JOURNEYS I THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY Leviathan onthe loose · Ex Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane Departs...
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8 TRAVEL & INDULGENCE THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, OCTOBER 26-27, 2013 www.theaustralian.com.au/travel JOURNEYS I THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY Leviathan on the loose The joys of a family motorhome adventure in NSW’s central west JAMES JEFFREY Clockwise from above: looking down the Lachlan River valley just outside Cowra; our travellers pose in front of Leviathan; the Japanese Garden at Cowra; Lowe Wines at Mudgee PICTURES: JAMES JEFFREY IT’S not the biggest holiday apartment I’ve stayed in, but it’s a nice one. Daisy and Leo have already colonised their bed with the explosive efficiency young children special- ise in. Clothes are hung in wardrobes, a towel hung jaunt- ily over the shower rail. As my wife Bel switches off the stove, I pull down the blinds by our double bed. Outside, stars are sparkling in the central NSW sky. Then, with noisy merriment, the kids are herded to a table adorned with lamb pie, pasta, olives, antipasto and, this being Orange, a bottle of local shiraz for the grown-ups. As we toast the start of our holi- day, I peer into the dark alcove up the end to remind my- self this ‘‘apartment’’ also has a steering wheel. My first experience of a campervan was a Kombi my parents bought in a fit of wishful thinking. This beast, however, is not so much campervan as motor-mansion. Courtesy of Apollo Motorhome Holidays, it’s a Star RV Pegasus — a Fiat crossed with a bungalow — and it’s so far and away the biggest thing I’ve ever driven, I name it Leviathan. My initial nerves at driving it are dissipated by the kids’ excitement. In the morning, having springboarded off a pair of flat whites at a Slice of Orange (a shop where the produce, in- cluding last night’s dinner, is from within 160km), we head to the Agrestic Grocer. This is a cafe and grocery with a focus on the local — from heirloom carrots and lemon- infused popcorn to bacon and beer. The building is also home to the Badlands Brewery and the Second Mouse Cheese Company. As we make a start on the muddled beetroot and mint lemonade, the paean-worthy Badlands porter and the Second Mouse haloumi that squeaks like fresh snow, we find everything here has a story. The beef in my beltie burger, for instance, which co-owner Lucas Martin ex- plains in excited detail comes from belted galloways — a slow-growing, cool-climate breed — is farmed holistically down the road. Martin speaks with such a sense of mission (‘‘I’m not quite sure what that mission is, but we’re working on it’’) it’s exciting to think what the Agrestic Grocer will develop into. They’ve only been open three weeks when we visit, but they’ve hit the ground running. And it’s been frenetic; when Martin speaks of a full night’s sleep, it is in a wistfully hypothetical tone. Sleep is more straightforward for us — (a) not having a new business to run and (b) travelling with a bedroom. On a whim, we nap at nearby Lake Canobolas, dozing off to a mixed choir of frogs and ducks. Thus refreshed, we repair that evening to Orange’s Union Bank Wine Bar which, like the Agrestic Grocer, is energetically new. The flavours tonight include gewurtztraminer, tempranillo and rack of lamb, devoured next to a wall decorated with wine bottles individually lit in snug alcoves. Daisy and Leo assess the day before conking out in their chairs. As we head south, the countryside unfurls before us, a Smurf-blue sky arcing over vineyards, fields, and trees blushing with galahs. But I keep boomeranging back to the thought: I’m driving a van with a bathroom. And a din- ing room that extends at the press of button. ‘‘I’m starting to get used to this,’’ I lie. We’re brought back to (prehistoric) earth at the Age of Fishes, a museum in Canowindra that takes as its starting point a slab of local rock festooned with the 370 million- year-old fossils of armoured fish. That David Atten- borough recently arranged a private four-hour visit — and drove a long way for it — tells you everything you need to know. We re-enter the present day at Taste Canowindra, sampling local wines as owners Margaret and Bob Craven tell us how their restaurant was kept aloft during the re- cent global economic cock-up by the surprise influx of a platoon of Mongolian geophysicists brought out to hunt gold. Leo watches Bel and me as we fuss over our tapas tasting plate and eye fillet (agreeably accompanied by a Gardners Ground mellow shiraz). ‘‘We’re being very patient,’’ he says. Then the milkshakes arrive and he pursues this line no further. In Cowra, we visit the Japanese Garden, close to the site of the World War II prisoner-of-war camp, and wander among singing streams and boulder-shaped shrubs. Fish pellets scattered on the pond trigger a feeding frenzy, dachshund-sized koi attacking from below and ducklings from above. Night finds us down the road at Darby Falls Observa- tory, where owner Mark Monk shows us distant galaxies and nearby star clusters, but my favourite moment is when Daisy, who recently got glasses, sees Saturn (and faithful Titan) for the first time and gasps at those vast, tallow yellow rings. We park Leviathan at a friend’s farm above the Lachlan River and dream of stars, then wake to a morning chorus of baas. At Lowe Wines in Mudgee, the chorus is provided by bees busy in the wisteria. Equipped with a whimsical map, we pass a sign reminding us ‘‘unattended children will be fermented’’ and wander the vineyard among trellis-free grapes (lower yields, higher quality), donkeys and a bunch of fancy chooks in a straw-bale palace. While Daisy and Leo investigate farther, Bel and I taste low-preservative wines from the three Lowe properties, each at a different altitude. Among these is a chardonnay that pleases even me — an ardent red in wine’s civil war — and a shiraz so lovely that Bel and I are cellaring it for longer than our traditional few hours. Red wine leads naturally to pizza and chocolate. The pizza element is taken care of in sublime style at nearby Di Lusso Estate, while High Valley Wine & Cheese is the venue for a chocolate-themed morning tea with chocolatier Luke Spencer. Spencer spent years in Vanuatu running a cocoa plantation; now he uses its crop to make his single origin Spencer Cocoa chocolate in Mudgee. It’s a fascinating and delicious presentation. By the time we’re done, only Leviathan feels big enough to take us home. ● visitnsw.com ● starrv.com/holiday * Conditions apply. Subject to availability. See our website for details. Airport transfers valid within 35kms of international airport. ABN24 003 926 366 Lic No 2TA003 131. Office hours 9:30am to 5:30pm Mon-Fri. Windstar - Says “ia oro na” to Tahiti again To order a brochure or to make a booking call Ultimate Cruising on 1300 4 ULTIMATE (1300 485 846) or visit www.ultimatecruising.com.au 365 Your 10 night package includes the 7 night “Wind Spirit” cruise in Category B Stateroom; with all meals aboard. Plus return economy class Air Tahiti Nui flights, Tahiti transfers, three nights pre/post cruise accommodation at Manava Suite Resort Tahiti; with continental breakfast, and all pre-payable taxes. The luxury sailing yacht “Wind Spirit” offers the ultimate way to experience the romance and beauty of French Polynesia. The week-long voyage begins in Papeete and visits the islands of Moorea, Taha’a, Raiatea, Huahine and the paradise of Bora Bora. 2014 Specials: 10 nights from $6,399*pp twin share Ex Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane Departs Weekly - May to November 2014 PLUS: Chauffeur driven luxury car transfers to/from relevant international airport* 2014 Book now Save $2000 per couple* These special packages include a 13 night cruise in a Standard Cabin, all ship excursions, all meals onboard including wine with lunch and dinner, economy class air fares, four nights pre/post accommodation with Continental Breakfast in Tahiti, airport and ship transfers and all pre-payable taxes. At first glance Aranui 3 is not impressive, just a freighter you think, that carries 200 passengers from Tahiti to the Marquesas. But once you get to know her and her crew you will not want to go home. 2014 Special Discounted Departures: 17 nights from $8,299*pp twin share for 9 & 30 January and 5 June 2014 and $8,499 for 15 May, 26 June, 17 July and 18 September - ex Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane PLUS: Chauffeur driven luxury car transfers to/from relevant international airport* Catch a freighter for the cruise holiday of a lifetime! Call for package prices on other 2013 and 2014 dates. Call for package pricing for all 2014 dates. TWO CHANCES TO VISIT BORA BORA IN 2014!
Transcript of JOURNEYS I THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY Leviathan onthe loose · Ex Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane Departs...
8 TRAVEL & INDULGENCE THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, OCTOBER 26-27, 2013www.theaustralian.com.au/travel
JOURNEYS I THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY
Leviathanon thelooseThe joys of a family motorhomeadventure in NSW’s central west
JAMES JEFFREY
Clockwise fromabove: looking downthe Lachlan Rivervalley just outsideCowra; our travellerspose in front ofLeviathan; theJapanese Garden atCowra; Lowe Winesat MudgeePICTURES: JAMES JEFFREY
IT’S not the biggest holiday apartment I’ve stayed in, butit’s a nice one. Daisy and Leo have already colonised theirbed with the explosive efficiency young children special-ise in. Clothes are hung in wardrobes, a towel hung jaunt-ily over the shower rail.
As my wife Bel switches off the stove, I pull down theblinds by our double bed. Outside, stars are sparkling inthe central NSW sky. Then, with noisy merriment, thekids are herded to a table adorned with lamb pie, pasta,olives, antipasto and, this being Orange, a bottle of localshiraz for the grown-ups. As we toast the start of our holi-day, I peer into the dark alcove up the end to remind my-self this ‘‘apartment’’ also has a steering wheel.
My first experience of a campervan was a Kombi myparents bought in a fit of wishful thinking. This beast,however, is not so much campervan as motor-mansion.Courtesy of Apollo Motorhome Holidays, it’s a Star RVPegasus—aFiat crossedwithabungalow—and it’s so farand away the biggest thing I’ve ever driven, I name itLeviathan. My initial nerves at driving it are dissipated bythe kids’ excitement.
In the morning, having springboarded off a pair of flatwhites at a Slice of Orange (a shop where the produce, in-cluding lastnight’sdinner, is fromwithin160km),weheadto the Agrestic Grocer. This is a cafe and grocery with afocus on the local — from heirloom carrots and lemon-infused popcorn to bacon and beer. The building is alsohome to the Badlands Brewery and the Second MouseCheese Company.
As we make a start on the muddled beetroot and mintlemonade, the paean-worthy Badlands porter and theSecond Mouse haloumi that squeaks like fresh snow, wefind everything here has a story. The beef in my beltieburger, for instance, which co-owner Lucas Martin ex-plains in excited detail comes from belted galloways — aslow-growing, cool-climate breed — is farmedholistically down the road.
Martin speaks with such a sense of mission (‘‘I’m notquite sure what that mission is, but we’re working on it’’)it’s exciting to think what the AgresticGrocer will developinto. They’ve only been open three weeks when we visit,but they’ve hit the ground running. And it’s been frenetic;whenMartinspeaksofa fullnight’s sleep, it is inawistfullyhypothetical tone.
Sleep is more straightforward for us — (a) not having anew business to run and (b) travelling with a bedroom. Ona whim, we nap at nearby Lake Canobolas, dozing off to amixed choir of frogs and ducks. Thus refreshed, we repair
that evening to Orange’s Union Bank Wine Bar which,like the Agrestic Grocer, is energetically new. Theflavours tonight include gewurtztraminer, tempranilloand rack of lamb, devoured next to a wall decorated withwine bottles individually lit in snug alcoves. Daisy andLeo assess the day before conking out in their chairs.
As we head south, the countryside unfurls before us, aSmurf-blue sky arcing over vineyards, fields, and treesblushing with galahs. But I keep boomeranging back tothe thought: I’mdrivingavan withabathroom.And adin-ing room that extends at the press of button. ‘‘I’m startingto get used to this,’’ I lie.
We’re brought back to (prehistoric) earth at the Age ofFishes, a museum in Canowindra that takes as its startingpoint a slab of local rock festooned with the 370 million-year-old fossils of armoured fish. That David Atten-borough recently arranged a private four-hour visit —and drove a long way for it — tells you everything youneed to know.
We re-enter the present day at Taste Canowindra,sampling local winesas ownersMargaretand BobCraventell us how their restaurant was kept aloft during the re-cent global economic cock-up by the surprise influx of aplatoon of Mongolian geophysicists brought out to huntgold. Leo watches Bel and me as we fuss over our tapastasting plate and eye fillet (agreeably accompanied by a
Gardners Ground mellow shiraz). ‘‘We’re being verypatient,’’ he says. Then the milkshakes arrive and hepursues this line no further.
In Cowra, we visit the Japanese Garden, close to thesite of the World War II prisoner-of-war camp, andwander among singing streams and boulder-shapedshrubs.Fishpellets scatteredonthepondtriggera feedingfrenzy, dachshund-sized koi attacking from below andducklings from above.
Night finds us down the road at Darby Falls Observa-tory, where owner Mark Monk shows us distant galaxiesand nearby star clusters, but my favourite moment iswhen Daisy, who recently got glasses, sees Saturn (andfaithful Titan) for the first time and gasps at those vast,tallow yellow rings.
WeparkLeviathanata friend’s farmabovetheLachlanRiver and dream of stars, then wake to a morning chorusof baas.
At Lowe Wines in Mudgee, the chorus is provided bybees busy in the wisteria. Equipped with a whimsical map,we pass a sign reminding us ‘‘unattended children will befermented’’ and wander the vineyard among trellis-freegrapes (loweryields,higherquality),donkeysandabunchof fancy chooks in a straw-bale palace.
While Daisyand Leo investigate farther, Bel andI tastelow-preservative wines from the three Lowe properties,each at a different altitude. Among these is a chardonnaythatpleases evenme—an ardent red inwine’s civilwar—and a shiraz so lovely that Bel and I are cellaring it forlonger than our traditional few hours.
Red wine leads naturally to pizza and chocolate. Thepizza element is takencare of in sublimestyle atnearby DiLusso Estate, while High Valley Wine & Cheese is thevenue for a chocolate-themed morning tea withchocolatier Luke Spencer. Spencer spent years inVanuatu running a cocoa plantation; now he uses its cropto make his single origin Spencer Cocoa chocolate inMudgee. It’s a fascinating and delicious presentation.
By the time we’re done, only Leviathan feels bigenough to take us home.● visitnsw.com● starrv.com/holiday
* Conditions apply. Subject to availability. See our website for details. Airport transfers valid within 35kms of international airport. ABN24 003 926 366 Lic No 2TA003 131. Offi ce hours 9:30am to 5:30pm Mon-Fri.
Windstar - Says “ia oro na” to Tahiti again
To order a brochure or to make a booking call Ultimate Cruising on 1300 4 ULTIMATE (1300 485 846) or visit www.ultimatecruising.com.au
365
Your 10 night package includes the 7 night “Wind Spirit” cruise in Category B Stateroom; with all meals aboard. Plus return economy class Air Tahiti Nui fl ights, Tahiti transfers, three nights pre/post cruise accommodation at Manava Suite Resort Tahiti; with continental breakfast, and all pre-payable taxes.
The luxury sailing yacht “Wind Spirit” offers the ultimate way to experience the romance and beauty of French Polynesia. The week-long voyage begins in Papeete and visits the islands of Moorea, Taha’a, Raiatea, Huahine and the paradise of Bora Bora.
2014 Specials:
10 nights from $6,399*pp twin shareEx Sydney/Melbourne/BrisbaneDeparts Weekly - May to November 2014
PLUS: Chauffeur driven luxury car transfers to/from relevant international airport*
2014Book nowSave $2000
per couple*
These special packages include a 13 night cruise in a Standard Cabin, all ship excursions, all meals onboard including wine with lunch and dinner, economy class air fares, four nights pre/post accommodation with Continental Breakfast in Tahiti, airport and ship transfers and all pre-payable taxes.
At fi rst glance Aranui 3 is not impressive, just a freighter you think, that carries 200 passengers from Tahiti to the Marquesas. But once you get to know her and her crew you will not want to go home.
2014 Special Discounted Departures:
17 nights from $8,299*pp twin share for 9 & 30 January and 5 June 2014 and$8,499 for 15 May, 26 June, 17 July and 18 September - ex Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane
PLUS: Chauffeur driven luxury car transfers to/from relevant international airport*
Catch a freighter for the cruise holiday of a lifetime!
Call for package prices on other 2013 and 2014 dates.Call for package pricing for all 2014 dates.
TWO
CHANCES
TO VISIT
BORA BORA
IN 2014!
