Kangaroos, Wallabies, Emus, Oh My!

The view from our KI rental home

Yesterday my two closest friends both departed Adelaide for holidays with their respective families.   Chocolate does not taste as good today.  I'm fighting sadness with memories of happier times.

Time has flown since I last wrote.  I was hunkered under a pile of academic work for a while, and then, relieved of that duty, have been indulging in a bit of travel, filling the rest of time with work of the money-earning kind.  I've had two spectacular trips in the past 3 weeks, one to the Coonawarra, and another to Kangaroo Island.  Let's do a brief rundown of each!

The Coonawarra is a iron-board flat strip of land about 80 miles from the sea on the Limestone Coast.  It is famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon, a varietal which (in my old age) I am coming to appreciate as the king of grapes.  Distinctive though it is, a good Cabernet displays a singularly wide range of aromas and nuances as it gracefully, elegantly ages.  Just like a well-raised person, it is neither subject to fashion nor pleasurable to fools.  Its best expressions require proper oaking and diligent care, and only in very specific spots (Bordeaux, Coonawarra, Stellenbosch, arguably Napa) does it ripen to the sort of perfection that results in a strong, velvety, developed, and thought-provoking wine.

There are many wines that get me excited: muscled & sexy Barolo, pensive & earthy Pinot Noir, outgoing & dynamic Grenache... (this is just my homage to reds)... zesty & gritty Zinfandel... But Cabernet Sauvignon... heavens, this isn't just a wine you want to take home to mom.  It's a wine you adore and want all for yourself, even as you want to share its joy with the world.  It's a wine for now if impatience strikes, and it's a wine to cellar for 35 years and enjoy in old age.  It only improves with age.  In every bottle is the opportunity to learn more, grow into a deeper appreciation, and be inexpressibly happy with the tutorial.  By my rough estimate, one really good Cabernet is worth ten bottles of lesser stuff, yet it does not need to be pricey nor flashy nor hip to earn its respect as a noble grape.  In fact, what I liked most about the Coonawarra is the close-knit community and the sense that the winemakers there are just winemakers, the viticulturalists are just farmers with a specific passion.  The terroir is perfect for Cab Sav, and so that's what they make, humbly as that.  And, boy, what they make is brilliant.

Sparing everyone the details of the itinerary (I recognize that most people aren't as nerdy as I am about wine), suffice to say we tasted a whole heap of good wine, and were really impressed in particular by the vintage wine available for sale.  Any day you're drinking wine older than yourself... that's a good day.
The company was pretty spectacular too.  Six of us piled into my roommate's big red Holden station wagon (affectionately called "Ed"), and with the exception of a flat tire on the return drive, we tooled around the region in real style and passable comfort.  We rented a cute little beach house on the coast, and basically spent four days cooking one another good food and drinking good wine.  Hedonism?  Bring it on.

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Remarkable Rocks

This past week I went to Kangaroo Island with three friends for a much quieter and calmer getaway.  Aptly named, the 90-mile long island is home to lots of native and extremely cute Australian wildlife.  We saw many wallabies, one big bounding kangaroo, sea lions, seals, and birds by the score.  The major disappointment was the platypus, who would not emerge from his watery haunt to show us his beak and webbed feet.  I suppose I'll have to go to the zoo... because I'll be bummed if I leave this place without seeing the world's most bizarre mammal.

Remarkable Danger!!

A return trip to KI is definitely in order.  We checked off the tourist must-sees, including the Remarkable Rocks (see right... complete with obligatory fear-mongering sign), Admiral's Arch, and the sheep dairy.  We had an awesome, butter-filled lunch at the Marron farm... marron are Australia's delicious little answer to Louisiana crayfish and Maine lobster.  We tasted some small-production gin and liqueurs at the tiny island distillery.  Wish I'd taken a picture of the copper still.  We checked out Clifford's Bee-and-Honey operation, which I found utterly fascinating.  KI is home to the world's only remaining pure strain of Ligurian bees, which makes it biologically special and important because Ligurian bees are prized for quality honey and a good temperament... It is now on my list to learn more about bees... absolutely fascinating creatures.

The evenings in KI passed in good company, eating good food (probably eating way too much, honestly), and then staying up late chatting about life and plans.  My friends might say I've been inexhaustibly talkative on the subject of "life" recently.  Lots to think about, lots of logistics and hopes and dreams to sort through.  It's nice to feel as if I'm on the right track, however hard it is to stomach the reality that not everything is within my control.  One lives in hope, and continues to work hard.

That's a nice thing about this summer.  I'm here, at the massive sacrifice of family time and traditions and comfort, in order to work... Working hard keeps the mind busy... and it's hard to do much heavy lifting with fingers crossed.  So I'll just keep my head down and keep posting the good news! 

me, worried,  in a rock

The Frantically Planned and Hastily Executed Roadtrip

Last Saturday morning, we piled into a rental car: my Columbian bodyguard Manuel, my gorgeous sweetheart roommate Kerry, and me. I had taken the weekend off from work, and we were out to make an epic of it. I've been in Australia for four months and I haven't traveled more than 50 kms from my house. So at noon we headed south on Princes Highway towards Melbourne, and this is what (some of what) transpired:

Beyond the Adelaide Hills, the countryside is sparse and rolling. Every half hour or so we encountered signs, and slowed from 110 km/hr to 60 km/hr to accommodate someone's idea of a town. Maybe an intersection, maybe a house or two. At Tallem Bend, Duke's Highway heads sharply east, but we stayed on Princes Highway, hugging the coast and headed for the limestone cliffs of the Great Ocean Road.

Three hours into the trip, we stopped at a gas station in Meningie, "Australia's #1 Medium Size Town 2008," population 1,500. Admittedly, the BP served up the best meat pie I've ever had (best... and third...). Aside from the lovely woman at the gas station, we saw one other living creature:



Back on the road, we told dumb stories to keep the driver awake, perhaps learned more about each other than we originally intended to share... you know how roadtrips can be... and eventually rolled into the booming metropolis of Mount Gambier. At 7pm on a Saturday night, the central pub was fully dead. So we checked out the famous sinkhole in the center of town, then left.

We spent Saturday night in a Comfort Inn in Warrnambool, and thank heavens we arrived at 9:30, because the innkeeper was locking her door when we arrived, and clucked disapprovingly at the notion of traveling after dark. She even cut us a deal on the room and gave us three beds for the price of two... "Not that you need three beds," she said. I am not sure what she was implying. Dinner was surprisingly fantastic Italian fare served up at a spot called Bojangles. Great Shiraz from a Victoria winery called Pizzini.

Sunday morning dawned and we were already on the road. The Great Ocean Road beckoned, and the soft colors of early morning suit her well:


When I have more time to spare, there are at least 5 quaint coastal towns, 15 adorable brunch cafes, and 9 crazy cool surf breaks I want to check out along the Great Ocean Road. If the weather were warmer, there's a chance I'd still be sunbathing on one of those cliff-enclosed beaches. Sadly, this was a quick-and-dirty adventure... we were in Melbourne by midday.

Melbourne! What a cool town! They have sweet public art:


They have an Eiffel Tower (white... can you see it?):



They have an underground gym in a converted storehouse along the river:


They sell wine in their luxury clothing stores:


They have an amazing open air market, complete with the appropriately named "American Donuts" bus:


And, crucially, you can get a good curry at 9pm on a Sunday! I was in love. Kerry and I spent two days reveling in the the amenities that a big city can provide, and I -predictably- started planning my next move. Can I get a summer internship in Melbourne? What sort of income would it take to set up shop in a central penthouse? Surely Melbourne can't top New York and London's costs of livings... and it was every bit as cool, edgy, livable, and lively as those two great towns. And a river and gardens and theater and art and.... why can't I just stay in one place?