9 Month kilometres update

OK as promised, the moment you have all been waiting for, Ladies and Gentleman I am pleased to present to you, the 9 month kilometres update.

Starting kilometres

9 month kilometres

This gives us a running total of 27,418.1 kilometres travelled.

A few more people are out of the running and some are pretty close.

With 3 months (or thereabouts) to go things are certainly hotting up.

Clare

Day 272

Wake up to a certain sense of déjávu back in Clare again and plan a couple of days of rest and relaxation before starting work and so what better way to relax than to  a couple of the wineries we missed last time.

Just down the road from the campsite is ‘last word wines’, where we both thought the wines were good but not special and it all seemed a bit gimmicky with interesting (funny) quotes on each bottle and even the winemaker was telling us that “It’s not all about the wine”!

Next and just the other side of the campsite is Greg Cooley wines where we chatted away too the lovely woman and tried their great wines, as we are sampling our second or third red (having already worked our way through the whites) the phone rings and it’s Michael saying we are working tomorrow morning and to meet at 7!

Well with an early start on the cards we head straight back to the campsite and prepare, as best we can for a day of work.

Day 273

Up well before the crack of dawn today and I think there must be something wrong with the alarm as it is still pitch black. After checking two or three timepieces though we realise that it is in fact time to get up and go to work.

A short drive away is Mintaro wines and having navigated our way there we are given our snips and safety goggles and are given the shortest work training we have ever had, “Grab low and cut high”.  To be fair that is about all you need to know to pick grapes and so without further ado we are off picking Riesling grapes. Thankfully it is not too hot but as we are soon told Riesling grapes are the hardest to pick as rather than hang down in nice bunches they wrap themselves around the vines.

Another day at the office

There is quite a range of people picking with us as well, there’s a group of loud Australian youths, a couple of English backpackers and a whole group of local oldies that come back year after year, most of whom are well in their 70’s!

The work isn’t really hard but you are constantly stooping over to find the grapes and (even on a cool day) you are sweating buckets. Turns out to be a long one as well as we work 7.30–6 with 15 mins for morning tea (called smoko) and ½ hour for lunch so by the end of it we are both sore all over especially in the backs and legs. As a gesture of goodwill for finishing his whole paddock the winemaker comes out with a couple of cases of wine and we get to take a bottle away with us which is nice.

So if you see a Mintaro Riesling, 2012 vintage buy a bottle as it is likely we picked the grapes.

Day 274

An even earlier start this morning as we start work at 7 so we drag ourselves out of bed and drive to Crabtree wines where we start picking the dreaded Riesling again.

Early start

Still stiff and sore from yesterday it takes a while to get going but once you have warmed up it’s not too bad. We spend the morning picking Riesling and move onto Cab Sav in afternoon which mercifully are quite a bit easier to pick as they hang down in nice big bunches.

Just waiting to be picked

Thank the lord that after yesterday, today is a much shorter day and we finish up about 3.30 and head back home to shower and nurse our sore backs and cuts and scrapes from the vines.

Day 275

Another day at Crabtree picking Riesling all day and it is a much hotter day today, getting up into the mid 30’s by the afternoon.

Suncream is slapped on at every opportunity and litres of water and drunk to keep hydrated but by the end of the day you feel completely drained and it is all you can do to drive home and collapse.

Never has a cold beer tasted so good!

Day 276

A milestone day today as it is our 9 Month on the road anniversary.

As almost a treat (the boss must have known) we are off to a different vineyard today called Witts end to pick Shiraz grapes all day. It is a much smaller (select I like to think) team with just us two and the oldies and the grapes are (relatively) easy to pick as the vines have been really well looked after and grapes hang in nice big bunches.

To be honest this is much more like how we both imagined picking grapes would be working in a small team in a beautiful valley, relaxed and chatty atmosphere and even the owner is there driving the tractor and his wife is out doing a bit of picking with us.

It is still a red hot day but the relaxed atmosphere means it passes quickly and we actually both enjoy it!

Polly likes the vines

Turns out they sell all of their grapes to Mitchel wines and so if you happen to see a bottle of Mitchell’s 2012 Shiraz there is a good chance we picked the grapes.

Of course being 9 months its KM’s update (and you thought we had forgotten). See the next post for all details.

Day 277

Friday and back to Crabtree today and another day picking Riesling. As soon as the sun comes up you know it is going to very hot today and we are sweating buckets by about 9 o’clock. It is so hot in fact that one guy (the loudest of the hoons (or chavs for the English readers)) collapses in the heat and an ambulance has to be called to take him away suffering from sun stroke and dehydration!!

As it is so hot we get to knock off at lunch time (that’s still a 6 hour day!) and after volunteering to work Saturday (we must be mad) we head back to the campsite for a well-earned swim in the pool and one (or two) of those cold beer things again.

Day 278

Saturday and instead of the customary lie-in we are up at usual time and arrive at Tim Adams wines before 7 to meet up with the others mugs who have decided to work today.

As we sit in the van in the winery car park waiting a car speeds past and then screeches to a halt and pulls up along side us. It is Tim (of Tim Adams) and he asks us what we are doing in his car park so early (I’m sure he thought we had been sleeping there) Once we explain that we are in fact working for him today he is nice and chats away to us and then when the others arrive we head off into his vineyards.

The grapes here are all picked by machine and so our job today is to take off the protective bird nets from the vines in preparation for the picking machine. The work is easy and we have finished after only 2 hours and so have the rest of the weekend to ourselves (Hardly worth getting up so early for).

That’s our first week of work over with and between us we have earned about $1500! We are pretty much used to the early starts now and the actual picking seemed a bit easier towards the end of the week as well and apart from the intense heat (which is forecast to be much cooler next week) I think we may (dare I say it) being enjoying it. The season will go till at least the end of March but we are thinking another 2 weeks will do us fine.

Head into town to do our shopping and then park the van up at the campsite and head out on the bikes to try out a couple of the local pubs which turn out to be OK but a bit quiet, especially for a Saturday afternoon. It’s another scorcher today (glad we weren’t working all day) so we head back to the camp and don our swimmers and hit the pool to cool off and spend the rest of the afternoon doing just that.

Day 279

Finally a day off and so sleep in till what feels like lunch time but actually turns out to be only 8.30.

Not really knowing what to do with so much free time (we must be out of practice) we have a leisurely breakfast and then relax around the campsite with a swim, some TV and to catch up on all those jobs that we couldn’t do during the week.

After dinner and a well-earned day of doing not too much we make our lunch and hit the sack nice and early ahead of another weeks picking.

Adelaide to Clare

Day 268

Pack up and say a fond adieu to Adelaide. We are planning on coming back before heading towards Melbourne. Plus the famous Adelaide fringe starts in just over a week so we will be able to catch a show or two and hopefully see Chris (and family) again.

Drive south an hour so to McLaren vale and our second famous wine region (South Australia is littered with them) in as many weeks. Check in and set up amongst the other backpackers who are either picking grapes or waiting to pick grapes and decide to waste no time and head straight back into town on our bikes and register in the Harvest Labour recruitment agency. “White grapes are being picked now and red grapes are coming in the next week or so” we are told amongst a lot of other things, the woman was really nice and I think she was glad to have an English speaking couple in as everyone else (and there were quite a few others) seemed to be speaking in tongues.

We both have a romantic idea of picking a few grapes in the daytime and drinking wine and eating cheese in the evenings and whilst we are both fully aware that it is going to back breaking work in the belting hot sun, it only seems to give something back after all these years. Plus we will be able to forevermore recommend a certain vintage from a certain winery made with grapes we picked.

Registration done we head back to the campsite and start planning for the ‘Shiraz trail’.

Day 269

Up in the morning and jump on the bikes for a cycle ride along the ‘Shiraz trail’.

Much like the Riesling trail in Clare the Shiraz trail takes you along a dedicated bike path and past lots of cellar doors in a region famous for their Shiraz (we were looking forward to this).

A good day for cycling as it’s not too hot and we make it several cellar doors for tastings throughout the day including; Angove wines,

Maxwell wines (look out for the Silver hammer Shiraz),

Simply Organoleptic (horrible British run place (I felt a bit ashamed)),

 Foggo wines(lovely Shiraz),

 Echidna wines,

Serafino wines (horrible woman, horrible wines)

and finally Oxenbury farm (whew).

Found our way back to the campsite, laden down with bottles again and literally poured ourselves into bed.

Day 270

Decide that whilst we are here we should probably do another day cycling the Shiraz trail and so out on the bikes it is again. Start with a recommendation from Chris in Adelaide and head to Alpha Box and Dice (Excellent wines throughout),

 Then continue on stopping at Hugh Hamilton (lovely cellar door location),

Primo wines where, after chatting to the man it turns out the cellar door building was designed by a lecturer at Sydney Uni (He didn’t know which one).

It’s an inward looking building focusing on a well proportioned (and  mostly well detailed) courtyard which all looks very cool but we are in the middle of fields and fields of grapes and they are trying to sell wine, it might be an idea to show the customer the product!! There was a nice framed view from the tasting room but we were too busy paying attention to the man describing the wines and trying to nod in the right places. On top of that I have just had to ask Carmen (at time of writing) what the place was called as there appears to be no signage whatsoever. I applaud the winery as a patron of the arts but I’m also glad that the guy couldn’t remember the Architects name because I don’t think I much care for him.

Final stop of the day is the Vale inn, a microbrewery where unfortunately they do not have a tasting plate so we just have to take a punt and try a beer each.

Both of them were nice enough but nothing special and so we jump back on the bikes and head home.

Day 271

As we haven’t had a call about work we are planning to head south to ‘land’s end’ point and stay in Deep Creek National Park for a couple of days and hoping that next week we might get a call.

So as soon as we have made the plan and are literally packing up to go the phone rings and it is the contractor from Clare we spoke to last week saying there is definitely grape picking work on Tue and possibly Mon if we are still interested.

Change of plan then and we left out of the park and not right and drive past Adelaide and towards Clare. Have a stop for lunch in Port Wakefield but don’t think too much of it and decide to continue all the way back to Clare and the same (the only) caravan park.

The woman remembers us and we have a laugh about being alcoholics (I think she was joking) and we check back in to the same spot we had last time we were here.

Clare to Adelaide

Day 262

After a cool ‘jumpers and hats’ start to the morning we decide to head off on the bikes, along the ‘Riesling trail’ and into Clare. The trail is a 30KM, purpose built cycle and walking track along the route of an old railway line which takes you past most of the regions cellar doors and gives you ample opportunity to try some of the regions speciality Riesling’s!

Our plan for the day is to head straight into town for a look around and then work our way back via a few of the wineries, having a little taste here and there. The town itself is small but pretty and we notice at least two pubs on the small high street (can’t be bad).

Call into one of the employment agencies to enquire about doing some grape picking whilst we are here but the patronising woman makes it seem far more difficult that it should be and we leave feeling more confused than when we arrived.

Chores done with we head to our first winery and the beginning of our (mini) ‘Riesling trail’ and the Knappstein winery and brewery. Now I have ever been a big Riesling drinker, my previous experience of it has been a sickly sweet wine that I wouldn’t really consider buying and so it was with some trepidation that we entered the winery and asked to taste a couple of their wines.

We started (as you do) with their range of whites and then moved on to try a couple of reds as well and finished with a taste of their beer. Well all I can say is I must have been drinking some pretty rough Rieslings in the past! These were glorious, nice and dry with a burst of citrus and a long fruity finish and we were both instant converts. The reds were lovely too and we end up buying a great Shiraz to take home with us.

On to the next winery, and the next, and the next and we took the rest of the afternoon making our way back to the campsite stopping at Mr Mick, Kirrihill, Tim Adams and Stone Bridge wineries and finally arrived, (laden down with bottles) back at the campsite where there was just time for dinner and an early night.

Day 263

We enjoyed ourselves so much yesterday we decide to stay another day and do it all again!

So we jump on the bikes and continue along the Riesling trail to the south of Clare, setting off to another gloomy start with rain macs packed just in case. First stop of the day was Sevenhill cellars complete with wonderful 150 year old cellars, which you can stroll around at your leisure (noting that most of the wine is only 1 year old!) before taste testing their range of whites and reds. A good start!

Next was perhaps one of the best stops of the day with ‘The little red grape’. This place provides a cellar door for all of the small producers in the valley who do not have a cellar door of their own and so you have wines from 6 or 7 small wineries to try. The guy was really nice and the best thing about it was that you got to try the wines side by side. We worked our way through most of the entire range (glad I’m not driving) and ended up buying a couple of bottles because that’s all we could carry!

Pulled in off the trail for lunch and sat on bales of hay overlooking the rolling hills full of grapes and despite the overcast sky (good for cycling) it was a glorious scene. The going wasn’t as easy in the afternoon with lots of hills as we worked our way along the valley but a number of stops at Skillogalee (beautiful restaurant overlooking the vines), Mitchel, Pena lane and Kilikanoon (lovely rosé) eased the journey considerably and we arrived back at the van laden down with bottles again.

Day 264

Leave Clare this morning heading into Adelaide. Do our customary lap of the city centre to orientate ourselves and head to the city caravan park in Hackney (Adelaide is full of English names) a small park only 2km from the city centre and right on the edge of botanic gardens and the zoo.

Set up and take a stroll to the local shops in Stepney (see!), a very well to do suburb which reminds Carmen of Melbourne and hop straight on the bikes when we get back to do a quick tour through the botanic gardens and around the zoo, coming back along the river which is a lovely ride.

An impressive start for Adelaide, the parks are green and quiet and the cycle paths are excellent.

Day 265

On our way to catch up with a friend we have in Adelaide today. Chris was the best man at Rob and Tracey’s wedding (might mean something to some of you) and we are heading over for a BBQ in the afternoon. It’s a sunny day and we cycle through the gardens again and into city. Adelaide is a very compact city, surrounded by a green belt of parks and with one main shopping street running east to west.

After a brief stop at the Adelaide oval for a picture we hit the main drag and walk along pretty much the entire length from the restaurants in the east end, through the shopping mall in the middle to the bars and clubs in the west end.  What great little town where you can walk through the whole gamut of offerings in a couple of hours (including browsing time!).

Find Chris’ place pretty easily and are introduced to his wife Merry and daughter Heidi and before long the BBQ is fired up, a bottle of wine is opened and we spend the rest of the afternoon chatting away like old friends. I know I say this every time but we really were treated like members of the family , we both had a really great afternoon and have promised to catch up again when we are back in a week or so for the fringe festival.

Day 266

Bit of a lie in this morning and after dragging ourselves out of bed we head into the city to take in a bit of Adelaide culture.

Start in the Art Gallery of South Australia, housed in an imposingly grand building halfway down Adelaide’s museum/university strip.

The collection is mostly Australian artists and we both spend a happy few hours getting lost in the labyrinth of galleries. Stop for a sit down outside (all that art can be tiring) and to collect our thoughts before heading the South Australian Museum next door.  

The museum has a whole floor dedicated to the Pacific Islands and if full of strange ceremonial artefacts including masks, shields and even decorated skulls. But the highlight for me was the lion exhibit that moves his tail! You just catch it out the corner of your eye and it only happens every couple of minutes. So of course I was standing there trying to convince anyone that walked past that his tail was moving. His tail did move in again and we laughed and moved on. Happy (as much for my sake as anyone else’s) I had proved I wasn’t mad.

Took a stroll back up to the mall afterwards and have a look through the shops. The mall itself is your standard pedestrianised strip with all the usual shops but it has a nice feel to it and we happily had a browse up and down at nothing in particular before heading back on the bikes, through the parks to the campsite for the night.

 Day 267

Up bright and early today and after breakfast we are off to Adelaide central railway station and on a train bound for Islington! Whilst we are waiting for the train however we decide to pop into Adelaide casino which happens to be right above the station (genius).

It’s like any other casino and it wasn’t surprising to see it was reasonably busy at 11am on a Tuesday morning. We had a walk around to suss it out and then stuck a few dollars in the ‘pokie’machines where Carmen hit the jackpot and we walked away with a cool $9.

Having broken the casino bank we were asked to leave and escorted from the building just in time for our train to Islington. A short walk from the station at the other end and we arrive at something we have both been looking forward to.

The Coopers brewery! We are on a walking tour of the brewery and are taken through the whole process from raw ingredients to the six pack you buy in the shop.

Carmen checking the brew

The brewing stuff is interesting enough but the bottling plant is amazing and I could have sat there all day watching the bottles being washed, filled, capped and labelled and going through at an incredible rate.

Onto the tasting room where we are taken through the entire Coopers range of lagers, beers, ales and a stout. (far more than I ever realised) There’s Coopers green in cans called ‘Dr Tim’ (only available in South Australia) and they do a really nice ‘vintage ale’ which is about 9%.

199

Once the tasting is complete we leave with our commemorative glasses and head back to central station where we resist the temptation to go back into the casino and instead jump on the bikes for the short ride back to the campsite.