Welcome back, welcome back!

Well… Unfortunately we have made it to the end of this travel series. I know, I know, I’m as utterly heartbroken as you are, but we will get through this. That being said, if you’re here & you’re reading this current paragraph with unfamiliarity to this series & its content, I would advise you to turn to the prior installments, give them a read, & report back here. This is the fourth & final installment of my Australia series. Yes, fourth. That means there are three other blog postings around this trip for you to go back & read before you read this one! Lucky you! I’ll do you a solid & will go ahead & link those other three blog postings below so you have easy access to all of them! If you’re an ace student & are here like, I got this, I’ve read everything, let’s go, then I hope you’re ready to wrap this whole shebang up! Let’s get rolling!

PART FOUR:

Day Thirteen

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

We return once again to a morning at Leena & Max’s. We had decided when planning out our week together that we wanted to try to go up to Barossa, to South Australian wine country for a brief overnight. Once there we would stay at Hart Of Barossa a vineyard that Max’s mother & step father had bought while Max was still in school. So much like we did with our live aboard on the reef, we packed up a small bag to take out & use just for the two days that we would be there.

First things first though, coffee.

If I’m remembering correctly, Leena & Max both had morning sessions at the studio, which means Evan & I took it upon ourselves to venture out & find coffee. Naturally we ended up back at Seven Grounds where I got a bangin’ Almond Croissant & a Dirty Pandan Matcha Latte (yes, it hits as hard as it sounds).

The Hurrells wrapped their session around noon. They had already packed in the morning so all we had to do was pack up the car & hit the road.

On our way out of town we stopped by a gas station to fill up & grab a rather large assortment of drinks to bring along with us for the road & for the house.

Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia

The just over one hour trip out to Barossa is a beautiful one. It’s mostly a straight shot through salt flats, farms, & grasslands. Our first stop once we arrived was to a supermarket. The vineyard, had a pizza oven, & Michael, Max’s stepfather, had been working to perfect his pizza dough recipe. We gathered a bunch of pizza ingredients as well as some items for an evening charcuterie board.

After provisions it was time for more coffee. Sat in the middle of Barossa you’ll find Barossa Beans & Cream. Truth be told, not my favorite name for an establishment, but it does highlight back the location & the nature of the business in the name. Barossa Beans & Cream is a coffee shop, an ice cream shop, & a patisserie all rolled into one. We only went for coffee this day. The hazelnut latte once again made an appearance & off we went to Hart to start our adventure in wine country.

We formally arrived at Hart of Barossa around half past three in the afternoon, greeted by the Galahs in the tree out in the drive & the chittering whistlings of a Magpie. We met Michael & were given a tour of the lovely home that resides on the grounds. Additionally we were presented with several room options to choose from, Evan & I went with the one that seemed a little cooler.

Barossa in the summer time is hot & arid. It doesn’t get the sea breezes that Adelaide has to offer & is itself located in a valley which in turn makes it a bit of a cauldron of heat. This, of course, if perfect for the grapes.

Michael advised us to head over to the Tasting Shed for a flight with Alicia, the wonderful guide on duty, as it closed around 4:30.

The one hundred plus year old shed has had quite the life. At one point it was a stables, later it was a blacksmith shop before it finally came into its current configuration as a tasting room, complete with a long wooden table & the pews from the church where Max’s grandparents got married.

We all made our way in & sat at the end of the table near the bar that looked to be constructed from old grape vines & barn wood. There we met Alicia who lovingly walked us through the different wines.

We started out with the Frizzante, a lightly sparkling white wine that uses the Frontignac grape. It was light & aromatic while not being overly sweet & saccharine like a moscato or sweet riesling. Next came the Rosé. Typically I am not a huge fan of Rosé, I find it frequently too dry & my palette can’t decide if I want it to be something more savory like a dinner white or red, even though the tasting notes lean fruit forward. The Hart rosé threads the needle perfectly & lands as a really nice compliment to the heat of the summer day. Not overly sweet but also not unassumingly dry like I feel I normally find the blend. Next up was the Shiraz Noir.

It’s safe to say that Shiraz is the main Australian grape, pronounced here as “Sure-As.” With it being the primary grape so too does it end up lending itself to a number of blends, naturally the Rosé on the list being the first to feature it here. Here in lies the first of the bottles that is entirely the Shiraz grape, though offering a lighter, more delicate presentation. More headstrong than I would say a Pinot Noir, but still allowing itself the gentle fluidity of function to play well with others, especially where food is concerned. We then moved down the line of age to the flagship single grape bottle, the South Australian Shiraz.

I will be the first to admit to you that typically I am not here for a Shiraz, at least from the French. It’s often way too leathery, too earthy for my taste. However I would argue that the Australian varietal tends to almost lean into being a heavier, most spicy Malbec. An odd comparison I’m sure, but the Hart Shiraz packs a velvety, dark fruit softness almost like biting into the dark fruits you’ll note in it themself.

Here we find ourselves back to another blend; Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz. I loved this bottle. Loved it. It packed that dark fruit explosion on the front that then almost instantly retreats to unveil the deep tannins & almost herbal nature of the Cab. It’s like a wave crashing over your tongue. High marks on this one!

The last of the wines we tried was the Mataro. I actually very much enjoyed this one as well! Leaning into those spicier notes while not becoming overwhelming. It was a lovely, pleasant pallet.

Alright. I said we were done with the wines. That’s not entirely true. We still had the Fortified Shiraz VP!

I love me a fortified wine. Port, Madeira, etc., I’m here for it. This one was no exception. It had that raisin-y sweetness but also lent itself to tarter notes like blackberry & current. I was a fan to say the least which then led us finally into the Shiraz Gin.

Again, really here for this. It was unique in that it carried with it the sweetness of the grape while battling the intense dryness of a gin. Apparently Max’s mother makes a specialty cocktail using the gin, the frizzante, & a splash of sparkling water. It is dangerous because of how utterly drinkable it is.

Cheeks warmed & vision slightly blurred, we made our way from the shed back to the house. There we made more of the Hart cocktails which we took & sat in the pool with.

After about thirty minutes to an hour in the pool Michael came out to inform us that the pizzas were almost ready. So we got out, got dried off & changed, & headed in to dinner.

Michael needs a pizza shop. That’s all I’m saying. The man can cook a pizza. I was thoroughly blown away.

We sat at the table & he brought over the three pizzas he had crafted. One was entirely veggie, one entirely meat, & the other a mesh of both while still maintaining its own unique set of ingredients. I certainly ate too much, but it was so worth it.

After dinner we took a digestive walk. The sun was beginning to set & we walked the outskirts of the vines trying to taste the differences in the old vine grapes & the new. It got darker a little quicker than I think we all expected so we cut our tour short & headed back into the house for the night.

Even though it’d probably been an hour or so since we’d eaten, we decided to put together our charcuterie board. That didn’t take too long but once it was ready we sat around playing card games, drinking wine, & eating until we all fell out from exhaustion & hauled ourselves off to bed.

End Of Day Thirteen

Day Fourteen

First things first, coffee. We started off our morning back at Barossa Bean & Cream. I got my Hazelnut Latte, but also got one of their homemade Caramel Banana Muffins. They warmed it for me & it was sinfully divine.

After coffee we popped around some of the shops in Barossa before heading off to tour the valley a little more.

Our first stop was Chateau Tanunda. It’s a vineyard that dates back to the late 1800s that was erected at the site of where some of the first grapes planted in Barossa grew. WE walked around the Chateau & its grounds, complete with a cricket pitch, before we ventured inside to take a peak at their wine cellar/tasting room.

We didn’t stay at Tanunda for long before we continued on up to Mengler’s Hill.

Mengler’s Hill or Mengler’s Hill Lookout & Barossa Sculpture Park as is its government name, is exactly what the full name implies. It is an outlook that sits about halfway up one of the larger hills that overlooks Barossa below. There are a series of concrete sculptures scattered around as well as a monument to the colonizers who moved into the area & set up Barossa. We meandered about here for a bit, taking pictures & enjoying the view in the early afternoon heat before we went back down to Hart.

We stayed at Hart of Barossa until the early hours of the evening. We all worked a bit in the Glass House on the property doing our respective tasks, taking a break every now & then to dip in the pool or go into the house for a bite of food or something to drink. We ended up leaving at around 6pm to head back to Adelaide. We packed up, thanked Michael for the stay, were gifted a couple of bottle of wine, then we were on our way.

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

We got back just after 7 PM. Upon arrival we were greeted with some fairly nice leather chairs that someone had set out for anyone to take. Max & I loaded them up into their car & took them down the street to the studio for use there. While we were loading up the car I had the privilege of meeting Max & Leena’s neighbors.

Once we’d gotten the chairs settled & everything put back that we packed we began to think about dinner. On the Hurrell list was a Japanese inspired fusion restaurant called Koyo. As the hours were getting a bit late we made sure they would be open & still serving food upon our arrival, we were basically assured their last table of the night.

Koyo is a darling little restaurant. It features a very unique winding booth that ‘s’ curves back & forth through the center of the restaurant, nestling tables in the crux of each of the bends. We sat on the end & once again ordered family style.

We ordered the Spam, Pork, & Cabbage Gyoza with Black Rice Wine Vinegar & Szechuan Chilli Oil, Beetroot with Whipped Feta & Parmesan, Korean Garlic Bread, Burnt End Chashu Pork Fried Rice, the Ebony Angus Striploin Steak with Soy Jus & Korean Garlic Butter, & the Roasted Bulgogi Half Chicken with Crispy Leeks, Garlic Oil, Charred Lemon, & Senbei Rice Cracker. I think we all decided that our favorite things were the chicken, the beets, & the steak!

After dinner the Hurrells took us down the street to get dessert.

Dessert was a local, authentic Italian gelateria, Bottega Gelateria. It’s one of those places with a line down the block in the summer evenings, but the line moves quick. I got two scoops, Hazelnut & Pistachio. Honestly, it was some of the best gelato I’ve ever had! We sat on a bench down the street, finishing off our treats before heading back to the apartment.

Our evening concluded on the couch, only this time instead of VIP we were introduced to the early 00s sitcom that took Australia by storm, Kath & Kim. Staring two best friend comedians that play mother & daughter in the show, Kath & Kim is a parody of suburban life in Melbourne. It looks like it was shot for a middle school film project using your dad’s camcorder, but is way ahead of its time in terms of humor. Ev & I have continued watching it, even post Australia…though we have to do so with the subtitles on…

End Of Day Fourteen

Day Fifteen

In the state of South Australia there is a cartoned iced coffee brand with a cult following, Farmer’s Union. Farmer’s Union Iced Coffee contains three ingredients: coffee, glucose, & reduced fat milk, & for whatever reason, it is phenomenal. Max had bought us some cartons to try & in addition to it being a really solid iced coffee, it also lights you up caffeine wise.

While we sipped our FUIC Max filled us in on the details of his presentation that he’d been selected for to do at the Adelaide Fringe Festival! He walked us through his thought process, what the displays would look like, the coding behind it, how it would function, etc. All in all a really cool, interactive piece & Fringe Fest is a massive event, so happy for him!

Leena & Max had asked us if we there was anything specific that we wanted to do on our last full non-travel day in Australia. I said that I would never turn down another trip to the beach. So that became our afternoon plan.

We made our way back to Henley, this time driving ourselves. We parked near the Jetty so that we could get lunch in Henley Square.

Lunch was Fish & Chips from Henley Takeaway otherwise known as Estia Greek Restaurant. We each got our own which came served on newspaper with a heaping pile of fries. We sat & ate & watched the seagulls fight before heading back up the beach to the same spot we’d claimed a few days prior.

Naturally Max & I immediately headed out into the ocean after the ground cover had been tacked down & all of our belongings were spread appropriately & secured. We were greeted by slightly clearer water & once again the innumerable crabs. Max had found a brand new pair of goggles on the beach so he & I both got to enjoy the wildlife this time around.

At one point a plane passed over head. It was flying fairly low & looked to be only capable of holding about two or so passengers. Max pointed to it & explained that it’s the Shark Patrol. Shark Patrol is a branch of the police that go up & down the coast looking for sharks in the water that may pose a threat to beach goers. If they see a shark in the water they let out a siren to tell people in the water that then need to get out for their safety. We watched it fly over, then continued on pestering the crabs.

This is the chain of events here. Max points out & explains the plane, we talk & chuckle about it as the plane flies towards the Henley Jetty, we go back down to look at crabs, we come back up to the plane circling near the jetty with its alarm going off. The comedic timing of it all way spot on.

So we casually got out of the water.

When we got back to Evan & Leena we had an additional party member, River Lane.

She had just gotten back to Adelaide from holiday with her family. We sat & chatted throughout the afternoon, mostly about diving, travel, & music. She apparently doesn’t live far from the spot we’d plopped & it was nice to formally meet her before we left Australia.

Our dinner/evening plans had been solidified earlier in the week, Elle Holiday & her partner James were set to come over for a game night. They came around 6 PM. We then went through the Uber Eats list of food near by to see what was available & we ended up ordering from Pellegrini Cafe, a local Schnitzel & Pizza place. During our wait for our food we sat, we joked, & told stories. Once our food was arrived we ate, we sat, we joked & told stories. Then once we’d eaten we sat, joked, & told stories. We were so wrapped up in conversation & life that we never got around to playing a single game & before we knew it, the night had crept on & become quite late. We bid them both goodnight & took ourselves to bed as well.

End Of Day Fifteen

Day Sixteen

As with most days, this one starts with coffee. One last trip to Seven Grounds to be exact. I got a Dirty Pandan Matcha Latte & another round of their take on a Full English Breakfast, only this time we took it to go. We spent our morning reassembling, repacking, & getting everything in order. Clean clothing, of which there was a lot thanks to the Hurrell’s wash, went on top with the dirty clothes or clothes we knew we wouldn’t need the rest of the trip stored away. The hallway by the door became our baggage hold as items were restored & sealed for the journey ahead.

Lunch was back at the Adelaide Central Market. We’d opted for that because Max was meeting up with his adoptive mother, Sunset, the market had a plethora of options, & I wanted to grab the Etikette candles that I liked so much from part three. We even ended up back at Zuma Caffe because three of us had ben there a few days prior & the food was solid with a varied selection. Evan & I ordered two different burgers which we split down the middle & gave a half to each of us, as well as a darling little Yuzu Curd Tart.

The burgers we got were the Old School “Zuma Version” Aussie Burger with Two Beef/Pork Patties, Double Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Beetroot, Relish, & Mayo, & the Zuma’s Real Deal Double Cheeseburger with Two Beef/Pork Patties, Double American Cheese, Pickles, Red Onion, Mustard, Ketchup, & Mayonnaise. To be honest, the Aussie burger beat the other by a long shot!

After a very pleasant lunch we headed back to the apartment one last time to gather our belongings, Tetris them in the car, & head out to the airport.

We completed a round of hugs & goodbyes outside of the Adelaide Airport, even snapping a picture or two before we left.

I think it’s at this point that the dread really started to creep in for me. We had spent around two & a half weeks in a warm, welcoming place that, as I mentioned before, felt like an alternate universe to the one we are living in within the US. I think in a lot of ways Australia looks, at least to us, like what The US would have if it hadn’t given into the corporations, to the greed & subjugation. It was a lot like what I imagine The US would be like if it cared for its people, & the earth, & communities instead of trying to leverage everything it can out of us. I know Australia isn’t perfect, but it feels leagues ahead of The US in terms of living a healthy, balanced, happy life where you don’t have to worry about whether your accident is going to bankrupt you or whether your government will prioritize trying to save a dying earth over oil & gas revenues. Again, it has its drawbacks but both Evan & I knew the storm we were returning to arriving on January 17th, 2025 & we desperately didn’t want to return.

It’s not even that we spent two+ weeks on vacation & now we were like ‘vacation for life’ because for the last week of our trip, yes we did activities, but we also did a lot of work & got a sense of normalcy built around that. It was nice to go places & feel safe & cared for & like you as a person mattered to something or someone larger than yourself or your ability to be a monetary outlet.

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

We had a late afternoon flight out of Adelaide, it got us into Sydney around 7:15 PM. From there we hopped into an uber & went downtown to the Hilton Sydney.

The hotel was both stunning & massive. We were placed in a king room about twenty-five floors up with views overlooking the lower part of the city. The room was cozy & modern & we quickly used it to change into nicer apparel & ditch our luggage.

For dinner I’d found us an Italian spot called Ragazzi. Ragazzi Wine & Pasta to be exact. We arrived with the sheer hope that even though we didn’t have a reservation we’d be able to get in. They were kind enough to start us out at an outdoor table which they informed us would have to be moved inside at a certain point, as they were only allowed to have outdoor tables til a certain time for noise ordinance.

We started our meal off with Cantabrian Anchovies with Butter on Sourdough, Lonza (Cured Pork Loin) with Pear Mostarda, Melon, & Pickled Mustard Seeds, & Sugarloaf “Caesar” with Smoked Pancetta, Reggiano, & Cured Egg Yolk. All was exceptional.

At this point Evan could tell that the anxiety of returning to The United States was weighing on me. He asked me what was wrong & I explained to him my feelings & my fears. We both admitted that we’d really hoped in part that we wouldn’t enjoy Australia as much as we did, because it made going back to the regression of America that much harder. I think, unfortunately, that my fears & predictions began to weigh on him as well & it turned his emotions fairly quickly.

We were moved inside, now definitely a mopier lot, but still very much enjoying the food & the restaurant. Our pasta courses then came. We had Cacio E Pepe, Cavatelli with Buffalo Mozzarella, Heirloom Tomatoes, & Basil, & Conchiglie with Prawn, & Smoked Tomato XO Sauce. We were torn on a favorite between the Cav & the Conch.

For dessert we ordered a Mango Royale with Macadamia, Lime, Coconut, & Chantilly as well as two scoops of Sorbetti.

We paid the tab, thanked the staff for an excellent dinner, & made our way up farther into the city towards the harbour.

I am nothing if not well researched when it comes to food or drink at a destination I’m traveling to. In addition to sifting through blogs, different food awards, recommendation site, etc., I always ask locals to give us their own takes on the ‘must hit’ spots while we’re somewhere. I had found a bar through The World’s 50 Best Bars Of 2024 list called Maybe Sammy.

Maybe Sammy currently holds down the #26 spot on this list of the top 50 bars in the world. Of which I am sure there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions. The bar themes itself variably but it always meant to replicate that of a hotel bar. The current menu being so themed around The Grand Budapest Hotel & Monopoly. I got a High Tea (Benraich 10 Year, Fino Sherry, Mastic Tears, Tonic Syrup, Matcha, & Coconut Syrup, Garnished with a sheet of Nori) & a Wake Up Call (Bacardi Ocho 8 Year Rum, Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, De Bortoli Black Noble 10 Year, Espresso, Toffee, & Marscapone) the latter of the two being my definitive favorite.

We made our way back towards the hotel pleasantly buzzed, we’d also had a cocktail with appetizers at dinner. Our night wasn’t quite over yet though, I had one more stop in mind. Back again to Cantina Ok!, a bar that also finds itself on the Top Bars list (#96)!

As I mentioned in part one, upon our initial trip to Cantina Ok!, they do a weekly special. This week’s sounded bomb AF & it was bomb AF, truly one of the top 5 cocktails I had the whole trip! The drink in question was Jax’s Special. Tequila (obviously), Garden Wine, Shaved Frozen Nectarine, & Lychee Ice. It was refreshing with a bit of zippy tartness & subtle sweetness. Wish it was a menu staple, but I get that something isn’t beautiful because it lasts.

Pleasantly inebriated we went back to the hotel to pull out the morning’s clothing, repack, & drift off to sleep.

End Of Day Sixteen

Day Seventeen

I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog series. I’ll be entirely honest & say that I had a deep sense of melancholy while writing it. I loved Australia more than I could have ever imagined I would & this two+ weeks was really just the tip of the iceberg, the continent has so much more to offer, so many more cities to see & places to adventure. Being there filled me with a deep sense of calm that I haven’t felt in a very long time & unfortunately, given the state of the States, doubt I will for a while more. I have a bit more before we head out & put the final ‘period’ in this series. Though it is brief.

We awoke around 7 AM with the obvious intent on hitting The Grumpy Baker one more time before we left town. Part of it was that I wanted one more Hazelnut Latte & a pastry, the other part being that we wanted to get a friend of ours a bag of Single O coffee as a ‘thank you’ for doing some winter prep around our house while we were gone.

The Grumpy Baker locale that we went to was in Hyde Park located inside of an old bus stop. I got my latte, a potato & leek pastry, & I’m sure something sweet. We then walked & ate back to the Hilton to get our belongings & head to the airport for our flight back to the USA.

End Of Day Seventeen

END OF PART FOUR & END OF BLOG SERIES

Travel Blog: Australia- Part Four: Wine-ding Down

Charlie Rogers