Belvidere is nestled between Strathalbyn and Langhorne Creek, a beautiful part of this world, but hardly swarming with homo sapiens. The Soldiers’ Memorial Hall hall is much-loved by the few members of the community, the church is no more, years ago its old school fell down and the hotel was razed.
However, in recent months the population has increased mega-fold, especially on a lazy, hazy Sunday because there is now literally an oasis in this little gem where the Cobb & Co. stage coaches first stopped overnight 150 years ago this year.
It’s called Oasis Gardens Function Centre, which incorporates a great restaurant, and incredibly has more than 4000 palm trees on the 18 hectare property with the first planted 25 years ago.
Great foresight? Not really. Back in 1991 co-owner Michael Steinert had this amazing fixation to live in Queensland, but couldn’t because of various reasons so he brought Queensland to him in the form of their palm trees. Thank goodness he left the cane toads behind.
With so many palm trees, including one growing through the centre of their house that Michael designed, the oasis theme for a restaurant/function centre was obvious. His wife, Chris, laughs at the fact they have not been to Queensland since their now-grown up three children were toddlers.
As much as there is quirkiness in turning Michael’s sunshine dream into a brilliant concept for on the edge of a beautiful wine region, they were destined to go down this hospitality trail.
Upon almost completing his apprenticeship as a baker at Mannum, Michael and Chris married in 1979 both aged just 19, and launched Steinert’s Bakery in the main street of Strathalbyn, now known as Pestka’s Bakery.
“I was a nurse, but I still had to decorate cakes and buns in the shop,”Chris said. “We thoroughly enjoyed it.
“Unfortunately, Michael developed bad asthma because of flour on the lungs. They were the days before people thought of occupational healthy and safety and wearing a mask. It was time to get out after 12 years of baking, including eight years on our own. Michael is fine now.
“We bought the block at Belvidere, almost five kilometres from where I grew up at Angas Plains, and we were lucky that we shared this vision, and loved working so much in the garden.
“We started growing a few palms because of the Queensland theme, and before long the centre of the block became our Gilligan’s Island. I often joke that our three children grew up at the end of a shovel until they were 16 and could drive away… they helped so much.”
And while it became palm Sunday to Saturday for the family, their daughter Tara made their lunches from the age of nine. That passion to work in the family kitchen led to her becoming a qualified chef at 19 – the same age as her dad took on the bakery – and she worked in restaurants and hotels before landing a brilliant job as a chef at the Naval Military and Air Force Club – silver service and all – in the heart of Adelaide.
Today, Tara is working in the kitchen back home again for her incredibly proud mum and dad as the head chef at the Oasis Gardens Function Centre. “She just has this amazing passion for food, and I am really pleased for her that this opportunity has happened,” Chris said.
“Tara and our other chef Ellie (Bratt), who is also brilliant, are just having a ball out there in the kitchen. It’s all about quality to them.”
Despite his baking background, Michael stays out of the kitchen – for now. “It was our love for gardening that really kept us here rather than going to Queensland, and Michael has done a magnificent job – most of the building work including the concrete curbing on the long driveway (lined with palm trees, of course), the pond area and even on the tractor,” Chris said.
It’s busy times here Thursday-Sunday for lunch, on Friday and Saturdays for dinner, and breakfast on the weekends. There are the functions, including weddings, for 80 inside and 120 outside among the palm trees on “Gilligan’s Island”.
They say that in the chill of the morn this time of year you can hear the clinkering down to the local Memorial Hall as Chris takes out the empty bottles of Langhorne Creek wine. That’s in between her other duties as the maintenance and wood person, the kitchen helper, dish washer and officially the function co-ordinator. See, life is not always easy in a Queensland paradise, but hey, here it’s beautiful one day and perfect the next.
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