It’s a blustery day on Geographe Bay, off Dunsborough, Western Australia. We’re on board the Cetacean Explorer and we’re looking for whales. It’s late in the season for whale watching but our skipper, Mal, is confident. Earlier, we saw flashes of a few whales in the distance, spouting as they breached, but vanished when we got close. Then, just as we were running out of time and about to return to shore, we met a female Humpback, majestically coursing through the water parallel to us, heading for the open sea. We watched with bated breath – you can’t really comprehend the sheer hugeness of a Humpback until you’ve seen it yourself – before, with a graceful flip of her tail in the air, a silent goodbye, if you will, she dived out of our sight and into our hearts.
I am in the Margaret River wine region of Western Australia, one of the most beautiful and bountiful spots Down Under. I am here, ostensibly, for the annual Margaret River Gourmet Escape, which, despite only being in its third year, has become one of the world’s top food and wine events, showcasing the best of the region’s natural and, in some cases, unique, produce. Margaret River, however, is more than an exuberance of comestibles; located in the south-west, the region boasts a Mediterranean climate and pristine coastline, and is one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hot-spots, with 80 per cent of its plant species found nowhere else. Outdoor activities, like whale watching, abound, as do more sedate ones. Here is where you can truly get away from it all, doing as little or as much as you like at your own pace.
CAPITAL CITY
Margaret River is in the south-west of Western Australia, one of the oldest lands on Earth, with a living Aboriginal history dating back more than 40,000 years. It is the largest state in Australia and a leading producer of minerals and petroleum, wool, seafood, pearls, and premium wines and gourmet foods. It is, however, sparsely inhabited, with nearly three-quarters of its population living in its capital, Perth, which is your natural gateway to Margaret River. It’s a vibrant and booming city, as illustrated by the amount of construction going on, alongside a growing number of hip cocktail bars and restaurants that encourage you to linger and explore. The Perth Cultural Centre is where, conveniently, the state’s main arts, cultural and educational institutions reside, including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Western Australian Museum, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and the State Theatre Centre.
As Australia’s sunniest capital, the beaches also beckon at Perth and you’ll find surfers on the waves at Scarborough and Trigg, while calmer waters can be found at Cottesloe or the more sheltered Mettam’s Pool. Less than an hour from the city centre is Western Australia’s oldest wine-growing region, the Swan Valley (180 years and counting), as well as the prospect of swimming with the dolphins at Rockingham. Another interesting destination is the historic port city of Fremantle, where you can spend the day at the beach of exploring its cafes and galleries. Make time, though, for Bib & Tucker, where you’ll find hearty Australian-theme meals made from fresh local produce accompanied by scintillating views of the ocean.
If you do decide to spend a few days in Perth, consider setting up camp in the luxurious Fraser Suites in the city’s central business district. Its services residences, consisting of 236 studio and one-bedroom apartments complete with a kitchen, tower over Langley Park and the Swan River. There are also great views of Heirisson Island, where you can get up close with kangaroos. Ideal for both long and short stays, Fraser Suites is close to the financial district as well as entertainment and dining spots, all of which easily accessible by the Perth CATS (central area transport service), the free bus service that operates around the CBD.
If, however, you would rather stay put in one spot, consider the Crown Perth, an entertainment complex that includes two hotels, a casino, convention centre, theatre and a range of fine-dine restaurants. Here, you can catch a Broadway show (Les Misérables has just ended its run but Wicked is scheduled to start in May) and finish off with a meal at Nobu, Rockpool Bar & Grill or Bistro Guillaume. Crown Perth, which also overlooks the Swan River, was where the 2014 Margaret River Gourmet Escape was launched, along with the announcement that funding had been secured for the festival for a further three years. The real centre of attraction, though, was the presence of two chefs – Peter Gilmore, Executive Chef of Quay in Sydney, one of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants since 2009, and, needing little introduction, Heston Blumenthal, the vanguard of a host of top chefs from all over the world, converging on Margaret River.
GETTING THERE
The Margaret River region stretches 100km from Yallingup in the north down to Augusta and Cape Leeuwin in the south. The area’s Mediterranean climate and long frost-free growing season is maintained by the two oceans – the Indian and Southern – that surround it. It is about 280km south of Perth and you have a number of options getting there. By air, Skywest, operated by Virgin Australia, flies direct to the region’s Busselton Airport twice weekly. If you are travelling in a small group, opt for a helicopter transfer: Wild Blue Helicopters will pick you up in Perth and drop you off just about anywhere. (The company also does scenic flights in Margaret River, a fabulous way to discover the area, as well as arrange wine tours – talk about arriving in whirlwind style!)
Travelling by car takes longer but is rewarding. Get in touch with Gateway Limousines if you want to just sit back and take it all in. The Perth-based company has a fleet of vehicles catering to different group sizes, all chauffeured by highly knowledgeable drivers who make every effort to ensure you arrive safely and on time. The route to Margaret River is an easy one, passing farms and flat landscapes backdropped by blue skies and scattered clouds. The further south, the cooler it gets; the trees are taller and closer together. Our car passed a red pickup, working dogs in the back, giving us the eye as the wind whipped their ears. Then, suddenly, the first vines – rows upon neat rows of them basking in the sun – and you’re there. Welcome to the Margaret River wine region.
FINE FEASTING
The Margaret River Gourmet Escape was a three-day event, packed with activities that included concerts, meals, parties, talks, demonstrations, soirées, masterclasses and, of course, wine-tasting across different venues in the region. A neat encapsulation of all that the Gourmet Escape offers was the Gourmet Village, hosted by the Leeuwin Estate, one of the founding wineries of the region. The Village can be described as the heart of the festival and is packed with exhibitors offering fresh produce, as well as some of the finest foods and beverages that the region is famous for. In between wandering around and sampling whatever’s on offer, you can also sign up for cooking and photography lessons. There’s also the Chef’s Theatre, larger-than-life demonstrations by some of the world’s best chefs, including, this time around, Heston Blumenthal, Massimo Bottura, Rick Stein, Clare Smyth, Sat Bains, Peter Gilmore, Matt Preston, Daniel Berlin and George Calombaris.
The Gourmet Escape 2014 opened, officially, with a VIP Party in the Leeuwin Estate Safari Club, a wooden barn in the middle of forest. Held the evening before the event proper began, a roaring fire threw shadow reliefs against the surrounding karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) trees as chefs and specially invited guests feasted on fresh oysters and piping-hot paella, washed down with free-flowing wines. Everyone was out to have a good time, taking it easy before the weekend began.
The following three days would see a whirling festivity of gourmet events held in various locations in Margaret River. Apart from Leeuwin, other wineries also opened their doors to events, including Voyager, Vasse Felix, Fraser Gallop, Aravina, Cape Mentelle, Xanadu, Cullen, Clairault Streicker and Woodlands. Eagle Bay Brewing Co, makers of handcrafted beer, and White Beach Elephant Café, also hosted events. There were also concerts, a dinner at Lake Cave, beach barbecues at Castle Bay as well as a South-West Aboriginal Gourmet Experience.
Among the highlights were a series of Siemens Collaboration Dinners, where three chefs jointly prepared a menu at each event. At Vasse Felix, for example, the estate’s Executive Chef, Aaron Carr, ‘hosted’ Massimo Bottura of three-Michelin starred Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, and Peter Gilmore, while Aravina Estate’s Tony Howell worked with Claude Bosi (of the two-Michelin starred Hibiscus in London) and George Calombaris (of MasterChef Australia and The Press Club, Melbourne, fame). Voyager Estate upped the ante with the Michelin Greats dinner prepared by its Executive Chef Nigel Harvey, Heston Blumenthal, Jonny Lake (Head Chef of The Fat Duck), Clare Smyth (Chef Patron at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay) and Sat Bains (of the eponymous two-Michelin starred restaurant in Nottingham). Voyager also hosted the East Meets West Dinner, which featured Harvey and Sam Leong of Forest Restaurant in Resorts World Sentosa.
One of the best meals I had, however, was prepared by a local, the long-time Head Chef of Leeuwin Estate, Dany Angove, set in the estate’s restaurant, which overlooks a meadow surrounded by a forest of majestic karri trees. The Art Series Dinner treated us to a superlative five-course menu that was only matched by the seven amazing examples of the estate’s premium Art Series wines, which included two library releases. A showcase of Leeuwin Estate’s dedication to the finest food and wine experiences, this – every morsel and drop – was an unforgettable meal.
A LOVELY FINISH
One of the most memorable events for me at the Gourmet Escape was also one of the very last – the Audi Gourmet Beach BBQ at the perfectly idyllic Castle Bay Beach, within the Meelup National Park. Under a sinking sun, a set of tents swarmed with guests as two open-air barbecue grills worked away. I edged away from the crowd and found myself sitting on the edge of the Indian Ocean, catching the last light as dusk began to fall. Sand under my feet and a glass of fine Margaret River wine in my hand, I remembered that the last time I was on a beach, I had just come returned from seeing a whale.
There is no doubting that the Margaret River Gourmet Escape is a remarkable introduction to the allure of this part of Australia. It is, however, much more than that: an all-encompassing experience that only good food, beautiful, timeless landscapes and welcoming, passionate people can offer (see sidebar on what else to do in Margaret River). If the Gourmet Escape is your first time here, you’ll definitely want to come again. I know I will – the memory of a whale, flipping its tail, will definitel
