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Hello again folks. How are we all doing? Managing to get through all those toilet rolls you panic bought? Yes, you know who you are. You are the reason people had to wipe their bum with old copies of the Daily Mail. And who has cupboards full of flour rather than bread bins full of fresh sourdough? 

So, we made it to May. I’ve been reading that people have felt time is going slow. I can’t believe we have been in Perth for over 6 weeks already. It really is a mystery where the days go. Although the long days are giving me a chance to read the books that have long sat on my “to read” pile. One such book that I had been meaning to read for years was Nelson Mandela’s “Long Walk to Freedom”. 

I finally finished this amazing book and was immediately struck by how easy we have things. Even in the age of the coronavirus. Yes, we miss family. We may even miss friends. Well, some of them. But essentially we are being asked to stay in our comfortable homes. With all our home comforts surrounding us. Want a fish finger sandwich? Go and make one. Fancy watching just one more episode of “After Life”? Oh, go on then. A beer? Well, it is 5 o’clock somewhere. 

Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years. 18 of which he spent in harsh conditions, on Robben Island. Whilst locked up, he lost his mother, and not long after, his son to a car accident. He wasn’t able to go to either funeral. Regardless of how you view the politics of Africa, or Mandela’s role prior to his arrest, what he and his comrades were put through was nothing short of shocking. I have written about visiting Robben Island, last year. I’ve seen the cell he was in. I’ve visited the quarry where he was made to crack rocks all day long. 

And this puts a lot of things into perspective. For me at least. As long as my family, friends and those closest to me remain healthy and well, then how hard can things be? Our situation will improve. We will be reunited with our loved ones. And one day, in the not too distant future, the pubs will reopen. Just this weekend, the Premier of Western Australia has announced that cafes and restaurants can reopen. Starting with a limit of 20 diners inside at a time. And regional travel restrictions have been lifted, meaning we are able to visit more of this beautiful state, should we want to. I can hear Margaret River calling. 

But before we think too much about holidays, we need to get work. And here I have some positive news. In a job market that is flatter than one of my sister’s Yorkshire Puddings, one of us has found themselves a job. Guess who now has the role of house husband? This domestic god better learn how the washing machine works. And I am told dinner will be expected on the table at the end of each work day. 

Outside of domestic duties, I am filling my time with learning stuff. At the moment I am learning more about wine. And not just drinking it. I am part way through the WSET Level 1 Award in Wine course. The first step to a diploma in wine, should I wish to continue studying. The level 1 course is just 4 weeks long, but I am enjoying the experience. Learning more about the actual production of wine, the differences in the wines regions around the globe, and how to properly taste wine. The practical aspect is great fun.

Whilst Vik hasn’t yet got a start date for work, we are taking the opportunity to explore the local area. We had a great day out last week to a little historic town called Guildford. A short train ride from the Perth CBD, Guildford is a heritage town, referred to as the gateway to the Swan Valley wine region. It is home to the second oldest pub in Australia, the Rose and Crown, and other quaint buildings from a bygone era, such as the Mechanics Institute, and the old town gaol. Being so close to both the city, and the vineyards, we have even started looking for houses that would suit us.

Longer term, I don’t really expect that Australia will open up the international borders until at least 2021. This keeps our longer term plan of travelling the world on the back burner. Which therefore keeps my dream of publishing my very first travel article bubbling away in the background. With travel collapsing, with it went the travel writing market. Hopefully it will bounce back once we are all able to visit places both local, and overseas again.

In the meantime, I’m off to see if I can buy some flour. If the boss wants sourdough with her dinner after work, I am going to have to get my pinny on, and learn how to make it.

Adios amigos!

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. 

Wednesday, 3rd February, 2021

Hello again my friends, and welcome to the Perth lockdown diaries for Wednesday. You can catch up on days 1 and 2 here. Read along as we navigate the snap lockdown in Perth.

Groundhog Day

For those of you that have been in lockdown for a long time, what does it feel like? Seriously, what are you doing to stay sane? Please share your tips and advice. We are in day 3 and already it is starting to feel like groundhog day. I can only imagine what you must be feeling after an extended period.

In today’s press conference, we got more good news from the Premier. Big Dog McGowan told us that there had been in excess of 12,000 COVID tests, which resulted in another day of zero local transmission. Another doughnut day. The sceptical amongst you may be wondering how this is even possible. 

Patient 903

Patient 903, which is what the government is now affectionately calling the hotel security guard that triggered the lockdown, was in close contact with quite a lot of people. From the contact tracing we can see that he had also visited many locations. He seems to be partial to KFC. And he has the UK variant which we are told is much more highly transmissible than other variants. Yet, all the close and casual contacts are currently returning negative COVID test results. It is a mystery. But a happy one for the people of Perth.

The new normal, again

Whilst we keep getting “doughnut days”, the Premier says that we will come out of lockdown as planned at 6pm on Friday. Interestingly, the narrative is subtly changing with talk now of not returning to the normality we had, prior to last Sunday, but to a normal that includes new COVID restrictions. We wait with anticipation to hear what these restrictions are.

The bushfires continue to rage across parts of Perth and thankfully there has been no loss of life. This is in large part thanks to the extraordinary job the emergency services are doing. The firies continue to work relentlessly, with assistance from the east coast who have flown over additional aerial tankers for dousing the flames. Sadly, the number of properties lost to the fires has jumped up to 81. We pray for good weather conditions overnight and that the situation starts to improve.

In more positive news, the wine remains in the bottle and my willpower continues to hold out. Two more days of lockdown. We can, and will, do this.

Exploring the East Coast of Tasmania

Launceston was over way too soon. I had found a city that I felt a connection with. So much historic and interesting architecture, natural beauty, and food to keep me happy for a very long time. The Tamar Valley alone could fill our weekends for a whole year. Did I mention there is also a very good whisky distillery? What I hadn’t known at the time, but found out since is that Launceston is also home to a tram. Despite the last official line closing in 1952, there is still a tram you can board for short tours, courtesy of the Launceston Tramway Museum, set up to keep the history alive from the days when trams criss crossed this beautiful city.

We were travelling a little further than a tram could take us today, heading east of Launceston to our next destination of Bicheno. Taking the scenic route, is there any alternative whilst travelling in Tasmania, and going via the Bay of Fires. We packed up the backpacks, loaded the bullet, and bid a fond farewell to the Red Feather Inn. Somewhere we would definitely return to.

Today was about arriving, rather than returning, and we were headed for Bicheno (pronounced Bish-u-No), on the east coast. As luck would have it, our visit to the east coast of Tasmania was coinciding with the Great Eastern Wine Week. Who knew? What started out as a long weekend to celebrate the wine growers of the region became so popular that there is a whole week dedicated to it. And, as you may have heard, we have always enjoyed celebrating wine.

Lunch stop in St Helens

Before wine there is coffee and I had my second of the day with a good eggs and bacon lunch at the Life Buoy café in St Helens, a small village just a few kilometres shy of Binalong Bay. Binalong Bay is the heart of the “Bay of Fires”, the area so called for the fires of the Aboriginals that were spotted from the passing ships of early European explorers. We called in at Binalong Bay for the views. Dramatic wind swept coastal views right across the bay. And some excellent beaches too that would need a warner day than we had to fully enjoy.

Back in the car, and warm again, we drove an hour south, along the coast, to Bicheno, a small coastal town with a population of just over 800 people. I was immediately taken by how much this reminded me of some of the villages on the west coast of New Zealand. A friendly feel as soon as you arrived. Taking a walk later in the day, the dark clouds drew in and brought the rain. Perfect fish and chips weather. Although, I have used that excuse on a glorious sunny day in summer too!

Where to get fish and chips in Bicheno

When it comes to fish and chips you have two options right on the coast in Bicheno. The Lobster Shack and the rather more rustic (scruffy) looking Tasmanian Coastal Seafoods. We chose the latter and Mrs C’s face was a picture when we ordered at the front counter. The small space looked like a dilapidated kitchen and there were more dead flies in the counter then there were fish.

However, we had read the reviews, trusted our instincts, ordered the food, and bought a couple of beers to while away the 30 minute wait. Yes, they were busy, despite the decor. I think the waiting room was actually the indoor restaurant area. In the cold wet evening it looked derelict but for the other patrons hunched over in their padded jackets and woolly hats.

Some 40 minutes later our takeaway arrived and we were back in the car, driving through the rain, the short drive back to the apartment. And the verdict? Very good fish and chips. Not quite the quality of Blakeley’s in Brighouse, but this is Australia. When it comes to fish and chips you have to lower your standards a little.

Time to sample the Great Eastern Wine Week

As the sun shone brightly on our second day in Bicheno we drove out to visit a couple of vineyards to celebrate Great Eastern Wine Week. First up, Devil’s Corner, in the midst of a large renovation that will bring a large new restaurant, outdoor seating area and enhanced cellar door experience. For now we opted for a flight of 3 wines to sample in the makeshift tent, doing a great job shielding us from the cold wind whipping off the sea.

Craigie Knowe vineyard, a little further along the road, had a ticketed event and we (Mrs C) had the foresight to get tickets. There was a live band, food truck, pop up patisserie, local beer stall, and all the Craigie Knowe wines to sample. This time we simply opted for a glass each. We picked up a chocolate éclair and a cheesecake (small, obviously), standing in the sun listening to the music. 

There was a great turnout and I am always pleased to see small local businesses doing well in a time when 70% of their tourism has dropped off. These tourists come from the state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the state capital. They are currently doing it very tough in COVID and are unable to travel outside the state. I am sure West Australians alone are not making up the difference in tourist numbers to Tasmania but we are doing all we can to help.

Bicheno Beams

The small town of Bicheno was doing well in attracting people despite it being the end of winter and the fact there is a pandemic. And winter here in Tasmania is cold. Despite the cold, each night the locals put on a laser and music show at 6.45pm. This evening there was also a sausage sizzle in aid of the local kids raising funds to build a skate park. We bypassed the sausage sizzle and picked up a couple of pizzas whilst walking home from the laser show. Slowly sipping tonight’s choice of Tasmanian whisky nightcap I was left to reflect on another great day, sadly a day closer to the end of the trip.

Time for Triabunna

Our last night in Tasmania was to be spent in Triabunna, small coastal town with a population of 874. Our accommodation was a tiny renovated cottage on an old orchard, Rostrevor. A book in the cottage provided a fascinating potted history of the orchard and the people who worked there over the years.

From what I had read about Triabunna there were two things worth doing. One was get the boat over to Maria Island, for which we had no time, and the other was to visit the Fish Van. I kid you not. The Fish Van is fast becoming a tourist attraction in its own right. Whilst having a whisky and gin tasting at the excellent Spring Bay distillery, it was recommended to us for dinner. It seems we were having our second fish and chips of the holiday.

Now, let me manage your expectations. This really is a van. Selling fish. And chips. So, this is what we had for dinner. And were they as good as the ones in Bicheno? Well, the fish was bigger. This always gets extra marks from me. The chips were similar. Typical Aussie chips. More like French fries than what I get served up in the UK. All up, a very good dinner, for $12 each, which was a lot cheaper than the ones a couple of nights ago.

Dinner finished, we spent the rest of the evening keeping warm in the cottage, finishing the bottle of Pinot Gris that we had started with dinner. My nightcap, the final one of the trip, was from Fannys Bay, back up on the North East coast. I added a couple of drops of water to bring out the flavour. This was one of the nicest whiskies I had had. And I had a few. Not peaty, yet I could taste something coming through. Maybe a hint of smoke. I just wish I had bought a bigger bottle.

The Final Day of the Tasmanian Road Trip

Thankful this morning that I hadn’t drunk a whole bottle of whisky, we had breakfast in the cottage. Simple vegemite on toast and a couple of strong coffees before hitting the road again. We opted for a light breakfast knowing that we had lunch booked for 12pm at Frogmore Creek Estate on the outskirts of Hobart. We broke up the journey in Sorrel with a coffee at the excellent Uncle Alby’s. Only open for the last 6 months, the barista told me they had built up quite a local clientele. Thankfully, the lack of interstate tourists wasn’t hitting them too hard. With coffee this good, I sense a good future for this little local business. 

Lunch was a little more grand. Sat in the restaurant at Frogmore Creek, over looking the vines, with the sun hitting the windows, we were served with some delicious food. We shared a portion of the scallops and then shared a couple of main dishes, splitting the beautiful pork belly and lamb back strap between us. A glass of Cabernet Sauvignon finished things off perfectly.

And back to Hobart

Then, the holiday was finished off. We dropped the bullet back off at Bargain Rentals with Amit refusing to check the car over and telling Mrs C that he would “be in touch if there was anything wrong”. He was dealing with the wrong woman, people. She told him, in no uncertain terms that there was nothing wrong and that she did NOT expect to be hearing from him. I hid outside, minding the bags.

A pint in the Customs House pub on the the waterfront, killed a little time before jumping in an Uber to the airport. We managed a short visit to the business class lounge (it only opens 1 hour ahead of your flight departing), and then we were on our way home. With a time difference of -2 hours in Perth, we landed at 10.30pm And tomorrow? Back to work and a check of the calendar for when we can next get away.

What has been happening in the world of Mr and Mrs C? You may have read that after 64 weeks we finally escaped Western Australia for a holiday. The original plan was to visit Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road. Replacing the trip that got cancelled back in March 2020. The trip that was to kick start our world travels. We know how that worked out.

Best laid plans, and all that

We planned to finally do the trip, had the accommodation and flights booked and along came Delta. And again, the trip was binned. Looking at the state of the internal borders in Australia, and places we could travel to and return to fortress WA from without quarantining, our options were few.

And so we found ourselves doing a road trip around the very beautiful Tasmania. Something I would highly recommend. Thankfully we were allowed to enter Tasmania, and return to Perth without quarantine at either end. Something of a luxury in Australia at the moment. Tasmania exceeded all our expectations. We had been to Hobart previously, and this time we had a car and really explored this beautiful small island.

Will we escape from Australia?

The holiday blues were somewhat ameliorated by hearing that airlines will recommence international flights out of Australia by the end of the year. The Australian government has committed to a plan to have borders open once we reach 80% double dose of the COVID vaccination. This is slated to be November. This is every State Premier except one. Ours. McGowan is refusing to budge and wants to keep Perth in its little bubble. 

This will not deter us as we now start seriously considering when to finally start our overseas travel. If the international borders within Perth remain closed through the start of 2022 we will road trip to Adelaide, perhaps FINALLY doing the Great Ocean Road trip, and then fly out to Asia from Melbourne.

On the move again

In news that was rather less exciting for us, and rather a blow, we got notice that our landlords were returning to Perth and decided they wanted to move back into the house we had blissfully rented for a year. Knowing how horrendous the Perth rental market is we were not relishing trying to find somewhere new to live. Thankfully, our existing agents found an apartment on the same road and we have recently moved ourselves there. Literally, we moved ourselves. A few trips in a car. A few more in a ute and we are in. 

The week we moved turned into a bit of a nightmare. Last year, thinking we were only around in Perth for a short while, we chose to rent a washing machine rather than buy one. Day 2 of the recent move saw us having the rental company move the washing machine from the old house to the new apartment. The evening of day 2 saw us returning after a walk to find the apartment under water. Literally under water. With more of it gushing out of the tap that was supposed to be connected to the washing machine. The pipe had not been correctly fitted and had come off whilst we were out. We did not even have a wash running. Cue me furiously trying to bail the water out whilst we waited for the emergency tradesman to turn up.

Getting back to normal

Two weeks later. After many carpet blowers blowing. A weekend in a hotel to avoid the noise and smell of wet carpets. And a complete refit of the underlay through the whole apartment and we seem to be back on an even keel. Hopefully all the dramas are now behind us and we can see out the remaining 5 months of our lease in relative peace. Once this lease is up, who knows what will happen. Vaccination rates continue to climb, both here and internationally. Countries are starting to open up for travel again. And even Fortress Australia looks to be rejoining the world.

Daring to dream

Some two years after leaving our home in Sydney to travel the world on an extended sabbatical, the dream may finally be coming true. And as was the “plan” two years ago, we will have no real itinerary. We plan to head to Singapore first and then spend a few months exploring south east Asia. At some point we will head to the vineyards of Europe and the islands of the Mediterranean before heading to the UK for a long overdue catch up with family and friends. Life is too short to be away from our loved ones for so long. 

But, before we get ahead of ourselves, we first have a few action packed months. A birthday each to celebrate in November and December. Another Perth summer to enjoy. A couple of trips to our beloved Margaret Riverwine region and a holiday to another of my happy places, Hamilton Island in Queensland. 

All of course, subject to this pesky virus.