Gracetown

Outside of Australia, I suspect that the Margaret River area is best known for its wines, although not very many find their way to our shores, which is a shame as they are of high quality. Today we chose to take a tour with a local guide, Hank Durlik and it proved to be a good decision. There is a lot to see in the area and being short of time, it was difficult to know what to prioritise. After an exchange of emails as to our interests, Hank worked that out for us and took us to see things we would never have found on our own. Scenically, it is a beautiful and possibly surprising landscape of great contrast. Agriculture is predominantly livestock, particularly dairy and the local cheeses are very fine. The resulting pasture parkland juxtaposed with the regimented rows of vines create pleasing vistas in all directions. The lifestyle here is laid back and all about the outdoors, especially the coast and it was here we headed to first thing. Hank told us that people rise early and go for a coffee and look at the surf, possibly riding a few waves, before starting their day. He said, if engaging a builder, ask first if he is a surfer and if the answer is yes, either find someone else or be prepared for a long wait. The surf will always come first! Unsurprisingly, Surfer's Point was our first point of call, a strip of coast at the small village of Prevelley. The waves today were not legendary, but there were groups of surfers out there awaiting their chance to ride a 'big one'. This section of beach is world famous and is one of the venues used for the World Surfing Championships in March. All along this coast are the most superb beaches, natural and unspoiled. The surf beaches are graded to allow youngsters to learn the sport and only the best and most experienced graduate to Surfers Point. Geographically, the whole of the Margaret River area is part of the Leeuwenhoek-Naturaliste National Park, and geologically it is limestone overlying granite, which makes for some interesting landforms. There are caves galore, including collapsed sinkholes, one large one called Lake Cave we went to look at. It was a classic example and even more exciting was the Willy Wagtail nest and the parents feeding their young just three feet from the board walk!
Just south of Margaret River starts the wide band of Kauri forest that extends all the way down to Albany further south. We drove through the most majestic stands of these huge giants. It was like standing in natures cathedral. They are a gum, one of the hardest and third tallest trees in the world. Extensively logged in the 1800s, the trunks are long, straight and true and so much in demand for building back, then. The off cuts were cut into cobbles and sent to London as ballast in the trading sailing clippers to cobble London streets. Hank was in London in October and tried to find some in the streets with no luck, but did find some in the courtyard in Trinity College, Dublin. Coincidentally, he and his wife came to Norfolk, as his wife's parents hailed from Gorleston, as did Peter's mothers family. Yet another example of a small world! The beach at Gt Yarmouth came as something of a shock to him after Western Australia! We stopped for coffee at the Baronup Forest Cafe. Attached is a Gallery featuring locally made furniture and artifacts made from the Kauri. These pieces are unique and works of art and are shipped all over the world. The gallery is quite something to see.
The limestone cliffs at Conto were fascinating, also the views and the perfectly adapted flora clothing this exacting habitat. The whole area was wiped out by a wildfire 6 years ago and has regenerated in that time. Mother Nature is remarkable. Our final call of the morning was to another coastal venue called Hamlin Bay. This was the most beautiful sheltered limestone Bay. Families were about on the beach, although it was far from crowded. Guys we're bringing in their fishing catch and it was a sunny happy spot. We wandered down onto the beach and I had a paddle in the Indian Ocean. Black shapes appeared in the surf. They were sting or manta rays. I was amazed as these incredible creatures came right up to my feet and allowed me to tickle their back. It will be a memory never to be forgotten for me. We lingered for an hour as the rays came back time and time again.
I could have stayed all day.

The vine area is actually really small, 20 square miles if I remember correctly and there are 178 wineries crammed into that small space. As you can probably appreciate most of them are small boutique establishments, producing small amounts of quality wine, which is of course why most of the production stays within Australia. We had a very good lunch of local produce at Olio Bello, the largest olive grove and producer in Australia and tasted not only their vines, but also the olive oil. I resisted the temptation to bring some home, as the thought of a broken olive oil bottle in a suitcase was more than I could stand! We visited two excellent wineries to taste their wares; Cape Grace and Heydon Estate. The reds were of a really good standard and Cape Grace produce a really interesting white blend called SBS (Sauvignon Blanc Semillion). It is gaining ground here and was so interesting that there is a bottle sitting in the fridge now! At Heydon Estates the owner is a dentist, who has a vineyard on the side (as you do). He is a mad keen cricket fan, who names all his wines after cricketing terms e.g. The Urn, The Sledge & WG Grace, to name but three! The wines are superb, although far from cheap. He will at the WACA on the 14th.
We returned to Darby Park Residences in Margaret River town having felt we had had a fabulous snapshot of this marvellous part of Western Australia thanks to Hank, although we are far from done with it, as we move further up the coast tomorrow for a couple of nights. It has been a full and great day.Read more