I
t’sthefirsttimeina longtimethatI
haven’tbeenwokenbyanalarm.Between
midweekmeetings,early-morninggym
sessionsandweekendrendezvous,the
not-so-soothingtuneofcosmicchimes
hasbecomea perpetualsoundinmy
day-to-daylife.Butnottoday.It’sjustshyof6am
anda deep,resonantmooingbreaksmyslumber.
I’mat KimoEstate,a 2833-hectarefarmin
Gundagaidottedwiththreeluxuriousecohuts,one
ofwhichI’mcallinghomefortheweekend.Perched
highona hilltop,thesimpleA-framestructureis
completelyoffthegrid:noelectricityormod-consare
tobefound.Thelightsaresolar-powered,andwater
is collectedfromanundergroundrainwatertank
thenheatedbysolarpower.There’sa fireplace,too.
I rolltomyleftandwatchthesunrisethrough
thehut’slow,louvredwindows.Theskyturnsa golden
hueandtheworldslowlycomesintofocus,including
theherdofcattlegrazinginthepaddockbelow.With
360-degreeviewsoftheMurrumbidgeeRiverflats
anditsmountainousperimeter,there’splentyto
keepyoureyesoccupied.I couldliehere all day, but
breakfast is begging to be cooked.A coolerfilledwitha bountyoffresh,local
produce– eggs,bacon,sourdough,balsamic-marinated
tomatoes,homemadebakedbeans– anda compactgas
barbecuearesetupundertheeaveoutside.I flickthe
ignitionandgetfrying,sautéing,toasting.Foodseems
totastebetterwhenit’scookedandeatenal fresco,
especiallywhenit’spairedwithviewsasgoodasthese.
Althoughthereis amplesupplyofteaandcoffee
inthecupboard,we’rewhiskedintotownforwhat
is saidtobethebestbrewontheHumeHighway
betweenSydneyandMelbourne.MatthewLucas,
ownerofTheCoffeePedalerinGundagai,emerges
witha selectionforustosample;hecallsit the
coffeeappreciationexperience.There’sanespresso,
longblackandflatwhitemadewithethicallyand
sustainablysourcedbeans.
Thecaffeinebeginstotakeeffectaswedriveto
TumblongHillswinery,a 15-minutejauntfromthe
towncentre.Thevineyardis surprisinglyverdantand
I forgetfora momentthatalmostallofNSWis in
drought.VigneronSimonRobertsontellsusthat
thedeepvolcanicsoils,mountain-derivedwaterand
katabaticwinds(downslopewindsflowingfromhigh
elevations)onthewesternfoothillsoftheSnowy
Mountainscreateanidealwinemakingenvironment.
Wemakeourwayuptothetopoftheproperty
andintoRobertson’shome.There’sbarelyenoughtime
toditchourdust-coveredshoesbeforea tastingglassis
thrustintoourhands.“Let’skickthingsoffwiththe
fiano,”hesays.Brightlemonyellowincolour,it has
aromasofgingerandjasmineflower.It’szingyandcrisp
andtheperfectantidotetoa 32-degreeday.So,too,is
a splashoftheSangioveserosé,whichis pourednext.
Thefianoandroséarebothhighlypalatable
drops,butthecombinationofrichsoilandcool
nightsmeansthatGundagaiis bestforproducing
full-bodied red wines: shiraz and cabernet sauvignon,➤140 GOURMET TRAVELLER