Over the weekend I found myself in a stunning part of Australia that I’d never explored before… a truly special place where isolated beaches stretch into exquisite grape vines… where it’s natural to slow your car down for a passing kangaroo…and a region synonymous with great food and great wine. The natural beauty from the bush to the sea alongside the solitude was like a sucker punch to the soul (in the best way possible) and I can’t wait to share with you some of my highlights – so this week the S Blog goes west! We’ll come back to part two of #BondiLife another week.
Flying from the east to the west coast of Australia is no hop, skip and a jump… it takes approximately 5 hours to fly from Sydney to Perth, which is a little longer than flying from London to Moscow. Yes it’s a big continent! Needless to say it’s not every day those in the east head over to the west, but in our case we had the best excuse ever to make the trip… a big family wedding.
I absolutely LOVE family weddings because it’s a great way to get all the Uechtritz gang together (Uechtritz being my maiden name – now my middle name) and a name that I’m very proud of. My dad is one of TEN children and those 10 children produced another 32 children - so I have 31 first cousins just on my dads’ side alone. Some of the 31 cousins have gone on to produce some of their own little Uechtritz’s (14 to be exact) plus of course my 3 step kids (Jack, Missy and Ali) bring the official family count to 17 great grandchildren for my very proud nanna (plus there's 3 more on the way…). IN SHORT: I come from a very BIG family and they’re all legends. Seriously… they are. I’d describe them as good ‘salt of the earth’ people who are warm and loving plus loads of fun to be around. Even my husband proudly adopted “Uechtritz” as his middle name when we got married (awwww) and so this is a little background about how we ended up on the west coast… now for the fun part.
After hearing great things about the Margaret River for years, we decided to carpe diem and make a road trip down to Margie (everyone and everything has a nickname in Oz) after the wedding. The drive is 3 hours from Perth and 4 hours from where we were staying at beautiful Moondyne retreat (the wedding location). Because of work commitments we only had a couple of days to spare for our little adventure, so recommendations came in very handy and we ended up with the best plan that allowed for both zen & zest. Here’s the highlights:
RIDING THE SAND
When we arrived at our villa which was perched atop the cliffs of Injidup beach, one of the first things we noticed were some huge sand dunes lying off to the left. It didn’t take me more than a minute to suggest we find some toboggans to take on the dunes - the tom boy in me was in his element. Motorbikes, go carts, quads and swings…I’ve always loved anything a bit speedy and adventurous. I guess I’ve always been a bit boyish like that, one time I even road a bull (well a steer, which is a bull that has been castrated) and I was only about 12 years old at the time. I grew up believing if my big brothers could do it so could I… and the truth is I never outgrew that belief. It’s my approach to pretty much everything life now – my dad used to say “If there’s a will there’s a way” and for me, gender doesn’t really come into the equation.
When it came time to tackle the sand, I’ve never laughed so hard… I had my husband running around trying to find some old boxes while I plotted out exactly how we’d get to the top of the hill. With boxes under arm and a fresh coat of sunscreen, we hiked off into the bush getting ourselves a little lost (and sweaty) on the way. The sun was beating down and when we finally reached the top we had a minor case of butterflies because it was a lot longer and a lot steeper than we thought. It was the first time I actually considered that we had no brakes! It was so much fun though and as they say… a little bit of sand never hurt anyone haha. Such a hoot and definitely a memory for life.
Top: James Perse Shorts: Club Monaco Sunnies: Rayban Hat: No name
SUNSET OVER THE HORIZON
In my opinion, the west coast of Australia hosts some of the best sunsets in the world - there’s something extra special about seeing the sun dip directly behind the horizon and cast stunning colour combinations across the sky. It's beyond spectacular. Every sunset is so different that you feel like you’re being introduced to a new member of the sun family with the end of every day. For me the simplest highlight of the whole trip was admiring this radiant display by mother nature while enjoying some local wine and cheese.
WINE ON TAP
On Day 1 after a lovely sleep in, we ventured into the little town of Margaret River itself. Aside from the usual charms found in small country towns, there are great little cafés to satisfy any foodie plus of course my favourite… drumroll please….Swings Taphouse & Kitchen. Swings gets my vote because not only do they have a great menu of tasty food, but yes… as the title suggests… it also has wine on tap! What the?! I never knew you could get wine on tap but in my eyes it’s pure brilliance. Plus of course the wine tastes great too.
LUNCH AT CULLEN
If you’re really into your food experiences and want to indulge in something stripped back and authentic, then Cullen Wines is the place to go. I loved it! From the moment I walked through the door of this biodynamic winery (which also happens to be one of the oldest vineyards in the region) I instantly felt at ease by the warm & unmanufactured atmosphere. It’s exactly the type of place I want to unwind with some tasty food and wine tasting.
Dress: Maje
Like the biodynamic vines, the team at Cullen produce their own fruit, herb, vegetables and ‘bush tucker’ via a biodynamic garden which you can stroll through at your leisure. The Executive chef, Colin Anderson (who has a great track record working in some of the worlds finest restaurants including Gordon Ramsay and Quay) combines the simplest of local and organic ingredients to produce exquisite plates of art that were exciting and almost a juxtaposition to the surrounds. I repeat the word “almost” because despite the sophistication of each dish, they still managed to be at home within the rustic, carefree setting of the vineyard… the food was clever but not intimidating; it was beautiful but emanated the surrounding gardens and vines; plus it’s very construction was organic and birthed within the ethos and ambience of the Cullen vineyard itself. To find all of this balance and then to have each dish perfectly compliment the wine too, is seriously impressive.
PS: And I would love to add that Cullen Wines used to be a low chemical-based vineyard like most other vineyards in the region (and globally). Over the years the Cullen family have spent great effort and money converting their vineyard to organic and then on to biodynamic, plus they offset their carbon emissions (from the use of tractors and other equipment etc) by replanting trees. I always feel so much better about supporting businesses like this because you know they’re also supporting us and our global environment. #FeelGoodFoodAndWine
DESSERT AT VASSE FELIX
Vasse Felix is the oldest vineyard in the Margaret River region and also one of the most prestigious. Our air host on the flight to Perth said it was his absolute favourite: “not to be missed” plus a number of our other friends concurred… so we found ourselves in a little pickle. You see we only had 1 day & 1 lunch blocked out for the winery side of our Margie visit and because we’d already been sold on Cullen Wines for lunch, we weren’t sure how to do Vasse Felix as well. Thankfully the delightful Lisa Maclaren at Injidup Spa Retreat (where we were staying) suggested doing main course at one and then dessert at the other! And that’s exactly what we did and it was perfecto!
MY TIP: Enjoy all the wine tastings (of course) but before you leave, make sure you grab yourself a bottle of the Heytesbury Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a special drop and there’s only a small number of bottles left - they limit purchase to only one bottle per person!
INJIDUP NATURAL SPA
Swimsuit & matching Shorts: Ted Baker Hat: Seafolly
If there’s anything NOT to miss in the Margaret River region... it’s this. The Injidup natural spa is a little gem of delight created by mother nature and sure to blow your mind.
It’s located at the end Wyadup Road in Yallingup but to be honest, you may need a local to help you find it because there are no signs and it’s tucked away among hundreds of rocks you need to clamber over to get to (my advice is to travel light – don’t be bringing your picnic baskets and chairs on this excursion). I had no idea it even existed until the very helpful Lisa Maclaren (again) mentioned it, it’s one of those well kept local secrets and clearly one which I’m not helping to keep that way #soz
Swimsuit: Ted Baker Hat: Seafolly
Basically once you conquer the rocks and locate this little aqua haven by the sea, you’ll find yourself in a calm little swimming hole where the water is so clear that even the little fishies have no form of camouflage. The best part is though, once you’ve immersed yourself in the water, the waves come crashing over your head in sets and rushing through small tunnels in the rocks behind you, this then aerates the ocean water into tiny white bubbles which creates a natural spa all around you. #thrilling
Swimsuit: Ted Baker Hat: Seafolly
WINE TASTING FROM THE BACK OF A UTE
RONAN - Shirt: James Perse Shorts: Saturdays NYC Belt: Club Monaco Hat: Helen KaminskiSTORM - Dress: Maje Mens Jumper: Saturdays NYC
Here’s the thing… if anyone offers you a private wine tasting definitely consider it. If anyone offers you a private wine tasting from the back of a ute (AKA pickup truck) parked in the middle of a vineyard, definitely take it! This is how we met Will, owner and master vintner of CLOUDBURST Wines.
Will is not only a super cool guy who makes incredible wines, he’s a guy that doesn’t really do anything the conventional way or for money – he follows his instincts, listens to his heart and certainly doesn’t follow the crowd. For example, when he first planted his vines in 2008 (with no background in winemaking) many of the locals thought he was crazy because he planted four rows of vines into the same width that conventionally you would only plant two. This means he has to pick all of his grapes by hand (tractors and machinery won’t fit between the rows) and apparently the roots of the vines have less room to “breath”. But when CLOUDBURST took home three prestigious Margaret River Wine Show awards with their very first vintage… people started to second guess if he was crazy at all (I really love this story!). Now years later CLOUDBURST is considered one of the best wines in the region and proves that breaking the rules can yield great results.
Regardless of the wine and how good it is, Will seems to move through life with an easy smile and an air of wisdom that far surpasses that of age and knowledge… maybe I’d call it a ‘spiritual wisdom’ I don’t know… but whatever it is, it’s really nice to be around and within 2 minutes of meeting him, we knew we were in for far more than a regular wine tasting! After what felt like 20 minutes (but was closer to two hours) my husband and I walked away knowing that what we experienced with Will was less about an education on wine and more about an education on life (and the way to live it).
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RONAN - Shirt: James Perse Shorts & Shoes: Saturdays NYC Belt: Club Monaco Hat: Helen Kaminski Sunnies: RaybanSTORM - Dress: Maje Mens Jumper: Saturdays NYC