Getting Away for a Day in Western Australia

My guide and companion, Gillian Collison, adeptly tapped into my predilection for a casual, spontaneous outing, so we were off across the Darling Ranges and into the Avon River Valley.

A happily agrarian landscape, the valley was first explored in the 1830s by Ensign Dale. This Avon is pronounced with a short “a,” unlike the Shakespearean river which serves, one could assume, as its namesake.

Collison, as co-owner of a superbly individualized tour operation called Away for a Day, probably knows this valley better than Ensign Dale ever did. Both sophisticated and possessor of a soft touch, Gillian’s British roots and love of Australia form a successful hybrid of style and accessibility. She made me laugh and she made me curious.

In an effort to establish a truly singular travel option for Perth visitors in search of something other than the waves off Fremantle, she and partner Anne Wark threw themselves into a comprehensive program of Avon Valley education.

They emerged a year later with a close knowledge of the valley’s sights, sounds, characters and idiosyncrasies, characteristics often missing from traditional tours. Thus was born Away for a Day for the kind of traveler who seeks a customized itinerary, gourmet meals and the company of an intelligent, compassionate guide.

Air Grew Moody

As Collison and I drove through the Darling escarpment the sun slipped behind a gray shroud. The air grew moody, electric. It started to spurt rain. Remarkably, it didn’t matter. The beauty of the fertile fields, the cragginess of the rock outcroppings, the appeal of the subtly hued Patterson’s Curse were all enhanced by the mistiness.

The wind blew cold--tall green wheat swung in its rhythm; the red dirt roads bled messily into the verdant roadside. The weather was appalling. I loved it.

Patterson’s Curse--wide lavender swaths cutting through the hills--is a weed so named by the farmers who resent its ability to thrive under any circumstance and its preference for land that is supposed to host crops. Apiarists refer to the Curse as Salvation Jane, for its attractiveness to bees. It decorated the roadside and flourished in pastures all the way to Irishtown.

Buckland House

We swung into the road that leads to Buckland House, an 1850s colonial homestead notable partly for its National Trust listing but, as far as I was concerned, at least as much for its breathtaking panorama of green-gold fields and a small lake punctuated by reeds that host a healthy population of birds.

As we drove past a large white ibis winged into the slate-covered sky, angling back over the property. We planned only a short visit, but those blessed with the luxury of time may overnight there; I envy them their view at dawn.

Buckland’s proprietors, Tony and Penny Motion, Collison warned, are an eccentric couple--she’s related to the Duke of Wellington and he is a former MI-5 government operative.

Four years ago the Motions were out for a country stroll. They stumbled upon Buckland, which happened to be for sale. Five days later they held the deed, and began a program of restoration as a private venture.

“It’s so odd,” Tony said. “Australians work in the country and retire to the city; the English do the opposite. Certainly we did.” He lifted the lid of an 1820s Swiss music box and a ghostly tune began. The melody conjured up scenes from a Vincent Price movie, the kind with enormous, stony mansions that are always cold and poorly lit.

“This is our home,” Tony said. “We make no pretense that it’s a museum. I’m the only museum piece here.”

Friendly Interior

Indeed, stately though it is, Buckland’s interior is friendly. Along with the requisite antiques and family pictures of people in long cars and gowns, the Motions have a respected collection of art, much of it by contemporary Australian painter Pro Hart.

We wandered from room to room. I ran my hand over the smooth jarrah and jamwood appointments as Tony’s commentary mixed fact and nonsense.

This was a nice house and, after 20 minutes, these were good friends. Two cats and three dogs roamed along with us, and so, probably, would the two peacocks if they could have fit their tails through the door. Luckily, the Motions’ 4,500 “woolen termites” (sheep) remained outside.

Collison and I reluctantly pushed on to Northam, the biggest town in the region with about 7,000 of the valley’s 14,000 residents.

In the spirit of this adventure I chose an authentic valley lunch at O’Hara’s Pub, instead of Away for a Day’s typical spread of pate, smoked salmon, salads and nuts, among other things.

Outside of Northam, Beth and Jim Side run Australian Sheepskin Products, Western Australia’s largest woolskin tannery.

The plant processes 80,000 sheepskins a year. It’s an incredibly laborious industry; each skin is handled 55 times in the course of producing rugs, car seat covers, baby mats, sweaters and toys. I spied one rocking sheep for $150 that put the typical hobby horse to shame.

Tanning Emu Hides

One of the plant’s latest endeavors is the tanning of emu hides, an experimental process that yields a wonderfully textured product--rare, and therefore pricey. I envisioned wearing a pair of emu boots, but suspected that first I would have to find an emu, then talk him out of his skin.

It was time for tea, and as scores of gray and crimson twenty-eights (also known as Port Lincoln ringnecks) swooped across the road, Collison suggested that we head for the town of York and to Hillside, the home of the Jim Cumberland-Brown family.

Normally, Devonshire teas are served in their wisteria-bound garden, but the blustery wind rendered the outdoors inhospitable this day. A pity, given the elevated vantage you’d expect from a house named Hillside.

The hills there looked faded, and whether it was due to the sun’s lower position or simply to a different sort of vegetation, it felt different from the lush countryside around Buckland.

The persistence of the wind pushed thoughts of “Wuthering Heights” into my mind, but the presence of peacocks in the garden and the abundant, purple wisteria jerked me back to Western Australia. We went inside for tea.

The chill from our bones summarily dismissed, Jim invited me back into his studio, from which he turns out beautifully crafted works of wood and scrimshaw.

“Blackboy is good for the smaller pieces,” he said, offering a round picture frame in one hand, a weed pot in another. “It’s a good carving wood; six of its 227 varieties are carvable. But what I like best is that it is indigenous and unique to Western Australia.”

We headed due west back into Perth as the sun was on its farewell slide for the day. I stared at the vibrant blue leschenaultia, a sure sign of the season.

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I selected the pastoral refuge of the Avon River Valley, but Collison or Wark, or one of their superbly trained touring staff, will happily guide you through historic landmarks or into the bush. It’s up to you.

For more information, contact Away for a Day, P.O. Box 8169, Perth, Stirling Street, 6000 Western Australia. The cost is $260 U.S. including car and guide, plus $50 per person for gourmet lunch and all admission fees and refreshments. Special requests (translator, vehicle/craft rental, etc.) are extra.

The city of Perth, an hour’s drive due west of the Avon River Valley, offers a wide selection of accommodations.

Newest and fanciest of the urban venues include the Merlin Perth (99 Adelaide Terrace; about $100 U.S. double), with a spectacular acrylic-domed atrium and views of the Swan River, and the Burswood Island Resort Hotel (P.O. Box 500, Victoria Park; $90 U.S. double), the only place in Western Australia where you can legally gamble.

The established Parmelia Hilton (F. David Mill Street; $90 U.S. double) is a first-class winner in downtown Perth.

In Fremantle, a 20-minute drive west of Perth at the mouth of the Swan, try the Esplanade Plaza (Marine Terrace, P.O. Box 1102), a refurbished Victorian beauty with a Casablancalike feel inside. Rate about $70 U.S. double.

The Avon River Valley doesn’t offer much in the way of accommodations but we liked Settler’s House in York, a mid-19th-Century establishment of considerable charm. Rates: $35 to $55 U.S. double.

For dining in the valley, stick with the Ensign Dale Restaurant at Settler’s House. For a more informal culinary experience, do as the natives do--quaff a brew and enjoy a counter lunch at O’Hara’s restaurant and pub in Northam.