PEPR Publicity

 There are now nearly 500 members in 56 countries – intimate restaurants, romantic castles, dream manors and villas by the sea. You might have heard of the Michelin-starred chefs Heston Blumenthal of the Fat Duck or Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in California? And our own Tetsuya’s in Sydney and Jacques Reymond in Melbourne? All are Grands Chefs of Relais & Châteaux.

My new role is to coordinate and promote our 11 members – in Australia, the charming out-of-town escapes Chateau Yering in the Yarra Valley, Jonah’s at Whale Beach and Tower Lodge at in the Hunter Valley’s wine country.

 In New Zealand the awe-inspiring Kauri Cliffs at Matauri, the golf and spa getaway Cape Kidnappers at Hawkes Bay, the historic manor home Otahuna Lodge near Christchurch and Whare Kea with its magnificent mountain-top private chalet at Wanaka. There’s also the delightful opera themed hotel Mollies in Auckland and finally the extraordinary Le Taha’a with its overwater suites and beach villas on Taha’a island near Tahiti.

 Now, I must say my induction to Relais & Châteaux was fast and frenetic but came with plenty of sweeteners in the form of meeting the wonderful people who make up the Relais “family”, including President Jaume Tapies and CEO Jacques-Olivier Chauvin and the lovely Vice President Dominique Loiseau. First, I met the delegation members at the beautiful Chateau Yering, where we were rewarded for our weekend of strategy meetings with an inspired truffle degustation by Executive Chef Mathew McCartney. Then, it was off to Paris for me, for training and meetings at the R&C head offices and Maison, followed by a conference at Cazaudehore La Forestiere, a classic garden and art hotel in the forests of St Germain-en-Laye just outside of Paris, which the Kings of France once used as hunting grounds.

 Meeting Delegates from around the world at Versailles’ Trianon Palace was an experience to behold – complete with translators and head-sets, in the room where the Versailles peace treaty was signed, no less! By the time lunch at Gordon Ramsay’s was due, we’d earned our keep during a day of media training in FRONT of the camera (a nerve-wracking first for this ex-journo).

 So back to Sydney and organising exciting projects for our growing group. There are three new and very hot R&C hotel members for this region due to be announced soon, so watch this space!

A tout a l’heure!

Natasha.

Relais Dinner

Whare Kea Chalet

The Relais & Chateaux family at Cazaudehore La Forestiere, France

Pilot Paul Williamson of Opal Air has just flown Jewel, Matilda, Quentin and I to William Creek on the legendary Oodnadatta Track.  We’re in Australia’s smallest town. Total population 3 – that’s Mim and Bruce, who run the pub, and Trevor who runs another air touring company from here.  But thousands upon thousands have passed through – as evidenced by the numerous calling cards plastered over every available wall, ceiling, nook and cranny. 

Air touring is doing a roaring trade as people flock to see an outback the locals are saying they’ve never seen so green and the stunning vast salt lake of Lake Eyre, which is filling with water to the highest level since 1974. 

We took off from Coober Pedy, a quirkily endearing town where half the residents live in underground dugouts to escape the extreme summer heat. Rising over the red rocky plains pock marked by thousands of opal noodlers’ shafts, Paul points out the kooky golf course, where the ‘greens’ are actually ‘blacks’, a mix of oil and sand.  We fly over the Prominent Hill gold and copper mine and onto to the multi-hued Painted Hills, which rise suddenly from the desert landscape stretching to the horizon all around. So fragile is this spectacular landscape, it can only be viewed from the air.

After brekky we head north to shimmering Lake Eyre, see the pelicans that curiously congregate at just the one island, Silcrete, in Belt Bay and see where the floodwaters from northern states drain into the lake at Warburton Groove.

Then we fly south for our next stop in the northern reaches of the Flinders Ranges at Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary.   On Arkaroola’s 4WD Ridgetop Tour, Ben reveals the incredible natural wonders of this dramatic and ancient rocky landscape on the edge of the outback.  He even finds some uranium for us.

As the sun sets, we fly south to the sensational red ramparts enclosing Wilpena Pound in the heart of the Flinders Ranges.   A wonderful dinner with Julie and Tony Smith at Rawnsley Park Station’s stylish new Arkapena Homestead, concludes a magnificent day and we retire to our eco-villas to sleepily star watch through skylights above our beds.

Over the next couple of days we explore the Flinders at ground level, walking in to the impressive natural amphitheatre that is Wilpena Pound and along the gum lined creeks, grassy plateau and rugged hills of Arkaba Station.  We also take the classic Flinders day trip on unsealed roads from the Pound through the impressive Brachina and Bunyeroo Gorges; out into the plains and the highway to Parachilna’s Prairie Hotel, where we tuck into the world famous feral food: emu pate, camel sausages and kangaroo are a big hit; before winding back through low hills to the quaint town of Blinman for pies made of quandong (which taste a little like rhubarb) and on to the country style luxury and Jo Cross’s fabulous food at Arkaba Station, near Hawker,  with our genial hosts Pat and Sally Kent.

All too soon, our Flinders adventure is at an end and we are once more about to board a small plane back to Adelaide from Port Augusta.  You’ve gotta love an airport so personal, the Sharp Airlines staff serve bread and dips while you’re waiting to depart.  Perhaps that’s only in South Australia.

Gaynor

www.arkaroola.com.au/ridgetop.php

www.opalair.com.au

www.rawnsleypark.com.au

www.prairiehotel.com.au

www.sharpairlines.com

MATILDA ABEY... 28/06/2010 Lake Eyre, SA Silcrete Island. The only spot the pelicans were nesting this year.

MATILDA ABEY... 28/06/2010 Lake Eyre, SA Birdsville Track

Here we all are atop Arkaba hill after a great guided walk around the station with Cat

View of Painted Hills from Opal Air scenic flight ex Coober Pedy

Carrington Group’s newest development, The Lainsborough has been finished and the results are beautiful.

 Set in North Sydney’s beautiful Turramurra, The Lainsborough features 32 spacious home-style apartments, all elegantly designed and they’re for sale.

With prices ranging from $1.15M-$1.65M for apartments and $2.5M for penthouses, the interiors are huge and home-like while maintaining all encompassing luxury! 

The display suites are ready for your viewing pleasure, so for more info, check out: www.thelainsborough.com.au or call 1300 765 075

Check out the pictures below.

The Pepr team joined an array of food bloggers and journo’s alike for a tasty evening hosted by Media 140 on May 5th.  

The event served up some tasty treats as well as interviews with food bloggers from Not Quite Nigella and Fig and Cherry. As well as an interview with Bridget Davies aka The Internet Chef.  Chef Bridget Davies @bridget_cooks, spoke about the role real-time web has played in her career. Her site the Internet chef has become internationally renowned and she has received rave reviews in the  Sydney Morning Herald and the Huffington Post. There was a live stream of the tweets coming in from around the room, I’ve never seen so many people twittering in one place at one time.

As well as all of this The Internet Chef whipped up some delicious finger food here’s the mouthwatering menu -

- Seasoned Australian salmon on an avocado tartar with crispy kale furikake (chip) served with Wild Oats Sauvignon Blanc 2009

- Warm roast chicken finger sandwich with a lime and tarragon fresh organic egg mayonnaise with Wild Oats Chardonnay 2008

- Duck confit with a red wine reduction (Twitter Pie) with Wild Oats Tempranillo 2008

- Miniature Wagyu burgers with onion jam and a piquant cheddar with Wild Oats Shiraz 2007

Everything was absolutely delicious and some of the Pepr team were spotted on the SBS website’s vid.  Check it out – http://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/4057/Foodies_Unite_at_media140 

Tastiest Chicken Sandwich

Mini Beef Burger