Phantom of the Opera – Sydney Harbour – Sydney – New South Wales – Australia – April 2022

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ANZAC Day, Cafe Sydney, New South Wales, Phantom of the Opera, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera, travelling with friends

It was time for another weekend away, so with three of my friends, a few weeks ago we flew up to Sydney for a couple of nights, mainly to see Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour. The musical is performed on a purpose built floating stage with the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and city skyscape as background. It was spectacular so more on that later…

My friend Natalie found a great hotel for us to stay; the Margo Kimpton; recently opened and housed in a magnificent heritage-listed Art Deco building. The heritage site was a hotel previously but before that it was space for the Sydney Water Board. The hotel is beautifully placed in the middle of the city within walking distance of shops/Hyde Park and the harbour which meant we were able to walk to restaurants and the show.

The foyer of the Margo Kimpton hotel is very Art Deco and contained on one side is the Wilmot Bar; very impressive with its 1930’s style and a large range of spirits lining the back wall.

courtesy: http://www.kimptonhotels.com

I read that the ‘Margo’ was chosen and added to the Kimpton Hotel as a tribute to the artistic women of influence that played a leading role in shaping Australia’s design scene in the 1930s. And to tribute women, you will find stunning artwork picturing women along the corridors leading to the hotel rooms. And on occasions dogs as the hotel is pet friendly!

Our first evening we had booked Cafe Sydney a restaurant located at Circular Quay with spectacular views over the harbour and Sydney Harbour Bridge; this is an old favourite of mine and my friends and on this occasion it certainly didn’t disappoint. We arrived early and ordered a bottle of champagne from the restaurant’s extensive wine list and enjoyed a glass or two whilst looking at Sydney’s magnificent harbour and bridge. The vegan menu is very good and I really enjoyed my dishes as did my friends from the non-vegan menu.

No matter where I travel, city or country, I always like to get up early and go for a walk to see the sights and even though I have been to Sydney many times and in fact lived there, it was too good an opportunity to take a walk with a friend. I met Mandy at a well known meeting place outside the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) at the bronze statue of Queen Victoria which stands three metres high where she is wearing a gown that falls over the pedestal at the front and a cloak that falls over the back. The QVB was opened in 1898 to honour the monarch’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and restored beautifully in 2009.

We took a stroll around the harbour with views, of course, of the bridge and also Luna Park, probably Sydney’s most iconic amusement park on the foreshore of the harbour. As a teenager, my friends and I used to travel on the train for an hour to get there; buy a day pass which allowed you ten rides and then buy food with absolutely no nutritional value – great day out! The most iconic thing about Luna Park is entering through the face at the entrance to the park.

After our long walk, we decided to stop for a bit of breakfast and returned to the Queen Victoria Building where we found a lovely little cafe with views of one of the two great clocks. This clock was built over four years and installed in 2000 and aims to tell a story of Australian history from both European and Aboriginal perspectives. But I couldn’t keep looking at the clock all morning as I had a delicious vegan breakfast to eat along with a pot of peppermint tea to drink.

Then it was finally time for us to meet in the hotel foyer, enjoy a quick beverage then stroll down to the harbour to get ready for the longest running show in musical history. Our other friend Sue, had driven up from Canberra that morning so she was joining us also so with about an hour to go before the start we all set off, some of us walking and others in a taxi. When we arrived, it was lovely to see some people dressed up for the evening but we had decided casual was best as the plastic seating was outside and we preferred comfortable over glamorous! We had excellent seats with a fabulous view of the stage and what a magnificent stage it was.

For those of you who don’t know, Phantom has been playing on Broadway for over 34 years and over 35 at the West End and I am really lucky to say I have seen it on Broadway, but by far this would have to be the best stage for such an incredible show and we even had fireworks at one particular part, which now I can’t remember but it just added to the magnificence of the evening.

The staircase was enormous, lighting incredible and the huge chandelier required a crane to move in and out of the stage. The score is fabulous and the voices of all were outstanding and lastly the orchestra was wonderful even thought it was hidden beneath the stage. What a night!! We all decided to walk back to our hotel, along with thousands of others but it was eerie when the five of us were walking through Hyde Park as we were the only people I could see!

Our final day in Sydney was ANZAC Day (Australian and New Zealand Army Corp). The date marks the anniversary of the first military action fought by Australians and New Zealanders at Gallipoli during the First World War and was devised to honour the members of the ANZACs, however now it is regarded as a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand to commemorate all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. All around Australia there is a Dawn Service and usually followed by a March around mid-morning. In Sydney the March commenced at 9am so my friend Naomi and I met along the main street to honour those who had served and those who had lost their lives and as is said ‘Lest We Forget’. I actually did a little bit of research on this phrase and found it originated from a poem by Rudyard Kipling called ‘recessional’ written for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and was adopted in its current use around a decade after the end of the First World War.

For the first time, I saw Fire & Rescue New South Wales honouring those who have served their country; a really special sight as they are the only non-military group sanctioned to march as a contingent on ANZAC Day. Very special!

So that was it for my fabulous weekend away; time to take a taxi to the airport for our plane trip home. Bye bye Sydney, see you next time!

Day trip to Young – New South Wales – Australia – October 2021

Tags

day trips with friends, Grove Estate Winery, Lambing Flat Chinese Tribute Garden, New South Wales, St Clement's Retreat & Conference Centre, Wilkies Cafe

courtesy of http://www.traveller.com.au

After coming out of Lockdown last year, a day-trip was needed so with a couple of my besties, we decided to visit a country town called Young which is marketed as Australia’s cherry capital. Every year in the first week of December, the height of the cherry picking season, Young hosts the National Cherry Festival. We were a bit too early for this so it meant we found other places to visit. Young is about a two hour drive from my home so we decided to stop off at Binalong which is a very little country town and so very sweet. Wayne popped to the cafe for a coffee and Jef and I walked around the town, literally took five minutes but saw some lovely old buildings and scenery.

After the coffee arrived, it was time to head to Young with our first stop being the Lambing Flat Chinese Tribute Garden. These gardens were developed in 1992 and established to recognise the contribution of the Chinese community to the settlement of Young in the 1860s. There are two marble lion sculptures guarding the entrance to the gardens. We passed though these traditional architectural elements which are referred to as moon gates (月亮门; yuèliàngmén); circular openings and walked into the gardens, around pavilions to the Pool of Tranquility with lovely views of Chinaman’s Dam.

The Pool of Tranquility contains rock formations, a water mill where water flows over rocks creating a small waterfall, lovely water lillies and a larger replica of the famous bronze Flying Horse of Gansu or the Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow [馬踏飛燕] (unearthed in Gansu Province in 1969). [I actually made a specific visit to Gansu Province a few years ago to see both the location where the statue was found and to see the actual statue which is located in the Gansu Provincial Museum; beautiful and quite small].

Time for lunch so we drove into the main street of Young and found Wilkie’s Cafe where the boys enjoyed a pizza and sushi and I had a lovely toasted sandwich; good food and presented beautifully.

Our next stop was at local winery Grove Estate Wines which was about a four kilometre drive out of Young but on the way we stopped to look at a lovely building located on over 300 hectares of land which is now a retreat and conference centre; St Clement’s Retreat & Conference Centre…we didn’t get out of the car but stopped long enough for Jef and I to take a few photos.

At Grove Estate Wines, we went to the Cellar Door where Jef and Wayne sampled a few of the wines on offer; a pretty winery with lovely areas to sit and enjoy a meal with glass of wine or just walk around taking photos like I did.

By this time, we had to leave to return to Canberra. A really lovely day and on the way home, Wayne and I spotted a turtle in the middle of the other side of the road as we were driving past, so like a racing car driver, Wayne sped up, did a fabulously fast u-turn and drove like a crazy person (in his new BMW) to the turtle before a car coming the other way drove over him/her. I got out of the car, ran over and picked him/her up (had been given advice by Wayne not to hold the turtle close as they wee on you – thank you Wayne). At this time cars were driving towards me, so held up my hand to stop them (they did fortunately) and looked for the water where the turtle was trying to get to and placed him near there. Our animal rescue good deed for the week! What a day!!

A country drive to Gunning and Gundaroo – New South Wales – Australia – December 2021

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Country driving, Gundaroo, Gunning, New South Wales, Telegraph Hotel Gunning

Just before the end of 2021, I decided to take a day road trip to two nearby country towns. I really enjoy taking these short road trips especially to places I have not been, and then again I enjoy revisiting some places because there is always more to see.

My first stop was the small town of Gunning about an hour’s drive from my home and located on the Old Hume Highway in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. In the past, every truck, actually every vehicle, travelling between Sydney and Melbourne would have to drive through the town. Today it is a chic small town bypassed by the highway which means that the historic buildings in the main street – the court house, post office and other historic buildings can be visited without any interruption from heavy traffic.

I had never visited Gunning so had a couple of places I wanted to see when I arrived. I parked at the start of the main street and went for a walk. My first stop was Pye Cottage which is now a museum (entry by appointment) and as I peeked inside the windows say it was appointed with period pieces and photographs of significant people and events of the local district.

I really enjoy walking around the streets of places I visit looking at the homes which is just what I did whilst in Gunning. Such lovely old homes and beautiful gardens including some very interesting fake sheep and flamingoes in one!

I find the main street in any country town really special, I think it’s because there are so many sweet cafes, pubs and buildings that are so different to those you find in the city. Gunning didn’t disappoint! The Telegraph Hotel had wonderful art on its side walls, the cafes were so inviting with wonderful dishes on their menus and there were beautifully restored homes along the street. Fabulous!!

And as I was walking back to my car, I saw the only motel in the town near the river reminding me of motels I have stayed at many years ago. I did see a beautiful hand-made box containing an array of books. This ‘library’ allows people to take a book to read and/or leave one for someone else to read. I love this concept.

My drive through Gundaroo was actually on the way back to Canberra and I know the small town quite well as have been to there on two previous occasions for lunch at Grazing an award winning restaurant located in the beautifully restored 1865 Royal Hotel and…it only has one small main street with not much else to do.

I did park the car on the side of the road to take some photos of the lovely old buildings and of the police station with its picket fence and climbing pink roses. It’s no longer in use by the police but was for some 78 years before it closed in 1935.

It was then I saw another car pulled over down a small street and the driver was out taking photos…I wondered what this driver was photographing so drove down and saw she was taking photos of a large field with fresh grass hay, newly baled. I just love seeing fields of hay, well fields of anything really but especially love the look of bales of hay; they looked so beautiful just sitting there waiting to be collected to sell for farm animal feed I expect.

Time to head home but not before one more stop as I saw another old home with a sign advising that it was Sally Paskins Store which by the look of it was not open anymore. There was a sign on the front door but I didn’t cross the road to read but I do wonder who Sally Paskins’ was and what she sold in her little store. I can only imagine it would of been a gorgeous building back in the day but also today it looks so in character with other lovely homes and building along Gundaroo’s main street.

Weekend trip to Sydney – New South Wales – Australia – December 2021

Tags

Barrangaroo, Darling Harbour, Hamilton the musical, New South Wales, Otto Restaurant, Sydney, travelling with friends, Walsh Bay, Wooloomooloo

Yay…a couple of weeks ago I went on my first plane trip in nearly over a year…I bought tickets to see Hamilton the musical at Darling Harbour. I went with a friend I met about two years ago and who I immediately formed a bond. I booked a two bedroom apartment within walking distance of Darling Harbour, which is a harbour and pedestrian area adjacent to the city of Sydney.

When we arrived in Sydney, we took a taxi to our accomodation then went for a walk around the city and did a touch of shopping. It clearly has been some time since I have been to Sydney as now there is a fully functioning tram running throughout the city. I actually don’t mind the tram running through the city as there are no longer cars, trucks etc in the town centre.

We walked back to Darling Harbour and enjoyed a meal and glass of wine at one of the restaurants where we had a view over the harbour which is particularly lovely at night. We also had great views of the new Crown Casino owned by Crown Resorts who have other casinos in Melbourne and Perth and also throughout other parts of the world.

Our next morning we woke early and went for a lovely walk through Darling Harbour, Barrangaroo and Walsh Bay. Barrangaroo is a former container terminal and now is another waterfront precinct with high-rise apartments, commercial office space, shops, cafes and restaurants. We walked along the waterfront with views of our Harbour Bridge which I think is particularly beautiful and a structure I never tire of seeing.

We walked for about an hour or so to Walsh Bay, historically a working port but now regarded as a major arts precinct with its theatre, restaurants, hotel and at the time we visited, a public sculpture exhibition. And at this time of the year a huge Christmas tree with the Harbour Bridge as its backdrop.

We walked along the boardwalk for a little while checking out the sculptures then did a u-turn to return to Barrangaroo to find somewhere to have a late breakfast.

At Walsh Bay, I do love the old but refurbished coloured timber clad cargo sheds along the waterfront.

We found a lovely cafe at Barrangaroo (Wild Sage) and sat inside as by this time it had gotten a little windy and the high-rise buildings blocked out the sun so it was definitely too cold to sit outside. Barrangarro has lovely small streets, painted windows and painted flower boxes; all adding to the ambience of the place.

At the Wild Sage cafe I ordered sourdough toast, mushrooms and a hash brown along with a pot of peppermint tea. My friend Rosi ordered sourdough toast with Haloumi cheese, mushrooms and a side of salmon along with a cup of coffee.

Everywhere in Sydney we were required to wear our face masks, sign into venues using the QR code and show our vaccination certificates. I don’t have a problem with this really for short periods but my face got very warm wearing it for three hours during the musical..it was worth it though as Hamilton was a fantastic musical; so energetic, funny and definitely worth seeing.

Our dinner that evening was at a fabulous restaurant at the Woolloomooloo harbour front precinct. I had booked a very early sitting at Otto Ristorante, again with lovely views of the harbour and apartments and boats of people who have much more money than me! One of our famous movie stars, Russell Crowe, has an apartment here (probably one of the penthouses) said to be worth many millions of dollars.

The restaurant is one where you can ‘people watch’ as there are many restaurants along the boardwalk and people are forever walking up and down; just a lovely place to relax and wish you owned one of the fabulous moored boats.

Otto has a separate vegan menu which is quite extensive. I started with the zucchini flowers filled with cashew nut cheese with a tomato and pine nut pesto. Rosi ordered the raw Abrolhos Island scallops, Sturgeon Black River caviar with cream and lemon oil. Service and presentation at this restaurant is top notch! Our sommelier suggested an Australian Riesling which was very good. House made bread arrives as soon as you are seated with olive oil and balsamic. I could eat this all night as the bread is just so fresh and crusty.

For our main course I ordered the risotto with spinach and garlic whilst Rosi ordered the saffron linguine, Goolwa pipis, southern calamari, bottarga with dill and basil leaves. We also ordered a dish or heirloom tomatoes and basil. I love the food at this restaurant, it’s always beautifully presented and tastes so good. No dessert on this occasion as both of us were just too full.

Time to return to the apartment, watch a little television and return to Canberra the next morning. What a truly great weekend!!

A morning trip to Yass – New South Wales – Australia – November 2021

Tags

Bowning, Country driving, Linton Manor, New South Wales, Rollonin Cafe, Yass

As I have mentioned before, I try to visits different towns and cities around the Canberra region because at the moment travel overseas is not viable. My recent trip was to a town called Yass which is about a forty-five minute drive from my home making it a quick and easy return day trip. The name Yass, as I read on-line appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, “Yarrh”, said to mean ‘running water’, well it’s one of the meanings on offer anyway.  So after reading this, I decided one of the first places I should visit was the Yass River. There is a cement pathway which runs alongside the river which makes a walk easy as it’s also flat. The river is very dirty, I guess this is from the huge amount of rain we have had of late, but still pretty to see with lovely lush green grass and trees alongside and a gorgeous railway bridge which was built in 1892 and used to carry the Yass Town Tramway across the river.

My next stop was the main street where I parked the car and walked up one side, crossed over and walked down the other checking out all the stores. Homeware shops are plentiful with sweet displays out the front of the store like the bicycle with cyclamens in its basket. I do love the flowers in the main streets of country towns and the pink roses between the footpath and the road at each roundabout were so pretty…and like everywhere I guess, you will find the more modern shops like this take-away shop that is a necessity but doesn’t really add to the beauty of a country town…complete with plastic walk-through strips at the front door!

Homes have been restored beautifully in the main street and now host cafes and other businesses.

There are also many restored buildings like the old Soldiers Memorial Hall and one which has been converted into a medical practice. It was good to read that the derelict Commercial Hotel has been purchased by a Canberra based syndicate with plans to refurbish; should be lovely!

It was then time to stop somewhere for lunch and I had heard about a lovely home converted into a cafe in the town of Bowning which is a short drive of around ten minutes from Yass. The drive was mainly on the highway which made it easy and the town is easy to locate albeit very small with a population of just under 600. First building I came across was what appeared to be the only store in Bowning which is a petrol station, post office and I guess general store. I hopped out of the car to see if it was open but only saw a ‘for sale’ sign with no movement inside. A lovely sign welcoming me to Bowning though!

I then noticed a little bus stop next to the garage where parts had been painted and another one nearby which I am guessing was painted by the local children as it was situated outside the school with childlike paintings. Very sweet!

I found the Rollonin Cafe easily but unfortunately it is not open Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays which was really unfortunate as the menu options look great and the building and gardens are just gorgeous. I would of loved to taken a stroll around the gardens.

Back in the car and I had one final stop in Yass which was Linton Manor. On the way I thought I was taking a short cut but reached a dead-end street, luckily for me though as I came up to an overflowing dam and beautiful fast flowing river and then a rock wall which I found truly striking.

I finally made it to Linton Manor and there is a reason I wanted to see this old homestead. Recently I watched a renovation show on tv and the team was restoring a home in Yass which was Linton Manor. The owners at the time of the restoration said that Linton Manor was built in 1857 and originally owned by a sheep baron. The owners over the years had tried to restore the property and had spent a couple of million dollars trying to do just that, but I guess with 45 rooms, stables, additional accomodation and a ballroom your money can only go so far and that is why the renovation show was called in. The home wasn’t totally restored but obviously well enough as it finally sold after being on the market for ten years.

By this time I was ready for my drive home and as I was leaving Yass, I noticed a public rest room painted with an Aboriginal theme which looked so lovely. A great few hours out of Canberra!

A day visit to Jugiong – New South Wales – Australia – October 2020

Tags

Jugiong, Lunch with friends, New South Wales

We have been in Lockdown here in Canberra for nearly six weeks’ and will continue for another three weeks’ until 15 October; well hopefully that will be our end date! So whilst I can’t leave the ACT or travel very far from my home, I have been looking at old photos of places I have been lucky enough to visit. One place is a lovely little country town called Jugiong which is located on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River about an hour and half drive from Canberra. The drive is mainly highway but once you veer off towards Jugiong, there are lovely homes and interesting sculptures on the road.

Such a gorgeous little township which has a population of around 150 people. I think its major draw card is The Sir George hotel which is the main reason we visited. We had booked lunch but had left Canberra early so that I could take a walk around the town; must say this only took about half an hour but the shops were really sweet with lots to buy.

Our first stop was the Long Track Jam Factory, a lovely little store that sold…well jams…but also a range of condiments, tea towels and kitchen utensils. I love raspberry jam so bought a jar along with a few other condiments because you can never have enough condiments!

Our next stop was the Long Track Cafe & Pantry followed by the Lickety Splits Gelato Bar. Whilst I didn’t buy anything from the gelato bar, I certainly did buy a few items from the pantry including chocolates for friends and a few household items for myself.

It was then time for lunch. Our walk only took us two minutes but arriving at this beautifully restored hotel was something wonderful. We took a quick walk around the grounds and smelt the purple wisteria and checked out the barns which are available to stay overnight.

We ate lunch inside the restored 1852 stone pub as the courtyard was already booked. But I wasn’t disappointed as the interior was so lovely. We started off with a bottle of bubbles and I ordered a medley of vegetables and the boys ordered a haloumi burger which came with thick chips and a salmon dish with a pesto dressing and vegetables.

After our lunch we walked a little more around the grounds where we met a few of the resident goats and enjoyed fabulous views of the local countryside.

Once we had spent enough time walking the grounds our last stop was the Jugiong Wine Cellar which sells great local wines. My friends bought some sparkling as had previously tasted and loved.

Then it was time to drive home…a great afternoon visiting local areas and being able to contribute to the local community is great as well as spending time with my dear friends Wayne and Jef.

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

Tags

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.

Visiting Orange – New South Wales – Australia – October 2020

Tags

Ferment wines, New South Wales, Orange, Rosnay Winery, Sweet Sour Salt Restaurant, travelling with friends

Orange is a city in the central tablelands region of New South Wales and just over a three hour drive from Canberra. So late last year my two friends and I decided to take a road trip and spend a few days looking around and injecting some money into a place that like many others has done it tough during Covid.

We stayed at a really lovely Airbnb, my favourite form of accomodation these days with a courtyard out the back where we enjoyed breakfast in the mornings and wine and snacks in the afternoons.

Our first evening, my friend Naomi had booked a local restaurant called Sweet Sour Salt with Asian inspired cuisine and an interesting atmosphere with dim lighting, dramatic wall art and upside down chairs hanging from the ceiling.

The restaurant has dispensed with the al-a-carte menu and offers three set menus. One of those was plant based and food was really good especially the red curry eggplant with bamboo and tofu; absolutely delicious!

Only thing that wasn’t good on the night was the local vegan wine; tasted like old socks! Even Mandy and Naomi when they tasted it thought similar.

The next day after a long walk around the city checking out the historic home which are all restored beautifully, we popped into a cafe for lunch. Birdie Noshery & Drinking Est offers tapas, cocktails, wine, beers etc. But we started off with a hot beverage. The peppermint tea arrived in a glass teapot with a gorgeous brightly coloured cup and saucer. I loved the posters and prints on the walls inside the cafe. It really was a lovely place to sit for a couple of hours, which we did.

Well…we started off with tea and coffees but then of course considering it was a wine bar we enjoyed a couple of glasses of Aussie sparkling wine. Whilst Mandy and Naomi shared a few tapas dishes mainly meat and seafood, I ordered a vegan plate which arrived with lots of anti-pasta and olives, which I don’t like at all but the girls enjoyed them. It was a really nice couple of hours, eating, drinking and chatting.

On our way back to our Airbnb, we stopped off at Ferment Wine Centre in the centre of town where we had booked another wine tasting, I think it was $10 per person. I asked the elderly man who greeted us at the door if he had any vegan wines. He really didn’t know but proceeded to tell me why wines are vegan (which of course I know)…so that’s five minutes of my life I will never get back. He was also supposed to pour our tastings and tell us something about the actual wines but he saw someone he knew so went to give her a huge hug and left us for most of our hour on our own… and failed to tell us anything. We were a bit annoyed but then the girls took full advantage of this and just poured their own wines and considering we weren’t driving, they poured with a heavy hand. I think they got their $10 worth!

We stayed two nights in Orange and on our way back to Canberra, we stopped off at Rosnay winery. We had booked a wine tasting the evening before on-line and Naomi had tasted this wine before and said it was very good and a plus is that it is organic. Now this was a great wine tasting. We sat outside and enjoyed wines with the owner who really was a character. We had quite a few laughs listening to the history of his winery and his other antics and enjoyed some snacks too including figs which are also grown on his land.

The winery grounds were quite beautiful and after our tasting we each bought sparkling, rose and white wines along with fig preserve, marinated preserved figs and glazed figs; all I still have in my cupboard. I find I buy these things because they taste good on the day but then never end up eating them. – so now I really must enjoy them with friends over a glass or two of wine. Perhaps the wine I bought from this winery!

It’s really nice to get out and about in Australia and makes it even nicer when I can enjoy time with my friends!

Canola Fields – New South Wales – Australia – September 2020

Tags

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.

Southern Highlands – New South Wales – Australia – June 2020

Tags

Australia, Bowral, Ethos Restaurant, Links House, New South Wales, Southern Highlands, travelling with friends, Vegan wine

A lovely overnight trip out of Canberra

Finally…we can travel…well domestically anyway.  My friend and I decided to drive about two hours out of Canberra to a beautiful area of New South Wales called the Southern Highlands which is also considered a wine region.  My lovely friend Sharon booked us a couple of rooms at Links House in Bowral.  Bowral is the largest town in the Southern Highlands and is known for its antique shops, cafes, house & garden stores and expensive homes similar to other areas in the Southern Highlands.

We had a nice drive; I drove and we chatted about anything and everything and before we knew it, we had arrived at our hotel.  Links House has a lovely frontage.  It was built in 1928 as a country guesthouse and still has all the charm of that era and style.  We drove up the side lane and parked the car and walked into the hotel.  We were greeted by the owner who offered us a small glass of locally made port. Sharon indulged but because I don’t like red wine I declined.  We were shown our rooms which were lovely with a country style; heated, clean and most importantly; a comfortable bed!We spent the next hour or so with a friend and his family in their beautiful home; an old schoolhouse – and so beautifully decorated.  No photos unfortunately as didn’t think it appropriate to be snapping at the home of people I have only just met!!!  Then Sharon, David and I went out to lunch at Centennial Vineyards, a local winery, located in the same suburb as our hotel (but more on that in an upcoming post).

That evening Sharon and I decided to eat at our hotel at Ethos restaurant as it was rather cold outside and we had a busy day driving/eating/chatting and meeting new friends.  We met in the lounge area of our hotel which had a lovely fire and comfortable chairs.

source: courtesy of the internet

I arrived early to the lounge area so ordered a glass of wine.  As most of you will know I am vegan (over two years now) but something you might not know is it’s only been the last two months that I have decided to only drink vegan wine.  This means that any wine that has used egg white/fish or gelatine as a finishing agent (stops the clouding of the wine) I won’t drink.

source:  courtesy of the internet

 

I asked whether there were any vegan wines available and was told there was only one which was a rosé.  I am not a red wine or rosé drinker but the owner said this wine was very light and offered me a taste.  I took a small sip and it certainly was very light so ordered a glass.  By this time Sharon had arrived and after a few minutes we moved into the restaurant.  I ordered a mushroom risotto which the chef made vegan and Sharon ordered the pumpkin soup with truffle oil and home made grain bread.  Both very good dishes with lovely fresh local produce.By this time we were feeling a little tired so moved back into the lounge area near the fire for a chat before heading off to our rooms where I promptly fell straight asleep.

The next morning, I woke up early to see the sun rising and hopped out of bed to take a walk around the local area to check out the expensive homes.My walk took about an hour and whilst it was hard to see many of the homes from the street (I am definitely one of those people who loves to peer into other people’s homes!!), I could see driveways and parts of homes along from the footpath.The gardens were beautifully maintained also and one even had little ducks walking along the grass; very country I must say.Bowral has always been a place I would love to live but unfortunately now it’s way out of my price range…ah well it’s a lovely place to visit overnight or even for a few days.We enjoyed a lovely breakfast at our hotel and then it was time to check out and head back to Canberra.  On our way home we stopped at another country town called Mittagong to look at the shops – I love the stores selling all things fabulous like facial creams/soaps and candles – a little bit expensive but gorgeous.  Sharon and I ended up buying a few things in one particular shop and I bought a present for my friends Ray and Nat who helped look after my dogs whilst I was away.  I bought them a jigger – now I had no idea it was called this but you might, it’s the stainless steel measuring cup used to measure alcoholic spirits…so I learnt something (mindless) whilst away.  We also went into a fabulous bread shop.  I must say I love good bread but whilst I didn’t buy any bread I did buy an Indian vegan pie to take home which I have since eaten and it was very good; great pastry!So as you can see we had a lovely time away and as it’s so close to Canberra it’s an easy place to visit regularly.  I must return soon!