The Hunter Valley wine tour

My first visit to Australia was with an old friend from university who has acquired an enormous knowledge about wine. In selecting wine during our travels, we stuck to three regions: Barossa, Margaret River and McLaren Vale. Mention of the Hunter Valley normally received a pained look.

Now living in Sydney, it’s hard to ignore this wine region and curiosity finally got the better of me.

The Hunter Valley actually has two main industries – wine and coal. Since the wine attracts tourism, I guess that would make a third. With the coal industry being a major opponent to the emissions trading scheme which was recently rejected in government this past week, I was envisioning HV to be a hill-stripped setting for an increasing fossil fuel-dependent world.

The Hunter Valley village centre.

But not at all. The wine region is kept separate and since I only visited for a day, there was no time to delve into local politics. There was wine to drink.

So, how do you visit the HV when you want to go to a number of places (which requires a motor vehicle) and sample the local drink (which contains alcohol)? Sign up for a bus tour. You don’t need to worry about driving, you can take as little or as many friends you like, and if you’re in a tour group you know you’ll all get along because you all like wine. The only downside is that the tour leaves at 8am so you need to prepare yourself for an entire day of drinking. There are worse things.

I chose the Boutique Wine Tour company which promised local knowledge and a customised itinerary on request. Our tour guide was named Steve and he certainly provided both. I had done very little research before embarking on the trip but did have a list of places to see and to avoid. I ran those by Steve and he did a very good job at accommodating. Since I clearly didn’t know the HV and really not too much about wine, it was best to leave the itinerary planning up to him but I couldn’t resist having a nose at a HV guide and map. He was very gracious.

There are a lot of boutique wineries in HV and even the larger places have award-winning wine so you are pretty safe in your selection. What I hadn’t anticipated was the limitation in grape varieties. When asked what wines I like, I would think pinot noir, pinot grigio and perhaps even zinfandel. None of these are in HV. The HV is quite well-known for the types of wine I generally stay away from – chardonnay and shiraz. While I am not a big white wine drinker (pinot grigio aside), I learned last summer that it gets way too hot in Sydney to drink red so I gradually adapted. In preparation for this upcoming summer season, I know I need to broaden my palette and am determined to approach an Australian white with the same appreciation as I would a Sea Smoke Botella.

So where did we go? With a little over 100 wineries, we went to four. Two are relatively new and are gaining recognition as ones to look out for (Iron Gate Estate and Ernest Hill), one is well-established as well as organic (Tamburlaine) and one also well-established and tipped to be having an exceptional year (Pepper Tree).

The very charming Ernest Hill.

In terms of atmosphere, Ernest Hill was the best with a welcoming down-home feel. It’s a very lovely farmhouse with a big, front porch on a rolling landscape with a lake and surrounded by old eucalyptus trees. Pepper Tree was a close second but a bit too much on the posh and perfect side. Iron Gate had a very high architectural standard, but too similar to what you would come across in Napa Valley with terra cotta tiling and sterility. Tamburlaine was very relaxed, a little too much so, but when you have wine that good, it doesn’t matter and they are one of the few wineries that makes its money through its wine club.

Both Tamburlaine and Pepper Tree have 5-star ratings by James Halliday, and the other two have promising reviews. Since I am not a wine expert, I can only say I was very impressed with the quality of the wine. Of course there were some I didn’t like, but felt spoilt for choice on a whole.

You might be wondering why the high praise in HV wine when I first mentioned my dislike of the wine varieties on offer. Well, again, I am not a wine expert. However, I like wine, especially when it’s good. If you go straight to the source, no matter what variety, it most likely is going to be very good and if you ask some questions, you’re likely to even come across some excellent bottles.

So this is what I came home with:
Whites
2009 ‘Cyril’ Semillon, Ernest Hill
2009 Wrattonbully Pinot Gris, Pepper Tree
2008 Verdelho, Hunter Valley NSW, Tamburlaine
2005 Wrattonbully Chardonnay, Pepper Tree

Reds (sorry, couldn’t resist)
2008 ‘Dam’ Merlot, Ernest Hill
2007 The Gravels Wrattonbully Shiraz Viognier, Pepper Tree
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Orange, NSW, Tamburlaine
2002 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, Pepper Tree

Why so many bottles you ask? It occurred to me during this trip that when the tour finished, I was going straight to Sydney where I live and will likely live for another year. That is a lot of time for drinking wine. Also, wines in the HV range $20-25 for a white and $25-$32 for a red. That’s about the same price for a decent bottle at the local wine shop and these wines I’ve tasted and know I like. The tour cost $105 which included being driven 1-1/2 hours outside Sydney in a comfortable mini-van with lots of capacity for carrying what we bought so what was I waiting for? I grabbed the opportunity to stock up. After all, spring begins next week and I don’t want to be caught out without a decent white.

Wineries visited (in order):
Iron Gate Estate
Tamburlaine
Hunter Valley Cheese Co (for cheese)
Pepper Tree
Ernest Hill

Tour:
Boutique Wine Tours

Big country, small towns

Broome (compared) to Darwin

Towns are not big in the Kimberleys. I always found it amazing that a destination on the map most times was just a store with service station. Mind you, in all of that open land, it’s greatly appreciated to have anything marked on a map, particularly a shop offering basic supplies.

The wild, wild west of Broome's town centre.

For its small size, Broome still required a map, mainly because everything is so spread out that it’s difficult to get your bearings except for when you’re driving along the ocean. It did have a high street and surprisingly it had a very distinct architectural character. Everything in the centre was one to two storeys high, usually had an awning, and was made out of corrugated iron. Set against wide, mostly dirt roads, the town had a nice, rustic feel. It was a cute place, including its little airport where you step off the plane directly onto the tarmac. Yes, everything was quaint in Broome. Of course, there were shopping centres and sprawl, but the country – with the 22km long Cable Beach – very much outsized the town.

You learn not to expect much when the map shows a ‘town’ is approaching. Birgit’s guide (see 1 August posting), in all its thoroughness, did have at least a page of information for each place, covering restaurants, accommodation and sights to see. Even the Imintji food store had half a page written about it so you were bound to expect more. But no, you perhaps come across a high street and occasionally some places along the main road. You notice a routine in your shopping – fuel, Coles or Woolworths, liquor store and a Bakers Delight.

Entering the Northern Territory, not much changed except places seemed a bit run down, probably because they’ve been around for longer. Since the road was all bitumen, the area was more established. There were definitely more people on the roads and in the campsites. Even with that as an indicator, I was surprised when we reached the outskirts of Darwin.

Darwin was busy. It had people – 120,000 compared to 15,000 in Broome. It had buildings. And suburbs. It was just like your typical tropical, modern city except for one, big caveat – you can’t go in or near the water. First, you have crocodiles. Then, if you somehow make it into the ocean, then you get jellyfish – very painful ones. Shame, because the weather is humid and the water is enticing. Too bad it’s just not a good idea.

Fenced off from the sea.

Since the city is on the waterfront, protecting people from these elements is a big task. Generally, it’s done by putting up fences. So, you’re in a humid climate, looking out onto an inviting ocean and you’re facing a fence. It’s an awkward imprisonment.

Your other option is to walk inland which is actually more of a challenge. It’s hot in Darwin. Most of the streets are wide and with little shade. Places are spread out or along the highway. Developments spill out onto the sidewalk. None of this makes walking an attractive option.

Darwin suffered a cyclone in the 1970s which basically wiped it out. Few houses still stand of the old era of bungalows on stilts. These are very charming and airy houses that reminisce to a time when Darwin was carefree and groovy. In many ways it still is – with its markets, galleries and tropical weather. But it leaves you thinking there’s potential for it to be much more.

Sundowners

A little g&t time.

Each day deserves a bit of time for reflection. One might think I mean by prayer or meditation – which is great – but all I’m really talking about is winding up the day with some positive thoughts and looking forward to tomorrow. This is nice to do at sunset, when you’ve had a busy day and the diminishing daylight is telling you to stop. All of these marvellous colours are saying, ‘here, take a load off, look at me.’ So, you look, take a deep breath in, and relax.

If you’re lucky, you’ll have some friends around to share it with. If you’re smart, then you will have prepared some cheese and crackers and opened up some wine. But the evening has only just begun so go slow. Think about the day, wonder about the next day, and most importantly, plan what you’ll be having for dinner.

This works well with a cuppa tea, too.

Cattle stations

Home, home on the cattle station.

When reading up on the Kimberleys you come across words like drover, home stay and cattle stations. Images that come to mind might be a big ranch surrounded by fences that hold herds of horses and cattle. On the Kimberley maps you see large sections identified as cattle stations. Some are private and others welcome campers and some even provide very comfortable accommodation. All of these are working stations.

Oi, there ain't enough room for the three of us.

None of these places are less than 500,000 acres. In fact, that’s considered small. The vast amount of land accommodates cattle’s solitary nature so you’ll never see more than five cows together in a group. And that would be rare since on average there’s enough land for one to two cows per acre. So if you ever buy Australian beef, at least you know that beef from WA is going to be a very high quality meat.

Unfortunately, cattle do great damage to the Kimberley’s ecosystem. They are not indigenous to the area and through grazing eat all of the palatable plants, few which grow back and instead are replaced by weeds which then lead to infestation. Grazing and the roaming around have also led to soil erosion, creating a barren and void landscape typical to what you would imagine of the outback. Not to worry, cane toads are making their way into the region so although cattle may be solitary by nature, they won’t be along for long.

Art appreciation

Walking into an art gallery, seeing floor to ceiling dot paintings filling the space and next to each a photo of the artist with a short bio about their community and ancestry is a scene so similar to that in the film Samson and Delilah that you cannot help but wonder – are these artists exploited in the same way?

In the film, paintings were exhibited for $20,000, profits which very clearly did not make it back to the artist. Upon entering galleries on our trip with those scenes very clearly in my mind, I was prepared to be cynical. To be honest, I wasn’t even a fan of dot paintings to begin with. I didn’t dislike them; compared to the type of exhibitions I would visit in London and Europe I just never gave Aboriginal art much thought.

The first place we visited didn’t help my preconceptions. We went to Mowanjum, just outside Derby. It is an Aboriginal community known for its artwork and there is a gallery on site. On display with the artwork are the bios of the individual artists, but there was no information about the community. Perhaps it is so famous they think you must know about them already. In any case, we weren’t going to find out since there was a ministerial visit that day and they were busy preparing for it.

Along the journey, it turns out, we were influenced by art in many ways, both directly and indirectly. Mainly, you are constantly surrounded by beauty of the landscape. This is the foundation, or palette if you wish, of everything in the Kimberleys. Nature is the ruling force. So when you come across a rock painting, your mind does wonder how it has been able to remain without being subject to the harsh floods that wipe out the land. There is also a fair bit of ‘new’ rock paintings, so my untrained eye was again the sceptic.

It’s impossible not to be inspired by the landscape. For that reason, many artists are drawn to the Kimberleys, broadening the style of art produced in the area. One such place is the Zebra Rock Gallery in Kununurra. Using a rock only found in one part of the Kimberleys, artists create anything from jewellery to sculpted objects. All artists live on the grounds, owned by Bruce and Dianne who bought the gallery a couple years ago. The gallery is still taking shape, but is filled with many pieces, the most beautiful being those crafted along the natural lines of the rock. It’s a worthwhile visit to see the riverside setting, talk with Bruce and Dianne, and witness a relatively young gallery and artists’ community taking shape.

Last stop Darwin, I was ready to wash off the road trip and relax in manmade comforts. Part of the hotel was an Indigenous gallery that came highly recommended. We popped in for a look and were greeted by a person more than happy to tell us about the artwork, the artists and Darwin. The gallery had books that showed in great detail the process of making bark paintings and baskets, along with the paints and dyes. What became clear is that art is a way of life in Indigenous communities. While there are artists with greater skill than others, without art, there isn’t a community.

We went on to visit other galleries, mostly in Parap, a suburb just outside Darwin. Among a Saturday food and crafts market, there are a number of permanent shops and galleries with a broad range of local and Indigenous art. Many of the more contemporary galleries exhibited collaborations of artists from different Indigenous communities and some Western artists as well. The range of work opened my eyes to the complexity and depth of Aboriginal art.

The knowledge displayed by the gallery owners and workers was of great respect and importance in sharing the meaning behind each piece. This accessibility to understanding Indigenous art and the beauty of the work draws you in – wanting to learn more. And I can’t wait to do so.

Places visited …
Parap: Nomad Art, Raft Artspace
Darwin city centre: Maningriola Arts
Fannie Bay: Museum and Art Gallery of the NT
Kununurra: Zebra Rock Gallery
Derby: Mowanjum Community

Anthills and termite mounds

Take your pick. Tent-sized anthills ...

Starting off on the Gibb River Road, the anthills are red lumps scattered across the landscape, gradually growing in scale as we progress further into the Kimberley. By the time we reach Windjana Gorge they are as high and wide as the tents in the campsite.

Then as we turn into Mt Elizabeth Station, so does the soil. The anthills are a light brown, not nearly as noticeable as they had been before. By the time we enter the Northern Territory, they have shrunk to little cones popping up from the ground.

or termite tombstones.

As we enter Litchfield National Park, termites take over and their mounds multiply in size again, standing alone on burnt soil as the sole survivors after the bushfire. Exiting the park, they are massive, taller than a person’s height and flat and grey, just like tombstones.

Sydney lights

Snaps from the Smart Light Festival, June 2009.

The opera house aglow with the magic of Brian Eno.

But my favourite was a lighting constellation on the roof of a tunnel in The Rocks. Called Rocklights by Ingo Bracke.

The Britz induction DVD

The friendly man in the Britz video explains the how-to of your vehicle in a manner of detailing step by step how to prepare for your adventure. The ease of his demonstrations gives you the false confidence that all will be a breeze as you buckle up and brace yourself for the roller coaster ride.

You then set off with high hopes of unlimited resourcefulness in the bush only to realise that simulated man is no longer with you. You have nothing but the memory of his soothing voice and happy go lucky nature to guide you on your way.

Let there be light

I was happy to escape grey and rainy Sydney. More rain was predicted and I had had enough. I needed to dry out. Sunny Western Australia (WA) was just the place.

I arrived in Broome Saturday evening to warm temperatures. That was a very good sign. We were staying on the bay side, opposite the ocean, so facing east. The flat was open plan with floor to ceiling glass looking out to the water. WA follows daylight saving time and since it was winter it was in effect.

None of this came to mind when we went to bed with the shades open. At 5am the thought occurred to us. The sky was beautiful. Glowing pink, blue and purple as the sun starts to rise from behind the horizon. Then the rays started peeking through.

A slight glare coming off of Argyle Lake near Kununurra.

It was blinding. The water reflecting, the big cloudless sky, nothing was stopping those rays. You had no other choice but to get up and start the day.

The days camping followed a similar pattern but none as memorable as that first day. Our lives were dictated by natural light – the time we got up, when to find shade at midday, hurrying to set up camp by the time the sun set, going to bed soon after dark. It all made perfect sense.

My winter vacation

For those in the northern hemisphere, June marks the beginning of summer and school holidays. Though clearly not summer and quite clearly beyond my student days, I was quite happy to escape rainy Sydney and take the opportunity to dry out a bit in the top end of Australia.

A small water crossing on the Gibb River Road.

Our adventure was a 4wd camping expedition from Broome to Darwin, covering over 1600km in 12 days. Half of the journey was to be on the Gibb River Road, an unsealed route through the Kimberleys with limited facilities to offer the comforts you might enjoy day-to-day. But to our pleasant surprise, this remote part of the world offered more luxuries than could ever be imagined.

Not much was needed for preparation. Flights, vehicle hire, ipods and a map took priority, and a last minute download of Birgit Bradtke’s ‘Destination Kimberly’ turned out to be the bible of the trip.

The walls that make up Windjana Gorge give an idea of the scale of the barrier reef system from over 300 million years ago.

While the gorges are spectacular, the flora and fauna and the diversity of the landscape is the most memorable. The colours, from the bright blue sky to the deep red earth, provide a uniformity that then surprises you with yellow flowers on a kapok bush and the golden glow from the ancient limestone reefs. And let’s not forget the distinctive boab tree.

The boab.

We were never short of swimming holes, favourites being Bell Gorge, Adcock Gorge and Zebedee Springs. An unusual weather front brought us 30 degree days with warm nights, the better for watching stars.

Due to a shopping list more comprehensive than our itinerary, we were well stocked with the makings of gourmet meals and sundowners each evening, even during the time we ran out of gas for the stove which could rate as our top disaster on the trip. Or it could be the error we made the first night by camping by the mouth of the Fitzroy River and noticing with our torches that the river is infested with crocodiles. Or possibly the time when a small bit of the Kimberleys landed in my eye resulting in a trip to hospital.

Anyone fancy a swim?

Being the sole American on the trip, I was conscious not to be too much trouble but some things aren’t easy especially when the gear shift is on the left. However, my appreciation of Australia grew heaps in many ways, such as by learning the tune to Waltzing Matilda, gaining some understanding of Aboriginal art, being reminded of our vulnerability to the powerful forces of nature and, most importantly, realising that Twisties can go in a sandwich but not next to it.

Did I forget to mention our flight over Purnululu (the Bungle Bungles)?

If you’re interested in a trip like this, get the online Kimberley travel guide by Birgit Bradtke. It rocks.

http://www.kimberleyaustralia.com/kimberley-travel-guide.html