A November Photo Essay in BW

A photo essay for the month of November. Thanks to Rewind Photolab and George’s Cameras. 

Sarah - 120 Film

Sarah and Lachlan

Sarah and Lachlan, two of the most relaxed people I've been fortunate enough to meet. From the morning right till they tried to quietly sneak out at the end of the night they were so chill. Wind was the only obstacle of the day that and a nice bright sun. However that was not going to stop anyone. Smiles ran thick, love was in the air and the gale might have helped spread it? The bridal Party was really distracted and were just having fun mucking around which was nice to see, a bit of a challenge  and made for some great shots. Was grateful to be a part of such an auspicious event!

Big thanks to my Second Photographer and Assistant Laura Mckinlay for more amazing help! Thanks to Jacquie Casey and her amazing flowers, and the ButterFactory for keeping my meal warm when I ate an hour late and the numerous coffees to keep me going!

I'll let the photos speak for themselves. 

(Sorry Squarespace my website won't let me post some of the shots so I will have to try and add them later.)

An interesting inflated idea...

4.3.17

If you wondered about yesterday’s post, missed the live stream, or it was just too dodgy streaming from an abandoned railway station in a tunnel.

This is what we got up to:

In the morning I woke up to messages telling me about theflooded railway station so despite the rain I headed down to the tunnel to see what we could get. After navigating foggy roads I arrived amazed to find two other photographers I knew, Matt and Karan from a photography trip to NZ. 

Karen had already attempted to walk through the water and get a shot, after two steps he was neck deep in water and had to quickly raise his camera to prevent the inevitable. This was the best I could manage. 

Realising that it was going to be a fruitless endeavour without a water-craft my crazy side kicked in.

 Calling my mate Blake was the first step. Followed by an hour of running around to shops because of course at the end of summer every blow up craft goes out of stock! This is what ensued: 

Blowing up a raft that really was designed for a pool and using a kayak paddle we navigated down the unknown waters towards the tunnel. Just phone in hand trying to live stream the event.

We managed to get into the tunnel through the waterfall with no mishaps.

Thats when the already jumpy livestream cut out. Turns out there is no reception in a bricked up tunnel… who'd have thought! 

The tunnel which started wide and tall enough that the paddle couldn’t reach the either side sharply changed. 

About 50 meters in and we could even manoeuvre the paddle and the roof was getting closer and closer to our heads as the tunnel dipped. Eventually causing us to turn around and make our way back. It was then I decided to switch off the torch and Wow what a sight. Im sorry I couldn't capture this on camera no settings would've allowed this to work well. Glow worms lined the ceiling in a soft luminous glow which was just visible. The sight was amazing and as we floated in almost darkness except for the light at the end of the tunnel it made it worth it.

Paddling back to the car, it was time to risk some serious gear. Managing to convince a lovely couple to come on down for a shoot we managed to coordinate some amazing shots from inside and out of the tunnel with them. Thanks so much guys for being amazing sports! Probably the best engagement photos someone could have if they're willing to do something adventurous!

Thanks for watching along on the live stream those who tried and hope you enjoyed the little crazy Saturday Story.

P.s. We did finish with 'boat beers' (our inflatable had an esky) 20$ how good is that!

A South Australian Gem

Visiting South Australia? Or lucky enough to live here?

Only approx. 2 Hours drive from the CBD lies the small town of Clare; Famous once for supplying Adelaide with fresh fruit and Veg, it's now renowned for its wine.

In 2016 I was fortunate enough to visit Clare with Choice Hotels Australia-Pacific in their Comfort Inn Hotel as part of a top 10 Australian Travelgrammers. This gave me  great taste into the wonders Clare offered.

Can you do Clare as a Day Trip?

Absolutely, this last Saturday I was lucky enough to return to Clare just for the day; however I thoroughly recommend staying one night and make it a weekend. There are plenty of B & B's to stay at like the cute Vine Art, or for comfort and convenience the Comfort Inn is located on the main Street.

Things to Do:

From riding the main private bike trail "The Riesling Trail" on a hire bike, visiting some local Heritage and of course Wine Tasting! My top Activities are below.

Seven Hills Winery: Riesling Trail

My Top Activities:

1. Eat at Seed for Dinner (Read further down for a review)
2. Riding the Riesling Trail (An excellent bike ride; go as for or short as you want on the fairly flat trail stopping in at various wineries. Then call a taxi to pick you up at the end to return [Dave the taxi driver does an amazing job 0428055590]).
3. Visit Wineries: Read down for my favourites.
4. Visit the SevenHill Winery Historical Sites. (One of the first wineries brought to the area by religious jesuits, the winery boasts a fantastic cellar and gardens to stroll around or buy some snacks at the winery and have a picnic lunch (easily accessible from the Riesling trail).
5. Tapas for lunch at Mr Micks.
6. Bungaree Station, the oldest historical still Family owned sheep shearing property, its both gorgeous and interesting. 

Bungaree Station

My Top Winery Picks:

1. Kilikanoon (Top wines, Prodigal Grenache, Morts Cut Riesling, Kelly 1932 Grenache, Second Fiddle Rosé, Oracle Shiraz)
2. Jeanneret (Top wines, Doozie Riesling, MoonDance Malbec, Stand and deliver Shiraz, Hummer Merlot)
3. Tim Adams (Top Wines: Reserve Riesling, Semillion, Pinot Gris, The Fergus, Reserve Tempranillo, Cabernet Malbec)
4. Pikes
5. SevenHills Winery
6. Knappstien Winery

(The wineries selected are based on 1. Quality of Wines and 2. Cellar Door experience. All these top wines are my personal favourites at tasting from the wineries).

Jeanneret Winery

Saving the best till Last! Seed Kitchen and Winehouse.

An attained pipe dream for Guy Parkinson and Candice Leighton who from the Hunter Valley have settled on the property and the want to have a kitchen of their own. Guy commands the kitchen and Candice runs the floor which from both times I've visited haven't disappointed in their roles. They remove any doubt from my mind after reading mixed reviews that Seed is a must do when in Clare.

Entering the beautiful old stone premise, the decor is chosen perfectly; With warm wood tones, Balanced Mood lighting with a great amount of Natural Light and lots of living plants it's a pleasant space. The classic white table cloths are forgiven as they provide a great contrast with the dark toned china. 

Expect to be greeted with a friendly smile, and immediate attention;  Offers for drinks or cheese platters are given as you have the option to wait at the bar before going to your table. I recommend getting a cheese as I missed out doing the first time; the ingredients are amazingly fresh and everything from the cheese to the honey are sourced well.

Getting down to the meal, a very reasonably priced menu faces you. Above ordering from the menu (unless something jumps out at you) I recommend choosing the chefs choice at a brilliant $59 4 plate Meal or $99 with matched wines (prices 4.2.17). 

We started with a warmed bread and homemade butter; Followed by cold smoked tomato dish with fresh mozzarella which was a healthy relief to have a unique style dish that let the ingredients speak for themselves.

Peach, procuitto, cream, mint and olive oil. Not the first list of ingredients that flows through my mind on a second course; But from the effervescence from the peach on tongue to the touch of savoury this dish surprised and delighted.

The following two dishes of Black Linguine with Blue Crab; and Steak with condiments and Salad didn't let down the excitement except the mustard was so filled with flavour, I had to shy away. So when it came to dessert we had no more room, we had to order a dish to try anyway. So we shared it between us; one of the best decisions!

The drinks did not disappoint either, finally a South Australian restaurant that doesn't shy away from wine recommendations and follows through with results! From a fantastic Gin the 78 from the Adelaide hills with handpicked garnish to a perfect Rosé with dessert. 

Seed Kitchen is a Gastronomical Delight with their simple honest food and in my top 10 favourite Australia Restaurants which includes Attica. A must do for your visit to South Australia.

See the SEED Photo album HERE.