Off to the Royal National Park in the “Johnmobile” The park is an hour away past Botany Bay and the airport/Johns work. We walked to the Balconies and then onto Wedding Cake Rock along very picturesque paths with exotic and unnamed flora and fauna Em, Kev and Cheng met us at Wedding Cake Rock, and …
Rising at 7.30 to beat some of the heat (about 23c at that time) John Lulu and I headed out for an early morning run into Bondi Junction then on to Centennial Park. Although one or two steepish hills it was mostly a flat circuit beside a horse track encircling a cluster of lakes in …
Our first day in Sydney at Lulu and Johns flat in Bondi Junction We walked into the shopping area and tried out Lulus preferred coffee shop, nice flat white, Ying not so sure on the long black…. We had very generous egg and bacon bun, and brekkie bun, and decided to share one next time! …
We finished off the trip, visiting Eu Ming in his very plush tower block office, and a trip to the Australia Club (straight back to the 19th century, or English schools of the 20th century!!!) Thankyou Eu Ming And Gaik, fantastic hosts
Over two days we visited the Yarra Valley, three vineyards (ranging from one with 2 helicopters and a McLaren, to one with extensive kids, playground for when the adults are “relaxing”, and Chandon vineyard where Eu Ming tried to look the part… We then went on a nature trail, seeing Kookaburras (with kamikaze like approach …
A longish drive down to Port Arthur completed our loop around Tasmania. The Port was originally a Penal Institute for Criminals from the UK and then for recalcitrant local criminals, and “featured” a version of Jeremy Bentams “panopticon” style of isolation prison, beyond the main labour camp prison. Boys down to 8-9yrs old were also …
Apparently pronounced Launc-ces-ton?!? At Launceston we expanded our culinary repertoire (I think 9 nationalities altogether!) with a good Mexican Meal, in honour of Lulu’s concurrent holiday, and followed with an Ice cream and brownie:-) Tasmania Devils sculptures in the main shopping area, not the most endearing of emblems! The next day we drove up Cradle …
Ying was determined to visit Apsley Reserve (forest along the way, but it gave an opportunity to experience outback roads with progressively diminishing quality, untarmacced, and with wooden river crossings! Bay of fires :- Apparently so called originally due to the Aboriginal fires along the coast. The rocks are covered in characteristic red lichen
We headed off the next morning to explore the Eastern Coast of Tasmania Ying had earmarked a famous Oyster Farm to visit, and felt obliged to sample the wares, then up a fairly strenuous walk to look out over Wineglass Bay (so called due to its perfectly curved white beach)
Hobart is near the southernmost part of Tasmania, the southernmost part of Australia, and the temperature on the first night reflected it. We loved the Battery Point and Salamanca Area of Hobart, with a hipster village feel to the area behind the more tourist focussed Salamanca area. coffee shops, bakeries, and inviting eateries (after we …