Dim Sum Diary » Australia

Margaret River for children

Elizabeth Kain - Dim Sum Diary — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:51:23 +0000

Margaret River is extremely child friendly. Our favorite coffee shop, Dome, gave out fresh packs of colored pencils and paper to all child diners, and every restaurant - from upscale to casual – offered coloring books and crayons. Winery restaurants, no matter how fine, offered children’s menus and were happy to cater to little ones’ needs. Many even provided covered play areas next to the wine tasting rooms.

While my daughter enjoyed the playgrounds, crayons and paper, I would be remiss if I did not mention her favorite activity while in Margaret River: feeding kangaroos. There are two options for petting and feeding animals – anything from rabbits to goats to llamas to kangaroos. The first is Sunflowers Animal Farm and the second Country Life Farm; we preferred the latter. It was bigger, cleaner and nicer.

For more information on what to do with children in Magaret River, including a list of wineries with playground, visit: http://www.margaretriver.com/pages/kids-stuff/

Where Oceans Meet

Elizabeth Kain - Dim Sum Diary — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:02:54 +0000

The Leeuwin Lighthouse was probably my favorite sight in Margaret River. It stands on the most extreme south west point of Australia. It came into service in 1896 and is everything one imagines in a classic lighthouse scene. It’s position means that pretty fierce winds are blowing twenty four hours a day, which only enhances its charm. It’s built from local stone and guides ships as they cross from the Southern to the Indian Ocean.

I’ve been dying to see where two oceans meet since a business trip to Cape Town, South Africa 15 years ago. We had some time to kill between meetings and our local colleagues suggested we drive down to the Southern tip of Africa to see where the south Atlantic met the Indian Ocean. They painted an enchanting vision of two oceans colliding. My boss, a workaholic, told them that if we had that much extra time, it would be best spent in the office working. I’ve been intrigued by the concept ever since.

The meeting of the Southern and Indian Oceans is not as dramatic as the one I imagined in Africa. We searched long and hard but simply could not determine any one point of collision. Nevertheless, the idea of two oceans merging into one was there and we enjoyed seeing it despite the lack of visual proof. And it was definitely something you can’t find in Northern California!

The low light of our trip? The two kilometer walk around the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse where we – and other innocent hikers – were attacked by swarms of flies. Awful.

Cave Dwelling in Western Australia

Elizabeth Kain - Dim Sum Diary — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:45:06 +0000

Other than visiting wineries and enjoying the beautiful scenery, there are a number of fun things to do in Margaret River. One of my favorite excursions was to Jewel Cave.

The Margaret River area has a number of caves from which one can choose. I was not particularly thrilled with the idea of voluntarily going underground into a cold, dark, space stretching nearly 145 miles under the surface of the earth, but my husband, Erik, was keen and after all, visiting a cave ranked number two on our hotel’s “must see” list.

And so we selected Jewel Cave, the second longest cave in the world, renowned for its calcite crystals. To get the full effect of the crystals, our guide led us ten stories or so underground where we found one of the spectacular sights I have ever seen. The space was much warmer than anticipated and I felt as if we were standing in a room made entirely of crystal.

Of course this was with illumination. Our guide gave us an idea of what it must have been like to be the first visitor to Jewel Cave when he shut out all the lights. I can’t recall ever being in such complete and total darkness. Erie but intriguing. After one long minute the light was restored.

When a friend called the other day to ask about recommendations for her upcoming trip to Margaret River, I found myself detouring from our list of favorite wineries to give Jewel Cave the review it deserves: worth a visit.

You can find more information on Jewel Cave here: http://www.margaretriver.com/pages/jewel-cave/