I recently wrote an entry about my Top 5 Destinations that related to my travels in 2009. One spot I neglected to include was a pretty important one; home.

I spent 17 years in the South East of South Australia (now renamed a similar mouthful – The Limestone Coast) before moving to Adelaide for University and work. I had the good fortune of travelling for six months in 2009, but in November I boarded BA9 at Heathrow and made the long, slow journey back to Australia. It had been pretty cool and frosty in the UK, so to receive news that I would be flying into a record November heatwave I was pretty excited.

A lot of people I schooled and worked with in Adelaide and South Australia in general spend a great deal of their time whinging and complaining about the place. Comedian and radio personality Merrick Watts once said the most underrated place he knew was Adelaide: ‘I’m tired of people who know nothing about the place writing it off. It’s awesome and the people who live there should be more proud and less dismissive. There are places on Earth that would die to have half of what that city offers. Having said that, there are a fair few bogans who struggle to speak the Queens English.’ I don’t really want to focus on Adelaide on this entry, but what Merrick said is true of much of the state. Travel is a great tool for opening your mind not only to the world, but to your backyard.

A good example is the South-East. I grew up in Penola and Coonawarra, one famous for the soon-to-be canonised Mother Mary MacKillop, the other for terrific wine. It shouldn’t then come as a surprise that Penola, a town of 1200 people has more restaurants and cafes per capita than anywhere else in Australia.

Coonawarra has over twenty cellar doors and almost all on a single road compressed into a 15 kilometre stretch which makes it an absolutely fantastic cycling and tasting tour (just be sure to stay on the very wide shoulders provided, as it is a main road with plenty of traffic.) Call into Fodder for lunch, a great cafe complete with a wood oven and a wine list featuring not just the best from ‘home’, but also ‘away’, and ‘far away’ meaning if you’ve had your fix of Coonawarra Cabernet you can easily grab a Riesling from the Rhine, or some bubbles from Reims.

If you are staying in Penola (which you probably will, the township of Coonawarra has limited options) then take advantage of the late-closing Cellar Doors in the township. Raidis Estate on the northern edge of Penola is the youngest cellar door in Coonawarra only having its doors opened by the Deputy Prime Minister in November last year. With a great line up of wine, an interesting gallery of images, and a Greek-Australian history worth learning about it is certain to become one of the cellar doors in Coonawarra. The other option in Penola for a walking distance tasting is Koonara run by Dru Reschke which is pretty much in the centre of the town. I just had a look at the Koonara site and I see that they’re getting good press on their Pinot – not a typical Coonawarra wine.

Food option abound in Penola, so after you’ve had your lunch at Fodder, you can grab a delicious dinner at Pipers; a beautiful fine dining experience. Chef Simon Bowen (son of Doug and Joy of Bowen Estate) will happily whip up a storm, but I’d definitely start with Wild rabbit & local mushroom pithiviers, mustard beurre blanc and shallot puree, followed by a main of Oak smoked sirloin of Mayura Station Wagyu beef, medium rare, duck liver parfait, duxelles, potato puree & jus before finishing off with Roasted apple tarte tatin, apple & calvados ice cream.

If you are in Penola, then there is a good possibility that you’re in a car which is at times a very good thing. One perk is that you’ll be able to drive to the Barn Steakhouse which will give carnivores an unbelievably good piece of beef. I’ve had steak in many restaurants; I don’t think one has been as good as their rare New York Sirloin, weighing in at 1kg. Beef is produced by the family on the cattle grazing country of the South East, and it is aged to perfection. 

I can’t help out much on accommodation options as I tend to stay with family and friends, but I have had a nosey at a room at Must at Coonawarra and their rooms looked plenty good enough for even the fussiest traveller. 

Hmmm, it’s enough to make both me and my stomach a little homesick.