PERTH, AUSTRALIA -- As the day's first light claws across the Pinnacles, this plain of standing stones in Western Australia appears like a vast archeological ruin sculpted by Mother Nature. Thousands of limestone statues, the tallest four metres high, stand against a sky of gunmetal blue.
These ruins come unshaped by human hands, yet speak of the mystery and spirituality of Jordan's Petra or Cambodia's Angkor. They are strange stones open to interpretation: I see a troll here, a camel there, Quasimodo, Zeus, the Sphinx and Julius Caesar. This phenomenon is just one reason a traveller might go the distance to West Australia, a region of the country many Aussies themselves refer to as "remote" and "isolated." But Australia's west isn't as wild as expected. Its capital city, Perth, is a leading contender for most livable city on Earth. The Pinnacles are three hours north. The magnificent Margaret River wine country lies to the south. Perth is a city between rocks and a soft place.
Perth boasts the mildest, balmiest climate in Australia. It looks out on the turquoise of the Indian Ocean; a city home with an ocean view can be had for 20 per cent of its equivalent cost in Vancouver. It boasts low, blue mountains, the Darlings, and long beaches, too. The city is also wildly multicultural. Its downtown public transit system is free of charge. It's amazingly clean by any standards: On the banks of the Swan River, without even leaving town, Perth native Paul McCullough recently reeled in a two-metre kingfish that was fit to eat.
I set out to explore the city's neighbourhoods. I stroll King's Park on its promontory overlooking the city, and am dazzled by wildflowers from the western state's portfolio of 12,000 named species -- 8,000 are still without names. I drop into the park's Aboriginal Arts and Crafts Gallery, its works an outpouring from more than 40,000 years of history. In the outdoor theatre, boomerangs and didgeridoos are demonstrated. In the gallery, art ranges from the whimsical Katta Goombha by Shane Picket to a bold interpretation of the red desert by Johnny Tjapangati Mosquito. Ingeniously, emu oil, one of the new Outback elixirs, is sold for its therapeutic effects in a range of products from shampoo to lip balm.
In the urban village of Subiaco, we lunch at the Subiaco Hotel. The restaurant's stylish fare underscores the great Oz food revolution so prevalent in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. We eat firm-fleshed fillets of red mullet, capped with pan-fried scallops and garnished with red peppers and fresh basil leaves. Wandering Leederville, another village in the city, a spin around Kailis Brothers Fish Market drives home the bounty of Australia's seafood. These swimmers are not only absolutely fresh and easily affordable, but don't seem to exist anywhere else: Yabbies, baby freshwater crayfish, transform a tank into entertainment. Barramundi, the great whitefish of the Barrier Reef, Pacific oysters, pink snapper and threadfin bream beckon the fish-lover to the western Oz table.
The Pinnacles lie three hours' drive north in Nambung National Park, near the one-kangaroo centre of Cervantes, where gas station toilets are labelled "Blokes" and "Sheilas." I arrive with Safari Treks, a touring company that follows the rugged coastal track between Perth and the Pinnacles. The road is rough, but it is wildly beautiful, with vistas of Indian Ocean rollers, white sand dunes and the shacks of lobster fishermen, whose catches go directly to Japan, where corporate men pay fortunes for crustaceans of such prestige and delicacy.
We drive south toward Margaret River, along beaches with the consistency of talcum powder, on roads lined with jacaranda trees. Only 25 minutes away is Fremantle, the historic port transformed into a harbour-side restaurant complex, redolent of fish fried in crisp tempura batter and frozen chips as bad as anywhere else in the world. Roadside stands proffer crab and shrimps the way ours do apples and cherries. We pause at a café, Harvey Juice Oranges, where we sample emu and kangaroo pies. Tucked with vegetables in a flaky pastry, the kangaroo steals the day, a sweet-tasting lean meat whose flavour lingers on the palate.
At Dunsborough, Naturaliste Charters offers whale-watching tours in the Cape to Cape region. Humpback and southern right whales congregate at Geographe Bay, often giving birth to calves, but also sighted often are rarer whales, including the blue pygmy normally seen in Antarctic waters.
Approaching Margaret River, the first magnificent sight is the Canal Rocks, a sea-swept stretch of coast where nothing but water stands between Australia and South Africa. A little farther south is Cape Leeuwin, where the Indian Ocean runs into the Southern Sea and the water is rough: Waves have been known to seize innocents off rocks.
Margaret River is the prince of Australia's wine regions, a rolling green territory of gentlemen winemakers and expensive, elegant and refined wines. Yet their labels underscore the Australian distaste for pomp: Cockfighter's Ghosts, Scrubby Rise, Howling Wolf, Swagman's Kiss and my personal favourite, Suck Fizzle. Like the new breed of Aussie chefs, homegrown winemakers are young and fearless. Chestnut Grove's powerhouse merlot might knock you out of your chair.
Margaret River is sprouting sophisticated restaurants these days. Leeuwin Estate has a first-rank eatery where you might dine on Albany Bay oysters on the half-shell and a racy green curry of tiger prawns. Two hot spots in town are Wino's and Vat 107, both casual and adventurous, both with venison shank as the new take on osso bucco.
Perhaps the best of the Margaret River restaurants is Lamont's in Yallingup. Lunch launches with local black olives. Asparagus, lightly chargrilled, comes drizzled in the fruity, peppery oil. Confit of duck comes honey-roasted, succulent and delicious, the duck thighs perched atop green lentils in the style of southwest France. Lamont's Shiraz is the perfect accompaniment.
Such consummate wine country commands winery visits, but impossible though it sounds it's easy to become wine-weary. I confine my tastings to high-profile wineries. A favourite is Voyager, designed in the South African Cape Dutch style. With sprawling lawns, rose gardens and green-gold vineyards, it's one of the most resplendent Margaret River wineries.
It is the work of visionary Michael Wright, who just happens to loathe alcohol and drinks nary a drop of his own award-winning products. But if you hanker for wines with both largesse and finesse, you can do no better than a crisp, lightly oaked chardonnay or Voyager's award-winning cabernet sauvignon, a wondrous onslaught of blackberries, blood plums, dark chocolate, cedar and oak. It's a beautiful finish to a memorable journey.
Pack your bags
WHERE TO STAY
Burswood International Resort Casino: burswood.com.au. Five-star resort by the Swan River offers nine restaurants, a casino, golf course, and spa. Rates range from $200 a night.
Basildene Manor: Margaret River; http://www.basildene.com.au. Posh B & B with rates ranging from $225 a night.
THINGS TO DO
SafariTreks: safaritreks.com.au. Daily rates are about $120 for adults and $73 for children.
Rockingham Dolphins:
Naturaliste Charters:
http://www.whales-australia.com.
WHERE TO EAT
Must: Perth; http://www.must.com.au.
Sobiaco Hotel: Perth;
http://www.subiacohotel.com.au.
Lamont's: Yallingup, Margaret River; http://www.lamonts.com.au.
Leeuwin Estate Winery: Margaret River; http://www.leeuwinestate.com.au.
Vat 107: Margaret River; http://www.vat107.com.au.
Voyager Estate: Margaret River; http://www.voyagerestate.com.au.
MORE INFORMATION
Australian Tourism Commission: 1-800-333-0139; http://www.australia.com.
44