OUR GREAT SOUTHERN (FOOD) ADVENTURE 2

The 'must do' activity is of course to climb the Gloucester tree - also known as 'The Giants'. It was a short scenic drive from our motel to the National Park . We did the obligatory climb. Many senior citizens like us only managed to scale 10 - 15 feet up the tree, but the younger set  did all the way to the tree top.

  We walked the forest trail - spotting pigeons and parakeet.

Dinner at Sadie's Restaurant. Food was good, service was slow. Desserts were complimentary.

The scotch was super tender. You can't  get such quality beef in Sabah. The portions were big too. The lamb rack was equally good. We also had prawns as starter. Palova and sticky date pudding for dessert. The portions were generous.

The next day, we drove to Margaret River - more than 200 km.  We wanted to go to Voyager Estate - supposed to be along Stevens Road. The  GPS led us to an off road and we ended in an ungraded mud track. Wondering whether to keep going or to turn back, we finally met some workers who were doing the upgrading work on the road. Upon making inquiry, the man asked us to follow him - and using his big machine, he graded the road, leveled the soil so our car could move on.

Voyager Estate apart from its winery, is well-known for its roses. This place is a popular venue for weddings. The restaurant was fully booked and so we drove to the neighbouring estate for lunch. Leeuwin Estate is known for its annual open air concert. 

The food here was even better than at Sadie's. For starter, we had Fresh Scallop on a bed of Avocado Salad. For the main, we had Blue Ridge Roasr Matron Tail together with Crispy Duck, served on a basket of smoke caviar and grapefruit salad. Another main was Big Red Sous-Vide Pork Fillet and Braised Pork Belly with Smoke Apple Puree and Watercress.

Roasted Artichoke with Puree Parsnip and Roasted Cauliflower, with candied walnut, pomegranate and date.

Two very happy and satisfied customers.

 For dessert, we drove to the town and had the best ice cream ever - Cow Approved!!

It was raining and getting dark, so we headed back to Pemberton. The journey back was dreary. Dark shadows from the trees loomed before us. Suddenly a kangaroo jumped before our car but Alicia managed to brake in time. Poof! What a relief. We drove more cautiously, watching out for kangaroo, when suddenly there a loud thud! Another kangaroo had tried to dash across the road. It was light grey and we hadn't noticed it. I turned back and saw the kangaroo hopped away. Relieved that no further damage was done, I kept quiet so as not to upset the driver's concentration.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, poor Alicia was having guilt feelings - thinking she had killed the kangaroo. That night she had a bad dream - not only did she ran over a kangaoo, but she ran over a man as well!!

Fortunately I was able to reassure her that I did see the kangaroo hopped away. That was my first encounter with a kangaroo in the wild.