Wine and bushtucker

The great wine, food and forest adventure tour is a four-hour environmental and cultural experience in the heart of the Margaret River wine region. Your host Helen Lee, the Cape region's very own bushtucker woman has received local and Western Australian tourism awards in 1995, 1996 and 1997. And now she has won the inaugural tour guide category in the 1999 Western Australian Tourism Awards. The tour begins with a visit to an old-growth karri and jarrah forest where you will taste crisp cool premium white and red Margaret River wines, traversing alongside waterfalls and caves, while the environment guide explains the heritage of the forest in terms of Aboriginal and pioneer culture. Important wine-tasting skills are explored as you stop to soak up the majesty of the forest and grape-growing surrounds, sampling the premium wines of Leeuwin Estate, Green Valley, Cape Clairault, Serventy Organic wines, Hayshed Hill, Vasse Felix, Xanadu and more. The 800-year-old Karri tree at Leeuwin Estate is your next destination and is the perfect place to view the vines, forest and begin to understand the history of the region, while Helen demonstrates how grub pate is made. Finally the award-winning bushtucker woman will serve a picnic of gourmet Australian foods including cheeses, smoked meats, anti-pasto, homemade breads, as well as emu, kangaroo, wild fruits, nuts and the famous bardi grub pate. Then with a short stop to view the sunset in the company of dozens of wild large grey kangaroos, the last of the wine is consumed. The four-hour tour is full of the best forest, food and wine in the Margaret River region. Cost is $50 for adults, with group discounts available If you would like to find out more about the forest adventure or the cave and canoe bushtucker tour which travels up the Margaret River, phone (08) 9757 9084, 0419 911 971 or enquire at the Augusta, Busselton or Margaret River tourist bureaux.