A walk on the wine side
Great wine, craft beers, magnificent scenery and miles and miles of coastline are just some of the reasons to spend time in western australia
Occupying the entire western third of this massive country but home to just 11 per cent of the population. Western Australia is best described as big and lonely. The Aboriginal tribe arrived on this side of the continent between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago. The first European to set foot in the West was probably Dirk Hartog, a Dutchman, who came in 1616 and nobody followed him until the gold rush in the 1890. The British, though, did corner a small area in 1849, proclaiming it a penal settlement.
Our motley group makes it to Western Australia in late May. It’s not gold that lures us here or even the history of those penal colonies, however, but the wine and food.
Western Australia might not win many tourists as the country’s South and East but it certainly draws wine buffs. The Margaret River wine region, 270 kilometres South of Perth, is reputed for its cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay varietals and is home to more than 150 wineries – ranging from such grand estates as Leeuwin and Voyager, to smaller operations where the cellar door is staffed by those who are hands-on during the planting and harvesting of the grapes.
The Swan Valley just outside Perth and the oldest wine-making region in Western Australia boasts an excellent wine and food trail and we see plenty of cyclists and oenophiles checking out the cellars, even queuing up with them one morning for a wine and chocolate tasting at Coward & Black Vineyards.
Sandalford Winery, a short ride away, is one of the oldest wineries in Western Australia and we delight in the view of the vineyard and pristine bush as we sip their 2014 Sandalford Estate Reserve Shiraz and feast on the chef’s delicious duck confit. The winery has obviously put a great deal of effort into marketing too, as we bump into large group of Thais, also here for lunch.
The City of Perth sits on the largest section of the Swan River. From the Kings Park & Botanic Garden, on the city’s western flank, you can see the Bell Tower, jetty and the city itself spreading beyond the river.
The Kings Park & Botanic Garden is also the pride of Perth. Once a hunting and gathering ground of the Aboriginal Australians, the park today is planted with more than 2,000 plant species.
Perhaps because of the amount of space they enjoy, the people of Western Australia are easy-going and very laid-back. A favourite weekend outing for the urban crowd is a short-train ride to the port of Fremantle for a long lunch and boozy afternoon at Fishing Boat Harbour.
We decide to follow in their footsteps and head to Fremantle, the first area to be settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829. It’s home to well-preserved 19th century buildings and remnants of Australia’s days as a British penal colony, so two of us leave the others in our group to scour the boutiques and galleries and set off in search of Western Australia’s spirit.
My companion George is an Australia alumnus. Back in the 1980s, he had a good time in Sydney but was tempted back to Thailand by former prime minister Anand Panyarachun’s campaign to replenish Thailand’s brain drain. Thirty years later, he still misses Down Under.
“Let’s go on a beer crawl,” he says firmly, even though it’s only 10.30am.
“Why not? It’s Sunday, mate!” I laugh as we follow the crowds from The Market Street to the pub strip of South Terrace.
Along with its wine reputation, Australia has also built up a strong craft beer culture and it’s immediately apparent that we’ve come to the perfect place to explore Western Australia’s craft beer scene.
Back in the 1980s, Matilda Bay Brewing Company launched Australia’s first craft brewery in the Sail & Anchor pub in Fremantle. The brewery has since changed hands, but the pub still serves craft beer and is surely a dream destination for any fan of the suds.
We have our first pint at Jagger Bar, a smaller alehouse on The Market Street then move to The Monk, a brewhouse on the South Terrace. We choose it because we like the name and soon we are liking its beer too. From the wood-panelled deck, George takes a sip of “Monk Reserved”, a hoppy American Pale Ale as he stares long and hard at the slow-moving crowd.
“I sold my car and everything right after listening to Anand’s speech and then purchased a one-way ticket to Thailand,” George recalls. “We were told there was a bright future waiting for us.”
I haul him away for lunch at Joe’s Fish Shack before he becomes maudlin where we dine like lords on fresh seafood.
A few days later we head north of Perth to Caversham Wild Life Park, where we get up close though not too cosy with kangaroos, wombats and koala bears.
We also take a day trip along the coastal highway to Lancelin and Nambung National Park.
Lancelin is noted for its enormous white sand dunes. The oceanic winds sculpt the sands into wonderful Saharaesque formations and adrenaline-seekers can get their kicks from sand boarding or quad biking on the dunes. Further on is Nambung National Park, where huge limestone pillars rising out of the shifting yellow sands make up the wonderful pinnacle desert.
Lobster Shack, just 20 minutes north of Nambung National Park, serves Indian Ocean Rock Lobster. We stop at this seaside restaurant for lunch, and the grilled rock lobster is meaty and yummy. Bring your own wine if you want to wash the lobster down with chardonnay.
IF YOU GO
< Thai Airways International operates full-service flights in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner between Bangkok and Perth.
(The writer travelled in Western Australian as a guest of Thai Airways International.)
