The Epicurean Traveler:
EATING AND DRINKING IN MARGARET RIVER

by Laurel Miller

I remember falling in love with Margaret.   She stole my heart with her quiet beauty, captivated my soul with her unpretentious charms.   And her food and wine aren't bad, either.

I was on my way to Margaret River to do a two-day section of the six-day, 130-km Cape to Cape Track, a limestone ridge that extends from the Cape Naturaliste lighthouse in the north to the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse in the south, located within Southwestern Australia's spectacular Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.   I was to meet my group of five fellow walkers and two guides at Merribrook Retreat in Cowaramup, 11 kilometers from the town of Margaret River, which in the 1970's drew far and wide those attracted to a leisurely, back to the land lifestyle.

Today, Margaret River is Australia's next big thing in wine regions, tucked inconspicuously within an isolated fist of land that juts into the Indian Ocean.   Located just three hours south of Perth in Western Australia, Margaret River is the most isolated wine-growing area on the planet, a tiny dot at the bottom of Australia's largest, least populated state.   It is there that some of the world's finest Shiraz is produced, as well as excellent Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.   The region may take a bit of work to get to, but you won't go home unrewarded.

Although the township of Margaret River is the hub of the region, there is charm to spare in the other hamlets scattered through the area.   I drove along empty roads fringed by red gum and peppermint trees and rolling hills populated only by grazing cows and kangaroos and the occasional weathered barn, eventually arriving in Cowaramup, little more than a collection of rustic roadside buildings.

Right around the corner from Margaret Riveria is Moon-Haven, a little shop selling handmade, botanical soaps and lotions, and across the street is Udderly Divine, a perfect place to refuel with a frothy cappuccino or smoothie.  

Addiction sated, I turned off the Bussell Highway, the region's main road, onto   Armstrong Road, which threads through bucolic pastureland, toward Merribrook.   On the way, I stopped at Olio Bello Estate, home of some of Western Australia's finest olive oils- the state is the country's prime olive growing region, next to South Australia.   In the last five years, olive oil has become one of Australia's most up and coming agricultural industries, and the farmland surrounding Perth boasts a number of olive farms.

  At Olio Bello, the 360-acre organic estate produces 14 varieties of olives, as well as a line of condiments from their produce, including an irresistable tomato chutney and an eggplant pickle. The cheerful tasting room staff will be happy to assist you in choosing an oil that suits your needs and tastes, and will expertly package things up to survive the long journey home.   You can also wander the through the olive groves as well, with prior permission from the staff.   “This (region) is the world's biggest garden,” says general manager Adrian Spelt.   “We're the Tuscany of Australia.   The loamy clay soil of Margaret River produces a very vibrant, robust oil.”

Just down the road from Olio Bello lies Merribrook Retreat.   At Merribrook, guests can experience the best of both worlds:   a small-scale luxury resort and spa with excellent, seasonal, wine region cuisine, or guided outdoor adventure trips that enable participants to experience the natural wonders that make Margaret River one of the most visually stunning locations on the planet, as well as one of the world's top surfing destinations.   Fortunately, I was going to be able to experience both- just reward, I thought, for surviving my first-ever, left-side driving experience, which was compounded by the uniquely Australian hazard of kangaroos darting onto the road (best to avoid driving at dusk).

I arrived at Merribrook in time to park my car in the fig orchard behind one of the   nine private chalets and join my group for a lunch of sautéed Southwestern prawns and scallops, and a salad of Merribrook's own organic baby lettuces and miniature tomatoes with Gidgeganup cheesemaker Gabrielle Kervella's biodynamic chevre before we departed for the Cape to Cape Track.   The limestone base that makes up the track means the area is littered with caves, which make for abseiling and caving opportunities that cater to all skill levels.   In addition to doing a 150-foot abseil into Giants Cave for a spelunking adventure, we would also be passing through terrain as varied as isolated, baby-powdery beaches with temperate azure waters, to towering karri forests full of hysterically cackling kookaburras.

Merribrook is owned and operated by the Firth family: Outdoor guide and accomplished sometime-cook Richard, his wife Lorraine, and their five children, including 24-year old son George, also a guide.   The Firths know hospitality: After years of operating Merribrook as a training retreat for corporate and school groups, they opened the property to the general public this past November, although they still do team-building events as well as guided outdoor trips.

Guests can also indulge in hot rocks, reflexology, and aromatherapy massage, and in early 2005, a full day spa will open, offering full body treatments featuring the excellent Baiame skin care line, made from indigenous ingredients such as lemon myrtle and quandong, which are wildcrafted by Aboriginal communities throughout Australia.

Although I was looking forward to experiencing the Cape to Cape, it was no easy task to bade farewell to my room, with its deep double bath and selection of handmade soaps, lemon verbena-scented candles, raft-sized bed with it's invitingly high-thread count sheets, the CD-player, front porch, and flitting, cobalt-colored splendid fairy wrens and chattering Port Lincoln parrots.   Shouldering my daypack, I walked up the winding path to the main lodge.   Goodbye, flowering native gardens, fruit orchards, vegetable patch, swimming pool, hot tub, bar, deck chairs overlooking the little lake, and towering gum trees.   See you soon.

In spite of the elegance of the chalets, however, the Firths remain firmly rooted in a philosophy of protecting the ecology of the area.   “Our goal is to give people the opportunity to connect with nature,” says Lorraine.   “Our property and programs are focused on the natural, the real.   We're passionate about the region, and its agriculture, the community.   We used a permaculture design when we planned our garden to facilitate an abundance of plants, beneficial insects, wildlife and birds.   This is an inner sanctuary, and we want to share it with our visitors.”

Most of Merribrook's 160-acres is untouched native forest, and there is no shortage of wildlife on the property, including kangaroos, possums, and bandicoots.   Bird watchers in particular will be happy, and a library of wildlife identification guides are available to guests in the main lodge.

En route to the trailhead, we drove up famed Caves Road, a scenic byway lined with towering gum trees.   Starting up the sandy trail at Boodjidup Beach, we passed scrubby coastal wattles and whimsical grass trees (Xanthorrhoea preissii), reminiscent of short, disheveled palms. Eventually, the track took us down to the water, where we walked for several kilometers on sand so fine it squeaked beneath our feet.   An impromptu swim in foaming surf ended with us sprawled on a cluster of massive, kelp-strewn boulders like so many sea lions, munching on nuts, chocolate honeycomb, and homemade fruit leather. mused, Squinting up at the expanse of cerulean Australian sky, a woman in our group mused, “Dried fruit and nuts never tasted so good.”  

Even while “roughing it” on the Cape to Cape, the Firths had thought of everything.   In late afternoon, we arrived to find our tents already set up in a sandy grove of melaleuca trees off of the deserted ivory crescent of Redgate Beach. Bottles of Spindrift '02 Semillon Sauvignon Blanc were chilling, and chunks of sunflower seed-studded pumpkin sourdough bread from Margaret River's Food Room Bakehouse, and Margaret River Cheese Company brie, along with olive oil and condiments from Olio Bello, awaited us.

While Richard scoured the rocky coast for abalone or crayfish for our dinner, Clive, a yoga instructor in our group, led us in an impromptu, post-swim, sunset class on the beach.   Although Richard was unable to procure any seafood due to the weather, he made up for it with an admirable tandoori-spiced chicken and stir-fried sugar snap peas.   Later, after a most impressive bananas Foster prepared over the camp stove, we enjoyed a '99 Sandstone Cabernet Sauvignon while Clive and a few others assembled an impromptu band by playing cooking and camping implements, and we took in the spectacularly star-washed skies of the Southern Hemisphere.

Still, when we arrived back at Merribrook the following evening, dirty, tired, and sore from all that walking, swimming, abseiling, caving, and primarily, all that yoga; all I could think about was that tub in my room.   I shuffled off to my chalet to find that Lorraine, ever the hostess, had already lit the fragrant candles and left bundles of fresh lavender and a bottle of Moon-Haven bubble bath, in anticipation of my soak.   Sinking into the frothy bubbles, I closed my eyes and vowed never to go home.  

But before I could not go home, I had to eat dinner.   I joined the other guests in the main lodge, where we feasted on pumpkin soup garnished with marron (freshwater crayfish) from Merribrook's own lake, Southwestern Australian snapper with caper sauce, and a Merribrook berry frangipane tart, prepared by local caterer Iain Menzies.   An alfresco breakfast was a similarly heavenly affair:   Richard's homemade muesli with a tangy Margaret River Dairy Company Greek yogurt and fresh fruit and organic coffee from Yehava, a microroaster in nearby Yallingup.

If leaving Merribrook was one of the more difficult things I had ever been faced with (left-side driving notwithstanding), my departure was softened by the knowledge that I had one more night, in the actual town of Margaret River. After a day of enjoying the beach, it was time to explore the town. If eating is a primary pastime in Margaret River, art must come a close second.   There are a number of art galleries featuring handblown glass, ceramic sculpture, and painting by the region's artists, as well as works by Aboriginal artists from all over Australia.   Yoga and massage studios also abound, as do companies catering to outdoor pursuits such as surfing and sea kayaking.

If food is still on your mind- and if you're visiting this region, it should be- don't miss the Food Room Bakehouse, which, in addition to that pumpkin sourdough, sells loaves of wonderful homemade biodynamic Turkish bread and ciabatta, as well as pastries, cookies the size of salad plates, and ridiculously affordable sandwiches made with local meat and produce.   Right next door is the quirky Station Rd. Greengrocers, purveyors of regional products such as free-range eggs and sustainably-grown produce, bulk nuts and dried fruit, and sheep's cheese and yogurt from Cloverdene Dairy.   Even the town petrol station sells organic nectarines and tomatoes from a nearby farm.   The charming Margaret River farmers market is every Sunday from 8am to noon, and is a treasure trove of sustainable produce and artisan foods from Southwestern family farms.

Lunchtime means a perfect excuse to assemble a picnic and enjoy it on the grounds of one of the region's 90 wineries (although only 75 have cellar doors).   Some, like Cullen, a 72-acre organic estate producing everything from Merlot to Semillon, have their own restaurant, in this case a mere ten feet from the vines, in a rustic setting reminiscent of a friend's country house.   Chef Hamish McLeay relies on organic produce from the estate's own gardens to create seasonal dishes such as hoisin-crisped Wirring Road free range goose with noodle and Asian herb salad, or slow-cooked tomatoes and baby eggplant with sheep's milk labne-a tangy Lebanese yogurt- fried basil, and preserved lemon with toasted Turkish bread.

The famed Voyager Estate, one of Australia's largest producers, offers visitors a respite from the heat by dining in a refined, indoor setting featuring chef Nigel Harvey's Mod Oz dishes such as a salad of grilled Pemberton marron with lime and palm sugar dressing, or seared King prawns and Abrolhos Island scallops in an avocado-accented gazpacho.

I decided to spend my final dinner eating from chef Dany Algrove's winning, seasonal Modern Australian menu at Vat 107, a sleek little bistro in the middle of town.   Algrove is a quietly passionate advocate of the culinary riches of the region.   When he speaks of farmer John White's Muscovy ducks, Stephanie Dempster's goat cheese, or Maggie Craig's white beets and borlotti beans, it is with the reverence of a man who finds not just inspiration, but enlightenment in the art of those who work with the land for a living.   As tribute, he turns these and other local products- marron, oysters, farmed venison, tender lamb and succulent pork- into simple, Margaret River interpretations of a multiethnic national cuisine.   Fried whiting, livened up with a refreshing green chile dipping sauce, showcases a beloved local fish, local Jarahdene pork is turned into sausage, accompanied by lentils de Puy and sourdough toasts with labne, while vanilla bean and rose petal panna cotta drizzled with honey and pistachio syrup makes for a delicate finale.

After dinner, I dropped by Wino's, a local watering hole.   No dodgy pub in the bush this. Youthful owner Mike Gadd is also the talented winemaker for Artamus, a two and a half acre Chardonnay vineyard- the smallest commercial vineyard in Australia-in nearby Osmington that is owned by television chef and food personality Ian Parmenter and his partner, grower Ann Dewar.

At Wino's, Gadd has created a sophisticated, yet witty establishment that offers an enormous selection of local wines, as well as some irresistible cocktails. As I sipped the deliciously bright, clean-tasting '00 Artamus Chardonnay, I was joined by the Firth's and several members of our Cape to Cape group:   Clive, his partner Colleen, and Jane, a massage therapist.   All had relocated to Margaret River from various points around Australia and England, and, as creative, down-to-earth, outdoorsy types, they represented a perfect example of the social fabric and demographic of Margaret River.   I marveled at how in just two short days these people had become friends enough to meet me for farewell drinks before I headed back home to the United States.   Finishing my wine, I recalled something Richard had said earlier in my visit.   “A lot of people have come here from far-off places.   Margaret River is driven by people's dreams, by a desire to do things differently, live a more restorative lifestyle.   What's different about it now is that the region has matured, so that the pursuit of those dreams is now a reality.   It's value-driven. It has a strong sense of community.”

Margaret, promise you'll wait for me.

WHERE TO STAY:

 Merribrook:   Armstrong Rd., off Cowaramup Bay Rd., Cowaramup, 61 8 9755 5599, www.merribrook.com.au

Hidden Valley Forest Retreat: Haag Rd., Margaret River, 61 8 9755 1066, www.yourhiddenvalley.com .   With 170 untouched acres, this ultra-exclusive eco-retreat and vineyard is the ultimate indulgence.   Choose from one of five spacious, secluded, phone and tv-free luxury accommodations, each featuring it's own outdoor spa, and individual design by owner Anne-Marie Lynch.

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK:

 Vat 107: 107 Bussell Hwy, 61 8 9758 8877, www.vat107.com.au

The Food Room:   31 Station Road, 61 8 9757 9012

Wino's Margaret River: 85 Bussell Hwy, 61 8 9758 7155

Cullen Wines: Caves Road, Cowaramup, 61 8 9755 5277, www.cullenwines.com.au

 WHERE TO SHOP:

Margaret Riveria: http://www.mronline.com.au/riviera , 61 8 9755 9333.

Moon-Haven: Corner Bottrill & Bussell Hwy, Cowaramup, 61 8 9755 5470, www.moonhaven.com.au

Olio Bello:   Lot 1 Armstrong Rd., Cowaramup, 61 8 9755 9771, www.oliobello.com.

Melting Pot Glass Studio:   91 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River, 61 8 9757 2252.

Wardan Aboriginal Cultural Center: Indidup Springs Rd, 6km south of Yallingup, 61 8 9756 6566.   Aboriginal art gallery and attraction based on Aboriginal culture.

WHEN TO VISIT:  

Although Margaret River is lovely yearound due to it's mild Mediterranean climate, September through June generally mean warm days and clear, cool nights.