Brisbane & Yeppoon – Queensland – Australia – May 2022

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Australia, Brisbane, Emporium Hotel, Lunch with friends, Queensland, Storey Bridge, Yeppoon

This month I travelled out of Canberra to Queensland a state in northern Australia. I travelled to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland for three days and then flew further north onto Yeppoon which is a town on the coast of Queensland. The reason for my visit was to see friends and have time away from the cold of Canberra so I hopped on a plane and an hour and a half later landed in Brisbane but to make the trip more comfortable, I used my Qantas Frequent Flyer points and travelled in Business Class!

A couple of my friends had recently moved to Brisbane from Canberra so once I was picked up from the airport I went to their home where Vanessa and I enjoyed a glass of champagne overlooking the Brisbane River; the river unfortunately being very brown from the recent torrential rain, but still a stunning view.

On one of my days, my friends and I went to a rather new hotel in Brisbane called The Emporium located on the South Bank river and parklands precinct. Our lunch was at the rooftop bar and restaurant and as the rain had stopped we had lovely blue skies and great views of the city skyline.

Sharon chose our beverage and we started off with a very tasty champagne (feeling there is a theme to this visit) and then we all enjoyed a leisurely lunch. My four friends shared two seafood platters and I ordered spring rolls and a tomato salad. It was a lovely way to catch up with great friends I had not seen for some time. And at the same time enjoying those outside views and also the interior of the bar which is very modern and quite glamorous.

Whilst I was in Brisbane it was National Volunteers Week being Australia’s largest celebration of volunteering. One evening my friend Sandy and I walked home from dinner over The Storey Bridge a steel cantilever bridge that spans the Brisbane River, which was lit red to support National Volunteers Week to commemorate the work carried out by volunteers. And wow…it was so beautiful! And whilst the bridge is very lovely during the day, when it was lit red it was spectacular.

After three days it was time to leave Brisbane for Yeppoon. I had to take a plane to Rockhampton which is about a trip of just over an hour then my friend of 45 years came to collect me. I hadn’t been up to Rockhampton nor Yeppoon before and I hadn’t seen Tracey for quite some years so it was going to be a lovely few days visiting in her new home.

Our first day we went for a leisurely walk with her two beautiful dogs along one of the dog friendly beaches. We had woken early and the sun was just rising with a forecast for the day of mid twenties (degrees) so lovely weather to walk early.

That day we also took advantage of the blue skies and weather and walked along the promenade in town. So glad we did as the next two days the rain has not stopped and it’s become torrential.

Today, we did drive down to the beach with the dogs to see if the rain would stop as yesterday we were fortunate to be able to walk for half an hour; today not so. So we took a long drive for me to see some of Yeppoon; what a pretty place with lovely countryside and beautiful beaches. Beaches look so different without sun and blue skies; but still lovely.

One sight Tracey showed me was of a luxury boat (said to be worth $2m AUD) that had smashed into rocks after wild seas at Statue Bay, taken on water and eventually ripped its anchor resulting in it landing at Lammermoore Beach. I was told the owner of the boat does not have insurance!!! (big mistake) and it was his friend who was bringing the boat to Yeppoon on his behalf. There is a moral to this story and it’s something about if you have multi million dollar luxury boat – buy insurance!!

source: abc.net.au

And locals are said to be angry about the environmental issues (plastics and foam being consumed by turtles/fish), the time the owner is taking to remove the boat and about the amount of rubbish from the boat that is in the water and on the beach – don’t blame them!

So this has been my lovely trip away, one more day to go then back to Canberra where it’s temperature is in the low teens; chilly!

Cakes, cakes and bread – 85ºC Daily Cafe – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – January 2022

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85ºC Daily Cafe, ACT, Australia, breads, bubble tea, cakes, canberra, matcha cake, Milky tea, Taiwanese inspired cafe

Lately I have been making a list of cafes and restaurants that have recently opened in Canberra with the aim of trying them all. One I wanted to visit is a Taiwanese international chain called 85º Daily Cafe selling breads, cakes, desserts as well as smoothies, coffee and teas including milk and bubble tea. So this morning after my walk with my dog Axel, I drove into town to find the cafe. It was pretty easy to find as its located near our university on the fringes of the city.

You walk into this cafe and its interior is quite pink, to say the least. Pink walls, pink chairs, fake flowers on the walls are all shades of pink and there are pastel coloured flowers in small baskets, trolleys and vases near the cash register; pretty much all pink. All very sweet I must say.

I chatted to the young Chinese girl behind the cash register and asked her if she was from Taiwan (considering the cafe originated in Taiwan), she told me she was from Mainland China and we chatted a while about my travels throughout her birth country. She told me that all products in the cafe contained egg so I ordered a Jasmine tea and chose a small table near the window to sit and enjoy. The tea arrived in a teabag which was a bit unfortunate but it was nice all the same!

As for the cakes; there are so many lining the walls of the cafe in refrigerated glass side boards. And they look great; there are slices of layered sponge cake, chocolate mousse cake, cheesecake, strawberry cream cake, egg tarts and so many more…including several Asian flavours like a matcha (Japanese green tea) red bean roll and pineapple cakes.

All different sorts of breads and brioche are also sold including cheese bread, cheese twists, chocolate chip bread, coconut twists and croissants. So much choice! Unfortunately for me, similar to the cakes in the store, these savoury treats are non-vegan as they contain either milk or egg or both. These are also beautifully displayed in cabinets where you will also see more beautiful flowers above and lovely take-away boxes on display. I can imagine taking one of the larger cakes as a gift to a friend, looking fabulous in a see through box complete with bow!

The waitress told me that the name of the cafe 85º Daily Cafe actually comes from the idea that the perfect brewing temperature for espresso coffee is 85º Celsius. Interesting! But back to the cakes…there are also full cakes on display for any occasion I guess, then again who needs an occasion to eat cake!

So whilst I could not eat any of the sweet and savoury items on display, I did very much enjoy the visit and the opportunity to practice my Mandarin and view the cuteness of this cafe!

Jerrabomberra Wetlands – Fyshwick – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – July 2021

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ACT, Australia, canberra, Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Latham's Snipe, Telstra Tower

Canberra has so many walks on offer and one I had been meaning to explore was about half an hour drive from my home. Jerrabomberra Wetlands is a refuge to several protected species and is a habitat for local birds and also for species migrating from the northern hemisphere and also from inland Australia. It’s a truly lovely place to visit and is looked after by the Woodlands and Wetlands Trust with wonderful views of Telstra Tower, Canberra’s iconic telecommunications tower.

There are three route options; Kellys Swamp Loop, The Woodlands Walk and The Billabong Walk – as the walks are not long, I decided to do all three on the day I visited and it was well worth my time. My first sighting was a mob of kangaroos. I always love seeing kangaroos in the wild, they are either resting on their sides or standing up and staring right at you. My photos are not that great as they were a bit far away and I only took my mobile phone to capture photos.

The different walks are very easy without any inclines. There is no way to get lost as the dirt paths are well set out and well worn and throughout the reeds there is a corrugated iron pathway; making it very easy to walk along.

There are no dogs allowed at this location, which is completely understandable. I read that one particular bird Latham’s Snipe (an endangered waterbird) flies directly from Japan (Hokkaido) to arrive at these wetlands; how amazing is that. And I also read that other wildlife that call this environment home are water rats, turtles, water dragons and platypus. I must say I missed all these species but did see a few ducks and other birds.

One of the things I particularly love about a bushland walk are the trees and these wetlands have plenty to see and photograph; some I managed to capture with the sun shining through in the background.

I just happened to choose a day when there were very few other visitors. I saw a few people riding their mountain bikes along the pathways and some other walkers but was so lucky to really have the place to myself. No noise just the chirping of the birds; loved it. Something else I really love are the reflections of anything on water but especially trees and I was lucky it was great weather to capture these reflections.

And there were a couple of old buildings I saw on my walk, one I am sure is not used as it was just old and worn and near the water but the other one is actually not on the wetlands but on neighbouring property and I think it’s used for storage of tools or hay, not really sure as didn’t walk up close.

Such a lovely morning out and an absolute treasure in the heart of Canberra!

Dust Temple Cafe – Currumbin Waters – Gold Coast – Queensland – May 2021

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Australia, dining with family, Dust Temple Cafe, Gold Coast, Vegan food

Back in the days when I could leave Canberra, I drove up to the Gold Coast to visit my family for a month. It was one of those holidays where I didn’t really need to go sightseeing or do anything really apart from visit my family as have been to the Gold Coast many times, but I did want to try a few nice cafes and restaurants. One cafe Dust Temple Cafe was in the suburb where my father, brother and nephew live; Currumbin Waters.

This cafe is actually located right in the middle of industry and I must say if I would not of found it but lucky for me, my brother had found it and knew I would love it. He was right, I loved it from the moment I got out of the car. The outside is gorgeous with huge wrought iron gates, fabulous wooden lampshades and incredible wooden/glass hinged doors and wooden barn doors that allow the flow of air inside the cafe.

Inside is even more amazing. The whole place is an old warehouse with polished cement floors. You walk through huge open wooden/glass doors into the coffee/drinks/pre packaged food area then once you have ordered your food, you walk through to a huge room converted into an art gallery with sculptures and artwork on display. There are also large long tables to enjoy a coffee and something to eat.

I ordered the fresh tomato, fresh basil and balsamic on toasted sourdough and a turmeric, coconut milk, banana and mango drink. My brother ordered the housemade toasted banana and coconut bread with butter and the watermelon, pink lady apple, pear, rhubarb and lime juice. Everything here came so beautifully presented with little flowers and the my meal was so incredibly fresh – I loved it! And as for the turmeric drink – it was absolutely delicious.

Whilst waiting for my meal, I took my camera around the warehouse and took some photos. There are fabulous old lounges and chairs to relax in and borrow a book to read whilst enjoying a coffee or alcoholic drink and an outside area with tables and benches, covered by umbrellas to relax in the sun or shade.

There is even a second floor up wooden stairs with a wrought iron balustrade but I guess the owners are still working on that area as it contained paintings against the wall still wrapped and very little else. But like everywhere else in this amazing place, art lined the walls of the stairs.

Even the kitchen area has an old armchair to sit and relax and do some people watching!

This was definitely my favourite cafe on the Gold Coast and yes, I did visit again during my stay!

Lark Hill Winery – Bungendore – New South Wales – Australia – March 2021

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Australia, Lark Hill Winery, New South Wales, Reisling, Smith's Gap Quarry

There is extremely limited travel from Australia, I think we can only pop over to New Zealand and that takes a bit of planning to ensure you don’t have to isolate in either country. So of late I have taken to setting aside a day during the week to either drive somewhere or take a long walk.

A couple of months ago I drove about a half hour out of Canberra as for such a long time I have wanted to visit Lark Hill Winery and also when I have driven past, on occasions I have seen cars parked at the side of the road nearby and people jumping in what looked like a big pond, so definitely wanted to see exactly what this was.

I did a little bit of research and found it was part of part of any old quarry but not sure what was mined there. It is used for swimming these days however some people on-line say not to swim as the water is heavily contaminated. But there is a sign telling people not to dive so guess it must be ok to swim?

I then hopped back into my car and drove to the winery. I always enjoy country drives as the scenery is just lovely, and I don’t think it matters where you are, or which country you are in; it’s all rather lovely!

I hadn’t been to Lark Hill Winery before but have enjoyed a glass or two of their Riesling. Animal products are not used in the refining process which means it’s a vegan wine; hence my love of it. But back to the winery, it’s very sweet with a lovely area outdoor area where I can imagine buying a glass of wine in summer and sitting outside relaxing with friends.

I went into the Cellar Door and was greeted by the owner’s son Chris, and decided to try the Chardonnay and then was offered a sip of the 2020 Riesling which Chris took straight from the barrel; delicious. I bought two bottles of Riesling and a bottle of Chardonnay as I had a friend arriving that evening who only drinks Chardonnay. Prices really were not any different to those in bottle shops, maybe a little difference in price, but anyway I love the idea of buying from the actual winery…just seems nicer.

On the way home I stopped off at a couple of typical country roads to check out the animals in the paddocks and the letterboxes that are placed on the side of the road. There are some inventive letterbox owners out there; one was attached to a surfboard and another is a sink. I understand having all the letterboxes in the same place makes life much easier for the ‘postie’ who doesn’t have to drive along long unpaved roads to deliver the mail. I love seeing them whatever the reason.

Coolangatta – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – December 2020

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Australia, Australian beaches, Coolangatta, Gold Coast, Koala, Queensland

I was so fortunate to be able to travel to the Gold Coast to see my family for Christmas as I know many other people both in Australia in other states and around the world cannot travel at all. I flew from Canberra to Coolangatta Airport where one of my best friends picked me up. I booked accomodation in Coolangatta overlooking the beach and ocean and it was lovely to walk inside and see the fabulous views especially at dusk.

On the day I arrived, my friend Sandy and I met up with another friend who I have not seen for over three years so he took us to Kirra Beach Surf Club; interior is rather old but a couple of vegan options on the menu so I ordered a pasta arrabbiata which was very good. Best part were the views!

I got up early nearly every morning and took a walk along the beachfront; one one occasion for over two hours. You had to get up early as the sun was very warm, actually starting just before 8am. But this meant skies were usually a vibrant blue well apart from one day when it was very overcast but that afforded me the opportunity to walk a little later.

I had breakfast out a couple of times at various cafes but I think my favourite was the cafe under my apartment block which served a very nice mushrooms on toast and great fruit juices.

I think my lasting impression of Coolangatta will be the beautiful beaches and fabulous ocean.

But an interesting impression will always be of a local home that has both the animals from our coat of arms guarding the entrance; they must be about six foot high (180cms)!

Hope everyone was safe and well over the Christmas period and I wish you all a very happy 2021 (and please let it be better than 2020).

Main Beach – Gold Coast – Queensland – Australia – October 2020

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Australia, beach walks, Gold Coast, Main Beach, Queensland, Sheraton Mirage

A couple of months I was finally able to visit my family at the Gold Coast in Queensland. It was my first trip on a plane since the beginning of the year so it was very welcome. I hadn’t visited the Gold Coast for over a year and on my last visit stayed with a friend so this time I opted for a little more luxury and booked a three night stay at the Sheraton Mirage which is located on Main Beach. It really is a beautiful beachfront 5-Star resort. I was greeted with a huge bright foyer with floor to ceiling glass windows which afforded me views of the grounds including the luxurious pool area and the magnificent ocean.

As my brother wasn’t due to arrive at the hotel until after 4pm, I decided to sit outside in the shade under an umbrella and order lunch. The chef made me a lovely vegan salad and the only vegan wine available was French champagne so I thought ‘why not…I am on holidays?’ (I didn’t drink the whole bottle, I took it back to my room for later!!) and of course my obligatory bowl of chips which in the end were taken by a couple of birds who clearly knew where the food was.

The Gold Coast is a renowned holiday destination here in Australia, south of Brisbane, about an hour plane ride away from Canberra with lovely beaches; waves which are great for surfing, theme parks, inland canals and lovely weather. Every morning I would wake up very early and go for a ninety-minute walk along the beach front…which was a wonderful way to start the day.

I wanted to show my brother and nephew the Versace Hotel which was over the road from our hotel, so we walked over one afternoon for a drink and something to eat. It’s quite a lovely hotel with a spectacular entrance including an incredible chandelier then you have stunning floor tiles and when your eyes move outside you have beautiful pools and lovely gardens. I ordered a gin and tonic (my new drink if there isn’t any vegan wine) and my brother and nephew ordered scones, jam and cream. A really nice hour or so just enjoying opulence!

On our last evening my brother, nephew and I had dinner at the hotel which was a seafood banquet and I invited my Godson and his mum who live on the Gold Coast…everyone enjoyed the buffet and the chef made me a delicious vegan risotto. Can’t fault the hotel I must say.

So…for me a lovely three days seeing my family and enjoying what the Gold Coast has to offer…great that I will be returning over Christmas.

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve – Canberra – ACT – Australia – October 2020

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ACT, Australia, canberra, Kangaroos, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is about a forty-minute drive from the centre of Canberra and I had never been there which is rather embarrassing considering I have lived in Canberra for over fifteen-years. So, with Covid-19 not allowing me any international travel, my list of local sights to visit is long. And this is one place on my list. I did an internet search to find out a little more about the reserve and Wikipedia tells me the name Tidbinbilla is derived from the Aboriginal word ‘Jedbinbilla‘ meaning a place where boys become men.

I went with a couple of friends and when we arrived we had a nice surprise in that entrance fees were suspended from August to end of the year to encourage more visitors to return. Guess it worked (even though we didn’t know there were no fees).

It was a pretty hot day and Tidbinbilla has twenty-three different walking trails but we decided on a rather easy walk and chose the Birrigai Time Trail which takes around 75 minutes from start to finish. At first the walking trail is wide enough for a ranger’s car and then the trail becomes less wide as it heads off into the bush with man-made bridges allowing easy access over ponds.

Tidbinbilla has extensive Australian wildlife including birds/reptiles and many different mammal species. When we arrived we all said we wanted to definitely see a koala and platypus and also an emu and kangaroo. Within five minutes we saw a huge emu by the side of the road but too far away for me to capture with my phone; shame! Then my friend pointed out two kangaroos under a tree and I took many photos of them as thought that might be all we would see. But as we walked over a small uprise we saw tens and tens of kangaroos resting under trees and some just checking out the crazy humans holding small rectangular items in front of them (I guess it’s what we all do these days if we don’t bring our proper cameras). Unfortunately no koala or platypus were sighted on this occasion.

On this particular day, the skies were pretty spectacular; a vivid blue with interesting cloud formations; looked a little bit like a sky writing plane had been through.

Then more kangaroos…no matter how many I see I still really enjoy seeing them; so beautiful.

Along our walk we saw many rounded granite boulders or rock formations. I must say these were pretty spectacular and so enjoyable to view.

Tidbinbilla Reserve is such an enjoyable day out and if you wanted a strenuous walk there are plenty of difficult treks but I think for our day it was lovely just to enjoy the typical Aussie bush and scenery and take in the sights.

Canola Fields – New South Wales – Australia – September 2020

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Australia, Canola fields, day out with friends, Harden-Murrumburrah, New South Wales

A few Sunday’s ago, my friends and I took a day trip out of Canberra to see the Canola fields on the way to lunch in a town called Harden-Murrumburrah in New South Wales.

Whilst living in China and during my travels, I have seen similar fields but of Rapeseeds; mostly they were not in full bloom as it was not at the right time of the year. On this particular day here in Australia the flowers were in full bloom so the yellow colour was vibrant; unfortunately the weather wasn’t at its best and grey clouds loomed over us nearly the whole day.

As we were driving, we would stop every few kilometres as we would see fields either close by the road or in the distance and hopped out of the car to take (too many) photos.

I loved the contrast of the green fields and the Canola and the Canola fields alongside country roads – my favourite!

We stopped at a country pub in Murrumburrah and whilst there were no vegan dishes, I ate my ‘go to’ bowl of chips, it was a nice experience to sit down and relax over a glass of wine with my friends Wayne and Jef.

The owner, after we told her we were looking for the Canola fields, gave us directions to where she said were the best fields. We took her advise and drove the loop before heading home. It was worth the extra twenty-minutes or so as the sun was trying its best to make its way out of the clouds which gave us better opportunities for photos.

I intend to do quite a bit more full-day and weekend-long trips (a bit like my blogging friend Marion at her lovetravelling blog) as it’s a great way for me to pursue my love of travel whilst Australia’s current domestic and international travel restrictions are in place.

A new restaurant – Dickson – Canberra – ACT – Australia – August 2020

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Australia, canberra, Chic Gourmet restaurant, Chinese cuisine, Dickson, dining with friends, Happy birthday

Chinese food in Canberra

The other night it was my Chinese friend Peter’s 30th birthday so we decided to go out to dinner and Peter chose a new restaurant in Canberra which is about a five minute drive from my home.It’s a Chinese restaurant, quite casual and with an unusual name Chic Gourmet which if I had heard the name before we went I would not of thought it was Chinese cuisine…I guess I am so used to names with a Chinese connection!!

The menu was large and whilst there were my usual favourites, there were a few dishes I had not eaten before.  So I ordered my usual dishes and the waitress was very helpful in checking which ones were vegan.  My choices were the salt and pepper tofu with chilli, the Thai style sweet and sour deep fried eggplant and something I had never seen before, hand-made fried mushroom buns in the shape of a baby Hedgehog.  These arrived looking so cute but I did eat them and they were truly delicious as was the tofu; so fresh and with just the right amount of chilli.Peter ordered all the meat dishes and started off with the hand-made signature pan fried pork buns, hand-made pork wontons in a spicy sauce and a dish of stewed duck with beer and chilli oil. It’s a real shame those wontons were not vegan as I must say they looked fabulous.Every dish really arrived very nicely presented and as with the majority of Chinese restaurants; food arrived quickly.

Peter also ordered two soups one was a stewed Barramundi in a hot and sour soup and the other was a boiled beef, Ling fish, king prawn and squid in a hot chilli sauce. Every time we go out with Peter, he always orders what we think are way too many dishes but they seems to get eaten, every time!  This evening there was five of us and I was the only one not eating meat so there was quite a bit of food to be eaten even lots of vegetable dishes.

Peter’s girlfriend Katie had been to the restaurant a couple of times before and knew that two vegetable dishes in particular were very good.  So she ordered them; the stir fried mixed vegetables with lotus root (probably the most delicious vegetables I have had for some time) and a dish of organic stir-fried pea sprout with garlic sauce (another absolutely delicious dish).  I now can’t wait to return to eat these delicious and very healthy vegetable dishes again.And just when we thought the dishes had finished Katie ordered both her and I a bowl of  traditional Peking style slow cooked pear and white fungus soup for dessert.  I thought this was very sweet of her as she had brought a cake from the local cake shop and as it wasn’t vegan she wanted to ensure I had something to eat.  Not my favourite dessert I must say but I took a few sips.And as you do when you are with much younger people, you find out about Apps (beautycam) that makes your skin look fabulously smooth and adds ears and other things to photos, so we engaged in some frivolity for a little while before ending the very lovely evening.