The Inclinator - Shoalhaven Heads, New South Wales, Australia
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Mon 29 Mar 2010 12:58
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34:51.278S 150:44.947E
On February 15, we traveled northeast back to the
coast just south of Sydney to Shoalhaven Heads. On our
way there, we drove through the Kangaroo Valley which was very pretty
and lush (what was that about on-going drought in this area??),
but lacking kangaroos - at least from what we could see
driving through it in the mid-afternoon when smart kangaroos were
probably holed up somewhere sleeping. Approaching the Kangaroo Valley from
above was an incredible sight as the valley opened up before us while we snaked
back and forth down the semi-steep face leading into it. Sorry, no
pictures - there were no scenic overlooks and the road was too narrow to pull
over without going over the side.
Picture 1 - Shoalhaven Heads is a tiny
beach town with a general store, cafe, pharmacy a few
holiday cabins to rent, and a small hotel (which is really a pub with a
couple of rooms above it). Sue and John's friends Robin and Ron own a home
right on the beach that they recently converted from a very old cottage
originally owned by Robin's family. Their new, striking abode with
its curved roof overhanging a wide wrap-around veranda, sits on stilts to keep
it above any flood waters that might creep up the few feet
from the normal high tide mark. The stilts give the house a dramatic
look, but strike fear into the heart of someone who depends on crutches to
get himself around. We arrived in the damp afternoon and John pulled the
car up directly in front of the wide, wet, steep set of stairs leading up
to the house. I could feel Don's anxiety creeping out from under his skin
- that struggle to remain polite and calm while at the same time, wondering
how the hell he was going to get up the stairs with dignity intact in front
of friends-of-friends he has never met before. It was about then, when we
flung open the car doors and giant mosquitoes started attacking us,
that Robin, never one to keep ideas quietly to herself, yelled out,
"Hello! How are you? Oh! The bad leg! Don't worry, you can use the
inclinator!" Hmmm...inclinator? "Oh! Inclinator!", we all
understood at once when we saw the contraption Robin was referring to
running up the left-hand side of the stairs nearly engulfed in runaway vines
from the garden. Not five minutes later and Don was riding comfortably up
the inclinator perched on its chair with booted foot supported nicely on
the foot rest (picture 1). Looks a bit like one of those motor scooter ads
for the elderly, doesn't it? Not that Don is elderly, but in those ads,
usually there is a grinning senior (not that Don is a senior) seated on a
shiny-new scooter looking like he or she is having the ride
of his or her life. Not so different from Don on the inclinator,
don't you think? Anyway, Robin said she and Ron had the
inclinator installed a few months ago to assist one of their friends (or a
family member? can't remember). Perfect timing for us. By the way,
that's Robin in the picture watching Don's upward progress.
Picture 2 - View of the beach from the veranda
of Ron and Robin's house.
Picture 3 - In keeping with the extensive
garden/fabulous food trend that seemed to be developing as we hopped from one
Australian friends-of-friends house to another, Ron and Robin presented us with
two fabulous meals complete with garden grown accompaniment extravaganza.
On our second night there, however, Robin went above and beyond and dug
out a bottle of Penfolds Grange from the depths of their wine cellar.
Penfolds Grange is said to be the most collectable wine in Australia
(for those that actually collect wine, as opposed to those that just drink it
like we do). It is made primarily from the Shiraz (Syrah) grape
with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. It
sells for hundreds of dollars and sometimes thousands, if the vintage is a
famous one (1971, 1990 and 1998, for example, were very good years). Robin
decided we were Grange-worthy, and figured it was high time the bottle
was opened anyway. It didn't hurt that this particular bottle was given to
Robin's first husband on his 50th birthday (quite a few years ago), and
when their marriage broke up, he neglected to take the bottle with him.
Since all six of us had gone through a divorce, it seemed appropriate
that we should drink the ex-husband birthday wine together. It was decided
that the precious bottle of wine be opened, decanted carefully and properly
allowed to breathe. A good plan. So, the cork screw went in.....
and a piece of the cork came out. After cork-clearing
attempts by each man and twenty minutes later, the crumbled cork was removed and
the wine filtered and decanted. The initial aroma didn't bode well
for the wine, but thinking only positively, we left the wine to rest
for a while before tasting. In the picture, from left to right behind the
empty bottle and decanted wine is John, Sue, Robin and Ron -
all smiling and thinking positive thoughts. After what the
group deemed was a sufficient amount of time, John was brave enough to do
the tasting. He lifted the glass, breathed in deeply, furrowed his brow,
lowered the glass, scrutinized the wine, lifted the glass again, took
a small sip, and immediately declared it, "Rubbish!" So much for
the prize-winning wine. Says something for screw tops, doesn't it?
All the reasonably priced wines in Australia and New Zealand are capped off with
screw tops these days, and not a single one we've opened so far has
been rubbish. Ah well.....in the end it seems only fitting that the
ex-husband birthday wine turned sour. We had an excellent dinner anyway,
and drank a perfectly good $18 bottle of wine instead.
Anne
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