Explore with Fran

The Margaret River region, whilst famous for its wine, and rightly so, has something for everyone. Whether you are coming to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and want a quiet retreat. If you have come to celebrate a big occasion and want to taste some of the highest quality wines in the world. If spending time in the ocean is your thing. Or just hiking in the bush. One thing is for sure, Margaret River, and the surrounds, have you covered.

Start the day well

And what better way to set yourself up for your day, than an invigorating early morning walk along the oceanfront. Take off your shoes and feel the sand beneath your feet. Pause, listen to the seagulls squawking, circling above, and marvel at the ease with which the early surfers navigate the huge swell.

Whilst surfers have the sea to themselves, my priorities are a little different. No day starts without coffee, right? The best coffee in Margaret River right now is being pumped out by the Commonage Coffee Company (http://www.commonagecoffeeco.com.au/). On your way to the beach, take your reusable coffee cup and pick up one of the best brews you are sure to have on the west coast.

Suitably caffeinated, drive the short distance to the quaint bakery, Yallingup Gugelhupf, and pick up a small treat, still warm from the oven. I personally recommend the pain au chocolat. You won’t be disappointed.

Breakfast

The early start, the long walk along the beach, your mind will now be turning to thoughts of breakfast, and definitely more coffee.

Fast becoming a firm favourite, and not just for their excellent bacon benedict. Or the chilled vibe. Although both are a factor in always drawing us back. The great service, together with the strong, quality coffee ensure that a visit to the Sea Garden Café is always top of any itinerary in Margaret River. 

All the breakfast classics are here, together with a few asian influenced dishes. Judging by the number I saw leaving the kitchen, the Nasi Goreng is a hit with the locals.

In town for more than one day? Of course you are. On your second morning, head along the coast to Gnarabup and have an equally impressive breakfast, with an even better view, at the unmissable White Elephant café. With possibly the best beachside location in the world, the “Ele” is always packed to the rafters with locals filling up after their early morning swim in the ocean, whatever time of year. 

Wines and Vines

Breakfast done, and enough coffee to start your engine for the day, it is time to explore what Margaret River is most famous for. The premium wine that is produced from the 5,000 plus hectares under vine. Predominantly boutique, that are in excess of 200 wineries, enough to keep even the most enthusiastic oenophile busy for a long time.

Jarvis Estate

Greeted on arrival by AJ, the friendly family dog, Jarvis Estate (https://jarvisestate.com.au/)  is a great example of one of Margaret River’s boutique vineyards. Thankfully, we arrived just as a large tour bus from the popular “Wine for Dudes” company was leaving. This meant we had the cellar door to ourselves, and AJ.

We were guided through a full tasting, of some rather excellent wines, and I even got to try a tawny, straight from the barrel. These are the kind of experiences that you don’t get from some of the larger, more commercial wineries.

Whether you prefer the classic Cabernet, famous in the region, or if white is your go to drink, there is sure to be something in the range that you will want to take home with you. If you would rather not go home, there are even a few unpowered camp sites available.

Rosily wines

Moving on to Wilyabrup, next on the list is Rosily vineyard (https://www.rosily.com.au/Rosily-Wines). Named after a French count, who was exploring the area of Western Australia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Rosily maintains its French influence through the use of the fleur-de-lys on the label, and the French style in the wine making. 

Enjoy an outstanding Sauvignon Blanc, but just don’t compare it to those produced over the Tasman in New Zealand. There was a friendly feeling of “them and us” when the subject was raised.

At Rosily, all the fruit is produced onsite and hand harvested, with the vineyard certified organic. The result is a full range of excellent wines that will make a welcome addition to your wine cellar.

Time for lunch

All this wine tasting has left you feeling as though you need some sustenance. And Margaret River has you covered. The options are almost endless. As I sat down to sip my Filius Chardonnay, from Vasse Felix, I decided that Meelup Farmhouse (https://www.meelupfarmhouse.com.au/) was certainly the right choice.

Located at the top of the Margaret River region, a stone’s throw from Meelup Beach, the Farmhouse feels like an oasis. Large picnic areas to while away a long afternoon, and a restaurant that feels relaxed, and refined at the same time. I can highly recommend the chargrilled Fremantle octopus and the Goldband snapper fillet. And I am told the chilli prawn spaghetti was delicious.

Breweries

Wine is what Margaret River became famous for, but hot on the shoulders is craft beer. With new breweries seemingly popping up all the time, you are spoilt for choice. Located at the top of the region, in Naturaliste, is Eagle Bay Brewing Company. A micro brewery situated on a working family farm that has been going for over 60 years.

The best way to sample the beers is to get yourself a tasting flight. Six of the tap beers, lined up in order of heaviness, saving the nut brown ale to finish on.

Situated down in Cowaramup, in a rural location on North Treeton Road, Cowaramup Brewing Company is a delight. Open every day, from 11am to 6pm, serving a range of quality handcrafted ales and lagers.

Again, the flight is the way to go. Getting to taste each of the Cowaramup Pilsener, Hefeweizen, Lightsign Summer Ale, Special Pale Ale, India Pale Ale and Cowaramup Chocolate Porter, leaves you wondering which one you will try a pint of. Just as long as you are not the “skipper”, and that someone else is in charge of the car keys.

Something for Everyone

The Margaret River region really has something for everyone. Now that the borders to West Australia have been relaxed this beautiful area, of natural beauty, and world class food and wine, should be top of your 2021 bucket list.

With so much still to explore, we have already booked a return visit for January. See you there?

Well, only 8 weeks until Santa comes down the chimney. How did this happen? Winter came and went, seemingly in a flash. Six months ago, as autumn was turning the leaves in the trees to a burnt golden colour, we thought our rented furnished apartment in East Perth would be home for the winter, and then we would be off on our overseas travels. Six months later, and the only travelling we are doing is across Perth, to a new suburb. We have moved home, had our stuff trucked across the country, from Sydney, and yet the borders still show no sign of reopening.

Reframing – Taking a new perspective

This is where reframing comes in. A psychological term to reimagine your present state. We are not locked in to Western Australia. We have been given a great opportunity to explore the best of what WA has to offer. That is reframing. And with practice I am getting better at it.

Spring has sprung here in Perth and as I say, we are now on the downward slope to Xmas. We are rather excited at the fact that we now have our Xmas summer holiday locked in. A campervan trip north from Perth, all the way up to Exmouth, some 1,252kms away. Yes, it is quite some drive. We will be doing it over 2 weeks, making lots of stops en route, so any recommendations you have would be greatly received. We have even “splashed out” on a slightly bigger campervan than we usually get. It will almost be luxurious, but for the 40 degree temperatures. 

The Staycation tradition continues

Ahead of this we are continuing our tradition of staycations, with a weekend at the Ritz-Carlton down at the beautiful Elizabeth Quay in the city. A sunny day saw us following up a good bike ride by laying out by the pool with a cold drink and our books. November promises to be a big month, with another staycation, this time in the port city of Fremantle, followed the week after by (another) visit to Margaret River, to celebrate Victoria’s birthday. You can never have too much wine. Right?

We have also booked a holiday to Broome, in the far north of the state, for early next year, but that will be for a different blog. So, as you can see, we are sustaining our love of travel with micro vacations. Whilst our internal border remains firmly closed, meaning we are still unable to even visit other parts of Australia, we are fortunate in that Western Australia is the size of Europe. There are lots of pristine beaches, bush land, breweries, and vineyards to explore. And we are doing our best to get around as many as we can. 

There are rumours, here in the state, that the internal border could be lifted in April 2021, post the election. A political move? Stop being so cynical. The hard border closure has been a highly effective strategy in dealing with COVID. As of writing, there have been no locally acquired cases of COVID in Western Australia since April. There have been just over 700 cases in total. 

The internal border is one part of the jigsaw. Currently, the Australian international border still remains closed. You can only leave with express permission from the government, if you meet some very strict criteria.

The temporary adventure continues

This means that our 6 month Perth adventure will continue for (at least) another 6 months. Our new lease runs through until April 2021, and we will have to assess the state of the world at this point. Until such time, we will enjoy summer in our new home. I now live in a house for the first time in almost 15 years. We have a great back garden, and have already unpacked the BBQ and spent a wine filled, sun soaked Sunday afternoon settling in. I can see this becoming a regular occurrence.

Getting back on the treadmill

And with the regularity of double cheeseburgers and bottles of Margaret River’s SSB (Semillon Sauvignon Blanc) comes the need for increased balance from a health perspective. And with this we have rejoined a gym for the first time in 6 months. When we arrived in Perth we massively increased our step count. However, the need to work, and be sat in front of laptops for large parts of each day seriously impedes our progress. 

This is where the gym comes in. We will revert to our long held routine of going to the gym a number of times a week, walking more at the weekends. At least that is the plan. The challenge I already see is that our new suburb, Mt Hawthorn is reminiscent of Mosman, our old home in Sydney. Great cafés and restaurants. Lovely little spots for a cheeky glass of wine, or two. I will keep you posted on how we get on. We have baselined our Perth weight, on the scales in the gym, so I will be able to track our success, or lack of it.

On the personal front, I have started my training to be a professional coach. Three days of intensive, virtual training, with a great bunch of leaders from across Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia. Follow on activities include continued practice through coaching circles, and a written assignment, detailing our reflections of what we have learnt about ourselves, and what we have learnt about coaching. It is proving to be a very rewarding process and I am already offering pro bono coaching sessions to my colleagues at work. This is a journey of personal discovery that I feel I will be on for quite some time yet.

Paying for the lifestyle

Holidays, gym, and professional development, don’t pay for themselves. Unfortunately. On the work front, Victoria blazed the way for us, easily securing a job in our early weeks in Perth. She was able to bring the bacon home until I got a job, which was quite a few weeks after. With me now also bringing home some bacon, Vik was able to look for a job better suited to her level of experience and skills. And again, she hit this objective out of the park, moving organisations to a larger role, with more responsibility. The bacon has turned into gammon.

All this talk of bacon is making me hungry. I think I will cancel this morning’s planned trip to the gym, and head out for breakfast. 

Until the next time.

Whiskey for every occasion

Cold weather. A head cold. A celebration. Whatever the occasion, who really needs an excuse to have a whisky? Feel it’s too early for a stiff nightcap? Then have a cocktail. I’m especially partial to an Old Fashioned.

Whatever your choice, pick up your whisk(e)y from a local distillery. Tucked away behind the local TAFE and mere steps from Claisebrook train station, Whipper Snapper distillery is one of Australia’s only urban distilleries. In a rather desolate part of East Perth, in a mainly industrialised enclave, there is the strange distinction of being a micro brewery and a distillery within streets of each other. 

Hidden Gems of East Perth

Bright Tank Brewery and Whipper Snapper distillery have been neighbours since 2014. With the latter distilling a spirit that it can call whiskey once it has been in the barrel for 2 years, a legal requirement. Being such a new distillery, and without the luxury of time, Whipper Snapper had to produce something it could sell. To get a product out of the door, the un-aged spirit, in a clear form due to no contact with the oak barrels, was simply called “moonshine”. A nod to its American influence. 

I thought the distinctive spelling on the bottle was also a reference to the way it is often spelled in the USA. “Why the ‘e’ in your spelling of whiskey,” I asked.

“To differentiate ourselves. We even considered “whiskee”, but decided that was a bridge too far.”

I agreed.

History of whisk(e)y

You see, the water of life (uisce (Irish) / uisge (Scottish Gaelic) being the provenance of the name whisky) has a long and storied history. In some parts of Scotland, whisky, minus the ‘e’, has been distilled since 1494, with whisky production first taxed in 1644. There are only so many liberties you can take in the face of tradition.

We were here to see the nascent beginnings of a new tradition being created in East Perth. We joined a tour of the distillery to learn about the story behind this fascinating slice of local business and tourism. I also had a personal interest in tasting the whiskey produced, having long been a fan of a wee dram or two.

The Whipper Snapper Back Story

Whipper Snapper grew out of a conversation in a small beachside suburb on the west coast of Australia. It was in Scarborough, named after the seaside resort in Yorkshire, England, that Al met Vic, a world war 2 veteran with a love of whiskey. Vic had been distilling whiskey and moonshine from his garden shed and before too long was passing on his knowledge on to Al and his mate Jimmy.

With their newly acquired knowledge, and a large warehouse in East Perth secured as their new home, they now needed a distinctive name and brand. If two young men from Perth were going to take on the big boys in the world of whiskey, they were going to need a lot of grit and determination. These young upstarts called themselves “Whipper Snappers”, and were on their way.

And the whipper snappers determined from the beginning that this would be a proud West Australian (WA) operation. Making the commitment to only ever source grain and corn from the state of WA. It probably helps that WA is the second largest country subdivision in the world, with 2.5million square kilometres to play in.

Feeding The Angels

Despite the size of the state of WA, Whipper Snapper has to face very trying issues. Such as the 5% lost each year to evaporation, in the industry known as the “angels share”. In a climate such as the one in the sunny state of WA, the precious liquid can not be left in the barrels for the 10 years you typically see with Scotch whisky. There would be nothing left in the barrel, with the angels taking their annual allowance. 

Greedy angels, and the constraints around how much whiskey could be produced, means that there is no export to overseas markets. Which is a shame as Whipper Snapper has much to offer. Not just their deliciously smooth flagship, Upshot, but lots of prototypes such as the Toffee Apple Moonshine, delicious, which sold out in quick time, maybe due to the proximity of Father’s Day.

Yes, The Teetotal Tour

It is not just dads that would enjoy the tour of the Whipper Snapper distillery. Even if you are not a whiskey drinker, you can still accompany friends and family, as a “non drinker” option is offered. I recommend booking everyone in for the full tasting experience, as this could result in more whiskey for you.

I made the most of the tour, getting to sample the clear, distilled liquid, before it had even seen one of the oak barrels that are imported from the USA. A little harsh on the throat, and reminiscent of neat gin, it was good to see and taste how the liquid changes over the time it spends in the barrels.

By the time it becomes the flagship, Upshot, you have a very easy drinking whiskey, which is equally good neat, with a couple of splashes of water to bring out the flavour, or mixed in your favourite cocktail. I am told that it makes an excellent Old Fashioned. 

I can’t wait to get home with my new purchase and find out. 

Recently, we reached a milestone in our lives in Perth. Somehow, we passed the 100 day mark. Not that we were counting. Not really. But the 100 days in Perth have slowly crept up on us, tapped us on the shoulder, and whizzed right by. 100 days that have perfectly aligned with the global timeline we have all been working on with coronavirus.

We boarded a packed Qantas flight and departed Sydney on the afternoon of 23rd March not knowing what the immediate future had in store for us. And not just because of coronavirus. After 8 years in Sydney we were stretching our wings. Off to explore the world, and have some new adventures. At least that had been the plan. I should have known better. 

At work I am always extolling the benefits of planning, but stressing the need to remain flexible. The oft quoted Dwight Eisenhower is resurrected. 

Or as the rather more eloquent Mike Tyson put it, “everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth.” So I coach people to expect the punch in the mouth. Or in professional terms, to “inspect and adapt”.

And this is what we did. The fabled spreadsheet didn’t quite get consigned to the garbage, but it did get mothballed. For now. Full disclosure? I have a new version already prepared, and cleverly renamed “Travels 2021.” Because as the stoics taught us, this too shall pass.

So we find ourselves entering the second half of 2020. A new financial year, the adverts in my social media feeds keep telling me. We may have only been in Perth for just over 4 months, but pausing to reflect, over my ice cold pint of Guinness, which is bloody good by the way, I remember that we have a lot to be grateful for. And gratitude is one of the practices that will get us through this. A practice of daily gratitude has been shown to improve our mental health. And mental health is something that has been climbing up my personal agenda of late. 

Uprooting a life of 8 years in Sydney was a deliberate choice. A choice that I own. 100%. But even our choices can bring consequences. Intended, and unintended. Expected, and unexpected. Personally, I have found it harder than I thought. And I am not sure whether this is as a result of mentally knowing that we are not where we planned to be. That we left Sydney with only a backpack because only a day before we thought we were travelling to Asia.

Whatever the reason, I have felt adrift. A feeling that is slowly dissipating. I was struggling to find my connection back to life. Drifting in a land that I didn’t recognise. I felt liminal. On the threshold of something. I am managing this. Meditating, when I remember. Leaning on Buddhist teachings. Knowing that our thoughts are not reality. And thoughts, if left to run amok, can drive you mad.

Which brings me back to mental health, a topic that interests me more and more. And for this reason I have recently undergone training, and become an accredited Mental Health First Aider. I want to help. Wherever I can.

Besides keeping myself busy with learning, we both have a lot to be proud of. We arrived in a new city, with no jobs, and nowhere to live. An apartment was the easy piece of the puzzle, with the jobs being much harder. But I am proud of how we have both thrown ourselves into it and are both now working. And due to coronavirus we are both working from home. Which has its own challenges. I forgot to put myself on mute one day this week, and the call I was on suddenly went silent. 

“Who was that?”

“Did someone say something?”

“…”

“It was a Scottish lady speaking. How weird.”

The “Scottish lady” was Victoria, in the other corner of the lounge, chatting on another call. 

Apartment. Jobs. Trips to beautiful places such as Margaret River and the Swan Valley. Continuing my personal growth. I know we have plenty to be grateful for.

I read something from a friend the other day, that I think is advice that everyone should be following right now. In the days of homeschooling. Working from home and interrupting each other’s calls. In the midst of all the stress, we should all “just do what we can”.

It’s worth repeating, as we head into the second half of 2020. Just do what you can.