Can anyone guess where we went today?
It’s time for my foodie/drinkie friends to get jelly.
Loving the Barrossa valley. I have to admit to not being
that keen when Rod suggested we spend the afternoon there. The Hunter valley
never inspired me but the Barrossa is a whole different animal. For a start,
the landscape is gorgeous; it isn’t really a valley but gentle slopes that move
and cleave. Vineyards are patched against olive groves, pine forests, lavender and
alpaca farms. The colours are warm and lush. There are several charming towns
each with old cottages, historic community halls, Lutheran churches and their own
character. The villages are old but like
a good wine, they have aged beautifully.
We headed for Maggie Beers Farm. We saw the testing kitchen but were too late
to see the cooks in action. Of course we were quick to sample her wares. The
dark choc and caramel sauces were an immediate hit.
Alas, Georgia felt that
Maggies preserved olives were sub-standard. Later we wandered around the farm
and saw her olive grove planted in 1995 and duly read all the information
regarding the grove. Apparently her
passion is cold pressed extra virgin oil – not the fruit. Phew!
Instead of heading back to Adelaide via the Sturt highway,
we decide to take the meandering back roads south that lead to Hahndorf. The
drive is beautiful, following a tributary of the Torrens and passing apple
orchards, horse stud farms and delightful country pubs. Rod and I mused over the fact that Hahndorf
seems to get all the hype, while countless other towns on the way are just as
lovely.
Anyways, let’s talk about Adelaide. I admit to not being a
big fan due to a handful of visits a number of years ago but I am happy to
report that Adelaide has grown up and is now a proper city with many sophisticated
features.
We arrived late on Friday, after a family conference
confirmed that we were all a bit jaded from the seclusion of National Parks.
Too much wildlife and not enough good coffee. We found a “holiday village” on
the beach west of the city. It is called West Beach – really. It is one of these big commercial places with
jumping pillows and water fountain play areas and pools and games rooms and big
screen TV’s playing kids movies and about 2000 children running amok. Talk about the sublime to the ridiculous. I am not complaining, it has hot showers,
flush toilets and I can run the van fridge on mains power. Oh, just an aside on
the fridge. It is small and makes catering a bit of a challenge. In addition,
when we are bush camping, we have to run it on gas and that leaves a faint
odour of combusted LPG lingering inside the Jayco. I will take mains power anytime I can get it.
After a quiet night on Friday, we hit Glenelg, a few suburbs
south of West Beach. Top spot. Lots of parks, cafés, urban sculpture and a very
helpful information centre. Tram runs
right into the city. Next we visited the Botanic gardens and the plan was to
visit Adelaide Goal – but it is open everyday of the week except Saturday? So
we got all consumerist-y and went to
Rundle Mall instead. It was warm (about 37c) but didn’t really feel that hot – no humidity. We visited Rod’s cousin Jenny for dinner that evening.
This morning we planned to go to the local Anglican Church,
but realised it was a Eucharist service, not really child friendly. We randomly
drove around and found a Baptist Church that looked a bit more casual. Why does
it have to be casual? Because we have
not had haircuts in 6 weeks and even our “good” cloths are looking a bit sus. Fortunately the Baptists didn't seem to mind. They had a Sunday school
running at the same time as the service and even though Georgia is a bit old
for it, she agreed to accompany Andrew. Afterwards, one of the Sunday School teachers
confessed that she thought we were a homeless family after Georgia prayed that she
was thankful for having a “proper meal” (i.e. at Rods cousins house) the previous evening,
her first since having “left home” five weeks ago. We must be looking seedier
than I thought!! Mercifully, the error was sorted out quickly and the rest of
the Sunday School class wanted to know all about the Opera House and Luna Park.
For the record, we do eat properly. The menu is simple and
often based on something barbecued with salad or pasta. That’s about it. I guess I will have to work a bit harder in
that area and try to come up with a “proper” meal in the future. If only I had been at Maggies farm earlier! I might have got a few suggestions from the test kitchen!
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