In August 2002, I won the lottery. No, not cash, but I think something better. I was allocated a mothers group (groups were formed on the basis of postcode and when your baby was born). And 22 years later, we are still close friends – we meet regularly for dinner, have weekends away, and attempt to get as many of the children as possible together for an annual photo. We have supported each other through highs and lows, and celebrated milestones. There’s always a lot of laughter.
To mark the occassion of our ‘babies’ turning 21, we took a belated trip to Wadandi Boodja Country / Margaret River in Western Australia. For seven days, we ate the best food, drank the best wine (and gin), swam at the best beaches, had the best coastal views, and did lots of sight-seeing. And saw the aurora!
The Coast
It’s a stunningly beautiful part of the world and there’s nothing I love more than a coastal view (except a swim). We visited a bunch of beaches (including Meelup, Bunker Bay, and Smith’s) but my top picks were the picturesque Granny’s Pool (above), Gnarabup Beach for sunset swims; Prevelly Rock Pools with Russell Sheridan’s sculpture, Layla (below); and the Yallingup Lagoon, a natural pool on the surf beach that was across the road from where we were staying (pictured at the very top).
We also visited Canal Rocks (above) and Sugarloaf (below) for sunsets – there’s something to be said for watching the sun hit the water.
The Food
The food scene in Margaret River is focused around five-course degustation lunches at wineries (!). We were up to the task 🙂 and ate so much delicious food. We had tapas at Rustico (still thinking about the lobster in choux pastry); woodfired pizza at Swings & Roundabouts; lunch with a view at Vasse Felix (hello slow-cooked beef); a behind-the-scenes visit to Rare Foods (and ate abalone three ways); burgers and beers at Eagle Bay Brewing; a West Australian showcase dinner at Yarri (the cured Kingfish on wattleseed crackers was so tasty); and finished with a superb alfresco lunch at Cullen.
But wait, there’s more. Yallingup Woodfired Bread (after a big lunch one day we decided on bread and butter for dinner and it was the best); Gugelhupf bakery (deliciously jammy Linzer Torte); Margaret River Fudge Factory and Bettenays Nougat for sweet treats; and Claudio Bakehouse (for spinach girella).
If I had to pick absolute favourites:
- Yallingup Fruit Loaf, crammed with figs and sultanas
- the Bresaola pizza with stracciatella, crushed pistachio, lemon zest and basil at Swings & Roundabouts – was probably the tastiest pizza I’ve eaten outside of Italy
- our whole meal at Cullen – it was perfection, with a special mention to the entree of Manjimup marron with turnips and saltbush, in a shellfish bisque, and accompanied by a tiny English muffin to soak up the bisque.
The Wine (and other liquid refreshments)
The Margaret River region is famous for its cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay and there are dozens of wineries. We visited Xanadu, Vasse Felix, Fishbone, Cape Mentelle, Hay Shed Hill, Edwards Estate, and Cullen.
We also went to West Winds and Wise distilleries (we are gin lovers) and the Eagle Bay Brewery.
My favourites:
- 2022 Diana Madeline from Cullen
- Cape Mentelle 2018 Shiraz Cabernet and the 2016 Two Vineyards Shiraz
- West Winds Broadside
- Wise Signature Gin
- Eagle Bay India Pale Lager
The Other Stuff
It wasn’t all food and drink. We went below ground at the magnificent Lake Cave; saw where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet at Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse; and went below the surface at Busselton Jetty. I loved watching the fish buffeted in the currents at the Jetty observatory.
An absolute highlight was a visit to Rare Foods, where we saw wild abalone ‘farming’ (including the ingenious ‘abitats‘ that have a spot for the divers to shelter from sharks!) and the extraordinary process of cellaring wines in the ocean – bottles come complete with coral and barnacles.
The Aurora
My fellow cloud-spotter, Lisa, is all over the aurora apps and, a day prior to the aurora event making world news, she noticed activity. There was a knock on my door at 3am the next morning and Lisa said “It’s on!”. We stepped outside and the sky was a blazing red. Breathtaking.
The following night, word had spread that the aurora was visible. We headed to the Sugarloaf viewing platform and were treated to pinks and greens. Magical.
And so the end to a marvelous week with women whom I love to bits.
