Fleurieu Living Magazine Autumn 2018

FLEURIEU LIVING T H E B E S T O F S O U T H A U S T R A L I A’ S F L E U R I E U P E N I N S U L A A N D K A N G A R O O I S L A N D

FLEURIEU LIVING MAGAZINE

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AUTUMN 2018

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Port Willunga: A forever place Thunderbird Bar & Restaurant: Call of the Thunderbird Create your Escape: McLaren Vale Graham Stevens: The man in the terry towelling hat The Little Road Home in Willunga Art · Design · Food · Wine · Fashion · Photography · People · Destinations

2 D AY K A N G A R O O I S L A N D

Visit boutique producers for amazing food and wine experiences and see some of the natural attractions that this island is so famous for.

• Coach and ferry transfers Adelaide to Kangaroo Island

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• Island Pure Sheep Dairy, KI Spirits, Bay of Shoals Wines, Island Beehive, Flinders Chase National Park including sunset drinks at Remarkable Rocks, Admirals Arch, Kelly Hill Caves, The Marron Cafe, Raptor Domain and Sunset Food and Wine • Overnight accommodation at the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat, with dinner and breakfast

Call 13 13 01 or visit sealink.com.au Illustration by Chris Edser.

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STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS

Key Personnel Petra de Mooy Working on FLM comes with many rewards and Petra still pinches herself every time she archives another great story. When not wrangling content, you can find her hanging out with Jason and their daughter, gardening, or perusing the farmers’ market.

Jason Porter Jason has worked as a graphic designer and creative director both locally and overseas for over thirty years.

When not in the office, he can usually be found tweaking the crossover filters on his ridiculously over-the-top hi-fi system.

Esther Thorn Esther Thorn is a storyteller. She has worked as a journalist for twenty years in print, radio and television. Esther believes small things, like commas and apostrophes, are important. This makes her an irritating dinner guest but a good editor.

Holly Wyatt Sinking her roots into the Fleurieu has truly resonated with Holly. She loves peeling back the layers of the region and its people through her role as sales manager for FLM. Holly is also an accomplished visual artist and songwriter.

Lulu Our company mascot Lulu started appearing in way too many of our Instagram posts – so now she has her own profile (sad, we know) where you can follow her charmed life. Search for ‘miss_majestica’ if you’re so inclined.

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Featured Contributors Corrina Wright Corrina Wright is a local grapegrower and winemaker continuing the legacy of five generations of her family at Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards.

She has sat on a number of local, state and national boards, judged countless wine shows, and is most proud of her work with the Australian Women in Wine Awards. Along with her children, Miah and Koen, Corrina loves mulberries, bacon, cheese, travelling, the beach, noise cancelling headphones and gin.

Nicola Gage Nicola Gage is an awardwinning journalist with ten years’ experience in television, radio and print. Growing up in Adelaide’s south, she has spent many holidays exploring the wonders of the Fleurieu and her love for all things food, wine and community is what led her to the FLM family. Outside of work you will more than likely find her hiding in the corner of a coffee shop with a book and crossword in hand. Oh, and maybe a glass of chardonnay.

Publisher Information Angela Lisman Angela Lisman worked behind the lens as a photographer for the better half of a decade.

Her passion lies with portraits and landscape photography and she uses these to share her unique view of the world.

Angela’s skill set is extensive and she works across a wide field, from shooting events and commercial businesses to editorials and people.

PUBLISHER Fleurieu Living Magazine is published four times a year by Fleurieu Living Pty Ltd. ISSN 2200-4033 PUBLISHING EDITOR AND MANAGING DIRECTOR Petra de Mooy petra@fleurieuliving.com.au EDITOR For this issue we introduced guest editor Nicola Gage to the team, as Esther Thorn took maternity leave in late January to welcome baby Tully James to the Thorn family.

ADVERTISING SALES Holly Wyatt holly@fleurieuliving.com.au ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Cathy Phillips

Other contributing writers and photographers Robert Geh, Leonie Hick, Cassie Huppatz, Ellie Jones, Nina Keath, Ron Langman, Mark Laurie, Heidi Lewis, Winnie Pelz and Gill Gordon-Smith.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jason Porter jason@fleurieuliving.com.au PRINTER Graphic Print Group DISTRIBUTION Integrated Publication Solutions SUBSCRIPTIONS Print: isubscribe.com.au Digital: zinio.com ALL ENQUIRIES Petra de Mooy petra@fleurieuliving.com.au POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 111, Aldinga, South Australia 5173.

ONLINE fleurieuliving.com.au facebook.com/FleurieuLivingMagazine instagram.com/fleurieulivingmagazine/ COPYRIGHT All content copyright Fleurieu Living Magazine Pty Ltd unless otherwise stated.

While Fleurieu Living Magazine takes every care to ensure the accuracy of information in this publication, the publisher accepts no liability for errors in editorial or advertising copy. The views of the contributors are not necessarily endorsed by Fleurieu Living Magazine.

Printed on paper from well managed forests and controlled sources using environmentally friendly vegetable-based inks.

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Taken an amazing photo on the Fleurieu lately? Send us an email or upload it to our Facebook page and you could see your handiwork in print. Each issue we’ll choose an image to publish right here in the pages of FLM: facebook.com/FleurieuLivingMagazine.

This amazing aerial image of Rocky Bay at Port Elliot was sent to us by Ben Howell, of BENMACKproductions.com.

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THIS ISSUE

Contents

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FEATURED HOME: Port Willunga: A forever place.

FRONT COVER PHOTO:

by Robert Geh.

FEATURED VENUE Thunderbird Bar & Restaurant: The call of the Thunderbird.

FOOD AND WINE

BOOKS AND WORDS

40 Uncorked – Wine Reviews by award

winning Gill Gordon-Smith

38 Great Autumn reads from Mark Laurie

72 Rosey’s at Aldinga: A home away

from home

MARKETS AND EVENTS

86 1839: New beginnings on the

high street

12 Stay abreast of all that is happening in

the region.

60 Sunset Food & Wine: The best of

Kangaroo Island on a plate 24 Graham Stevens: The man in the terry

towelling hat 78 Shiraz: A shining star of the Fleurieu 58 Producer profile: In the garden with

Judith Zehle

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ART AND DESIGN 68 Dominika Yindi: The mindful potter 44 Boutique and Unique:

Brian Robertson – On the Brush 46 Chris Banks and her Southern Vales

Basket Cases: Weaving something

from nothing

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FEATURED HOME: The Little Road Home.

FEATURED ARTISTS: Three Little Birds.

50 FEATURED ESCAPE: McLaren Vale.

HEALTH & WELLBEING

PENINSULA PEOPLE

BEING SOCIAL

32 Leonie Hick gives us her fortune of

the Fleurieu

64 Charles and Janice Manning: What

future dreams are made of

WEDDINGS

76 Alex Marchetti: Master drink mixer at

the Salopian Inn – aka ‘Gininnings’

88 Abi Addis and Eliot Dowie:

July 29, 2017 at Ivybrook Farm

56 Saskia Gerhardy: Giving kids the

green light

90 FLM sees who was out and about at:

· Fleurieu Coast: Clean and Green at Leonards Mill

· Fleurieu Future Leaders

· Cittaslow At the Wharf

· Fleurieu Film Festival

· Sealink Kangaroo Island Cup Carnival

26 Fleurieu Future Leaders

WEEKENDS AWAY

42 Peta Johnston: The art of community

50 Create your Escape: McLaren Vale

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ACKNOWLEDGES

A special thanks to the advertising partners that have made a long term commitment to FLM. GOLD PARTNERS

BRONZE PARTNERS

Alexandrina Council A selection of upcoming events in the Alexandrina region: *The 60 Four, hottest and freshest 60s tribute act at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 11 March Adelaide Fringe Caravan, bring a picnic and enjoy an array of acts at Jaralde Park, Goolwa on 12 March *Burt Bacharach - Magic Moments at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 25 March Ringbalin - Dancing the River Festival 2017 at Bristow Smith Reserve, Goolwa on 2 April *Miss Kitty’s Karavan - In ‘Matters of Life and Debt’ at Mount Compass War Memorial Hall,

Mount Compass on 8 April (Bookings 03 9005 7750) Aquafest on Barrage Road, Goolwa on 8 and 9 April *Goolwa Art and Photographic Exhibition at Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa from 9 to 23 April *The Amazing Magic Mike - Kids Magic Workshops at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 17 April South Australian Wooden Boat Festival at the Goolwa Wharf Precinct on 22 and 23 April *Cole - starring Michael Griffiths at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 26 April

Silent Disco 4 Kids Party at Strathalbyn Library Community Centre on 27 April *Sista Girl, at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 5 May Our Mob 2015, Aboriginal arts at Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa from 5 May to 11 June Good Things Small Packages, at South Coast Regional Art Centre, Goolwa from 5 May to 18 June *Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - The Elton John Tribute Show at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 20 May * tickets/ booking required

For bookings and enquiries please visit www.visitalexandrina.com or call Council’s Visitor Information Centre on 1300 466 592. Alexandrina Council continues the ‘Just Add Water’ arts and culture program in 2017. View a copy online for more events in the region, www.alexandrina.sa.gov.au

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Welcome to FLM From the FLM team The diverse array of people – all with differing passions and skills – is what gives the Fleurieu colour and personality. So, in this issue of FLM we decided to ask some McLaren Vale locals what they love about where they live. After all, what better way to express the riches of a region than through the eyes of the locals?

Nicky Connolly, Direct Sales and Marketing Oliver’s Taranga: The ‘Vale’ is a special place where like-minded people and businesses can congregate with a village feel, while still holding an economy of scale when it comes to day-to-day shops and amenities.

People feel comfortable knowing there is no further risk of suburban sprawl within the town’s boundaries, which maintains the ‘community’ individuals and families have chosen. Visitors to the region appear to acknowledge this, which further romanticises the area as a destination or aspiring place to live.

Mary Goodieson, co-owner Goodieson’s Brewery: We have been the major sponsor of the McLaren Football Club, McLaren Vale Netball Club and the McLaren Districts Crickets clubs for many years now and have always found that you get back as much as you put in. The McLaren Vale Community is made up of an incredible and diverse group of people. We are supported by locals who drop in for a beer, restaurants and wineries who buy our product to stock in their businesses and, in general, by the many people who stop and have a chat with you in the street or at the shops.

Simon Burley, Marketing Manager Wirra Wirra: McLaren Vale is special because of the close-knit nature of the cellar door community and the way in which we all recommend each other, sharing the different experiences of each, freely and fairly, means visitors get a full picture of the region.

Friederike and Georg, Owners Karawatha Cottages: Despite McLaren Vale being a world-renowned wine region – with many award-winning wineries and businesses – we felt absolutely welcomed and supported by the community moving here as newcomers with our boutique hotel operation. It feels good to be part of such a relatively small and supportive community, where even nominal competitors don’t hesitate to share tips and recommendations.

Hazel Parker, Co-owner Mulberry Lodge: The McLaren Vale community actively works together to help and support each other, especially from a tourism point of view. We’re passionate about this beautiful area that we live and work in and I think that shines through when we engage with visitors to the area.

Anna Small, Artist and Arthouse Director Fleurieu Arthouse: You would think you were in the south of France. We are surrounded by lush hills covered in vines and big gum trees. We have the perfect climate and are spoilt for choice with wineries and restaurants, with quality food sourced locally.

Chook McCoy, Host at Chook’s Little Winery Tours: McLaren Vale is a very friendly and sharing community. It is a region that you just have to come and visit once and you will fall in love.

To the FLM team Hi Holly, I am truly amazed and in awe.

Four hours ago I paid for my FLM subscription, went out for one and a half hours, came home, and there were my magazines, waiting for me on the doorstep!

Congratulations to you, and thank you for the quite unexpected, prompt, and delightful delivery. What would the world be like if all businesses were as friendly and efficient?

Thanks again, Rob Seidel Hi Petra, Congratulations to you and your team on the latest edition of Fleurieu Living, each edition seems even better than the previous one!

As well as great content, the production quality is outstanding, well done.

Cheers, David Sherrah Hi Petra, I have just seen the latest edition of Fleurieu Living Magazine and it looks fantastic, from the front cover right through to the last page! I’m very happy with your article about me. The layout is so clean, my paintings have reproduced beautifully, the article reads well and (surprisingly for me) my portrait looks casual and relaxed. Well done team! And I now have three copies to show relatives and friends.

Thanks again and best wishes for future success, Scott Hartshorne Hello, I Love your publication, it is a fabulous read!

Kind regards, Carmel King

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MARKETS & EVENTS

Autumn Diary Dates LOCAL MARKETS: Aldinga, McLaren Vale and Willunga Aldinga Bay Art, Craft and Produce Market Central Way Aldinga Central Shopping Centre Fourth Sunday of every month, 9am – 2pm Arts and crafts from local artisans, as well as fresh local produce.

Port Elliot Market Lakala Reserve Port Elliot First and third Saturday each month, 9am – 2pm A typical country market with plenty of fresh local produce on offer, as well as a good mix of other goods, such as plants, bric-a-brac, books, fishing gear – even a $2 stall!

Willunga Farmers Market Willunga Town Square Every Saturday, 8am – 12.30pm You must go just for the seasonal fruit! Cherries, peaches, nectarines, blueberries – the freshest you’ll find. Don’t forget to buy a membership and receive discounts on all the fabulous local food.

Victor Harbor Farmers’ Market Grosvenor Gardens, Victor Harbor Every Sunday, 8am – 12.30pm Over 32 stalls, with locally caught seafood, organic vegetables, seasonal fruit, local honey, mushrooms, fresh flowers, Fleurieu regional wines and much more. Well worth the visit.

Willunga Quarry Market Adjacent to the Willunga Oval Second Saturday of each month, 9am – 1pm Come and browse an eclectic mix of everything, ranging from second hand tools to plants and craft. There’s always something new to see.

COUNTRY MARKETS:

Willunga Artisans Market Willunga Show Hall Second Saturday of each month, 9am – 1pm Local art and craft with a little bit of something for everyone.

A great place to buy a unique handmade gift!

The Vale Market McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Visitor Information Centre Monday March 12, 10 – 3pm Monday April 2, 10 – 3pm The market offers locally-made produce and products, wine, art and craft as well as hand-made souvenirs. The Vale Market is family friendly and features buskers and local acts.

Goolwa, Port Elliot and Victor Harbor Goolwa Wharf Market First and third Sunday of every month, 9am – 3pm With around 80 stalls, there is a myriad of goods on offer.

Bric-a-brac, collectables, fresh local produce, coffee and food, plants, books both new and old, and hand-crafted goods.

Goolwa Cittaslow Farmers Market Goolwa Wharf Precinct Second and fourth Sunday of each month, 9am – 1pm Artisan food producers and farmers are providing a diverse range of produce at our market.

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Kangaroo Island Farmers’ and Community Markets Lloyd Collins Reserve by the beach at Penneshaw First Sunday of the month, 9am – 1pm Kangaroo Island’s top food producers selling a range of fresh local produce in a great village atmosphere. For special SeaLink Ferry fares, visit sealink.com.au Meadows Country Market Meadows Memorial Hall Second Sunday of the month, 9am – 3pm Up to 70 stalls of local produce, crafts, collectibles, plants and brica-brac. A true country market.

Myponga Markets The old Myponga Cheese Factory, next to Smiling Samoyed Brewery Every Saturday, Sunday and public holiday, 9.30am – 4pm Enjoy browsing a variety of stalls including art, books, fine china and glass, toys, local leather work, coins, records and fossils. There are also waffles and gelato for those with a sweet tooth.

Strathalbyn Markets Lions Park, South Terrace, Strathalbyn Third Sunday of the month, 8am – 2pm A quaint, country-style market with bric-a-brac, produce, coffee, pies, apples, plants, soaps, jewellery and much more in wonderfully historic Strathalbyn.

Yankalilla Craft & Produce Market Yankalilla Agricultural Hall, Main South Road Third Saturday of each month, 9am – 1pm Craft and produce market featuring goods from the local area. You’ll be surprised at what you may find!

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS: MARCH Fringe in Goolwa March, 9 – 11 Jaralde Park and Signal Point Lawns, Goolwa Wharf Precinct, Centenary Hall and Goolwa Library The Adelaide Fringe Caravan rolls into town, bringing a wonderful array of Fringe acts.

Cost: Free At the Wharf Goolwa Sunday March 11, 1:30 – 5:30 Fringe Weekend reaches Goolwa. Live music by The Chris Finnen Band on the deck at Signal Point. Local food and wine available on the lawns.

Kangaroo Island Easter Art Exhibition Penneshaw Hall, Penneshaw March 30 - April 4, 9.30 – 5pm, and 8pm on Wednesday This display of outstanding artworks from the island’s many talented, experienced and emerging art stars is a highlight of the island calendar. The themed exhibition offers diverse encounters with contemporary art practices and ambitious new work.

Twilight Food Affair Tatachilla Lutheran College Friday March 23, 4.30pm – 9.00pm Tatachilla Lutheran College will come alive as the College stages its annual Twilight Food Affair; an enjoyable night for the entire community. Held on the College grounds, this family-friendly event showcases the best of the region’s food and wine, offering live entertainment, rides, fun activities, and the Wayne Phillis Ford Fireworks display.

Below: McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic is on again – mark April 21 and 22 in your calendar.

Beachside Food and Wine Festival Christies Beach Esplanade, Rotary Park Saturday March 24, 12pm – 9pm After the success of last year’s festival event, Christies Beach will be hosting a 2018 Beachside Food and Wine Festival. The afternoon/ evening will not only have locally made food and beverages but also market stalls, live music, and free children’s activities.

Cost: Free

APRIL Aquafest Goolwa Aquatic Club April 14 – 15, 9am – 5pm Aquafest is a fun day outdoors for the whole family featuring boat racing, outboards, and hydroplanes.

McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic Main Street, McLaren Vale/various wineries in the Fleurieu region April 21 – 22 Come and view a large collection of collectible cars from the Fleurieu and beyond. A free street parade will be held in the Main Street of McLaren Vale, as well as entertainment and food at locations in the surrounding area. Gala dinner on the Saturday. Go to vintageandclassic.com.au or Contact: Trevor 0415820719 Dog Day Out Lakala Reserve, Young street, Port Elliot Sunday April 22, 10am – 3pm Join animal lovers for a Dogs Day Out which includes a dog-themed art show, doggy dress up parade, great dog demos (rescue and service dogs), dog-themed artists at work, stalls and Operation K9 barbeque.

Art Show entries now open – entry form on the website.

Admission: Gold coin donation >

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MARKETS & EVENTS

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS cont: A Flamboyant Party Oliver’s Taranga Sunday April 22, 12pm – 4pm Enjoy a three-course lunch starring Oliver’s very own lamb on a spit, complemented by Oliver’s Taranga wines.

Tickets: $100 per head. Check Oliver’s Taranga website for more details regarding their events.

Visit: oliverstaranga.com

MAY Langhorne Creek Wine Show Tasting Memorial Hall Friday May 4, 10am – 5pm Enjoy a day out and sample all that the region has to offer, with the superb wines entered in the 2018 Langhorne Creek Wine Show.

Food and live music will be on offer throughout the day. Selected wines will be available to purchase.

Cost: $20 per head which includes a wine glass to take home.

Visit: langhornecreek.com for more information.

EARLY JUNE 2018 Sea and Vines McLaren Vale Region June 9 – 11 Returning once again is one of the Fleurieu’s favourite events of the year: the BankSA Sea and Vines festival. With the brilliant combination of food, wine, live music and splendid scenery, it is sure to please visitors to the region and locals alike. Various costs at each location. Visit: seaandvines.com.au for location and hosting information.

ONGOING Red Poles – Live Music McLaren Vale Every Sunday 12.30 – 3.30pm This is the perfect chilled-out Sunday session in the Vale. Listen to some tunes on the verandah with a beer or wine in hand.

Visit: redpoles.com.au to see who’s performing each week.

Knights Beach Pro Body Boarding Competition Knights Beach, Port Eliot May 25 – 27 Watch the professionals as they compete for ranking in the National Bodyboarding Circuit at the Fleurieu’s premier body boarding wave.

Below: Don’t miss ‘At the Wharf’ this year, on Sunday March 11 from 1.30 to 5.30 pm at Goolwa. Photo courtesy of Roderick Flintoff.

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A forever place

Story by Petra de Mooy. Photography by Robert Geh. Styling by Little Road Home.

The ‘Old Survey’ area of Port Willunga is highly sought after, both for its existing homes and, better yet, the odd empty block. The area is a stone’s throw from one of South Australia’s most beautiful beaches, a world class wine region and fantastic restaurants, not to mention boasting an amazing community itself.

A combination of old shacks, new architecture and historic homes gives the neighbourhood character and charm.

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Australian expats Kirsty Rice and Greg Bruce long appreciated these features while holidaying ‘at home’, away from their busy careers abroad. ‘We had a small ‘lock and leave’ house just up the street for years,’ Kirsty says. ‘We would often walk past a large, empty block down the street, musing about what we would build if we bought it.’ As their four children grew, the idea crystallised, and the possibility of a ‘forever place’ took shape; a bigger space where the extended family could visit and the children could eventually spend time with their own families.

Kirsty loved the old barns she’d seen on her travels through North America. ‘We knew we didn’t want to have a suburban home and we wanted something sustainable,’ she tells me. ‘We thought about something that looked like a work shed or even a woolshed.’

They spoke to a few architects but no-one they really loved and with whom their vision resonated. So, they began to think that maybe it wasn’t the right approach. Then someone mentioned a home at Waitpinga which had the ‘rural shed look’. When Kirsty saw the photo, she said ‘yes.’

As their four children grew, the idea crystallised, and the possibility of a ‘forever place’ took shape; a bigger space where the extended family could visit and the children could eventually spend time with their own families.

Above and previous page: The beautifully designed home features a large deck that wraps around all of the living spaces. With movable screens to protect the west side, these spaces are versatile and well used.

‘We met with architects Mountford Williamson and we really liked them.’ she says. ‘They were very casual, nice guys and they are all about sustainable living and design.’

The home at Waitpinga was built by Yankalilla-based builder Donovan Steer, of Catalyst Homes. It was important for Kirsty and Greg to use a local builder and as many local trades as possible. Kirsty tells me that this ethos lies in the concept of building a community for their family, and creating a sense of place. Working with local builders and trades made the building ‘a communal effort’.

Mountford Williamson, Catalyst Homes and the clients collaborated from the beginning and, with Kirsty and Greg currently based in Qatar, there were a lot of Skype meetings – and trust – built between all parties to create the outcome they were all striving for. ‘I can still remember getting up in Qatar and looking at our screen and into their computer to do virtual ‘walkthroughs’ of the design, to make decisions remotely,’ Kirsty says. ‘It freaks us out now that we are here because now we are walking through the whole thing, remembering making all of those decisions from so far away.’

Ben Mountford tells me the building was designed to create a strong connection to the rural/beach vernacular of the Fleurieu Peninsula, with the use of galvanised steel and durable Australian hardwoods, to create a contemporary ‘shearing shed’ feel. The materials were also chosen to gradually weather and look better over time. ‘A combined approach was taken for a sustainable design,’ Ben says.

‘A blend of ‘passive’ and ‘active’ solar design principles. ‘Passive’ meaning no human ‘input’ [was] needed (example: the design of the eaves allowing block-out of summer sun, but allowing winter sun in to heat the slab). ‘Active’ being those elements that involve human interactions – sliding screens, retractable awnings, etcetera, to suit the conditions on the day.’ A large solar array on the back shed, zoned air conditioning and large water tanks also contribute to the property’s long-term energy efficiency.

Mountford Williamson and Catalyst have a strong working relationship; mutual respect and recognition of their combined skill sets have resulted in a maturing relationship. They also have a ‘grand design’ project underway at Cape Jervis. >

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Previous page: The modern lounge separates the living space from dining area. Top: The kitchen was designed by Fabrikate and expertly made by Kustom Joinery Manufacturers. Bottom left: Window seats along the corridor double as extra relaxation spaces. Bottom right: Bespoke towel hooks add a warm layer of modern charm.

Working with Catalyst on the Port Willunga house early in the design process ensured they were in tune with every detail, and the intent of the building. ‘This approach helped in making good value design decisions through the process,’ Ben says. ‘And enabled the team to test certain design solutions before being locked into one approach.’

Donovan says it’s a three way street when creating the perfect home, and he loved working within the team. ‘The better everyone works together, the better the result is,’ he says. ‘And the easier it is to get it in on time and on budget as well.’

The design and building contracts were signed and, from handover of the property late in 2016, Catalyst and Mountford Williamson had a year; the family hoped to be in their new ‘home away from home’ for Christmas late last year. Kirsty marvels: ‘I can not speak highly enough of Donovan. How many builders deliver a house below budget and on time?’

One of the key building and design challenges was the installation of a series of large screens which run the entire length of the house.

They shelter or reveal a series of courtyards along the western side of the home. Having a straight line from one end to the other of the thirty-seven metre long deck was cleverly carried out; the perceived simplicity of this design is belied by the skill employed to create it.

The combination of corrugated iron and wood has a relaxed style with a clever layout and the delineation of living areas, children’s bedrooms, courtyards and an adult retreat makes the home luxurious by creating versatility and comfort.

A suspended fireplace creates a centrepiece to the large open plan living area. ‘Our whole thing is that we are here in the winter and while we wanted to build a beach house, we wanted it to be really comfortable and inviting in winter as well,’ Kirsty says. Interior designer Kate Harry, of Fabrikate, was hired to help design the > 19

Above: The kitchen is highly customised in American white oak featuring handmade knobs, ample storage, a butler’s pantry and a very well appointed laundry.

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Top left: A combination of old and new furnishings gives the home warmth and a sense of history. Top right: Screening on the deck is retractable so the owners can shelter from the sun and wind. (Accessories from Little Road Home) Bottom right: The impressive architecture is revealed via the long corridor.

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Top left: The children’s bedrooms are fresh and light. Top right: Cool tones of grey and white are offset by timber bathroom cabinetry. Bottom left: An outdoor shower is always a good call when you live near the beach. Bottom right: A nautical winch system for the screening on the deck adds authentic maritime detailing.

interior. ‘Kate was very clever,’ Kirsty continues. ‘I love the concept of the kitchen, and the bathrooms look great.’

The kitchen was designed around the concept of a meat safe, with powder-coated mesh-framed doors. The woodwork for all cabinetry throughout is fresh and light, American Oak. Details like hand-made wooden knobs add a bespoke element.

The bathrooms are pared down but have beautiful light grey floor-toceiling and wall-to-wall mosaic tiles, which are offset by the warmth of wooden cabinetry.

The living areas and bedrooms are separated by a long corridor.

‘When we asked the kid’s what they would like in the house, they asked for window seats that they could sit and read in,’ Kirsty says. The corridor has three large window seats which can double as an extra sleeping option when the children have big slumber parties, or when the extended family is there for holidays. The adult area has 22

a door that Kirsty and Greg can close for complete privacy. They also have their own mini courtyard. ‘I love it,’ Kirsty says. The retreat is far from the living area and is a quiet haven for them.

Kirsty and Greg have lived all over the world for almost twenty years, with Greg’s work in the gas industry finding them in countries ranging from Indonesia, Malaysia, Libya, Canada, the United States and most recently, Qatar. ‘Our claim to fame is that all four of our children are born in a different country,’ Kirsty jokes. She currently works in digital marketing for the Barefoot Investor and though she can do this from anywhere she hopes to progressively move her work to their beautiful home by the beach.

When Kirsty tells me Port Willunga is the best place in the world and that it’s magic, I know she means it; she can’t rave about it enough.

‘This place is eighteenth and twenty-first birthdays, it is dinner parties and even weddings – it is celebrations.’ It is their forever place.

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TRAILBLAZERS:

The man in the terry towelling hat Story by Corrina Wright.

Photograph by Angela Lisman.

Above: Winemaker Graham Stevens has built up a cult following across the country – delivering history, knowledge and good wine with passion and authenticity.

In my other life as a winemaker for Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards, I’m lucky enough to travel all over the country, showcasing our wares. An increasingly common exchange with customers goes something like this ... ‘Do you know this awesome winemaker? He wears overalls, a terry towelling hat, and he makes the most amazing wines.’

Graham Stevens is not just a legend in our own backyard. Reaching into his late seventies, it seems he has a cult following across the country as well. If you look at travel site comments from those who visit his cellar door in McLaren Flat, you’ll realise that Graham, along with daughter and business partner Carolyn, are swiftly building a vast army of advocates and disciples for their products – under the label Graham Stevens Wines – and the region as a whole.

Graham’s rise to fame is a fascinating one. Born and bred in the foothills on Elliot Road, he was the third generation to live on a 24

property owned by the Wilson family; seven family members lived in the tiny two room corrugated iron house. Money was tight and life was tough. As a result, thirteen-year-old Graham left school and began working, to help put food on the table. Conveniently, at that time, part of the McLaren Flat Primary school curriculum included learning how to prune, as well as other vineyard skills. In fact, he won his first pruning trophy at nine years old! Graham put this talent to use straight away, working for a number of vignerons in the region.

From fifteen years old and into his early twenties, Graham graduated into share-farming vineyards. He continued pruning during the winter and in the summer worked as a delivery driver around Adelaide, for a soft drink company. He credits his summer job for teaching him many new skills; he learnt how to be his own boss, manage inventory and organise logistics. Graham quickly developed a reputation for being a hard worker and in 1962, as a newly-married man, he moved back into full-time work, joining d’Arry Osborn at d’Arenberg, as vineyard manager and winery assistant.

As the years progressed, Graham decided he wanted to move out of the vineyard and into the winery on a more permanent basis. In the late ‘60s he was head-hunted by Hugh Lloyd, of Coriole, to manage

‘Do you know this awesome winemaker? He wears overalls, a terry towelling hat, and he makes the most amazing wines.’ the winery. This turned out to be a big win for both parties; both Graham and Corioles’ stars were on the rise. Taking out the Bushing crown at the Mclaren Vale Wine Show in 1974 and 1975, along with a myriad of other trophies, Graham soaked up the accolades, all while he and his wife saved up to buy their own vineyard.

Customers immediately loved the authentic experience at the cellar door, where more often than not, guests meet the man behind the wines. ‘He presents in a towelling hat and overalls. He delivers history, knowledge and wine with a subtle passion and no fanfare. A rare find,’ one of the many reviewers says.

A few years later their dreams came to fruition and Grahams Cambrai Wines was established. When I ask Graham what made him start his own business, he smirks and says ‘… ego. If you didn’t believe in yourself, you wouldn’t be successful.’ He was on the money, and the awards and accolades continued to flow in, with Graham claiming another Bushing crown in 1985.

Especially sought after are Graham’s fortified wines. He has a special recipe and he tells me the formula is so successful he’s even been offered money by other winemakers to divulge it! For the time being, Graham is determined to keep his intellectual property close to his chest, only passing it onto Carolyn when she is ready.

After a bit of a health scare, Graham and his wife Marie tried their hand at retirement, selling the vineyard and winery in 1997. This didn’t go too well, however. Predictably, it wasn’t long before Graham started planting vines on a new patch of land he bought on Ingoldby Road at McLaren Flat. Fast forward to 2005, he was making wine again, and in 2008 his daughter, Carolyn, joined the business. They opened a small cellar door and Graham Stevens Wines was back in the game, crushing around fifty tonnes and selling their wine exclusively to visitors.

I ask him how he copes with all the adulation. Graham confides that over the years, he has learnt the hard way that it is best not to live on the same site as one’s vineyard, winery or cellar door, believing that everyone needs an ‘off’ switch. He moved to the Aldinga Beach esplanade and likes to lock the door and chill at the end of a busy day. However, he maintains that having a personal presence in the cellar door is vital for his business. ‘If you aren’t proud enough of your wines to stand in front of them and sell them to customers, then you should get out of the game,’ he says. I agree. And that reminds me, I have a weekend cellar door shift to get ready for ...

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PENINSULA PEOPLE

Fleurieu Future Leaders Each year, twenty emerging regional leaders from across the Fleurieu Peninsula are selected to participate in the Bendigo Bank Community – Fleurieu Future Leaders Program. Across five months, participants are taken through an intensive actionlearning program to develop the skills and networks required for building a vibrant and sustainable region. We speak with four participants from the inaugural 2017 program.

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01. Cameron Ledgard: Harcourts Wine Coast – Sales Consultant / Auctioneer What can people anticipate when they participate in the program?

Expect the unexpected and be prepared to be pushed past your comfort zone, in a good way.

What is your vision for the future of the Fleurieu?

As a real estate agent and auctioneer, my vision for the Fleurieu is to promote the region to the best of my ability. Using a career as a platform, I want the rest of the world to see how incredible this region really is. I have begun conducting an online video series called Local Treasures, promoting local businesses in and around the Fleurieu and look to continue this series into the foreseeable future.

02. Shen Mann: Regional Coordinator – Resilient Hills & Coasts, Alexandrina Council & Chair, Ranges to River NRM Group What was the key area of your business/work that changed as a result of participating?

FFLP empowered me to reach out and seek career advice from a number of strong, influential women I admire. That advice has given me the confidence to pursue new opportunities and it feels like bright and exciting doors are opening up all over the place.

What is your vision for the future of the Fleurieu?

Let’s protect what’s already great about the Fleurieu – unique ‘village’ identities for our townships, gorgeous agrarian and coastal landscapes, a diverse economy close to one of the world’s most liveable cities – but take it a step further by really embracing our ‘clean green’ advantage. We have some great examples of sustainable urban design at Beyond Today and the Aldinga Arts Eco Village; population growth is coming so let’s ensure we make this kind of development the norm rather than the exception.

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03. Kristin McLarty: Fox Creek Wines – Customer Relations & Direct Sales Manager What was the key area of your business/work that changed as a result of participating?

Being afforded the privilege to step out of my daily routine I achieved greater clarity about all aspects of my life, including work. To look at things with fresh eyes allowed me to improve upon working relationships and to review and change established routines and habits that one tends to fall into.

What is your vision for the future of the Fleurieu?

I want to help make the Fleurieu Peninsula a richer, more culturally interesting place for both residents and visitors. Growing grapes, making wine and working in wine tourism makes us caretakers of the land and advocates for the region so we are always working to improve our environmental sustainability and our contribution to our community and the world.

04. Ben Pridham: Pridham Viticulture What do you love about the Fleurieu?

After doing the FFL program I realised through the broad activities of the participants that the Fleurieu has far more depth and culture than I had realised.

I’m fairly wine industry focused, as this in my profession, and I realised I have been blinkered to all the great people, places and activities in our backyard.

What was the key area of your life that changed as a result of participating?

Most of all, how to listen to people in more depth. I am now conscientiously working on listening more before adding to the conversation. It is surprising how much more you can find out about a person by letting them talk.

The Fleurieu Future Leaders Program is currently taking registrations of interest for 2018 from anyone living or working on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Applications open on the first of May. Email info@fleurieuleaders.com.au for course information, and the application form, during April. An information evening will also take place to answer any questions you may have.

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Above: Located comfortably next to the old post office, Thunderbird Restaurant is a gastronomist’s delight and architect’s dream.

The call of the Thunderbird Story by Esther Thorn. Photography by Ron Langman.

Building onto a heritage-listed property is never easy. But when it’s an iconic institution in the centre of one of the State’s tourist hotspots, such a task becomes an almost insurmountable feat.

Ron guides me on a tour of other details that elevate the restaurant from a building to a work of art in its own right. There are the reclaimed brick walls, complete with the occasional footprint of an animal. I make the mistake of thinking a dog, or fox, walked over the newly-formed brick many moons ago. But Ron tells me the prints are purposeful marks, made with the paw of a dead animal to delineate a batch of a thousand bricks.

Sonya Hender and Ron Langman, however, aren’t ones to shy away from a challenge. And so, when the opportunity arose to build a sophisticated eatery onto their hundred year old post office-cum-art gallery, they embraced it with enthusiasm and panache. The end result is Thunderbird Restaurant on The Strand, in the heart of Port Elliot; a gastronomist’s delight and architect’s dream.

Ron and Sonya know this building well. Its creation was clearly more a labour of love rather than a business project. ‘Initially we wanted a heritage-style build but we employed some really insightful architects - Dash Architects - and they steered us towards a contemporary design, with recycled features,’ Ron explains.

On the morning I visit Thunderbird Restaurant, it is already bustling with locals and tourists enjoying coffee, lazy breakfasts and early lunches. Indeed it’s so busy that it’s hard to admire the craftsmanship that’s gone into the build. But some of the details are unmissable, even over the sea of diners. On the front wall is a double fireplace, surrounded by great limestone blocks. Ron tells me they’re handsourced from Coobowie; look closely on a quieter day and you can see fossils and pieces of petrified wood within each block.

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The build itself was carried out by South Coast Constructions.

Designer Matt Parker says it wasn’t always easy working between the contemporary new structure and the historic building, but the team embraced the challenges. ‘There were lots of little details that had to be worked through like how to make new stone look appropriate alongside the historic walls,’ he says. ‘One of the harder parts was turning a window in the old post office into a door, and ensuring the treatment around the new door frame looked authentic.’

Above: The restaurant features a beautiful two-way fireplace surrounded by limestone, which has fossils and pieces of petrified wood nestled inside each block.

Negative ions or simple natural beauty, Port Elliot and its surrounding towns are certainly a current hot-house of emerging creativity.

Despite the challenges, the build was finished on budget and on time. ‘It was a really happy build,’ says Sonya. ‘The entire process was just seamless.’

The build-time was a crucial element because Thunderbird Restaurant needed to open before Christmas, in time for Port Elliot’s busy tourist season. And as soon as the doors opened, the patrons started arriving … and kept arriving. ‘It’s really exceeded all our expectations,’ says Sonya. ‘It’s been packed every day, which is just a dream come true.’

The past eighteen months have been a steep learning curve for Ron and Sonya who, after ‘retiring’ to their Port Elliot beach house, decided to open The Strand Gallery in the town’s former post office. Previously, Sonya worked in social and community development for much of her career and in her spare time has been a passionate printmaker.

Like the glass corridor between The Strand Gallery and Thunderbird Restaurant, Sonya is the human conduit between the artists exhibited in the gallery and the people who come to enjoy the food, wine and art. ‘I just think those three elements go so well together,’ she says. ‘I have many plans and ideas to hold workshops in the gallery or artists’ talks and then finish with an amazing lunch or dinner in the restaurant.’

The Strand Gallery itself is enjoying national acclaim due to Sonya and Ron’s commitment to showcasing outstanding, local artwork. ‘We’re just so lucky to have such amazing talent around here,’ says Sonya.

‘It’s nice that we’re being noticed but what we feel more proud of is the sense of community that’s growing around the gallery and the artists themselves.’

As Sonya explains her passion for inclusivity, we’re moving from the hum of the restaurant into the calm, quiet interior of the gallery. It’s a seamless transition, with works of art displayed along the light-filled corridor, gently easing the visitor into a more introspective state.

Inside the gallery it’s all white walls and clever lighting. There are several pieces by award-winning artist Tom O’Callaghan and an exhibition of Goolwa artist Sally Deans, whose gentle sea and skyscapes effuse calm.

One room of the gallery is dedicated to Ron Langman’s own work.

He describes himself as a serial entrepreneur who cut his teeth in the glory days of advertising. But Ron is also a passionate photographer, whose panoramic images capture the rugged beauty of the South Coast.

I ask Ron and Sonya what it is about this region that generates such creative talent? ‘Maybe it’s the negative ions from the ocean and the clean air,’ ponders Sonya. ‘No darling,’ Ron interjects. ‘It’s the inspiration artists draw from the coastline and the sea.’

Negative ions or simple natural beauty, Port Elliot and its surrounding towns are certainly a current hot-house of emerging creativity. > 29

Top: The extensive menu includes offerings such as heirloom beets with almonds, fetta and greens, priding themselves on regional produce hand-selected by their chefs.

Bottom: The building’s interior merges the contemporary new structure with original elements of the historic building perfectly.

Even the genesis of The Strand Gallery was organic, almost accidental. ‘Sonya needed a larger studio for printmaking,’ Ron tells me. ‘So we were looking around and at the same time, the old post office came up for sale. When we looked at the building we realised it would be a perfect spot for an art gallery.’

The couple bought the property and the vacant block next door.

‘Initially the idea was to build Sonya’s studio next to the gallery but the more we thought about it, the more we realised it needed to be a public space, not a closed-off private studio.’ And so, in collaboration with friend and local businessman Campbell Haig, the idea for the eatery was borne.

Initially the concept was to create a low-key, cafe-style venue, but Campbell suggested there was a growing demand for a finer dining experience that was not being catered for in Port Elliot. Campbell would know – he is renowned for his other Port Elliot businesses Waverley Estate, Thunderbird Wines and No. 58 Cellar Door and Gallery, which also offers a fusion of art, food and wine.

He has now happily added another string to his bow and is the proud operator of Thunderbird Restaurant. The reclaimed red-brick walls,

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polished concrete floors, fireplaces and sleek Danish furniture are all his influence, as he strove to create a warm, clean and spacious feel inside the eatery.

Campbell is exhausted after the rush of the busy holiday period but, when he talks about Thunderbird Restaurant (named after his wine label), his enthusiasm and passion is obvious. ‘We’ve created a tapas-style bar with an emphasis on showcasing the freshest, most seasonal produce,’ he explains. ‘We’re just so lucky in this area to have such beautiful food and wine so readily available.’

The menu, developed by Head Chef Adam Crabtree, includes offerings such as heirloom beets with almonds, fetta and greens, or grilled haloumi served with watermelon, basil and pomegranate. For the sweet tooth there are seasonal delicacies like baked fig served with goat-cheese fetta, pistachios and Fleurieu honeycomb.

Campbell is eager to get back to the restaurant and Sonya is keen to show me the rest of the gallery. Out the back is the studio she did ultimately get, but there is little time at the moment for printmaking.

‘I’ve been a printmaker for a long time so even if I don’t have much space for it at the moment, it’s still a part of who I am and I’ll always come back to it,’ Sonya says.

Top: With the Strand Gallery adjoining the new restaurant, art appreciators can attend an opening, and follow it up next door on the deck with some local food and wine.

Bottom right: The building was expertly finished by local builder South Coast Constructions.

We leave the quiet cool of the gallery and are swept up by the hustle of The Strand on a summer’s day. Almost everyone who passes Sonya greets her warmly and she knows them all by name, stopping to introduce me to each one. We poke our heads into the adjacent businesses and the shopkeepers are quick to offer to pick up flowers for Sonya, or ask how her newest grandchild is faring.

‘I have many plans and ideas to hold workshops in the gallery or artists’ talks and then finish with an amazing lunch or dinner in the restaurant.’

It’s clear to me that despite Sonya’s skill as a printmaker and her talent as a business owner, her greatest success has been creating a community. Thunderbird Restaurant is so much more than a fine dining experience. It’s a place where people can come together, learn, laugh, eat and drink, and leave filled-to-the-brim with a sense of belonging.

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Fortune of the Fleurieu Story be Leonie Hick. Photograph by Dan O’Cker.

It seems that a state of abundance is not limited to my peach trees at the moment.

With the vibrancy of summer comes the influx of townies and tourists, all drawn to local bounties including the world-class food, wine and scenery showcased during the Tour Down Under.

The region’s seasonal swing and bustle soon returns to normal levels as school goes back and real life demands attention post-silly season.

Returning to the tranquillity of what is once again ‘my’ beach, I reflect on the wealth that is The Fleurieu and its community.

This article is Part two in a series exploring the four states of being in our region: happy, healthy, wealthy and wise. Yet, as I examine them more closely, it becomes evident that each is inextricable from the other.

PART 2: WEALTH When pondering wealth, some – if not most – conditioned minds will be drawn toward material and monetary accumulation. One measure of wealth shared with me recently was defined by a full beer fridge – essential with recent temperatures – and a glass-half-full mentality, in the eye of the beholder.

So, what is it about the inherent wealth of this region that provides residents and visitors alike with the foundation to satisfy our most basic physical and security needs? Psychologist, Abraham Maslow would suggest that, if we find this out, we are then able to meet the needs of social connectivity, esteem and the ultimate position of problem solving, all loving and creativity that is self-actualization. So, let’s give it a go.

Since the beginning of time – or ‘The Dreaming’, for the people of the Kaurna Plains – our indigenous custodians and caretakers of the region lived under a hunter-gatherer society. Thriving on the abundance of fresh food and water, their people accessed the coastline from as far south as Goolwa to the top of St Vincent Gulf.

Freshwater springs of the ‘Tjilbruke Dreaming Track’ dotted along the coastline were of both practical and cultural significance.

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Seafood was in plentiful supply, while inland territories provided other food, clothing and protection during bad weather. Creative and ceremonial needs were more than met with coloured ochre mined from particular sites; it provided important painting material used on rock, wood, bark and the skin of Aboriginal participants during ceremonies.

To this day, the abundance that had the eyes of European settlers bulging is still evident in the self-supporting communities and industries set amongst this garden of plenty. The discovery and mining of slate in 1840, near Willunga, added much needed building resources and employment opportunities, with slate being exported to Victoria and New South Wales. The use of this timeless and enduring building material helps retain an historical village-like charm in many Fleurieu townships.

Aesthetically and commercially we boast a clean, green image that blends well with our historical roots, providing the perfect backdrop for tourism and our thriving food and wine industry.

Added diversity and spiritual richness has been woven into our Fleurieu tapestry, with land at Sellicks Hill purchased in 1995 as the site of Chinese Buddhist temple, Nan Hai Pu Tuo, known also as the Temple of the Holy Land in the Southern Seas. The design of the temple runs parallel to the hills and the ocean, with landscaping in the style of Chinese imperial Gardens. Also positioned between the hills and the ocean is the 18-metre statue of Bodhisattva Avolokitesvara, which sends a message of ease, mercy, peace and wealth in ten directions.

Regardless of ancestral or cultural background, we are blessed to live in a place that truly nurtures our human spirit. From a position of 100 percent responsibility for our actions – and the knowledge that we have everything we need – nurturing ourselves and our tribe, tilling, and conserving our land of plenty have become our immediate responsibilities. It is more important than ever that, on a personal level, we find ways to re-invest in this landscape and community.

I believe our external reality – including, at times, suffering – can show us what is needed to heal and return to the wealth of inner, and outer, peace. With acknowledgement and alignment to our creative source, be it Mother Nature, Tjilbruke, God, or Buddha, we can return to a state of peace, abundance, gratitude, compassion, tolerance, joy, trust, unconditional love, and forgiveness of self and others.

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Three little birds Story by Winnie Pelz.

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Previous page: Old sheets of music, embellished with gesso form the finely-textured material base of Nancy Tost’s drawings, which feature beautifully realised studies of birds.

Above: Bill Steele with Marni and Nancy Tost at The Strand Gallery. Above photo courtesy of Ron Langman.

Every family has a story, each rich with its own characters and colourful prose.

For Bill Steele, his is a love story; a love for birds which stretches across three generations.

For most of his life, Bill has worked in the high-flying world of construction as an architect, engineer and project manager; he’s had his hand in some of Adelaide’s most significant buildings. Now in his seventh decade, he describes himself as an iconoclast who likes having fun – the imagination that was once constrained by the serious world of business and construction now has free rein.

Bill’s focus is now on structures of a different kind. He makes sculptures that reflect his personality and sense of humour. Quirky, irreverent, whimsical and sometimes weird is how he describes his work. But this self-effacing view overlooks the fact that the pieces are also accomplished in technique and very beautiful.

Birds feature strongly in his work – some are fabricated in sheet metal and recycled objects that he’s found. More recently, cast bronze has become his preferred medium, as well as birds including Pacific Gulls, Oystercatchers and Plovers, which he creates and mounts on stone or wood.

Bronze casting is an extraordinarily demanding and time-consuming process. But Bill has fallen in love with it and is involved in every phase of production, from creating the original form in wood, copper or clay, to making the mould and the laborious process of finishing the work to its exquisite completion.

The next chapter of the love story starts with Bill’s niece, Nancy Tost, who grew up on a farm at Waitpinga. She studied visual art at Adelaide Central School of Art with South Australian icon, Robert Hannaford. Eventually drawn by a love of the sea and surf, Nancy moved to Margaret River in Western Australia where she met the love of her life – a German builder and carpenter – and has built a family, house and a lifestyle that embraces the sea; she has a deep respect for nature and a deep love of birds.

Chickens with names like Cheepy, Sunshine and Ginger are members of this family but the subjects of Nancy’s drawings and paintings are the wrens and robins that live in the garden. Old sheets of music, embellished with gesso, form the finely-textured material base of her drawings, which feature beautifully realised studies of hands, with birds perched on them. The hands are inspired by those of her two daughters, Evelyn and Marni.

For Nancy, the strong connection between nature, the environment and people has become more important as she watches her children grow, especially in a community where the proximity of sea and relationship with garden, trees, birds and people is paramount.

And when she comes back to her roots on the south coast of the >

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Top: Bill Steele’s bronze cast birds mounted to stone are a labour of love. Middle: Nancy Tost’s finely realised drawings stem from a deep love of birds. Bottom: Young Marni is following in the footsteps of her mother and uncle.

Fleurieu Peninsula, those elements are in similar harmony, with the added privilege of three generations of family coming together. ‘It’s as much about family as it is about art,’ Bill says.

Marni is the third player in this story. At the age of seven, having apparently inherited the creative gene that runs through the family, Marni demonstrates a precocious talent for drawing and an extraordinary ability for recording images in her mind and drawing from memory. When she’s not in the garden with her six pet chooks, she’s drawing.

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‘Most of the time I draw birds and other things,’ Marni says. ‘Birds are beautiful and that’s why I love them.’ Using pencils, crayons and felt pens, she draws a pert robin on a branch with a bright sun shining behind. Nancy laughs that the kitchen table never gets used for eating as it’s always covered in drawing materials and paper.

Bill, Nancy and Marni have recently exhibited their work at the Strand Gallery in Port Elliott, and it’s sure to be the first chapter of another story. ‘The old Turkey, the beautiful Mother Hen and the exquisite little Chicken’ Bill says. It could be the title of a book.

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Visit

Alexandrina

Wander, explore and discover Alexandrina...

Goolwa Art and Photographic Exhibition* at Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa Wharf Precinct from 24 March to 7 April Just a Couple of Song and Dance Men* at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 24 March Drawing in Colour Workshops with Julia Wakefield* at Langhorne Creek on 4 and 11 April Light Earth, Jim Deans exhibition at South Coast Regional Art Centre, Goolwa from 6 April to 6 May Make Mama Proud*, a Liza Minnelli tribute show at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 7 April

Circus Elements* at Strathalbyn Town Hall on 18 April She Collects the Beautiful Things, Turbulent Nature, Chris De Rosa at Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa Wharf Precinct from 19 April to 3 June Characters of the Fleurieu at Stationmasters Art Gallery, Strathalbyn and other regional locations from 6 May to 3 June Knights Beach Pro Body Boarding Competition at Knights Beach, Port Elliot on 25 and 26 May Opera Made to Order* at Mount Compass War Memorial Hall, Mount Compass on 26 May * tickets/ booking required

For bookings and enquiries please visit www.visitalexandrina.com or call Council’s Visitor Information Centre on 1300 466 592. Alexandrina Council continues the ‘Just Add Water’ arts and culture program in 2018. View a copy online for more events in the region at www.alexandrina.sa.gov.au 37

BOOKS & WORDS

Autumn Book Reviews

by Mark Laurie.

by a more cunning adversary, who preys upon his greed and promiscuity. Fernando Benn pursues artistic gimmickry with cultivation of a ‘faux-faux naif’ painting style.

Amongst these and other stories, dreams, vulnerabilities and delusions are glimpsed along paths littered with dilettantes, poseurs, hypocrites and the random machinations of fate. Employing a tone between wry amusement and light pathos, along with a range of stylistic devices, this prolific and prize-winning author directs his characters to show that there is ‘some truth out there, lurking in the darkness beyond the firelight of ... intelligence’. Designed to amuse and provoke, this book will appeal to those who are familiar with Boyd’s work or enjoy the urbane vignettes offered by writers such as Somerset Maugham, Don DeLillo or perhaps a quieter, more restrained Brett Easton Ellis.

The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth

by William Boyd

Published by Penguin Viking ISBN 9780241295878 $32.99 This collection, containing a novella and several loosely-linked short stories, explores choice and chance in contemporary lives, largely amongst those on the fringes of the modern entertainment industry. Bethany Mellmoth careens between relationships, homes and career prospects like a pinball.

She trusts in hope and encounters with others, a less raucous Bridget Jones. Alec Dunbar, a B-grade Bond, draws from his vast array of film roles in which his character has been killed off early, to survive villainous intentions in a thriller set in Scotland. Ludo Abernathy’s web of fine moral lines is rent

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Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa

by Joseph Farrell Published by MacLehose Press ISBN 9780857057617 $29.99 The South Pacific basin has long been a repository for the dreams and desires of those from beyond its rim, a perceived emptiness filled with conjurings of the primitive, exotic and erotic. That one of our most acclaimed and loved adventure writers, Robert Louis Stevenson, lived out his final years in the south seas would seem fertile ground for his soaring imagination and for biographers who have sought to capture his life and its essence.

Joseph Farrell, a fellow Scot and academic historian, has brought these final years, lived in the late 1800s, in what we now call Western Samoa, into focus and to life. From the vast volume of material available to him,

he has distilled a thoughtful and entertaining account of Stevenson’s domestic, literary and political life in the tropical Pacific.

Considerable lie is given to the belief of many of his friends in northern Europe that RLS was squandering his talents in a remote, uncivilised world. While continuing a lifelong battle with tuberculosis and writing an estimated 700-thousand words in novels, poetry, pamphlets and letters, Stevenson engaged deeply with the Samoan people living amidst the infantile ‘squabbling, marching and denouncing’ of the colonial powers as they heedlessly pursued their own interests. The portrait which emerges clearly renders its subject’s duality, the Bohemian romancer and Calvinist moraliser, who believed ‘in an ultimate decency’, struggling in the chasm between duty and pleasure. Stevenson’s character thereby matches the complexity of the South Pacific itself, with its particular combinations of play

and purgatory, of life and death, of desire and disease. Such matched identity was recognised by the Samoans who buried him as their ‘best and dearest friend’, and as one of their own.

The Shepherd’s Hut

by Tim Winton Published by Penguin Books Australia ISBN 9780143786115 $39.99 Tim Winton needs no introduction, his distinct style embedded deep within our Australian literary consciousness. His new novel is a survival story set amongst the margins of humanity occupying our country’s extreme, barely habitable edges. It explores the shared, mutually reinforcing brutality of such people and places. The fast-moving plot, involves flight from a profoundly dysfunctional family, an unseeing, uncaring rural town and the law.

The book’s protagonist heads north to the salt pans of the Western Australian desert, amongst abandoned mines and the particular

characters who seek out places free from prying eyes. Teenaged Jaxie Clackton narrates throughout, in a voice filled with testosterone, fear and fury. His distinctive patois brings the harshness of the landscape and rawness of its inhabitants to life. Jaxie exposes a life of torment, a primordial and bloodied battle for existence in a place where civilisation’s veneer, in all of its meagre thinness, has been burnt away and savagery set running. However, Jaxie learns that ‘a man needs more than scents and shadows to make sense of the world’, to be more than a rather ghastly, ruthlessly efficient predator.

Amidst all of the desolation and barrenness, the bewildering horrors of what such a life involves, lie the girl who understands him and the lapsed priest in the shepherd’s hut who comes to do so. These are the sustaining islands of peace, hope and connection, which provide a vector to his flight and allow meaning to replace despair.

No Turning Back

by Roger Rees

Published by Hybrid Publishers ISBN 9781925272802 $29.95 A work of fiction by local author Roger Rees, which recounts the life of central character, Louise Davitt, as she journeys and lives in Ethiopia, far from her South Australian roots.

Set primarily in the 1980s and 90s, the book deals with academic life, anthropology, Ethiopia’s modern history, geography and cultures, and with the emergence of HIV/ AIDS. However, as its title suggests, the story is also exploring the extent to which we are in control of our lives. Even the most self-possessed and self-aware it seems are directed by that which is preordained by both nature and nurture. Ancestry, heredity, tradition and culture may be both defining and malign. Of course, we are also buffeted by the decisions and actions of those close to us. The author is a noted academic and

practitioner in the rehabilitation of those suffering from brain injury or neurological disorders and has previously written a number of non-fiction works in this field.

This is very evident in the detailed research underpinning this work and is influential upon its style. Rees is obviously fascinated by Ethiopia, impressed by the tenets of agrarian socialism, and has firm ideas concerning treatment of some of the world’s ills. It is in its treatment of what it meant to be HIV positive in the 1980s though, that the work is strongest and the narrative gathers pace.

Compassion, understanding, bottomless positivity and rejection of pre-judgment shine through as beacons when people, times or places are troubled.

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FOOD & WINE

Uncorked Wine reviews by Gill Gordon-Smith CSW FWS

The art of the blend. Some of the best wines in the world are blended from different grapes, sites and vintages; each component is carefully selected by the winemaker, bringing a unique character to enhance and complement the other. In this issue, I look at four outstanding local examples of the skilful art of the blender.

S.C Pannell Tempranillo Touriga 2016 Bushing King Steve Pannell has been one of my wine heroes for many years. His skill in the vineyard and winery has seen him win most major awards – including the Jimmy Watson – and, in my eyes, he is the mix master when it comes to putting the right grapes together. Here, he diplomatically brings together Mclaren Vale and Barossa using Tempranillo and Touriga; two grapes from the neighbouring countries of Spain and Portugal and ideally suited to our climate here. What you get is a glorious and perfectly balanced mix of red and black cherries, raspberries, spiced plums, cola cubes, blood orange and violets, wrapped in layers of Sicilian, grainy, dark chocolate. The generosity of the fruit is framed by taut and savoury tannins, with a texture that makes it a perfect match for barbecued and roasted meats, Chorizo, Jamon and Manchego cheese. *Touriga National is a quality Portugese grape used in both dry and Port styles of wine. Tempranillo is a classic Spanish grape best known for making Rioja.

Bondar Wines “Junto” Mclaren Vale GSM 2017 Andre Bondar is a talented winemaker who, with his partner in vines Selina Kelly, is steadily building a reputation for new twists on the classics. Here they make their version of one of the most famous trios – the classic Southern Rhone G.S.M blend. It matches Grenache with splashes of Shiraz and Mataro from McLaren vale, to deliver a complete and delicious wine. Bright, lifted and perfumed, this wine has hints of Turkish delight, red berries, sour cherries, sweet fennel and exotic spice aromatics. The silky texture and marshmallow softness in the mouth is supported by a savoury, earthy note, all with a fresh and lively finish.

With perfectly just-ripe fruit, this wine is a medium-bodied, deliciously slurpable wine that showcases a more delicate side to our local hero, Grenache. And it would be just as beautiful slightly chilled. I will be drinking this with tea smoked duck, shallot pancakes and salads. Yum. *Don’t be afraid to slightly chill your red wines. In our climate it works well. Mataro is the Spanish name for Mourvedre.

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Lake Breeze Bernoota Shiraz Cabernet 2014 The Follett family has been growing grapes for more than 120 years in the Langhorne Creek region and makes one of the best versions of this classic Aussie blend. It partners old vine Shiraz and Cabernet to make a beautifully balanced wine that has been a favourite for many years.

A deep, dark ruby-coloured wine full of black cherries, ripe blue-black plums and dark chocolate covered ‘After Dinner Mint’ thins, its earthy and spiced flavours will fill your mouth with black fruits, licorice allsorts, a hint of vanilla and cedar. It also boasts supple, ripe tannins which bring the flavours together in a long, long finish. This will go down well with lamb and rosemary pie, balsamic mushrooms or my mum’s classic roast beef and yorkshire pudding, of course, slathered in gravy. *French wine law would never permit the blending of two regions such as Bordeaux ( Cabernet) and the Rhone valley (Shiraz).

This is a classic Australian blend made famous by Max Shubert in Penfolds Bin 60A in 1962.

Waywood Wines “Quattro Vini “ Mclaren Vale 2015 It’s no accident that Andrew and Lisa Wood make fabulous food wines.

Well travelled, well tasted and serious about food and wine, Andrew’s wine making skills complement Lisa’s expertise in the kitchen; they come together at their cellar door in the ‘Vale where you will find Mediterranean flavour and hospitality in spades. Black and red berry fruits, mulberry, plum, mandarine, wild aniseed and savoury black olive flavours are complemented by bright acidity and soft tannins that really carry the flavour to a long, five spiced finish. This wine would be perfect with spiced meatballs, pork and fennel sausages, or even paella. *This combination of Grenache, Cabernet, Mataro and Tempranillo works perfectly to craft a delicious and well-balanced wine that just needs food and friends to make it really sing.

Experience our new Autumn menu – from our new head chef.

7869 Main South Road, Second Valley · Telephone 8598 4184 www.leonardsmill.com · bookings@leonardsmill.com.au Lunch: Wednesday through to Sunday · Dinner: Friday & Saturday

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NEW FACES ON THE FLEURIEU

The art of community Story by Winnie Pelz. Photograph by Angela Lisman.

Above: Peta Johnston’s relationship with the arts is longstanding and diverse, suitably equipping her for her new role.

Peta Johnston will need seven-league boots to stride across the expectations of her new role in the arts. The newlycreated position will see her working with three council districts – a huge footprint in anyone’s eyes. Her enthusiasm and determination, however, seem to be only sharpened by the challenge.

It’s no secret that the Fleurieu is filled with creatives, from artists and designers to architects and writers. So, it’s no surprise that the City of Victor Harbor and District Council of Yankalilla are focussing their attention on the arts. Together, they decided to hire an Arts and Cultural Facilitator; a role Peta is taking on. Splitting her time between the two councils, she will also liaise with artists on Kangaroo Island – those seven-league boots might soon need wings …

So, why is such a role needed? Peta describes it as the glue that stitches great ideas and energy together. “To build projects that

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enhance the culture of the community, and to find ways of economic development and funding that make them sustainable and viable’, she tells me. Peta sees the arts as integral to increasing the economic value of the region, through tourism as well as building a strong sense of local identity. This, she tells me, is what makes a community a robust, more vibrant and a more desirable place to live.

While the job may be new, Peta’s relationship with the arts is longstanding and diverse, suitably equipping her to make this new role a success. After studying dance at the University of Adelaide, her talent took her around Australia and Canada; she worked with both small community groups and large-scale productions, including the opening of the 2008 Adelaide Festival.

The arts runs deep in Peta’s family. Her husband trained in acrobatics and, for years, was the director of the highly-successful company, Cirkidz. After a stint in academia, lecturing in theatre at Charles Sturt University, he was drawn back to South Australia. And for Peta, it was a welcome homecoming. As a child, her grandparents had property in Encounter Bay and she remembers spending countless holidays on the Fleurieu. For Peta, working and living in a regional centre has great appeal, as well as helping young people thrive in the

arts. That’s because she sees the engagement of children and young people, whether participants or in the audience, as a vital element in contributing to the future of the community.

Yankalilla and Victor Harbor both have distinct characteristics. While their landscape and rural features may be similar, the scale and scope of cultural and commercial activities in the townships are miles apart.

About 16,000 people live in and around Victor Harbor – Yankalilla has just over 5,000. With a growing population, Victor Harbor has recognised the need and value of investing in infrastructure, and a major upgrade of the central main street has been undertaken. The upgrade means more creative projects can take place also, like the permanent digital art projector, which will be installed in the Main Street. It will enhance what many call the ‘night- time economy’ of the street, making it colourful and safe.

It is projects like this which bring a town to life, Peta tells me, and the council is aware of the benefits it brings and is supporting more. It also supports the quarterly Artisan Markets in Railway Terrace, an area ripe for redevelopment. Adding to the ever-popular Rotary Art Show, which brings hundreds of visitors to the waterfront, is the recent Sculptures by the Sea exhibition on Granite Island. It’s part of a national project creating a permanent trail of sculptures.

Perhaps the most exciting project is the proposed Arts and Culture Centre on Coral Street. Concept plans have been drawn and there’s an extensive consultation process underway. This ambitious project, if embraced by the community, is expected to include the heritagelisted Town Hall and Old Library, creating a contemporary arts facility which will bring a new beat to the centre of town. It will also play a major role in enhancing community well-being and economic growth.

It’s an exciting time for Peta to step into her role. While she recognises different needs in the two districts, she also sees possible opportunities in facilitating parallel projects, including the twilight markets. She wants to explore the possibility of joint projects, which could benefit both communities. There are plenty of projects for Peta to sink her teeth into; the strong identity of Festival Fleurieu also offers great opportunity to work with the local co-ordinating committee and build on the growing reputation of the festival.

While she is focussed on economic benefits, Peta tells me that the advantages of a vibrant arts culture run much deeper than the bottom line. ‘The arts builds community cohesion and provides opportunities for people to participate in local activities,’ she says. ‘They enhance well-being and health. There is more for people on the Fleurieu than retirement – we want them to come here to live!’

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Above: Brian Robertson’s signs are meticulously hand painted, using skills in letterforms and typography he’s built up over four decades.

On the brush

Story by Petra de Mooy. Photograph by Cassie Huppatz.

Last year, sign writer Brian Robertson received an unexpected call from Australian Art Director, Janie Parker.

Janie was scouting locations and helping plan set designs for the yet-to-bereleased remake of the film ‘Storm Boy’, a reimagining of Colin Thiele’s iconic children’s book, set in 1950s Goolwa.

One of Janie’s colleagues, Michael Wolff, had spotted some sign writing on the window of a bakery in Goolwa. The Copperplate was authentic and showed the skills of a true artist. ‘Michael called straight away to let us know of his great find,’ Janie says. And luckily, Brian was able to work within their tight schedule.

The acclaimed original ‘Storm Boy’ film, released in 1976, was set – in part – around the Coorong National Park, close to the mouth of the Murray River. It’s protected and relatively unspoiled, so filming coastal scenes there, like the original, made sense.

The film’s Production Designer, Melinda Doring, wanted to capture the authenticity of the period the book was set in. Luckily, you can find a little walk through history in most of our regional townships on the Fleurieu and a particularly good example of this is in Port Elliot, near the railway crossing on The Strand. The original shopfronts – still in use – are in pristine condition. So, once the tenants and owners agreed, film crews took over the town, redecorating the facades to replicate signs that would have once been there in the 50s.

One such mural was the striking and recognisable design of the Rosella Tomato Sauce brand; its colourful Rosella in a tree forms a large stand–alone artwork outside Jelly, the General Store.

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For Brian, this was his dream job. Working in the old hand-rendered style in which he had been trained, and with a desire for the right look and feel for the producers, the task was just right for him.

Brian is old school in terms of his skill set. As a youngster, growing up in New Zealand in the late 70s, he always fancied becoming an artist. ‘I was actually just walking down the road and saw this sign shop and went in to ask about it,’ he says. The owner offered Brian an apprenticeship and at 17, ‘away I went’.

Back then, the training was intense and included some short stints at college to learn letterforms, typography, colour theory and design.

But mainly, it was hours and hours of on-the-job practice, learning brushwork and lettering.

Traditionally-trained sign makers are deft with being what they call ‘on the brush’, hand lettering their artwork and creating a layout from scratch. The really good ones also have a flair for design. After completing his three year apprenticeship, Brian moved to Australia.

‘It was just what you did,’ he says. ‘All my mates were there and the pay was better.’ After a few stints back and forth between Australia and New Zealand, and with a taste for working for himself, Brian settled on the Southern Fleurieu and opened his own sign shop. He had long been sought after for his illustrated pastel menu boards and began to make this style of sign for the owners of Heritage Pies and Pastries at Goolwa. ‘I still do work for them,’ Brian tells me. It was indeed this style of sign that caught Art Director, Janie Parker’s eye.

Over time, vinyl signs and digital printing have taken over the traditional ways and Brian is now trained to work in disability and mental health. He let go of the business and only retains a few favoured clients. ‘I’m still interested in art though,’ he says. And if the phone rings again, and someone needs an authentic hand-lettered sign that piques his interest, Brian might just get back on the brush.

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Weaving something from nothing Story by Nina Keath. Photography by Angela Lisman.

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Previous page and above: The Southern Vales Basket Cases has grown from just a handful of members to twenty-five active participants, all weaving their own personality into their work.

Chris Banks is well known amongst friends, family and neighbours for her ability to breathe life into objects that others have left by the wayside. A lovely merino wool jumper gets eaten by moths?

No problem, she can re-stitch it into a vest for the grandkids. A neighbour has surplus fruit? Wonderful! The whole street will be supplied with enough pickles, jam and cakes to last a year.

Or what if your outdoor bench starts falling to pieces? Don’t throw it away … Chris will transform it into a work of art, growing a vine over the top. Then, when it does falls to pieces, voila – firewood.

It’s no wonder then, that Chris is into basketry. In fact, when it comes to basket weaving, she tells me her passion has turned into a bit of a fetish. ‘Being able to make baskets from things out of the garden, from the side of the road, off the compost heap …’ she explains before pausing, considering the possibilities with obvious relish, ‘I just love it and it doesn’t cost a thing!’

Retiring to Willunga from the Adelaide Hills two years ago, Chris thought others might share her passion, so she started the Southern Vales Basket Cases. And she was right. Beginning with just a handful of members, there are now twenty-five active participants and many more on the mailing list. Meeting at members’ houses on the fourth Wednesday of each month, Chris describes it as a friendly group suitable for all ages. ‘It’s a nice, sociable thing to do, she says. ‘People sit around tables, make a big mess and share their ideas. It might look like a disaster for a while but you can usually fix it. And if not, you can just put it on the compost heap, which is probably where you found the materials in the first place!’ > 47

Above: Chris Banks sees abundance and potential in everything she lays her hands on, whether that be creating baskets out of items in the garden and compost heaps, or roadside debris.

Chris talks me through a seemingly endless list of garden prunings that can be used for basketry. ‘Bulb leaves, pine needles, native grasses, cordyline, various weeds, chasmanthe, watsonia, bulrush, grape vines, banana trunk, willow, dogwood, philodendron, palm fronds...’ And don’t get her started on weaving materials you can find on the side of the road or at the beach, as the list would be even longer.

It was on a beach camping trip to Fraser Island in Queensland during the ‘80s that Chris’ basketry passion was ignited. ‘I remember we needed a dish-rack and my friend showed me how to whip one up from whatever was lying around on the beach, she tells me. ‘We spent the rest of the trip weaving whatever we could think of out of Pandanus. From then on, I was hooked. Weaving is a great thing to do on holidays. You can look at the things growing around the area and make anything you need.’

Basketry is one of the oldest traditions still active, Chris explains, encompassing a vast range of interesting techniques and materials.

Since retiring, she’s had more time to actively indulge her selfconfessed fetish and explore the possibilities. In 2016, she visited New Zealand, where she learnt about traditional Maori flax weaving.

Then, on a trip to East Timor in 2014, she tried valiantly to learn a 48

complicated local technique that she hadn’t come across before.

Despite a lot of mutual smiling and hand gesturing, however, the language barrier got the better of her.

The Ngarrindjeri weaving stitch from the lower Murray region, Chris says, is beautiful and one of the easiest to learn. She’s looking forward to learning even more techniques when she helps host the biennial National Basketry Gathering event at the Aldinga Holiday Park in April next year. More than a hundred weavers will come together from across the country to share ideas.

It’s easy to speculate that Chris’ frugal tendencies have arisen out of need. She lost her husband in a car accident when her eldest son was five and the youngest still breastfeeding. As a single mother of three young boys, she had to make do with limited resources. But friends who knew her from before that time tell me otherwise. They say that’s just Chris. She has always seen abundance and potential where others only see garden clippings and holey jumpers. And baskets? Well, they’re the perfect vessel for carrying jam and cake to your neighbours.

To join the Southern Vales Basket Cases, visit the Basketry SA website.

Cellar Door Open 11am – 4pm (closed Tue & Wed) Ph: 8323 8288 · 182 Olivers Road, McLaren Vale · www.zerellawines.com.au

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DESTINATION FLEURIEU

Create your escape > McLaren Vale

Fleurieu Biennale Committee member Eileen Lubiana: ‘When you combine a pristine coastline with rolling hills that shelter vineyards and winery cellar doors, you have arrived in (Fleurieu) paradise!’

Above: On the grounds of Hardy’s Tintara one could spend a whole afternoon. Tour the winery, enjoy a tasting and visit the Fleurieu Arthouse, where you can see artists in their studios, browse the gallery – and retail shop, or take a weekend workshop.

Come just because, or plan a trip around these Framed by its spectacular coastline, special events: McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu offers Mark the end of vintage for this premium wine district by combining diverse nature and wildlife, sensational your passion for cars and wine at Vintage and Classic. food and wine and some of the most Join thousands of cheerful spectators on the main street of McLaren stunning beaches in Australia, all on the Vale to catch a glimpse of your favorite classic vehicle. Funds raised doorstep of Adelaide and an international through the Charity Dinner on Saturday, April 21 will support the McLaren Vale and Districts War Memorial Hospital and local airport. Where else could you go CFS Units. Vintage and Classic: 11 a.m. April 22, 2018. bushwalking in a national park in the morning, refresh with a locally brewed craft In early June we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Fleurieu beer, indulge in world-class food and wine Art Prize. The 2018 Fleurieu Biennale Art Prize will be exhibited in McLaren Vale at the Stump Hill Gallery and the Fleurieu for lunch, then end the day at the beach Arthouse and in Goolwa at the Signal Point Galleries with David watching the sun set?

Dridan as Patron of this years event.

The growing sophistication of the region is Painting, drawing, print and sculpture will all be on show. highlighted by art galleries, state-of-the-art Artists entries close March 30, 2018. Top prize is $25,000.

Fleurieu Art Prize: 16 - 22 July, 2018 – artprize.com.au cellar doors, tailored day tours and fresh regional fare.

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Top: The comfortable interiors of Karawatha Cottages form a great backdrop for enjoying all the Vale has to offer. Above: The five star Mclaren Eye sits high on a hill overlooking vineyards and rural landscape. Below: For automotive enthusiasts, the McLaren Vale Vintage & Classic is a must.

Also in June, the ever popular Sea & Vines Festival celebrates Mclaren Vale wine and the region’s unique position of producing premium wine a stone’s throw away from gorgeous beaches and fresh seafood.

Stay here: Karawatha Cottages is a stone’s throw from a myriad of worldclass wineries and restaurants and has style to spare. After a day of indulging in the regions splendours, unwind back at your cottage and take in the pristine rural setting from your private deck while relaxing by the fire.

Treat yourself to a stay at Mclaren Eye. No detail has been missed here. A large tub overlooking the beautiful landscape, along with all of the mod-cons, promises a luxury escape for the discerning adult.

No matter the size of your group, the McLaren Vale Motel and Apartments have you covered. Choose from a single room or shared apartment, then make the most of the sparkling pool, gym, sauna and conference facilities for up to eighty delegates.

Whether you’re here for business or pleasure, this is the perfect launchpad for your visit. > 51

Above: The award winning Mulberry Lodge hosted accommodation offers a personalised service with the benefit of getting the insiders view of the Vale.

Above left: The outdoor deck at Goodieson’s Brewery is a great place to take a break from touring and enjoy a coldie. Above right: Escape to the the quiet surrounds of Red Poles to enjoy the art gallery and shop and to have a stellar meal on their verandah.

Get all the personalised touches at award-winning hosted accommodation Mulberry Lodge. Dedicated hospitality from the owners – who are passionate locals – will help guests get the most out of their stay, by providing an insider’s itinerary of the best food and wine experiences available.

Eat and drink here: Head west on the McMurtrie Mile and visit Red Poles. Here you can visit their gallery, sit down for a delicious meal, or indulge in a Vale Ale tasting. Visit on a Sunday afternoon and relax on the lawns while enjoying a live acoustic set.

The Salopian Inn is a local favorite. The comfortable surrounds of the historic 1851 building is complemented by a modern eclectic menu boasting fresh organic produce from chef Karena Armstrong’s own garden. Delicious food.

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McLaren Vale’s reputation for world-class wine is well known. But when you visit Goodieson Brewery, you’ll understand why the region is fast becoming known as a craft-beer hub. See the brewery in action as you choose your favourite from a long list of awardwinning handcrafted beers. Then, kick back on the serene terrace and see if you can catch a glimpse of a kangaroo amongst the vines.

No trip to McLaren Vale would be complete without a visit to Wirra Wirra, a James Halliday five Star Winery, rich with a history of eccentric characters. Sample an award-winning wine and then stay for lunch at Harry’s Deli, a providore style café celebrating the very best of South Australian regional produce. Keep your eyes out for the three quarter-tonne bell in a purpose-built belltower ... you never know when it might ring!

Top: The cellar door at Wirra Wirra is complemented by the now famous Harry’s Deli, serving delicious platters and lunches from locally sourced producers.

Above left: The newly refurbished McLaren Vale Hotel and Apartments is great for small or large groups, with a fantastic outdoor entertainment area.

Above right: The ever popular Salopian serves an eclectic menu, including some delicious desserts.

If you’re a lover of shiraz, then you can’t go past Oliver’s Taranga.

Custodians of some of the premier vineyards in the region, their distinguished history goes back six generations. Find out why winemaker, Corinna Wright, is being recognised for her modern take on a strong family tradition and try The Hunt for Mrs. Oliver fizz!

Don’t forget to head over to Kay Brothers to meet the 2017 Bushing Queen and King (or at least drink their wine)! Soak up the rich history in their cellar door. Buy the Griffon’s Key Grenache, which has been taking out top awards – including Best in Show at the McLaren Vale Wine Show – or the basket pressed Shiraz because it is also excellent.

So many wineries so little time … so why not stay another day?

Vienna, Germany and here at home, with their Skeleton Key Shiraz making it into the Hot 100. More than this, though, the cellar door is home to the Kitchen Door Restaurant, where chef Tom Boden has taken the helm and is creating magic on the plate.

Hardy’s Tintara isn’t just a place to taste wine but also where you can experience the rich history that goes into running a business over 165 years. That history is blended with the very best of modern day technology, including one of the most advanced open fermentation cellars in Australia; visitors can now see from the winery viewing deck. Make sure that while you are there, you try an Icon Tasting of Hardy’s best four wines, which are considered ‘some of Australia’s best wines’ by James Halliday. >

Penny’s Hill Winemaker Alexia Roberts is making waves internationally with Penny’s Hill Wines taking out top awards in

So many wineries, so little time.

Why not stay another day! Featured at left are some top drops from Oliver’s Taranga, Kay Brothers and Penny’s Hill.

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Top left: At the Kitchen Door restaurant at Penny’s Hill, the food speaks for itself. Delicious. Bottom left: At McLaren Unvaled you will find a lovely range of products to bring home for a friend or for yourself. Top right: Gorgeous Soles is a welcome newcomer to the Main Road of Mclaren Vale, offering a fine selection of women’s shoes and clothing. Above right: There’s no better way to learn about the hidden gems of McLaren Vale than on a tour with Chook’s Little Winery Tours.

Shop here:

Get around:

On the grounds of the Hardy’s complex – on the Main Road in McLaren Vale – you can also partake in a visual feast at Fleurieu Arthouse. Watch artists at work in the gorgeous studio area of this historic building, or browse a large range of local art and craft, perhaps choosing a piece to take home. Owner, Anna Small, and her team have curated a very special and professional selection of works and, during June and July, it will be a hub of activity with one of The Fleurieu Biennale main exhibitions held in their dedicated gallery space.

The McLaren Vale and FLeurieu Visitor Information Centre is at the gateway to McLaren Vale and offers loads of invaluable information on tours, accommodation, wineries and also has a well stocked gift shop, cafe and the Stump Hill Gallery which will play a part in all of the events on offer this Autumn and early Winter!

Gorgeous Soles features a curated selection of beautiful footwear, quality crafted and beautifully designed clothing, as well as lovely bespoke jewellery and accessories. Main Road, McLaren Vale Furnish your home or find that special gift from a tastefully selected collection of furniture, gifts and homewares at McLaren Unvaled.

Attend a workshop and learn how to breathe new life into your existing furniture, with 100 per cent Australian chalk paint. Main Road, McLaren Vale.

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There’s no better way to learn about the hidden gems of McLaren Vale than on a tour with Chooks Little Winery Tours. Discover boutique wineries, sample wine straight from the barrels, and chat with the winemakers. Locals love Chook for getting them home safely and for his great ability to tell the stories of this special region.

Chooks Little Wine Tours: 0414 922 200 or www.chookslittlewinerytours.com.au

McLaren Vale’s Finest

Delight the senses with a fine mix of food, wine, art and ale Red Poles Restaurant / Cellar Door / Art Gallery / B&B Open Wed - Sun 9-5 190 McMurtrie Road McLaren Vale.

Ph : 08 8323 8994 / 0417 814 695 redpoles@redpoles.com.au www.redpoles.com.au

A LUXURIOUS HOLIDAY DESTINATION Stay, relax and indulge in the sweeping views and sunsets from the deck.

Experience the picturesque McLaren Vale through the McLaren Eye. Email: stay@mclareneye.com.au Telephone: (08) 8383 7122 Web: www.mclareneye.com.au

If you’re after a unique winery experience, or just need transportation in Willunga, McLaren and Southern Vales, Call Chook McCoy. T: 0414 922 200.

Bookings essential.

YOUR HOME AMONG THE VINES Walking distance to visitor centre, restaurants, cafés and cellar doors. A short drive to local beaches, markets, breweries, galleries and more. Vineyard View function room also available for hire.

New resort style heated saltwater pool.

Book direct for online specials.

chookslittlewinerytours.com.au

Sat April 21 Charity Dinner at Serefino Sun April 22 Main St Parade A family day celebrating vintage and classic motoring.

Proudly supporting the McLaren Vale & District War Memorial Hospital and the local CFS brigades. www.vintageandclassic.com.au

Cnr Main Rd & Caffrey St McLaren Vale SA 5171 Ph + 61 08 83238265 Fax + 61 08 83239251 info@mclarenvalemotel.com.au www.mclarenvalemotel.com.au

Luxury Hosted Country Retreat nestled among the vines in Willunga.

Personalised hospitality, complete tranquility and stunning rural vistas. The perfect romantic getaway: maybe the setting for your bridal party or boutique wedding ceremony?

T: 0424 825 965 E: hazel@mulberrylodgewillunga.com W: mulberrylodgewillunga.com : Mulberry Lodge Luxury Country Retreat

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PENINSULA PEOPLE

Giving kids the green light Story by Nina Keath. Photograph by Angela Lisman.

Saskia Gerhardy is used to being the youngest person in the room. She made a point of it last year at South Australia’s Community Landcare Conference by asking everyone under 25 to raise their hand – less than five per cent did. Since then, the 22-year-old has been on a mission to turn that figure on its head.

It’s a commonly held stereotype that the rise of smart-phones, social media and reality television is pulling youth inside and away from environmental activities. However, Saskia has a different explanation.

She thinks kids are bursting with ideas – they just need more opportunities to get involved. ‘I want to get across that young people are interested and effective,’ she says. ‘They sometimes get pushed aside and are seen as incapable but they know what they’re talking about, they can see what’s happening in the world and they know there are issues.’

It was here she realised that, more often than not, no one else was in her age group. Again, she was the youngest person in the room.

‘I found it hard to get involved as a teenager,’ she tells me. ‘And I wanted to be part of something that tapped into youth leadership and passion for conservation.’ So, Saskia set up her own group.

It started out small. In its first year, the Youth and Community in Conservation Action group (YACCA) had just seven members. Four years on that figure has grown to 30, with original participants now running offshoot groups for younger kids.

Saskia tells me it’s all about handing responsibility to the kids. ‘I’ve basically said from the start that this is your group and I want it to go how you want,’ she says. ‘When the older kids are teaching the younger generation, they feel like they own the group, which makes such a difference. They’re not going to leave because they feel like they can contribute.’

Saskia is also speaking from personal experience. The daughter of passionate local environmentalists, she recalls helping her mother and stepfather, Karen and Wayne Lawrence, revegetate their 15-acre property at Willunga. Along the way she would learn the scientific names of indigenous plants they propagated, or local wildlife she helped rescue.

It’s not about forcing interests. Instead, Saskia believes it’s about getting youth to channel their own passions. ‘There’s also a strong focus on having fun … and cake’, she adds with a grin.

Just as Saskia predicted, teenagers have jumped at the opportunities available through YACCA. ‘If someone is interested in rainforests, then they’re off to Cape Otway, never mind that it happens to be one of the wettest weeks on record,’ she says. Saskia and her boyfriend just lend the kids their raincoats and they quickly carry on with vegetation surveys. Early starts to participate in Arid Recovery at Roxby Downs also haven’t dampened their spirits.

As the landscape changed, she quickly recognised the effect her actions were having on the environment – she was making a difference and wanted to do more. With the local high school at Tatachilla heavily focussed on environmental sciences, Saskia continued to fuel her growing passion for conservation there. ‘They encouraged us to let out our inner nerds,’ she says with a smile. ‘We didn’t have to be shy about it.’

Neither have midnight desert storms or fly-away tents. Whatever comes their way, the teenagers rise to the challenge every time.

Educating more students on environmental issues is now Saskia’s main focus. ‘I want us to tap into this untapped resource and get environmental education across the board in schools in South Australia,’ she says. ‘Tatachilla is amazing but it’s the exception, not the norm.’

Unlike your average classroom, Saskia learnt about bettong and potoroo trapping, and how to undertake wildlife and marine surveys in the Aldinga scrub and reef. She also studied remotely. Saskia remembers disappearing for weeks at a time to survey dunnarts, pygmy-possums and wombats in the Murraylands. She was learning in the real world – in theory, but also in practice.

As she prepares to present at this year’s landcare conference, Saskia asked the YACCA kids what motivated them to get involved.

True to form, they took matters into their own hands by making a video for her to screen on their behalf. They want to be involved in ‘work that matters and we want to be involved in real outcomes,’ they explain in the video. ‘We also want to be involved in our community … and we really love cake. But if you really want to engage kids, you have to let us have fun!’

With her newfound skills, Saskia joined a string of local conservation groups including Trees for Life, Native Animal Network and Landcare.

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Above: Saskia Gerhardy (far right) believes young people want to learn more about the environment; they just need more opportunities to get involved.

Yacca Coordinator Kurtis Woodhall (back) with two of their Yacca kids crew Leah (right) and Ada (left).

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Above: Judith Zehle. Photo by Ellen Morgan.

In the garden with Judith When you go to the Salad Greens and Kitchen Herbs stall at the Willunga Farmers’ Market, you will often be greeted by the very healthy and happy-looking Judith Zehle.

Judith is hands on in the family business and spends a lot of time outdoors at their large hydroponic operation just outside Echunga, which she runs with her husband Sven.

Its name perfectly describes what they grow; the produce looks particularly healthy the day we venture up the hill to take a look. For many years, the Zehle’s were only selling to grocery stores and restaurants, before Sven identified the Farmers’ Market as a viable third tier to the business.

At a time when they were dealing with water issues on their property, the market became a lifeline, and it continues to be a great asset.

Judith loves the direct relationship she has built with her customers, even while they’ve endured ups and downs in the business; through tough times they’ve been buoyed by the markets.

When we visit their farm I am struck by the scale of the operation and health of the plants. Judith tells me they are enjoying healthy and abundant produce. Their workload boggles the mind; acres of little plants are all neatly arranged, row upon row, but Judith tells me they employ twenty people here, so I feel a bit relieved knowing they have help.

Still, Judith admits that there is always a lot of work and tells me it never ends. ‘But this is our life,’ she says. ‘This is what we do and we love the work.’ Recently the Zehle’s have found a niche market in their herb salad mix. On a whim, Judith created the mix to avoid waste from herbs that were getting a little too leggy to sell. ‘I cut it up and people love it,’ she says. Over time, they grew from these humble beginnings to selling about two hundred kilos a week through the farmers’ markets and restaurants. Always looking for the next idea to create a point of difference, they are currently trialling edible flowers – native mint and native pepper. ‘We will see where that leads us,’ Judith says. I suspect that, regardless of where it leads them, they will not be deterred. ‘We are not people who give up easily,’ Judith says with a smile.

Every Saturday 8am ‘til 12:30pm

Meet the grower, TASTE THE REGION Follow us: @willungafarmersmarket Located at Willunga Town Square, Willunga www.willungafarmersmarket.com.au Members save 10% at all stalls – sign up now! willungafarmersmarket.com.au/membership 58

McLaren Vale’s Finest

OPEN 7 DAYS 11AM - 5.30PM. 194 SAND ROAD MCLAREN VALE WWW.GOODIESONBREWERY.COM.AU

Shop1/165 Main Rd McLaren Vale 08 83237405 · gorgeoussoles.com.au

M c L AREN VALE HILLS, VALLEYS AND BEACHES

A FEAST FOR YOUR SENSES Experience McLaren Vale like a local

#McLarenValeGuide @McLarenValeGuide www.mclarenvaleguide.com M cLAREN VALE AND FLEURIEU VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE

1800 628 410 | visitorcentre@onkaparinga.sa.gov.au

open for lunch 7 days per week cellar door open 10am - 5pm daily restaurant bookings : (08) 8557 0840 281 main road, mclaren vale w w w. p e n nys h i l l . co m . a u

FURNITURE · GIFTS · HOMEWARES Chalk Painting Workshops · Proud stockists of Mezzie and Frank Chalk Paint and Maine Beach Products · Unique Furniture · Gorgeous Gifts & Homewares 122 Main Road, McLaren Vale Ph: 8323 8432 www.mclarenunvaled.com.au

Karawatha Cottages

McLaren Vale222222

Affordable luxury amongst the vines Vineyard views ~ Wood Fires ~ Wine Walking Trail www.karawathacottages.com.au Ph: 0434 163 040

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Sunset Food & Wine Story by Petra de Mooy. Photography by Heidi Lewis.

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Previous page: Delicately handled local ingredients are accompanied with delicious and finely made condiments. Above: The menu includes a silky smooth paté with house made brioche. Bottom right: Vanessa Cu and Jack Ingram manage equal but separate roles with experience and ease.

If you have spent time on Kangaroo Island and become familiar with the lay of the land, you may agree that you’ve well and truly ‘arrived’ on the island when you turn the corner of Hog Bay Road, which opens up the vista of American Beach.

From the hill above, the sparkling water and crystal sands of the protected bay are tranquil. A sense of calm descends and the holiday begins. So, with this in mind, it is a wonder we had never ventured up the hill to the former Sunset Winery. The lure of a recent transformation from cellar door to fine dining restaurant, however, made it easy to alter our path. And boasting a former chef of both the Vue de monde in Melbourne and nearby Southern Ocean Lodge, we knew we couldn’t resist.

Jack Ingram and his partner – and maitre d – Vanessa Cu, saw this little gem as an opportunity to try something new. They tell me about their rich and varied restaurant history, which has led to – and influenced – what they’re doing at Sunset Food & Wine. In 2009, after cutting his teeth in the UK in Michelin star restaurants Le Champignon Sauvage and Lygon Arms Hotel, Jack was sponsored to work in the kitchen at the renowned Southern Ocean Lodge. He worked there for a year before moving to Melbourne where he landed a position at Vue de monde, working under celebrated chef Shannon Bennett.

Shannon’s reputation as an innovator and five star restaurateur precede him.

Here, Jack hit his stride. He worked in varied roles, including in the bakery and patisserie, and helped the team open new restaurants to add to their repertoire. But it was at high quality thirty-four seat Melbourne restaurant, Mister Jennings, that Jack began to see the

possibility of owning and operating a smaller establishment, with fewer staff and a focus on quality over quantity. It was also while working for the Vue de monde group that Jack met Vanessa.

From here, Jack became aware of another opening at the esteemed Southern Ocean Lodge – this time for the head chef position.

Vanessa also applied for a position and the couple worked there for just over a year; Vanessa worked as both restaurant supervisor and on the front desk. During this time the couple grew a deep appreciation for the island’s produce, developing relationships with the producers, showing off their wares at the exclusive resort. Now both highly experienced, the couple began planning their next move, this time on their own steam – transforming the Sunset Winery into Sunset Food & Wine.

The opportunity to run a tighter ship – with small kitchen and front of house teams – suits the couple; they split their roles down the middle, managing equal but separate roles with experience and, at the same time, making diners feel at ease.

Among the other diners at the restaurant when we arrive are north coast Kangaroo Island restaurateurs Hannaford & Sachs. The reviews have been good and it’s nice to have another dining option for loyal locals, as well as visitors, all seeking the best the island has to offer.

The food is immaculately presented, with lovely touches like homemade rye alongside island olive oil, and silky smooth paté with house made brioche; delicately handled local ingredients accompanied with delicious and finely made condiments. The freshest seafood available is served on the plate and the lamb is memorable. Jack tells me it’s quite unique to be able to buy direct from farmers. ‘The freshness is palatable,’ he says. Paired with a good wine list and a beautiful view, I think this could be the new way to ‘arrive’ on the island.

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South Seas Books

South Seas Trading

53 North Terrace, Port Elliot P: 8554 2301 www.southseasbooks.com.au

56 North Terrace, Port Elliot P: 8554 3540

is an independent bookshop on the Fleurieu’s south coast.

South Seas will ignite your imagination.

offers a selection of vintage art and design pieces · clothing · jewellery · giftware and books in an evolving Arcadian haven.

· · · · · · · · · ·

Pilates (equipment and mat classes) Back and neck pain Post-operative rehabilitation Headaches and dizziness Osteoarthritis Sporting Injuries in children and adults Muscle and joint pain and injuries Chronic pain Work place injuries Massage Therapy and Podiatry 39 North Tce Pt Elliot SA 5212 Tel: (08) 8554 2530 www.ptelliotphysio.com.au

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LOUNGE DINING BEDROOM HOMEWARES

Where CELLAR DOOR

fine wine & art come together Fleurieu Arthouse Now open at the historic Hardys Tintara site

See the 2018 vintage in full swing from our Winemaker Viewing Deck

202 Main Road, McLaren Vale, South Australia. Open 10am - 4.30pm 7 days. telephone (08) 8329 4124 cellardoor@tintara.com.au hardys.com.au fleurieuarthouse.com.au

A FIVE RED STAR WINERY 2018 Halliday Wine Companion

Visit the home of the reigning McLaren Vale Bushing King. Kay Brothers is a “must-see” when touring the vineyards of the Southern Vales. Located at the top of a hill 5 kms from the McLaren Vale Township, the Kay Brothers Cellar Door boasts stunning panoramic views of the Cellar Door, 57 Kays Road, McLaren Vale

surrounding picturesque valleys and hillsides. Discover why our estate grown wines have achieved tremendous accolades in the national and international press.

Explore the pages of the meticulously kept diaries, written every day by the Kay family since 1891.

•

www.kaybrothersamerywines.com

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PENINSULA PEOPLE

What future dreams are made of Story by Nina Keath. Photograph by Heidi Lewis.

Charles and Janice Manning are busy people. I’ve seen them in action and often wonder how they fit it all in. ‘This year I’ve decided I’ve got to say no to some things,’ Charles tells me, which is ironic, given it was Janice and Charles who inspired me to start saying ‘yes’ more frequently.

As relative newcomers to the Fleurieu Peninsula, moving to McLaren Flat five years ago, the duo has already made its mark on the region. Charles is on the board of Bendigo Bank’s Aldinga Beach community branch and is a dedicated Country Fire Service volunteer.

His commitment to the job doesn’t go unnoticed on the sweltering day I visit their home. It’s 42 degrees and despite fighting fires since three a.m. Charles is up and about with a bounce in his step. Janice is just as active, volunteering at the McLaren Vale Visitor Information Centre. They’re also part of the Flat to Vale working group, which supports the development of a walking trail between McLaren Vale and McLaren Flat.

If their busy schedules aren’t enough, the couple’s fourteen-acre property is covered in vines, fruit trees, sheep, chooks and bees.

In a nod to us mere mortals, others manage their vines and sheep, but when it comes to the bees, they harvest and sell the honey themselves under the label, Flat Creek Honey. The care they put into their property can be seen at every turn. They cultivate an extensive vegetable garden and fruit orchard, make their own beer, and are in the midst of converting their existing house into holiday accommodation while also constructing a new sandstone home overlooking the sleepy vines. Amongst all of this, Charles maintains his lifetime passion for lacrosse, regularly travelling overseas with Janice to play and coach.

Defying several laws of nature, Charles and Janice also manage to fit in actual jobs. Charles is a director of Face the World, a boutique consulting firm which delivers corporate and personal growth services to clients across the world. He is a true extravert, tirelessly developing workshops and coaching others, even locally. In fact, he’s coached many up-and-coming businesses across the Fleurieu and is a sucker for offering his time, free of charge, when he sees a good cause.

While Janice may have a lower public profile as a director of the same company, her contribution is just as essential. During training

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sessions, she works quietly at the back of the room, keeping Charles on track and ensuring the logistics are covered. Janice manages the business and was the lead parent when their two children, Eva and Kurt, were young. It’s clear that this dynamic couple holds mutual dreams and works hard to make those dreams a reality.

Last year, some of my fellow Fleurians and I were lucky enough to benefit from one of Charles and Janice’s most ambitious dreams yet – the Fleurieu Future Leaders Program. Charles tells me it began to take shape not long after moving to the region. ‘I had been involved in delivering the Barossa Future Leaders Program and South Australian Rural Leaders Program and saw first-hand the power of bringing together emerging community leaders around a shared vision and strategic approach to leadership,’ he says.

So, over three years, Charles used every chance encounter – at the bakery, in the meat section of the local supermarket, on the beach – to build a groundswell of support. As community and business leaders became involved, he knew his idea had legs. Then, Bendigo Bank jumped on board as a sponsor. From there, the inaugural Bendigo Bank Community – Fleurieu Future Leaders Program was launched. It brought twenty diverse locals together, from farmers, small-business owners and winemakers to computer technicians and accountants.

Charles tells me that to him, the program is all about ensuring the community brings its creative thinkers together and in doing so, inspiring leaders of the future. ‘As the lure of the Fleurieu lifestyle draws in more residents and businesses, it is essential that we engage and empower our emerging leaders to drive community participation in building a positive, vibrant and sustainable future for our region,’ he says.

It’s easy to see that Charles is a master at breaking down complex theory, teaching it through group challenges and passing it on through mentoring, group-reflection and mindfulness exercises.

This integrated approach means that, unlike many other professional development programs, conceptual learning is lockedin through lived experience. Charles and Janice have committed to delivering the course for the next five years. So, they really must like being busy!

Something they don’t promote, though, is the fact they don’t charge for their services. Neither do other locals who are sharing their skills. It’s a generous contribution, which is both humbling and infectious.

Above: Charles and Janice Manning are passionate about bringing creative thinkers together – and in doing so, inspiring leaders of the future.

As we chat away in their McLaren Flat home, I ask Janice and Charles how they manage to fit it all in. They both laugh, asking themselves the same question. ‘I’m not a workaholic,’ Charles says.

‘At the end of the day I stop and I like to socialise. Come ten o’clock, I go to bed. Whereas Janice, she just goes and goes and goes. She pushes through and makes sure everything gets done.’ The couple is busy in different ways, which is what makes them work as a team.

‘I think I’m quite grounding for Charles, and what he does for me is take me on a journey I otherwise wouldn’t go on,’ Janice explains, as Charles nods in agreement.

‘As the lure of the Fleurieu lifestyle draws in more residents and businesses, it is essential that we engage and empower our emerging leaders.’

As I leave their home and race through the blistering heat to my car, I hear Charles call out to me. ‘There’s so much more to say,’ he yells. ‘We didn’t even get to talk about our boat and fishing and boot-camp and…’ The car door closes. I start the engine and the air-conditioning kicks in. I worry about them staying outside in the heat but Charles and Janice remain in the garden, unconcerned. I catch a last glimpse of them standing side-by-side, faces bright in the evening light … waving goodbye and smiling.

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A quaint cottage restaurant in Strathalbyn, 40 minutes from everywhere.

At the Olfactory Inn Restaurant, vines draping the old veranda make for perfect al fresco dining.

Or you can get snugly on the banquettes by open fires. Let Simon Burr ‘Feed you’, the five course tasting menu ...

The food and wine is the best – and closest to home we can find. We like it local.

35 High Street Strathalbyn • Telephone 0447771750 • E: eat@olfactoryinn.com.au • www.theolfactoryinn.com.au Lunch from 12pm Dinner from 6pm • Open Thursday and Friday: lunch & dinner • Saturday: lunch & dinner • Sunday: lunch

TOURISM AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY commissions · stock photos · workshops t. 0402 716 406 e. heidi@heidiwho.com w. heidiwho.com facebook / instagram / twitter / heidiwhophotos

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Delicious food, amazing cocktails.

Family friendly fare. Enjoy the fiesta!

Open Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm but check extended summer trading hours on Facebook facebook.com/locovictorharbor/

RUSTIC GEM

S C A R PA N T O N I SERIOUS REGIONAL WINES MADE BY

SERIOUS FAMILY WINEMAKERS

Artist: Care Vaughan..supporting local art

17 - 21 Ocean Street Victor Harbor call (08) 8552 9883 or www.locomexican.com

open

at whalers

A beautiful collection of old and new home wares and furnishings.

Open Thursday to Sunday 10 to 4 20 High Street, Strathalbyn Ph: 8519 0310

121 Franklin Parade, Encounter Bay eat@whalers.com.au

breakfast & lunch 7 days dinner thursday, friday & saturday

08 8552 4400 67

Esther Thorn heads to Normanville to meet

The mindful potter Photography by Holly Dauk.

The cups are too hot to touch as Dominika Yindi takes each one from the kiln and places it upside down on the table between us. But they’re irresistible. They glisten and gleam in shades of sea-blue and dusky-pink and I can’t help myself – reaching out a hand and burning my fingers, I turn each newly glazed cup over and read the message scrawled across its inside … ‘breathe’, ‘love’, ‘this moment’.

Dominika and I are standing in her Normanville studio. It’s a converted shipping container clad in pine panels, in the backyard of her beachside home. At one end is the kiln and almost every other millimetre of space is taken up with shelves of Dominika’s work.

Pottery is a relatively new pursuit for Dominika and I can see a clear progression in her pieces; early pinch pots evolve into sophisticated cups and bowls with a distinctive, organic colour palette. Dominika’s pottery is timeless; the shapes and treatments are somehow simultaneously ancient and modern. ‘There’s something very human about pottery,’ she tells me. ‘To create something from the earth that we can use to eat and drink with, is somehow very special.’

Dominika isn’t just inspired by natural colours and textures, she uses the rich, red-brown Carrickalinga soil to create some of her distinctive glazes. ‘I love trying new approaches and different techniques,’ she says. ‘If something doesn’t work I just put it to one side and try something new.’

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The ‘mindfulness cups’ that Dominika has become known for emerged from a practical desire to hone her skills. ‘I knew I needed to practise the techniques daily and I hate wasting resources so I developed a product that would be relatively inexpensive and would be appealing to people,’ she explains. Their popularity has exceeded all Dominika’s expectations and she is now setting up an online shop and has been approached by several retailers keen to stock her wares. Each cup is unique in shape, size and glaze. Some have long, vertical lines carved along the exterior or smooth facets offering an easy grip. They’re weighty to hold and the perfect size for a cup of chai tea or a serve of yoghurt. At the bottom of the inside of each cup is a simple message; ‘imagine’ or ‘this moment’.

The inscriptions are a reminder to be present and take time to nurture oneself, which is in part what drew Dominika to pottery.

As a mother of four children, and wife to a successful restaurateur, Dominika felt overwhelmed by the daily grind of motherhood.

She began studying pottery as a way of creating a tiny bit of space just for her.

Dominika’s natural ability and strong aesthetic sense has seen her ‘hobby’ transform into a business in a short space of time. ‘I’m so extremely grateful everyday that people like my work and are buying it,’ she says. ‘It’s amazing to me that I can keep buying the materials and keep improving my skills. Everyday I’m learning new things.’

As we talk Dominika is carefully examining each new cup, turning it over and over, looking for hairline cracks or chips in the glaze. She’s disappointed in this batch and says a minor household distraction meant she overfired it. To me though, the cups are perfect in their imperfections. Like the messages they hold, they are a celebration of the individual, the incomplete and the ability to grow from mistakes.

Dominika’s work can be found at www.dominikayindi.com.

Dominika isn’t just inspired by natural colours and textures, she uses the rich, red-brown Carrickalinga soil to create some of her distinctive glazes.

Previous page and above: Each cup and bowl that Dominika Yindi creates is unique in shape, size and glaze – with a distinctive, organic colour palette.

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Take your body on a holiday...

Lie down and let us help you return to peace.

SMILING SAMOYED BREWERY Present this ad when you purchase 2 tasters of beer and you’ll receive a FREE 9 inch pizza! Available Monday to Thursday until 31 May 2018.

Now open for lunch every day (except Christmas Day and Good Friday) Live music every Sunday 1pm - 4pm Hansen Street, Myponga. Telephone 8558 6166 bookings@smilingsamoyed.com.au www.smilingsamoyed.com.au Craft Beer • Delicious Food · Friendly Atmosphere · Fabulous Functions

Massage | Acupuncture | Chinese herbs Infra-red Sauna 13 Hakea Walk, Aldinga | (08) 8556 6226 allabouthealthaldinga.com.au

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email | info@wildhouse.com.au website | www.wildhouse.com.au phone| 0413 816 092

M A S L I N B E A C H , S O U T H AU S T R A L I A

A unique cellar door experience in our rustic 1898 stone barn.

Taste our range of white and red wines and cheese plates.

Decking and lawned areas to enjoy the outside on Summer days and wood fires inside the barn for the Winter months.

Open weekends 11am – 5pm, Public Holidays and during the week by appointment.

A Sanctuary Within A Sanctuary.

Kangaroo Island Beachfront Holiday Retreat, Emu Bay. 0418 820 396 · www.tuemuz.com.au

Celebrating Willunga’s heritage and the best of the Fleurieu.

Enquiries regarding accommodation and functions welcome.

34 Thomas Road, Maslin Beach S.A. 5170 0416 137 859 or 0419 914 921 admin@ivybrook.com.au · www.ivybrook.com.au

B&B · Bistro

ANGELA LISMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Bistro Open Saturday - Sunday Breakfast and Lunch 8am – 2pm Function Enquiries Welcome

T: 0409 738 297 E: angela@angelalismanphotography.com.au W: angelalismanphotography.com.au

Freelance Photographer with a passion for Food, Wine and Events.

27 High Street, Willunga Ph: (08) 7516 5601 www.the1839.com.au 71

A home away from home Story by Ellie Jones. Photography by Heidi Lewis.

Previous page and above: The well worn entrance to Rosey’s oozes history and brings a sense of belonging to the streetscape. Owner Rosey Hume prides herself on quality service, while creating a relaxed environment.

For a young mother, Rosey Hume’s hospitality methods are old school. When it came to opening her Aldinga cafe, Rosey’s, the concept was simple: create a space where people feel comfortable and at home.

That simple concept, however, isn’t as easy as it sounds. But Rosey has indeed risen to the challenge and succeeded, creating an environment that’s both warm and inviting. ‘The vibe I wanted to create when I started in Unley [her first business] was to feel like you’re entering someone’s house, which is what I hope I’ve created here at Aldinga too,’ she says. ‘That’s what my general philosophy is, and it’s this philosophy that makes Aldinga such a great community to be part of as a business owner.’

Rosey is no stranger to the hospitality sector. Seven years ago she opened her first self-titled cafe on Unley Road, south of Adelaide’s city centre, which hit the ground running. Her previous experience managing bars gave her the knowledge and skills to run her own business, which she quickly brought into practice.

From decor to food, Rosey has both vision and style; perfect qualities to help create vibrant spaces for locals to come together. And with such a progressive nature, it was only a matter of time before one cafe wasn’t enough; her eyes were then firmly set on Aldinga.

Those who have worked in hospitality are familiar with its transient nature; it’s a tough industry to crack, people can be fickle, and starting a business from scratch comes with great risk. But with it, if it’s done correctly, comes great reward.

Rosey’s at Aldinga is one of the first buildings you see when you drive into the township. Its limestone walls, built in the 1860s, ooze history and bring a sense of belonging to the streetscape. It’s so big that Rosey shares the building with two other businesses, retailers Miss Gladys Sym Choon and Fall From Grace. You can tell that lots of love has been invested into reviving the garden, with a spacious lawn area that’s perfect for family gatherings and even the occasional wedding.

But it wasn’t always this way. A lot of work has gone into gutting the building to allow more light in. A huge deck for shaded outdoor dining was also constructed, to make use of the salty, fresh air. Covering all bases, Rosey even went to the trouble of hiring a spiritual cleanser, to clear the air of any dark energy and bad spirits inside. ‘The space is now activated and cool,’ she tells me. ‘It’s alive again.’ > 73

Above left: The large covered eating area and deck takes advantage of the salty, fresh Aldinga air, perfect for family gatherings or the occasional wedding. Bottom right: Head chef Jacomo Lovat is pumping out seriously tasty food, with a smile.

What you really notice when you visit Rosey’s is its staff and their diligent table service. In fact, it’s something that Rosey prides herself on. ‘It’s restaurant level service that is relaxed yet prompt,’ she explains. ‘I just want it to be relaxed and easy for people, I don’t want them to think about the service, I just want it to happen.’

Her secret, she reveals, is to find young, passionate people and train them from scratch. Head chef, Jacomo Lovat, started at her Unley Road business and now runs the kitchen in Aldinga, pumping out seriously tasty food that is made with love. The all day breakfast menu stars locally sourced ingredients, which is one of Rosey’s favourite things about the cafe. There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options to choose from also, as well as a long list of sides to spruce up your meal. ‘On Sunday afternoons we all hang out and have beers ... it’s just cute,’ Rosey says. ‘Everyone helps each other out.’

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But it’s not only the food that is drawing in crowds. On Friday nights it turns into a makeshift market with live music, food trucks, local businesses trading late and some funky vinyl spinning.

Amongst all the action, Rosey has somehow managed to start a family with her partner, Luke. In case owning two cafes wasn’t enough, the couple recently had twins, Rex and Billie, and already had their hands full with two year old, Bruce. She admits she gets bored easily and loves planning something new, whether that be a new business or another baby. ‘I’m always thinking about the next thing, the next place,’ she says.

Two years since the doors opened and Rosey’s has slowly become a staple on the list of culinary places to visit in Aldinga. It’s a story of what you can achieve with hard work and the right idea; Rosey had a vision for this place a long time ago that she never gave up on.

The Fleurieu’s Finest LAKE BREEZE WINES

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PENINSULA PEOPLE

The spice of life Story by Nicola Gage. Photograph by Heidi Lewis.

Alex Marchetti pours me a drink, as I jump up on a bar stool. ‘I find the best way to talk about gin is to grab a bottle and have a glass in front of you,’ he tells me. I pick up the tumbler and ask what I should be smelling. ‘You’ll notice the sweet orange and mandarin, but once you’ve finished, it will give you that lovely Szechuan pepper warmth.’ I take a swig.

It’s easy to lose a few hours chatting with Alex about gin.

He knows a lot about it, from the technical aspects to pairing it with food. He even lets me in on a few secrets. ‘The perfect gin is all about balance,’ he explains. ‘If you put one-per-cent more of something in, you can completely change the flavour, it can make it worse or better.’

It’s Friday afternoon and the Salopian Inn at McLaren Vale is freckled with patrons. But that doesn’t stop Alex, the restaurant’s inn keeper, kindly talking me through the menu’s latest addition – the Salopian’s very own Five Spice Gin. ‘I think it embodies our philosophy and style of food here, it pretty much is us.’

Gin is in Alex’s blood. I ask him his first memory of the spirit and, believe it or not, it stems back to when he was eight years old. His parents owned restaurants in Melbourne and during school holidays he would help out. He remembers patrons getting a laugh out of seeing a little boy wait on them. And being in hospitality, Alex’s parents would drink gin after work, a tradition he’s continued with vigour. ‘Gin at home doesn’t last very long at all, he laughs. ‘It’s sort of a ritual we have. We put the kids to bed, sit on the deck, have a gin and tonic and watch the sun set.’

It may be centred in the heart of wine territory but the Salopian has become somewhat of a mecca for the gin enthusiast. Shelves are lined with bottle after bottle of countless varieties; its collection is pretty much one of the best in the country, if you ask me. The only thing missing, however, was the Salopian’s own concoction. To change this, co-owners Alex and Karena Armstrong decided it was time to delve head-first into the market themselves. That’s when they knocked on the door of Applewood distillery.

So, where do you begin when you’re looking to create a gin fit to uphold the name of a leading restaurant? On the plate, Alex tells me.

‘It had to be something that fits with our food,’ he says. ‘And Five Spices is something that’s inherent in a lot of our dishes.” Those five spices – cinnamon, star anise, fennel seed, Szechaun pepper and cloves – are now the backbone of the Salopian’s gin, along with a double-dose of juniper, of course. The result is a powerful spirit, rich with heated flavours that linger on the palate long after they’ve left.

The idea to collaborate with Applewood was a smart one. After all, the distillery specialises in mixing botanicals to create a sought-after drop. ‘The market is getting bigger and bigger, and we more-so wanted to have something we could offer guests to take home,’ Alex says. ‘And it’s a little project for us to play around with. It’s like creating a dish, it’s all about adding the layers and making sure everything fits.’

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That means a good gin comes with trial and error, which makes for a fun afternoon when a new batch of stock lands on the front bar.

‘It’s not so good at 10 a.m. in the morning, Alex jokes. ‘Every gin that comes in, they [the staff] taste neat and then start playing around with different garnishes … then we work on the tonic.’

Watching Alex behind the bar, it’s clear he loves what he does – he even made it to the finals of the East London Gin competition in Melbourne last year. And that love of gin seems to be rubbing off on others, with the spirit enjoying a resurgence in recent years.

‘We have people who come and sit in the afternoon and just drink gin,’ he says.

A lot of people ask Alex why he’s focussed on gin in a worldrenowned wine region. He doesn’t believe that’s the case, however.

‘We’ve focussed on both gin and wine,’ he explains. ‘we have a well stocked cellar with wines from Australia and around the world.’

Whether it’s wine or gin, it’s clear people’s appetite to better understand what’s in their glass is growing. ‘They want to know what they’re drinking and they want to try something different,’ Alex says.

Well, if you want to try something different, the Salopian Inn may just be the place to settle in for the afternoon. I think I’ll stay for another.

Opposite: A little heart and soul goes into every drink Alex Marchetti makes at the Salopian Inn.

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FOOD & WINE

Shirazzmatazz

One of the shining stars of the Fleurieu, Shiraz has been the backbone of the region in many forms, from single vineyard expressions to the perfect partner in blends.

From medium to full-bodied, fruit forward, spicy or savoury, it shows itself in the many styles we have available to explore.

SnowDragon Wines 2013 Shalin’s Shiraz On the secluded north coast of Kangaroo Island, an exceptional single vineyard looks out over the sea. The award winning SnowDragon “Shalin’s Shiraz” pays tribute to a successful marriage between hands-on, low chemical, strategic viticulture and the slow and sophisticated wine making style of Michael Sykes. Assume a little terroir magic and cellar age and find a stunning red wine – deep in colour, complex and balanced. The plum, dark chocolate and spice will leave you wanting more.

Islander Estate Wines The Cygnet The Cygnet River runs through The Islander Estate vineyard to quench our low-yield, densely-planted bush vine Shiraz. This hand-picked Shiraz was barrel fermented by wild yeast, to extract maximum flavour, texture and colour, spending 6 weeks on skins before 2.5 years in new French Oak. Power and elegance is the result. The wine is big, with firm tannins and a supple character. A tightly-coiled wine, classically spicy Shiraz notes support mulberry, plum, raspberry and cherry notes before relaxing into rose-petal softness.

Yangarra 2015 Shiraz Yangarra is a single-vineyard estate situated in the northeast of the McLaren Vale wine region. Shiraz from our estate vineyard adopts more of a cooler climate expression than the typical McLaren Vale style – due to the vineyard’s elevation and cooling night breezes from the nearby Southern Lofty Ranges – but retains concentration and complexity. There are twelve individual blocks of shiraz at Yangarra, each defined by different aspects and subtle variations of the sand and Ironstone soils.

Spring Seed Wine Co Scarlet Runner Shiraz Spring Seed wines are made from grapes grown in the Bosworth family’s organic vineyard in McLaren Vale. The vineyards were established in the early ‘70s and are fully certified organic. This Shiraz is a vivacious McLaren Vale Shiraz drop with lovely chocolate and berry characters. There are smooth tannins, good length and a trademark Bosworth ‘juicy’ character, which springs out at you. Try the Scarlet Runner with (and in) a Tuscan pepper stew (Peposo).

Zerella Wines 2015 Workhorse Shiraz This Shiraz is part of a Market Series range and honours the Zerella family’s first tractor, which began its life with Jim’s Nonno in the glass houses at Flinders Park. The wine is crimson in colour, with lifted red cherry and plum fruit aromas underpinned by hints of dried herb and smoked meats. The palate is rounded and full bodied, with a savoury texture and focussed acidity. This wine will mature well for a further 7-10 years.

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Scarpantoni Wines Block 3 Shiraz Block 3 Shiraz is very much a reflection of where it comes from; ripe blackberries, licorice, cinnamon and mocha are hallmark characters of the block. The wine is no lightweight, yet it always glides seamlessly across the palate. The tannins are typically fine-grained – which makes it an easy to enjoy in its youth – but the intensity of the fruit always ensures it ages well for a decade, sometimes even two.

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The little road home Story by Esther Thorn. Photography by Aise Dillon.

Above: The large, open-plan living area is filled with natural light and a combination of pared down modern design and the earthy rustic wooden furniture that Marcus Syversten sells through Little Road Home. Bottom left: A linen slip occasional chair with a cotton throw.

The first time I visit Marcus and Megan Syversten’s newly built home on the outskirts of Willunga, I’m astounded by the well-matched furnishings, the calm and the ... cleanliness.

Admittedly, there’s a photoshoot of Marcus’ bespoke homewares the next day, but the house is also home to the couple’s two little girls and I’m expecting a mad flurry of throwing dolls in baskets and scrubbing texta off tiles. Instead I find the children tucked-up in their beds and Marcus and Megan calmly sipping glasses of wine on a luxe, leather couch.

I have so many questions for them, like how they get their children to sleep by seven p.m. and how they avoid smears of yoghurt on the linen-slip occasional chair, but for now I ask them about their lovingly designed, eco-friendly home, nestled between vineyards and ancient gums.

They tell me they originally wanted to buy an historic home in Willunga that they could renovate, but after two years of looking, nothing suitable had come up. Then a real estate agent told them about a two-point-five acre vine-covered block on Little Road that had just been listed, and Megan and Marcus bought it the next day.

Then began a three and a half-year process to build their dream home. ‘Initially we thought we’d build a house that looked old but we soon realised that you can’t authentically replicate an historic home,’ says Marcus. ‘So we decided to go with the other extreme, something really modern and sustainable.’

The concept for the build was a home that was aesthetically different and ecologically sustainable, which Marcus and Megan have achieved with elegance and class. The house sits comfortably on the block, grounded by a large rammed earth feature wall in the central living space. ‘It just wouldn’t feel right to build a home in Willunga without a rammed earth wall,’ Marcus says. >

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Top: The house sits comfortably on the block, grounded by a large rammed earth feature wall in the central living space. Above left and right: Indoors and outdoors blend when the large sliding glass doors are opened, with expansive views of the surrounding vineyards and hills.

The generous, open-plan living space faces east to look out over the iconic hills behind Willunga and high-line, double-glazed windows welcome an abundance of light, but keep the temperature stable.

Burnished concrete floors offer a touch of industrial-style chic to the home and stacking doors open onto what will eventually be a vinecovered deck.

But this cleverly designed house is more than just a beautiful, family home. It’s also the centerpoint of Marcus’s newly-fledged online store Little Road Home.

The business, which is a one-stop-shop for bespoke and handcrafted homewares, furniture, art and textiles is the culmination of a long-held dream for Marcus. ‘I’ve always been interested in interiors and design,’ he laughs. ‘As a child I think I used to drive my parents nuts constantly rearranging the furniture.’

But the road to Marcus’ dream job has been a winding one. He and Megan are both paramedics and juggle shift work, mindfully raising their two young girls and managing the homewares business with the skill of well-seasoned acrobats. ‘Megan has been an amazing support and I certainly couldn’t have launched the business or devoted so much time to it without her,’ Marcus says.

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During the busy Summer holiday season, Marcus ran a pop-up shop in Port Elliot’s popular Factory 9 precinct. The shop was a resounding success with visitors flocking to snap-up Marcus’ unique furnishings and homewares.

He has a clear but eclectic taste, reminiscent of that of stylist and collector Sibella Court. But Marcus’ wares have an edgier element to them; a roughness and texture that is hard to find in this current era of sleek design.

Every product he stocks has a story attached to it and Marcus loves the unique, the obscure and the hard to come by. ‘I just do lots and lots of research and go to tradeshow after tradeshow, talking to people and really understanding where their product comes from,’ he explains. ‘It’s important to me that the products aren’t just beautiful but that they are sustainably sourced and created in a way that doesn’t impact negatively on the environment.’

Marcus was also astute about his collection. Before he began his search for products, he created an inspiration board with a clear selection of tones and textures he wanted to work within. Every time he considered a new product, Marcus would compare it to the inspiration board to ensure it was the right fit for his overall aesthetic.

‘Everything I stock is very tactile,’ he says. ‘I love homewares with a rawness to them, a rough timber or a rich patina.’ >

Top: The couple’s ten year old Weimaraner, Willow, seems to fit in quite nicely too.

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Above: All of Marcus’s homewares have a timeless and gender neutral quality to them.

I look through the Little Road Home collection with growing envy and desire. There are ethically sourced Springbok handbags and purses, Turkish cotton bed and table linen, timeless jute rugs and cocoa-brown leather ottomans.

‘It’s about finding things that are timeless yet practical, there’s nothing worse than having an object in your home that you are not using,’ Marcus says.

All Marcus’s homewares have a timeless and gender neutral quality to them. The palette is of muted hues of denim, cloud grey and milk, with accents of leather, wood and navy blue. There are the occasional dashes of colour like the stonewash Turkish cotton towels that come in ‘zephyr’ (a light maroon) as well as grey.

Marcus knows all his suppliers personally and loves to share their stories. The tableware he stocks is handcrafted by Australian actress Joy Smithers, best known for her roles in All Saints, The Flying Doctors and Home and Away. Her ‘Batch’ ceramics are individually created with clay and glazes sourced from unique regions. ‘Joy is amazing,’ Marcus says. ‘The first time I met her I was quite intimidated by her but she was just so open and passionate about her work, it was incredibly inspiring.’

It’s the relationships that Marcus has forged with both his suppliers and his clients that make the long hours at trade fairs and the late nights working, after the children are asleep, worthwhile.

Little Road Home is actually part of a larger business model, which includes Little Road Interior Design. From colour schemes and building selections to furniture and art sourcing, Marcus visits people’s homes to help create the perfect, individual living space.

‘It’s actually really hard for people to find unique pieces for their homes that have a story attached to them,’ Marcus tells me. ‘I’d like to help people create their dream home, filled with objects they genuinely love that will last a lifetime.’

Marcus’ passion for design is supported wholeheartedly by Megan, who reminds me that everyone has dreams; it’s important, though, to work hard to realise them. ‘Yes, life is hectic with shift work, a growing small business and children, but it’s all worth it,’ she says. ‘And it brings me joy seeing how happy Marcus is when he’s creating spaces for his clients, or sources a new, exciting product.’

Marcus and Megan’s own house is testament to this desire. Despite my initial astonishment at its order and organisation, I realise the house is also full of love. Every item is thoughtfully collated and artfully arranged. It doesn’t just look beautiful, it’s a comfortable space to be in. And despite the chic styling there are very personal details like the gnarled, old Chardonnay vine that hangs on the front wall of the living room. It’s a reminder of where Little Road Home began; a young couple’s dream and a vine-covered block on the edge of Willunga.

Marcus’ online shop can be found at littleroadhome.com.au

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New beginnings Story by Nicola Gage. Photography by Angela Lisman.

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Previous page: Relax on the deck for a leisurely weekend breakfast. Top left: Enjoy a platter with one of the fine wines on offer at the Bistro. Bottom left: Apprentices Emily Madden (left) and Zac Jolly (right) are trained by chef Dennis Militante. Above right: The venue is available for group bookings and special events as well.

There is nothing easy –­ or glamorous – about starting a business. It requires skill, knowledge and endless hours of hard work. So, when I heard Christina Repetti and Gavin Collings had taken over three businesses in the heart of Willunga in as many years, I was quietly intrigued.

Who were these people, and what was their secret to success? I went to find out. I meet Christina and Gavin at their most recent project: The 1839. Inside I find them busily preparing for the impending Tour Down Under; Gavin has his head in the kitchen cooking a pork spit.

We grab a drink and take a seat under the light of a stained-glass window. ‘Sorry if I leave the table,’ Gavin says, apologetically. ‘If I disappear in the middle of things, I’ll be checking on the pork.’

It was about six months ago that Christina and Gavin turned their attention to the building we’re sitting in on High Street. It was a café at the time and the couple had come in for breakfast. That was when they discovered the venue would soon be empty. It got them thinking … could they take it on? Running two other businesses – the Old Bush Inn and the local general store – another project was definitely not on the agenda.

For two entrepreneurial minds, however, the seed had been planted.

‘We kept tossing it up ... should we, shouldn’t we, should we, shouldn’t we, Christina tells me. ‘And then in one moment, our gut said yes, we should give it a go.’

The 1839 is like a cat with nine lives, only … it has more. Its history is woven together by the dreams of countless men and women all wanting to start something new. It began as a primitive Methodist church and since then has transformed into everything from a wine store, private residence and veterinary clinic to more recently, a number of varying restaurants and cafes.

The building’s stained-glass windows aren’t original. Christina tells me they came from a church in Adelaide and installed during a renovation

in the ‘70s. None-the-less, the colourful history of Willunga since its inception – in 1839 – remains etched in the original walls of this place; countless memories held by many.

Even after Christina and Gavin took the property on, they weren’t exactly sure what they were going to do with it. ‘We knew it well but we didn’t know what the right business model was,’ Christina says.

The penny dropped while they were talking to a friend about the two-adjoining bed and breakfast cottages out the back – the former manager’s quarters, and another room, could be converted into more accommodation options. ‘We loved the idea of doing something with the space that made it special for functions and events,’ Christina tells me.

So, they rolled up their sleeves and made it happen. The property can now hold ten guests at a time, right in the heart of Willunga.

‘Seeing demand for accommodation, it dawned on us that it would be incredibly unique [if we increased capacity] and that could be the property’s unique value,’ Christina says. ‘Let’s say there’s a wedding party, you can have a whole, sort of, oasis in Willunga for a group to all stay together.’

While the next chapter of its life will be intrinsically linked to its accommodation, The 1839 will continue to open its doors for breakfast and lunch on weekends, as well as being hired out for functions. ‘When you talk to locals they’ll tell you they want to see the property be successful, they don’t want it empty,’ Christina says. ‘If people have memories here, they could come back for a milestone birthday or event.’

Christina and Gavin are like a well-oiled machine. They work hard, bouncing off each other while thinking of ideas. You can tell they care about their community; they want to see it thrive. I ask what motivates them to keep going. ‘It’s just in our nature, Christina explains. ‘We’ve always been big project people.’ She looks at Gavin who continues.

‘It’s definitely made us stronger,’ he says. ‘Buying the pub was a massive gamble and this is the next one.’ If history is anything to go by, it’s a gamble worth taking.

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Abi Addis and Elliot Dowie married at Ivybrook Farm on 29th July 2017.

Photography by Dan Evans.

Fleurieu Weddings

Abi Addis knew Elliot Dowie was no ordinary man when he drove fifteen hours to surprise her at a gymkhana and asked her to start dating him.

The couple had met at church a short time earlier, but just as their friendship was developing, Abi moved to outback New South Wales to work as a jillaroo. Not one to be deterred by distance, Elliot got behind the wheel and gave Abi what she describes as ‘the best and biggest surprise of her life’.

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And the surprises kept coming. Eighteen months later, Elliot invited Abi to join him on a spontaneous picnic at Deep Creek Conservation Park’s picturesque Boat Harbour Beach. After a light lunch of sandwiches, Elliot asked Abi if he could sing her a song. He began playing ‘All I Want’ by Barry Lewis, which is a song that as a little girl Abi dreamed would be sung to her by her future husband. When Elliot asked if she’d marry him she didn’t hesitate to say ‘yes’ and the wedding day was in sight.

They set the date for just five months time. Both Elliot and Abi are renowned for their relaxed personalities so there was little stress involved in the planning. Abi says the event came together with

Above and bottom left: The interiors and exteriors of Ivybrook Farm formed a magical backdrop for the reception and for guests to dance the night away.

amazing ease. Indeed, she bought her wedding dress from Gumtree for just $140!

The big day day arrived and family and friends filled the aisles of the Kangarilla Uniting Church, which the couple chose because Elliot’s Nana’s funeral had been held there.

After the joy-filled ceremony, photographer Dan Evans perfectly captured the mood of the day with photos of Abi and Elliot at many beautiful locations around the region the couple grew up in.

After the photos, it was time for the reception in a rustic old barn at Ivybrook Farm at Maslin Beach. ‘The owners of the barn are a lovely

couple who made the reception (and setting up) a delight,’ says Abi. The barn was elegantly styled with vintage furniture and handmade decorations (created by Abi and her friends and family).

Set up in one corner was a jazz band, made up of musicians including Elliot’s brother, Abi’s best friend, a next door neighbour and some friends of friends.

As the band played Nat King Cole’s ‘L.O.V.E.’ Abi and Elliot performed their first dance as husband and wife. And sticking to their ritual of enjoying an early night, the couple said their farewells at a quarter to nine, leaving friends and family dancing the night away.

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SOCIAL PAGES

Being Social: Cittaslow At the Wharf On January 26, locals and visitors descended on Signal Point to enjoy a relaxed evening at the wharf. Goolwa Cockles and brisket burgers were served alongside local wine, with music accompaniments by local band, Matt and the Maniacs. Photographs: Roderick Flintoff.

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Being Social: Fleurieu Coast: Clean and Green On December 1, FLM attended the launch of Fleurieu Coast: Clean and Green. Produced by Flinders University students, it celebrates the clean, green growing environment of the Western Fleurieu, as well as its producers.

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01: Catherine Kanara and Marieeta Ayres 02: Dr Peter Lovell and Lynda Lovell 03: Vanessa Button and Olaf Hansen with his Golden Pipi 04: Lib Inglis, Barb Walsh and Jill Lea 05: The Trimboli family group 06: Olaf Hansen, President Margaret Gardner, Christine Putland, Greg Button, Vanessa Button, Ken Smith, Roz, Karen Ross, Angela Nesci, Tony Trimboli and Steve Grieve 07: Nigel and Kate Morris 08: Chris Royans, Simon Milcock and Lisa Pearson 09: Filmakers Yehl Pedrina and Yuan Wei 10: Grace Liu and Tamara Gordon 11: Mayor of Yankalilla Glen Rowlands and MP Leon Bignell 12: Lauren Verricchio and Sam Whitehead.

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SOCIAL PAGES

Being Social: Fleurieu Film Festival On February 9, FLM joined a large crowd for the third annual Fleurieu Film Festival. The outdoor screening under the gum trees on the lawns of Serafino WInes was picturesque, with perfect weather – it was a great night to celebrate the top ten short films. Photographs: Angela Lisman.

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Being Social: Fleurieu Future Leaders On December 8, the inaugural Fleurieu Future Leaders Program wrapped up with a Completion Day, where participants shared what they learned and started planning for the year ahead. Photographs: Tim Wood.

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01: Alison Alcock and Stephanie Johnston 02: Team Dowie: Bonnie, Reuben, Filmmaker Benjamin, Alice, Rod and Lydia 03: David and Tony Parkinson 04: Frieda De Leeuw and Carol Harrison 05: Lif Sunset, Bridget Gardner and Jacqui Yard 06: Lesa Farrant and Jaynie Langford 07: Tof West and Tristan Bryant 08: Rebekah McCaul and Nina Keath 09: Alison Burr and Andrew Waywood 10: Finn Pfluger and Ron Logan 11: Ron Logan and Amy Hollis 12: Fleurieu Future Leaders 2017.

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SOCIAL PAGES

Being Social: Sealink Kangaroo Island Cup Carnival On Feb 17, FLM was invited to the marquis event at the Kangaroo Island Cup. Race-goers dressed up to enjoy trackside entertainment, fashion and great local food and wine, all complemented by friendly country hospitality. Photographs: Heidi Lewis.

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01: Julie Anne Briscoe and Tom Raggatt 02: Emily Primavera and Minnie McCreanor 03: Patrick Conlon, MP Leon Bignell and Jenny Aitchison 04: Tony Modra, Andrew Hayes and Justin Hardy 05: Brooke Seward and Sam Giles 06: Louise Gleeson and Jad Cibich 07: Victoria Jaeger and Jamie Carter.

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Call 13 13 01 or visit sealink.com.au Illustration by Chris Edser.

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Port Willunga: A forever place Thunderbird Bar & Restaurant: Call of the Thunderbird Create your Escape: McLaren Vale Graham Stevens: The man in the terry towelling hat The Little Road Home in Willunga Art · Design · Food · Wine · Fashion · Photography · People · Destinations