The first episode we shot in South Australia was in Fleurieu Peninsula, a place I had never heard of. Now normally when you travel around a lot and you hear of a place with a name like this, alarm bells start to ring and you wonder about what you are going to find. The alarm bells ring even louder when you find out you are staying in a town called Goolwa! I was very relieved to find out that Goolwa had a really cool little brew pub called the Steam Exchange Brewery. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to film there but we did get down there for a couple of ales. It turns out that Goolwa is a real family-friendly and funky little town, the kind of place I would love to take my family on holiday. It’s also only a short hop, skip and a jump to the beach where you can dig up your own cockles. So if you happen to be in South Australia and go down to the beach in the Fleurieu Peninsula and see a bunch of people holding buckets and doing some kind of a hip-wiggling jig, they’ll be doing what is known as the cockle dance. I love cockles and cook them up in a simple wine sauce with pasta. In short I had a great time in the Fleurieu — I mixed my own wine blend, cooked stuffed venison at the fabulous Fino restaurant and visited a farm that was both wonderful and very worrisome.
Mundoo Island Angus Beef, run by Colin Grundy and his wife Sally, is in a beautiful part of the world and their beef is superb. The problem is that their farm sits right on the mouth of the Murray River where it meets the ocean. Because of the drought conditions, salt has started to leach through the specially built barrages put there to stop this from happening. The salt is destroying their drinking water which means the cattle are suffering, the land is being contaminated with salt and the future viability of the farm is at stake. Colin is a fourth-generation farmer and I know he was hoping to pass the farm on to one his sons. Sadly, it may not be there in a year or two. I can’t really imagine how tough that must be.
Another great place for a family holiday formed the basis of our second South Australian episode and that is Kangaroo Island. You can stay in the local pub, the local hotel, the local B & B or, if you feel like a bit of luxury, the Southern Ocean Lodge — a 21-suite luxury lodge for the rich and famous.
List of Recipes