding in Willunga. ‘My father was a soldier settler and (my parents) had a block at Monash in the Riverland. But when I was about six they decided Willunga would be a better place for their only son to grow up,’ David tells me. ‘My youth was spent shovelling chook poo out of sheds and picking apricots.’ Despite the unglamorous chores, David remembers his childhood as a very happy, albeit modest one. ‘I was a boarder at Saint Peter’s College (in Adelaide) and all the other boys would be picked up on weekends in Fairlanes and Mercedes and then Dad would rock up in an old, pale-blue van,’ he says. ‘It made me a better person though; more determined that one day I was going to have a Fairlane of my own.’ This spirit of determination and positive mindset have stood David in good stead throughout his career. When he finished school he started 54
an almond cracking business, which he ran successfully alongside the family farm and two other properties he leased. Then when David’s father died, he and his mother sold the farm and, with Willunga’s almond growing business in decline, David was on the lookout for greener pastures and fresh challenges. ‘I attempted to buy land in the Riverland but we just didn’t have the capital,’ says David, who was newly married with two young sons at the time. ‘Then someone said to me: ‘Why don’t you have a look at the Thomas property on Sand Road at McLaren Vale?’.’ The property had a salubrious past as an inn and brothel before it became a homestead. But for over a decade it had sat empty, surrounded by eighty acres of vineyards. ‘The wine industry was in a terrible state,’ David explains. But David sees opportunity where others see despair, and so he approached the owners and made an offer, which they accepted. ‘I put everything I had into the back of a tractor, hooked it up and drove it down here,’ smiles David. ‘When I got here I had to ring a friend and say ‘I’ve bought this place and I haven’t got a clue what to do with grapes.’ He came and showed me how to prune them.’ And so began Paxton Wines, an enterprise that would not only change the course of David’s life, but would also greatly influence the shape of McLaren Vale as a wine region. David’s first move was to rip the shiraz and grenache vines out and replant with chardonnay, which he hoped would be the next big wine trend. His punt paid off and from then on David went from success to success, working as a consultant to winegrowers across Australia and the world. ‘I just had the confidence,’ he tells me. ‘If someone wanted a vineyard planted on a cliff, well I could do it.’ Then in the 90s, a downturn hit the industry and chardonnay was no longer in demand. David was forced to focus his energy back on his own vineyards at McLaren Vale. David’s boys had grown up and his eldest son was a winemaker. Together they decided to make their own wine and launch the Paxton label. In 2005 they opened Paxton Wines cellar door and winery at McLaren Vale’s historic Landcross Farm. The next significant turning point came when David’s younger son convinced him to go to a biodynamic conference with him in Victoria. ‘We drove over and the first thing I realised when we got there was that they were holding the conference in an old lunatic asylum,’ laughs David. ‘They were talking about burying cow horns and moon
Above: David Paxton outside of Paxton’s biodynamic hut.
cycles and to be honest I thought all the inmates had returned and were running the show, it just seemed so crazy.’ Then out came the food, which was all biodynamically grown and David was so impressed by its quality and flavour that he agreed to convert one vineyard. ‘After six months we felt there was a tremendous change in the vines and in the soil,’ he says. ‘The soil just came alive and we decided to become a fully biodynamic, organic, winery.’ Biodynamic farming is an agricultural system that doesn’t use synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. Instead, it focuses on promoting healthy, living soils through the use of natural compost preparation. ‘It took us three years before we became certified in 2011 and we had to have a paper trail for everything, but it’s been hugely beneficial for us,’ says David. ‘It’s transformed the quality of the soil and the vines, and also our place in the industry.’
Today, Paxton Wines are sold in thirty countries. The label offers a comprehensive range, including pinot gris, graciano and tempranillo alongside more traditional varieties like shiraz and chardonnay, which has been reinvented as a preservative free wine. David firmly believes the future of McLaren Vale’s, and indeed Australia’s, wine industry lies in organic farming. Our interview over, David and I leave the cool comfort of the office and are hit by a wall of heat. It’s the hottest day in South Australia on record, but the gardens surrounding David Paxton’s home and office are lush and green. We stand under an ancient mulberry tree and pick ripe berries, the juice staining our hands. I’m struck by David’s humility, his entrepreneurial spirit and seeming ability to predict what lies ahead.
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The story of your life Heather Millar explores the benefits of telling your life story.
Shortly before my father died I recorded his memoirs and made them into a book. Difficult though the process was, it ignited something in me. I went on to volunteer in the Biography Program at the Calvary Hospital, recording the stories of people in palliative care. I have seen the value people get from reviewing their life in this way – how they light up as they relate their stories. The process seems to offer a chance to make sense of one’s life – was it a good one? Did I do it well? Did I live it fully? Was it worth something, in the end? My father jotted his stories down in spidery handwriting on the back of a towering pile of used envelopes. Having lived on his own for the last years of his life, recording his memories gave him a reason to get up in the morning, a purpose for living. Purpose has in fact been found to be a defining feature in mental health. Researchers from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago tracked a thousand people over seven years, with the average age of around eighty. They found that people who had a high level of purpose were more than twice as likely to remain free from Alzheimer’s, had thirty per cent less cognitive decline and half the mortality rate. They also found a strong sense of purpose created more satisfaction and happiness, better physical functioning, and better sleep. There are other health benefits to telling your story, according to biographers who work in the area. Paul English is a videographer of life stories, and president of Life Stories Australia. ‘Telling your story can help validate your life, career and
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achievements,’ says Paul. ‘Not only can it be tremendously cathartic and help to lift mood, but it also serves as a wonderful way of connecting the generations, acting as a sort of conversation starter between grandparent and grandchild.’ He says even documenting a person’s career as they come to retirement can be tremendously worthwhile and provide a transition into the next stage of their life. ‘We’ve done life story videos for people as young as 50 and 60 and all the way into their 90s,’ explains Paul. When people pass away, often their stories die with them. The older I become, the more I want to know about my ancestors and how they lived. In another study, a team of psychologists from Emory University in Atlanta, USA, measured children’s resilience and found that those who knew the most about their family history were best able to handle stress, had a stronger sense of control over their lives and higher self-esteem. The reason? These children had a stronger sense of ‘intergenerational self’, they understood that they belonged to something bigger than themselves. I have spent the last few years researching my family tree. I have learned about ancestors I barely knew existed, and I have learned their stories because someone wrote them down. I have learned about the boy from Scotland – my great-great grandfather – who was sent to Australia as an ‘apprentice’, a term they used for the youngest convict boys. I learned about the thirteen children he had, and how he and his sons were some of the original South Australian foresters. I also learned about the line of newspaper-men I am descended from that I hadn’t previously known existed. Their stories make me understand myself more. I feel connected to something greater … to their stories, and to my own ancestral line. The truth is, I feel less alone in the world, knowing where I come from.
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After an amazing summer and a virtual ‘sell out’ of John Lacey’s fabulous new works, the Strand Gallery has hung a new exhibition for Autumn. Come and see us in Port Elliot on any weekend 10 till 4 or call Sonya on 0419 501 648 to arrange a private viewing.
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A label of love Story by Jake Dean.
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Page left: Stephen Pannell photographed at the S.C. Pannell cellar door by Philip White in 2013. Above: Concepts for labels from Melanie Les of 3 Bags Full Graphic Design.
Imagine you own a wine label (neat, right?) Once you’re done daydreaming about the perks, think about the challenges you’ll face in your endeavour (aside from trying not to get high on your own supply too often). You’re one of an estimated 2468 wineries in Australia. How will you make your bottle stand out on an overcrowded bottle-shop shelf?
The logo, which aimed to capture Stephen’s hands-on, hands-in-thedirt approach, has become a tad smaller on the label since, but has otherwise remained very similar.
For McLaren Vale’s S.C. Pannell, one of the secrets is putting a little bit of esteemed winemaker Stephen Pannell in almost every bottle. Well, on the bottle.
Tom says the design process behind this range (which features less copy than the others because the artwork tells much of the story) is complicated because ‘that’s the way Stephen’s mind works.’ But he says whimsy is a mainstay of the range’s aesthetic — influenced perhaps by Stephen’s love of Wes Anderson films. ‘If we decide a wine’s going to be in that first (artwork heavy) range, Steve and I will argue about what that might look like for six months,’ Tom says. ‘Then, we take it to Mel to interpret those ideas and it’s a back-andforth to get the colours right. Colours are really important to us, and the texture. Again, there’s lots of back-and-forth (until) eventually we’ll have a meeting of the minds and settle on it. That whole process can take nine months. It’s a bit like birth — Steve gives birth and I have to raise them!’ >
The winery’s logo, which has adorned most of its wines since the first release in 2006, features a bold figure with arms raised, sprouting vines and a pair of birds from its sides. But the motif wasn’t what Stephen Pannell initially had in mind. ‘During Stephen’s first meetings with Melanie Les, a friend and talented artist and graphic designer, he was laying all his ideas out on the floor and flailing his arms all about excitedly,’ S.C. Pannell’s Tom Grant explains. ‘But when Melanie came back, she produced this almost-Aztec crossed with Mambo-style sketch of a little man and Stephen said: ‘Well, what’s that?’ ‘And she said; ‘that’s you, you idiot!’.’
What changes regularly, however, is the situation mini-Stephen often finds itself in, particularly on the labels of its most vivid and heavily illustrated range. ‘On the Basso (grenache) label, for example, Steve is under the ground because it’s a low-sulphur, minimal intervention, earthy kind of a wine,’ Tom explains. ‘Whereas the tempranillo is a party and the rosé is in a rose garden. On the fiano label is actually Steve’s wife, Fiona, and she’s in the ocean as a mermaid, representing McLaren Vale by the sea if you like.’
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Above: From concept to completion. The artwork on the bottle is striking, colourful and distinct.
S.C. Pannell’s other ranges feature more subdued labels, where splashes of colour and words take on more meaning. ‘There’s a range of wines we call ‘place’ and they’re a lot simpler,’ Tom says of the labels that feature a charcoal background and a logo coloured to represent the wine inside. ‘The copy becomes very important; there’s power in words and fonts, which takes a lot of time to get right. The copy on these wines always starts with a simple statement: ‘The truly wondrous thing about wine is that it speaks of where it comes from’. After that, a story begins as to why it comes from a certain place’. Another range, focused on blending, features coloured labels and a similarly subdued logo, with the copy hinting at more of Stephen and Tom’s inspirations. ‘It talks about what we think the wine should be drunk with, food-wise, and also what should be listened to,’ Tom explains. ‘Steve and I do talk about wine and business, obviously, but most of the time we’re talking about books, music and cooking; three things that are really important to us.’ Being a relative pup, at least compared to some of McLaren Vale’s old-wine dynasties, you could forgive S.C. Pannell for resorting to zaniness or marketing gimmicks on its labels. Bottle shops are filled with younger brands trying to stand out on the shelf among more 60
established rivals, overcompensating for their lack of history. So, it’s perhaps curious that S.C. Pannell has barely changed its logo or label design principles since the first release in 2006. Not so curious, though, when you consider Stephen’s pedigree, respect within the industry and a mantlepiece filled with prestigious awards. It’s this track record that eliminates any concerns about what other labels are putting on the shelves. ‘We don’t think about what other people are doing,’ Tom says. ‘That’s a cliché, but if you look at who Steve is: that he’s the son of Bill Pannell, that as a sevenyear-old boy he helped plant Moss Wood in Margaret River with his father, his family has owned estates in Burgundy – he’s got more accolades than nearly any other winemaker in Australia. We talk about not caring what others are doing because people are looking at us, rather than us looking at them, and while it might sound arrogant to say that, it’s true.’ Indeed, as the Halliday Wine Companion notes, ‘The future for Pannell is limitless, the icon status of the label already established.’ The only question that remains is where that little icon, flailing arms and all, is going to turn up next?
Tatachilla Lutheran College
Friday 22 March 4.30pm - 9.00pm
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Above left: The large Loring roasting machine at Villeré coffee being carefully managed by Carol Banman. Right: In recent times, From Humble Grounds has been producing a very fine cold brew for retailers – perfect for a sneaky mixed drink or a healthier alternative to off-the-shelf iced coffee. Just mix with milk and enjoy!
Coffee revolution Story by Nina Keath.
Every few weeks, Jim Banman from Villeré Coffee rolls down my driveway to deliver a fresh batch of artisan coffee beans, skilfully roasted by his business partner and wife, Carol. This week we’re drinking the Brazil blend – the tasting notes tell me to look for cocoa, caramel sweetness, red berry, bright citrus acidity and roasted hazelnuts. While I can’t say my palate is completely up to that task, I can say that it’s damn delicious.
Villeré supplies local businesses across the Fleurieu but when I recently asked Jim to nominate a favourite café, he quailed, saying that would be like ‘asking me which of my children I love the most!’ But actually, choosing a decent café is important. It doesn’t matter how good the beans are, if they’re treated badly, the coffee can be destroyed. This is a problem our Managing Director here at Fleurieu Living Magazine, Petra de Mooy, knows only too well. After bumping into her at the Willunga Farmers Market one sunny Saturday morning (as you do!), Petra regaled me with an ardent account of what she called the ‘mini coffee revolution’ underway here on the Fleurieu. Her passion was no doubt heightened by the silky From Humble Grounds coffee she’d just imbibed (flat white – ‘always and only’, she tells me). However, she was quick to dispel any notions of a coffee utopia, saying ‘there are still plenty of opportunities for sub-par coffee on the Fleurieu.’ Buyer be warned! With this in mind, I have taken it upon myself to save you from the affront of an accidental ‘sub-par’ coffee by sharing the outcome of several years’ diligent research into the region’s best coffee. Having already introduced you to two bedrocks – master roasters Villeré, and
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Above left: The lovely Angel can sometimes be seen employing her serious barista skills behind the La Marzocco at Goodness Coffee Co. in Aldinga. Photo: Angela Lisman. Above right: The chilled atmosphere, delicious, healthy food and superb coffee make Qahwa a hang-out space that you will struggle to leave.
But actually, choosing a decent café is important. It doesn’t matter how good the beans are, if they’re treated badly, the coffee can be destroyed.
master brewers From Humble Grounds – let us now turn to four of the best who combine both roasting and brewing. Each supply their beans to other cafés and restaurants, so be sure to keep an eye out next time you order a coffee. If you, like me, are a fan of cosy nooks, Goodness Coffee Co. in old Aldinga, with its shady garden alcoves and earthy interiors, is the place to start. When choosing coffee beans, co-owners John Wegener and Damien Loiterton recommend talking to the roaster about how you brew your coffee because different types of roasts and even origins will suit different brew and extraction methods. Head roaster Damien tells me the coffee you make at home will rarely be exactly like the one you get at a café, even if you use the same beans. ‘It’s usually a $15,000-plus machine making that coffee’, he says. But it’s not just the perfectly roasted beans and La Marzocco Linea coffee machine that has turned Goodness into an overnight Fleurieu favourite, it’s the friendly baristas, turn-up-in-your-wet-bathers vibe and hands-down-delicious coffee.
Damien was inspired to get into coffee roasting after seeing the results master roaster John Saunderson had been achieving at Qahwa in Victor Harbor (pronounced ka-wa and meaning ‘coffee’ in Arabic). John and his dad Andrew had been keen to improve the quality and freshness of the coffee they served and realised the best way to achieve this was to roast the beans as needed. The family-owned business is now run by Katie (nee Saunderson) Moffett and Dave Moffett with Jesse Saunderson taking on the roasting duties. Housed in Victor Harbor’s Old Red Brick Building on Bridge Terrace, the enviable location combined with its chilled atmosphere, delicious, healthy food and superb coffee make this a hang-out space that you will struggle to leave. When you do manage to tear yourself away though, be sure to grab a bag of their freshly roasted beans. John recommends French-press, pour-over, and Aeropress for a good, speedy home brew. When the Qahwa crew want a change of scene, they head over to Port Elliot for a sneaky De Groot coffee. Tucked away at Factory 9 on Hill St, De Groot Coffee Co. is everything you want in a coffee > 63
Above left: De Groot’s Bernadette Stack tells us that ‘coffee is a cool, culinary art that forges lasting relationships and fosters community. Above right: Dom Ossa and Nick Suggitt at Dawn Patrol in Kangarilla – a roastery offering a unique cellar door style experience with tastings and simply ridiculously good coffee!
‘The Fleurieu has such a diverse culture of food and beverages and we wanted to open the door on coffee, to show how different origins have unique flavours and how a variety of brew methods can impact the taste. Quality coffee should be for everyone and it should be simple and easy to get great flavours.’ Dom Ossa, Dawn Patrol. roastery and cellar door: bang on incredible coffee, off the beaten track, great music selection and a relaxed setting where two different single-origin coffees are available for tasting each day. If you can manage to drag yourself away, there are four choices of beans to take home when you leave. Owners Bernadette Stack and Trevor De Groot began roasting twelve years ago at their organic café in Magill before making the decision to move to Port Elliot. While the business has grown from strength to strength, Trevor maintains they have always had a focus on ‘quality over quantity and the move allowed us to double down on our commitment to good coffee, strong community and happy days’. Bernadette agrees, telling me that ‘coffee is a cool, culinary art that forges lasting relationships and fosters community’. Over in Kangarilla, two other coffee-loving city expatriates have also sold up and moved to the country. Childhood friends, Dom Ossa and Nick Suggitt, started out owning and operating cafés in Adelaide before working their way backwards down the coffee food chain until arriving at their latest venture, Dawn Patrol – a roastery offering a unique cellar-door experience. ‘We started with the question, how can we help people understand this product? We’re specifically not
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a café,’ Dom says. While you can buy a flat white and chill in their gloriously eccentric garden replete with roaming chooks, the focus is on coffee tasting. ‘We chose this location because people already come to McLaren Vale for tastings,’ Dom explains. ‘Coffee and wine have been compared forever, but serious coffee tasting hasn’t really been done before.’ ‘The Fleurieu has such a diverse culture of food and beverages and we wanted to open the door on coffee, to show how different origins have unique flavours and how a variety of brew methods can impact the taste. Quality coffee should be for everyone and it should be simple and easy to get great flavours.’ I can’t recommend highly enough Dawn Patrol’s back-to-back tastings in which punters are taught to recognise the unique qualities of three different coffees. ‘We want people to come and understand that it’s more than some brown stuff in a bag,’ Dom says. Right now, they’re tasting apricot, orange-peel, honey and brown sugar in their popular Cheetah Espresso blend. I might need a few more education sessions with Dom, because my palate is still struggling to go much beyond simply tasting ridiculously good coffee!
Serafino – more than just a winery. Stay · Relax · Indulge Serafino Wines, a family owned business since 1972, has developed a reputation as one of Australia’s most respected wineries and leading producers of Italian style red wines. If the ‘vines by the sea’ vibe of the region hasn’t already charmed, then the incredibly scenic setting for Serafino’s cellar door, restaurant, accommodation, conferences facilities, major events and function centre surely will. serafino.com.au | 39 Kangarilla Road, McLaren Vale SA 5171 Australia Telephone +61 8 8323 8911
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Festival Fleurieu 2019
April 13-22 / Tickets via festivalfleurieu.com.au
Top left: Open Day 2018 – Aboriginal dance. Bottom left: Paella. Right: Festival Chair Jane Mitchell flicking through the festival program.
The two-year Festival Fleurieu wait is over, and it has already been dubbed the best yet.
‘With venues spanning from Myponga to Inman Valley, Carrickalinga to Yankalilla and Normanville to Cape Jervis, Festival Fleurieu 2019 is a wonderful opportunity to experience the Fleurieu Coast and embrace the natural beauty and artistic nature of our community,’
A multi-award winning arts and community celebration, the 8th biennial festival has something for everyone across music, song, an artist studio trail, heritage tours, storytelling and poetry, culinary events, and even a sailing regatta which debuts in the action-packed program. With most of the 80 events free or modestly priced, festival goers of all ages have plenty to see and do on the Western Fleurieu.
Festival chair, Jane Mitchell, says. Enjoy a family friendly opening celebration at the Yankalilla Showgrounds with Carnival Fleurieu – an eclectic mix of foody stalls, music, puppetry show, a vintage car rally and much more.
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Locally Owned. Locally Made
Supporting Aussie Farmers
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Fly the Fleurieu This photo was taken at Moana
fly-the-fleurieu.com
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RETAIL THERAPY
Autumnal ambience The intensity of summer has passed, so it is time to exhale and nurture the nest. Warm hues, lush greens and plenty of contrast to inspire the reinvention of your space.
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01. Canopy: Holiday leather cushion $199.95, Madras Link San Benito cushion $54.95 02. Canopy: Pear $19.95, Clock $39.95, QBD Books: Yates Top 50 Indoor Plants and How Not to Kill Them! $35, Coastal Easy Home Design $14.99, Women’s Weekly Family Barbeques $39.99 03. Ishka: Cotton Throw $29.95 04. Canopy: Planter $12.95, Foliage $29.95 05. Ishka: Cow Hide Stool $249 06. Dusk: Soy Collection Peach & Black Tea candle $39.95 07. Canopy: Davis & Waddell condiment set 08. (Go Vita) Inika: Baked Mineral Illuminisor $65, Loose Mineral Eye Shadow $29, Certified Organic Lip Glaze $35 each 09. Canopy: 4 pc Salt&Pepper condiment bento $19.95, 3 pc Salt&Pepper serving bento $19.95 10. Ishka: Wooden arrow hooks $34.95 11. Australian Geographic: Finska $69.95 12. Hairhouse Warehouse: Semi DiLino Reconstruction Shampoo $28.50, Mask $28.50 and Anti Breakage Daily Fluid $21.50.
Colonnades Shopping Centre | Noarlunga @colonnadesshopping 69
Spoilt for choice Story by Jake Dean.
The records keep tumbling in South Australian tourism. The state’s visitor economy, buoyed by the likes of regional events such as the Tour Down Under (which had its thrilling finale on the Fleurieu for the first time this year), reached an all-time high of almost seven billion dollars in January. And the number of new innovative businesses – and, indeed, established ones reinventing themselves – providing unique offerings on the Fleurieu, continues to skyrocket. Here we profile nine that are helping foster the tourism boom and adding to the incredible diversity of food, wine and shopping options locals now have at their disposal.
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Page left and above left: Chef Tom Tilbury prides himself on sourcing local, ethically-harvested and sustainable produce at Gather. Above right: Head to the bright blue shed at Aldinga to sample some great Australian wines at Big Easy Radio.
Food
Drinks
Gather at Coriole, McLaren Vale Chef Tom Tilbury prides himself on sourcing local, ethically harvested and sustainable produce, forging a sterling reputation for Gather Food & Wine at Robe, which he ran with wife Sarah until early 2018. Robe’s loss has been the Fleurieu’s gain, with Tom finding a kindred spirit in Coriole and the Lloyd family when the Tilburys moved back north. ‘Our like-minded food and dining philosophies merged seamlessly,’ Tom says of Gather at Coriole. ‘The Fleurieu’s producers provide some of the country’s most exceptional ingredients, particularly the seafood, poultry and meat we source from local farmers. The Estate grows a large percentage of fruit, vegetables and herbs including Australian natives and succulents too.’ Gather opens seven days for lunch, serving seasonal, innovative, skilfully-executed and beautifullypresented fare that’s quintessentially Australian (with top-shelf views and wine to match).
Big Easy Radio, Aldinga You can’t miss the big new bright-blue shed at Aldinga. Located on a twenty-acre farm alongside an eighty-five-year-old stone-clad homestead and six acres of vineyards, Big Easy Radio’s new cellar door certainly encapsulates winemaker Matt Head’s ethos of making wine more approachable. ‘Wine can be intimidating due to its Eurocentric history and language, and we’re all about changing that,’ ‘We wanted to create a truly Aussie brand that encapsulates what it means to live in Australia, showcasing the beautiful coastal community of McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu.’ A closer inspection of the cellar door’s rustic grounds and garden confirms a place more boardshorts than Bordeaux. The big blue shed is currently open for pop-up music and feel good events (see diary dates) but anticipate being open regularly from Spring. >
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Top: The new cellar door at Kimbolton Wines features converted shipping containers, a large timber deck and gorgeous bar. Bottom: Some of the team at Swell celebrating their new tap house.
Kimbolton Wines Cellar Door, Langhorne Creek Langhorne Creek has a brand-new cellar door, but behind its shiny surfaces and freshly manicured lawns is a five-generation legacy. ‘It’s what we were born to do,’ says Brad Case who runs Kimbolton with sister Nicole. ‘The vineyard’s been in the family since 1911 and from 1966 our parents ran it. We produced our first small batch in 1998 and after twenty years of selling directly via other venues, we decided the time was right to step out into our own.’ Featuring converted shipping containers, gorgeous timber decks and a devastatingly warm and inviting bar, the cellar door offers sprawling views of historic vineyards and towering gum trees. And with most of Kimbolton’s wines being single-vineyard sourced, there’s a little bit of history in every glass. Swell, McLaren Vale The names behind Swell Brewing Co.’s new brewery and taphouse reads like an all-star cast of the Fleurieu. It is located on a vineyard that’s been in the Oliver family (of Oliver’s Taranga) for six generations, its food is created by local culinary legend Todd Steele and its cofounder Dan Wright has been at the forefront of SA’s craft beer
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charge. ‘Surrounded by other fab wineries – notably the d’Arenberg Cube – and with frontage to Oliver’s Road, it was a no-brainer,’ says Dan on the decision to set up shop. Dan explains that their driving forces with this new facet to the Swell brand are great flavour, locallysourced produce and relaxed surroundings. All complemented by the celebrated vineyards. ‘We want to bring something different to the region that has been a producer of malting barley (beer quality) for over 100 years.’ Samson Tall, McLaren Vale Heather Budich and Paul Wilson aren’t religious, but the couple sure owes a lot to the church. ‘Heather and I met (working) at Wirra Wirra and we used to pass this church on the way to her parents’ house,’ winemaker Wilson explains. ‘We’ve been in the wine industry a long time, and it had always been a dream to go out on our own. We didn’t see the potential straight away, but the idea grew, and we were lucky to purchase it four years ago.’ Fast forward to 2019 and the historic building has become one of McLaren Vale’s newest cellar doors, named after the settler who donated land to the community
Top: The winery at Samson Tall sits comfortably next to the historic church that now houses the cellar door. Bottom left: Winemaker Matt Wenk at the newly opened Smidge Wines cellar door. Bottom right: The newly refurbished cellar door at Serafino provides a space for customers to immerse themselves in the wine-tasting experience while enjoying the gorgeous views of the grounds.
for the church in 1853. The interiors are spare and elegantly adorned salon style with artworks by Paul’s brother, Mark and good friend Michele Wilkie. The only thing you’ll be praying for at the familyfriendly digs nowadays is a top-up. Smidge Wines, McLaren Vale Winemaker Matt Wenk has done vintages around the world and made a name as Chief Winemaker at the Two Hands stable. But it had always been a dream to open a cellar door on his beloved home turf with private label Smidge and in January 2019, that dream was realised. Opening just one weekend a month or by appointment, the tasting room offers punters the chance to chew the fat with one of Australia’s most exciting winemaking talents in a fun and intimate setting. ‘Our approach to tasting is simple … almost a little oldschool,’ says wife and Smidge Managing Director, Trish. ‘We’re really just about Matt, as the winemaker, tasting through a range of wines and discussing why and how they’re made. Talking to people about the wines and our philosophy, to get their thoughts on not just what they’re tasting, but learning about their food and wine experiences, is invaluable.’
Serafino Cellar Door, McLaren Vale Serafino is a name that needs no introduction. But what the winery did need, according to CEO Maria Maglieri, was a new cellar door. ‘We wanted to provide a bigger open space for our customers to sit and experience our wines and gorgeous views, to provide VIP tastings in a VIP room, and to offer extra space for functions,’ she explains. She worked on the design with father and Serafino founder Steve for twelve months, and its completion marked the final piece of an extensive renovation puzzle, after its resort was also recently upgraded. ‘There’s open spaces, a gorgeous illuminated marble bar, and an outdoor deck with a view to amaze and where pizzas will be served in due course,’ Maria says. Good timing too, with Serafino’s Restaurant having just been awarded its first chef hat in the Australian Good Food Guide for 2019. >
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Above left: Shed 7 at Factory 9 in Port Elliot now houses the prolific talents of artist Lauren Weir. Above right: The newly-opened Rollo at Factory 9 is full of style: Hair. Massage. Lifestyle.
Art
Style
Lauren Weir Studio and Gallery, Port Elliot Behind every great idea is an equally special coffee, and in artist Lauren Weir’s case it was one of De Groot’s that did the trick. ‘I came across Shed 7, Factory 9 while at De Groot and always thought the space was amazing,’ she says of her new studio-gallery in Port Elliot’s industrial district. ‘When Yeo Haus (surf shop) relocated, I jumped at the opportunity.’ While predominantly a working space, the gallery has a revolving collection of works on display and for sale. ‘I aspired to create a space where I’m comfortable expressing myself, making messes, making mistakes, learning new techniques and practising old ones,’ Lauren says. ‘It’s relaxed and informal, dogs can peruse the walls alongside their owners and kids are free to cartwheel.’ With a DeGroot coffee in hand – pretty inspirational.
Rollo, Port Elliot Bernadette Kelly learnt a thing or two about taking her time during two decades as a hairstylist. ‘My ethos is to allow a personalised oneon-one experience that’s not rushed, unlike salons I’ve worked at in Melbourne and London,’ she explains from her new salon, massage and retail outlet, named after her sheep-shearing grandfather Rollo, at Port Elliot’s chic Factory 9. Bernadette’s passions for hairstyling, interiors and homewares are equally represented, and the high-end hub’s generous floorspace also allowed her to add a massage room. ‘I was finding so many people (from the Fleurieu) commuting to Adelaide to visit salons,’ she says. ‘It reinforced my belief that people in the region expect a certain level of quality – whether it’s food, wine or services – and I was sure Rollo could cater to that market.’
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DISCOVER
With stunning panoramic views of vineyards, valleys and hillsides, our Cellar Door is open seven days. Come and try our new tasting experiences with our award-winning range of wines and heritage tours. 57 Kays Road, McLaren Vale kaybrothersamerywines.com
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FOOD & WINE
A taste of autumn
Story by Mel Amos of The Fleurieu Kitchen. Photography by Aise Dillon. Styling by Marcus Syvertsen.
As I sit here writing this, the Fleurieu is in the middle of a heatwave, so it’s hard to contemplate that autumn is just around the corner. Quite frankly, I think I’m ready. I’m sure our air conditioner has been on for seventy-two hours straight and I’m longing for food with a little more ‘soul’ instead of salads and barbecues!
1. You must use a floury, older potato such as Nicola, Kennebec, King Edward, Royal Blue or Desiree. No new baby potatoes. 2. A potato ricer will yield a better result than mashing, however mashing will still do the job. 3. Do not overwork the dough (no kneading) and absolutely do not be tempted to use a food processor. Hands, spatula or wooden spoon with a light touch is required.
Autumn is one of my favourite food seasons due to the abundance of produce available. It’s food to fall in love with and there is something wonderfully comforting and warming about it. And fortunately for us here on the peninsula, we are blessed with such easy access to premium producers. One need only stop in at the Willunga or Victor Harbor Farmers’ Markets, the Scoop Farm Gate Shop in Aldinga or the many roadside stalls to put together a beautiful meal without having to set foot in a supermarket.
Ingredients Gnocchi
This gnocchi dish I’m sharing with you is all about autumn flavours. It is rich, earthy and deliciously comforting but I will warn you, it’s filling. So perhaps adopt the ‘less is more’ approach when filling your bowl. The silky creaminess of this meal pairs beautifully with Wirra Wirra’s 2017 Church Block. The big, bold blend of cabernet, shiraz and merlot delivers flavours of plum and dark scarlet berries, cutting through the richness of this dish and complementing it perfectly. A match made in heaven. I get great satisfaction from the fact that this recipe is put together almost solely with produce from our region. Potatoes from Virgara’s Garden, mushrooms from P & L Mushrooms, eggs from Feather & Peck, cream from Fleurieu Milk Company, olive oil from The Farm at Willunga, parsley, thyme, lemons and garlic from Scoop. What’s best is you can find all of these at the Willunga Farmers Market on a Saturday morning. How lucky are we? I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we do. See you at the farmers’ markets! Just a few things to note before you begin. There is a fine line between good gnocchi – think light, fluffy potato clouds – and terrible gnocchi – think gluey little bullets – but please don’t let that put you off. It is actually very easy to make, so long as you follow these simple rules:
Gnocchi with wild Mushrooms and gremolata serves 4 – 6
1kg floury potatoes (see note above regarding variety) 2 egg yolks 3 tbsp grated parmesan 1 cup plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra if required 1/2 tsp fine salt 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Mushrooms 600g mixed wild mushrooms (shitake, pine, slippery jack, swiss brown, pearl, oyster etc), sliced 1/2 bunch of thyme 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1/2 cup pure cream 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Salt and black pepper Gremolata 1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped Zest of one lemon, finely grated 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pinch of salt Garnish Parmesan, grated or shaved Lemon wedges
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Method Preheat oven to 180C. Prick the potatoes all over then place on a tray and bake in the oven for one hour, or until tender. Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then peel; the skin should peel off easily just using your fingers. Push through a potato ricer (or mash) into a mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks, parmesan, salt and sieve over most of the flour. Mix lightly with your hands or a wooden spoon until it comes together to form a soft dough. If it feels sticky, add more flour until it feels damp to the touch but not sticky. You may need to add a little more flour than the recipe states – this is dependent on the moisture in your potatoes, so just add a little at a time. Remember not to overwork the dough. Divide the dough into five portions and, working with one portion at a time, roll it out into a sausage shape around 1.5cm thick and then cut into 3cm lengths. Pinch each gnocchi in the centre to create a pillow shape. Lay the prepared gnocchi out on a lightly floured tray in a single layer whilst you repeat with the remaining dough. Cover with a tea towel and set aside as you prepare the other ingredients.
Prepare the gremolata by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside until required. Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over high heat. Add the mushrooms, thyme and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are golden. Mix in the cream, season with salt and pepper and turn the heat down to barely a simmer (do not boil the cream). Leave this to simmer while you cook the gnocchi. Bring a large saucepan of liberally-salted water to the boil. Add the gnocchi in batches, about 20 at a time, and cook for 1–2 minutes, or until the gnocchi rise to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel briefly to remove as much water as possible. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frypan over medium-high heat. Add the boiled gnocchi and fry until browned on both sides. Remove from the frypan and add to the mushroom mixture. .Repeat until all gnocchi has been boiled and fried. Gently stir the gnocchi through the mushroom mixture, check your seasoning and add more salt and pepper if required. Divide between bowls and top generously with the gremolata, some grated parmesan and a squeeze of lemon juice.
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FOOD & WINE
The good oil The Mediterranean climate here on the Fleurieu is perfectly suited to growing olives, producing a fantastic array of olive oils. There are many nuances in flavour – and like wine it often boils down to personal taste. Some like it peppery – and some like it mild. Here are some excellent local products to savour and enjoy.
Wild Harvest Phil Mather’s family and friends harvest olives from wild trees and relinquished groves throughout the Fleurieu. Harvesting wild fruits, enhances the flavour and character of his award-winning oils, whilst reducing the spread of the much loved and loathed tree. Each season brings a unique variety of oils. Green label – Early Season, Burgundy – Mid Season and Black & Gold –- Late Season. Available at Lucia’s Fine Foods and Willunga Farmers Market. wildharvestoliveoil.com Carissa Carissa Olives produces a single varietal of Frantoio olives. Frantoio is a Tuscan olive, which is well suited to the Mediterranean climate of McLaren Vale. The grove has organic certification with NASAA and grows consistent award-winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Carissa Olive Oil is classed as medium and has a cut-grass aroma, smooth palate and a peppery finish. carissaolives.com Diana Novello – the ‘new one’ – is made from the very first harvest of the season. Select parcels of olives, predominantly Frantoio and Koroneiki, make this delicious and very flavorsome olive oil. Fresh and 78
grassy characters are balanced by a slightly pungent flavour. Drizzle over fish, salad and bruschetta to fully appreciate this fine olive oil. dianaoliveoil.com.au Coriole Coriole produces Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVO) and First Harvest Oil using olives harvested from groves around the Fleurieu Peninsula and Adelaide Hills. Made in a robust style, Coriole EVO is one of Australia’s first and finest quality extra virgin olive oils. The First Harvest Oil is fresh, fruity and distinctively peppery with a creamy finish. It’s unfiltered and extra virgin, using only the first olives of the season to celebrate the beginning of harvest. coriole.com Lucilla Lucilla certified organic extra virgin olive oil is produced from organic olives at The Farm Willunga. In the foothills overlooking the coast, fifteen acres of olives and grapes enjoy sunshine, cool maritime breezes and reward the growers with bountiful harvests. Picked and cold-pressed within hours, the top quality oil is fruity, fresh, smooth and delicious. Drizzle, dip, dunk and cook your way to good health. thefarmwillunga.com.au
eat
at whalers
OPEN for lunch
Wednesday to Sunday
OPEN for dinner Friday and Saturday
SMILING SAMOYED BREWERY Open for lunch every day and dinner on Fridays (with free quiz) Hansen Street, Myponga. Telephone 8558 6166 bookings@smilingsamoyed.com.au www.smilingsamoyed.com.au
Drink in the fabulous views Smell the salty air Eat our local fare Enjoy casual seaside dining
2018 Royal Adelaide Beer and Cider Awards: Champion Small Brewery Proudly part of the 2019 Festival Fleurieu http://www.festivalfleurieu.com.au 13 - 22 April 2019
Craft Beer • Delicious Food · Friendly Atmosphere · Fabulous Functions
121 Franklin Pde, Encounter Bay www.whalers.com.au
Bookings: 08 8552 4400
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Get inspired at fitzgeraldquarries.com.au www.coriole.com/Restaurant | 08 8323 8305 Open for Lunch | Reservations from 11:30am onward
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Above: Inside the Armfield Slip and Boat Shed – keeping boat building and camaraderie alive.
The changing tide of tradition Story by Jake Dean.
The Armfield Slip and Boat Shed is named after renowned Goolwa riverboat captain and boatbuilder Samuel Armfield (1861-1933) and is the birthplace of the the South Australian Wooden Boat Festival (Australia’s largest) at Goolwa on April 27-28. The whining of a saw is the first sign there’s more than meets the ear at this nondescript pale-green shed. But it’s two fellas along the shed’s far side, tenderly working their hands down the hull of a dry-docked timber boat, that offers stronger clues into the hive of activity inside. I’m at Goolwa’s Armfield Slip and Boat Shed on the bank of the Murray where, Tuesdays and Fridays, men gather to build, restore and maintain wooden boats. Greeting me are Garry Coombes and Bob Jennings, chairman and secretary of the volunteer organisation, supported by Alexandrina Council. ‘It’s quiet because of the weather, but normally we’d have thirty people here,’ says Bob, a retired journalist, almost apologetically. The place is humming. Men huddle around the gorgeous timber and copper skeleton of a boat alongside us, and others around a smaller boat ten steps away that looks finished, with dapper green and white paint and stained timber you can almost smell. Others pace the room, hunting tools mounted on walls like fishing trophies, while brown kelpies weave between our feet. Conversation and laughter flows, only interrupted by saws, hammers and the hiss of a steaming box. Bob and Garry take me on a cook’s tour of the current projects underway in the shed. There’s a sailing dinghy set to be raffled off as a fundraiser, explains Bob. There’s one for a bloke ‘who wanted a project.’ Another is singled out for showcasing a traditional building method. ‘And that boat,’ adds Garry, a former woodworking teacher, pointing back to the dinghy ‘looks traditional but uses modern materials.’ It’s all a balance between the old and the new. I’m surprised to learn only one volunteer has a boatbuilding background, while the rest are a motley crew including retired woodworkers, schoolteachers and plumbers. 80
‘Heard of osmosis?’ Garry chuckles when I ask how they learn their skills. A bookshelf in the corner is crammed with faded reference books, but Google helps them just as often nowadays. Old meets new. ‘Skills here are more or less self-perpetuating,’ Bob adds. ‘Comparatively younger blokes learn skills from blokes who’ve been here twenty years.’ Bob says this flow of ‘younger retirees’ keeps numbers steady, ensuring skills aren’t lost to time. It’s not just the tangible shared purpose – majestic boats gliding down the river – that keeps volunteers coming back. ‘It’s the sense of community… a mutual support group,’ Bob says. ‘You talk about your lives and shared experiences,’ Garry concurs. ‘We look after each other. If someone’s not here for a couple of weeks you check up on them.’ The group was recently approached by producers of the remake of 1976 film Storm Boy to design and build a 1950s-style timber boat cabin and fittings. The deadline? Two weeks. ‘We had six-to-twelve people here, six days a week,’ says Bob. ‘A miracle because nothing ever happens that fast here,’ laughs Garry. ‘A group of wrinkly old fellows being involved (then) going and seeing the film… seeing ‘Armfield Slip volunteers’ in the credits was amazing.’ Bob points out the boat behind the shed, where the boat from the original film – which Armfield volunteers also worked on – floats nearby. They’re just two of the wooden boats in Armfield’s historic fleet that’ll be on display at the Wooden Boat Festival. And in a modest green shed, its door wide open, you’ll find a bunch of passionate blokes huddled around some works-in-progress, ready to regale you with banter about how those boats are made. Go to the Wooden Boat Festival this year – you will meet crew. There’ll be food, wine, music and kids activities, plus plenty of other boats – from canoes to paddle steamers – to see, keeping the wonder of wooden boats alive in new generations.
Delicious food, amazing cocktails. Family friendly fare. Enjoy the fiesta! OPEN FOR LUNCH WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY DINNER FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHTS FROM 6PM PH: 08 8598 4184 WWW.LEONARDSMILL.COM.AU 7869 MAIN SOUTH ROAD, SECOND VALLEY SA
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to experience the best of Langhorne Creek. A free event hosted across six premium venues, showcasing suppliers in every area of wedding planning. Couples, mothers of the bride, bridesmaids, family and friends take a tour of six wedding venues, speak one-on-one to suppliers and discover the natural beauty, the peaceful seclusion and the country hospitality on offer from a surprisingly accessible region less than an hour from Adelaide. BOOK FREE TICKETS via the website: www.langhornecreekweddingtrail.com.au After Party and Prize Draw: Woodburn Homestead from 5pm Photograph: Tomek Photography
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Six local businesses that will ensure your getaway is a
Luxe Escape
THE AUSTRALASIAN CIRCA 1858 Goolwa This beautiful private hotel is a luxury haven; a space to reshape time, to suspend visibility, to lull, to pause. Before we close in mid June, consider a celebratory one or two night Weekend Gourmet package including the Saturday public dining experience in The Australasian Dining Room. Secure online bookings via our website: australasian1858.com
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HOTEL CALIFORNIA ROAD McLaren Vale McLaren Vale’s newest luxury micro-hotel is your perfect adult escape. Overlooking the vineyards, each of the carefully curated fifty square metre suites are appointed with all of the modern travel comforts. It boasts dual rain rain showers and vanities, as well as a soaking tub for soothing the soul while overlooking the unobstructed views through floor to ceiling windows. Enjoy stunning sunsets with a glass of Inkwell Wine in hand. inkwellwines.com/hotel
SHADOW CREEK McLaren Vale Escape to vineyard country and enjoy modern luxury with views across the vines all the way to the ocean. The lovely large deck is perfect for popping your feet up and enjoying a quiet vino or perhaps explore, wandering glass in hand around the vines. Relax in the deep-soaking bath and adore the delicious fine linen on the king size bed. Private, peaceful and all yours. shadowcreek.com.au
Above left and right: With this selection of amazing locations to choose from, the next wedding anniversary, birthday getaway or ‘just us’ time – things are looking up! Way up!
KINGS BEACH RETREATS Waitpinga This exclusive beachside accommodation is situated on the spectacular Kings Head, where communing with nature is food for the soul. Kings Beach Retreats offers three totally private and spectacular wilderness retreats, each with their own all-weather conservatory and unforgettable ocean and coastal views. Headland House, with five ensuite bathrooms, is pure luxury and perfectly suited for extended family reunions, special celebrations with friends and corporate or health retreats. kingsbeachretreats.com.au
JIMMY SMITH’S DAIRY Port Elliot Situated amongst pristine beaches, rugged bushland trails and charming wineries, this thoughtfully restored colonial dairy, now luxury Port Elliot accommodation, is both carefully curated and designed for absolute comfort so you can truly unwind. Qantas Travel Insider loved that ‘while original features such as exposed-bluestone walls remain, it’s modern additions such as floorto-ceiling windows, bamboo flooring and luxe bathrooms that make this place so inviting’. jimmysmithsdairy.com.au
BOATHOUSE · BIRKS HARBOUR Goolwa Boathouse Retreat is located on the waterfront at Birks Harbour Marina at the historic River Port of Goolwa. It is luxurious and spacious, with open-plan living and a private deck overlooking the Murray River. The retreat’s décor is elegant with custom furnishings, original artworks and a maritime, coastal feel. Guests can watch the sailboats and enjoy birdlife, with reflections and sunsets they will never forget. birksharbour.com.au
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10.00am to 5.00pm. 68 Wheaton Rd, McLaren Vale +61 (0)8 8323 9131 www.paxtonwines.com
WINES WITH LIFE 84
open by appointment call 0419 839 964
MEET THE WINEMAKER AND TASTE THROUGH SOME OF THE FINEST ARTISAN WINES FROM THE BAROSSA VALLEY, ADELAIDE HILLS AND MCLAREN VALE. FOR OPEN HOURS VISIT SMIDGEWINES.COM 150 TATACHILLA ROAD MCLAREN VALE.TELEPHONE: 0419 839 964
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Visit our new cellar door and immerse yourself in a unique tasting experience with our cheese and wine matching flights – or take in the vista of the vineyard from the viewing deck.
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29 Burleigh Street, Langhorne Creek Bookings encouraged: 08 8537 3002 or email cellardoor@kimboltonwines.com.au kimboltonwines.com.au 85
Remembering Clive Story by Ynys Onsman. Illustration by Pip Kruger.
If you dropped by Noon’s cellar door at McLaren Vale in the 1980s, chances are you’d be greeted by a tall man wearing a leather cap. He’d remember your name and what you bought, even if you’d only been there once, years before. ‘Did you find that shiraz as good as I thought you would?’, he’d ask with a smile. That man was Clive Simmonds an artist, teacher and cellar door aficionado, whose commitment to bettering the McLaren Vale region was so legendary that each year someone receives a trophy in his memory. The Clive Simmonds Memorial Trophy was founded in 1989 by the Wine Tourism Committee to recognise the best ambassador for the McLaren Vale region in the hospitality industry. Each year committee members nominate individuals who, like Clive, go above and beyond to promote the area. Clive and his wife, fellow artist Margaret Simmonds, immigrated from England in 1979 to join a pottery workshop in Paris Creek. When Clive started working for Noon’s winery in the mid 1980s, he quickly realised the value of creating an experience that visitors would savour — and not just at Noon’s cellar door. Clive was known for recommending other cellar doors’ wines, local restaurants, and galleries he thought visitors would enjoy. ‘Clive was open to suggesting to people where they should go to have other kinds of experiences,’ Margaret explains. ‘He was always trying to get them more involved. He used to get two or three wineries to come together in a brochure, so small wineries could share the cost and link the route between them for tastings. Clive had a highly creative mind; the kind that makes the person see the world with brighter eyes.’ Clive started cellar door meetings because he saw the benefits of collaboration, rather than competition. As a graphic designer, he also believed in extending a winery’s brand to create a full aesthetic experience, including everything from signage design to ensuring cellar door staff could speak knowledgeably about the wines. ‘He was fully aware of the look and feel and the flow, the need to use word-of-mouth and imagery, because you’ve got to get the memory of wherever the customer has been in their head,’ Margaret says.
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‘That way, any time they come to South Australia they’ll head for that winery.’ The latest trophy recipient is McLaren Vale local Jenni Mitton, who brings energy and enthusiasm not just to her day job as General Manager of the Willunga Farmers Market, but to her many and varied volunteer commitments. Jenni believes Clive’s inclusive approach still reverberates through the region today. ‘When I worked in cellar doors, customers would say they love how wineries here would happily recommend where to go next,’ Jenni tells me. ‘I really believe that’s a trait Clive Simmonds has passed on in the industry, and it has become learned behaviour.’ Clive’s capacity to see the bigger picture is also clear in Jenni’s approach, as she is always connecting people and ideas for the benefit of the community. ‘If you overhear someone trying to find out some information and you can help them, why not?,’ she says. ‘If you’ve got some time on your hands and can help organise something your community will enjoy, why not?’ For James Hook, the trophy is all the more meaningful because it’s peer awarded. James is an agronomist and founder of wine label and cellar door Lazy Ballerina. It’s his volunteer passions, including geology tours of McLaren Vale’s famed soils, and the podcast he and wine expert Gill Gordon-Smith make to explain complex grape growing concepts, that saw James’ name added to the trophy’s honour roll. ‘I was recognised for my commitment to training and helping people who want to get a deeper level of knowledge,’ he says. ‘You can win awards in wine shows, but this is a recognition of your extra-curricular activities. You’re being judged for being you, rather than being judged for a flash building you sell wine from.’ Jenni has the perpetual trophy at her home for a year, displayed where she can see the engraving of a magpie above Clive’s name. The magpie is a ‘tip of the hat’ to a small painting Clive made for David Noon, which hung in the cellar door. Margaret believes it reflects Clive’s lifelong affinity with birds. ‘At Noon’s, Clive fed the magpies,’ she explains. ‘He would whistle and call and hold cheese up, and in they’d fly to sit on his arms and head.’ Much like the customers who experienced Clive’s warm hospitality, the birds would return whenever they knew he was around. While Clive passed away more than twenty years ago, the memorial trophy helps maintain the spirit of generosity central to the McLaren Vale experience, and recognises others who, like Clive, see the world through brighter eyes.
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Taken an amazing photo on the Fleurieu lately? Send us an email or upload it to our Facebook page and you could see your handiwork in print. Each issue we’ll choose an image to publish right here in the pages of FLM: facebook.com/FleurieuLivingMagazine. This photo of the coastline at Waitpinga was submitted by Reece McArdle.
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Fleurieu galleries
Wander these diverse creative spaces and discover quality works to treasure.
Willunga Gallery signage 03June2014.pdf
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FLEURIEU ARTHOUSE Consisting of an exhibition gallery, professional artisan studios, a retail shop and artist run workshops, Fleurieu Arthouse is set in a historic warehouse space in the beautiful garden grounds of Hardys Tintara winery in McLaren Vale. Discover an incredible range of ceramics, jewellery, glass, print, painting and sculpture and meet the makers for immersive visual art experience. Daily, 11 - 4pm or by appointment 202 Main Road, McLaren Vale 0410 433 244 fleurieuarthouse.com.au 90
WILLUNGA GALLERY Willunga Gallery is an exhibition space, gift shop, wine bar, and special events venue, featuring the work of both local and interstate artists. Founded in 2013, the Gallery is a meeting place for appreciators of art, enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Visitors can browse the beautiful works on offer, and enjoy Fleurieu wines in the underground cellars and glorious garden of the on site wine bar, High St Cellars. Thurs to Mon, 11 - 4pm 29 High Street, Willunga willungagallery.com.au
ARTWORX GALLERY AND GIFTS Artworx Gallery and Gifts is housed in a 1850’s stone cottage. Over 6 rooms, it features original oils, watercolours, acrylics, pastels, glass, ceramics, wood, jewellery, metal and sculptures by national and local artists. Unique gifts sourced from around the world, add to this fine Gallery. Wed to Mon, from 10 - 4.30pm 10-12 Hays Street, Goolwa  South Australia 08 8555 0949 artworxgallery.com.au
Image Cr3 Studio
SAUERBIER HOUSE Sauerbier House is a colonial villa renovated to provide exhibition and studio spaces for visiting and local contemporary artists and curators. The house accommodates two main galleries and presents a rolling exhibition program of contemporary visual art created either onsite by Artists in Residence or generated independently for the [GRAFTd] program. Wed to Fri, 10 - 4pm, Sat, 12 noon - 4pm 21 Wearing Street, Port Noarlunga 08 8186 1393 onkaparingacity.com/sauerbierhouse
THE STRAND Sometimes described as SA’s premium regional art gallery, The Strand Gallery at Port Elliot is helping local artists find buyers for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of paintings and sculptures every year. International visitors to the beautiful south coast are astonished at the quality of the artwork and the gallery’s presentation. The gallery and attached Thunderbird restaurant have become a ‘must visit’ destination. Weekends, 10 - 4pm or by appointment 41 The Strand Port Elliot 0419 501 648
KIRI KIRI Kiri Kiri Art was established in 2013, representing over 200 artists from remote art centres across Australia. Owner Helen, builds on a wealth of knowledge gained whilst working as an Art Centre Manager on the APY Lands, particularly of Central Desert art. The gallery shows not only original paintings but ceramics, jewellery, gifts and crafts. 9 Coral Street, Victor Harbor 0459 515 793 kirikiriart.com
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BOOKS & WORDS
Autumn book reviews by Mark Laurie of South Seas Books, Port Elliot
Obaysch: A Hippopotamus in Victorian London by John Simons
Published by Sydney University Press ISBN 9781743325865 $35.00 Obaysch, a hippopotamus captured from the Egyptian Nile and transported to live out his life in a Victorian English zoo, has been much studied and admired. His popularity at the time demonstrated the lingering, drawing, power of charismatic megafauna and he has continued to inspire portraits, studies and academic analysis long after his death. John Simons, recently retired from forty years of university life in England, America and Australia, has written a book dedicated to drawing Obaysch out from cultural signification and anthropomorphism, giving him agency through his own history, nature and species. In so doing, he redraws the relationship between humans and exotic animals, decolonising them from the discursive systems which have
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captured and bound those animals as tightly in human imagination as the bars of their cages. Obaysch emerges as a creature of his own nature and from the environment created for him, his history littered with our imperialism, imagination and incomprehension. The author also describes England’s first hippopotamus since Roman times as an agent for change in how the Englishspeaking world saw and thought about large, exotic animals; the beginning of an enduring fascination for animals as themselves, rather than as objects of science, subjects of human sentiment, or sources of violence and fear. Certainly, many of the attitudes, mores and practices of Victorian England are dissonant to contemporary readers, providing some evidence of change, even while wealthy ‘sportsmen’ continue to pay large sums to shoot wild animals. Animals exist outside of human experience. All too sadly, that existence is increasingly rare.
Ohio by Stephen Markley Published by Simon & Schuster ISBN 9781982100094 $27.00 A work of fiction, set deep in the American heartland, exploring lives within the generation who came of age as the Twin Towers plummeted to earth, who fuelled the fires in Iraq and Afghanistan, and formed a front line to meet the realities of financial crisis on a grand scale. They have inherited a rust-belt world, where markets have been let rip, society is rent, environmental catastrophe looms, and all that was good, it seems, has already been taken. Four former high school classmates converge on barely-fictionalised New Canaan, Ohio, locked in interwoven dialogues with their formative years. All have moved away, seeking lives beyond its confines, but are drawn inexorably back,
responding to their own cast songlines, to the ‘faithless rendering of all sex, death, justice, murder, prayer, greed, hope, mercy and love’, which constitutes their collective memory. In his ambitious debut novel, the author has rendered the new American tragedy, playing out across the vastness of its plains and against the heights of its ambitions. Echoing the fates of Jay, Daisy, Nick and Jordan, penned by F. Scott Fitzgerald almost a century earlier, Stephen Markley sensitively portrays the struggles of another generation doomed to beat on, as boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. Both inherited and of their own making, it is a past which repels as it transfixes. Amidst all the cultural motifs and bravado, there is real anger here, penetratingly expressed in language which swings between youthful swagger and ageless lyrical flight. Read this and reflect.
Heart of the Grass Tree by Molly Murn A Vintage Australia book published by Penguin Random House ISBN 9780143792499 $32.99 Molly Murn has written her debut novel about South Australia and for South Australians. She has given us an intimate portrait of Kangaroo Island’s history and geography through the lives and reflections of several generations. In this fiction laced with fact, flashes of recognition enhance our enjoyment from a story brimming with all of the nuance and complexities of the human condition. Above all, this is a novel about relationships; those between mothers and daughters, Europeans and Aboriginal people, the human and natural worlds and the ‘water between them all’. Pearl and Diana return to the Island for the funeral of their grandmother and mother, Nell. Divergent personalities and events have estranged them. Their unhappiness, in themselves and with one another, extends
beyond Nell’s death. Sifting through Nell’s belongings, rediscovering familiar spaces and splicing tendrils of shared history, they begin to find their places in the world and themselves. Grass trees are endemic to Australia, an iconic image for our country. Hardy and resilient, they may live for hundreds of years, able to respond to the trauma of fire by flowering profusely and germinating. These plants are highly valued by a wide range of birds, insects and mammals and by the indigenous community for their many uses, including the resin able to be collected from around their leaves. Numbers have suffered through the destructive collection of resin on an industrial scale subsequent to European settlement. They continue to do so with continuing land clearing and theft. The grass tree serves as a powerful symbol for Australia’s environment and history, and for the richly captivating narrative of this book.
tendencies who expresses herself with the unfiltered directness available to those who are rich and beautiful. Her only son, Malcolm, lives with her, approaching middle age in a comprehending state of suspended development. Rounding out the household is Small Frank, their cat who is host to the spirit of Frances’ husband, a lawyer remembered for his complete immorality and tabloid-worthy death. The book narrates their escape, spilling the last of a considerable fortune in a quest for liberation in various forms. It tells a story veering between an unconquerable past and an incontrovertible present. Unsettling and un-put-downable, it is a worthy addition to the works of this Man Booker shortlisted and highly commended author.
French Exit by Patrick deWitt Published by Bloomsbury ISBN 9781526601186 $29.99 Described by its author as ‘a tragedy of manners,’ French Exit is difficult to classify. Perhaps an acerbic, dark farce goes some of the way towards describing it, although whether classification is helpful for a novel brimming with such originality and wit is debatable. The book is very much of itself, occupying a space in present day New York and Paris which draws from the mannered comedies of earlier times, intersects with Victorian gothic sensibilities and collides with casual modernity. Patrick deWitt’s fourth novel is filled with caustic dialogue, acute observation, witty aphorisms and surprises. Perhaps others will recognise the familiarity of ‘mimicking the behaviours of the adults all around you in the hopes they won’t discover the meagre contents of your heart.’ Heading the collection of wonderfully drawn eccentric characters is Frances, a wealthy widow in her sixties, the subject of a scandalous past and harbouring nihilistic
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BUDS & BLOOMS
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Open 11am - 5 pm most days 41 Woodcone Rd Mt Compass 0419 823 708
Visit www.millestate.com.au 0448 016 951 – stay@millestate.com.au
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24 Old Coach Rd | Aldinga | SA 5173 sales@goodnesscoffeeco.com.au www.goodnesscoffeeco.com.au 8am - 1pm 7 days a week.
Local Flowers & Foragings | Installation Art & Event Design harveststudio.com.au | 08 8323 9669 | McLaren Vale
Healthy aging is very dependent on good hearing. We risk our social skills if we cannot communicate. A hearing test is simple and informative. CALL TO BOOK A TEST NOW. Mary Trowbridge Audiologist 187 Main Rd Mclaren Vale M: 0411 779 916 mary@fleurieuhearing.com.au www.fleurieuhearing.com.au
INDOOR PLANTS · CERAMICS · BASKETS · PLANTERS · HOMEWARES · BEAUTY PRODUCTS · JEWELLERY GIFT VOUCHERS · CARDS · SELECT GARDENING PRODUCTS
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FLEURIEU WEDDINGS EXPO SUNDAY 20th OCTOBER 2019 10am - 3pm
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DESTINATION FLEURIEU
Create your escape > Pet friendly
Your furry friend grins ear to ear, tail wagging, delighted beyond belief that he’s joining you on your adventure.
Above: Ronnie is always happy to see you at Pipi in Middleton.
Sandy shorelines, spectacular nature walks, cosy accommodation and an array of delightful cafes, restaurants and an award-winning brewery await to welcome you and your much-loved companion.
Eat
With no need to make arrangements for your pets to stay elsewhere, your long-awaited escape to unwind, breathe and revive your soul with Fleurieu beauty just became even sweeter. Dogs, after all, make everything better, especially holidays and weekend escapes!
Serving locally roasted coffee from De Groot, it’s a firm favourite among locals. Stevie and Ben are passionate about contributing to a thriving community and work hard to create a relaxing experience for every customer and their dog. You’ll love meeting their gorgeous border collie, Ronnie, who will be equally pleased to meet you.
If you’re a coffee lover, or in need of a delicious breakfast, head to the laid-back, surf-loving town of Middleton and start your morning off with a visit to the friendly folk at Pipi. Known and loved for its seasonal, locally-sourced menu and allergy-friendly options, Pipi is a gem of the Fleurieu coast well worth the visit.
To walk off your breakfast, wander over to the Encounter Bikeway, a dog-friendly walking trail (shared with bikes) hugging the coast from Encounter Bay to Goolwa. Boasting stunning views, it’s a popular 96
Top left: Happiness is a beer with your dog at Smiling Samoyed Brewery in Myponga. Top right: The rolling hills around the Lapito House in Myponga offer hours of exercise and enjoyment. Relax on the deck while your pup frolics. Bottom left: The fenced grounds around the Samson Tall wInery. Bottom right: Dig in to delicious food at Pipi at Middleton.
trail with regular picnic tables, public toilets, seating and playgrounds along the way.
good, honest food (including wood oven pizzas), this place is made with lazy afternoons in mind.
If you end up in Victor Harbor, check out Qahwa Espresso Bar and Coffee Roasters, located right on the foreshore. Popular for its specialty coffee roasted on site, fresh and flavourful menu, and the relaxed, seaside atmosphere, it’s the perfect place for you and your pet to stop for coffee and a bite while breathing in the ocean air.
Wine lovers – don’t fear, there are also pet-friendly wineries to visit with your four-legged friends, including the new Samson Tall cellar door in McLaren Vale, and Mt Jagged Wines (both with resident dogs, cellar door tasting, outdoor seating and great food options).
Drink
Once you’re sufficiently tuckered out from all your adventuring, treat yourself and your furry companion to a stay at the stunning home away from home, Lapito House. Nestled among the rolling hills of Myponga, the restored stone farmhouse sits on over one-hundred acres of bushland, bordering the Myponga Conservation Park and Heysen Trail. >
Do you enjoy award-winning craft beers and really, really fluffy dogs? If so, the Smiling Samoyed Brewery in the peaceful town of Myponga is sure to please. Mia and Hoppy, the brewery’s lovable mascots and namesakes, can be seen greeting and interacting with guests (two-legged and four-legged alike), or lounging around lending their fluffiness to the general aesthetics of the place. With a reputation for
Stay
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Above: Dinner on the deck at the Lobster in Normanville.
With fields and meadows for frolicking, creeks to splash through and endless trees to sniff, it’s a dog’s dream. And for you, it’s the perfect place to slow down, relax and revive your soul as you reconnect with nature. The interior of the house has been thoughtfully and artistically designed and furnished, creating a contemporary and inviting space, with spectacular views. Head a little further south to the seaside town of Normanville to find The Lobster – a classic seventies A-frame, two-story house painted a cheerful, robin’s egg blue. Set on a fully-fenced fourteenhundred square metre block with lush lawn, trees for shade and a spacious deck, there’s room-a-plenty for you, your family and of course the dog! The double brick home is beautifully furnished; the sort of place that puts you in holiday mode the moment you walk in. And best of all, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump (and some enthusiastic tail wagging)
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to Normanville beach, and Carrickalinga, both dog-friendly and breathtakingly beautiful. If you have a specific Fleurieu location in mind – check Pet Let. They specialise in providing high-quality, pet-friendly accommodation across the Fleurieu Peninsula. Properties are all fully-fenced but furry family members are very welcome inside. Ranging from budget-friendly options to exclusive waterfront locations, it won’t be hard to find something you love.
Play There are also plenty of beautiful places to get out for a walk such as the Second Valley Heritage Walk, or even a social trip to the bustling Willunga Farmers Market.
Top image: One of the many pet-friendly accommodations you will find on the Pet-Let website. Bottom: Head to one of the dog-focussed events this Autumn. These images from Serafino’s Paws for a Cause.
UPCOMING PET-FRIENDLY EVENTS: Check out these three upcoming events created in for our pets: Dog’s Day Out on the Fleurieu Lakala Reserve, Port Elliot Sunday March 17. A variety of canine-themed activities including the popular doggy dress-up parade, look-a-like pair, displays, demonstrations, stalls, barbeque fare and cupcakes. Dog’s Day Out Smiling Samoyed Brewery Saturday April 27. Starts at 10:30 am Bring your favourite four-legged friend for a day of fun and frivolity at Smiling Samoyed Brewery, Myponga. Includes a ‘best dressed prize’ for the best dressed dog. Treats, games including ‘dog lotto’ and ‘musical sits’ and much more. Book your dog’s place now – www.smilingsamoyed.com.au
Paws for a Cause Serafino, McLaren Vale Sunday, April 28. 9am to 3pm The day will consist of: Serafino wines, food, DJ and a raffle to win a pallet of wine! Best-dressed dog competition, bouncy castle and face painting. Vego and vegan food options. Gold-coin entry fee with proceeds to animal rescues and charities. Don’t forget your four-legged furry friend!
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Above: Sarina Virgara.
Virgara’s garden Sarina and Francesco Virgara operate one of the best market gardens in South Australia. They are a mainstay for Willunga Farmers Market regulars and Virgara’s is often the first stop; a long table covered in hessian sacks and stacked with fresh vegetables. As a long-time stall holder, Sarina reflects on the producers who make up the market community. ‘Everyone who is there has a passion for food and to bringing the best they can to what they do and enjoying food. What can be wrong with that?’ she laughs. The couple took over their stall from Sarina’s father Domenic Scarfo twelve years ago. ‘We’ve kept it the same, but also tried to expand and bring something different,’ Sarina tells me. At all times of the year they have their staple offerings of carrots, onions, beetroot and potatoes, but when in season they bring their amazing fresh artichokes, broad beans and Romanesco cauliflower, as well as fresh basil and tomatoes (think Caprese salad). The Virgaras also produce their own olive oil and olives.
The couple works hard – harder than most I would say. ‘It is just what you do,’ says Sarina. There is a slight lull in late winter but keeping up the stock for the markets requires weekday and weekend work. Their commitment to having a family member present at the markets is about maintaining quality control. ‘Things are not looked after as well and you just have to be there,’ says Sarina. Indeed, when Sarina had her first baby she worked right up until the birth. There she was heavily pregnant and working one weekend, and then two weeks later she was back at it with the baby either on her hip or in the pram. This is all part of the market community; growing healthy babies and growing healthy food. Gardening comes with challenges but Sarina is philosophical. ‘While you can control what you plant and when you plant it and how much water you give it, the one thing you can’t control is the weather so you just have to roll with the punches,’ she says. Early starts and early finishes during intense heat waves is the order of the day, and there’s little you can do about it. ‘We want to bring the freshest produce (to the market) that we can,’ says Sarina. That means a ‘full-on Friday.’ Preparation for the markets involves picking, then packing, counting, sorting, loading the truck and getting up early the next morning to set up. And that is where the hard work pays off. As people flock to the market it’s obvious just how much they appreciate the Virgara’s commitment to quality, freshness and consistency, come rain, hail or shine.
All their produce is grown for our local markets in Victor Harbor and Willunga and the Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market on Sundays.
Every Saturday 8am ‘til 12:30pm
Meet the grower, TASTE THE REGION Follow us: @willungafarmersmarket Located at Willunga Town Square, Willunga www.willungafarmersmarket.com.au Members save 10% at all stalls – sign up now! willungafarmersmarket.com.au/membership 100
DINE
A
MILE
A long table dinner supporting Hutt Street Centre and Food for Futures Featuring the amazing talents of Chef Karena Armstrong and desserts from Real Food Life. Saturday, 1st June: 7pm -11pm, Eileen Hardy Room, 202 Main Road, McLaren Vale. The room will be festooned with lighting and styled for the event.
Live entertainment and special guests. Check the Dine a Mile Facebook page https://tinyurl.com/dine-a-mile to be first-in when tickets go on sale. Ticket sales will be limited. FOOD FOR
FUTURES
DRONE PILOT FOR HIRE Aerial photography and video ¡ www.fly-the-fleurieu.com
FLY THE FLEURIEU 101
FOOD & WINE
Uncorked Wine reviews by Gill Gordon-Smith CSW FWS
There are a few different ways to get those bubbles in the bottle. Knowing the basics of how it happens and a few of the terms that indicate style and technique on the bottle can really help you find the perfect drop for you. At the end of the day, it comes down to what you like to drink and presto, that’s the best one for you! Sparkling wines are produced all over the world and can be made in different styles and levels of sweetness, from easy drinking and uncomplicated to stunning, complex examples. The most prestigious and famous, of course, is Champagne. Only sparkling made in that region can legally be called Champagne. All other sparkling wines made this way must use another term to tell us they have been made in a similar way. 1. Methode traditionelle, Traditional method, Bottle fermented All of these terms on a label will indicate the wine has undergone a second fermentation in the bottle. A measured amount of yeast and sugar are added to an already-fermented still wine and the bottle capped. Carbon dioxide is a bi-product of fermentation and instead of escaping into the air, the gas stays in the wine and, when it is opened, we have bubbles. The wine spends time sitting on the yeast cells which give toasty, bready, yeasty characters to the wine. This can be from nine months to three or more years. The yeast lees are then removed in a process called disgorgement. A little sweetened wine is usually added – this is called the ‘dosage’. The pressure that builds in the bottle is usually around six atmospheres, roughly enough to fill a truck tyre, so be careful when opening! The wine is usually sold in the same bottle that it was fermented in but for some wines and larger format bottles, it may be transferred into another. 2. Tank fermented A more economical way to sparkle is by allowing the second fermentation to take place in a sealed tank instead of a bottle. This is called Charmat or tank method. If it doesn’t say bottle
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fermented, Champagne or traditional method’ on the bottle, it has probably been made this way. The yeast and sugar are still added to start another fermentation but it happens in a tank. Once the fermentation is complete the wine is usually filtered and bottled under pressure. This process is quicker and takes months rather than years; the bubbles are generally larger and the wine less toasty and yeasty, with fresher flavours that showcase the fruit it is made from. Again, the final style will depend on the amount of sugar added to the wine. Moscato wines are usually made with a variation of the tank method where the first fermentation takes place in a tank and is stopped, leaving sugar and bubbles in the wine. 3. Carbonation The most cost-effective way to make sparkling is by carbonation, which is very similar to a SodaStream machine. Carbon dioxide is infused into the wine in the pressure tank and there is no secondary fermentation. Wines made this way are usually fresh, fruity and vary in sweetness. Disclaimer – I’ve had some fun experiments with my SodaStream but if you do try this at home please don’t fill the bottle, it will end in tears! 2017 Zerella Wines “La Gita” Moscato Fresh, floral and so easy to drink. This is a moscato that gives a huge nod to its original Italian counterparts, with the perfect amount of sweetness to balance the soft acidity. Off dry, rather than sweet, and full of blossom – white peach, nectarine and pear with tangy citrus fruits, lifted musky florals – it has a creamy texture with a refreshing light sherbet fizz. Serve Moscato nice and cold with buttery croissants, meringues, berry fruits, light salads, Thai or Vietnamese foods. At around 8% ABV it’s a versatile wine that can go from breakfast to sunset.
Shining a light on Fleurieu Sparklings Life on the Fleurieu is always a cause for celebration and this issue we look at six exceptional Fleurieu sparkling wines which are made using different techniques. Be prepared to get very thirsty.
2018 Coriole Prosecco Prosecco is traditionally from the northern part of Italy in the Veneto/ Treviso area and has been made in those hills for over 150 years. The grape is also grown in Australia and this delicious Coriole version uses the Charmat method to over deliver in this refreshing, dry-style sparkling. It embodies enticing aromas of jasmine, apple, citrus, stone fruits and fresh ginger spice. A persistent mouthful of spiced apples, salty lemons, stone fruits and a splash of lime lead to a beautifully balanced, long, fresh finish. This is more-ish drinking and would suit a variety of people, occasions and foods. Local squid and seafood, antipasti, anchovies and fried eggplant dishes (think Little Rickshaw). Leconfield Cuvée Blanc Syn NV The classic sparkling grapes of chardonnay and pinot noir are blended in this lovely white bubble that goes to a lot of effort to overdeliver on style and value. Light honeysuckle, stone fruit, brioche and fresh yeast aromas are followed by a full-flavour mouthful of ripe nectarine, mandarin, spiced lemon, blanched almonds and fresh strawberries, pulled together by a creamy texture. The fresh acidity is well balanced by the dosage and the fruit. This is a wine that reflects great value and would be perfect for an aperitif but could definitely stand up to more full-flavoured foods such as roast chicken, sage, burnt butter and creamy sauces. Mosquito Hill NV Brut “Methode Classique” I first came across Mosquito Hill at the Hot 100 in 2013 and this wine continues to deliver an exceptional classic, bottle-fermented experience. Glyn and Elizabeth Jamieson established their Mt. Jagged Vineyard in 1996. With a particular love for Burgundy and Champagne, their wines reflect that experience. Chardonnay, pinot blanc and savagnin come together beautifully with an elegantly restrained nose of yellow plums, apple, citrus, light toast and fresh yeast notes. There is depth and richness on the palate from some older oak barrel fermentation along with time spent on the yeast lees.
This makes for a complex and balanced flavour profile of stone fruits, red delicious apple, lemon pith, lime and hazelnuts wrapped in a long finish. I will drink this alone or with company matched with scallops, soft cheeses, zucchini, feta and pea fritters and arancini balls. 2018 Kimbolton Sparkling Montepulciano Rosé From the newest cellar door in Langhorne Creek comes this bottle full of fun, flavour and fizz made by the Charmat method. The fruit for this beauty comes from the Case family’s Kimbolton vineyards where they have produced exceptional fruit since 1947. A bright, sheer ruby colour with ripe strawberries, red cherry and Campari notes, this wine is a glorious mouthful of raspberry, sour red cherry, mulberries, blood orange and has a beautifully dry amaro finish that would be just perfect for food. Sparkling rosé makes for a versatile food wine and I am tempted to not only drink this with Italian-style meats and fennel sausage but also turkey, roasted capsicum, tomato-based dishes, pecorino, parmesan and even dark chocolate desserts. 2017 Thomas Vineyard Estate “Shirazamataz” Sparkling Shiraz Sparkling shiraz is one of Australia’s unique, classic styles and this single vineyard example from McLaren Vale will tick a lot of boxes for those who love the style, as well as those new to it. It is made from 2017 reserve wine that has been aged in a mix of old and new barrels to add complexity and depth. Deep, dark ruby with notes of dark plum, black fruits, a touch of tar and aniseed layered with subtle leather and dark cacao nibs – this is a complex wine that builds in the mouth and fills it full of ripe blackberry fruits, dark, fleshy plums, dark chocolate and earthy flavours. It balances the richness of the fruit with the more structural elements and even though it’s a wicked, lush, velvety mouthful, it is definitely well balanced. A perfect match for braised dishes, charred meats, roasted vegetables and dark chocolate. 103
Fleurieu weddings Andy and Alicia Dallisson married on 21st December 2018. Photography by WIll Caston.
When Andy Dallisson and Alicia Turner were setting a wedding date, December 21, 2018 was an obvious choice – it was exactly six years since the start of their relationship. Selecting a destination for the event was just as simple; many of the couple’s favourite memories were formed on the Fleurieu Peninsula, so they knew it would be the perfect location for their nuptials. The only hard part was deciding on which venue, but Andy and Alicia settled on picturesque Allusion Wines at Yankalilla for their ceremony and Second Valley’s iconic Leonards Mill for the reception. 104
‘We visited Allusion Wines early last year and fell in love with the gorgeous views,’ says Alicia. ‘It was the perfect place for us to say our vows. Our best friend Phoebe completed a usual twelve months course to become a celebrant in just two months to make sure she was certified in time. Having her at the arbour was perfect and added to the relaxed and intimate atmosphere.’ Before and after the ceremony, guests enjoyed fresh seafood served alongside local wines and beer, while saxophonist Kym Mitchell played in the background. ‘The support of Mark and his family at Allusion really helped take the stress out of planning,’ says Alicia. ‘Mark sourced local beer, antipasto and seafood for our guests to enjoy and ensured the event was seamless for us.’
Bottom left: The long table dinner setting at Leonards Mill was the best way to have their ‘nearest and dearest’ together to celebrate the occasion. Bottom right: Having their pup Julio at the ceremony and wedding was an added bonus.
And the day continued just as perfectly. After the ceremony, the couple stopped off for a secret ‘pit stop’ at Normanville Surf Lifesaving Club and shared a beer at the beach. But Andy and Alicia both agree the best part of their wedding was having their ‘nearest and dearest’ together around one table at the reception to celebrate the occasion. They chose Leonards Mill after a family dinner at the restaurant, where they were impressed by the beautiful local food, great wine and friendly service. It was exactly what they were looking for to celebrate their nuptials. And the restaurant certainly didn’t disappoint. Wedding guests enjoyed a three-course meal, which showcased local fish, duck and beef. Dinner was served out on the deck under lighting
provided by MASE Event Hire + Design. ‘Leonards Mill owners Hayley and Iain were outstanding in their planning and ensured the reception was managed beautifully,’ says Alicia. ‘They catered to our favourite tastes and accommodated all the slight changes to plans on the night.’ Many of the guests had come from interstate and overseas and made holiday plans around the wedding, so the celebrations continued for several days. The newly weds enjoyed showcasing the region they loved with a golf day at the Links, swimming with dolphins at Normanville Beach and wine tasting at McLaren Vale.
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SOCIAL PAGES
Being Social: Big Easy Radio Music, wine and good vibes flowed from the aqua shed of Big Easy Radio in Aldinga on Saturday 12th January for Under The Palms. Music from their viticulturist Sammy B, along with Ollie English and Sidwho ensured dancing continued well into the night.
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Being Social: Storm Boy launch On Monday 7th January, curious ticket holders congregated at the Victa Cinemas for the anticipated screening of the reimagined Colin Thiele book cum-film Storm Boy. The film’s stars Finn Little and Trevor Jamieson along with key representatives from Sony Pictures were in attendance to launch the film.
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01: Matt Head and Sam Bowman 02: Josh Radvan and Matt Bowman 03: Hannah Matthews and Bianca Price 04: Marcel Terpstra and Danielle Monster 05: Mike Dinnan, Pia Nowland and Nigel Wyatt 06: Jade and Ben Jones 07: Finn Little and Trevor Jamieson 08: Trevor Jamieson, Finn Little and Shawn Seet 09: Michael Boughen and Shawn Seet 10: Stephen Basil-Jones and wife 11: Mayor Keith Parkes and Tracy Parkes 12: Victoria MacKirdy and Damon Jones.
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SOCIAL PAGES
Being Social: FLM summer launch party Rain cleared just in time for a garden soiree at South Seas Trading, Port Elliot to celebrate the launch of the FLM summer issue. Catered by the creative BillyDohnt Does Catering complemented by wines from small batch wine makers SKEW Wine Co., The Stoke Wines, Beklyn Wines and Main & Cherry.
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Being Social: Kimbolton cellar door opening On December 10th, Kimbolton Wines opened their new cellar door at Langhorne Creek. Set among the gumtrees and the family-owned vineyards, the stunning new building is set to take wine tasting in the region to new heights.
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01: Angie Hooper and Tania Heaslip 02: Simon Ewart and Nick Dugmore 03: Alex Steimanis, Paige Olsen, Jana Nulty, Melissa Muir and Leonie Hick 04: Kirsty Gannon and Mia Giltinan 05: Cindy Westphalen and Glenn Rappensberg 06: Deb Saunders and Holly Wyatt 07: Alex Barnard and Maddie Hood 08: Amanda and Richard Mattner 09: Caitlin Johns and Cameron Winter 10: Chris and Sonia Bavistock 11: Chris Clark, Nicole Clark, Brad Case and Anna Case 12: Tayla Giles and Lee Lam.
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SOCIAL PAGES
Being Social: All About Health Coach Road opening For many years Leonie Hick and her team have been creating a wellness hub in the Aldinga Arts Eco Village but due to their growth they are now trading in the bustling Coach Road Precinct in the historic township of Aldinga.
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Being Social: Swell Brewery – Australia Day opening On January 26th, the new Swell Brewery Taphouse christened their new digs with a bevy of swell friends. Head over to their big shed in the Vale for a cooling ale and some mighty good eats.
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01: Tom Hajdu and Paige Olsen 02: Jodi Honnor, Sandra Buttery and Georgia Hick 03: Simon Beed and Kristin Nelson with daughter 04: Rachel McMillan and Leonie Hick 05: Charles and Janice Manning 06: Wendy Gallard and Julie Preiss 07: Aaron, Frankie, Deb and Leo Oliver 08: Colin Rayment, Dan Wright and Gillian Rayment 09: Gary Gordon and Gill Gordon-Smith with Dan and Corrina Wright 10: Genevieve Ticehurst, Jessica Hodge, Lauren Hodgeman, Georgie Jacobs and Sammi Davidson 11: Ollie, Josh and Katie Beare 12: Robyn, Mali, Finn and Sami Gilligan.
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Road-trip anyone?
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Historic Woodburn Homestead: Surprise and delight Spoilt for choice: New locales on the Fleurieu A label of love: S.C. Pannell Fleurieu coffee revolution Create your pet-friendly escape A fertile mind: Trailblazer David Paxton Art · Design · Food · Wine · Fashion · Photography · People · Destinations
