McLaren Vale, South Australia update

The neighbours farm, McLaren Vale 

Is it Christmas time already? Where has the time gone? 

The last several weeks have disappeared in to the dust and we are still happily on a garlic farm in South Australia!

Taking a dip at Maslin beach (not the nude end)

We're having an absolute ball in the McLaren Vale. In all honesty, cleaning garlic isn’t exactly challenging, perhaps a little tedious but boy oh boy, motivating ourselves isn't difficult with the promise of a spicy full-bodied red or two, or three, waiting at an unexplored cellar down the road.

Baking german Christmas cookies to share!

In the mornings our responsibility is to sit in the old farm barn on dusty plastic chairs and clean the garlic. Toothbrush in hand we swipe away the dirt and work until the dust covers our clothes and layers up our fore arms. 

Last week though for a change we spent a morning planting just over thirty new trees around the property, digging large holes and filling them up again then making up trays of tiny seedlings, the garden is booming! 

On Saturday's we join Colin at the Willunga farmers market as he sells the garlic to local buyers, so there is certainly a lot to do!

Feeding local Kangaroos

Our day typically finishes up for lunch more or less around 1pm and then we have the afternoons to ourselves. We've had some lazy afternoons watching game of thrones on the computer, baking German cookies and just hanging out with all the farm animals. 

One of our daily tasks has been to feed the Alpacas, sadly one passed away and worse the house chicken got eaten by a fox, so we're keeping a close eye on everyone else! 

A lot of what we decide to do is weather dependant, when it's a little cooler we have more energy to go out. We like to go out as much as we can after a morning in the barn, sometimes just for a walk down the road for some drop bear spotting and kangaroo hunting! Initially we had some trouble spotting anything, secretly camouflaged by the gum trees, but now we see Koalas everywhere along the road. Its fascinating to see how little they move each day, either just across the road or to the neighboring tree, the kangaroos, well they are far more elusive.

Welcome to Adelaide 

Maslin Beach

If we aren't visiting a wine cellar, (click here to link to our wine route blog) we like to spend a few hours swimming or exploring at the beach. 

Down the road, travelling East is the coastal township of Port Willunga. Willunga beach had its five minutes of fame when sadly in 1888, a sailing ship ran aground during a fierce storm. 

It became one of South Australia’s worst maritime disasters. 



Now a popular diving attraction, bits of the old ship are visible poking out of the water, but we like to just waddle in the blue water. Across from the bay is then Maslin beach with its beautiful golden sand. At low tide the remnants of the old jetty built in 1915 can often be seen jutting out of the ocean and along the sandstone cliff are small caves that were once built to store ropes and nets. Here we prefer to swim as the blue water is crystal clear and warm!

Noorlunga Beach, Noorlunga, SA

Noorlunga Beach, Noorlunga, SA

Maslin beach

We are really enjoying ourselves immensely on the farm, from hearing kookaburra in the tall pines laughing with each other early in the morning to the stunningly clear star filled nights! The weather is hot, but bearable. Last week we had some rain come through which lasted a day, the first rain since we arrived… it reminded us a little of a grey Auckland day except it stopped and it was quickly back to 30 degrees again! The smell of the gum trees and the warm dry dust after the wet assault was absolutely sensational.

Hanging out in the beach caves

So other than jaunting around the barren countryside visiting wildlife parks and wineries we will be shortly putting down our toothbrushes returning to Melbourne, Victoria for Christmas.

We would like to take the time to wish all our family and dear friends a safe and happy Christmas! We hope that the new year will bring you adventure, challenge and more motivation to follow your dreams. Keep in touch and we will be blogging early in the new year!

And for some final well meaning thoughts we would like you to share with you the following advice we've picked up this month...... In wine there's wisdom, in beer there's strength, in water there's bacteria! People sensible people, drink wine!

Merry Christmas!!!

Tot siens,

John and Kara

Garlic Harvesting, South Australia

Garlic harvesting at the
Clear Hills Biodynamic Garlic farm

Just a quick update from deep in the dusty trenches of an Australian biodynamic garlic farm! 

We are currently WWOOF’ing on a garlic farm in the McLaren Vale, Adelaide. Having seen an advertisement for casual workers in exchange for food and lodging we made contact, caught the train out of the city and here we are! 

Back of the farm

Another farm lake

Garlic harvesting tractor

The McLaren Vale is an hour south of Adelaide. Our main role has been to essentially harvest garlic, which is a dirty, dirty job but awesome fun! 

Colin, the farmer chugs his rusting red tractor over the field pulling the garlic up, we walk behind, shaking clumps of dirt to bring out the large white knobs of garlic and forming them into bundles. Then with blue twine we quickly tie them together and move on and Bob's your uncle! 



The field is so unbelievably dry and dusty and when we finish up every morning are coated in a layer of orange brown. It sticks to our skin, under our nails, clumps our hair and is in every nook and cranny. 

Piles of our garlic

Tooth brush and scissors- garlic cleaning
can be a little boring.....

As we bend forward collecting the garlic, we can feel the burning sun on our backs, oh its hot! On Wednesday we weren't surprised to see the temperature gauge hit a high of 41 degrees!! This week though it’s a cool 22/23 degrees and the fresh morning air invigorates the spirit. You never really know if you're in for a hot day or something more bearable, so we've tried to get on the field early and finish early.

Looking down across the farm

What we like is that life on the garlic farm is far from boring. We are boarding with a young German couple who are backpacking through Australia, a border collie puppy, an indoor chicken that thinks it's a cat, about 1000 millipedes and a wild fox that visits at night. 

Beautiful farm dog puppy!

Our ramshackle shed-house has minimal electricity, only cold running water and there's no toilet so it's a bit like camping. Surrounding the main neighbouring farmhouse is a large organic garden that we help water every day, and early each morning we make a mad dash across to use the outhouse. 

Yes, they still have an outhouse! 

The old wooden farm house, is over one hundred years old and was first built as a school at the turn of the century. 

Down across the padlock is a large murky dam, two happy alpacas and coming back round towards the road a hen house with twenty laying chooks. Outside the property, there are dozens of wild kangaroos roaming the farmlands and koalas hanging out in trees.

Friendly pet alpaca 

Spot the Koala

Rubbish around the farm

Firewood ready to chop!

It took us six days, working six hours a morning, one hour in the garden watering the plants and five on the field to finish the harvest. We finished several days ago and have now begun undertaking the garlic ‘clean’ which comprises of sitting in a large corrugated barn scraping off all the aforementioned dry and dusty dirt. During this time of contemplation we are considering our next move. We have applied for and are waiting to hear back on several job applications (Including some orange picking at the Murray river or station hand work in Alice springs). Fingers crossed! 

In the little red beast (which we only had to push start twice),
on the way into Hardy's!

With our afternoons, we borrow the little worn out communal farm car and head out exploring. The car is not exactly a go getter and needs a forceful push to get going, but makes the distance.

On Saturday morning the four of us squished in and drove into town. First we stopped at the visitor information centre and learnt there are 82 cellars in the immediate region of which around 50 have cellar doors open to the public.

Maslin Beach, Noorlunga, SA

Equipped with a wine map we enthusiastically set off! 

The McLaren vale region, close to the sea and with dry arid temperatures, is renowned for its Shiraz and old style wine. Also in abundance growing in farms along the road are olives and a summer favourite gorgeous little red strawberries!! 

Toasting Marshmallows at night

Unfortunately, after a hearty effort we only managed to visit seven wineries and a small brewery on day one, wiped out we returned to the farm. 

We would love to visit all the vineyards, we're sure it can be done, but it's a big commitment. Perhaps we just need to start off earlier, or do a few every day. 

This afternoon, we're off to visit the beach before we head back to the methodical and serious business of garlic cleaning tomorrow. 

Tot siens 

John and Kara