Tastings

Ivy dropping in

Margaret River is not just a town; it is a region. Alexandra Bridge is a campsite within that region, and whilst we are saving considerably on accommodation costs, we are spending up on diesel as I search for surfable, soft, two to three foot beach breaks, drive Sara from tasting to tasting, and the kids to various skateparks. It fits then, that this blog offers tastings of its own, and is more of a degustation than the usual “all you can eat!”

Fonty's Pool 

Ned at Fonty's

Remember Rex from Bremmer Bay? I was supposed to have a beer with him at the Manjimup pub. I didn't, electing to swim with the kids in Archie Fontanelli's pool! Best part of that was watching Ned take a running leap onto a truck inner tube, and succeeding in diving right through the middle. Manchimup is a timber town. We stood out from the local population not because we drive a Discovery, but because we have all of our fingers and thumbs. Have never seen so many hands with amputated digits in my life. Might be a good place for a hand therapy practice...

In the water, but not getting wet!

Alexandra Bridge

A bush campsite outside of Margaret River as I've said. However it was a beautiful spot beside the Blackwood River. I didn't swim in the river because I get nervous in fresh water. Sara didn't swim in it because she doesn't. The kids however had a ball. The Linton's were here too, and we had five days of gourmet meals cooked over the fire including a lamb roasted on the spit and self saucing chocolate pudding. Combine that with a Moss Bros wine...doing it tough. 

Self sauced sensation

Bob and Lorraine

Bob used to drive trucks (a white Scania tautliner with a red roof). He knows my cousin Ken having chatted with him at different roadhouses between Brisbane and Melbourne. Bob helped me tighten up the screws on the van's toolbox lid. Bob greased the towball and hitch. Lorraine supervised Ned's journal writing, and then took the hairbrush from a gratified Sara and started brushing Ivy's hair. Bob muttered out of the corner of his mouth, “I was wondering how long it'd take before she did that!” No complaints or moans from either kid; great work Lozza.

Bush Tucker Tourists

Check out the guns on the bloke with the spotty hat!

We decided to accept the fact that we are tourists, and enrolled in a Bush Tucker Canoe Tour of the Margaret River. Chris was our guide, a bear of a man with the mouth of a wisecracking chipmunk. He didn't stop. We went up the river and learnt a lot about the indigenous culture, and also the history since white settlement. We went caving, and saw the devastation wrought by the bushfires in November 2011. We ate local and imported Australian fare, and then prepared for the race home. The prize was a bottle of wine. Oli was very fired up. I drew on my experience as an outrigger canoeist, insisting that if nothing else, we all paddle in time. We were doing well too, until a boat full of Poms t-boned us. We recovered, but I cut the final corner too fine and we ran aground. Race over, we held our heads high and put in an official complaint about the English. Chris bribed the kids with snakes and the controversy was buried.

Greed is God

Wine, olives, cheese, chocolate, nougat, nuts, biscuits, muesli, yoghurt, beer, fudge, jam, coulis, tapenade, pasta sauce and pesto. Prue, the olive oil soap factory guide chastised the kids with “Excuse me, this is a tasting, not a banquet!” We ignored Prue.

If there's a tasting on offer, we've abused it. Sara's love of a bargain, or better yet, a freebie has no better place to shine than here. The kids quickly realised toothpicks can spear three pieces of fudge as easily as they can one. Why try one wine when there are eight on offer? The bigger places don't remember you regardless of how many chocolate buttons you can load into a palm, even if you visit three times in 5 days. Oli came into his own as our Chief Financial officer, working out that because 100g of choc buttons cost $5, we and the Linton's have saved over $110 by eating the free stuff!! However the highlight was the sight of Sara using the tester facial scrub to actually wash her face! Prue was not amused.

Surfing, or not...

“Margaret River is Australia's Hawaii”said the chippie from Nunawading who has been here 27 years and knows of Presnells. “But it's not what it used to be...” Whatever it is, or was, it's big, it's reefy, and it's parochial. I was “surfing”at Grunters this morning with Rick, the Floridian web designer from Brisbane I met back in Streaky Bay. The local vet dropped in on Rick without a backward glance. Stand-up paddle board too. Dickhead. Whoever heard of a vet with Celtic tattoos around both biceps? Rick and I got nothing, avoiding being washed onto the rocks while the short, Jetta driving vet took everything. Hope a cat vomits on him.

Oli the Surf Grom

Oli the Grommet (Kelly Slater out of focus, top left)

We timed it well here, arriving for the final day of competition in the Margaret River Pro. Unfortunately as we walked up to the contest, the swell dropped, Kelly Slater had already gone, Occhy (45yr old Aussie) got eliminated from the finals, and we watched two Hawaiians I hadn't heard of surf. Some guy called John John, perhaps a Walton, won with a reverse 360 that Ned is convinced he can do on my mini-mal. As this was going on, Ollie scavenged sunglasses, a beanie, several posters, and walked me into the corporate tent. He fitted in, but I was even more out of my depth than when I spent an afternoon in the Channel 7 box at the Melbourne Cup in 2002. The polo shirts have got to go.

Caravan Parks vs Bush Camps

One has power, water, a laundry, hot showers, no noisy generators, a playground, bbq's, grass, a pool, a gate, is close to town and the owners can advise you as to the local attractions. The other is isolated, and has some greasy, grumpy fellow who charges not very much. Guess which one we prefer. Guess which one the kids prefer. The next fortnight of fancy parks is going to be a real shock, but at least we'll be clean, and we won't see much of the kids... Next stop is Bunbury to meet Joc and Tony, and then backwards to Busselton for Easter with Jen, Jim, Kitty, Billy, and baby Alice.

Karri tree forest

H

PS Hawks up in final quarter vs Pies.  Buddy and Cyril on fire.