Mount Schank

We recently took the goslings for a walk around the rim of Mt Schank.  It's one of the youngest volcanos in Australia, last erupting only 4500 years ago.

It's a short but steep walk up (mostly stairs) and then about 2kms around the top.  Whatever the weather is at home, it always blustery and threatening to rain whenever we're there, but worth the risk.  The views stretch to the sea in one direction and over farmland in every other.  Beautiful.

Kalangadoo Farmers' Market

All I know about Kalangadoo is that it's surrounded by apple, cherry and potato farms, and that it now has a small but quality farmers' market.  

We pootled along to the inaugural market this morning to find tables laden with organic apples, vegetables, preserves and crafts.  Luckily most of it was indoors because in typical SE style, the weather was divine yesterday and miserable today.  The drizzle put a bit of a dampener on the sausage sizzle and coffee stand outside, but didn't take away from the quality and range of produce available.  I bought a jar of ruby red, crystal clear crab apple jelly and a forest of silverbeet.  

The market will be on weekly and you can find out more on their website.

http://kalangadoofarmersmarket.com.au

A trip to Port Fairy

The Goslings' Grandparents live in Port Fairy and that's where we spent last weekend.  It is the perfect destination for families with young children.  It's just an hour and forty five minutes from the Mount (a bit more if you stop on the way to feed the baby) but I find not many people from the Mount exploit its proximity ... most head towards Robe.

The southern end of East Beach.

As soon as we finished unloading the car we walked to the beach.  The southern end of East beach is calm, sheltered, shallow and often covered with shells.  Miss Gosling peeled her clothes off as soon as she hit the sand and ran around with glee for a good half an hour.  A great way to wear her out.  After snacks, her lovely aunt took her for a walk along the jetty to see the boats coming in.  There is seal and big sting ray that both visit the ramp to eat scraps fishermen throw in while cleaning their catch.  It's tuna season at the moment and the men were bringing in very big fish.

We spent a morning walking over the shops and stocking up on toys and books from the op shops for the Grandparents house, had coffees and babycinos and ducked into the lolly shop.  It's a beautiful shop - more like a large cupboard lined with shelves of sweets of every shape and size.  It's irresistible.

The jetty.  It really does look like all the post cards.  I just snapped this photo on my phone.

There's lots more to say in praise of Port Fairy - the shopping is great, the day spa is a real treat, Miss Gosling rates the play park VERY highly, the cannons at Battery Point are of little interest to a two year old but there's a great hill for rolling down.   I won't say anymore, I'll leave it to you to discover yourself.

Excursion to Carpenters Rocks

We took the Goslings to Carpenters Rocks recently.  This is our favourite local beach destination.  It's so beautiful with the lighthouse mounted high above a rocky outcrop.  There are rock pools and shallow coves to explore, sweeping beaches, a wrecked boat for interest and miles and miles of uninterrupted views.  In winter it's blustery and wild, and in summer it's the perfect place for a shallow paddle.  The only drawback is it's also a popular destination for trail bike riders.  Don't get me started.  Why oh why hasn't South Australia banned beach access for bikes and cars?  As far as I can see, they RUIN the atmosphere with their noise and pollution and they are devastating the fragile dune environments.  However, don't let this put you off, they aren't there often and the beach is so vast it's big enough to accommodate everyone (if you can ignore the revving in the distance).

The Gander and Miss Gosling at Carpenters Rocks

Fruit & Veg Swap Meet

This year our veggie patch yielded lots and lots of garlic.  More garlic than one family can possibly use.  Luckily I harvested it around the same time the Mount Gambier Fruit & Veg Swap Meet started up.  Last December I took the garlic along, with some potatoes and onions, and came home with lemons, spinach, cucumbers, rhubarb and basil.  

I've been to each swap meet since then.  Last Saturday I only had half a dozen eggs to swap.  I traded them for some baby spinach, cherry tomatoes and garlic chives.  It's so easy!  You just put your produce on the table and take what you think is a fair trade.  The whole event has such a casual, friendly vibe.  I've met lots of other gardeners, learnt all sorts of tips for growing and preserving veggies, and swapped recipes for future gluts of rhubarb / zucchinis / carrots etc.  The organisers are hoping it will expand so people bring along worm castings, seeds and seedlings.  One lady has been bringing rhubarb crowns. I took one in January and already it has tripled in size.  Maybe I'll be able to take some rhubarb along next summer!

The swap meet is on the Mount Gambier Library verandah, 10am - 11am.  The next three dates are 2 April, 17 April and 14 May 2011.  For more information call the Library or South East Regional Community Health on 8724 5222.

Our free range eggs for the swap meet.  Dated with help from Miss Gosling.

The Womens Work Depot

This shop might look a bit dated, but don't let that put you off - I did, for too long.  It's gold.  Pure gold.

A friend told me you can buy great pav shells there.  Then a mum from playgroup told me she loves the knitted clothes for kids.  Then I saw a sign in the window for home made ice cream.  That clinched it for me, I was in the door in a flash.

I haven't tried the pavs, and the kids clothes are cute (though reminiscent of 1980's Family Circle), and the ice cream is sublime.  It's the real stuff.  No dodgy thickeners, sweeteners or dairy by-products, just eggs, sugar, cream and condensed milk, plus vanilla or chocolate. And a steal at $4.50 for half a litre.  I think it's better than any other ice cream you can buy in the Mount, and that's including when Molten stocked Timboon.

They also have frozen lasagnes, sausage rolls and pasties, plants, fruit & veg and dozens of slices and biscuits.  I can vouch for the anzacs and chocolate melting moments.  And it's all so scandalously cheap I might never bake again.

The Depot opened in 1970.  It has about 100 members contributing goods.  It's non profit and all proceeds go to charity.  Go check it out.