In 2012, I got a call from my photography producer Sophie one morning, who told me Hamilton Island wanted to know if I would be interested in attending their 'Great Barrier Feast 2012' at their prestigious resort, qualia, in early July?
I thought about it for 0.000002 seconds and replied, "Eh Yeah!", "Please, and thank you".
I had never stayed at qualia before; I hadn't even been as far north as Hamilton Island. However, on numerous occasions over the past three or four years, I gazed lovingly at the qualia website with sighs in my head and thought, "Someday..."
The thing is, qualia is one of the most stunning places IN AUSTRALIA.
Honestly, throughout my stay, I was left slack-jawed on numerous occasions whilst admiring the view; lazing in the breathtaking Windward pavilion I stayed in; enjoying the incredible food and wines; lingering on a totally private beach etc. etc. I had an inkling I was going to be blown away by qualiAS beauty, so I decided the only really sensible thing to do was book in for an extra two nights before the Feast to chill out, relax and soak up all this incredible location has to offer.
Honestly, throughout my stay, I was left slack-jawed on numerous occasions whilst admiring the view; lazing in the breathtaking Windward pavilion I stayed in; enjoying the incredible food and wines; lingering on a totally private beach etc. etc. I had an inkling I was going to be blown away by qualia beauty, so I decided the only really sensible thing to do was book in for an extra two nights before the Feast to chill out, relax and soak up all this incredible location has to offer.
During my visit, The Great Barrier Feast was a gourmet culinary weekend held at qualia twice a year. At each Feast, qualia welcomeD a top guest chef to attend, who presents a showcase degustation dinner on Saturday night.
In anticipation, it hosts two Masterclasses on Saturday morning and afternoon. The weekend starts in style with a Friday night degustation welcome dinner presented by Qualia's executive chef Alastair Waddell. A proud Scotsman, Alastair is one of the most excellent guys I've met in the business. He was incredibly welcoming to me, as were his strong team of chefs.
Before qualia, Waddell was chef de partie at the 2 hatted Bistro Guillaume in Melbourne. Classically trained, Waddell's cooking is motivated by modern influences, including the multicultural cuisine in Australia and this country's world-class produce, including cheeses that rival some of the best in Europe.
His passion for the 'nature cuisine' movement led by Noma restaurant in Denmark, and he believes in giving the most tremendous respect to nature in his cooking, always using local produce when possible and recognising the importance of flavour, texture and presentation. At qualia, Waddell's cuisine is inspired by the resort's stunning island vistas, creating light, fresh, and healthy menus.
As only a true Scotsman would, he introduced black pudding to the menu at Qualia, which has became one of their most popular dishes.
For the first of this year's Feasts, the very notable and award-winning Guillaume Brahimi, who, at the time of this original post, ran the prestigious Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant at the Sydney Opera House and Bistro Guillaume in Melbourne. I found Guillaume to be a super guy, very witty, incredibly passionate about his restaurants and food. Guillaume is also an avid rugby fan who often cooks for the French National Rugby Team whenever he returns to France.
To kick off the whole weekend, as a media guest, I was invited to a welcome lunch at the qualias Pebble Beach waterfront restaurant, where I joined 14 guests, including, amongst others, Guillaume Brahimi himself, restaurant critic and returning MC for the Feast; Simon Thomsen, wine aficionado Darren Jahn and the gorgeous Michelle Rowe who wrote her weekly 'Food Detective' column for The Australian.
At lunch, we got a good rundown of what we were going to experience over the coming two days and enjoyed a mouthwatering four-course menu: Oyster, cucumber and sesame; Scampi tartare with pumpkin and sweetcorn ice cream; Pyrenees lamb belly with beetroot and elderflower dressing; Compressed strawberry with lemongrass and ginger marshmallow and cucumber and lime sorbet, all enjoyed alongside stunning views of Whitsunday Island and surrounding crystal blue sea.
Darren Jahn, who is the communication and education manager for Robert Oatley Vineyards (a super guy, great fun, and really knows his stuff), introduced us to two ranges of Robert Oatley wines; the first I drank at the media welcome lunch, where we were allowed to experience and taste the new Finisterre range from Robert Oatley wines.
For me, the pinot noir stood out, and I loved the Chardonnay from Oatley's Signature Series, served the same evening at Alastair Waddell's degustation dinner at the Long Pavillion. I also enjoyed the sauvignon blanc from the same signature range.
Shooting in kitchens is one of my favourite subjects. I could get into the kitchen for Alastair and Guillaume's dinners on Friday and Saturday nights. Obviously, when a staff of 14 or so are cooking and plating for 120-150 guests, things can get a tad hectic, so I positioned myself out of the way and tried to get a decent amount of shots to show you all the goings-on behind the scenes. It was a little more difficult on Saturday night as Guillaume's dinner was broadcast live to all the guests in the main dining room by way of a live video link-up, so not wanting to be the photographer in the heels and dress entangling herself in the video electrical cord and slipping on a busy kitchen floor (!) I only got a few quick snapshots of the action on Saturday night. I find it fascinating watching a team of cooks work their magic and make the evening flow like a ballet, which is what all the guys in the kitchen at the Feast did. I was blown away by their seamless efforts and calm demeanour.
Apart from showing the audience how to cook 5 superb dishes (4 of those 5 recipes all below ~ the; Peanut caramel nougat with caramelised banana was delicious), During the masterclasses, Guillaume today some humorous stories about how inadvertently on TV one day whilst cooking a recipe, mentioned the term 'Glad Wrap', instead of cling film and woke the following day to find boxes and boxes of Glad Wrap delivered to his restaurant.
The Beach House. This property is totally breathtaking. I really wanted to get some shots of this house whilst at Qualia. Little secret *this is where Oprah stayed during her 2011 visit to Qualia*. The infinity pool is to die for, the whole property is private, and I'll warn you, with all the overhead and spectacular ocean views, it'll be hard to return to everyday life should you decide to stay here for a few nights.
A secluded beach drop-off, anyone? This was the most incredible experience I had in the first two days of our stay at Qualia (I was up there for 4 in total). I pottered down to Pebble Beach on Thursday morning. I was escorted to a speedboat along with a magnificent gourmet picnic (which I selected from a good menu the evening before). I was off and whisked out to Hemming Island, where I was the only person on the island.
It was unbelievable! More so, the staff at Qualia secretly scoot out a few hours before they drop you out and pre-set up an umbrella, towels, sun-loungers and a Qualia tub filled with fly spray, insect repellant and a mobile phone should you wish to be collected earlier or later than pre-arranged ~ or possibly require yet another bottle of Veuve Clicquot delivered from the mainland ;)
Out-and-out Paradise! I pottered about the beach in continual awe of the turquoise ocean, stunning views of Whitsunday island, beautiful light golden soft sand and the fact I was there alone. I was utterly impressed at the level of detail Qualia's staff go to to make every aspect of your stay as easy and relaxing as possible.
My gourmet hamper included incredibly fresh Queensland King prawns and superb smoked salmon (I couldn't get enough of these two), a selection of gourmet cheeses with accompanying bread and lavosh, a delish chicken Caesar salad and a massive box of the most incredibly fresh local tropical fruit. Initially, I thought I had ordered too much. Still, I managed to polish it all off (bringing the cheeses back to my pavilion to enjoy later on).
The spa at Qualia was heavenly and, yet again, filled with the friendliest, most attentive, warm and welcoming staff. I found the 1.5-hour experience utterly divine. I opted for a manicure and pedicure in preparation for the following two nights' dinners.
It is almost impossible to switch it off. My mind is constantly going at a million miles per hour, thinking of this and that, X, Y, and Z, etc., but in that hour and a half spent lazing on a bed at the spa, I really zoned out.
I was greeted by a gorgeous girl Rachel who ironically was from Northern Ireland (so we had a good natter about 'back home'). Then I was passed into the caring and capable hands of a great girl, Lucy, who did a fantastic job.
It was bliss lying on the bed kicking back, often glancing out the open window at the stunning, cloud-free azure blue sky and palm trees gently drifting back and forth in the warm Queensland sun. I had to keep reminding myself it was ok to forget about work, I was in one of the most incredible places in Aus, and this was my time to forget about all the stresses and weight of work life. Now was my time to chill. It really was fantastic.
QUALIA