It is a brilliant winter's day when my son Will and I set off to document some of the producers and business owners who work and live on the gorgeous South Coast of NSW. After battling our way through Sydney traffic, it is an easy run down to our first stop at Mountain Range Farm at Dapto.
Number 83 Map 5 Farm Gate Trail Maps
We are shown around the farm by Christine Hartley. Originally part of a dairy farm, the property then became a commercial flower garden and in the 1990s became a community farm. The 100 or so raised beds run in an east west direction and were built with channels between them to allow for water run off. This is an area where flooding is not unknown but one of the women working on her garden whilst we were visiting tells us that she is always amazed by how quickly the beds regenerate.
Christine tells us that there are 22 nationalities (including Swiss, English, Dutch, and also Burmese refugees) represented here, 14 religions and an age range of 18 to 82 years! The entire farm is fully certified organic and includes beds used for domestic food supplies but also for commercial purposes. Local co-ops source their vegetables from here, as do local restaurants.
Although it is winter, this part of the world typically only suffers one frost a year and it is wonderful to see vegetables thriving and seedlings planted ready for spring harvest. Lettuces, fennel, carrots, peas, garlic, leeks, spinach and thyme are amongst the vegetabes being grown at this time of year. Later in the year strawberries and rhubarb may be available.
The farm also supports Work for the Dole schemes and there is an active and ongoing creek regeneration program in place.
The farm is open to the public 7 days a week from 9.00am to 5.00pm. As is is staffed by volunteers it is best to telephone ahead if you want to buy some vegetables.
Mountain Range Farm
29 Darkes Road Dapto
ph. +61 2 4262 8733, 0418 844 544
From Dapto we drive to the seaside town of Kiama - I have often driven past Kiama on my way further down the coast but have never driven into it. I have been missing out! It is such a pretty town. We drive down to the harbour near the Blowhole to visit Steve and Ruth of Kiama Fisheries.
Kiama Fisheries
Number 79 Map 5 Farm Gate Trail Maps
This little market right on the harbour is constantly busy whilst I am talking to Ruth. Both she and Steve have fathers who are professional fishermen - handy when you have a Registered Fish Receiver licence which entitles you to buy direct from the local fishermen! This hardworking couple work 7 days a week during the summer (from 10.00am to 6.00pm) and 6 days a week during winter (from 10.30am to 5.30pm). All their fish is fresh and sourced locally, and if not then certainly from within Australia, depending on supply and demand. Amongst the fish they sell are snapper, jewfish, gemfish, blue eye, leatherjacket, flat head and mullet, ling and dory. Naturally they also sell beautiful South Coast oysters, prawns, lobster and crab.
The business was commenced 40 years ago by Steve's father and Steve takes great pride in their reputation which is based on word of mouth recommendations. He enjoys helping people choose their fish, educating them as to how to prepare it and encouraging customers to buy in season and buy local.
It is lovely here today and only a few minutes walk takes you to the famous Blowhole near the lighthouse. In spring when the whales are returning south it would be fantastic to buy some fresh prawns or crab from Steve and Ruth and head up just behind their shop to watch these magnificent creatures.
Kiama Fisheries
02 4232 1800
By now it is lunch time and so we head over to the
Little Blowhole Cafe
Number 75 Map 5 Farm Gate Trail Maps
Cathy Law established this cafe 6 years ago. She is dedicated to providing good food, cooked from scratch using local and seasonal ingredients, and sells the cafe's own jams and preserves. She only buys her seafood from Kiama Fisheries and local coop Greenbox, another member of the South Coast Experience, makes it easy for her to support growers such as those at the Dapto Community Farm. Greenbox volunteers work to support emerging farmers by creating a regular market for their produce. Cathy just has to go online once a week to place her order, then collect it from the Greenbox warehouse on Thursday afternoon. "The quality of the fruit and vegetables is fantastic," she says. "Right now, I'm up to my elbows in lemons and limes as the season is a bumper one."
Through her initiative, the South Coast region entered the CRAVE Sydney International Food Festival's inaugural 100 Mile Challenge. Five NSW food regions competed by each providing a lunch for 100 which showcased the region's produce - and the South Coast emerged victorious! The team she assembled included fellow Hawkesbury Harvest trail members Coolangatta Estate, Greenbox, Foodscape Tours, Kangaroo Valley Olives and Cuppits Estate.
Cathy produces a monthly newsletter called the Beachside Bugle which lets locals and tourists alike know what is coming up in the region, whether it be to do with food, wine or music. Cathy tells me that Kiama can get very busy in the summer but that visitors are usually day trippers and spend most of their time in the main street, the Blowhole or the main beach. Her cafe is in a quiet spot, up the street from the Little Blowhole and its pretty reserve. It is not far from the Kiama Coast Walk and would make a terrific resting point to refuel!
I enjoy a much needed coffee and we drink milkshakes, eat delicious food and discuss with Cathy our day's journey.
PS thanks Cathy for taking the time to return to the cafe and meet with us!
The Little Blowhole Cafe
4Tingira Cres
ph 02 4232 4990
It is time to visit the first of the wineries on our itinerary and we drive ten minutes south to Gerringong to meet Brian Jackson from
Crooked River Wines
Number 78 Map 5 Farm Gate Trail Maps
The winery sits high on a hill with glorious views in one direction to green hills and out to sea in the other direction. Brian and his wife travelled all over NSW to find the perfect piece of property and ultimately bought 125 acres of land blessed with rich alluvial soil, here in Gerringong. They came here in May 1998 and began planting vines, with the commercial winery opening in 2001. Brian's background was in the import/export business and he openly admits to knowing nothing at the time about growing grapes or making wine. He enlisted the assistance of professional consultants and today the winery produces 40 table wines and 5 ports. The winery uses oak barrels and stainless steel tanks to mature the wine and is able to produce over 200 000 bottles of wine a year on site. The main grape varieties grown here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Verdelho. The grapes are hand picked and the wine only available through the cellar door or online.
If a new wine is planned it will be tasted by the public first - 200 tastings and approvals and it will get made! As Brian says " We make wine the public like to drink!"
The Cellar Door is open 7 days a week, there is a restaurant attached to the cellar door (open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays) and weddings are held regularly here.
Standing on the verandah the sun is making everything glow - there is no issue with lack of rain in this area and everything is a brilliant green. We can well understand why Brian and his wife bought this beautiful land almost 15 years ago.
Crooked River Wines
cnr Princes Highway and Willowvale Road
Gerringong
ph 02 4234 0975
Coolangatta Estate Winery
Number 86 Map 5 Farm Gate Trail Maps
We drive down to Shoalhaven Heads to visit Coolangatta Estate Winery where we are to stay the night. The sun is starting to set and the hills are bathed in gold. After collecting the keys to our room, we wander around the old buildings which were once stables and servants quarters and now comprise accommodation.
I find Ben Wallis (who is in charge of wine sales ) in the Cellar Door and we settle in to talk about the history of this magnificent property. It transpires that we are visiting the estate almost exactly 190 years to the day that Alexander Berry settled here. The original land grant was 10 000 acres and in return for the grant Berry was charged with the care of 100 convicts. All the buildings used locally made bricks and local timber - in fact the only things imported from England were nails. On site and now used as accommodation were a plumber's shop, a blacksmith's shop, a harness room and a dairy - a village in many ways. The Berrys bred horses and pioneered the dairy industry and a vineyard was established on the property in the 1850s.
The Bishop family bought the property in 1947 and ran it as a dairy farm. In order to maintain the buildings the family began converting them to accommodation in the late 1960s and it was officially re opened in 1972. In the 1980s the vineyard was re - established by Greg Bishop and varieties such as Semillon, Verdehlo, Chardonnay, Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon are now grown here (amongst others). All the grapes are hand picked and sent to Tyrells in the Hunter Valley to be made into multi award winning wine. Wines are available from the cellar door, by mail order or through local restaurants and bottle shops.
Ben tells me that the business is very much a family orientated one ( he is married to Greg's daughter) and is one of the largest privately owned tourism employers in the region. The estate hosts weddings and conferences and has its own on site restaurant which actively supports regional producers. There is also a 9 hole golf course, swimming pool and tennis court.
The cellar door is open 7 days a week from 10.00am until 5.00pm and Alexander's Restaurant is also open 7 days a week for lunch.
We spend a peaceful night in spotless accommodation in the old Servants quarters. Walking around early the next morning it is not too hard to imagine how it must have been here almost two hundred years ago - such has been the care given to the property's restoration.
I find Ben working in the vineyard (he is obviously very hands on !) and he gives me directions for a scenic drive back to Berry. Before we leave we drive up to the cemetery to pay our respects to the old pioneers buried here.
Coolangatta Estate Winery
1335 Bolong Road
Shoalhaven Heads
ph (02) 4448 7131
The third winery we visit , situated near picturesque Berry is
Silos Estate Winery
Number 90 Map 5 Farm Gate Trail Maps
We are met by the owner of the winery, Raj Ray, who tells us that his winery is one of the first carbon neutral wineries in NSW. As we talk it becomes clear that he is absolutely committed to the sustainability of his business. All power used is solar, they do not irrigate their land, the bottles they use are made from 35% recycled glass. The bottles themselves are recycled to form a sparkling, fine gravel like substance which is used on the main drive and pathways, thus avoiding land fill issues. There is even an electric car charging station on the property.
Raj has a business/finance background and his wife is a lawyer and together they have set about learning this new business from scratch, with the assistance of consultants. Since moving here in 2007 they produce 400% more wine (under their Silos and Wileys Creek labels) than previously was made here. Seven grape varieties are grown, including Savignon Blanc and Malbec. The winery's sparkling shiraz and traminer riesling are hugely popular with cellar door visitors.
Everything within the winery has been sourced within 100 km and this includes olives, fudges and cheeses. In a room adjacent to the cellar door is a space dedicated to alpaca products and we have already spotted the gorgeous alpacas contentedly grazing in a nearby paddock, a beautiful baby amongst them.
The winery hosts weddings and also provides luxury accommodation, together with an onsite restaurant which is open from Thursday to Sunday. The cellar door itself is open 7 days a week.
Raj takes us for a walk around the property. Many, many weeks and months were spent clearing lantana from the land and every month 50 native trees are planted here. Lantana and privet has also been cleared from the banks of the pretty creek which runs through the property. As we walk and talk it is evident that whilst Raj has very clear ideas about the business and how it should be managed, he and his wife are also completely passionate about this land of theirs and sustaining it for the future. The property is verdant and immaculately kept and whilst obviously involves a lot of very hard work, it is also a labour of love.
Silos Estate Winery
B640 Princes Highway
Berry
ph +61 2 4448 6082
We are reluctantly coming to the end of our time on the South Coast. We do have time though for one more visit to
The Treat Factory
Number 84 Map 5 Farm Gate Trail Maps
The Treat Factory is part of the Old Berry Central Creamery. I was aware that they made hand crafted chocolate and other sweets but I was surprised to smell something wonderfully savoury as we walked inside. It turns out that they also make pasta sauces, relishes and chutneys, together with jams and preserves. Our time here was necessarily brief but we did manage to buy fudge, chocolates, chutney and marmalade! Next door is a fantastic warehouse, stocked with all kinds of cooking and baking ingredients. What a great way to round off our trip to the South Coast, the perfect final stop before heading back to Sydney.
6 Old Creamery Lane
Berry
ph 02 44641112
Weekends of course are the time when most people have the time to visit this incredibly beautiful part of New South Wales. However, if you can, a mid week visit is to be highly recommended.
We are so grateful to the people we met on our road trip - for their warmth and hospitality and the time they spent with us.
For further information and to view maps please visit the Hawkesbury Harvest website.