A taste of Australia is as close as the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior on Saturday.
First, there's the towering forest of 140-foot-tall eucalyptus and red gum trees. Nestled in there somewhere is a sheep drover's shed and a beat-up pickup truck with Australian license plates.
"You swear that you're in Australia," says Matt Welch, who runs the Australian Tourism Center at 2100 N. Wilmot Road in Tucson.
As part of the arboretum's Australia Day, Welch is bringing samples of wine and cheese and other foods, including butterscotch and Manuka honey from Tasmania, Cadbury chocolates from Hobart, authentic Aussie licorice and shortbread cookies. And yes, there will be vegemite and billy tea.
The day also includes a guided tour and Australian folklorist Paul Taylor, who will play the didgeridoo and tell stories.
People are also reading…
Welch is an owner of PSI Travel, which is certified by Tourism Australia to represent it in Southern Arizona. "It's the ultimate vacation — it's what everyone wants to do," said Welch, who has made the 14 1/2-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney ("two meals and three movies") a dozen times over the past 16 years, including three just in the past year.
Australian wines have taken hold in the United States since then, and the cuisine is becoming better known, Welch said.
"I try to bring in wine people aren't familiar with," he said. This year, for example, he has a couple bottles of "a very special chardonnay" that's only available on The Ghan railroad, which goes from the east coast in Sydney to the west coast in Perth.
"We will also be sampling wines from the McLaren Vale region outside of Adelaide in South Australia, including Fox Creek and its Shadow's Run chardonnay," Welch said. The chardonnay features Shadow, the vineyard dog, on the label.
People make fun of vegemite, Welch says, but it really is Australia's favorite food.
It's a spread made from yeast extract that's put on toast and sandwiches and is also added to dips and salsas.
"My favorite: take two slices of a multi-grain bread, spread both slices with vegemite, add a few slices of avocado, put the slices together and grill the sandwich in butter in a fry pan. You can substitute bananas for the avocados. There is no better way to get the B vitamin complex than with vegemite. It's full of thiamine and niacin."
•U.S. 60, three miles west of Superior.
• When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, with a guided tour at 11 a.m. and didgeridoo and stories at 1:30 p.m. Arboretum is open 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
• Admission: $7.50; $3 ages 5 to 12.
• More info: ag.arizona.edu/bta or call 1-520-689-2811.
• As of Tuesday, space remained in a two-hour workshop on how to build a "didge" out of PVC pipe and how to play it. Cost: $35 ($25 to members), includes admission. Register at 1-520-689-2723. Class starts at 9 a.m. Saturday.
