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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Key Personnel
Contributors
Petra de Mooy Petra is a publisher, an interior designer, a furniture maker and a devotee of good food, good design and good stories. She is also mum to Lucy!
Grant Beed Grant has recently moved to Port Willunga with wife Lisa and their four boys. After working in the film and television industry in Sydney for over ten years, they have now opted for a wholesome beach-side existence on the Fleurieu.
Jason Porter Jason has worked as a graphic designer and creative director both locally and overseas for more than twenty five years. What he lives for most these days however, is having the house to himself so he can tinker with his hi-fi system.
James Potter Allegedly conceived in a hot-house, James believes all gardens are improved by a drink and a gentle dig. He works, sometimes, as a garden designer.
Leonie Porter-Nocella Ever the fantasist, Leonie sees her mission here as akin to ‘the Cleaner’ (the person summoned to clean a crime scene before the detectives arrive) ... leaving no trace of any (grammatical or stylistic) crime. I also see my little TravelScoot as a Harley.
emme jade After first picking up a camera in high school, emme decided that a creative career in photography was for her. With a love of fashion, travel and art she captures the true essence of everything she photographs.
Perscia Maung After years of moonlighting as a blues singer and keeping rather anti-social hours, Perscia now enjoys her day job at FLM. This allows her to not only walk her Great Dane on the beach, but to properly take in the region she so adores.
Heidi Linehan Heidi owns ‘heidi who? photos’ and specialises in location photography. Photographing everything from compost bins to glamorous five star resorts. She is based on the Fleurieu, South Australia, but works across the globe. She is also mum to Belle and Ashton.
Robert Geh Robert Geh can’t remember who to blame for his descent into photography, but he has been a purveyor of fine commercial photography servicing many clients both large and small over the last two decades.
Ainsley Roscrow Bachelor of Arts. Bachelor of Education Early childhood. Advanced Dip. Montessori Studies. Managing Director Montessori Rose Pty Ltd. Mother of four and active local community member. Passionate and genuine advocate for early childhood education. Zannie Flanagan Zannie has been helping to drive South Australian food culture for over 30 years, particularly the food culture of the Fleurieu. She contributes to a number of publications and presents regular seminars and workshops on the development of the regional food culture. Pip Forrester Pip Forrester is a McLaren Vale-based foodie who has a long and strong commitment to regional food, the importance of using local produce; and the role food partnered with wine plays in both the local community and in the tourism experiences the area offers.
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Publisher Information Merenia Vince Merenia is a New Zealander who has wandered far afield to Sydney, London and now Adelaide where she is raising her small children. She loves writing, cooking and her husband. In her spare time she is also an occupational therapist. Mike Lucas The right side of Mike’s brain has enabled him to be a children’s author and owner of Shakespeare’s Bookshop in Port Noarlunga. His left side has qualified him as an engineer. He is cognitively ambidextrous. Stephanie Johnston Stephanie Johnston is a former book publisher turned town and country planner. She is interested in how good planning and design can harness and enhance the ‘core drivers’ of a community – culture and commerce. James Howe Freelance journalist James Howe hails from Port Noarlunga, where he has successfully parasitised the local café scene. His modus operandi involves working all morning from a table with the purchase of a single flat white. Connie Berg Writer, editor, organiser of the Langhorne Creek Writers’ Festival and co-director of Lizard Skin Press. A foodie and a winey whose favourite travel destination is ‘some place I’ve never been’. Quentin Chester A much-travelled contributor for Wild and Australian Geographic, Quentin calls KI’s Dudley Peninsula home. His latest book is Kangaroo Island: Coast to Coast. Visit: www.quentinchester.com Special thanks also goes to: Peter Barnes, Leon Bignell, Kathy Nicholas, Alexandra Paxinos, Troy Smedley, Pip Kruger and Erik Thomson.
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 Leonie Porter-Nocella leonie@fleurieuliving.com.au ADVERTISING SALES Perscia Maung perscia@fleurieuliving.com.au ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Cathy Phillips GRAPHIC DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION Jason Porter jason@fleurieuliving.com.au PRINTER Graphic Print Group DISTRIBUTION Integrated Publication Solutions SUBSCRIPTIONS www.isubscribe.com.au ALL ENQUIRIES Petra de Mooy petra@fleurieuliving.com.au POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 7, Sellicks Beach, South Australia 5174. ONLINE www.fleurieuliving.com.au www.facebook.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 portrayed in this publication, the publisher accepts no liability for errors contained 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 using environmentally friendly vegetable-based inks.
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Contents
35 FEATURED HOME: An award winning beach house nestled in the dunes at Goolwa Beach.
52 FEATURED ARTIST: Michele Lane – Meditative State.
FRONT COVER: Photographed by Robert Geh.
FOOD AND WINE 60
WEDDINGS
Best biscuits and great cake – 104 Chris Harris and Anna Fenech – One seasoned chef and two great 16 November 2013. cooks give us their best biscuit and cake recipes for the holiday season.
90 What is unique about Langhorne Creek? 42 Meet me in the Vale – Stellar cellar door selections delivering great food, art and special events.
86 Rapid Bay – A lasting impact. 78 The orange bellied parrot – One rare bird.
MARKETS & EVENTS
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
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40 Gen Me – Raising lovable children.
Diary Dates – Markets and festivals to keep you busy this summer.
30 Tour Down Under – Leon Bignell gives us his reflections and predictions for this Summer’s Tour. 50 Harvest Festival – In its third year and getting better each time!
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COUNTRY LIFE
88 Solarsuit – Protective sun gear born on the Fleurieu. 80 Authenticity – Restaurant, spa and resort for gentle nourishment of body and soul.
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FEATURED TOWN: Willunga – a love story.
FASHION FEATURE: Destination – Port Elliot.
FEATURED BUSINESS: Adelaide Biplanes – The sky’s the limit.
PENINSULA PEOPLE
FASHION
BOOKS
68 Erik Thomson – Reflects on his connections to the Fleurieu.
69 Destination Port Elliot – Summer fashion feature.
28 Book Reviews – Great selections for summer reading.
LIVING GREEN
GROWERS AND PRODUCERS
BEING SOCIAL
33 The Dirt – James Potter feels we should ‘down tools ... summer is here’.
26 Newman’s Horseradish – A much loved South Australian brand grown right here on the Fleurieu.
107 FLM gets out to see who was at the Spring events: · Tall Poppy Fashion Parade · Fleurieu Art Prize announcements · Coast / Balhannah by Design Fashion Parade · FLM Spring issue launch party · McLaren Vale Guide launch · International Grenache Day · Ladies Long Lunch
96 Simon ‘Sy’ Shorrock – Artist of all trades.
100 Olive oil – Vince Scarfo and Ed Vercoe on creating a modern, high-tech olive oil business.
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ACKNOWLEDGES
A special thanks to the advertising partners that have made a long term commitment to FLM.
GOLD PARTNERS
designed for living
SILVER PARTNERS
BRONZE PARTNERS
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Welcome to FLM Greetings and welcome to the Summer Issue. This year has just flown by but just recently, in October, FLM was awarded a Commendation at the Brand South Australia Awards in the Tourism category. Having just celebrated one year in business we were quite chuffed to be recognised for supporting and encouraging tourism in the region. Having said that, we really see the magazine as being as much for locals as it is for visitors ... or potential visitors. As we explain to our advertisers – people living in Port Elliot are just as likely to be tourists in McLaren Vale, as those living in Port Noarlunga are to go visiting Strathalbyn. We believe the whole shop local/eat local ethos is very much alive and kicking in the region and is one good reason to ‘go visiting’. Here, we are very much looking forward to the cherry season and have already been happily enjoying strawberries and peaches. Summer fruit just makes us happy. This Spring we were approached by the Yankalilla Council to sponsor and support a new initiative: The Fleurieu Four Seasons Prize for Landscape Photography, which will kick off this summer (see details page 106). The brain-child of ‘place-maker’ and part-time Cape Jervis resident, Greg Mackie, the competition invites photographers to capture the best landscapes of the Yankalilla Council area through their lenses, and submit them to win the top prize of $15,000. We are super-excited to be working on this with the region’s movers and shakers, and hope to see it grow and become another great reason to spend time in the bays and rolling landscapes of the Western Fleurieu. The prize-winning entries will be exhibited and the winners will be featured in FLM! Lots to be excited about in the New Year … and still lots to discover/ unearth/ /reveal/divulge in future editions. The FLM team.
Letters to the Editor Hi Jason, Good to hear from you. Congratulations on Fleurieu Living Magazine. In short it’s brilliant. I felt that the design was great, and content too, tapping into the local people and culture well. It’s great timing because the peninsula seems to be growing and growing in popularity, and that combined with the food and wine zeitgeist that has taken hold of everything gives you plenty of fodder to make for a fantastic magazine. Cheers, Lisa Hi Petra, Thank you for the great launch. The Smiling Samoyed is well recommended. I enjoyed reading the new edition, especially the article about Sellicks Beach. I had a similar upbringing to the writer, and watched my dad net for fish with his mates on the beach, with a hand-made net made by old Dickie, as well as exploring the rubbish dump for treasures, which I bought home to our shack. It was made of corrugated iron, and our beds were hammocks on the verandah, with fly wire, as well as the outside toilet called Niagara, which would block regularly and have to be pumped out creating a bright green patch of lawn in an oasis of brown. Diane Colton Petra, you’ve turned me into a legend. Everywhere I go people say ‘loved your article’. Even people who I wouldn’t think would read it. So thank you. I can cop a bit of that these days. Self-esteem in retirement (hate that word) is elusive. Cheers, Hunta Hi Petra. Firstly can I say I have really been enjoying your magazine since I came across it several months ago? I suppose that made me want to write a little article on where I grew up in Rapid Bay. Like many little towns on the Fleurieu it has a great history and character, and I believe their stories need telling. Without going on too much, I lived at Rapid Bay for many years, playing sport (cricket – football) in the district and went to school at Yankalilla – albeit back in the 80s and early 90s. My affiliation with the Fleurieu is still very strong, as although I live in Brisbane I work for the Paxton family (McLaren Vale). I have been enjoying what FLM offers and is about. Kind regards, Troy
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Diary Dates Markets, Festivals and Events.
Markets: Willunga Farmers’ Market In the Willunga Town Square every Saturday from 8am to 12.30pm. The Farmers’ Market has a real buzz, is wonderful for regional produce — and you just know that all the diehards will be there each week, come rain or shine. Willunga Artisans’ Market In the Willunga Show Hall (opposite the Willunga Farmers’ Market) on the second Saturday of each month. Local art and craft with a little bit of something for everyone. Victor Farmers’ Market At the Grosvenor Gardens, Victor Harbor every Saturday from 8am to 12.30pm. Over 32 stalls, with locally caught seafood, organic vegetables, seasonal fruit, local honey, mushrooms, fresh flowers, Fleurieu regional wines and much more. Well worth the visit. Goolwa Wharf Market Goolwa Wharf — every first and third Sundays of the month from 9am to 3.30pm. With around 80 stalls there is a myriad of goods on offer. Bric-a-brac, collectibles, plants, books both new and old, and hand-crafted goods. Kangaroo Island Community Markets Lloyd Collins Reserve, by the beach at Penneshaw — first Sunday of the month from 9.30am to 1.00pm — with Kangaroo Island’s top food producers selling a range of fresh local produce in a great village atmosphere. Meadows Country Market Meadows Community Hall on the second Sunday of the month from 9.00am to 3.00pm. Local produce, crafts, collectibles, plants and bric-a-brac. A true country market. The Original Open Market Beach Road, Christies Beach on the first and third Sundays of the month from 9 to 2pm. Bric-a-brac, second-hand goods, fruit, vegetables — they have the lot! Strathalbyn Market In Lions Park, South Terrace, Strathalbyn on the 3rd Sunday of the month from 8am to 2pm. Bric-a-brac, produce, coffee, pies, apples, plants, soaps, jewellery and much more in wonderfully historic Strathalbyn. Yankalilla Markets In the Agricultural Hall, Main South Road, Yankalilla on the third Saturday of each month. Craft and Produce Market featuring goods from the local area. You’ll be surprised at what you may find!
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Above: Fresh produce galore at the Willungs Farmers’ Market. Photo courtesy Alice Bell.
Willunga Quarry Market Adjacent to the Willunga Oval, every second Saturday of each month, rain or shine! A real gem, from fantastic organic coffee, to tarot readings and that hard to find plant, plus local produce — it’s not to be missed. Port Elliot Market At Lakala Reserve Port Elliot, on the first and third Saturdays of each month. A typical country market with plenty of fresh local produce on offer as well as a good mix of other goods such as bric-a-brac, books, fishing gear — even a $2 stall! There is sure to be something here for everyone. Aldinga Bay Art, Craft and Produce Market 8am to 1pm on the fourth Sunday of every month at the corner of Aldinga Beach Road and Pridham Boulevard. Arts and crafts from local artisans, plus fresh local produce. Little Berry Vintage and Artisan Markets At the Rosemount Estate Cellar door on the first Sunday of every month. Browse the local vintage and artisans’ stalls with a glass in hand, or grab a bite to eat and enjoy some tunes inside. There’s always something for the kids here too! Myponga Markets In the old Myponga Cheese Factory every Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holiday from 10am to 4pm. Enjoy browsing over 100 stalls offering produce, books, toys, Balinese imports, musical instruments, vintage collectibles, cool retro furniture and much more. Market of Earthly Delights Held at the Encounter Centre in Victor Harbor on the first Sunday of each month from 1pm to 4pm. Bring and swap your surplus produce with other like-minded growers. Think home-grown fruit, vegetables, seedlings, flowers, honey, sauces, recipes, kindling, compost and more!
Festivals and Events: Antiques and Collectibles Fair December 28 and 29, 2013 Currency Creek, Fleurieu Peninsula Find china, glass, antique jewellery, linen, lace, sewing, dolls, Australiana, silver, toys, tools, tins, kitchenalia, ephemera and much more at the Antiques and Collectibles Fair, including a free wine waffle. Entry is a gold coin donation. 8555 4091 Aquapalooza December 30, 4pm to 8pm. Hindmarsh Island Free on-water music event. Bring a picnic and enjoy the afternoon’s entertainment on the lawn by the river or on-board your boat. Complimentary berths available (but must be booked by 28th December). Information at www.tmhi.com.au Contact: 8555 7300 People’s Choice Credit Union New Year’s Eve Celebrations December 31, 2013. Victor Harbor, Fleurieu Peninsula The People’s Choice Credit Union New Year’s Eve Celebrations will include live music from 7pm until midnight, a kid’s zoo, face painting, kid’s giveaways, roving clowns and much, much more. Bring your picnic and join in the evening’s festivities finishing with the ‘Giant Fireworks Spectacular’. Normanville New Year’s Eve Pageant Parade starts at 7:30pm on Katherine Drive, Normanville, culminating on the Normanville foreshore where all the festivities begin. This year, music from DJ Georgie will provide a lively
backdrop to the food stalls and amusements organised by the local community clubs. A safe and family-friendly environment for all ages. The event closes with a fireworks display beginning at 9:45pm. Harvest Festival McLaren Vale January 18, 2014 10am to 7pm at the McLaren Vale Sporting Complex, McLaren Vale. Free Family Event A celebration of the diversity of food, wine, music and the arts from the McLaren Vale region. Featuring a fantastic range of activities to keep the kids amused – with pony rides, pizza making, face painting and crafts. Yesterday’s Power Rally January 18 and 19, 2014 from 10am to 5pm Milang Oval, Milang Adults $5 A day packed full of activities, tractor-pull demonstration, workinghorse display, vintage chains demonstrations, model railway displays, sheep hand-shearing and a variety of stalls. Goolwa Regatta Week January 19 to 26, 2014 Lower River Murray, Goolwa SA Free Family Event The Goolwa Regatta Week offers a community festival of riverside activities, including wine appreciation, a fashion show, and vintage cars. The highlight of the week, the Milang to Goolwa Freshwater Classic yacht race, will be held on the Sunday 26th January 2014. For a full program visit: www.goolwaregattaweek.com.au
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Coopers Kangaroo Island Gourmet Gallop Food and Wine Festival January 25, 2014 First race starts at 1pm. Cygnet River Racecourse, Kingscote Entry: Gold coin donation for the Royal Flying Doctors Service Blending racing with Kangaroo Island’s celebrated food scene, attendees can indulge in food, wine and live music from the many marquees dotted on the banks of the Cygnet River. Compass Cup Saturday January 25, 2014 Main Oval, Mount Compass $6 Adults. Children under 14, gold coin donation. Be a part of Australia’s only cow race; it is a fun, exciting, unique way to spend a family day. Lots of entertainment, sideshows, food stalls and crowd-participation events. Santos Tour Down Under January 19 to 26, 2014. Professional cyclists from around the world participate in the Santos Tour Down Under. Cheer them on and take part in the activities happening in the region. Mclaren Vale, Willunga, Aldinga and Victor Harbor. Information at www.tourdownunder.com.au Love Velo Friday January 24, 2014 at 6.30pm Port Willunga Beach Follow up a day at the bike race with Love Velo $59pp 3 courses. The 2014 Love Velo’s new location is on the beach at Port Willunga. Bar service, dress code ‘cocktail, no shoes’ (shoe valet available). Transfers from McLaren Vale and Willunga ($10pp return).
For more details and to book your tickets visit www.onkaparingacity.com/lovevelo Australia Day Bush Fair Sunday January 26, 2014, from 5:30 to 9:30pm. South Adelaide Football Club, Lovelock Drive, Noarlunga Downs Last year saw over 7,000 attendees pass through the gates. This year promises another event, packed with local foods, arts, crafts and novelties, including live entertainment and fireworks. Coopers Kangaroo Island Cup Carnival February 14 and 16, 2014 Cygnet River Racecourse, Kingscote Kangaroo Island’s Premier racing event, and the island’s largest celebration delivers entertainment both on and off the track. Try your hand at crayfish picking and place your bets on some first-class horses. Fashion on the Fields, a popular event, will be returning this year to showcase race-day fashions. Aurora Ozone Hotel Twilight Street Party Saturday February 15, 2014, from dusk. Aurora Ozone Hotel, Kingscote A highlight of the Kangaroo Island Cup, the Aurora Ozone Hotel Twilight Street Party is an opportunity to sample the island’s produce while enjoying live music and entertainment.
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on gi re e th of urs vo a fl ue iq un e th e nc rie Expe In the McLaren Vale things happen... but not by chance. The region’s passionate wine producers are amongst the most cohesive in Australia, banding together, getting their hands dirty and achieving some incredible feats in the process, proving that two heads really are better than one. It’s these dedicated producers that now have industry peers and wine lovers alike looking at their region through different eyes. Scarce Earth is a McLaren Vale initiative exploring and celebrating the geological, climatic and soil diversity of the region. All wines come from a single block, a small plot of land with a unique flavour profile and personality. A panel consisting of three local winemakers and three independent experts, assess each wine to ensure that site is expressed in the glass and the wine free of overt winemaking influences. This project gives wine lovers at all levels the opportunity to explore the influence of site and the chance to taste some of the region’s best Shiraz vineyards. Over time, Scarce Earth will be an invaluable resource for local winemakers and grape growers, as they strive to gain an unparalleled understanding of Australia’s most significant variety. www.mclarenvale.info/scarceearth
The sky’s the limit at Adelaide Biplanes
Mike Lucas talks to Gaylene Smith about the business that’s taking off at the foot of the Willunga Hills. Photographs by Grant Beed.
Previous page: An aerobatic flight in the Super Decathlon offers a totally unique, adrenalin pumping experience. Photograph by John Drury - Flying Colors. Above: Adelaide Biplanes proprietors Gaylene and Martyn Smith.
Above: Everything sold in the ‘departure lounge’ is home-made: the coffee, the tantalising cakes (and the smoked bacon sandwiches).
Boo and Snoopy say it all – this is a place for everyone. Whether you’re a trainee pilot, flying enthusiast, parent, child or somebody just passing by, Adelaide Biplanes, run by Gaylene and Martyn Smith, mixes the thrills of the theme with the serenity of the rural setting. You don’t have to want to learn to fly. Boo and Snoopy the resident cat and dog certainly don’t.
of a small town in the 60s, and having never previously ventured overseas, it was a huge leap.
Gaylene grew up on a Mount Gambier farm, the eldest child in her family. She and Martyn met when he and his friends were touring Australia from the UK during a gap year. Soon after, the girl from the South Australian country town had crossed to the other side of the world and, in 1976, the two were married. This would have been a big step for anybody, but for Gaylene, raised within the cosiness
Martyn quickly progressed within the aviation industry, flying increasingly larger aircraft, eventually becoming the Chief Training Captain of Flyjet. However, on 11th September 2001 (9/11), everything changed in the industry and Martyn decided it was time to leave. In 2004 the family, with their children, Bonnie and Matt, returned to Australia and purchased South Coast Air Centre, >
Once they had settled back in England, Martyn set up his own engineering company and Gaylene began working for British Caledonian Airlines where, in their trademark tartan uniform, she learnt the value of delivering great customer service. In 1984, Gaylene became pregnant with their first child, Bonnie. Martyn soon gave up the business and, in pursuit of a long held dream, he spent six months clocking up the 700 hours needed to gain a Commercial Pilot Licence. He purchased his first aircraft – a Tipsy Nipper – and during this time, Gaylene says, the family cut back to living on the bare minimum.
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Above: Snoopy presiding over one of the sofas in the ‘departure lounge’. Top and bottom right: There’s a definite vintage aviation theme permeating the establishment, from the retro decor to the vintage biplanes parked out on the field. Photo by emme jade.
incorporating it into a new company, Adelaide Biplanes. Gaylene is keen to stress, and it is evident to see, that this is not just a flying school. It is, as Gaylene says, Aviation Tourism. When people come to Adelaide Biplanes, it’s as though they are sharing a great secret: something you need to discover for yourself. It has an ambience all its own; it is family friendliness; it is country hospitality, something Gaylene has brought to the business from her early life in Mount Gambier and honed during her career with British Caledonian Airlines. The real allure of what Gaylene and Martyn offer is the absence of boundaries. Within reason, anybody can learn to fly. At fourteen and a half, the learner plates can go on and the sky really is the limit. And anybody who prefers to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground can just sit, watch and unwind. Their points of difference are their surroundings, their understanding of an exceptional grounding for students, and their use of some impressive 1940s and 1950s aircraft. And, as with any business, it is important, says Gaylene, to maintain a positive partnership with the community by engaging with it. Sixteen year old Tenae has just received her Recreational Pilot Certificate, Navigation and Passenger Endorsement. Today, for the first time, she has flown her father in a two seater and is about to take her younger sister over the stunning clear seas and the undulating Willunga Hills. She first visited Adelaide Biplanes when she was nine years old to watch her aunt enjoying an aerobatic flight. Gaylene took her hand and walked her around the Waco biplane. And at that point Tenae knew what she wanted to do. Bonnie would take her up a few times each year and Martyn told her that, once her feet could reach the pedals, he would allow her to take the controls. It was a long wait for Tenae, but at fourteen and a half she began to fly the Sport Cub, a tail-wheel aircraft: the aeronautical equivalent of a manual car. At fifteen she made her first solo flight and today she is wowing her family, and the thirty or so people at the air strip, with the skills she has acquired. I spoke to Tenae as she leaned proudly against the aircraft. She was reluctant to leave it, I could tell. ‘It was all down to Gaylene,’ she said. ‘When she first took my hand, she passed her passion on.’ Tenae described the school as nurturing and supportive and said that Gaylene and Martyn support people with that passion and 14
commitment. And Tenae has sufficient passion of her own to fund the lessons by working at a local pub. On the other side of the age spectrum, Adelaide Biplanes has an 81 year old student. And, it seems, there are many others in between, all taken under the wing of the couple and their team. And there is another façade to Adelaide Biplanes. When Gaylene and Martyn started the company, there was a small office and a hangar adjacent to the airstrip. They decided to open them up and convert them into what can be described as a relaxing, retro, ‘home away from home’ departure lounge that has hints of Humphrey Bogart and Indiana Jones. It is a welcoming environment where people can sit inside or out on the wooden deck, watching the skies, asking questions. Children can play safely, listening to the buzz of the engines, riding the old tricyles up and down and perhaps hoping that one day they will be able to take the controls of something more challenging. Everything sold in the ‘departure lounge’ is home-made: the coffee, the tantalising cakes and the smoked bacon sandwiches that I just had to try and didn’t disappoint. Sitting here, with the aircraft silhouetted against the sun, the gentle purr of the propellers and the hum of comradely conversation, I feel lifted. As for Boo and Snoopy, they’re happy to stay exactly where they are. I just wish Snoopy would stop staring at my bacon sandwich.
Financial adviser awarded prestigious national award Kym Thyer, from KTA Financial Services, is proud to have been awarded the Gerald Lippman trophy. Since 1989, this Trophy has been awarded to the adviser who has made the greatest contribution to the progress and development of Charter’s advice community. The Gerald Lippman award is a national award that honours the achievements of financial advisers who have provided outstanding customer service and advice to suit their clients’ needs. The award was named after Gerald Lippman, a pioneer in the Australian financial services industry. Kym was the winner amongst 800 of his peers. The award considers the contribution the adviser has made to the financial planning profession, their involvement within their community, the support they offer their colleagues and the quality of their advice practice.
“It is very humbling to have received this national award. I’ve always put time into both developing my business and contributing to the community and it’s great to be recognised.” Based in Strathalbyn, KTA Financial Services has been established since 1980 and is a leading financial planning practice servicing the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Murraylands and South East regions of South Australia. To find out how KTA Financial Services can help you, please call 8536 2022 or visit their website www.ktafs.com.au.
Managing Director of AMP’s Charter Financial Planning, Kevin Stone, said Kym Thyer epitomises the true spirit of the award, demonstrating excellence in helping his clients achieve their financial targets while exhibiting a strong commitment to the broader community. KTA Pty Ltd trading as KTA Financial Services ABN 19 008 141 080 Corporate Authorised Representative of Charter Financial Planning Limited AFSL No. 234665
KTA Financial Services Corporate Authorised Representative of Charter Financial Planning Limited t: (08) 8536 2022 f: (08) 8536 3085 e: admin@ktafs.com.au w: www.ktafs.com.au
239213 0913 22460 Adelaide.indd 1
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19/09/13 9:29 AM
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“This home truly showcases exceptional building design and craftsmanship. The home utilises an innovative use of sustainable resources. It is a perfectly designed and built home complimenting the surrounding and panoramic vistas.” Judges’ comments
Multi Award Winning Builder South Australian 2013 HIA-CSR Award Winners: Home of the Year Custom Built Home of the Year Housing Using Sheet or Board Materials Country Builder Custom Built Home $1million - $2.5million South Australian 2013 MBA Award Winners: Excellence in a Contract Home $1-$1.5million Excellence in Renovation or Addition (Commendation)
baileyhomes.com.au p: 08 8552 3055 Visit our Display Homes: 36 Malen Avenue, Encounter Bay | 2 Manna Gum Avenue, Hayborough
The Willunga Pages Opening This December
17 High St Willunga
Off the Slate Gallery offers a wide range of artworks for purchase including pottery, jewellery, paintings, hand crafted knitwear and gift items.
Check Facebook and our website for more details.
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Willunga Glass Studio
Snake Aaaaway snake catchers
offers hand crafted glass items made on the premises by local craftsman Glenn Howlett.
36 High Street Willunga 08 8556 2363
Serving South Australia since 1984
13 High St Willunga Open Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights 6pm til late. Bookings Essential.
Fashion . Accessories . Gifts . Homewares
Willunga Hotel (Middle Pub)
“Make it your local” I AM TAL L POP PY
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OPEN 7 DAYS Shop 1/1 Aldinga Rd Willunga SA T: 08 8556 2665 | www.iamtallpoppy.com.au
THE WILLUNGA HOTEL 3-5 High St Willunga • Ph 8556 2135
• Local Feel • Historic • Open 7 days • Cozy/comfortable/friendly • Lunch 12 - 2 Dinner 6 - 8.30 • Open fireplace • Pokies • Live music • Cold beer • Up & coming events • Friendliest pub on the Fleurieu • Great food
Every Saturday 8am til 12:30pm
Willunga Town Square willungafarmersmarket.com.au
Meet the grower – Taste the region! 17
Willunga:
a personal love story by Leonie Porter-Nocella. Photographs by emme jade.
Previous page: Emma Baxter, current proprietor of Russell’s Pizza. Above left: Hither & Yon cellar door. Above right: Some of the great finds at Tall Poppy.
They began a slow tango, sensuously moving, holding each other by the eyes only. When the music finished they bowed graciously to one another and disappeared into the darkness outside. Willunga is about to celebrate its 175th anniversary, making it SA’s second-oldest town; but it was once also our major supplier of slate and provided us with much of our wheat, hay and barley, prime lamb and veggies ... and the very best almonds. Until the 1980s – when most of the almond groves were uprooted to make way for the new crop: grapes! And that’s more or less been the state of play ever since.
The agent gave us the price and urged us to knock on the door to be shown around – by the vendor. We had to be convinced of the legitimacy of such audacity. This would NEVER be done in the city. We timidly knocked at the door which was instantly opened by a delightful Englishman. Anyhow ... long story short, we bought it that day! (Such was the love.)
For me, representative of Adelaide-dwellers, it was barely a blip on the radar ... until a TV travel program presented a segment on Willunga. It depicted a quirky town with a unique feel about it. It showed a town with a pizza restaurant with no name and no sign ... opening just one night a week, with that night being booked out months ahead. What’s more, there were said to be frequent and spontaneous outbreaks of tango dancing! WHAAAT???? This had to be checked out.
Each Friday evening after our working week we would head straight down to Willunga. The atmosphere was unlike any we’d experienced before. Everyone knew everyone, and if they didn’t, they soon did. People were extremely generous, open and forthright. If the pizza venue was booked-out by out-of-towners, the locals would merely drive up to the fence in the ute, drop over a few chairs ... and order! And as for the tango-dancing that had so ignited my desire to go to Willunga: I saw it ... and it was overwhelmingly affecting.
Although a mere 47kms from Adelaide, it seemed an enormous distance. We arrived on a still, warm Sunday. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the heritage-building-lined (slate) streets were empty and noiseless. It was instant love. On High Street, we not only located the one night a week pizza place (aka Russell’s) but a few paces uphill we spotted a beautiful cottage built in 1865 ... of Willunga sand-stone and Willunga slate … with a For Sale sign. Whipping out the mobile I dialled the agent (just to ask the price of course).
We were seated at the huge slab-of-wood bar when two angeliclooking girls of about 14 came in wearing what appeared to be pearly-silk slips with delicate fairy wings. They began a slow, intense, almost ‘courtly’ tango, sensuously moving around the floor, holding each other by the eyes only. When the music finished they bowed graciously to one another and disappeared into the darkness. >
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For all that though, Willunga is ‘clean and green’, with many people living their lives selflessly and with consideration for the wellbeing of the planet on which we live, and for the people with whom we share it. If Russell’s opened a tiny chink into the world of Willunga, what happened next brought (almost) the World to Willunga’s door: in early 2002 the Willunga Farmers’ Market opened. Everyone wanted to be there. Willunga instantly became THE place to go/to see/to be seen. In those early days it was held in the Alma Hotel car park. It now has its own custom-made ‘square’ a few paces away. Early in the Willunga Encounter (mine, that is) there was really very little to attract visitors apart from the aforementioned Friday nights. Margo of Minko recalls the Willunga of years ago as being a little town where ‘old ladies swept the footpath outside’ … and that just about sums it up. The Willunga of today, however, boasts some of the best coffee shops and cafes on the Fleurieu, with award-winning restaurants, real butcher shops, serious cellar doors, art galleries, gift shops, nurseries, hairstylists, not one, but three pubs (known as the Top pub, the Middle pub and the Alma ... by rationale of location). These days it’s also known for The Almond Blossom Festival, the King of the Mountain leg of the Tour Down Under, the Fleurieu Folk Festival and more. But what makes these events so very special is the way in which the entire community enters into the spirit. It’s common to see old, decorated bikes all over the town and along the road connecting Willunga to McLaren Vale; or large, pale-pink blossoms attached to absolutely everything. During the festive season practically every home has a light display in the front garden. For all that though, Willunga is ‘clean and green’, with many people living their lives selflessly and with consideration for the wellbeing of the planet on which we live, and for the people with whom we share it. (Rosie Knott, who polishes shoes for charity most market mornings, is a visible example.) There also seems to be a higher than usual ratio of natural fabrics, often handdyed, usually hand-made, and frequently a one-off by a fabric artist (who is just as likely to be the wearer). 20
A reasonably new addition to the collection of High Street cellar doors is Hither & Yon, run by Malcolm and Richard Leask. Although new to High Street, the Leasks are certainly no newcomers to the vagaries of grape-growing and wine-making. Their father began the business by buying up seven vineyards in the 1980s and planting them with the cool climate vines for which H&Y are known. While chatting with Malcolm I sampled a couple of their wines, which were not only good, but extraordinary! Lack of space precludes any further rave, but a ‘tasting’ will tell you all you need to know. And while you’re there, ask about the secret ‘grape-benefits’ of Angus cattle and dung beetles. It’s illuminating! Hither & Yon share ‘space’ with Three Monkeys, the popular coffee hangout, and both will soon be sharing with a third business: wood oven pizza specialists, Pizza Kneads. The three businesses will team up to provide day-time-only 3Ms’ food, H&Y’s wine, PK’s pizza plus Carol’s cakes. Only in Willunga! Other cellar doors with a High Street presence are Fall From Grace – where they provide part of the Sommeliers’ course run by TAFE – Minko, where they also sell Andy’s famous bread and varied but always yummy local produce, as well as their own wines. Doc Adams has his vigneron/viticultural studio/ consultancy there. Also in High Street, ‘the gallery run by the artists themselves’, Off The Slate, has now moved across the road taking a portion of The Willunga Glass Studio, where artist Glenn Howlett can be seen creating artisan-leadlight and glass works. While on the subject of art and beauty, I Am Tall Poppy, diagonally across from The Farmers’ Market has just taken delivery of some of the most glorious fabric-covered chairs (see photo); as well as new apparel, home-décor items, jewellery, books ... well everything! Just outside of Willunga central, The Fern Forest Nursery is just that (see photo). From the road all you see is a Forest; but drive in and
Lorraine will show you a great range of lush foliage plants: palms, cycads, but also smaller plants … like ginger and clivias, ferns and canna lilies, and clumping bamboo: the latest trend in gardens. We are on the brink of the 175th anniversary of Willunga. A visit to the website at www.willunga.com/175 will detail the myriad of events; far too many to mention here, but just glancing through the 2014 calendar of events reveals the obvious care taken by Graham Ormsby OAM and his co-collaborators to bring about a very well-considered balance of ‘something for absolutely everyone’. However, the one thing that makes Willunga so very special is the people. That is, those who have either been born there, or have chosen to live there because of its unique qualities. They’ve succeeded in retaining the atmosphere of a village community, in the real sense of community. For example, local hair stylist, Steve, longed to move to Hindmarsh Island so that he could moor his boat at the front door. He did, but now he’s back. The trade-off just wasn’t worth it! Once you’ve had a taste of the ‘something special’ that is Willunga, it’s very hard to give it up.
‘We are on the brink of the 175th anniversary of Willunga. A visit to the website at willunga.com/175 will detail the myriad of events; far too many to mention here ...’ Previous page: The Willunga Farmers Market. Photograph by Alice Bell. This page top left: The ‘foresty’ entrance of Fern Forest Nursery. This page top right: Colourful street life outside ‘Fall From Grace’. Above left: The Alma Hotel. Above right: The Altar Bistro shows its celestial side.
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The Willunga Pages
Alma Hotel Altar Bistro offers you locally sourced ingredients with delicious & skillfully prepared seasonal meals freshly made to order using classical French technique by chef/owner Shane Horsley.
BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, COFFEE & CAKE PRIVATE FUNCTIONS ENQUIRIES WELCOME BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL
27 High Street, Willunga (08) 8556 2379 facebook.com/AltarBistro NOW OPEN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FOR DINNER
Meals 7 days. 11 Hill Street Willunga. www.almahotel.com.au Ph: 85562027 Beergarden, free Wi-Fi, Sip n Save bottleshop, TAB, SA Lotteries. “Pouring great beers for over 150 years.”
“What’s up Doc?” Want a cool luscious retreat in your backyard? Big Palms Clumping Bamboo Glorious Exotic Foliage 175 Main Rd
p 8556
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Willunga, 5172 www.fernforest.com.au
Visit our brand new website www.docadamswines.com.au and join the Doc’s Door wine membership club to receive great offers and free delivery in South Australia. For sales enquiries please contact our office on 08 85562111 or Adam on 0419807165 or sales@docadamswines.com.au
Marketing focused real estate agency, specialising in Willunga, Mount Compass, McLaren Flat and McLaren Vale. 2/1 Aldinga Rd, Willunga 08 8556 4744 southernvales.com.au
Macarons & Tarts by The Fleurieu Kitchen Handcrafted and made with love T: 0413 969 392 E: info@thefleurieukitchen.com.au facebook.com/thefleurieukitchen
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CELLAR DOOR 17 High Street Willunga SUMME R HOURS (7 DAY S) 1 1 AM–5PM HITHERANDYON.COM.AU
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Great jazz, delicious food, sensational wines in South Australia’s first silver service longest dinner at one of the most iconic locations in South Australia! Book your tickets now for a magical summer evening with the finest local food & wine, roving fire jugglers, cool jazz sounds & glistening water lapping at your feet as you dine on the soft white sand of stunning Port Willunga beach. • Transfers available from McLaren Vale and Willunga ($10 per person return)
Tickets $59 (three courses)
Dress code: cocktail, no shoes
• Shoe valet & bar facilities available For more details and to book your tickets visit www.onkaparingacity.com/lovevelo
F onkaParinGa o y T i c ry C I A a O T S E D S u 2014 A E V n 5 E NTS • Saturday 25 Ja GE STA
The Park ParTy 10am–3pm Ellis Park McLaren Vale
It’s the biggest cycling race in the southern hemisphere and Stage 5 has been long hailed as the Queen stage – so join us trackside and celebrate all things cycling!
The Beach ParTy 10.30am–3pm Snapper Point Aldinga Beach
The PeloTon Picnic 10am–4pm Old Courthouse Grounds Willunga
For more details visit www.onkaparingacity.com/tourdownunder
THERE’S NOTHING LIKE GOING WITH A FAVOURITE.
PERRI CUTTEN
STRATHALBYN CUP
SUNDAY 12 JANUARY 2014 Strathalbyn Racecourse
Gates open at 9.30am
Fine food and wine | Live entertainment Stunning Perri Cutten fashion parade Fashion at The Races qualifying event Hospitality packages available Visit strathracing.com.au for more info or phone 8536 2248
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GOOLWA KITCHENS & WARDROBES
Winner of multiple HIA Awards including Kitchen of the Year and Best Renovated Kitchen.
In-house designed and manufactured kitchens, wardrobes, vanities and all storage cabinetry. We pride ourselves on offering a complete service, ensuring your project runs smoothly and is completed to a very high standard. COME VISIT OUR SHOWROOM 36 Gardiner Street, Goolwa SA 5214. Telephone 8555 3522. www.goolwakitchens.com.au admin@goolwakitchens.com.au
Photo by Debra Richards
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Newman’s horseradish
grown, manufactured and packaged in our own backyard Story by Pip Forrester. Photographs by emme jade.
The Fleurieu Peninsula is full of surprises. Who would have thought that the jar with the red label proudly carrying the name Newman’s ‘Prepared Horseradish’ is 100% grown and manufactured at Langhorne Creek on the Peninsula? Yes, there is something growing on the Langhorne Creek alluvial flood plain other than squashable berries. In 1985 Brian and Anne Meakins moved their horseradish growing and processing operation from Tea Tree Gully to Langhorne Creek, where they have a very successful business based on a product that sits comfortably amongst the ‘icon’ brands of South Australia.
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The preparation was first made by Fred Newman in 1920 as a means of making use of an excess crop of horseradish. He continued until 1947 when the Meakins family bought the business. After the purchase the Meakins soon learnt the value of the brand. Initially, they produced the prepared horseradish exactly to Fred’s recipe and packaged it under their family name – Meakins. The market very quickly made it abundantly clear that only the Newman’s ‘Red Label’ would do. Some sixty years on and the name Newman’s and the red label still sits proudly on our shelves. As a plant horseradish is easy to grow – although it does like good soil and a reasonable amount of water. The most commonly used part is of course the root, but for the home gardener the leaves are also edible. They don’t keep well, but if consumed when freshly picked they make a lovely peppery addition to a green-leaf salad or coleslaw. However, it is the root that gives us the distinctive, flavoursome ‘bite’ that produces the wonderful, sinus-tingling sensation that is the hallmark of prepared horseradish.
Previous page: Brian Meakins holding out a freshly picked horseradish. Above left: After cleaning and a rough peel the horseradish is carefully finished off by hand. Above right: The production line.
The market very quickly made it abundantly clear that only the Newman’s ‘Red Label’ would do. Some sixty years on and the name Newman’s and the red label still sits proudly on our shelves. The Meakins grow only one variety of horseradish. It is planted in the spring and after maturity, once the leaves begin to die off, it is harvested. In the second year it can be harvested continually, which provides the Meakins with the opportunity to produce consistently throughout the year. The only barrier to ongoing production is very wet ground – as happened in the winter of 2013. Fortunately, they had enough harvested root to maintain their weekly production.
Horseradish dip have their fans as well. The beetroot used to partner the horseradish in the relish is also a product of Langhorne Creek. It is grown by a number of grape growers who, on learning of Brian’s interest in sourcing locally-grown produce, decided to grow the beetroot and donate the proceeds to the Langhorne Creek primary school. With an annual requirement of three tonnes, the Meakins’ production provides a nice little fillip to the school’s budget.
Once harvested, the horseradish is washed quite ingeniously in a cement mixer: ‘high tech’ comes to horseradish production! This bit of lateral thinking has served Brian well, since he is onto his second mixer, and as they last approximately ten years he reckons they are good value. Once washed, the gnarled, prehistoric looking roots are given a rough peel by a potato peeling machine and then handfinished by very patient staff.
The family’s farming, manufacturing and tourism activities add a welcome diversity to the Langhorne Creek region and to its economy. While they are kept quite busy with their seven-day a week operation, they also employ an additional six local staff on a parttime basis, with additional seasonal staffing requirements met by employing locals through the Langhorne Creek employment agency.
The harvesting and production process has a lovely symmetry to it. The weekly pattern is: one day to harvest, two days to clean the roots, one day to make the prepared horseradish and package the product and one day to get it to market. Then, on weekends, the Meakins are busy with their cellar door (also open during the week) providing visitors with a delightful spot to stop to taste their Rusticana branded wines and the Newman’s products that highlight all the platters served. These can all be enjoyed while overlooking the land where the produce is grown – the horseradish fields and the vineyard. Although the horseradish is the star of the Newman’s product stable, the Beetroot and horseradish relish, Horseradish mustard and
The Newman’s products are sold mainly in South Australia where they can be found on the shelves of major supermarket chains and numerous smaller, speciality food outlets. They are only available on a limited basis interstate, which makes them an ideal gift when visiting friends and relatives in other parts of Australia. When you visit the cellar door ask about the other properties of horseradish. We enjoy it as a food, but it has an intriguing array of medicinal uses as well, due to its high levels of vitamin C. Anecdotally, prepared in the correct fashion, it is supposed to help relieve tinnitus, nervous disorders, hay fever and sinusitis. So, for lots of reasons, a visit to the cellar door at Langhorne Creek is good for your soul and possibly for your health as well. 27
MUSIC & BOOKS
Book Reviews by Mike Lucas.
will lead him to the unspoken truth about his father. This is a tale of war from a child’s perspective, a cross-over novel for children and adults depicting the legacy of war at a time when its realities and consequences were measured mainly by propaganda and the physical scars it left behind.
Shames and the Captives by Tom Keneally
Published by Random House Australia ISBN 9780857980991 $32.95
Stay Where You Are and then Leave by John Boyne
Published by Random House Australia ISBN 9780857532947 $21.95 John Boyne’s new book carries a similar signature theme and style set down in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. It deals with the invisible scars left by the madness and turmoil of the front line and the innocence lost by the children left at home. The changes in perception and tolerance of others, the camaraderie borne of common despair and the shifting prejudices moulded by fear are the undercurrents of this theme. Alfie is celebrating his fifth birthday when war breaks out in 1914. Though everybody says it will be over by Christmas, he passes the next few years without his father, receiving only the occasional letter, his mother struggling to support the two of them. Eventually, even the letters stop. Discovering a shoe shine box in the house of a neighbour, Alfie decides that he can make his own contribution to his family’s welfare and so steps out on a journey that 28
During the Second World War, when cultural differences bred greater than usual fear and curiosity, Japanese, Korean and Italian prisoners of war were housed in camps throughout Australia. One such camp at Cowra, New South Wales, containing over two thousand Japanese prisoners, was the scene of one of the bloodiest wartime prison breaks. Although this book is a work of fiction and names and places have been changed, this escape is the basis for Thomas Keneally’s Shame and the Captives. The shame within the title
is that of the Japanese prisoners, whose indignation caused by their capture was far greater than their fear of death. In fact, many wished for death, had misled their families at home into believing they had been killed in battle and saw any small victory over their captors as a reason to give up their lives. Keneally builds the tension throughout the camp and the local farming community with his factual style of narrative, creates his characters’ pasts fractured by war, adds conflict, love and friendship and then launches the inevitable at the reader. Though the tragic consequences of the breakout are severe and shocking, it is the sensitively portrayed, and inconceivable motivations of the prisoners that jar the most throughout the book.
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Published by Hachette Australia ISBN 9781444761177 $32.99 A sequel to The Shining. Danny Torrance, the boy with the gift, is all grown up and working at a small town hospice, where
he has earned the title’s name due to his skill at guiding the dying into the afterlife with composure and compassion. Like his father before him, portrayed with perfect malevolence by Jack Nicholson in the movie version that strayed from the original novel enough to disappoint Stephen King, Danny has his own alcoholic demons. Mix this with some real ones and a vampire sect that preys on children with ‘The Shining,’ while disguising itself as a tribe of middleaged travellers, and you have the perfect King concoction of humanity, black humour and horror. When King wrote the first book he was himself an alcoholic. In Doctor Sleep he revisits the inner struggle on the page, and provides his main protagonist with more than just physical conflict to contend with. Nobody brings the shadows into the daylight like Stephen King, and, with the archetypal portrayal of small town America, characters deeper than the pits of hell itself and a plot that burns towards the last page like an inextinguishable fuse, this is a satisfying sequel to the classic.
party in Rome, hosted by an eccentric tycoon who has purchased a significant plot of land in the city. Humour abounds and the ridiculous reigns, so that you just must wonder, throughout the book, exactly who, if anybody, Ammaniti has based his characters on. There are no half measures here: the characterisations of the main players are wonderfully extreme; the plot is intense; the style poetic. Read this book if you truly want something different.
book so intriguing. But this is not merely a chronicle of the lamentable catalyst for the start of the First World War, but also an honest and melancholic tale of a love that endured, despite opposition from the highest realms. When Franz Ferdinand fell in love with Sophie, the Emperor of Austria considered her unfit for marriage due to her imperfect lineage. Forced to sign away his future wife’s rights as an equal as well as his children’s royal inheritance, Franz Ferdinand saw Sophie suffer constant discrimination and petty indignities throughout their marriage. Endorsed by the couple’s descendants, this book captures the truth behind the much maligned Archduke who, despite his admitted faults, was a true family man and ambassador for change. Conspiracy theories are discussed and an account of that fateful day is described in detail, but it is ultimately the injustice served upon the couple and the ensuing tragedy of their children that leaves its mark.
Let the Games Begin by Niccolò Ammaniti
Published by The Text Publishing Company ISBN 9781921758461 $29.99 Imagination, originality and hyperbole run wild in this satirical story about the excesses and shallowness of the rich and the famous, set apart from the limitations imposed by the global recession. Fabrizio Ciba is a celebrated author who has reached his peak, obsessing with his image and the fact that he may be on the downward slide; Saverio Moneto is the leader of the Wilde Beasts of Abaddon, a satanic sect which is hell-bent on demonic sacrifice as long as it doesn’t unbalance the trivialities of their everyday lives. Larita is a musician who has recently undergone a transition from heavy metal singer to pop diva. They, and many other notable and eccentric members of Italian high society, are thrown together at an extravagant
The Assassination of the Archduke by Greg King and Sue Woolmans Published by Pan MacMillan ISBN 9781447245216 $29.99 It wouldn’t be giving too much away to write that the final chapter of this fascinating account of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, is entitled Ripples from Sarajevo. For it is precisely these ripples, which grew to momentous waves throughout the twentieth century, that make this 29
Legends in lycra Leon Bignell gives us a local perspective on the race he has been part of since its inception in 1999. Photographs by Heidi Linehan.
South Australia’s Tourism Minister Leon Bignell has ultimate responsibility for the Santos Tour Down Under. The former cycling journalist covered Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and big races like the Tour de France. As the world’s best cyclists line up for the 16th edition of the Santos Tour Down Under in January they will know there is a big chance the six-stage race will be won or lost on Willunga Hill. The climb, in the heart of the Fleurieu Peninsula, has been the only constant challenge included in each of the Tours Down Under. Each January thousands of people converge on the quaint former slate-quarrying town of Willunga to see lycra-clad legends battle it out on their way to a mountain-top finish. In 2014 Willunga, at the base of Willunga Hill, will celebrate its 175th anniversary. Soon after settlement it became one of the state’s biggest towns because it was the changing station and resting place for the teams of horses which made the regular trip from Adelaide to Victor Harbor. Back then Willunga Hill was the big challenge on that well-worn track. Today it is one of the favourite challenges of professional and amateur cyclists from around Australia. It is nowhere near as confronting as the peaks of the Alps and the Pyrenees but at the start of the international cycling season, as riders toughen up for the long year ahead, it’s tough enough and certainly provides a big challenge. This is the biggest race outside of Europe and the riders are going flat out to make a good first impression during the opening event of the World Tour calendar. While January is peak season on Willunga Hill, you will find cyclists pitting themselves against the hill all year round. The recreational riders have seen it on television and they want to come and discover how quickly they can climb it. Some want to compare their times with those of the pros. For others the challenge is to ignore the screaming 30
pain in their calves and to keep the legs turning over and the wheels moving uphill. The exhilaration at the top is always worth the pain. The Santos Tour Down Under only ever heads uphill in Willunga, but the amateurs do it both ways and regulars parked in Willunga’s main street know to take a good look before opening car doors. Although the speed limit in the town is 50km/h it is quite possible riders can be going faster than that without pedalling as gravity draws them toward the sea at Port Willunga. Willunga Hill really made it onto the world cycling map in January 2010 during Stage Five of the Tour Down Under in a dogfight still described by many as the greatest day of cycling on Australian soil. Australian favourite, Cadel Evans, defied the hot conditions, stood up out of the saddle – and dancing on his pedals raced away from the peloton. Wearing the reigning world champion’s rainbow jersey, Evans delighted the partisan crowd who stood up to five deep along the Willunga Hill climb. For the first time outside of the Sydney Olympics a point to point cycling race was being televised live around the nation with Willunga Hill and Evans playing the starring roles. In front of 120,000 spectators and with a national television audience transfixed to the unfolding drama, Evans had thrown down the gauntlet. I remember watching the climb on the big screen near the finish line in Willunga. I’d seen a lot of cycling throughout Europe, South America and North America, but this was the only time I had goose-bumps. Evans was eventually caught by Spaniard Luis Leon Sanchez, who claimed the stage, but Australian cycling had come of age and there was no doubt everyone in Willunga that day sensed it.
Willunga is in the heart of my electorate of Mawson and after the race I drove then UCI president Pat McQuaid back into the city. The whole trip was filled with animated discussion from the Irish boss of world cycling about what a brilliant stage we’d just witnessed. Just 18 months later Evans became the first Australian to win the world’s biggest bike race, the Tour de France. In January the 2011 Tour de France winner will return to South Australia for his first race in Australia since his big win on the Champs Élysées. The crowds are expected to be massive as the nation once again turns up and tunes in to see one of Australia’s greatest ever sporting champions compete against the best in the world as he prepares for his ultimate 2014 goal – a win in the Tour of Italy. More than 40,000 cycling fans came to Adelaide for the 2013 Santos Tour Down Under and the economic benefit to the state was $43 million. I believe, with Cadel back for his first appearance since 2010, we will dramatically increase both the crowd and economic benefit figures. Fleurieu locals and visitors to our beautiful part of the world will have a double dose of cycling action in the 2014 Santos Tour Down Under. On Friday January 24 the 154km Bupa Stage Four from Unley to Victor Harbor will pass through Meadows, Ashbourne, Mount Compass, Myponga, Carrickalinga, Normanville, Yankalilla and Inman Valley.
Fleurieu locals and visitors to our beautiful part of the world will have a double dose of cycling action in the 2014 Santos Tour Down Under. On Friday January 24 the 154km Bupa Stage Four from Unley to Victor Harbor will pass through Meadows, Ashbourne, Mount Compass, Myponga, Carrickalinga, Normanville, Yankalilla and Inman Valley. Previous page: Racers ready for action. This page: The festivities that come along with the racing always offer great fun for the entire family.
Thousands of recreational riders from around the world will also cover the same route that day in the Bupa Challenge Tour. Locals lobbied hard to have the Victor Harbor council bid for a stage >
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During the Tour Down Under come and enjoy these associated events: finish of the 2014 Santos Tour Down Under and the seaside city has been rewarded with the bonus of having thousands of amateur riders coming to town in the Bupa Challenge. There are three shorter options to suit all levels of fitness ranging from the 33km ride from Yankalilla, the 75.5km ride from Mount Compass and the 112.5km challenge from Meadows. If that all sounds a bit too tough then drag out a deck chair and spend the day at Victor cheering on the recreational riders … and then the biggest names in cycling.
Love Velo Seaside @ Port Willunga Friday 24 January, 6.30pm $59pp for 3 courses The 2014 Love Velo’s new location: the beach at Port Willunga. With a limit of 500 tickets, book yours now for a magical evening of fine regional food and wine, roving fire jugglers, cool jazz and glistening water lapping your feet as you dine on the white sand of stunning Port Willunga beach. Bar service, dress code ‘cocktail, no shoes’ (shoe valet available) Transfers from McLaren Vale and Willunga ($10 pp return)
On Saturday January 25 stage five will once again start in McLaren Vale’s main street before taking the riders on a stunning ride alongside the sandy white beaches and sparkling blue water at Silver Sands, Aldinga and Port Willunga. The lush green vineyards will again stand in stark contrast to the straw coloured rolling hills as cameras mounted on helicopters and motorbikes capture images that will be beamed live to an international audience.
For more details and to book your tickets visit; www.onkaparingacity.com/lovevelo
When they’re done with the beach, Willunga Hill will be waiting for the best cyclists in the world and, for another year, they will be tested with two trips up Australia’s most famous climb. The difference from the last time Evans rode here is that the finish is now at the top of the hill instead of on the flat in Willunga itself. Willunga Hill may well provide the perfect finish for the greatest ever Australian cyclist.
McLaren Vale The Park Party – 10am-3pm @ Ellis Park
January 25 Other 2014 City of Onkaparinga Stage 5-associated events include: Free family events along the race route:
Aldinga Beach The Beach Party – 10.30am-3pm @ Snapper Point · children’s entertainment and activities · food and drink stalls · live music performances Willunga The Peloton Picnic – 10am-4pm @ Old Courthouse Grounds Live race coverage on giant TV screens in McLaren Vale, Willunga and Willunga Hill. For full event details visit www.onkaparingacity.com/tourdownunder
PENINSULA PEOPLE
The Dirt James Potter tells us to ‘Down tools folks, summer is here!’
Summer is not for the building of gardens, the cultivating of beds, for digging and trenching and pruning or paving. Even the serene cultivation of your organic kitchen garden is a Dickensian chore compared to my favourite summer activity. It’s a time for all people – even those with over-developed work ethics to cease their relentless double-clicking and haul their crumpled frames into a park and sit under a tree and stare aimlessly. Summer is for sitting or lying or lounging or playing, for eating and drinking (a little too much) and a park is the best place to do it. But what is the recipe for this everyday Eden? What are the key ingredients for park success? For my part I offer a simple trio. The first must is the tree, or preferably trees. Of course trees provide most-welcome shade but also the perfect climbing frame, a windbreak, a screen and flowers and fruit and food and habitat for birds and other critters. I’ve no ideological barrow to push regarding tree selection. Perfection is the enemy of good here. Make sure most of the trees grow to a decent size, pick a height – then double it, it’s a park not a courtyard and you need to crank the tree volume.
Your canvas is Bungala Park, a 7 hectare site (17 acres in the old money) between the Bungala River and South Road in the centre of Normanville. The park was conceived when the District Council of Yankalilla purchased the last 3 hectares in 2009. The name ‘Bungala Park’ was selected after community consultation and has been jointly funded by Council, the State Open Space grant scheme and the Adelaide Mt Lofty Ranges NRM Board. The concept plan below has been produced to show how the park will be developed in stages. Stage 1 has seen the erection of shelters, seats, tables and BBQ plus fencing, parking and the entrance with stone wall and signage. This is the chance for all you budding park-designers to shine. So instead of banging on ceaselessly about what is eventually created here – you get to be involved now. The conduit for your genius is the Friends of Bungala Park – a coalition of the finest minds on the Fleurieu. Contact the Friends and see your park come to life. Contact Yankalilla Council on Telephone: 8558 0200 Email: council@yankalilla.sa.gov.au Website: www.yankalilla.sa.gov.au
Secondly we have lawn. Yes folks – I’ve parked my barrow so it’s only fair that you leash your dogma. Only a cold-blooded, pasty, spiteful ideologue could deny the huge social value of lawn. What else can you play on, have a picnic on, get married on, make passionate love on and then fall asleep on? *Subject to council consent. Nothing else provides the social utility of lawn and even though this page is littered with obvious truths and thinly veiled clichés the most important one is – to quote Thomas D Church – ‘Gardens are for people.’ No one will go near a lawn-less park. Intrinsic value of many forms can be found in all green places – many without lawn – but they aren’t parks. So the lawn is in the mix. The third essential ingredient is water. Not the cheap trickery of a Jamie Durie-endorsed kit-form special, with its squealing pumps, faux stone and blue LEDs. Think simple – kids running under sprinklers-type, simple – such as a large still pond or a creek or the beach. I think highly enough of you to spare you a list detailing the value of water. All agreed? Among the remaining optional ingredients to complete this summer nirvana we could use: more (or less) people (all shapes, sizes, ages and preferred head-dress), good drink, great food, the abovementioned wedding party or just a good book. Though I may have been prescriptive, clichéd and probably a little insulting, please indulge me one last time and offer up your opinions and ideas on the perfect park.
Above: Detail from the plan proposed for Bungala Park by Oxigen Landscape Architects, located between the Bungala River and South Road in the centre of Normanville.
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Sustainable seaside retreat
Petra de Mooy meets with Christine Putland and Steve Grieve at their award winning Goolwa beach house. Photographs by Peter Barnes.
The final product is blended beautifully into the landscape and the modernist exterior design gives way to a quiet and understated interior with great comfort and function.
Steve Grieve is one half of the Adelaide architecture firm Grieve Gillett – known mainly through their work in public projects such as the National Wine Centre, the Jam Factory and the Adelaide Studios at Glenside. Finding yourself in the position of being both architect and client is perhaps something that only happens once in a lifetime, so this design presented an opportunity for Steve to test some ideas. When I asked him what it was like fulfilling both roles he joked, ‘Christine was the client, so I did not always have a final say.’ Actually it was a very successful collaboration. The final product is blended beautifully into the landscape and the modernist exterior design gives way to a quiet and understated interior with great comfort and function. Over the years Steve and Christine have holidayed at various seaside locations on the Fleurieu. Goolwa was not necessarily on the radar for a place to one day have a holiday retreat of their own, but when Grieve Gillett was commissioned to design a holiday house close to the dune off Beach Road, Steve happened upon a For sale sign in front of what is now their property and thought the site looked pretty good. Before making any impulsive decisions however, they looked at a few other beachside suburbs and found that what was unique about the Goolwa property was that the homes did not feel as though they were in a suburb. Rather than a street in front of the house they have sand dunes, and although there are inhabited properties on either side, there is enough of the native bush around that the dominant feeling is one of being in nature. >
Previous page: The southern face of the house sits comfortably among the dunes. This page top: An innovative use of paving and grass allows the driveway to stay cooler in the warmer months. Above: A single trough collects all the water from the entire roof into one single down-pipe.
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Steve and Christine bought the property and original house in 1999 and over the ensuing years made only minor changes. However, over that time various plans for renovations and additions were drawn up and tabled. The final decision to bulldoze the existing structure and start from scratch rather than rework came in 2011, and the rationale was purely practical. Steve says, ‘The original building had been compromised significantly by poorly executed ‘infill’ works on the ground floor. The ground floor slab (probably installed decades ago) had never been waterproofed properly and the services (electrical, plumbing, septic tank and drainage) needed complete replacement.’ The beauty of waiting as long as they did to realise this new and vastly improved dwelling had one key advantage. They had developed a very keen awareness of all of the good and bad features of the property over all seasons and conditions so that when it came time to sit down at the drawing table, all of this knowledge came to bear. Steve tells me that the original house was about eight metres further forward towards the road. The new dwelling sits nestled right into the dunes and only escapes being part of it by way of a one-metre retaining wall about three metres off of the back of the house. Christine loves walking onto the dunes and looking back to appreciate how it now sits. ‘It seems to hover in the landscape’, she says, and 36
indeed the use of wooden cladding that has naturally greyed over time even makes it a complementary feature in the dunes. Steve says, ‘The southern (rear) boundary of the site abuts a coastal reserve containing primary, secondary and tertiary dunes. The house has been sited to maximise its relationship and connection to this wonderful dune landscape and the external materials chosen will weather to reflect the exposure of the site.’ The materials that have been chosen are all non-corrosive and nonferrous as the ocean water and driving winds that carry salt and sand treat most materials very harshly. The entire roof collects rain into one large gutter which leads to a single down pipe and into two large water tanks. The interiors are integrated with the architecture. Built-in robes, seamless spotted gum floors and neutral furnishings are comfortably complemented by art works accumulated over the years, mostly by friends and family and through Steve and Christine’s connections to numerous arts’ organisations. Cleverly disguised pocket doors allow spaces to go from intimate and private to open and public. ‘We kind of knew that we would be spending the majority of our time here alone so we wanted to create spaces that have an intimate
scale, but we also wanted to have the flexibility to host larger gatherings.’ The generous decking on both the front and back facing north and south are well used. ‘We either get the wind coming from the south or north so there is almost always a deck that is sheltered for us to enjoy.’ A large, solid wood table on the front deck can seat a dozen people and both decks have large sliding glass doors that allow the inside and outside to become one space when time and weather permit. On both decks, Steve has tested a few sun-shading and privacy features, like an aluminium prefab shade system over the north deck and some slatted half walls that are angled to obtain views from one angle and privacy from the other. These have worked out quite well. The solar panels at the back of the house tilt up to capture the north light but also double as a kind of shelter over the back deck. I love this feature; it harnesses the sun yet protects you from its rays. Complete utilitarian functionality. Steve has also designed almost all of the windows to maximise privacy while capturing views of the dunes, and the hills to the west. The orientation is such that all of the living areas are either on the back facing the dune, or on the second floor and high enough that you mostly see the treetops or the sky. >
The beauty of waiting as long as they did to realise this new and vastly improved dwelling had one key advantage. They had developed a very keen awareness of all of the good and bad features of the property over all seasons and conditions so that when it came time to sit down at the drawing table, all of this knowledge came to bear. Previous page top: The western side of the house features small pocket windows to capture views yet avoid a lot of the harsh summer sun. Previous page bottom left: The home sits close to the dune, the mouth of the Murray and the Coorong. Previous page bottom right: Detail of the timber handrail. This page top: The kitchen is designed for pure functionality, with stainless steel bench tops, mod cons and great views of the dunes. This page bottom: View from the dining table.
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In 2013 the home was awarded a sustainable architecture award at the Australian Institute of Architects – South Australian Architecture Awards. Both Steve and Christine have a deep appreciation of their location. ‘We just have to walk over the dune and to one side we have the mouth of the Murray and the Coorong,’ says Steve, and for a lazy, Sunday morning breakfast all they have to do is walk over the dunes to the beach and turn right to arrive at Bombora – the very well-catered beachfront kiosk at Goolwa Beach. Steve is also a keen golfer and with the Golf Club only a stone’s throw away Steve has really grown to appreciate the community that is connected to the club. On many days of the year Steve and Christine marvel that they can walk over to the beach and be the only ones there. In 2013 the home was awarded a sustainable architecture award at the Australian Institute of Architects – South Australian Architecture Awards. The judges commented that ‘this house incorporates good orientation, appropriate insulation, good natural light and provides abundant cross-flow ventilation, providing a building that is comfortable without the need for air conditioning.’ Awards and accolades aside – the home wins on many levels, not the least of which is fulfilling and even surpassing all of Steve and Christine’s hopes for the project. Top: The solar panels double as a shading system on the back deck. Bottom: Spotted gum floors throughout create continuity.
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Experience the experience
urbanhabitats design|construction|development
‘The view’ Michell Home - Sellicks Beach We trusted in Urban Habitats because of our connections and we really love their work. Ali Michell To find out more how Urban Habitats can help you... please contact Jock Merrigan on 0416 094 645 and visit our website urbanhabitats.com.au Urban Habitats Pty Ltd BLNo 159586 L1/179 King William Road Hyde Park South Australia 5061 T 08 8373 1731
Gen Me 2
Ainsley Roscrow suggests we refocus our attention on raising children who are loveable.
When parents are asked what they want for their children, common responses include ‘being happy, successful and possessing high self-esteem’. But does empowering children through praise and permissiveness actually achieve these goals? Are the sometimes spoilt and potentially narcissistic young people from ‘Gen Me’ actually the product of the ‘parenting with praise’ generation? How can we avoid this parenting trap which may contribute to the more undesirable traits young generations can exhibit. How can we foster children’s independence, creativity and self esteem without the side effects of narcissism and sense of entitlement. Dr Stephen Hughes, a paediatric neuro-scientist, provides some insight into the development of the self-esteem ‘movement’ and reviews some of the surprising results of research that examines modern parenting practices. His research provides a long-term look at different parenting styles and the effects on children’s behaviour and development through early childhood, adolescence and into young adulthood. Dr Hughes identified the ‘authoritative parenting style’ as the most successful way of raising responsible citizens. This authoritative style demands parents display consistency, a high level of warmth and a high level of control and guidance in their interactions with children. Neuro-science has allowed researchers to pinpoint areas of the brain which grow faster, stronger and larger when stimulated with consistent parenting including clear boundaries, warm communication and high expectations. For fear of being ‘parentally incorrect’, parents have opted for praise and failed to set clear limits, have offered children too many choices, made excuses for their behaviours, and opted for high warmth communication styles with low guidance. This is the ‘permissive parent’. They want to be their child’s best friend! Neuro-science has clearly identified that the brain’s frontal lobe matures last. The frontal lobe allows us to set goals, exercise judgement, make choices, control emotions and select strategies; and while it develops through childhood and adolescence, it is a parent’s responsibility to be their child’s frontal lobe! Parents who fail to follow through on consequences are in danger of teaching their children that no doesn’t actually mean no! As Dr Hughes identified, this can have devastating consequences for teenagers and young adults. Remember ‘Generation Me’ … are they the product of parents who can’t set clear limits and are full of chatter, explanations and incessant praise? Our job as parents is to identify the goals we have for our children, in consultation with the co-parent, and then set clear and consistent 40
boundaries within which children can explore. When the margins are breached, the consequences are fair and consistent. Unity is essential! Remember, you are not your child’s friend. You are a trusted adult. Children have friends their age and should look to you for guidance and advice. Children need to know where your limits are, so communicate them clearly and make them understand you mean it by identifying clear and developmentally appropriate consequences when limits are tested! You are teaching your child what to expect from the world, and setting the expectation your child will have of others’ behaviour. Be realistic with your child about consequences for behaviour in the wider community; if you hit people, they will get angry! If you steal, you will be punished. Making excuses for children in their early years, and tolerating unacceptable behaviour can set children up for failure when they enter society. Un-related adults in the wider community have less patience and tolerance for antisocial behaviour than parents do! Let’s take the focus of parenting away from raising children to have high self esteem or to be happy, and refocus the attention on raising children who are loveable. Children who are raised with clear boundaries and with high warmth communication strategies are more likely to have genuine self esteem. They can do things, know how to respect limits, are well socialised, make decisions with integrity and are genuinely liked and respected by their peers. These well socialised children experience authentic happiness. As parents we should redirect our energies to encourage our children to develop traits which include independence, being able to direct their energies to a task, having initiative, and being realistic in their appraisal of the effort required to complete a task. These qualities can give children the skills necessary to survive and thrive in the wider world.
Meet me in the Vale
Pip Forrester spends a weekend with us discovering the changes in McLaren Vale’s cellar doors in the last few years.
McLaren Vale is a compact wine region. You are never more than ten minutes away from the cellar doors, restaurants and cafes that nestle in the undulating slopes and hills that constitute McLaren Vale.
Come and join me to explore a few of the cellar doors and have a peek at what they are up to. Be mindful though, you will probably need more than one day. I reckon you should put aside a few weekends a year to really explore the region and its wonderful offerings of food, wine and art. In 1988, when I first became involved in business in McLaren Vale, it was a very different place. There were less than twenty cellar doors, five or so restaurants, half a dozen pubs and almost no places to drink coffee. It was, and still is, a very pretty area, well known for its wines and home to an eclectic collection of locals keen to make it an even better known wine region – a true destination.
From Adelaide take the drive through the Adelaide Hills and Clarendon. When you get to the top of Chaffeys Road, stop and get a spectacular sense of the Vale and the coast before you start to dip into the experiences of the day. Previous page: A view of the Salopian Inn from the adjacent vineyard. Above: Wedded bliss at Tapestry Wines.
The tourism campaigns at the time claimed South Australia was full of well-kept secrets and McLaren Vale was certainly one of them. Some of the potential has been realised, and thanks to the work and commitment of many there are now over seventy cellar doors, twenty or more restaurants and numerous cafes … and we are no longer such a well-kept secret. One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is the quality wines the cellar doors offer in a convivial and generous way. There is, however, as we will discover, a lot more going on than we were used to in the past. > 43
This page: Delicious food awaits at Woodstock Wines. Photo courtesy Randy Larcombe. Opposite page top left: A match made in heaven; Shingleback Wines paired with food from The Elbow Room. Top right: Tasting the local beer at Ekhidna. Bottom: Dining at d’Arrys Verandah on lobster medallions with ravioli.
McLaren Vale is a compact wine region. You are never more than ten minutes away from the cellar doors, restaurants and cafes that nestle in the undulating slopes and hills that constitute McLaren Vale. I think it a good idea to ‘cluster’ the cellar doors as a way of tackling our weekend of fun and discovery. We might as well start at the top – the ‘dress circle’ so to speak. From Adelaide take the drive through the Adelaide Hills and Clarendon. When you get to the top of Chaffeys Road, stop and get a spectacular sense of the Vale and the coast before you start to dip into the experiences of the day. Once on Chaffeys Road you can start at one of the historic wineries of the region: Rosemount Estate, originally the Seaview Winery. You can enjoy a coffee while ambling through the old cellar or check out the cellar door range of award winning Rosemount wines. On the first Sunday of each month, there is the regular Little Berry Market of arts, crafts, food and children’s entertainment. Across the road you will find the Coriole Vineyards cellar door and courtyard restaurant, with one of the most spectacular views of the gentle hills that are McLaren Vale. This is the perfect place to stock up with Woodside Cheeses and estate grown and made Coriole olives, extra virgin olive oil and vinegars. Lunch in the courtyard restaurant or picnic under the mulberry tree set in the gorgeous cottage garden – delightful. 44
We can then move down the hill, turn right onto Seaview Road to find Oliver’s Taranga, one of the region’s most famous wine names. The fifth and sixth generations of the family now run it. Contrary to our two previous stops, at this cellar door you feel enveloped by the vinecovered valley that is home to the beautifully restored old building. The stories, triumphs and tribulations of the family wine business festoon the walls. Sitting on the deck with glass in hand, you soak up the history of the place, the afternoon sun and country air. This cluster of cellar doors contains a great place for a special lunch. Right next door to the d’Arenberg cellar door and its huge range of eponymous wines, is the winery’s famous restaurant – d’Arrys Verandah, which for over sixteen years or so has consistently collected awards. Resident chef, Peter Reschke and his team produce food of outstanding quality and inventiveness. Taste the wines at the cellar door with arguably the best view in the area and enjoy lunch if you have had the foresight to make a booking. After lunch we can trundle down the road a bit and turn into Tapestry Wines – the first cellar door in the next cluster to visit. If you have a mind to, you can indulge in a platter of the region’s best foods along with a glass of Tapestry wine. Alternatively, give your taste buds a rest (put it in the diary for the future) and relax with a different view of McLaren Vale – looking due west across the garden and vineyards.
Resident chef, Peter Reschke and his team produce food of outstanding quality and inventiveness. Taste the wines at the cellar door with arguably the best view in the area and enjoy lunch if you have had the foresight to make a booking. Down the hill and turning left, we will find in the valley floor the relatively new Angove cellar door. The Angoves, a family well known in the South Australian wine industry, recently chose to build a cellar door in their McLaren Vale vineyards. It looks very much as though it has been part of the landscape for a long time and gives us the chance to sit on the deck and almost touch the vines. The feeling is one of intimacy with the surrounds and the food platters provide an opportunity to experience regional produce at its best. If this and the wines are not enough, there is always the art on the cellar door walls. Another short drive along Chalk Hill Road brings us to Ekhidna Wines’ cellar door and restaurant on Foggo Road. Ekhidna gives us a pleasant change of pace. We could enjoy lunch here, but this time we will just taste wines and the range of their Ekhidna beers – lovely palate cleansers. By now, we’ll probably be getting restless, so a deviation to Blewitt Springs and the Woodstock Winery and Coterie restaurant may be called for. Here, the kids can visit the wildlife sanctuary and explore the replica stocks as we approach the cellar door. For the adults, the bushland setting of Woodstock will provide a chance to cast our eyes over a typical Australian landscape. The Coterie is a definite must do on a visit, and on Sunday’s, fine food, wine and music easily mix. The wood-fired pizzas on Friday night are not bad either. >
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Above: The wood fired pizza oven at Oliver’s Taranga. Overleaf top: Little Berry Markets at Rosemount Estate. Photo courtesy TimeScape Photography & Design. Overleaf centre: Cellar door at Coriole Vineyards. Overleaf bottom: Angove Family Winemakers. Photo courtesy Mark Zed.
We can stay in one of the fifty or so accommodation options that include bed and breakfasts, hotels and guesthouses.
Having recharged at Blewitt Springs, it’s clear that another day is needed and the hunt is on for a place to stay and somewhere to have dinner. We can stay in one of the fifty or so accommodation options that include bed and breakfasts, hotels and guesthouses. A different place to stay could be Red Poles – the little place with everything. It is home to an art gallery, restaurant, cellar door and the outlet for the McLaren Vale Beer Company, brewers of Vale Ale. It also has a number of comfortable rooms for the overnight stay.
A six-kilometre walk in a southerly direction along the trail (drive if you prefer) will bring us to the Penny’s Hill cellar door and restaurant, the domain of the ever-so creative Tony Parkinson. The cellar door is housed in an award winning building, providing a reprieve from the ubiquitous vineyards. Golden paddocks surround us, black-faced sheep graze under magnificent, gnarled gum trees and a number of old stone buildings of varying sizes (all part of the original Ingleburne Farm on which Penny’s Hill now sits) complete the picture. The whole place will give you a real sense of the past rural history and diversity of McLaren Vale. Depending on timing and mood, we could stop at the award winning Kitchen Door restaurant, or take a snack at the cellar door itself, right next door.
Just down the road is the Salopian Inn – perfect for dinner. This multi-award winning restaurant in McLaren Vale, housed in a building from 1851, has had new life breathed back into it by chef Karena Armstrong and her husband, innkeeper Michael. It is also the cellar door for Heirloom wines. You are sure, in this informal setting, to meet the locals at the only ‘Gin Bar’ in town. It’s great to see this charming building returned to its original use as a friendly, welcoming inn, as it was when I owned it, frequented by both the locals and visitors. On Sunday, let’s have a leisurely start. After a light breakfast, we might go down to the Shiraz Trail walking track and go northwards to McLaren Vale until we get to Oxenberry Farm and the cellar door for Oxenberry Wines. It is a good trailside stop for a cup of coffee, something sweet or even lunch. In the heart of the town, it’s a tranquil, relaxing place. Walking along the Trail through the vineyards and olive groves is one of the many things I enjoy about living here. 46
By now, we should be tired, happy and relaxed, but we have one more ‘must do’ stop before we leave McLaren Vale … and that is the Shingleback cellar door and its companion restaurant – the Elbow Room. Conveniently at the entrance to the town, this cellar door and restaurant complex is surprising. It is very much a case of ‘wow’ when you enter the restaurant and discover a charming, peaceful view. No roads or buildings, just green and sometimes a little creek with water. This is the perfect environment to indulge in Nigel Rich’s menu, much of which comes from his spectacular wood-fired oven. >
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The Shingleback cellar door, in a nineteenth-century building, also imparts warmth and comfort. The stone walls are covered with an ever-changing art exhibition and the generous bar and couches encourage you to relax. What I would like to do now is to have one last relaxing drink at the Elbow Room outdoor lounge area. Until next time, of course. I knew that McLaren Vale would not give up its secrets quickly. The town and the Vale have evolved magnificently over the past decades. It remains an important wine region in Australia and the old guard and young guns have created places and experiences for us all to enjoy. Food and the renowned wines are there aplenty. The exciting aspect of the emergence of McLaren Vale as one of Australia’s best-known wine regions and tourist destinations in the last few decades is the vitality and variety of experiences that are now part of our lives which we can share with our friends and visitors. I wouldn’t live anywhere else. So, we will need to meet again to explore more of those other cellar doors, find more surprises, experiment with new wine varieties and styles and enjoy the plethora of food products from the restaurants, cafes, cellar doors, markets and providores. I can’t wait to see you soon.
Top: The gallery space at Red Poles. Centre: The entrance to Penny’s Hill Wines. Bottom: Enjoying the pleasant outdoor setting at Oxenberry Farm. 48
The McLaren Vale Page Large selection of bulk nuts. Great range of Riverland dried fruit, specialising in gluten free and organic whole foods. Extensive range of bread mixes, flours, spices and baking products. Home brew supplies. Beautiful gift baskets made to your own requirements. Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner / Tea & Coffee / Beer, Wine & Cocktails --------------------------------------------------------------
211 M ain R oad M cLaren Vale / 8323 9577 / open 7 days a week 9am till late
152 Main Road, Mclaren Vale Ph 8323 8500 www.YummyNutsMarket.com.au
er WinInNESS BUS THE OF R YEA13 20
‘The child is both the hope and promise for mankind ... our most precious treasure.’
196 Main Rd, McLaren Vale Phone 8323 9962 info@cottagebakerymv.com.au
Montessori Children’s Centre McLaren Vale 22 Tatachilla Road (08) 8323 8855 www.montessorichildren.com.au mccmv@iinet.com.au
ANZ Bank & ATM
Flight Centre
Bamboo Homewares
Manfield Newsagency
BWS Liquor
McLaren Vale Bakery
Chemmart
McLaren Vale BBQ Chicken
Commonwealth Bank
McLaren Vale Fruit and Veg
Coles
Mistry Kwik Foto
Country Cup
NAB ATM
Country Life Fashions
Police Station
Ellis Butchers
Target
Fleurieu Dental
Westpac agency & ATM
er WinEnW
N SS E BUSI0N13 2
Summer at the Vales
In the hear t of McLaren Vale you will find the newly expanded and renovated McLaren Vale Central Shopping Centre, boasting a huge Coles Supermarket and new Target store. With shopping, dine-in & takeaway food, and a variety of banking ser vices, it is all here waiting for you!
*
OPEN 7 DAYS*
Please check with individual retailer s for trading hour s
130 Main Road, McLaren Vale SA 49
The Harvest Festival is on again!
Now in its third year, this has become a well-loved annual event.
Top left: Corinna Wright competing in the wine spitting competition. Bottom left: Joe Petrucci celebrating the harvest. Above: Feeding the lamb in the petting farm tent.
The first year was great and surpassed all expectations; the second was even better. The festival celebrates the diversity of people, food, wine, music and arts from the McLaren Vale region. This event brings together local arts, produce, culture – everything that makes up the varied life of the region. The Harvest Festival McLaren Vale Association Inc embraces all people. It is an affordable, family-friendly occasion where those of any age are able to gather, participate, feast and play. The Harvest Festival is celebrated in 3 parts. 1. Saturday January 18 is ‘family day’ on the McLaren Vale Oval with live music throughout. The big marquee will host Cheong Liew cooking demonstrations, while other marquees will be the venues for
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food, wine, beer and cider – all of it local! There will be a small regional produce market, plus Master Classes in cheese and wine, olive oil and olives, beer and chocolate. On the grounds there’ll be fun for the kids from pony rides to wall climbing and even the Amazing Drumming Monkeys. There is more, with a Celebrity Challenge and the Blessing of the Harvest. 2. Friday December 13 is the opening of the Harvest Art Exhibition featuring creative talent of the Fleurieu. 3. Friday January 17 the Feast McLaren Vale Gala Dinner will be an evening of fine foods and wine to acknowledge the very much appreciated support of the Festival’s sponsors. Tickets available from www.harvestfestivalmclarenvale.com.au. All this raises funds for the McLaren Vale and Districts War Memorial Hospital to provide them with much-needed support to enable them to continue supporting the health of the community. Photos courtesy of Heidi Linehan.
January 18 2014 FREE Community event McLaren Vale Oval Kangarilla Road McLaren Vale Activities start from 10am
Joys of the Fleurieu
• Harvest Festival dish by Cheong Liew • Local food & wine stalls • Regional produce market • Wine & food master classes • Celebrity wine and spaghetti eating challenge • Local live bands • FREE children’s activities • McLaren Vale Magic Dozen wine auction • Free parking ‘Free Entry’ with proceeds going to the McLaren Vale and Districts War Memorial Hospital
facebook.com/HarvestFestivalMcLarenVale
Come celebrate with us a diverse culture of food, wine, music and arts from the McLaren Vale Region. This premiere regional event is all about family enjoyment with much to entertain all age groups and features the Childrens parade leading into the Blessing of the Harvest. www.harvestfestivalmclarenvale.com.au Supported by City of Onkaparinga
Graphics by Soupcan Design
Thanks to all of our valued sponsors
www.harvestfestivalmclarenvale.com.au
Meditative state Quentin Chester reveals the natural thrall behind Michele Lane’s Kangaroo Island landscapes.
Island Beach is Kangaroo Island’s irresistible holiday haunt. Come summer, this swathe of bush and sand brims with families chasing the seaside dream. It’s a prized spot to fish, sail, splash in the shallows and lap up life on the front deck. For artist Michele Lane, Island Beach is all this and much more. Her first visit was in 1983 with husband-to-be, Michael. ‘We rode our bikes from Penneshaw and camped out. We had these tacky fishing rods, found some razor fish for bait and caught a dozen whiting.’ So began her life-changing ties with this bayside habitat, a deepening bond that would, in time, nurture one of Kangaroo Island’s most distinctive painters and printmakers. ‘It was here that it all came together: the connections between the shore-birds, the sea, the vegetation, and the natural cycles of the place. It was an opportunity to really wallow in an environment. I was hooked.’ Michele has enjoyed a life-long affinity with art. ‘As a kid on our family holidays all over the state I was always drawing in sketch-books.’ The sheer beauty of nature was her impetus. However, art had long been regarded as a natural part of family life. ‘We had pictures in the house and my grandmother was a home artist who lived in country Victoria and painted for the family.’ Another key influence was Michele’s father Rowley, with his scientific fascination with local environments. ‘Dad was a mentor. He was interested in the details of a place, how things worked together in balance and how old things were.’ Grasping the connections that drive the natural world also brought an awareness of how they could be disturbed. ‘Man’s impact on the environment was a real anxiety for me. As a kid it was one of those things that gave me sleepless nights,’ she recalls. 52
Yet, exploring these concerns though art would have to be put on standby. After being put into the science stream at school Michele pushed on to study medicine. For more than 20 years she was a practising GP in Adelaide’s western suburbs, in addition to being a busy mother of three children. Throughout this time the pulse of life at Island Beach sustained her creative itch. On holidays, while husband Michael and the kids were out fishing, Michele – with binoculars and sketchbook in hand – would fossick the beach and scrub for inspiration. Step by step her art practise took shape. Island Beach resident Sandy Carey encouraged Michele to experiment with pastel drawing. Later, following an Adelaide watercolour workshop, she took up the suggestion of seeking further art training. For five years Michele studied with painter Peter Bok at his BAPeA Art School in Brompton. Working in oils, her painterly skills became bolder and more expressive. All those years observing the patterns of light and shadow in Kangaroo Island habitats were distilled into a spate of works on canvas. The response was immediate and positive. For two consecutive years Michele won, among other awards, the major prize at Penneshaw’s Easter Art Exhibition. Buyers snapped up her paintings and she became one of Fine Art Kangaroo Island’s stable of acclaimed artists. For all their direct appeal as landscapes, many of these works championed the uncanny, sculptural appeal of the island’s vegetation. From tall stands of narrow-leafed mallee that dominate the Dudley Peninsula to melaleucas huddled beside Pelican Lagoon and she-oaks dotting the coast at Pink Bay, her paintings challenged the viewer to celebrate familiar habitats in a new light. Buoyed by this success, in 2007 Michele made the tough decision to step away from medicine and pursue a full-time art career. Three years later she started a degree in Visual Arts and Applied Design at the Adelaide College of the Arts. This study was motivated by a desire to dig deeper with environmental themes. ‘Beauty is a hook, >
For all their direct appeal as landscapes, many of these works championed the uncanny, sculptural appeal of the island’s vegetation. From tall stands of narrow-leafed mallee that dominate the Dudley Peninsula to melaleucas huddled beside Pelican Lagoon and she-oaks dotting the coast at Pink Bay, her paintings challenged the viewer to celebrate familiar habitats in a new light.
Top: Sand Flats. Oil on canvas, 100 x 30 cm. Above: Coastal Path. Oil on canvas, 40 x 40 cm. Right: Road through the Narrow-Leaf. Oil on canvas, 35 x 45 cm.
it’s seductive, but I wanted to broaden the concepts behind my art. I wanted to use the landscape to put people into a more meditative state. One of the reasons people keep coming to KI is to be in touch with something bigger than they are, they want to step back in time and experience nature’s forces at work.’
Top: Strawbridge Point. Oil on canvas, 90 x 45 cm. Above right: Detail from Sunrise, East-West Road. Oil on canvas, 108 x 45 cm. Above: Michele Lane. Photograph by Quentin Chester.
For the past two years though, print-making has become her major focus. She revels in the collaborative spirit of the print studio. There’s also the freedom to experiment with multiple processes to produce different ‘visual outcomes’ and work that has sharper political commentary. This effort has culminated in the formation of the ‘Ruddy Turnstones’ print-making collective with fellow artists Mei Sheong Wong, Loique Allain and Georgie Willoughby. Over Easter 2014 this quartet will be launching their ‘Immersion: KI’ exhibition at the Fine Art Kangaroo Island gallery – a show which will then tour South Australia as part of a Country Arts initiative. As important as these initiatives may be, Michele’s art inspiration remains grounded in the ecological experience of sites like Island Beach. ‘Even after 30 years I still can’t help but be amazed by how perfectly it all fits together.’ The emotional pull of nature unfolding continues to nourish her second vocation – her journey with art. As she observes: ‘It feels very natural for me to think this way, to work with my imagination.’
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Views over McLaren Vale, rolling vines as far as the eye can see, and the stunning coastline beyond Award winning wines displaying the true essence of the region Enjoy our delicious regional platters served daily on the deck Come visit us today Tapestry Vineyards Pty Ltd, Olivers Road, McLaren Vale, SA 5171 Telephone +61 08 8323 9196 Fax: +61 08 8323 9746 cellar@tapestrywines.com.au | www.tapestrywines.com.au
CELLAR DOOR · PLATTERS · FUNCTIONS · PICNIC AREA
Strawberry fields forever Farming at Mount Jagged is by no means smooth-sailing. But it’s not without its rewards. Text and images by James Howe. ‘Earthy’: you can count on people saying it when they bite into a strawberry grown by Mt Jagged farmers Ian and Gina East. We can only guess why so many find the same word: perhaps it’s the near-absence of chemicals used on their farm, or the fact the produce is almost always harvested a day or two before going to market. But there’s another possible explanation. Maybe, after six generations of farming, the Easts are just really, really darn good at growing strawberries.
settled on the Fleurieu Peninsula, first farming in McLaren Flat, then buying land in Mt Jagged. Perched in the hills about 7km south of Mount Compass, Mount Jagged has a blessed micro-climate, with good rains in winter and cool, sea breezes in summer. ‘That’s why we’ve been able to get away with being able to grow raspberries and strawberries here,’ explains Ian. ‘If you go down to Willunga you can’t grow raspberries there – it’s way too hot – and strawberries you can only grow up until Christmas.’
Ian’s ancestors first turned their hand to the plough in the mid-1800s. Wood-cutters and wheelwrights by trade they’d been lured from England to the Adelaide Hills by the promise of vast stringy-bark forests ripe to be harvested for timber and charcoal. When the wood ran out Ian’s ancestors put down roots in Lenswood and became farmers. Ian grew up right next door to the property his ancestors had first settled 150 years earlier. Having worked on his parents’ farm from the day he could walk, it was never even a consideration that he would become anything other than a farmer himself. ‘I’d be with my dad out in the field, helping with the crops and harvesting – I just continued with it,’ he says. Gina is also of farming stock: her parents are Italian immigrants who grew beans and peas in Myponga. When she and Ian married they
But it’s not all about the berries. The Easts also have a herd of Murray grey cows, which they raise for beef. Then there’s the garlic, rhubarb and beetroots, and the swedes and turnips they grow for the Pooraka market. When you throw in the wild-harvested blackberries and the pasties and jams made by Gina, you have to wonder if Mt Jagged has more food-types than the Willunga Farmers’ Market. Of course, this diversity is not merely a flight of fancy. Being a small outfit (the Easts keep production at a level they can manage without bringing in outside labour), it’s important that risks are carefully mitigated. ‘If one [crop] has a downturn, then you can pick it up on the other one,’ says Ian. He knows that a single day on the land can see your wallet lined or your heart broken. He recalls one year when his entire strawberry crop was wiped out in a freak weather event.
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‘We actually love to go and see how other people produce their products, and talk to those people,’ insists Gina. ‘And it makes us feel better to see that they have the bad years as well as us.’
Above left: Ian and Gina East, strawberry farmers. Above right and previous page: Mount Jagged grown strawberries.
‘It was a hot day, and clouds started rolling in – and hail stones came down the size of golf balls,’ he says. ‘That was the end of that beautiful patch of strawberries.’
to stay and help them on the farm, which is a boon for such a small family operation. But perhaps the biggest gift of all has been the Victor Harbor Farmers’ Market. ‘When the Farmers’ Market first started we thought ‘what’s this little tin-pot show?’’ admits Ian. ‘In the initial days we would go down there and say ‘if we make our rent money today, we’ve done really well!’’
Heavy rain at the wrong time can be just as catastrophic, as can drought (their beef cows lost a lot of condition in the last hot, dry summer). But Ian has been around long enough to know that the downs are always balanced by ups, as long as you stay around long enough to ride them out. ‘It’s a long-term plan – at the end of the 12 months you look back and say ‘well, things are going to be ok.’ It can be taxing both physically and emotionally, and Ian and Gina make a point of treating themselves to an annual holiday. But they don’t go to sunny beaches – their idea of the perfect vacation is going to a place like rural Queensland, ‘where we can see crops growing,’ says Ian, straight faced. (These guys really like farming.) ‘We actually love to go and see how other people produce their products, and talk to those people,’ insists Gina. ‘And it makes us feel better to see that they have the bad years as well as us.’ Despite the challenges they face from day-to-day, the Easts have had some big blessings. Their youngest son Matt, 24, has decided
As it turned out, their stall – Gina’s Kitchen and Field Berries – was swamped with interest and support from customers. ‘Now it’s become a major part of our business,’ says Ian shaking his head, still bemused at the phenomenon. Their near-organic status has been a big hit with market customers. Ian and Gina avoid using chemicals where possible, only spraying when absolutely necessary. They also use companion planting, which means placing vulnerable crops next to naturally pest-repellent species such as garlic. But, when it comes down to it, there’s surely just one reason behind their success: it’s their strawberries – after all, they’re just too good not to buy.
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GOOLWA REGATTA WEEK 18-26 January 2014
A community celebration. Just add boats!
On and off water events and activities all week culminating with: Fri Jan 24: Doser Freight Dash for Cash Sat Jan 25: Big Brekky at the GRYC Sun Jan 26: The Marina Hindmarsh Island Milang-Goolwa Freshwater Classic For a full program visit: www.goolwaregattaweek.com.au Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club Email: gryc@gryc.com.au · www.gryc.com.au Ph 08 8555 2617 · Fax 08 8555 3747
Dirt Garden Design www.dirt.com.au Ph.0419 838 622 Consultation - Garden Design - Project Management
the court house food · wine · art
NYE 2013 at The Barn | 3 Courses | Champagne at Midnight Come down and dance the night away! Live Jazz and Groovy Covers from the Brendan Foster Band | $85 Restaurant • Wine Bar • Art Gallery Since 1970 The Barn has offered great Australian fare in a relaxed garden atmosphere. Pick a bottle of wine from the extensive cellar, sit back and enjoy the caring McLaren Vale hospitality. Events and Group Bookings | Reservations recommended Walk Ins Welcome Cnr Main Rd and Chalkhill Rd McLaren Vale 5171 SA Check out our current menu online or check out our Facebook for upcoming music and events! Open Dinner 5 - 9 pm Everyday Lunch 12 - 3 pm Friday thru Sunday p: (08) 8323 8618 w: www.thebarnbistro.com.au 58
Normanville’s best kept secret Open for brunch and lunch 7 days Open for tapas and evening meals Thursday to Sunday Fabulous food from the Fleurieu The Court House: 52 Main Street, Normanville, South Australia Phone: (08) 8558 3532 Email: court.house@optusnet.com.au
Kangaroo Island
Explore More! Special KI Farmers’ Market Fares Join a selection of Kangaroo Island’s top food producers at the Kangaroo Island Farmers’ Market. Purchase a range of fresh local produce from the very people who grow, farm or make it. Tastings, breakfast, coffee and a great village atmosphere are all on offer. • First Sunday of the month (extra markets held in summer) • Return ferry fare from Cape Jervis • Markets are only a few minutes walk from ferry From $36 return per person*
Coopers Kangaroo Island Cup 14 – 16 February Coopers Long Lunch Day Package - 16th February 2014 Includes return ferry and transfers, entry to Coopers Long Lunch Marquee, 4-course lunch and drinks. Departing Adelaide from $328 per person* Departing Cape Jervis from $286 per person* KI Cup Self-Drive Package Includes return ferry with car, overnight accommodation and general admission entry to the races. From $234 per person*
3-Day Romantic Hideaway Package Package includes: • Return ferry fares for 2 adults and your car • 2 nights accommodation in a Sea View Room at the Aurora Ozone Hotel, Kingscote • Welcome bottle of Kangaroo Island wine • $84 dinner voucher for the Ozone Restaurant • Picnic basket lunch • Fully cooked breakfast each day From $461 per person*. Departs daily.
Kangaroo Island Source Cooking Class Discover the Kangaroo Island Farmers’ Market with local chef and foodie, Kate Sumner from Kangaroo Island Source. Enjoy a gourmet lunch prepared and cooked by you! • Return ferry with transfers to/from the Farmers’ Market and Kangaroo Island Source • Sample and select local produce from the markets to use in your cooking class From $135 per person*
Kangaroo Island Feastival 24 – 28 April Feast KI Day Package - 26th April 2014 Includes return ferry and coach transfers, Island Beehive factory tour and entry to Feast KI. From $130 per person* Self-Drive Packages Includes return ferry with car and 2 nights accommodation. Just add your choice of food and wine events. From $243 per person*
3-Day Food & Wine Lovers Package Package includes: • Return ferry fares for 2 adults and your car • 2 nights accommodation in a Sorrento’s Room at Kangaroo Island Seafront, plus breakfast • Welcome bottle of Kangaroo Island wine • $60 dinner voucher for Penny’s Restaurant • Gourmet lunch at Dudley Wines • Sunset Winery platter and wine tasting From $477 per person*. Departs daily.
3-Day Vivonne Bay Lodge Package Experience wildlife, adventure and spectacular scenery on your own self-drive holiday staying at Vivonne Bay Lodge, set on 206 hectares of natural Australian bushland with 1km of beach frontage. Centrally located to many of the island’s top attractions, Vivonne Bay Lodge is a fantastic choice for your Kangaroo Island accommodation. Package includes: • Return ferry fares and a standard size vehicle • 2 nights accommodation at Vivonne Bay Lodge (private room with shared bathroom) • Continental breakfast daily • Adventure Ticket - kayaking, bike riding and sand boarding • BBQ packs available for purchase From $176 per person* based on quad share in a private room and taking one car
Call 13 13 01, visit sealink.com.au or your travel agent *Conditions apply, pleaser refer to sealink.com.au for details. Prices valid to 31 March 2014. ABN 69 007 122 367, TTA 64062
Best biscuits
and great cake One seasoned chef and two discerning cooks share their traditional holiday season baking regimen. Photographs by Heidi Linehan. Baking by The Fleurieu Kitchen. Karena Armstrong
Family Ginger Bread Men
Christmas for our family is about the food. These gingerbread men are something we do every year a few weeks before Christmas. Our three boys all get very hands-on and the result is very abstract but they love helping. The house smells of ginger and that just sings Christmas to me. They get hung on the tree as decorations but rarely make it to Christmas day.
125g soft butter 2/3 cup (100g) firmly packed dark brown sugar 30g fresh ginger 1/3 cup (125g) raw honey 1 egg 2 他 cups (375g) plain white flour 1tsp bi-carb 1/2 tsp ground white pepper 1 tsp cinnamon Pre-heat the oven to 180C and line 2 large baking sheets with baking paper. Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Grate the ginger with a microplane or chop very finely and add to the bowl. Cream the butter, sugar and ginger until light and aerated. Add the honey and egg and fold in until combined. Sift over the flour, bi-carb, pepper and cinnamon. Fold into the biscuit mix, combine well without over-working and roll into a dough. Wrap in cling film and rest for 15-20 minutes. Roll to 5mm thickness on a well-floured bench and cut with Christmas cutters. You can poke a hole through the gingerbread if you would like to hang them from the Christmas tree. Combine all the excess dough into a ball and rest again for 15 minutes then re-roll and cut. Bake for 12minutes or until light brown. Cool on a wire baking rack. To Decorate Icing Sugar Boiling water Food colouring Sprinkles/smarties/raisins/cherries How much icing you make will vary according to your creative ambitions. I find it best to sift 1 cup of pure icing sugar, add a few drops of food colouring and then a teaspoon of boiling water at a time until you get a good consistency. You can buy disposable piping bags that make this job less messy, but my boys love being given free range. Newspaper under their work area makes clean-up easy. Let your gingerbread men dry well before hanging up. >
Tableware furnished by Coast by Design. Baking for the photo shoot by Mel Amos at The Fleurieu Kitchen. 60
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Mel Amos For as long as I can remember, Sunday breakfast or brunch, has always been a tradition. As a child, there would be a big English breakfast style fry-up (insisted on by my Dad, much to Mum’s horror). In my late teens and early twenties it was a stroll to one of the trendy cafés in Subiaco (WA) to have endless coffees and whatever brunch was necessary to ease the hangover of the night before! We would sit and watch the world go by and solve everyone’s problems. Then along came my husband, a little more maturity (and fewer hangovers!), and our Sunday morning brunches were often preceded by a bike-ride followed by a homemade brunch chosen from one of the far too many cookbooks/foodie magazines on the bookshelf. Fast-forward to here and 2 kids later – and the Sunday brunch still lives strong. One of our favourites is this strawberry and hazelnut loaf with ricotta cream (inspired of course by one of the far too many cookbooks on my book shelf!) I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Strawberry & Hazelnut Loaf with Ricotta Cream (makes one loaf) Loaf 120g unsalted butter 1 cup (220g) caster sugar Finely grated zest of 1 orange 3 free-range eggs 2/3 cup (190g) thick Greek-style natural yoghurt 1 cup (145g) plain flour 2/3 (80g) cup hazelnut meal 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon pinch of salt 1 1/4 cups (250g) of chopped strawberries plus extra strawberries to serve 150g chopped, toasted hazelnuts Maple syrup (or honey) and mint to serve Ricotta Cream 300g fresh ricotta 100ml pure (thin) cream 2 tbs caster sugar 40ml Frangelico liqueur (optional) or fresh orange juice (for an alcoholfree version) Finely grated zest of 1 orange Preheat oven to 160C. Line a 1.5L loaf tin with baking paper. In a mixer beat butter, sugar and zest until thick, pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add yoghurt and hazelnut meal and beat to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pinch of salt and fold in gently with a spatula, taking care not to over-mix. Fold in the chopped strawberries. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 20mins and then turn out to cool completely. Meanwhile for the ricotta cream, gently combine all ingredients and stir until smooth. To serve, place 2 thick slices of the loaf (warmed in the oven or toaster if desired) on a plate, serve with the ricotta, extra strawberries and toasted hazelnuts. Add a drizzle of maple syrup and garnish with fresh mint. >
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New Zealand Shortbread
Merenia Vince
250g butter 1 cup (140g) pure icing sugar 1 cup (140g) cornflour 2 cups (280g) plain flour
I grew up in country New Zealand where the farmhouse morning tea was a major tradition. Any country housewife worth her salt kept several biscuit tins full of home baked goodies at the ready for expected and unexpected guests.
Preheat the oven to 160C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Place trays in fridge to chill. Cream butter and icing sugar. Sift flour and cornflour together. Mix flour and cornflour mixture into butter mixture (being careful not to over-mix or the shortbread will be tough). Roll into logs about 4cm diameter, wrap in clingwrap, chill in fridge for 30 minutes. Slice 5mm slices from the logs and place on cold baking trays. Prick each slice with a fork. Bake for 15-20 minutes until firm but still pale. Authentic shortbread has no colour.
NZ morning-tea fare has a tradition of frugality, and was substantial and generous rather than extravagant. Always, ALWAYS one of those tins would house fruitcake. Another would very likely hold an old-fashioned ‘slice’ like ginger crunch made from store-cupboard ingredients, and yet another tin would contain simple biscuits, quite probably ANZACs or peanut brownies. Scones and pikelets were also inevitable but were whipped up fresh while guests waited. Near Christmas time, simple meltin-the-mouth shortbread was ubiquitous, a tradition no doubt stemming from New Zealand’s significant number of early Scottish settlers. Shortbread was also made as a gift at Christmas time, and carried a slightly competitive pressure. Mass production of shortbread, made with icing sugar and cornflour, was a standard Christmas preparation in our household. My Mum has proudly handed over her recipe. Invite your neighbour over for a festive cup of tea and shortbread ... and don’t forget to have at least three other tins of something ready as well.
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Wine, Beers and Kitchen at Ekhidna Winery Open for lunch 7 days a week and dinner Friday and Saturday evenings Full a la carte menu featuring fresh, local produce $5 beer tasting flights Cnr of Kangarilla and Foggo Road, Mclaren Vale For more info call 08 8323 8496 or contact sales@ekhidnawines.com.au
Willunga Willunga Portrait Portrait Co. Co. Weddings Weddings ·· Portraits Portraits ·· Events Events
South Australian wedding photography specialising in the Fleurieu Region. Telephone: 0409242570 Email: info@willungaportraitcompany.com www.willungaportraitcompany.com
Curtains · Blinds · Shutters · Interiors Phone: 83828116 · Mobile: 0421 795 994 Visit our showroom: Shop 4 / 3-9 Gawler Street Port Noarlunga Email: creativemood@adam.com.au www.creativemoodsa.com.au
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WINNER - HOSTED ACCOMMODATION - 2013 STATE TOURISM AWARDS WINNER - LUXURY ACCOMMODATION - 2012 STATE TOURISM AWARDS
Aldinga Central Shopping Centre is located on Aldinga Beach Road and a short walk to the beach. We have two supermarkets and 30 specialty shops – something for everyone. Visit us on our website or like us on Facebook to find out more; aldingacentral.com.au facebook.com/AldingaCentral
This luxury award-winning boutique hotel offers five modern Asian-themed suites along with professional and discreet service. Chef Juliet Michell prepares guest breakfasts, and for the public Saturday night in The Australasian Dining Room presents a 3 course, Asian-inspired set menu. 1 Porter Street, Goolwa. T: 08 8555 1088 www.australasian1858.com
Discover the fine mix of food, wine, art and ale! Red Poles Restaurant / Cellar Door / Art Gallery / B&B
Delight all your senses and also embrace live music, and an art gallery amongst lawns, gardens and vineyards! The cellar door for Brick Kiln wines and Vale Ale craft beers is set in an ambient courtyard. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 9 to 5 190 McMurtrie Road McLaren Vale Phone: 08 8323 8994 / 0417 814 695 redpoles@redpoles.com.au | www.redpoles.com.au
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PENINSULA PEOPLE
Packed to the Rafters star (and Fleurieu regular) Erik Thomson has come to realise that
‘Things have a habit of working themselves out ...’ I first came to the Fleurieu Peninsula 16 years ago to meet my new girlfriend’s parents, arriving late at night after a long drive from Melbourne. I knew they lived on a vineyard, but hadn’t really given it much thought (well perhaps just a little)! When the sun came up the next morning I was the first to rise and found myself over-looking their vineyard, nestled into the hills at the end of McMurtrie Road, framed by river red gums and bathed in dawn’s dusty blue light. There was a peace and familiarity to it and I knew at that moment that my time here would not be fleeting. A couple of years later I married my girlfriend, Caitlin, and in doing so formalised my relationship with this part of the world. I was brought up in Tauranga, the ‘capital’ of the Bay of Plenty on New Zealand’s North Island: a very lush and fertile part of the country with high sunlight hours and rich volcanic soil. It was then a busy port and a provincial service centre for the dairy and citrus industries, before being overwhelmed in the 80s by the Chinese gooseberry, later to become known as kiwifruit. The Kaimai ranges to the west overlooked the hinterland as it meandered to the beautiful coastline where fishermen, surfers and sailors shared their love of the sea. Farmers, horticulturalists, artisans, entrepreneurs and bogans rounded-out the land-based element of the population. Given this, it’s not surprising that the Southern Vales area of the Fleurieu Peninsula captured my attention; there was a real familiarity to it. The Onkaparinga ranges to the east, the fertile valleys striped with vines, the many artisans, surfers, viticulturists, entrepreneurs … and of course the South Australian variety of bogan – which numbers among the finest in the world. (I proudly consider myself part-bogan, so use the term with a degree of affection.) Another major contributor to the sense of belonging that I have is the family history in the region into which I have married. My wife Caitlin is half-Dowie. Her grandmother, the late Peg Dowie (nee Burden) owned the old Seaview Hotel on Port Road, Port Willunga: the grand old sandstone house where the bodies of the drowned Star of Greece sailors were laid out on the slate flag stones. Caitlin and her cousins spent much of their childhood running around the sand dunes of the same beach our own children now run on. Peg owned
several properties in the old survey before selling them for a song in the 70s. She, too, had holidayed there as a child, which puts the family’s involvement in Port Willy at around the hundred-year mark ... at least. Caitlin’s grandfather, Dr Donald Dowie (an ex-Changi and ’56 Antarctic expedition veteran) still kicking on at 96 and still lives in Willunga. Her Uncle Drew makes up half of the Dowie Doole label, Uncle Roddy is a local pastor and Caitlin’s mother, Susie Parkinson (nee Dowie) along with her stepfather Tony Parkinson, own Penny’s Hill Winery. Her cousin Emily owns The Currant Shed, Aunt Penny is a well-known Adelaide artist – as was Caitlin’s great Uncle John Dowie OAM, sculptor of the Queen and ‘the girl with the pigtails on the slippery-dip’ in Rundle Mall. The Dowies’ roots go deep into this land and community and so I feel a strong connection by association and am very proud of their collective legacy. We rather impulsively bought a house in Port Willunga, in 2006. I was doing Getaway for Channel Nine at the time and didn’t need to be based in Sydney, so it was the perfect opportunity to grab a piece of Port Willunga and live here between trips. I had intended to work on the show for 3-5 years but the network cut me loose after one because I was too good-looking, smart and somewhat wasted on their small-minded, feeble excuse for entertainment ... or at least that’s what I told myself. In truth I just got retrenched. ‘Boned’ I think is the word! Things have a habit of working themselves out though, and a little show called ‘Packed to the Rafters’ came along late in 2007 and took care of the next 5 years for me. We have lived half the time in Sydney and half in Port Willunga, while having and bringing up a couple of children. It’s been a great mix of the speedy, city life and idyllic, semi-rural beachside wind-down. Both of my children swam in the sea for the first time down next to the old jetty at Port Willunga. Now with ‘Rafters’ over we are looking forward to spending more time here. Beginning with a long, hot summer of early morning swims and sandcastle construction and destruction ... spending time with the extended family, friends and the wider community. A few waves at Gulls, a couple of doughnut holes from Homegrain, landing a few silver whiting off Port Willunga beach, and many a sunset spent to the sound of tribal drumming at the old jetty. Same as last year, and the year before that: it never loses its appeal. 69
Destination Port Elliot Port Elliot has emerged as a cultured and sophisticated place to shop, relax, dine and unwind. There is something for everyone here: foodies, surfers, literary lovers, artists, swimmers, pie lovers, families and cyclists. Photography: Emme Jade Hair and Makeup: Arora Lumsden and Nadia Haddrick of Kink Hair.
Shot on location at Horshoe Bay. Clothing from All That Jazz Furniture and accessories from Coast by Design.
This page: Shot on location at Coast by Design Furniture from Coast Clothing from All That Jazz Next Page: Clothing and Jewellery from All That Jazz
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Emma Craig
Manager: Marketing and Communications, Penny’s Hill Emma loves the lifestyle that the Fleurieu offers, with spectacular beaches, local wineries all just around the corner ... and Kangaroo Island – a favourite holiday destination is just a stone’s throw away. Having a particular passion for Marketing brands with substance and a ‘good tale’, in mid-2013 she jumped at the opportunity to join the team at Penny’s Hill. ‘I couldn’t be happier right now: I leave my home every morning and drive just 20 minutes to the beautiful setting of Penny’s Hill, I work for a proudly South Australian brand and I get to eat and drink some of the best our region has to offer.’
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Shanti van Vliet
Real Estate Agent, First National Willunga Shanti grew up in Willunga and worked locally in hospitality before embarking on a career in real estate, currently qualifying for Property Sales, Auctioneering and Agency Management. Shanti’s natural ability in customer service and local knowledge are the key assets she brings to the First National team. She enjoys working and living on the Fleurieu with all the fabulous events and people that she meets. ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’, Shanti quotes!
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Previous Page: Shot on location at Horseshoe Bay. Clothing from All That Jazz This Page: Shot on location at All That Jazz Clothing and furniture from All That Jazz Jewelry from Coast by Design
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The Port Elliot / Victor Harbor Page
i n de pe n de n t b o ok store in t he hea rt of Port El l iot Mo n day to Satu rday ² 10.00a m-5.00p m S u n days a n d P u b l ic Hol idays ² 11.00a m - 4.00p m c los ed Tu e s days 53 No rt h Terrac e , Port El l iot, SA 5212 (08) 8554 ² 2 301
Wine and dine in our gourmet cafe restaurant featuring local organic produce. Rejuvenate and revitalise with our advanced clinical treatments Come for a visit OR Stay in our elegant accommodation. Also available for weddings and functions. Ph 8554 2088 14-30 Waterport Rd Pt Elliott SA E: info@authenticity.com.au W: authenticity.com.au
Cutting Edge Salon Wedding Hair & Make Up Stockist of Keune Products Cloud 9 Styling Tools Gift Vouchers
T: 8552 2268
Layby Welcome
Shop 2 Harbor Traders. Victoria Street, Victor Harbor
JELLY the general
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Fresh local Fleurieu produce Capturing the spirit, quirkiness and flavours of Pt Elliot. 76
Seafront Central Location. Delightful heritage style accommodation and dining on the seafront. Central to shops and tourist sites. Balcony rooms with sea views and spas. Licensed café restaurant wine bar open 7 days. Free Wi-Fi. Off street parking.
Ph: 85525970
21 Flinders Parade Victor Harbor. www.anchorageseafronthotel.com
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We would be delighted if you could join us at our cellar door for a structured tasting. A member of our informed Oliver's Taranga team will lead you through an exclusive selection of limited edition and museum wines, whilst enjoying a sample of local produce including our exclusive '1841' extra virgin
olive oil and our 'Ambush Hill' aged red wine vinegar. Snapshot this add to receive a two for one tasting. Available Friday through to Monday. Bookings essential. 08 8323 8498 | sally@oliverstaranga.com 246 Seaview Road, McLaren Vale SA
One rare bird
Jason Porter learns of a local parrot on the critically endangered list. Illustration by Nicholas Pike. Not long after moving to the Fleurieu a decade or so ago, I learned of the plight of our endangered hooded plover population (Thinornis rubricollis). These birds make their nests on our local beaches up near the dunes above the high tide mark. This occurs during the spring and summer, which is of course when people are most prevalent (often walking dogs) among their natural habitat. However, much has been done to increase public awareness of the plovers’ plight – and the fact that I have spotted these birds on the beach on numerous occasions over the past few years would indicate that their numbers are thankfully on the increase. Recently however, I was quite surprised to learn of yet another ‘rare bird’ – the orange bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster). This is a small and colourful broad tailed grass parrot that – if you’re exceptionally lucky – can be found feeding on samphire plants along the Coorong during the winter months. They are normally found in south western Tasmania, but the entire population migrates across Bass Strait during winter in search of warmer climes. The entire population this year being 17 or so birds. … and no, that’s not a typo … 17! First discovered in 1790 by ornithologist John Latham, he originally called the species ‘chrysogaster ‘ (which in Ancient Greek translates as ‘golden belly’). It was however renamed in 1926 by the Royal Australian Ornithologists’ Union (now Birdlife Australia) to the orange bellied parrot. Although there are a number of captive breeding programs in place (accounting for almost 300 birds) as insurance against the very real threat of extinction, this breeding season only 17 birds returned to the annual migration area at the Melaleuca outpost in Tasmania. This number is down on the previous year by more than half, not only putting the species on the critically endangered list, but making it one of the world’s rarest bird species.
Although there are a number of captive breeding programs in place (accounting for almost 300 birds) as insurance against the very real threat of extinction, this breeding season only 17 birds returned to the annual migration area at the Melaleuca outpost in Tasmania. This number is down on the previous year by more than half, not only putting the species on the critically endangered list, but making it one of the world’s rarest bird species. principles of conservation genetics, a population requires about 2530 genetic ‘founders’ to remain viable as a species. While there are several hundred birds in the captive breeding programs, they only carry the genes of six or so founders. This has apparently already led to some undesirable characteristics resulting from in-breeding. The ‘OBP’ is lucky in that it has had many dedicated scientists and concerned individuals fighting for its cause for decades now, but this is a long and arduous process that will hopefully reap rewards in the years to come. I’ll certainly be keeping a lookout for them from now on. In fact I’m making it a personal goal of mine to try and spot one in the wild! I won’t be holding my breath though. If you’d like to learn more about these elegant looking birds, or what you might be able to do to help save them, you can start by visiting the following reference websites; https://www.facebook.com/savetheobp http://savetheobp.blogspot.com.au/
Prompted by this low number of breeding pairs, scientists decided to release 24 birds into the wild.
An interesting video produced by Flinders University: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdyYm0eUr6o
As Annie Huntley from the ‘orange bellied parrot recovery team’ explains in her insightful video (see link at right), according to the
The most recent report on the release of 24 birds into the wild: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-19/new-release-boosts-parrotnumbers/5103474
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Authenticity Spa Resort Childhood memories gave Gregory Damaskos the inspiration to create a romantic manor house spa on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula. Story by Merenia Vince. Photographs by Grant Beed.
Based on the European principle of the rest cure, Authenticity Spa Resort is for gentle nourishment of body and soul, a place of tranquillity rather than a regimented health retreat. ... ‘This is not a boot-camp’. From an early age Gregory Damaskos was ushered onto the train in his home city, the bustling metropolis of Athens, to visit his Grandmother in Germany. He travelled alone, day and night, from the warm Mediterranean south to the alpine tranquillity of Lindenberg, the small resort in South Germany where his Grandmother lived. Ringed by lush meadows, woodlands and snowy alps, known for its pure air and spa water, the medieval town of Lindenberg has a long tradition as a health resort destination that is still popular today. For a treat Gregory’s grandmother would take him to dine at one of the elegant spa hotels. Even as a small child he sensed the romance of the tiny town and its old institutions. But there were more delights in store. Near Lindenberg was his Aunt’s forest home on the edge of a lake, where young Gregory revelled in the cosy hospitality of feather quilts and abundant country food. Years later, living on the other side of the world, he eventually had a chance to translate those magical childhood memories into his own spa, creating a warm-climate variation on the European tradition. He fell in love with an historic estate near Port Elliot, in the Mediterranean landscape of the Fleurieu Peninsula. Hidden in acres of botanic garden, the manor house was reminiscent of a grand old Venetian villa. An unashamed romantic, Gregory purchased the beautiful 40-acre property and embracing the nostalgia of the house and grounds he created ‘a place of enchantment’. Authenticity Resort has all of Gregory’s marvellous history woven into it. It is a premier spa with an air of the old world, a touch of the fairy-tale, and a twist >
Previous page: A restful space in the former ballroom. Top: The manor house at Authenticity Spa Resort. Above: Gregory Damaskos.
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Above left: The elegantly worn staircase at the end of the hallway leads to the opulent upstairs suites. Above right: Guest rooms are decorated in rich Venetian colours, vintage furniture, ornate mirrors, elegant artworks (and no televisions).
of the Mediterranean. Here, in this idyllic setting, guests enjoy luxury accommodation, gourmet cuisine and a comprehensive range of beauty, spa and health treatments. Based on the European principle of the rest cure, Authenticity Spa Resort is for gentle nourishment of body and soul, a place of tranquillity rather than a regimented health retreat. An experienced psychotherapist and naturopath, Gregory explains, ’we live in a society where everything is about attainment, goals, objectives … whereas the environment here is engineered to promote and invite being. This is not a boot-camp’. He rejects any hint of the corporate. While the service is impeccable and friendly, the staff is unobtrusive, preserving a laidback atmosphere. Commendably there are no TVs in the bedroom suites, but in return visitors have full run of the charming home and grounds. Authenticity Spa is cocooned in natural beauty. Magnificent old trees dot the grounds: Morton Bay figs, Cyprus, olive and almond trees dating back to settlers’ days are dotted through the park-like gardens, giving cool green shade for summer. Sweeping lawns give way to the distant vista of the coast and the sparkling blue of the Southern Ocean. Old-fashioned flowering shrubs and ornamental grapevines create peaceful garden rooms. Wrapped round the cultivated garden are thirty acres of vineyard, adding to the Mediterranean air as well 82
as supplying wine for the cafe. Beyond is the gentle backdrop of the Mount Lofty foothills tapering out to the plains and ocean. Indoors, Gregory has celebrated the beauty and personality of the home by gentle maintenance rather than immaculate renovation. ‘The building has a life of its own and I wanted to harness that’, he says. Celebrating the heritage character he has decorated with rich Venetian colours, vintage furniture, ornate mirrors and elegant art works, creating a dreamy atmosphere of faded grandeur. The heart of the house is the former ballroom, now a restful living space decorated in traditional European style with plush sofas and shelves of books. Original stained glass doors open from the living area to a shady verandah and rambling gardens. An elegantly worn staircase leads to the upstairs suites, each opulently furnished in differing tones. Organza curtains flutter at the the deeply recessed windows giving glimpses of vineyards, garden, ocean and foothills beyond. Like many old South Australian residences, there are some cracks on the walls, the timber floors are not perfectly level and sometimes the paint’s peeled, but by accepting the lovely quirks rather than erasing them, Gregory has only added to the beauty.
Top: Warm evenings can be enjoyed by the swimming pool. Above left: Old-fashioned flowering shrubs and ornamental grapevines create peaceful garden rooms. Above right: The heart of the house is the former ballroom, now a restful living space decorated in traditional European style with plush sofas and shelves of books. Original stained glass doors open from the living area to a shady verandah and rambling gardens. .
Built in settlers’ days when Port Elliot was in its heyday as a sea and river-port, the perfectly proportioned, two-storey villa of bluestone and sandstone was always meant to be grand. Established for a gentleman and his family in 1861 it included the ballroom and parlours, an elaborately arched portico and circular driveway, and was sufficiently luxurious to be used as Governor William Jervois’ summer residence in 1878-1879. Now, as a spa, the spacious house and grounds easily absorb the guests. Day visitors coming and going are barely noticeable, while overnight guests can imagine they are the lord and lady of the manor. Gregory observes: ‘this is because the configuration of the home is always intimate, yet big enough for everyone’. Authenticity is renowned for its gourmet vegetarian food served in the vibrant daffodil-yellow café. Open daily for lunch and dinner to Spa guests as well as to outside visitors, it draws on the Mediterranean tradition, offering a varied menu of Italian, Moroccan , and MiddleEastern influenced food. Gregory reports that although he never aimed to persuade his visitors of the vegetarian lifestyle, some guests are so inspired they go home converted. In keeping with the Mediterranean ideal, the joyfully-coloured cafe spills out of the manor house into an Italianate courtyard. Shaded
by rambling grapevines and with an historic well at the centre, the courtyard is a favourite place on warm evenings, where local musicians gently entertain guests. Authenticity is largely a word-of-mouth place, and leafing through the guestbook, the word is clearly out. The spa has some famous patrons; I see the names of several celebrity chefs who clearly love Authenticity’s food, and others – some from celebrated South Australian families – who obviously adore the peace and quiet. After sixteen years of creating true enchantment, Gregory is ready to take this premier spa even further. Authenticity will open its own cellar door next year, retailing the biodynamic wine currently served at the cafe. Council approval has also been granted to build self-contained eco-cottages, a conference area, and a yoga room, which Gregory aims to design in careful harmony with the heritage nature of the estate. Eager to contribute to the revegetation of the peninsula and restore habitat for wildlife, Gregory is also commissioning an extensive indigenous botanic garden and wetland to the rear of the property. The chance to rest and relax is a rare delight in modern life and there could be no lovelier place to escape than to Authenticity Spa. A fragment of the old world, it offers beauty and peace to refresh body and soul. 83
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LIVE THE ADVENTURE!
Fleurieu Peninsula, the place to be! Stunning natural scenery of rolling hills and vineyards, broken only by picturesque beaches and rugged coastlines. If your interest is in food, wine, culture, nature and wildlife - the Fleurieu Peninsula provides a fantastic backdrop.
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So much to do, so much to see! Just 45 minutes from Adelaide, the Fleurieu Peninsula offers a tapestry of experiences showcasing the best of South Australia. For more information, please go to www.fleurieupeninsula.com.au
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Rapid Bay a lasting impact Troy Smedley reflects on his time growing up in the Rapid Bay general store.
On any weekend, come rain, hail or shine devoted fishing and diving enthusiasts will be out wetting a line or exploring the wonderful world from below the jetty. It’s quite easy to be nostalgic when it comes to memories of our past; and for me those memories are vividly rekindled by a visit to Rapid Bay on the southern tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula. I have so many great memories of my youth spent living, playing and growing up in this little township, twenty minutes south of Yankalilla. For many, Rapid Bay is merely a road sign passed on the way to Cape Jervis as they drive to the ferry where they’ll holiday and adventure on Kangaroo Island. For me, my adventures at Rapid Bay eclipse any other. I grew up in the local store where my parents were the last shopkeepers of the general store and bottle shop. As there were few kids in the town – seven was the most at one stage – we were all quite self-motivated in occupying our time. Despite living next to one of the State’s best fishing spots I had little interest in fishing, so sport and the old cricket ball hanging from the clothes line took up a lot of my time in between shifts and jobs in our store, which included serving customers, bagging bait and filling shelves. Rapid Bay for many years now has been like driving into a lost ghost town – even though it played a very important role in the discovery and development of South Australia. Population in any rural community is a key factor to success and long term sustainability, but comparing the Rapid Bay of today, to that of the past, the figures stack up quite differently. On the 8th September 1886 Colonel William Light made his first landfall on mainland South Australia and named this new land
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discovery after his brig, the ‘Rapid’, founding what is now Rapid Bay. He carved his initials, ‘WL’ into a large boulder to mark his landing. This boulder is now housed in the South Australian Museum, with a replica situated at Rapid Bay next to the camping grounds. It wasn’t until 1938, after the discovery of limestone and iron ore, that one of Australia’s largest mining companies, BHP, first injected commitment and financial interest into this breezy little town. At this time they provided the township with housing, single men’s quarters (which later became the town hall) power, a store – and most significantly, a jetty ... from which to load limestone straight from the quarry to ships bound for Port Adelaide and beyond. 1942 saw the first mining operations commence in the town. A few years later in 1950 the Rapid Bay Primary School was opened to educate the mining families’ children along with neighbouring farm children. The school still operates with a staff of 5 teachers and 40 pupils from reception to grade seven. The construction of the jetty had a profound influence on the marine life and gave credibility to Rapid Bay being one of the great recreational fishing and diving spots in South Australia. On any weekend, come rain, hail or shine devoted fishing and diving enthusiasts will be out wetting a line or exploring the wonderful world below the jetty. While the discovery of the Leafy Sea Dragon at Rapid Bay has delighted divers from around the world: in awe of catching a glimpse of this endangered species in its natural environment. A festival named in honour of the Leafy Sea Dragon, and celebrating the great marine contribution of the region takes place every two years in and around Normanville and Yankalilla. As in any seaside location, the weather always plays a major part in activities – winter is cold and extreme and summer is full of tourists beating the heat.
On the 8th September 1886 Colonel William Light made his first landfall on mainland South Australia and named this new land discovery after his brig, the ‘Rapid’, founding what is now Rapid Bay. He carved his initials, ‘WL’ into a large boulder to mark his landing. This boulder is now housed in the South Australian Museum, with a replica situated at Rapid Bay next to the camping grounds.
The best by far though, are my memories of Saturday cricket at the oval: the day finishing with a BBQ and drinks at the little club house; the yellow school bus rides from Rapid Bay to Yankalilla, taking forever just to get up the main Rapid Bay hill; and endlessly playing in the big old trees that surround the town. When the quarry had their blast days, witnessing firsthand the massive explosions was pretty good too. Also making for great childhood entertainment, every summer some tourist or other would get stuck on the cliff-face overlooking the town. The rescue helicopter would come from Adelaide to make the rescue. Over summer we also had numerous call-outs to fires on the hill or in the camp grounds. As in any country town it was all hands on deck when the Rapid Bay cliff and hills were on fire ... and I still have vivid memories of being out there fighting the flames. The Adelaide Crows, when they first joined the AFL, had their preseason camps at Rapid Bay and Nigel Smart’s fire-walking episode – famously or infamously – took place there. In my life today, living in Brisbane, I have great delight in trying to explain where Rapid Bay is on the map and even greater delight in watching the response when referencing that in my time at Rapid Bay the population of our town was only 24 people. So for Rapid Bay, a once thriving mining town, that continues to be a marine playground for so many visitors, has had a lasting impact on many lives. From the great beauty as you transcend the hill into the township, the mining history of years gone by; or, for me, growing up in the town and playing cricket on the best cricket ground on the Fleurieu, Rapid Bay is the true secret of the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Previous page: The Rapid Bay jetty as it appears today. Photograph by Les Haines. This page top: The general store and bottle shop as it looked when Troy’s family ran the business. This page centre: The rolling hills that lead down to the beach. This page bottom: The original jetty.
So be it a Sunday drive, taking the kids for a fishing adventure ... or simply for a chance to be surrounded by the beauty that is Rapid Bay, a trip to the town that I dearly love is sure to have a lasting impact on you, too.
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Solarsuit success
Leonie Porter-Nocella looks into Susan Craig and Solarsuit’s connection with the Fleurieu.
The personal story acts as a backdrop to the ‘professional’ one, in that Susan’s long-time love of outdoor activity led to the creation of her Solarsuit business … as well as to her connection with the Fleurieu. Bushwalking had been a passion since her twenties, with favourite walks including the Heysen Trail from Victor Harbor to Cape Jervis, Deep Creek, Mount Alma, Mount Magnificent, Taliska Park and beaches along Gulf St Vincent. But once her future husband introduced her to boating early in their relationship it had a major influence on their activities, with the (subsequent) family enjoying boating, diving and fishing all around the Fleurieu. But as the family boat was permanently moored at the Wirinna marina it virtually became their second home, where they would arrive after work on a Friday and stay all weekend – enjoying not only the fishing and diving, but also the way of life in and around Normanville and Second Valley. Owing to the family’s increasing involvement in sun-related activities, in 1991 Susan created some neck-to-knee swimwear outfits for her children in preparation for a sun-filled holiday of boating and camping. These new outfits kept a large percentage of the children’s skin safe from the sun’s rays, leaving less of it needing repeated and messy sunscreen application. This saved time, gave her peace of mind and consequently more quality holiday time! But little did she realise at the time that she was pioneering a revolution: a revolution that saw her adding more and more designs ... leading to the creation of Solarsuit, Adelaide, (Lonsdale). The initial product range simply adapted conventional swimwear fabric to cover more of the body, but research showed that this new range really required materials that wouldn’t crack or break down like the current rubber-based, Lycra products. Consequently all Solarsuit swimwear fabrics are now made from a chlorine-resistant fabric that will not break down after exposure to chlorine and other elements, thereby retaining the original UPF rating for much longer. Solarcool, the fabric developed by Solarsuit, is not only sun protective, but keeps the wearer cool. This is achieved via means of a lightweight weave that breathes, combined with a moisture-wicking system. The fabric has also been treated with an anti-bacterial solution that inhibits odour. Win/win/win: fresh, dry and sunsafe under even the hottest of conditions. Solarsuit promptly commissioned the knitting of its own sun-protective swimwear materials, drawing on cutting-edge research. Susan’s designs are all created with quality design and ‘look’ taking a priority. Not only do the products consistently rate in the highest sun protection category but they also use skin-friendly dyes. This is not just
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an important factor for those with sensitive skin, but should also be a consideration for everyone! With such emphasis on the development of a quality product, Solarsuit’s reputation escalated worldwide, so that within five years they grew to be an international company with markets in the US, Dubai, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong; and in addition, was the major supplier to The Cancer Council of Australia for fifteen years. However, about five years ago Susan’s husband was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, resulting in her having to put the business on hold and wind down in order to become a full-time carer for him. MND is a terminal illness with a lifespan after diagnosis of about 2–5 years. It is a progressive disease whereby nerves die, leaving muscles to gradually waste away rendering the patient disabled; eventually unable to walk, talk, swallow, or ultimately, breathe. Sadly, Susan’s husband Derek died two years ago and in the time following this Susan has been gradually rebuilding Solarsuit with a greater emphasis on internet sales. The website, www.solarsuit.com.au was launched last year with part-proceeds of all sales going to much-needed MND research; in particular towards a research project run by Associate Professor Steve Vucic. Susan feels compelled to donate to the research program in the hope that a cure will soon be found for this most devastating and generally under-funded disease. So whenever purchasing a Solarsuit, you, too, will make a valuable contribution to important MND research.
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Langhorne Creek
The little town with big wines Connie Berg explores the flood plains of Langhorne Creek: gold country. Drive about an hour southeast of Adelaide and you’ll be in gold country. Not ‘dip-a-pan-in-the-creek’ gold country, but the home to wineries that have won gold, trophies and medals all over the world. Grape growing is Langhorne Creek’s single greatest industry, and for over six generations local families have been passionate about growing grapes and crafting magnificent wines. Situated at the lowest reaches of the Murray-Darling Basin, on the broad flood plains of the Bremer and Angas Rivers, Langhorne Creek is one town that welcomes floods! When the township floods the fertile sediment in the floodwater is guided into the vineyards and region, and is of great benefit to both the grape vines and the native vegetation – including some of the oldest River Red Gums in Australia. The enormous hand-hewn red gum wine press that Frank Potts built in 1892 for his Bleasdale winery remains proudly displayed at Potts’ cellar door. However, given the unreliability of the drought/flood cycle, locals with topographical wisdom have slowly been changing over to more drought tolerant crops, such as grapes. In fact, the move of wellknown ‘Newman’s Horseradish’ from Tea Tree Gully to Langhorne
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Creek in 1985 was largely an environmental choice. The black, clay soils of the swamp areas proved to be ideal for horseradish ... with Rusticana’s combined cellar door, office, horseradish factory, and kitchen having been built in 1993, by 2002 Anne and Brian had begun making wines. In addition to Cabernet and Shiraz, they also tried Durif and Zinfandel simply ‘because they like them’. (Rusticana is part of the botanical name for horseradish.) The Follett family has grown grapes in the region for over 120 years. They’ve amassed 25 trophies, over 100 gold medals and countless awards, making it the most awarded winery in the region – possibly even in Australia. Lake Breeze Wines was initially established by Ken and Marlene Follett and now run by brothers, Roger, Greg and Tim Follett. Winemaker Greg’s wife Robyn, Vineyard Manager Tim’s wife Dionne, and General Manager Roger’s wife Linda, also work in the business. The Cleggetts have farmed the land at Langhorne Creek since the early 1850s, and have been growing grapes for 100 years. Mac is 5th generation, with the 6th and 7th generation currently living on the original property, where Mac grew up. Cleggett Wines is the home of
The old vines of Cabernet Sauvignon in France were wiped out by Phylloxera in the 19th Century, so Metala, the Adams family’s Brothers in Arms vineyards, are now the oldest. Planted in 1891, the Shiraz and Cabernet vines are known as the Old Blocks and the Cellar Block, and are still hand picked and pruned, and continue to produce premium fruit. two indigenous grape varieties: Bronze Cabernet Sauvignon (originally called Malian) and White Cabernet Sauvignon (Shalistin). Mac discovered, and has carefully propagated these two new Australian grape varieties. He took meticulous notes on his efforts and shared them with CSIRO scientists. Mac’s wife Anne McClennan put her experience in obtaining trademarks to good use and registered them. For Cleggett Wines, natural evolution has created an exciting point of difference in the world of wine. The region is also home to the world’s oldest registered Cabernet Sauvignon vines. The old vines of Cabernet Sauvignon in France were wiped out by Phylloxera in the 19th Century, so Metala, the Adams family’s Brothers in Arms vineyards, are now the oldest. Planted in 1891, the Shiraz and Cabernet vines are known as the Old Blocks and the Cellar Block, and are still hand picked and pruned, and continue to produce premium fruit. > Previous page: The cellar door at Bremerton Wines. Top: The amazing red gum wine press at Bleasdale Wines built by Frank Potts back in 1892. Right: Wedding preparations at The Winehouse. Photograph courtesy of Michelle Cohen. 91
If you’re looking for food to go with your wine, the Wilson sisters at Bremerton offer luscious reds and regionally-inspired local food in their character-filled 1866 stone-barn cellar door, while the new Lake Breeze Cellar Door offers platters and some of the best views at the ‘Creek’. At Angas Plains, the cellar door/restaurant was fitted out in 1996, with Judy and Phillip Cross combining old and new. James Halliday, Australia’s highly regarded wine critic, has voted Angas Plains Estate a 5-star winery in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Wine Companion Book. Scrumptious wines paired with al fresco dining featuring their own PJ’s Sauces can often be enjoyed with live music. In 2002 several Langhorne Creek producers got together to establish a combined cellar door. ‘The Winehouse’ allows variety in the one tasting room. There is a connection between all the labels: Ben Potts Wines, Gipsie Jack, John’s Blend by John Glaetzer, Heartland by Ben Glaetzer and Kimbolton by the Case Family. The collective cellar door is friendly and unique, and allows you to experience most of the region in one stop. It also lays claim to offering the best espresso in town! Recently the locals started a Community Produce Stall on the main street. Stocked with produce from both private and commercial gardens, all proceeds go to help fund the restoration of the old school, which is planned to become a new town centre for tourism and business. But if wine is the lifeblood of the area, it is sport that brings its people together. The community owns its own football, tennis and netball
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facilities. The Langhorne Creek Hawks even operate as a business. Although the club has benefited from grants from the Alexandrina Council from time to time, it’s essentially a community-supported activity, which includes the establishment of a foundation to support young people selected for national competition. The funds raised assist with their travel and development of their sporting skills. Although the town is too small to have an actual tourism or development group, they do have numerous community and sporting clubs. Recently the town residents raised money to enable a local family’s children to go for specialised cystic fibrosis treatment in Melbourne. The cemetery, located off Wellington Road, doubles as a nature reserve. With a revegetation site at its boundary it’s become a haven for interesting birds like grebes, terns, kestrels and swallows. Dog Lake is one of the migration places for the orange-bellied parrot, (see story on page 78 of this issue) which is officially Australia’s most endangered bird and one of Australia’s rarest parrots. The nearby Tolderol Game Reserve was an early experiment in managed wetlands for the purpose of attracting game birds. It contains a series of created wetlands and has now become important breeding and ‘over-winter’ grounds for a large variety of wading birds. It’s partially managed, part wild, and offers a diversity of environments for water birds. If you’re merely driving through you may not see much, but Langhorne Creek has annual events planned throughout the year. Their website has an events listing so you can organise a day or two to spend with friendly people, enjoying their amazing wines and hospitality. You’ll discover a little town with big wines, and an even bigger heart.
Regional and Cellar Door Events in Langhorne Creek www.langhornecreek.com Out of the Barrel - November Vigneron’s Race Day - November Love Langhorne Creek - February Wine Showcase - May Cellar Door Treasures - August Langhorne Creek Writers’ Festival - September Lake Breeze Picnic - October The Angas Plains Grape Stomp - March
Previous page: Enjoying the views and a platter from the cellar door at Lake Breeze. Photo courtesy emme jade. Top left: The cellar door at Rusticana. Top right: Two indigenous grape varieties, Malian and Shalistin, seen here on the same vine at Cleggett Wines. Left: Mac from Cleggett Wines.
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The Langhorne Creek Page
Come and view our magnificent red gum press.
The Home of White Cabernet Sauvignon
Langhorne Road, Langhorne Creek T: 08 85373133 info@cleggettwines.com.au www.cleggettwines.com.au
1640 Langhorne Creek Road, Langhorne Creek Open 10am – 5pm, 7 days a week. 08 8537 3001 www.bleasdale.com.au www.uncledickscellar.com.au
Visit the home of Newmans Horseradish and Rusticana Wines. Open 7 days 10-5 for tastings and sales. newmanshorseradish.com.au
5 award winning Langhorne Creek brands including Ben Potts Wines, Gipsie Jack, Kimbolton and the legendary John’s Blend by John Glaetzer along with Ben Glaetzer’s Heartland. The Winehouse also offers the perfect rustic venue for your wedding reception or conference in our enclosed cobblestone courtyard with feature stone wall.
T: (08) 8537 3441 | thewinehouse.com.au 94
Artist of all trades
Aldinga artist Simon Shorrock talks to Stephanie Johnston about his recent series of paintings documenting some of Adelaide’s major infrastructure projects.
‘It was something I’d never really seen’ the self-taught-painter tells me. ‘I’d never actually seen anyone painting a building site.’ While his recent work may seem like an obvious choice of subject matter for an electrician-turned painter, Sy began by engaging with more experimental styles. A tour of his early work hanging at the Old Vine restaurant in Aldinga reveals a huge variety of approach and subject matter, with some obvious sources of inspiration. There are Picasso-style cubist portraits, Paul Klee-inspired stick figure paintings and a very Sidney Nolanesque series of Ned Kellys. 96
The need to refine and improve on those early experiments, and to develop his own distinctive style led Shorrock to the current series. He found himself thinking about still life compositions of bowls of fruit with a landscape backdrop, and applying that to a construction theme: ‘I think it’s a subject matter that explores a painter’s skill, and I decided it might relate well, given what I had been painting, if I used a group of hard hats or rolls of cable to replace the fruit, and added a related backdrop, in this case the building of the new Seaford Rail bridge.’
The idea to paint construction sites came when Simon (or ‘Sy’ as he is better known) was working at the Aldinga Wastewater Treatment plant a few years back. An electrician by trade, Shorrock only took up painting in oils in 2004, two years before emigrating to Australia from the UK with his wife Manaza. The hard hats also appear in the foreground of a painting of the Adelaide Oval redevelopment site, while another image in a series of paintings of the Adelaide Desalination Plant uses brightly-coloured plastic safety barriers to similar effect. Sy’s work as an electrician has taken him all over Australia. ‘I’ve worked as far out as Woomera, Glendambo and Tarcoola. I took a plane to Kalgoorlie to pick up a truck and drove back to Adelaide across the Nullabor, working on remote Telstra stations,’ he recounts. ‘There’s something about the Fleurieu Hills however, that has always made me feel at home.’ He explains that a large part of that may be because the landscape reminds him of his Lancashire roots in the Ribble Valley and adjacent coastal area of Lytham Saint Annes, near Blackpool. The juxtaposition of machinery and workers in hard hats with the rural landscape introduces a deliberate ‘frontier’ theme to the artist’s work. Sy describes how a painting of a paddock destined for residential development in Aldinga, with excavation machinery in the foreground and a Fleurieu Hills backdrop illustrates this sense of being a ‘pioneer’. He states that he is not particularly opposed to any further expansion of Aldinga for residential purposes: ‘To be honest it’s been kind of a privilege to watch it expand and come to life over the last seven years.’ >
Previous page: Job no.1, Aldinga Water Treatment Plant, 23” x 16”, 2011. Top left: Job no.14, Aldinga Beach Road, 23” x 16”, 2012. Top right: Job no. 8, Adelaide Desal Plant, 23 x 16”, 2012. Right: Artist Sy Shorrock. Photograph by Heidi Linehan. 97
Above left: Job no.3, Aldinga Water Treatment Plant, 23” x 16”, 2011. Above right: Job no.15, Red Crane at Desal, 23” x 16”, 2013.
‘The closer I can get to representing something photographically, the further I feel that I have come with my self-taught skills’, he says, adding that he paints from photographs taken on site.’ When I ask him about technique, and the increasingly realistic nature of his work, Sy explains that while he is by no means at the end destination in his development as an artist, he is happy at this stage to depict a scene exactly as he sees it: ‘The closer I can get to representing something photographically, the further I feel that I have come with my self-taught skills’, he says, adding that he paints from photographs taken on site. Shorrock describes a ‘Being There’ moment with a gardener at the Old Vine, when hanging the exhibition. The gardener told him that while conceptual art and the like alienated him (and perhaps other working men) from any interest whatsoever in modern art, he really liked looking at Sy’s work, because it felt real to him. ‘It was like Peter Sellers had just walked in and had a word with me,’ says Shorrock. Not surprisingly the artist is inspired by the work of Lancashire painter LS Lowry, famous for painting scenes of twentieth century life in the industrial districts of North West England. In stark contrast, he is also attracted to the unruly and boldly coloured vision of
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Austrian Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Australian artists who come to mind include Sydney Nolan, Albert Tucker, Charles Blackman and Howard Arkley. I ask Shorrock whether he sees himself settling in the area permanently. ‘I don’t think I could get the wife to leave, even if I wanted to,’ he jokes. ‘I think when you emigrate, you always question yourself, however. I don’t think that ever goes away. You question whether you’ve done the right thing, because a little bit of you seems to carry on somewhere else.’ Sy was chuffed to sell a painting from his ‘Co-operation in Construction’ series to local member, and Minister for Tourism, Leon Bignell. With more exhibitions in the pipeline this year and next, depicting ordinary working life seems to be working for him, for the time being: ‘This is what interests me at the moment … Just fellows doing what they’re doing.’
Coming soon to the McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Visitor Information Centre! STARTS STARTS SUNDAY SUNDAY 1919 JANUARY JANUARY 1st & 3rd Sunday of each month 9am–1pm
PRODUCE • BAKED & SMALL GOODS • ARTISAN CRAFT • MUSIC & MORE! Main Road, McLaren Vale (08) 8323 9944 www.thevalemarket.com.au
the
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF SURF CULTURE 13 DECEMBER – 19 JANUARY
SURF ART EXHIBITION LAUNCH WHEN FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER, 6–8PM | MUSIC THE ARTISANS DRESS BEACH ATTIRE (best dressed competition and awards) SURF MOVIE SCREENING | Chasing the Surf and 1966 surf classic The Endless Summer WHEN SUNDAY 15 DECEMBER, 6–9.30PM (second screening) BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL | No BYO (bar facilities available) GUINNESS WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT | longest line of boards on the beach WHEN SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER, 1– 3PM MEET PORT NOARLUNGA JETTY
Gawler Street, Port Noarlunga
TICKETS & INFO (08) 8326 5577 or www.onkaparingacity.com/arts
Young guns oiling the wheels of commerce Story by Zannie Flanagan.
The Fleurieu region attracts young entrepreneurs like bees to honey. This is a story about two of them: young men who in less than fifteen years have transformed the region’s olive industry from one of old-world technology and practice, into a modern, hi-tech, whole-ofsupply-chain business. Vince Scarfo and Ed Vercoe’s shared passion for the olive industry has led to the development of a successful joint venture that operates from Vince’s Malpas Road property in the heart of McLaren Vale. The story began with Vince’s father, Dom, who immigrated to South Australia from southern Italy in the ‘50s, and established a successful market garden in the heart of McLaren Vale, where Vince later grew up. When Vince turned eighteen, Dom, who had some experience pressing olives with his uncle in Calabria as a child, thought it would be a smart idea to buy a second-hand hydraulic mat press that was for sale in Adelaide, thinking there might be a future for his sons in the olive business. ‘Really, we knew very little about pressing olives or running the press, but we thought OK, let’s give it a go!’ explained Vince. So they set the press up in a shed on the property and began to press the olives that at that time were grown mostly by Italians and Greeks in the Willunga foothills.
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A few years later, an olive industry renaissance saw a frenzy of olive planting throughout the region. ‘The business evolved year by year, exploding during the late 90s,’ Vince recalls. ‘It became clear that with all the new plantings coming on line, our second-hand mat press wasn’t going to be able to process the tonnes of olives that were going to need harvesting, or give us the oil quality a modern, olive industry was going to demand. We could see we were going to need a centrifugal processing plant capable of processing at least a tonne of olives an hour if we were going to stay relevant. So in 2002 we invested in a state of the art Italian Pieralisi oil processor that centrifugally spins the oil out of the olive paste instead of pressing it hydraulically through hard-to-clean mats. With the new processor, we went from processing 500 tonnes of olives a season to 3,000 tonnes a season and we thought we were the kings of the castle. These days that would probably equal our weekly through-put!’ Meanwhile, Ed Vercoe, son of Adelaide Ear, nose and throat specialist Geoffrey Vercoe, had returned to South Australia after a youthful career as an international pro circuit mountain biker and was a man in need of a project. Like Vince, Ed was inspired and encouraged by his father. ‘I became interested in olives because of my dad who, with four of his medical friends, had invested in a 5,000-tree olive grove in Wakerie in about 1995 and I had found an old grove at Palmer I had started to restore. The trees on both the groves were beginning to come into
‘We now have customers with a label in the market place, who may only walk their grove twice a year. We now manage their grove, harvest their olives, process and store their oil, bottle and package and dispatch pallets to their customers all over the world and as well we produce our own brands. We’re not the biggest in Australia but we like to think we’re the best!’ Vince said with pride. production but no one knew how to get the olives off the trees costeffectively,’ Ed recalled. ‘So in 1999, we brought a French olive tree shaker into Australia from France and began to contract harvest for other growers as well. The machine operated by shaking the olives off the trees onto the ground and proved to be very efficient, but collecting the fruit from the ground mats was really slow. So to solve the problem, Dad and I set about engineering a system that would enable us to mechanically pick the olives up and load them straight into the half-tonne bins following behind the shaker, and from there onto the semi for transport to the press as quickly as possible to ensure quality.’ Impressed by Vince’s serious commitment to the development of a modern, quality-driven olive industry, Ed, who by now had contracts with many of the growers in the region, did a deal with Vince and became his first big customer. After picking all day, Ed would drive his truck filled with bins of freshlyharvested olives, down to Vince’s new processing plant and the two of them would process through the night. ‘Over a number of years and many long nights, we became really good friends,’ Vince recalled. ‘One night we were discussing what the next phase of the industry would look like and realised that what we and our customers were going to require was oil storage and a packaging facility to complete the final stage of the chain.’ So, with the energy of young Titans, the two formed a new company, developed a comprehensive business plan and headed off to see the bank manager. Once their finances had been secured, they set about building oil storage capacity for more than 300,000 litres of oil and installed a state of the art bottling, capping and labelling machine they housed in a purpose-built shed next to the processor. In less than six years their storage capacity had risen from 50,000 litres of oil a year to 300,000 litres. In the 2013 season they processed a phenomenal 600,000 litres of extra virgin olive oil! ‘We now have customers with a label in the market place, who may only walk their grove twice a year. We now manage their grove,
Previous page: Scrumptious looking olives. Above: Ed Vercoe and Vince Scarfo.
harvest their olives, process and store their oil, bottle and package and dispatch pallets to their customers all over the world, and as well we produce our own brands. We’re not the biggest in Australia but we like to think we’re the best!’ Vince said with pride. Ed, echoing Vince, reflected on their journey together. ‘We always thought we’d have our own brands as well as a joint brand and that we would be service-providers to the industry. By joining forces we became stronger, and our friendship has been a big part of our success. We have a lot of fun! While our backgrounds appear very different on the face of it, we’re actually very similar. We both grew up in Australia, we love being outdoors and love growing things, and we both have an innate ability with machinery. We have way more in common than most people realise and are both proud Australians first and foremost.’ 101
2013 Fleurieu Fiesta Olive Awards Announced The winners of the 10th Fleurieu Fiesta Olive Awards were announced recently at a dinner held at The Elbow Room in McLaren Vale, where Chef Nigel Rich presented a celebratory menu highlighting the winning oils. The Awards are an annual event and celebrate the diversity and quality of regional oils and olives and pits them against oils from other regions around Australia. This year the Best of Show award went to Hugo Wines whose oil is produced from olives grown on their small, dry-grown grove at McLaren Flat. The judging panel, headed by chief judge Zannie Flanagan, included sensory expert Briony Liebich, local chef Nigel Rich, guest judge Paul Petanga and trainee judge Esther Alexander. The judges were very impressed by the top oils this year and though the results were very close, when it came to the Best of Show Oil and the Best Olive Award, the judges’ decision was unanimous. The winners of the show were: Best Oil of Show - Hugo (Verdale) Best Olive of Show - Coriole (Verdale) Each year the top four oils are offered for tasting at the Punters’ Pick event held at the Willunga and Victor Harbor Farmers’ Markets. The Punters’ Pick Award this year went to: Nangkita Olives – Koroneiki – Victor Harbor Punters’ Pick Nangkita Olives – Leccino – Willunga Farmers’ Market Punters’ Pick
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This year was Zannie Flanagan’s last year as chief judge of the event she designed ten years ago, but Fleurieu Food will continue to run the region’s flagship food event. ‘I am confident the event is being left in good hands with Briony Liebich as new chief judge and Rachel McMillan as event steward. Briony has a degree in sensory science and has been judging oils now for some time as well as a number of other food events,’ said outgoing judge, Flanagan. ‘I am a professional taster by trade,’ said Briony. ‘I taste beer for a living! Tasting olive oil makes a nice change to my day job!’ The winning oil is available for sale from Hugo Winery Cellar Door at McLaren Flat. If you would like to submit your oil for competition next year please contact Rachel McMillan, Fleurieu Food Chairperson on mobile 0405 264 381.
Oxenberry Farm offers a diverse combination of features. Originally established in 1840 by English settlers William Colton and Charles Hewett, Oxenberry today showcases the region’s best through providing a complete Cellar Door, Café, casual dining and B&B facilities experience, all within a relaxed and picturesque setting. 26-28 Kangarilla Road, McLaren Vale SA 5171 Phone: (08) 8323 0188 Email: info@oxenberry.com Web: www.oxenberry.com
The vision of Tooth 32 is to be the best upmarket dental practice in the growing and prosperous Fleurieu region. We offer our appreciative clientele the opportunity to accept best dental treatment. Tooth 32: Shop 25a Aldinga Central Shopping Centre, Aldinga Beach Road, Aldinga Beach SA 5173 Tel 08 8557 6565 hello@tooth32.com.au www.tooth32.com.au
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C TU R IN G AND C ATE G O TR A D E S R Y M C LA R E N VA B U SI N E LE SS A SS O C IATI O N AW A R D S 20 13
TAKING CONCRETING TO THE NEXT LEVEL SPECIALISING IN WINE INDUSTRY AND RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS CALL AARON OLIVER FOR A QUOTE ON 0407 710 651 Based in the Southern Fleurieu facebook.com/OliverConcreteConstruction
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On Saturday the 16th of November local artist Anna Fenech and graphic designer Chris Harris were married at a secret location on a private property at Kuitpo Forest followed by a reception at Coriole Winery, McLaren Vale. Photography by Jessica Yaeger.
Fleurieu Weddings
Six years ago Chris’s grandfather gave him some money to buy a dining table for his new house – and Anna just happened to be the girl who sold it to him. At the time they were both students, studying at the same campus. When they first started dating there was a bit of an odd moment when ‘the girl who sold Chris the table’ happened to be the girl sitting at it having dinner. They recently sat down at that same table in the forest to sign their wedding certificate. The bride wore a beautiful Art Deco-inspired dress made by her close friend and fashion designer, Sarah Kinghorn, with flowers by Wild 104
Yucca. The groom and groomsmen picked vintage knitted ties from the era of the 50s to the 70s, and the bridesmaids wore dresses also made by Sarah, in shades of pastel pink, yellow, apricot and mint. The bridal party was treated to a ride in a classic red Mustang, and Ford Galaxie convertibles by local mechanic Nigel Williamson, at Mustangs and Australian Classics. Both the bride’s and groom’s wedding bands were made at JamFactory by local jeweller, Kate Sutherland. Anna’s earrings were made by local jeweller Nadja Maher, also at JamFactory.
The wedding was captured by local photographer Jessica Yaeger, and good friend and artist Sam Howie played DJ, mixing songs on vinyl from all eras. At the end of the night all the guests lit sparklers and lined the garden at Coriole as the couple was driven off in their 1971 Morris Mini K. Their mini had been out-of-action for 6 years (breaking down on one of their first dates) and was especially restored to send them off into their new lives together.
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Photo courtesy Heidi Linehan
Announcing the inaugural Fleurieu Four Seasons Prize for Landscape Photography From windswept winter vistas and brooding cloudscapes, to the green renewal of spring. From thirsty landscapes under summer skies, to the softening hues of autumn. Over the coming year capture the essence of four seasons in the forests and farmland, bays and bush-lands of South Australia’s spectacular Western Fleurieu Peninsula. Main prize $15,000 and People’s Choice Award $2,000. For further information and to register; www.fleurieufourseasons.info
PRESENTS
Fringe in the Vale VINTAGE + ARTISAN
McLAREN VALE
OPEN
WINE FOOD ART
First Sunday of the month
10AM 4PM
Y EBRUAR Y 16THRFET SUNDA A B A E C T T & JAZZ & BERNADE LAINIE ISS K AND M
Rosemount Estate Cellar Door 114 Chaffeys Road, McLaren Vale
08 8323 6220 or info@rosemountestate.com.au
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WOODSTOCK WINE ESTATE 215 DOUGLAS GULLY ROAD MCLAREN FLAT SA T: (08) 8383 0156 WOODSTOCKWINE.COM.AU
SATURDAY 8TH MARCH JUNO
Being Social: Tall Poppy Fashion Parade On August 28, Penny’s Hill Winery welcomed beautifully attired guests to a sell-out I am Tall Poppy fashion parade event. The night was a great success with flowing wine, endless delicacies rolling out from The Kitchen Door, gorgeous local models strutting the catwalk with designs from EMU Australia, Layer’d and Naudic … and most importantly, over $2,800 was raised to help disadvantaged youth in SA for Youthinc.
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Being Social: International Grenache Day On Friday September 20, International Grenache Day was celebrated with the McLaren Vale Tasting at Maxwell Wines. Featuring over eighty McLaren Vale grenache and grenache blends from more than thirty McLaren Vale producers. Grenache enthusiasts collected to celebrate this groovy grape with food from Maxwell’s Ellen Street Restaurant and local producers.
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01: Pia Scarpantoni, Lucy Morrisset, Cheryl Bevear and Kathy Aldridge 02: Monica Diaz, Rodger and Inge Yates 03: Mary Bice and Bronte Camilleri 04: Andrea Stent, Deb Smith and Julie Dobie 05: Heather Oliver, Annabel Fitzpatrick, Heather Badger and Lucy Morrissey 06: Lynne Kajar, Hazel Wainwright, Joan Rowley, Yvonne Krausse and Jan McNamara 07: Ben Quinn, Andréa van Zyl and Richard Dolan 08: Georgie Prandalos, Jim Zerella, Phil Gilbert and Michelle Jones 09: Karly Craik, Michelle Vandelur, David Graham and Janet Turner 10: Anne, Sophie and Juliette Walton 11: Kaya Reeves and Emily Shepherd 12: Jeremy Maxwell, Chris Lawson, Helen Glacken and Andrew Jericho. 107
SOCIAL PAGES
Being Social: Fleurieu Art Prize The Fleurieu Art Prize is the world’s richest landscape painting prize and the centrepiece of a month-long festival of the arts. On August 29, FLM headed to the privately owned Hugo Michell Gallery in Beulah Park for the announcement of Fleurieu Art Prize shortlist.
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Being Social: Coast and Balhannah by Design Twice a year Balhannah by Design hosts a parade to raise funds for breast cancer research. This time the event was held in beautiful weather on October 12 at the grounds of the Balhannah Hotel, featuring Coast by Design/Balhannah by Design’s Spring Parade. The six fabulous models commenced their ‘walk’ from an old garden shed, while 200 lucky guests watched with sorbet and bubbles in hand.
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01: Jill and Michael Wehrs 02: Joan Lunn, David Wright, David Drydan, Peter Wright and Anne Wright 03: Kendall Deane and Kelly Golding 04: Helen Seamark, Meme Thorne and Pen Davis 05: Rachel Eley, Robin Eley and Jenn Brazier 06: Peter Butcher, Lizzie Tasker and Philip Jeffries 07: Julie Jones and Leanne Kuss 08: Mon Bowring 09: Cheryl Temme & Jane Bowring 10: Ali Downer 11: Shelley Marcus 12: Estee Austin & Judy Lower.
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Being Social: FLM spring issue launch party On September 4 FLM celebrated the launch of the Spring Issue with a party held at the newly-refurbished Smiling Samoyed Brewery. Guests were treated to the First Batch Pale Ale and Dark Ale from the Smiling Samoyed brew-masters, accompanied by a smooth performance from the young and beautiful Julia Henning and her band.
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01: Lesa Farrant, Matt Adams and Luke Johnstone 02: Nick Evans, Matthew Moore, Julia Henning and Eli Green 03: Jane Mitchell, Hayley White, Cameron Clarke, Alan Greig, Peta Dougherty-Allanson and Stephen Schmitz 04: Jane Cotton, Mark Heinrich, Miranda Lang and Adrian Skull 05: Matt Brown, Lisa Barry, Petra de Mooy, Grant Beed and Karen Heatherbell 06: Simon and Ian Dunstone 07: Caroline Colling, Liz Elder and Camille Mable 08: Chris Wilksch and Shaun Fitton 09: Amber Wilson, Tania Baldock and Amanda Goodfellow 10: Judy Weir, Rebecca and Adrian Nicholson 11: Ian and Simon Dunstone, Lyn Nawlor-Smith, Kate and Rhys Henning. 109
SOCIAL PAGES
Being Social: McLaren Vale Guide Launch On September 5 the Onkaparinga Council launched the McLaren Vale, Hills, Valleys and Beaches guide at the McLaren Vale Visitor Information Centre, where ‘Myrtle and Mae’, the vintage caravan served up coffee for the early morning launch. The new guide showcases the entire region ... including beaches, vineyards, art galleries and luscious eateries.
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Being Social: Ladies Long Lunch On Friday September 13 the Annual fundraising event, Ladies Long Lunch was held on the lawns of Paxton’s Winery. The ladies frocked up in their racing-carnival best to raise funds for the Wayne Thomas Scholarship. The Wayne Thomas Scholarship is awarded annually to an aspiring wine judge from the McLaren Vale region.
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01: Leon Bignell MP, Peter Ali, Mark Dowd and Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg 02: Councillors Heather Merritt and Gail Kilby 03: Persia Maung and Cheryll Buck 04: Renee Powell, Meridee Ewens and Emily Hill 05: Trudy McFayden and Sally White 06: Julia Copping, Maryanne Elsby and Helena Runge 07: Jenny Belci, Karen Jacobs and Toni Phillips 08: Heidi Potter, Kim Phillips, Casey Nash, Susie Parkinson and Emma Craig 09: Tamara Tiller, Karolyn Rainsford and Lucy Koch 10: Alexia Roberts and Mary Gordon 11: Joey Baker, Berenice Axisa and Bernice Ong 12: Adele Rostron, Delta Robins and Hayley Conolly. 110
Pure Envy Designer Jeweller
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go in the draw to WIN a lunch or dinner worth $250 at Horta’s! Subscribe to Fleurieu Living Magazine for one or two years and go in the draw to win lunch at Horta’s worth $250. Competition closes on 7 March 2014. The winner will be contacted by phone or email and announced on Facebook: www.facebook.com/FleurieuLivingMagazine by 14 March 2014. A voucher for $250 will be mailed to the winner. This will be redeemable at the restaurant until 15 June 2014. You can subscribe online at www.isubscribe.com.au/FleurieuLiving or by filling out and mailing in the subscription form in this issue.
www.hortas.com.au
Hortas at the beach Port Noarlunga. Restaurant / Tapas / Café.
YOUR
STORY D VERY BEST ESERVES T HE
Coriole was established in 1967 by the Lloyd family and to this day remains family owned and operated. The historic Cellar Door is set amongst the vineyards and picturesque courtyard garden. Sample award winning wines, olives, oils and cheese by Woodside Cheesewrights.
C USTOM MADE DIAMOND R ING SPECIALISTS 08 8373 1176
www.PureEnvy.com.au Chaffeys Road, McLaren Vale SA 5171 T: 08 8323 8305 W: coriole.com E: contact@coriole.com
74 - 76 King William Rd Hyde Park South Australia. 111
recommends:
MYPONGA MARKET At Myponga Market you can browse unique stalls selling retro furniture, vintage tools, collectibles and rare vinyl recordings. Enjoy coffee and cake at the cafe. Come and enjoy the new Cool Room art gallery. Market open Sat, Sun and most Public Holidays. 46 Main South Road, Myponga. T: 8558 6121 W: mypongamarket.com facebook.com/mypongamarket
GREEN TANK GALLERY If you love art, visit John Lacey’s contemporary gallery/studio and meet this award winning artist. Enjoy the diverse range of quality impressionistic and expressive landscapes.
B.-d. Farm Paris Creek One of Australia’s finest producers of award winning dairy products. Made from the highest quality milk from grass fed, free ranging cows on biodynamic farms. No UHT, no homogenising and no additives. Our cheeses are animal rennet free and our yoghurts are pure and natural, produced without thickeners and free of artificial ingredients, with no GM. Available from supermarkets, gourmet stores, and health food stores. For a full list of our products refer to www.bdfarmpariscreek.com.au And ENJOY!
VICTOR APARTMENTS Spectacular ocean viewed boutique accommodation. Relax and unwind in one of five fully equipped apartments, retreats and townhouses. Individually designed and decorated with elegant style, all with stunning ocean and island views in the elite area of town. Mention this ad when you book to receive free wine and chocolates!
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Located just south of Mt Compass and 400 metres from the Victor Harbor Road. Open most days 11am - 5pm 41 Woodcone Rd Mt Compass. Ph: 8556 8388 Mob: 0419 823 708 W: johnlacey.com.au
Victor Harbor SA 5211 T: 08 8410 8189 or 0450 798 952 E: victorapartments@gmail.com W: victorapartments.com.au.
EAT AT WHALERS From dawn to dusk as the sky changes hue, we continue to marvel at our stunning view. Come share it on the deck or at an indoor table, we’re called Eat at Whalers and we’re more than able. We’re cuisine by the sea – fare from grower to plate, changing with the seasons with a menu first rate. Our vista is gorgeous and so’s the local wine, not surprising that the critics say we’re utterly divine! 121 Franklin Parade, Encounter Bay T: 08 8552 4400 or W: whalers.com.au
IBIS SIDING GARDEN CENTRE Ibis Siding is a large nursery situated in Goolwa. It has been owned by the Gilbert family since 1989, is spread over 4 acres and specialises in coastal plants, natives, exotics, indoor plants, tube stock, natural products, fodder, chickens, pots, fish and aquatic plants. Corner of Kessell Road and Goolwa Street, Goolwa SA 5124. T: 08 8555 1311.
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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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www.fleurieuliving.com.au
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For more information visit www.chiton.com.au or call John Kelly on 0427 703 271 or KeyInvest on 1300 658 904.
Erik Thomson reflects on his connection to the Fleurieu Adelaide Biplanes The sky’s the limit McLaren Vale Region · Goolwa · Victor Harbor · Yankalilla · Kangaroo Island