October is supposed to be the best month for wildflowers, which is mainly why we are back on Kangaroo Island. At first, things looked a bit unpromising. Just dry, dusty un-remarkable scrubland on either side of the road.
Then we spotted a koala, and pulled over to follow him into the bush …
That was when we realised that we were actually surrounded by wildflowers. Not the expected drifts of colour, but hundreds of low growing inconspicuous plants covered in tiny flowers.
We lost count of how many varieties there were, but here is a small bouquet …
This morning I ventured up the mountain to the Made in Dorrigo street market. Dorrigo is located on the Northern Tablelands at 731 metres (2,398 feet), it’s potato country and normally quite a bit colder than Bellingen, but by the time I reached the top of the mountain, it was an almost balmy 12 degrees. Nevertheless being a bit of a wimp when it comes to cold, I needed a second (and third !!) breakfast of coffee and churros to warm me up.
Breakfast Churros
Amongst the usual Country Women’s Association type stalls selling knitted and crocheted “things” (and I’m not sure what some of them were) there were a few gems. Like Waterfall Glass, selling beautiful bowls made from recycled glass.
I had to buy this beautiful little heart soap dish.
Recycled glass heart bowl
Being a frog-aholic, I couldn’t resist cards drawn by local artist Chris Hundt.
Frogs in your Wellies
Throw in some fresh local produce and tempting home-baked goods and it was definitely worth braving the cold. And next time might hold back on the coffee and churros and warm myself with some of Red Dirt Distillery’s Ginger Liqueur.
Back in the Seventies, when I was saving for my first house, I was a serving wench in a German beer-hall restaurant in Hahndorf. My uniform was a Dirndl, a frilly white blouse, an apron and a green felt hat. … and that’s probably enough said about THAT!
It was a tough gig … all you could eat and drink for $20.00, with the inevitable messy consequences. But I still remember the day that two “serving blokes” wearing Lederhosen and carrying an enormous flaming Bombe Alaska on their shoulders slipped as they trooped through the bar. The lead serving bloke managed to duck as a huge metal platter shot over his head splattering burning meringue over the walls and floors like a sticky Molotov cocktail.
Some memories are just priceless!
Anyway, it’s been many years since I visited Hahndorf, and whilst some things like the pseudo-Germanic cafes and tacky souvenir shops haven’t changed, dotted along the main road there are little gems that make a visit worthwhile. Pretty little stone cottages built by German settlers, vineyards, quality craft shops and The White House.
The White House
The White House is a renovated heritage listed cottage – with not a trace of chintz, crochet or net curtains. Score three points immediately. More points for friendly and helpful staff, reasonably priced local wine and rustic, bistro style locally sourced food. Add an open log-fire on a chilly 10C day and you have an all round enjoyable experience.
We had a tasty lunch of Croque Monsieur (who doesn’t love Gruyère?) and a tender, tomato rich Lamb Ragout, and then finished the afternoon with a bit of shopping. I came home with a new winter woolly made from merino and possum wools from New Zealand. (The Australian brush-tailed possum being an introduced pest which has no natural predators, and is decimating New Zealand’s native forests ) Just doing my bit and being ecologically responsible!
This little island is only fifty kilometres from Sydney on the historic Hawkesbury River, but once you reach it you could be half a world away. The cute (is there a better word?) island ferry drops you at the wharf right next to the Dangar Island Café which has possibly one of the best “coffee views” in the world.
Dangar Island Ferry
There are no cars, and residents transport their shopping home from the ferry wharf by wheelbarrow along small paved “streets” which loop around the island allowing glimpses of the river, island life and quirky sub-tropical gardens.
Morgan & Alison at the Dangar Island Cafe
We spent a leisurely few hours wandering the island, wishing we lived there and not wanting to return to the bustle and noise of Sydney. To rub salt into the wound, our return ferry disgorged a happy little herd of school children returning to their idyllic island homes.
A Bellingen Diary 