A Taste Of Civilization
Trip Start
Feb 29, 2012
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15
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Trip End
Apr 02, 2012
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Saturday, March 31, 2012
We have just enjoyed 3 days in civilization, staying in real houses with real people. A bit of a change from the last four weeks of 24 /7 togetherness. In Margaret River we were hosted by young friends Kate and Micah, who have settled in a lovely cottage just out of town. Micah, a winemaker, is working on this year's vintage at Stella Bella Winery and Kate has a job in the Cullen Winery Restaurant. We enjoyed a delicious vegetarian meal at home, breakfast at White Elephant Café at Gnarabup Beach an Indian meal at Maharajah and another breakfast Bakery Café in town.
To add to this indulgence we spent an afternoon touring wineries recommended by Micah and, as you can imagine, Ivars did an excellent job of sampling a copious range of wines, identifying a few favourites and making plenty of purchases. Not being a wine buff myself, I was more interested in the labels and logos. My favorites by far were Stella Bella’s – particularly Skuttlebutt and Suckfizzle. How could you not love those names?
In November last year, Margaret River experienced a devastating bushfire along its immediate coastal area, with loss of many houses, but no serious injuries. Fortunately for the wine industry, offshore winds meant that the developing fruit was not tainted by smoke and the expectation is that the 2012 season will be a good one. However, right along the coast the charred scrubland and denuded sand hills are a stark reminder of the impact of the fire.
After leaving Margaret River we headed for Perth for another flying visit. Firstly meeting Peta who taught me so much about photography during my Broome tour last year. Then spending the afternoon and evening with hosts Margo (ex Doncare) and Steve, recently moved from Melbourne, and their friends Sue and Paul. We ventured to Freemantle for dinner, for more food and wine indulgence at Sandrino’s. A fun evening – and I even got to drive home!
But that’s the end of our taste of civilization. It’s on the road again, this time heading for home, which means a few long days of driving ahead.
Comments
Love the wine labels.
You could start a whole new collection of photos!