acrosswalkwayswithtotaldisregardforhumantraffic.It pays
tokeepyourwitsaboutyou.
Asyouventurefurtherfromthemainhomestead,their
numbersgrow.You’llcomeacrossthebrutelonersthatareblack
wallaroos,andwatchasalphamalesstareeachotherdown,
surroundedbyharemsoffemaleroos.You’llseejoeyspeering
outoftheirmother’spouches,unperturbedbytheendless
cooingandclickofcamerasfromonlookers.
Stayingat WolganValleyis likebeingonAustraliansafari,
takingyouupcloseandpersonalwithwildlifethatmost
Australianshaveseenonlyfleetinglyinthewild,if at all.Just
likesafari,somecreaturesaremoreelusivethanothers.The
property’sresidentplatypushasn’tbeenspottedsinceFebruary
byanyoftheresort’strainedfieldguides.Occasionallya guest
willclaima sighting– butthey,frankly,can’tbetrusted.After
all,halfofthemarerunningaroundplayingRockorWombat.
It’snotjustthewildlifethatmakesWolganValleysouniquely
Australian.It’salsothelandscape.Soaringredrocksurrounds
thevalleyplains,whichoscillatefromemeraldgreentosun-
bleachedblondedependingonthetimeofyear.Asduskfalls,
thesurroundingcliffsglowred,bathingthemainhomestead
ina scarletlightthatyouwon’tfindanywhereelseintheworld.
Sincefirstopeningin2009,whenEmiratesestablishedthe
formercattlestationasa conservationreservewitha 30-yearplan
toreturnthelandtoitspre-settlercondition,theresorthassold
itselfasthequintessentialAustralianescape.
In2015,premiumresortoperatorOne&Onlytookover
management,elevatingtheexperiencetoa newlevelofluxury.
Butthereremaineda disconnectbetweentheresort’sculinary
offeringanditsuniquelocationandlandscape.
EnterJamesViles;theacclaimedchefbehindBowral’s
award-winningrestaurantBiotaandself-confessedcountry
boy.A manascomfortablecookingfreshlycaughttroutover
a campfire(whichheserveswrappedinhand-pickedgarden
greens)asheis finessingwafer-thinshardsofburnthoney
brûléeovera delicatesorbetoffreshBilpinpears.
VilesmovedtoWolganValleyat thestartofAugustand
wasted no time overhauling the resort’s culinary offering,rewritingmenusandreplantingtheediblegardens.Hisfocus,
asit wasat Biota,is onkeepingproducehyper-localandusing
foodtoextendanddeepentheWolganexperience.Heplans
tointroducedailymenus,highlightingthefreshest,most
seasonalproduceeachday.
“Thebeautyabouthereis there’sreallyanopportunity
tomakea differenceandcreatea senseofplace.You’vegot
toloosenit upa bitandmakeit fun.It can’tbeeverythingin
a copperpotallthetime.That’sa bigthingformegoingforward,
keepingit premiumandtellinga nicestorythatis a truestory.”
Everythinginthemaindiningroomis nowcookedover
coalinsteadofgas,whiledownstairsintheCountryKitchen
thedaysoforderingpremiumcutsofmeataregone.Instead,
Vileschampions“wholeformat”cooking.
“We’llbuya wholepigandbreakit downandusecertain
partsofit eachdayonthemenu.Thatformeis whata real
countrykitchenshouldfeellike.”
Aswebouncealonga rutteddirttrackinoneoftheresort’s
signaturegreenLandRoverDefenders,Vilessayshe’sstill
waitingtodiscovertheproperty’sfullbounty,asthewinter
frostsstarttogivewaytospring.
“Atthemomentthere’sheapsofmallowandlotsofedible
weeds,”heexplains.“ButI’mwaitingtoseewhatelsecomesup.”
Wildradish,mallow,dandelionandwildrocketareall
inamplesupply.Vilesis alsoconvincedthereareyabbiesand
basstobefoundinthedaminthebackblocksoftheproperty.
Hisplan,ultimately,is toremovealloceanseafoodfromthe
menuandonlyuselocalcatchfromsurroundingdams,rivers
andestuaries.
“Ijustfeellikecominguphereandhavinga massiveloin
offishfromtheSouthernOceandoesn’tmakesense.Bythe
timeit getshere,it’sfourorfivedaysold.We’vegottogeta bit
morerealaboutwhatweuseasfish.There’sestuarieswith
yabbies.There’sthreadfinandbass,rainbowtrout.We’re
goingtotaprightintoallthatstuff.”
Atthemoment,thepropertyis onlycateringtodomestic
touristsduetoborderrestrictionsbuttypically,WolganValley
draws visitors from around the globe. For Viles, the challenge➤“We’ve gottogeta bitmorerealaboutwhat
we useasfish.There’sestuarieswithyabbies.
There’s threadfin and bass, rainbow trout.”122 GOURMET TRAVELLER