Discovering Pemberton, Western Australia's best kept secret, with chef Lennard Yeong

Yet of all the high-end ways to enjoy truffle, the humble farmer keeps things simple when it comes to his favourite way to enjoy the fruits of his labour. “Scrambled eggs with shaved truffle,” he says, followed by a deep, satisfied laugh. “You can’t beat it.”

At the heart of Rangé ‘s forest of leafy oak trees is a charming, luxury lodge built from hand-cut stone and local timber. It houses six suites. Each with a four-poster bed, claw-foot bathtub and a balcony overlooking a lake – the sunrises here are otherwordly, with fiery shades of pink, purple and orange lighting up the sky.

Intriq Journey organises stays at the lodge, accompanied by the very special privilege of going on a truffle hunt with Rangé and his pack of truffle-hunting dogs.

“It was amazing to head out truffle hunting for the famed manjimup truffles, to learn about how they are cultivated, how they are unearthed from the ground, and how they are processed,” says Yeong of his first truffle hunting experience.

Indeed, it’s quite something to be watching Rangé’s chocolate Labrador, Hazel, sniff out a bucket’s worth of truffles, then returning to the lodge shortly after for a lunch in the sun-drenched dining room, where those exact truffles are being served. It truly doesn’t get fresher than that.

Sure enough, our first lunch at Stonebarn Lodge is Rangé’s favourite: silky scrambled eggs, with generous shavings of fresh black truffle, sat atop a crisp slice of toasted sourdough baked by Samira Damirova, a former Masterchef Australia contestant who now lives in Pemberton, where she is working on a cookbook featuring recipes inspired by her Azerbaijani heritage, and hosts cooking classes.

Damirova visited the lodge to host a class with Yeong and Chia, where she taught the couple how to make Burek, a flaky pastry stuffed with slow-cooked lamb, feta, herbs and spices.

Like the aforementioned ‘wood wide web’, Pemberton is home to a network of passionate individuals who do what they do with love and integrity, and who share an incredible camaraderie that makes Pemberton so uniquely, well… Pemberton.

Here are a few we had the pleasure of spending some long, lovely days with. 

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Pemberley at Pemberton

This property was first farmed by the Radomiljac family in the 1970s, and later established as a vineyard in 1995 by Dave Radomiljac and his wife, Monica. Today, they manage 200 hectares of vines and produce Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Prosecco, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Merlot, and Pinot Gris.

They also have a diverse portfolio of produce including angus beef, seasonal potatoes and marron—a large freshwater crayfish native to Western Australia. They have also been certified breeders of Labrador Retrievers for over 25 years, selling puppies both as pets, and as high-quality truffle hunters for the growing community of truffle farmers in the region.

A visit to their cellar door, which must be planned in advance, is a delicious long-table spread featuring the best of Pemberley’s produce. Steamed, just-caught marron is chilled and served with lemon. Freshly roasted potatoes are taken directly from the oven and placed on the table alongside sliced salami, crafted and cured on-site by Dave. This is all accompanied by a selection of their wines, and stories of life on the farm.

“What’s better than that?” he says.

But it isn’t all business at Pemberley. While Dave is burly in appearance, we’re quick to learn he’s a family man with a heart of gold as he shares charming stories of life on the farm. For example, in the early days of their relationship, Dave would buy a rose for Monica every day. Now, he’s planted rows of roses on his sprawling property so she can “pick her bloody own,” he says lovingly in jest.

He’s also bought ponies for the farm for his grandchildren—when we visit, his third grandson had just been born days before—and is in the process of building a new farmhouse he calls “the castle” as a gift to his wife.

Later that evening, Dave joins us for dinner back at Stonebarn, where we are served a dinner of Pemberley marron and Stonebarn truffle tortellini, paired with Dave’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Coming from a bustling city such as Singapore, observing and enjoying the simple things with the Radomiljacs, even if just for a day, is a humbling reminder of the importance of slowing down to smell the roses—both literally and figuratively.

Picardy Wines

The Pannell family name needs no introduction in these parts. They are one of the most iconic in Australian wine, having pioneered the vigneron model in Western Australia and becoming one of the first commercial wine producers in the now-famous Margaret River region, when they established Moss Wood vineyard and winery in 1969. 

They surprised fans and fellow producers when they moved east to Pemberton in 1993, where they focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

“They call [pinot noir] the heartbreak grape,” Dan Pannell, the family’s second-generation wine maker, tells us over a pinot noir tasting at Stonebarn. With origins in Burgundy, France – a region that holds a special place in Pannell’s heart – he explains how the delicate pinot noir grapes “can be difficult to grow”.

All wines bearing the Picardy label are entirely from the Picardy single vineyard property in Pemberton, where they follow sustainable management practices and all Picardy fruit is estate grown, unirrigated, cane-pruned and handpicked. But the hard work is certainly worth it, according to Parnell, to produce a perfect pour.

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Pemberton Honey Company

“It’s estimated that two out of three bites of food we consume is either a direct or indirect result of pollination by honeybees,” Mikey Cernotta of Pemberton Honey Company, tells us on a chilly morning at his farm, which he co-owns with his wife, Allexa. 

Not only are they honey producers, the Cernottas are passionate about advocating for the importance of bees in our ecosystem. The couple goes to great lengths to ensure not just uncompromised quality of honey, but to ensure the health and wellbeing of their bees.

At Pemberton Honey Company, the Cernottas yield a staggering 25 tonnes of pure and unprocessed honey each year, along with several hundred kilos of superfood, bee pollen.

Despite the scale of their production, their honey is meticulously produced. From temperature control – exposing honey to anything over 60 degrees will take out all the beneficial enzymes, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties – to living a somewhat nomadic lifestyle.

Mikey travels long distances with his bees, sometimes for weeks at a time, to allow them to forage for specific flowering nectar. In particular, Western Australia’s Jarrah, Karri and Marri honeys are regarded as some of the world’s best honeys, both in flavour and their health benefits. After the bees are done feasting, all the honey brought back to their Whispering Woods home base to be stored, jarred and labelled.

“We don’t want to be the biggest honey producer,” says Mikey. “We just want to be the best.”

To learn more about Intriq Journey’s curated experiences in Western Australia, including those shared in this article, visit intriqjourney.com or talk to our Travel Specialist at +6219 1359

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