Around Oz the First Time - Chapter 77 - Yallingup (Margaret River) Day 2

The cold has done two things. Firstly, it has allowed us to sleep like logs, having added a blanket to the bed and being cosy, but secondly exacerbated aches and pains in my back and hands. The deep tissue massager works well on my back, and I trust the spray from the pharmacist works on my hands. Today we will rug up a little more, might even get the coats out.

Silver Leader and Wayne went out for that surf. The adjacent beach was too onshore, so they went a couple of kilometres down the road. Silver Leader (with a huge smile on his face) reports he caught more waves than caught him, and that the wetsuit he took was not really required as the water was quite warm. I think the “mission accomplished” sign can be put up on that one, well and truly.

The rest of the day is going to be centred around touring. Wayne, our new friend, has been briefed, there will be scenery viewing early (the sun is not quite over the yard arm just yet Forbsy laments), lunch at a winery, rather than the brewery, where would have to purchase our libations, the winery will keep trying to have us test wines for free. He does know the place really well. Silver Leader suggests, Wayne has never left his 17th year.

This morning we are all meeting Wayne at the local shops, where he has parked his bus. Before we leave we have decided to stay another day and perhaps do a winery tour on Thursday. Now it’s up to the local coffee shop in the town. Here there is a bakery, but before we can park, we need to clear a group of people simply loitering in the car park. They are quite disturbed that I want them to move so I can park. Just by the bakery door is a utility guarded by a black dog wearing sunglasses, obviously I snapped a photo.

With Wayne in tow in the Silver Leader Jeep and Forbsy with us, we start with a visit to Gannet Rock. With the wind today, this area is protected, and the water is very calm. In any event the difference between low and high tide today is only going to be something like 300 millimetres. Forbsy does his normal Mc-Forbsy stuff, climbing rocks and posing for photos.

Just as we walk down to the rocks Robyn ducks a drone. Its operator apologises and says it is almost out of battery. He is a part of the whale watching business, he uses the drone to take pictures of these majestic animals and he points to the general direction a pod should presently be located. Robyn immediately sees one and calls “whale”. Everyone stops and shortly thereafter there is another breach, and another. They are a long way out but easily seen.

When Forbsy gets back where he can hear, I get him to put his hand up and position myself to make it look like he is pushing Gannet Rock away. This plus the other antics will make for conversation in the Silver Leader Beer Garden later. Further around the cape there is another car park and another view. With the sun out the colours of the water, either over the sand or reef, are fully revealed.

After this spot we wander more around, Wayne getting the hang of the UHF radio after some false starts giving us the tour guide banter. He discusses the areas in terms of demographics rather than topography, those rich ones who surf are on this side of the point, those who don’t surf, on the other side. He even regales us of the work he did on the construction of a house that contained a bowling alley and badminton court. Obviously they lived on the “non-surfing” millionaire side.

Our first winery of the day is the Wise winery. Wayne in his job as a tour operator, visits this place regularly and the people are very happy to see him on his day off. Unfortunately, they do not realise “day off” means he can sample the fare.

Bubbly stuff comes first. Robyn is doing the driving today so she can only have limited tasting, and given she is keen on the bubbles, she uses her chances early. She likes both the first ones we sample and we note them down for potential purchase later. Through the whites and into the red, which although nice do not enamour themselves to me enough to make me purchase.

Not being a dessert wine aficionado, I am not that keen to try, but with the insistence of Forbsy who has tried the port like one, I am surprised by its taste. I get Robyn to try a little, and she likes it as well, so we put it on our list. We had been looking at a couple of the premium wines (those costing more than $100 per bottle) for gifts for friends who are looking after things while we are away. Whilst a premium bottle would be nice, here at Wise they also brew their own Gin.

There are two large still working in the reception area, one which contains an organic Gin, which when we try it, tastes amazing. This will be a gift for our friends. Only one problem, its not bottled as yet. As we hear this, the cellar door is overrun with potential customers and the distiller is drawn away to assist with wine tasting. Luckily they are all here for lunch and disperse very quickly, allowing the distiller a chance to bottle a couple of bottles for Forbsy and me.

The winery was not a cheap experience, but it was fun. The people really looked after us, making sure we understood the nuances of each wine, and as soon as anyone suggested they were not enamoured with a particular glass, kindly removed it, and disposed of it. By the time we were done, both Robyn and Silver Leader, the designated drivers, were both famished. Robyn suggesting, she could eat the crutch out of a low flying duck, or something to that effect.

There was a brewery right across the road our guide has suggested, and we head across, after making an incorrect turn at the main road, we manage to find the car park. Here again Wayne is known to the staff, and although he suggests the wood fire pizzas, we finally settle on a number of tasting plates. Silver Leader has gone to a tasting saddle, Rosalie is driving this afternoon evidently, and Forbsy, some wild ale concoction. Robyn and I settle for tea and iced chocolate.

The tasting plates arrive and immediately Wayne suggests we have most certainly done the right thing. There is a large selection, from Kangaroo, to duck liver pate and cheese, all of which disappears in short order. When the eating is done Wayne suggests he is going outside for a lay on the grass. We all laugh at him until we see him flaked out on the grass in front of the restaurant.

Pictures are taken and flooded around the internet – we broke our tour guide. He looks just like that, spreadeagled on the ground. Some kids, playing football, are amazed at what for all intents and purposes looks like a dead body. We settle the bill, recover our guide and head to the car park. There is consternation about our next stop, will it be ping pong at Wayne’s, another winery or the ice cream factory.

Given Robyn is driving our Cruiser, at least our vehicle is going to the ice cream factory. That’s settled then, Silver Leader and Wayne will go and get his bus, we will head to Simmos Ice Cream Factory, and they will join us momentarily. Again we almost miss the turn off but the eagle eyed Forbsy, spots an alternative entrance, and what could have been a disaster is averted.

As we walk in, we see a lady flaked out on the ground much like Wayne at the brewery. We cannot help but take a photo and send it to him saying we have found his next girlfriend.

Inside the factory there are 60 varieties of ice cream to pick from. This is going to take some time. Forbsy remains alcoholic, going for the Irish Coffee and Rum and Raisin, Robyn settles for Crème Broulee and Banoffee Pie and I settle for chocolate and vanilla choc chip on mine. Wayne joins us momentarily, then returns to the reception to purchase. Whilst he is there Silver Leader and Rosalie arrive and immediately do the same.

Under the sun, and out of the wind, eating ice cream seems somewhat decadent, but then someone has to do it. There are amusing signs dotted around – “All unaccompanied children will be sold to the circus” or “All unaccompanied children will be fed coffee and given a kitten”. There is a putt, putt course here as well, if the ice cream is not enough.

Ice cream ticked off the list, what’s next. Ping pong at Wayne’s home sounds like a plan, I think we are all winery’d out.

To say Wayne, lives off the grid, is somewhat of an understatement. Although, not the worst shanty one has ever seen, he is “roughing it”. He lives in a large garage, converted into a living space. He was here assisting the owners in building their dream home. They have since split and the house remains unfinished. It’s a Lego block concoction of poly styrene, plastic mouldings and concrete veneer. You tap the walls and they are hollow.

He shows us through the not yet completed house and he gives us the ideas they had come up with. For the size of it, to only have one bedroom seems interesting. There are Balinese doors front and back, and lots of electrical wires hanging from the roof. The bank foreclosed on the development, but the solar panels still work so Wayne lives comfortably. Evidently the house on 5 acres has been sold for $660,000 and he estimates will need another $200,000 to complete the house making it worth well more than $1,000,000.

Tour over, its time to play ping pong. I haven’t played in a long time, but I manage to hold my own. Forbsy, Silver Leader and Rosalie all suggest they are going to decline playing either Wayne or myself as we belt the ping pong ball back and forward at each other. After a suitable warm up, we hand over to the others and I take to trying to capture the bouncing orange ball in the super slow-motion version of my camera with some success. Wayne has a bookcase with an eclectic selection in it, and as he is about to move, suggests any books there we might want we can have. I see a John Grisham and knowing he is one of Robyn’s favourite writers, I grab it with thanks.

Time to go back to the van park, and not unlike Perth, we will be seeing our host again tomorrow night as we are in for Marron fishing (and eating) with some of his friends. The only proviso is that we have to eat what we catch, where we catch it. Hmmm, me thinks we might need to fill the fridge with suitable libations before going out tomorrow night.

We all pack into the Jeep, although Rosalie is not belted in, because in the configuration Silver Leader has it for the trip, there are no rear seats available. No worries we make it back, where Robyn is completing a questionnaire, as requested by JB Caravans. They do not ask incriminating questions so we cannot be untruthful to those, but in the “other comments” we let them know about their poor service levels.

As sunset approaches, Robyn suggests a walk to the best spot in the park for sunset photos. The sunset is into cloud and very orange tonight, making it very photogenic. A bank of clouds above and below the setting sun make for linings of bright orange and red. These coupled with the beach and the waves, make for spectacular shots.

For dinner I have defrosted some chicken. I might slice them, brown them and then place them on the barbeque on bread to toast with asparagus and cheese to melt all over. Condiments will make this dish into something Moroccan or Turkish perhaps. We will see what takes my pleasure when I attack it shortly.

There won’t be a long time between dinner and bed, it’s been a long day, without chocolate factories and we will need to be into them tomorrow before what I am sure will be a winery at some stage. It will be my turn to drive and Robyn’s to sample.