Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Beetroot Dip
The other frequent addition to our veggie box these days is beetroot.
It can be a bit hard to know what to do with a lone beetroot before it goes soft, other
than baking it in tin foil with some olive oil and salt before peeling, slicing
and serving. Nothing wrong with that!
There is always the pickling option - but it really doesn't do justice to sweet fresh
beetroot flavour.
Or the old favourite of beetroot in blackcurrant jelly - which I've been meaning to have
a go at for a while now (cook beetroot, cut in to cubes and pour blackcurrant
jelly over. It's as simple as that - although I am sure there would be a gourmet version if
you felt so inclined.)
Come to think of it there was a very fine beef borscht soup that was so thick it ended up
served as a stew with some home made gnocchi and sour cream.
So in actual fact it turns out there is plenty to be done with a lone beetroot!
For a summer-y change though I decided on some beetroot dip - which is huge in Australia and
not something you ever see in the shops here.
I'm quite sure I could have found a better recipe and I'll maybe research it a bit better
for next time, but it turned out alright nonetheless, with a plate of cream crackers to dip in to it.
The recipe went like this:
2 large beetroots
2 cups greek style yoghurt
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
splash of balsamic
shredded mint leaves
salt and pepper
Roast the beetroot in olive oil, salt and tin foil till tender.
Peel and roughly chop and throw in the processor with the other ingredients.
Serve!
The recipe didn't actually call for any balsamic - but a wee bit of sweetness was needed.
And the fresh mint was there and seemed a good option to.
Next time I think I'd like something with a bit of dill or maybe some feta.
All suggestions welcome!
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Road Trip II: Karijini National Park to Port Hedland.
Tom Price is a mining town and most of the folk there are there for that reason, hence the lack of accommodation for the spontaneous traveller. It is also one of the closest places to the Karijini National Park, which is famous there and thereabouts for snaking gorges cut in to the red ground with waterfalls and waterholes at their bases. I hadn't heard of the park until I got to Exmouth, but having heard about it I wanted to go and it was the main destination on the road trip.
Once I got there I realised that alot of the roads into and around the park were unsealed so I decided, for the sake of Hertz and my hire car, to stick mostly to the sealed roads even though it would limit how much of the national park I could see. Given the short time that I had and the distances I was going to cover I had already realised that I was only going to have scattered glimpses of the Pilbara rather than seeing anything in great detail.
Karijini is red and dusty as far as the eye can see, with more of the rocky outcrops and ridges but no sign of all the action that happens down at the bottom of the gorges. It is only once you have followed the signs to the landmarks, gotten out of the car in the middle of dust and dirt and heat and followed the path to the lookouts that you are surprised by the deep red gorges running through the park. Not until you are standing at the top of a gorge looking down would you know that it was there.
I went to Dales Gorge first, it runs from circular pool to Fortescue Falls, a distance of over a kilometre and a depth of nearly 600metres. From a vertiginous lookout at the top of the gorge you can hold on to the metal barriers and look down in to the dark circular pool surrounded by greenery below. I walked along the top of the gorge to where you had to take a deep breath and clamber down an even dizzier making path.
Before I took the plunge I walked on a bit to gather my courage whilst pretending to myself I wasn't going to bother to go down. I did though, keeping my centre of gravity very close to the ground as I went (upside down crab) whilst giving myself a stern talking to for attempting it at all in thongs (flip flops!).
After the steep descent the path at the bottom of the gorge was easy and led past a shallow stream, tall grasses, layers and layers of red flat rock and over a stream to the circular pool where unexpectedly there were a bunch of other sight see-ers already having a dip. The water was cool silky smooth. And oddly not salty after days at the beach.
The climb out was much easier than the climb down since I had my back to the drop. Back on the top of the world I jumped in the car and drove a few kilometres to the other end of the gorge and in appropriate footwear this time I climbed down to the Fortescue Falls for a second swim in the pool there.
I got some good advice from one of the locals at the pool - check yourself for leeches after a swim (I was happily leech free) - and some useful advice too - the unsealed roads are perfectly passable at any sensible speed in a car and I should give it a go (he was driving quite successfully at un-sensible speeds in a 4 by 4). Emboldened by this advice I decided to cut back across the bottom of the park and drive to the Hammersley Gorge along the unsealed roads and then take a short cut round the west and north of the park to the Millstream Chichester National Park before finishing up in Karratha.
So off I headed on the unsealed roads for Hammersley Gorge and climbed back down in to the ground for the third time. Once at the bottom you have to scramble up the side of the waterfall picking out a path as best you can and occasionally having to take a leap to the other side to find your way. I didn't know what I was heading to, only that it was where I was supposed to be going by the whoops and laughter coming from that direction.
At the top there was a flat pool surrounded by slippy algae covered rocks, which made getting in to the pool clumsy. At the other end of the pool I had to climb out backwards, so I could get some purchase on the steep slippy rocks and then it was only a couple of metres to a deep, dark and perfectly round pool that was colder than any of the others being shaded by a rocky overhang. I have no idea how deep it was (it probably came out in Scotland on the old drovers path where the lochan is claimed to be bottomless) and I had no desire to find out . I did manage a quick dip in the shadows to the crystal clear waterfall that fell a metre or two from the sunshine above the rocks bringing all of the heat of the sun with it. As hot as any shower.
And then I was back on to the red dusty unsealed road and heading north. It was later in the day than I thought after my three swims and I still had a ways to go. The unsealed roads didn't make for easy driving with the constant rattling of the car and the need to beware the occasional roller coaster dip in to the floodways. I rather missed the ease, the pace and the peace of the highways. When I realised I'd be lucky to get to Karratha in daylight and with a whim to pass through the deserted town of Wittenoom I turned east across the top of the national park to sealed roads, highways and Port Hedland.
There used to be a blue asbestos mine in Wittenoom - before the blue asbestos fibres worked their way in to lining of the lungs of the residents and miners causing cancer it was the biggest town in the Pilbara. After a thousand deaths the government cleared the town of all except the most stubborn residents, declared it unsafe and removed its status as a township. Wittenoom appears deserted. There are buildings gathered at the base of a hill, houses in pale pink and yellow and directions to the visitors centre, but there are no people and they have even taken down the signs bearing the name of the town. Therefore, it no longer exists. An ABC article from 2006 says that in fact eight people still live in the town including one man who shoots kangaroos for a living and the love of his life; they met on the empty main street but I didn't see anyone as I drove by.
After Wittenoom it was 45 kilometres and I was back on to sealed roads, hurrah, and after Auski Roadhouse back on to the familiar highway heading for Port Hedland, another industrial town. Somewhere east of Marble Bar (Australia's hottest place) I passed miles and miles of red dirt and gravel, as if the earth was freshly tilled and turned. No trees, no scrub, no spinnifex clumps, nothing green - only red dirt dust and rocks as far as I could see. I would have taken a picture but i had just overtaken a road train and I wasn't going to let him catch me.
I got in to Port Hedland at dark and had another search for somewhere to stay on my hands. This time it was more than I spent in Tom Price, but the woman in charge was lovely, the room didn't smell of gravy and I had had a good day.
Once I got there I realised that alot of the roads into and around the park were unsealed so I decided, for the sake of Hertz and my hire car, to stick mostly to the sealed roads even though it would limit how much of the national park I could see. Given the short time that I had and the distances I was going to cover I had already realised that I was only going to have scattered glimpses of the Pilbara rather than seeing anything in great detail.
Karijini is red and dusty as far as the eye can see, with more of the rocky outcrops and ridges but no sign of all the action that happens down at the bottom of the gorges. It is only once you have followed the signs to the landmarks, gotten out of the car in the middle of dust and dirt and heat and followed the path to the lookouts that you are surprised by the deep red gorges running through the park. Not until you are standing at the top of a gorge looking down would you know that it was there.
I went to Dales Gorge first, it runs from circular pool to Fortescue Falls, a distance of over a kilometre and a depth of nearly 600metres. From a vertiginous lookout at the top of the gorge you can hold on to the metal barriers and look down in to the dark circular pool surrounded by greenery below. I walked along the top of the gorge to where you had to take a deep breath and clamber down an even dizzier making path.
Before I took the plunge I walked on a bit to gather my courage whilst pretending to myself I wasn't going to bother to go down. I did though, keeping my centre of gravity very close to the ground as I went (upside down crab) whilst giving myself a stern talking to for attempting it at all in thongs (flip flops!).
After the steep descent the path at the bottom of the gorge was easy and led past a shallow stream, tall grasses, layers and layers of red flat rock and over a stream to the circular pool where unexpectedly there were a bunch of other sight see-ers already having a dip. The water was cool silky smooth. And oddly not salty after days at the beach.
The climb out was much easier than the climb down since I had my back to the drop. Back on the top of the world I jumped in the car and drove a few kilometres to the other end of the gorge and in appropriate footwear this time I climbed down to the Fortescue Falls for a second swim in the pool there.
I got some good advice from one of the locals at the pool - check yourself for leeches after a swim (I was happily leech free) - and some useful advice too - the unsealed roads are perfectly passable at any sensible speed in a car and I should give it a go (he was driving quite successfully at un-sensible speeds in a 4 by 4). Emboldened by this advice I decided to cut back across the bottom of the park and drive to the Hammersley Gorge along the unsealed roads and then take a short cut round the west and north of the park to the Millstream Chichester National Park before finishing up in Karratha.
So off I headed on the unsealed roads for Hammersley Gorge and climbed back down in to the ground for the third time. Once at the bottom you have to scramble up the side of the waterfall picking out a path as best you can and occasionally having to take a leap to the other side to find your way. I didn't know what I was heading to, only that it was where I was supposed to be going by the whoops and laughter coming from that direction.
At the top there was a flat pool surrounded by slippy algae covered rocks, which made getting in to the pool clumsy. At the other end of the pool I had to climb out backwards, so I could get some purchase on the steep slippy rocks and then it was only a couple of metres to a deep, dark and perfectly round pool that was colder than any of the others being shaded by a rocky overhang. I have no idea how deep it was (it probably came out in Scotland on the old drovers path where the lochan is claimed to be bottomless) and I had no desire to find out . I did manage a quick dip in the shadows to the crystal clear waterfall that fell a metre or two from the sunshine above the rocks bringing all of the heat of the sun with it. As hot as any shower.
And then I was back on to the red dusty unsealed road and heading north. It was later in the day than I thought after my three swims and I still had a ways to go. The unsealed roads didn't make for easy driving with the constant rattling of the car and the need to beware the occasional roller coaster dip in to the floodways. I rather missed the ease, the pace and the peace of the highways. When I realised I'd be lucky to get to Karratha in daylight and with a whim to pass through the deserted town of Wittenoom I turned east across the top of the national park to sealed roads, highways and Port Hedland.
There used to be a blue asbestos mine in Wittenoom - before the blue asbestos fibres worked their way in to lining of the lungs of the residents and miners causing cancer it was the biggest town in the Pilbara. After a thousand deaths the government cleared the town of all except the most stubborn residents, declared it unsafe and removed its status as a township. Wittenoom appears deserted. There are buildings gathered at the base of a hill, houses in pale pink and yellow and directions to the visitors centre, but there are no people and they have even taken down the signs bearing the name of the town. Therefore, it no longer exists. An ABC article from 2006 says that in fact eight people still live in the town including one man who shoots kangaroos for a living and the love of his life; they met on the empty main street but I didn't see anyone as I drove by.
After Wittenoom it was 45 kilometres and I was back on to sealed roads, hurrah, and after Auski Roadhouse back on to the familiar highway heading for Port Hedland, another industrial town. Somewhere east of Marble Bar (Australia's hottest place) I passed miles and miles of red dirt and gravel, as if the earth was freshly tilled and turned. No trees, no scrub, no spinnifex clumps, nothing green - only red dirt dust and rocks as far as I could see. I would have taken a picture but i had just overtaken a road train and I wasn't going to let him catch me.
I got in to Port Hedland at dark and had another search for somewhere to stay on my hands. This time it was more than I spent in Tom Price, but the woman in charge was lovely, the room didn't smell of gravy and I had had a good day.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Road Trip. Exmouth to Tom Price.
I am a week or two behind with my travels now with everything from the whalesharks to Perth to fill in and much of the detail already disappearing behind me. After the whalesharks I had a week ahead of me in Exmouth and there simply isn't enough to do there if you are a girl alone with no wheels. I did know I was too full of emotion to sit still for a week, so with the memory of the last great WA Road Trip in mind I trotted off down to the car hire place before my worries could catch me up and in my best can do frame of mind hired myself something big enough and clever enough to take on the big distances, the road trains and the heat.
After stocking up with more water than I could drink in a week, food enough for a couple of days, a 3 CD compilation of power ballads and having put out the word of where I would be and when and at what time to get worried if there had been no call I took to the road.
The distances to be covered between anywhere in the Pilbara are considerable. On the first day I planned to drive from Exmouth south and then east to meet the northwest coastal highway, then north on the highway to the Nanutarra Roadhouse, and then east across nothing to reach Paraburdoo and then Tom Price, where I'd stay for the night. ABout 650 kilometres in all.
I thought the driving might be dull or difficult but I was looking forward to Tom Price and checking in to the motel before heading on to the national park the next day.
I thought the Pilbara was a desert and I liked the sound of me 'crossing the Pilbara'. I've realised since that the Pilbara is a bigger area than one desert and includes the coastal regions, the sand plains, the industrial towns and the deep river gorges. What it seems to have in common is the rich iron deposits in the earth which account for the rich red soil and the rich rich mining.
As with the train trip across the Nullabor (which on checking is also not a desert but a plain composed of the world's largest single piece of limestone!) the scenery was always changing even though it was always the same - red dirt, greenery and blue sky. The red dirt changed from pink to orange to deep sienna; rocks from orange to pink to purple slate. The greenery changed from straw to pale green, from tall grasses to clumps of spinifex.
Even some of the trees were red.
There wasn't a great deal else to see on the road. The occasional other vehicle, the odd bit of roadkill, huge rocky outcrops that came and went. The radio kept me company and I listened to the last day of western australia's last urban stock yards in action (it took me a good half an hour to realise that country hour was not country and western hour). I was hardly a pioneer woman crossing the great outback, with my organic cafe made sundried tomato and ricotta penne and a bottle of red wine in my cool bag and yet there was a real sense of satisfaction at covering the distances easily and in watching the world go by.
I was quite content with my lot then when I drove in to Tom Price mid afternoon and for a mining town in the middle of nowhere it has plenty going for it with 2 ovals, an outdoor cinema and a very new bright blue swimming pool. My anticipation of liking the place lasted only until I found myself sleeping in an A frame hut in the tourist park at the cost of 185 dollars for the privilege of a place that smelt strongly of old gravy. I'd thought that the woman at the Motel didn't like the look of me when she told me that they were full and to try calling the tourist park. I drove myself out there to find that the tourist park was also full and I was still trying to work out where that left me (in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to sleep with dusk coming on and the kangaroos lining up at the roadside to play chicken with the traffic in the dark) when the man heard from a regular that he wasn't coming in till the next day and I could have his room at that bargain price. You can't haggle over the last room in town, can you?
So I ate my fancy pasta and drank my red wine and watched the hundreds of cockatoos that were gathered in the trees outside and I took myself off to bed early wondering what exactly I was doing there in the middle of nowhere and planning to be up and out in the fresh air and off to Karijini bright and early.
And that is a tale for another day.
After stocking up with more water than I could drink in a week, food enough for a couple of days, a 3 CD compilation of power ballads and having put out the word of where I would be and when and at what time to get worried if there had been no call I took to the road.
The distances to be covered between anywhere in the Pilbara are considerable. On the first day I planned to drive from Exmouth south and then east to meet the northwest coastal highway, then north on the highway to the Nanutarra Roadhouse, and then east across nothing to reach Paraburdoo and then Tom Price, where I'd stay for the night. ABout 650 kilometres in all.
I thought the driving might be dull or difficult but I was looking forward to Tom Price and checking in to the motel before heading on to the national park the next day.
I thought the Pilbara was a desert and I liked the sound of me 'crossing the Pilbara'. I've realised since that the Pilbara is a bigger area than one desert and includes the coastal regions, the sand plains, the industrial towns and the deep river gorges. What it seems to have in common is the rich iron deposits in the earth which account for the rich red soil and the rich rich mining.
As with the train trip across the Nullabor (which on checking is also not a desert but a plain composed of the world's largest single piece of limestone!) the scenery was always changing even though it was always the same - red dirt, greenery and blue sky. The red dirt changed from pink to orange to deep sienna; rocks from orange to pink to purple slate. The greenery changed from straw to pale green, from tall grasses to clumps of spinifex.
Even some of the trees were red.
There wasn't a great deal else to see on the road. The occasional other vehicle, the odd bit of roadkill, huge rocky outcrops that came and went. The radio kept me company and I listened to the last day of western australia's last urban stock yards in action (it took me a good half an hour to realise that country hour was not country and western hour). I was hardly a pioneer woman crossing the great outback, with my organic cafe made sundried tomato and ricotta penne and a bottle of red wine in my cool bag and yet there was a real sense of satisfaction at covering the distances easily and in watching the world go by.
I was quite content with my lot then when I drove in to Tom Price mid afternoon and for a mining town in the middle of nowhere it has plenty going for it with 2 ovals, an outdoor cinema and a very new bright blue swimming pool. My anticipation of liking the place lasted only until I found myself sleeping in an A frame hut in the tourist park at the cost of 185 dollars for the privilege of a place that smelt strongly of old gravy. I'd thought that the woman at the Motel didn't like the look of me when she told me that they were full and to try calling the tourist park. I drove myself out there to find that the tourist park was also full and I was still trying to work out where that left me (in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to sleep with dusk coming on and the kangaroos lining up at the roadside to play chicken with the traffic in the dark) when the man heard from a regular that he wasn't coming in till the next day and I could have his room at that bargain price. You can't haggle over the last room in town, can you?
So I ate my fancy pasta and drank my red wine and watched the hundreds of cockatoos that were gathered in the trees outside and I took myself off to bed early wondering what exactly I was doing there in the middle of nowhere and planning to be up and out in the fresh air and off to Karijini bright and early.
And that is a tale for another day.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Snorkelling with Whalesharks, Ningaloo Reef, WA
On Monday I went out with Exmouth Diving Centre for a day of snorkeling with whalesharks. It was one of the main reasons for coming back to Western Australia (the other being the great road trip I had with CK from Perth to Monkey Mia in 2006), and I was simply lucky to be here at the right time of year.
I haven't quite gotten my head around the day yet because there was alot to take in. Much as I like being in the water I am not the most confident of swimmers. On Monday the day started windy and the water was a bit dark and choppy. We had a practise snorkel, while some of the others got a quick dive in, mostly to make sure we were happy enough in the water. And for me it was a bit bouncy on the water, and as snorkels go, the visibility wasn't great (although I did see a Manta Ray :)) but I was happy enough.
At 10 o clock spotter planes go up to find the whalesharks for the boats, and once they have found one the boats race over there and you have to be snorkel ready and in the water and swimming hard the moment you get there (they go surprisingly fast for what seems the minimum movement of their admittedly massive tail). Ten people are allowed in the water at any one time (plus the person in charge who is always keeping an eye on where the shark is) so there is also the business of negotiating other people and their fins. You must also stay behind their heads, 3 metres from their sides and at least 4 metres from their tails. Sounds easy enough until the whaleshark decides to change direction and is heading straight for you and you don't know how to snorkel backwards! (play dead and hope it changes direction seemed to work).
I could say an awful lot about the day, its excitement and adrenaline and frantic-ness never mind what I could say about the whalesharks (ocean's biggest fish, spots as individual as fingerprints, endangered, spend a couple of months at Ningaloo every year after the coral spawning, could be anywhere up to 20 metres long...) but there was a moment that stood out that I am sure I won't forget. On maybe the second dive the whaleshark was diving down below us. The ocean floor was only about 14 metres or so, so the whaleshark couldn't dive and disappear as some of the others did. Instead it began to rise and as it came closer to us and the surface the sunlight shining down lit up it's spots. And it's massive tail was slowly waving from side to side. And for just one moment everything in the world was this one massive creature from the deep.
I'm not going to be able to do it justice, but fortunately one of my fellow snorkellers, Cyril, had a sooper dooper Lumic High Definition camera and got some video footage. And this film is all that I am talking about. You can't tell from the video how big a fish it really is - so there is a photo at the top with a snorkeler or two for scale.
Thanks Cyril, for all of the videos and photos, and to Cyril and AJ for your company over beer and chinese food.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Broome, WA
I am at Broome airport on my way out. The Gallipoli Dawn Service for Anzac Day is playing on the telly, I have a latte to hand and about 45 minutes before I board my short flight to Learmouth/ Exmouth. It's been a funny few days in Broome. Funny to have all this time on my hands after weeks and months of being so busy. Funny to not to have to do anything much. I have to keep reminding myself I am on holiday and that I needn't do anything!
It's a good place to be, Broome, if you want to watch the world go by and catch up with yourself. It may be the start of autumn, but the days are hot. Nothing happens very quickly here and even though it is the start of the dry season - high season - there aren't many folk about.
It takes a bit to get your head around Broome which is odd when it is only small - small enough that I could walk from the 'international' airport to my motel when I arrived in no time at all. It is also an odd town, for a whole bunch of reasons, all of which add up to make it a fine place to be.
Broome is on the coast but you are hard pressed to get a glimpse of water as there are banks of mangroves which hide the ocean away. When you do get to the beach the sand is red (the pindan) and because the beach is shallow for a long way the water is somewhere between cobalt blue and pale aqua green. No one was in the water at the town beach, which is bayside. After hearing about the jellyfish I was a) not surprised and b) glad I noticed no one was in, wondered why and didn't go in myself.
I hired a bike to get around the town and widen my reach. A scooter might have been better given the temperatures, but at least I got my exercise. Cable Beach, a long white sand beach on the Indian Ocean is only about 5 kms away (I had a good coffee and a massive kiwi fruit muffin at the Old Zoo Cafe there, thanks for the rec. Colin!). There is much much less chance of a jellyfish sting at Cable Beach and lifegaurds to hand which makes a swim a bit less daunting. The life guard sign did note that the last sting was four days before - not unreasonable odds and the crashing surf was too good to miss. I also cycled to Point Gantheaume to see the lighthouse and the red rock formations. It was a long, hot dusty road to get there and I was beginning to despair I would ever get there. The lighthouse was really a beacon on scaffolding, but the beach was incredible. It was shallow as far as the eye could see, the water was clear as could be, the sunlight reflected silver and little fish were darting around my feet.
Broome's an old pearling town and because of that there has always been money for spending. Before the pearls were farmed the best divers came from China and Japan so the town has long had a multi cultural mix. This and it's popularity as a holiday spot mean that I had coffee any Melbourne barista would have been proud to serve, great fresh produce and some amazing food. I meant to go easy after recent weeks of fine dining, but the different places were too temtping. In Azuki I had the best ramen I've had since Japan made with a sweet soy stock, wheat noodles, thick slices of pork loin, pickled vegetables and bean sprouts topped with a dollop of spicy chilli kimchi - SO GOOD!! (see below). And at Noodlefish I had stir fried pork belly with chilli paste, green beans, green pepper corns and basil. I didn't make it to the great sounding italian restaurant and I only tried one beer (the Pindan Ale) at Matso's microbrewery. It was sharp and a bit too bitter for my taste. If I had been so inclined there were plenty more to choose from, including a chilli beer, the famour ginger beer and a chango beer made from chilli and mango. Next time.
About the only thing I knew about Broome in advance was that there was an open air cinema, or rather more quaintly, a picture gardens. I was very excited that it is still there and functioning, the oldest in the world. Really it is a shed with deck chairs and across the lawn a big screen. The outdoor experience is brought to life by frogs croaking in the hedges, small lizards wandering small across the cinema screen and a couple of aeroplanes flying straight over our heads to land behind the screen. Brilliant.
I'm in Exmouth as I finish writing this, I ran out of time at the airport as I am running out of time now. Word to the wise (not me!) - don't travel on Anzac Day - nothing is open! _the lodge staff left a note on the white board with my room number and advice that the keys were in the door).
Broome - good. Exmouth - let's see shall we.
It's a good place to be, Broome, if you want to watch the world go by and catch up with yourself. It may be the start of autumn, but the days are hot. Nothing happens very quickly here and even though it is the start of the dry season - high season - there aren't many folk about.
It takes a bit to get your head around Broome which is odd when it is only small - small enough that I could walk from the 'international' airport to my motel when I arrived in no time at all. It is also an odd town, for a whole bunch of reasons, all of which add up to make it a fine place to be.
Broome is on the coast but you are hard pressed to get a glimpse of water as there are banks of mangroves which hide the ocean away. When you do get to the beach the sand is red (the pindan) and because the beach is shallow for a long way the water is somewhere between cobalt blue and pale aqua green. No one was in the water at the town beach, which is bayside. After hearing about the jellyfish I was a) not surprised and b) glad I noticed no one was in, wondered why and didn't go in myself.
I hired a bike to get around the town and widen my reach. A scooter might have been better given the temperatures, but at least I got my exercise. Cable Beach, a long white sand beach on the Indian Ocean is only about 5 kms away (I had a good coffee and a massive kiwi fruit muffin at the Old Zoo Cafe there, thanks for the rec. Colin!). There is much much less chance of a jellyfish sting at Cable Beach and lifegaurds to hand which makes a swim a bit less daunting. The life guard sign did note that the last sting was four days before - not unreasonable odds and the crashing surf was too good to miss. I also cycled to Point Gantheaume to see the lighthouse and the red rock formations. It was a long, hot dusty road to get there and I was beginning to despair I would ever get there. The lighthouse was really a beacon on scaffolding, but the beach was incredible. It was shallow as far as the eye could see, the water was clear as could be, the sunlight reflected silver and little fish were darting around my feet.
Broome's an old pearling town and because of that there has always been money for spending. Before the pearls were farmed the best divers came from China and Japan so the town has long had a multi cultural mix. This and it's popularity as a holiday spot mean that I had coffee any Melbourne barista would have been proud to serve, great fresh produce and some amazing food. I meant to go easy after recent weeks of fine dining, but the different places were too temtping. In Azuki I had the best ramen I've had since Japan made with a sweet soy stock, wheat noodles, thick slices of pork loin, pickled vegetables and bean sprouts topped with a dollop of spicy chilli kimchi - SO GOOD!! (see below). And at Noodlefish I had stir fried pork belly with chilli paste, green beans, green pepper corns and basil. I didn't make it to the great sounding italian restaurant and I only tried one beer (the Pindan Ale) at Matso's microbrewery. It was sharp and a bit too bitter for my taste. If I had been so inclined there were plenty more to choose from, including a chilli beer, the famour ginger beer and a chango beer made from chilli and mango. Next time.
About the only thing I knew about Broome in advance was that there was an open air cinema, or rather more quaintly, a picture gardens. I was very excited that it is still there and functioning, the oldest in the world. Really it is a shed with deck chairs and across the lawn a big screen. The outdoor experience is brought to life by frogs croaking in the hedges, small lizards wandering small across the cinema screen and a couple of aeroplanes flying straight over our heads to land behind the screen. Brilliant.
I'm in Exmouth as I finish writing this, I ran out of time at the airport as I am running out of time now. Word to the wise (not me!) - don't travel on Anzac Day - nothing is open! _the lodge staff left a note on the white board with my room number and advice that the keys were in the door).
Broome - good. Exmouth - let's see shall we.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Indian Pacific
Over the weekend I took the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth. Over four thousand kilometres in one train journey lasting three days and three nights. Some might say that only a fool would submit themself to such a trip, and only an old fool at that. The Chinese taxi driver who took me to Sydney Central Station literally cackled when i told him it cost nine hundred bucks and i still had to pay for food and agreed that he thought I was mad. I was hoping for an old fashioned charming and perhaps even rather romantic experience (hence the schmaltzy photo above) and I was really glad that that is what I had. It may have been somewhat different a tale if I had had to share the 'cosy' cabin with anyone else, but luckily the stewardess took pity on me and wangled things so I didn't have to share with any pensioners.
A three day journey is a long time, especially for the girl who gets restless and agitated on a plane after about 5 hours, but in some ways it wasn't quite long enough. Firstly there was the fun of settling myself in my cabin, ever so nonchalantly not caring whether or not I'd have a room mate, and then when it was clear I had the place to myself there was the fun of checking out how everything worked. The old fashioned radio buttons, the venetian blinds tucked between glass and the beds that appear from nowhere (one is behind one armchair and the other lowers from the ceiling).
Just plain looking out the window took up an awful lot of time. I was mesmerized by the largely empty but constantly changing landscape rolling by.
Here is the outback red landscape...
Here are the wheat fields of south Australia...
And here some grain stores...
And when I was in need of a change of scenery there was the chance to venture out and explore the narrow snaking corridors, the toilets with their 70s yellow formica, the menu for the next three days and the lounge dining car. After baked potato with chilli and sour cream and a single serve bottle of red wine it was back to my cabin and more window gazing- this time at the night sky. The Milky Way was a vivid swirl above and there were millions of bright stars. We seemed to keep pace with it, or rather to be motionless with the sky as the land rolled by. Beautiful.
After a creaking, rocking, shuttling night's sleep in a surprisingly comfy and cosy berth it was up early for a tour of Broken Hill. The humour was decidedly elderly, as was the content but the view of the train (all 21 carriages, car transporter and engine)
from up on top of the line of lode was cool.
There were four stops in all, which is perhaps why I felt the journey wasn't quite long enough - we seemed to be always on our way to the next place. On the second afternoon we had a few hours in Adelaide where I had coffee and a piadina in a cafe overlooking there arts market. The next morning we got out to wander Cook, a now largely deserted town whose only purpose is a rest and changeover stop for the drivers. Here is the Cook Country Club, established 2006 complete with badminton court, basketball courts and nine hole golf course - the last particularly impressive in a place where water is imported at a cost akin to fuel.
On the last evening we rolled in to Kalgoorlie amidst a spectacular lightning storm (which made the tour of the open mine impossible more is the pity) and I wandered leisurely out for a look at the historic town and after a quick trip to the supermarket scuttled nervously back to the train after considering all those pubs, men and utes. Here is the cloud thunderhead that flashed and forked as darkness fell...
A last night's sleep in a bed that seemed the safest in the world and we arrived in east perth on tuesday morning. The whole experience was reminiscent of sailing off the west coast of scotland in terms of the gentle pace, the long periods of inactivity and the opportunity to ponder as the world drifts by. It was a great way to leave, especially when the preceding weeks were filled with au revoirs et adieus. A good way to catch up with myself and all of the last four years. And it may be the beginning of something else - next time the tran siberian railway or one of india's great train journeys or the train through the Rockies. Who can say.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Itinerary
My six months are up. And this is about to become about all sorts of places, and none of them Melbourne. I have no idea how much I'll get to post in the next three months as I travel back to the UK. I hope I'll be able to get a few photos and stories up, but just in case I don't here is where I'll be..
Friday 16th April - Fly to Sydney
Sat 17th April - Take train to Perth
Tues 20th April - Arrive Perth and Fly to Broome
Stay in Broome for 6 days and then travel back down to Perth via Ningaloo Reef
May 10th - Fly to Jo'burg and straight on to Cape Town
May 11th Arrive Cape Town and get picked up by Angela and Josh
I'm staying with them near Elim, near Hermanus, east of Cape Town for 7 weeks
here it is on google map...
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?utm_campaign=en_AU&utm_medium=ha&utm_source=en_AU-ha-apac-au-bk-gm&utm_term=google%20maps
July 3rd Fly from Cape Town to Heathrow
July 4th Arrive Heathrow and head to Susan's near Haywards Heath for a week
then buy a car and drive up to Scotland.
It's exciting to be going travelling, but there is alot I am going to miss - all the friends and party people, the coffee, the sushi, boost juices, my local street, the cute cafes, the trams and the easy public transport, going to the beach with the girls, the markets and the fine restaurants to name but a few. Oh, and the graffiti (the good stuff), the weatherboard houses, the birds which make funny noises, the hot air balloons at dawn over the station, possums from the balcony and the wierd and wonderful folk who wander about.
I am going to cram as much as I can in this week to keep me going.
Friday 16th April - Fly to Sydney
Sat 17th April - Take train to Perth
Tues 20th April - Arrive Perth and Fly to Broome
Stay in Broome for 6 days and then travel back down to Perth via Ningaloo Reef
May 10th - Fly to Jo'burg and straight on to Cape Town
May 11th Arrive Cape Town and get picked up by Angela and Josh
I'm staying with them near Elim, near Hermanus, east of Cape Town for 7 weeks
here it is on google map...
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?utm_campaign=en_AU&utm_medium=ha&utm_source=en_AU-ha-apac-au-bk-gm&utm_term=google%20maps
July 3rd Fly from Cape Town to Heathrow
July 4th Arrive Heathrow and head to Susan's near Haywards Heath for a week
then buy a car and drive up to Scotland.
It's exciting to be going travelling, but there is alot I am going to miss - all the friends and party people, the coffee, the sushi, boost juices, my local street, the cute cafes, the trams and the easy public transport, going to the beach with the girls, the markets and the fine restaurants to name but a few. Oh, and the graffiti (the good stuff), the weatherboard houses, the birds which make funny noises, the hot air balloons at dawn over the station, possums from the balcony and the wierd and wonderful folk who wander about.
I am going to cram as much as I can in this week to keep me going.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
St Kilda Library
We've been camping on a river bank upstate over Easter weekend, but then you already know that. You probably also know that mostly i took photos on film so it'll be a wee while till i get those back and can post them. So instead, and as it has been a while, I'll post a picture of the St Kilda library, just next door. I love this building, especially from the back.
It would fit in so many places - a tea plantation, on the set of out of Africa or deep in the outback. The garden is grey blue with local plants - gums and scrubs and a towering tree with combat striped bark. The wooden edged roof overhangs to keep the building cool and folk are often sitting in the shade with a computer (jumping on the free internet out front) or with a beer and there mates (out the back). In fact the concrete ledge often gives a passer through a place to sleep on, or under. A truly multi purpose community building (although I doubt that it was intended or is encouraged to be a sleeping place). And through the window you can get a view of the multi coloured glass lights which float inside like little space ships. Gorgeous. I'll get a photo of them next time.
It would fit in so many places - a tea plantation, on the set of out of Africa or deep in the outback. The garden is grey blue with local plants - gums and scrubs and a towering tree with combat striped bark. The wooden edged roof overhangs to keep the building cool and folk are often sitting in the shade with a computer (jumping on the free internet out front) or with a beer and there mates (out the back). In fact the concrete ledge often gives a passer through a place to sleep on, or under. A truly multi purpose community building (although I doubt that it was intended or is encouraged to be a sleeping place). And through the window you can get a view of the multi coloured glass lights which float inside like little space ships. Gorgeous. I'll get a photo of them next time.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Mobiloil
So okay, the naked giant man is freaking me out too, or at least seeing his picture front page is. Instead here is the very cool oil advertising sign that is painted on the brick outside our front door. This one's for you Flower!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Two weeks in Australia – Week 2
Now then, where were we….
Day 8. We went back to DOV on Victoria Street for breakfast and then it was time for our flight to Melbourne. After tea the boys headed off to St Kilda Bowls Club to watch the Melbourne Victory Game and drink beer (Tony never looked happier) while Ish and I pottered around and had some much needed downtime.
Day 9. A late start and then off to see the Ron Mueck exhibit with it’s incredibly lifelike people in all sorts of crazy shapes and sizes. Ish refused to have her picture taken next to the giant naked man (here with me and tony - all the giants)
so here she is with the little people...
After the exhibit we headed to Melbourne’s funky bar scene – old favourite Madame Brussels – a very sweet rooftop bar, all fine white metal garden furniture and fake grass. We drank some bubbles and beer in honour of Johanna’s birthday and then headed to Red Pepper Indian restaurant at the top of Bourke Street for a ten dollar curry. I accidentally ate Ish’s butter chicken, but she magnanimously said that my Chicken Tikka hit her spot. Nan breads awesome, spinach curry awesome, tasty curries all in very different sauces awesome.
Day 10. We headed off to Healesville Sanctuary to see some local wildlife, picking up takeaway coffee (scalding, burnt and bad) and sandwiches (cheese and egg frittata with salad and relish; spicy prosciutto and rocket and Meredith goats cheese all on homemade bread – all fab) at Fatto et Mano Italian bakery on Gertrude Street en route. We arrived at the Sanctuary in time for the platypus show (1pm), parrot show (130pm), birds of prey show (230 pm) and koala show (330pm). Non stop fun and in between times we checked out the Tasmanian devil trotting round and round and round in his pen (not sure if was busy or stressed), a huge wombat fast asleep on his back in the shade with legs outstretched, some nocturnal jumping mice, other big eyed night time creatures, a handful of kangaroos, emus, dingoes and an echidna. I think we got the complete set!
On the way back to the city we stopped off at the Healesville Hotel for a glass of local red, as we were too late for any of the wineries. Tea at home was followed by Craig and Tony heading off to the delights of the Balaclava Hotel, complete with it’s outdoor smoking area (cage) and local wildlife (punch up) and me introducing Ish to Sex and the City, Series 1, Episodes 1 – 4. She’d never seen it!
Day 11. A really nice brunch at MART, the old station house at Middle Park on the 96 route, with some very fine coffee and then we headed to South Melbourne Market (down the grand prix track for the missing jones sibling, ken)(here it is...)
for groceries, tat and a look around. Here's some fish at the mongers.
We popped in to Prahran Market on the way home for Japanese groceries at Fujimart too. It would have been wrong not to have a fritz gelato while we were there, you must agree. Then we lazed around awhile, Ish and I having a quick pedicure next door on Carlisle Street, then headed down to St Kilda Bowls Club for some beers in the sunshine. Some of us finished the night at Coneheads for some fries with salsa. I think that about captures our evening.
Day 12. The boys had a long lie and Ish and I wandered over to one of the parks on Inkerman to meet a friend and his wee one. ‘Discovered’ Little Captain café, which everyone else seems to know about already. Delightful café backing on to the park. All slimline old wood frame, glass front cabinets, beach umbrellas and tasty home made produce. Definitely have to go back there. On Saturday afternoon we had a good old Aussie barbeque and invited folk round for beer. I say good old Aussie barbeque – there was certainly a BBQ there – the food was distinctly more Japanese with sushi, teriyaki lamb and a plum wine cocktail. Ish had her second bit of sushi and it was EEL! Not sure I saw Tony touch it mind you. Here's the sushi we made on sunday, as it was so pretty...
Day 13. We took Ish and Tony along to Craig’s niece’s first birthday party – out on the lawns at Ripponlea Estate. Craig and I had a quick trip around the gardens while we were there and they are beautiful – swimming pool with changing rooms could have been straight off the set of High Society, charming rose and dahlia gardens and a huge rust red curved metal fernery. After the party we took it easy and recharged our batteries for karaoke at KBox in the city, where you have your own private room, mirror ball, huge telly and 2 microphones. Ish was a natural and sang with great gusto, Mark’s Sweet Caroline was perfect karaoke, Craig made our ears bleed and despite his earlier denials, even Tony joined in. Might have been the sake. Ish got shirty when the folk didn’t let on we could have stayed on till 1am having paid for 3 hours, so we got her a mcdonalds to calm her down and then home. Thanks for organising Shalini, and when are we going back?
Day 14. Ish and Tony’s last day and it was a lovely sunny one. We popped in to town for the last presents and had brunch at Desgraves Espresso. As good a coffee at the finish as at the start. Then we headed down to Black Rock and lazed in the sun (and Tony below a beach umbrella) for a couple of hours. What looked like a bit of wake on the water turned out to be dolphins – and plenty of them – rolling past on the calmest, glassiest water. The jelly fish didn’t put Ish off going in but a huge one had me turning quickly to shore. After heading home for a beer on the balcony we finished the week with pizza outside at the Stokehouse on St Kilda Beach as the sun went down.
Jolly tasty pizza it was and jolly tasty too my pork schnitzel with a fresh cabbage and apple coleslaw and a lemon aioli. Then showers, bags packed and off to the airport.
Highlights of the week were the absolute fun of everyone singing at karaoke, the dolphins at Black Rock and the fact that I got to do it all with Ish and Tony.
Good effort for coming all this way and for being up for everything I planned and suggested.
Day 8. We went back to DOV on Victoria Street for breakfast and then it was time for our flight to Melbourne. After tea the boys headed off to St Kilda Bowls Club to watch the Melbourne Victory Game and drink beer (Tony never looked happier) while Ish and I pottered around and had some much needed downtime.
Day 9. A late start and then off to see the Ron Mueck exhibit with it’s incredibly lifelike people in all sorts of crazy shapes and sizes. Ish refused to have her picture taken next to the giant naked man (here with me and tony - all the giants)
so here she is with the little people...
After the exhibit we headed to Melbourne’s funky bar scene – old favourite Madame Brussels – a very sweet rooftop bar, all fine white metal garden furniture and fake grass. We drank some bubbles and beer in honour of Johanna’s birthday and then headed to Red Pepper Indian restaurant at the top of Bourke Street for a ten dollar curry. I accidentally ate Ish’s butter chicken, but she magnanimously said that my Chicken Tikka hit her spot. Nan breads awesome, spinach curry awesome, tasty curries all in very different sauces awesome.
Day 10. We headed off to Healesville Sanctuary to see some local wildlife, picking up takeaway coffee (scalding, burnt and bad) and sandwiches (cheese and egg frittata with salad and relish; spicy prosciutto and rocket and Meredith goats cheese all on homemade bread – all fab) at Fatto et Mano Italian bakery on Gertrude Street en route. We arrived at the Sanctuary in time for the platypus show (1pm), parrot show (130pm), birds of prey show (230 pm) and koala show (330pm). Non stop fun and in between times we checked out the Tasmanian devil trotting round and round and round in his pen (not sure if was busy or stressed), a huge wombat fast asleep on his back in the shade with legs outstretched, some nocturnal jumping mice, other big eyed night time creatures, a handful of kangaroos, emus, dingoes and an echidna. I think we got the complete set!
On the way back to the city we stopped off at the Healesville Hotel for a glass of local red, as we were too late for any of the wineries. Tea at home was followed by Craig and Tony heading off to the delights of the Balaclava Hotel, complete with it’s outdoor smoking area (cage) and local wildlife (punch up) and me introducing Ish to Sex and the City, Series 1, Episodes 1 – 4. She’d never seen it!
Day 11. A really nice brunch at MART, the old station house at Middle Park on the 96 route, with some very fine coffee and then we headed to South Melbourne Market (down the grand prix track for the missing jones sibling, ken)(here it is...)
for groceries, tat and a look around. Here's some fish at the mongers.
We popped in to Prahran Market on the way home for Japanese groceries at Fujimart too. It would have been wrong not to have a fritz gelato while we were there, you must agree. Then we lazed around awhile, Ish and I having a quick pedicure next door on Carlisle Street, then headed down to St Kilda Bowls Club for some beers in the sunshine. Some of us finished the night at Coneheads for some fries with salsa. I think that about captures our evening.
Day 12. The boys had a long lie and Ish and I wandered over to one of the parks on Inkerman to meet a friend and his wee one. ‘Discovered’ Little Captain café, which everyone else seems to know about already. Delightful café backing on to the park. All slimline old wood frame, glass front cabinets, beach umbrellas and tasty home made produce. Definitely have to go back there. On Saturday afternoon we had a good old Aussie barbeque and invited folk round for beer. I say good old Aussie barbeque – there was certainly a BBQ there – the food was distinctly more Japanese with sushi, teriyaki lamb and a plum wine cocktail. Ish had her second bit of sushi and it was EEL! Not sure I saw Tony touch it mind you. Here's the sushi we made on sunday, as it was so pretty...
Day 13. We took Ish and Tony along to Craig’s niece’s first birthday party – out on the lawns at Ripponlea Estate. Craig and I had a quick trip around the gardens while we were there and they are beautiful – swimming pool with changing rooms could have been straight off the set of High Society, charming rose and dahlia gardens and a huge rust red curved metal fernery. After the party we took it easy and recharged our batteries for karaoke at KBox in the city, where you have your own private room, mirror ball, huge telly and 2 microphones. Ish was a natural and sang with great gusto, Mark’s Sweet Caroline was perfect karaoke, Craig made our ears bleed and despite his earlier denials, even Tony joined in. Might have been the sake. Ish got shirty when the folk didn’t let on we could have stayed on till 1am having paid for 3 hours, so we got her a mcdonalds to calm her down and then home. Thanks for organising Shalini, and when are we going back?
Day 14. Ish and Tony’s last day and it was a lovely sunny one. We popped in to town for the last presents and had brunch at Desgraves Espresso. As good a coffee at the finish as at the start. Then we headed down to Black Rock and lazed in the sun (and Tony below a beach umbrella) for a couple of hours. What looked like a bit of wake on the water turned out to be dolphins – and plenty of them – rolling past on the calmest, glassiest water. The jelly fish didn’t put Ish off going in but a huge one had me turning quickly to shore. After heading home for a beer on the balcony we finished the week with pizza outside at the Stokehouse on St Kilda Beach as the sun went down.
Jolly tasty pizza it was and jolly tasty too my pork schnitzel with a fresh cabbage and apple coleslaw and a lemon aioli. Then showers, bags packed and off to the airport.
Highlights of the week were the absolute fun of everyone singing at karaoke, the dolphins at Black Rock and the fact that I got to do it all with Ish and Tony.
Good effort for coming all this way and for being up for everything I planned and suggested.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Two weeks in Australia - Week 1
I haven't been home for any length of time in the last couple of weeks, with finishing work, my brother and sister visiting, gadding about the country and a few parties. I thought unemployment would bring plenty of free time for blogging, but there is just too much fun to be had.
To make up for two lost weeks i though I'd give you our itinerary for the last two weeks - what you could do with two weeks in Australia. Here is Part 1. We did alright!
Day 1. Tuesday. First Melbourne coffee at Los Chicas on Carlisle Street (it was delightful to go when it was quiet - I'm never going on a weekend again). And a pretty fine pretty coffee it was too.
Checked out Federation Square. Visited tourist info and admired tat. Had lunch with passing friends at EQ Bar, Southbank. Ish had her first ever calamari and the waitress give us money off the bill for a couple of Richmond smokes (she was Welsh). Riverboat cruise on little riverboat Grower round to the Etihad Stadium and back. Walk along Southbank past the casino and 112 tram to St Kilda for a very blowy walk along the beach, before retiring home for a beer on the balcony. Train in to city (the day just kept on giving) to Hotel Carlton on Bourke Street for a cocktail before heading up to Chinatown for Pork Dumplings, Pork Bun Chilli Mud Crab and a mountain of food besides. Home.
Day 2. Flight to Hamilton Island - worth it just to land at the one runway airport jutting out in to the paradise blue water. 100 metre walk to the ferry to Airlie Beach.
Checked in and had lunch in the town and a wander followed by a bit of salad shopping and a dip in the hotel pool (it was a 1 in2 gradient climb to the hotel in 30 odd degrees) and a quiet night in with a DVD.
Day 3. Kicked back at the Lagoon, had a smoothie and a panini for lunch in a local cafe, booked our reef trip and had an afternoon nap. Headed down to the Airlie Beach Sailing Club for tea (their version of the RSL I'd guess) (it was poker night) and had the best chicken parma (perfect combination of light crisp batter, tomatoey sauce and cheesey goodness) with a glass of wine and a beer looking over the ocean. It looks like it was too big, but it wasn't.
Day 4. Fast boat out to the the Whitsunday Islands for a snorkel over reef fringes (Ish's first snorkel and my first jump off the side of a boat - accompanied by a completely unexpected and unstoppable scream). The water was a little cloudy from recent rain, but there was coral and there were colourful fishes.
Then on to Whitehaven Beach past the famous sandy inlet (which wasn't sandy swirly as usual because of the rain) (one of the five most photographed sights in Australia along with the Opera House, Uluru, the Blue Mountains and the Twelve Apostles - which means Tony is only missing the last off his list - next trip) for lunch at the beach, with a few friendly goannas dropping by for tit bits. Fast trip home with doughnuts served on route and then down the the local seafood and rum bar (could be messy, but we weren't) for fresh barbequed calamari and snapper.
Day 5. Cleared out of our hotel and took the ferry back to Hamilton Island (Ish the only person lying out on the sun deck) for our flight to Sydney. Checked in to serviced apartments in Potts Point - ninth floor room with wide panormaic view of the city, harbour bridge, opera house and harbour. Had a wee wine chez Jacqui, then old school italian food at Chez Roma and then a couple of bevvies. And a couple more. And some of us a couple more...
Day 6. Breakfast at DOV on Victoria Street, Potts Point then walk down to Woollomoroo, through the Botanics, to the Opera House, Circular Quay (with a bit of souvenir shopping en route) and the Rocks where we ate our chips whilst watching the man on a bike on a pole juggling with a lit flame and a knife whilst eating an apple.
Then on to the Harbour Bridge via the Rocks Market and back round to the Heroes of Wellington pub - a really old pub where an old lady in a pink jumper played trumpet in a jazz band. Not the oldest pub in Australia as we were otherwise informed. Just a famous old pub. Back through the market with our corn on the cob and all the way back to the killer steps back to Jacqui's apartment. The wee one was asleep on the sofa by then but she dragged her ass off of it and took us to the Tropicana cafe (home of Tropfest film festival) for some tea. God Bless Her.
Day 7. The Queen Mary had docked at midnight so we headed back down to the wharf for a quick look at her massive bulk before cabbing it to Bondi Beach for our morning coffee. Then we walked around the cliff walk to Bronte (lunch consisted of sushi - me; salad sandwich - tony; massive burger - Ish) and on to Clovelly (past a very fine cliff top bowls club) (photos for you bowling boys)
(and an even finer swimming inlet) and Coogee, where we put our feet up and let Tony read the paper a while. Then it was off for Japanese food (Ish's first ever sushi -and yes it was the raw fish version) and a night cap of some frozen yoghurt at Woo Moo or Moo Coo or whatever the place with the cow on the ceiling is called.
So that was the week that was week 1. The highlight of week 1 (for me) was definitely jumping off a boat with Ish and going snorkelling together. She's a game girl! Plenty more highlights to follow in Week 2...
To make up for two lost weeks i though I'd give you our itinerary for the last two weeks - what you could do with two weeks in Australia. Here is Part 1. We did alright!
Day 1. Tuesday. First Melbourne coffee at Los Chicas on Carlisle Street (it was delightful to go when it was quiet - I'm never going on a weekend again). And a pretty fine pretty coffee it was too.
Checked out Federation Square. Visited tourist info and admired tat. Had lunch with passing friends at EQ Bar, Southbank. Ish had her first ever calamari and the waitress give us money off the bill for a couple of Richmond smokes (she was Welsh). Riverboat cruise on little riverboat Grower round to the Etihad Stadium and back. Walk along Southbank past the casino and 112 tram to St Kilda for a very blowy walk along the beach, before retiring home for a beer on the balcony. Train in to city (the day just kept on giving) to Hotel Carlton on Bourke Street for a cocktail before heading up to Chinatown for Pork Dumplings, Pork Bun Chilli Mud Crab and a mountain of food besides. Home.
Day 2. Flight to Hamilton Island - worth it just to land at the one runway airport jutting out in to the paradise blue water. 100 metre walk to the ferry to Airlie Beach.
Checked in and had lunch in the town and a wander followed by a bit of salad shopping and a dip in the hotel pool (it was a 1 in2 gradient climb to the hotel in 30 odd degrees) and a quiet night in with a DVD.
Day 3. Kicked back at the Lagoon, had a smoothie and a panini for lunch in a local cafe, booked our reef trip and had an afternoon nap. Headed down to the Airlie Beach Sailing Club for tea (their version of the RSL I'd guess) (it was poker night) and had the best chicken parma (perfect combination of light crisp batter, tomatoey sauce and cheesey goodness) with a glass of wine and a beer looking over the ocean. It looks like it was too big, but it wasn't.
Day 4. Fast boat out to the the Whitsunday Islands for a snorkel over reef fringes (Ish's first snorkel and my first jump off the side of a boat - accompanied by a completely unexpected and unstoppable scream). The water was a little cloudy from recent rain, but there was coral and there were colourful fishes.
Then on to Whitehaven Beach past the famous sandy inlet (which wasn't sandy swirly as usual because of the rain) (one of the five most photographed sights in Australia along with the Opera House, Uluru, the Blue Mountains and the Twelve Apostles - which means Tony is only missing the last off his list - next trip) for lunch at the beach, with a few friendly goannas dropping by for tit bits. Fast trip home with doughnuts served on route and then down the the local seafood and rum bar (could be messy, but we weren't) for fresh barbequed calamari and snapper.
Day 5. Cleared out of our hotel and took the ferry back to Hamilton Island (Ish the only person lying out on the sun deck) for our flight to Sydney. Checked in to serviced apartments in Potts Point - ninth floor room with wide panormaic view of the city, harbour bridge, opera house and harbour. Had a wee wine chez Jacqui, then old school italian food at Chez Roma and then a couple of bevvies. And a couple more. And some of us a couple more...
Day 6. Breakfast at DOV on Victoria Street, Potts Point then walk down to Woollomoroo, through the Botanics, to the Opera House, Circular Quay (with a bit of souvenir shopping en route) and the Rocks where we ate our chips whilst watching the man on a bike on a pole juggling with a lit flame and a knife whilst eating an apple.
Then on to the Harbour Bridge via the Rocks Market and back round to the Heroes of Wellington pub - a really old pub where an old lady in a pink jumper played trumpet in a jazz band. Not the oldest pub in Australia as we were otherwise informed. Just a famous old pub. Back through the market with our corn on the cob and all the way back to the killer steps back to Jacqui's apartment. The wee one was asleep on the sofa by then but she dragged her ass off of it and took us to the Tropicana cafe (home of Tropfest film festival) for some tea. God Bless Her.
Day 7. The Queen Mary had docked at midnight so we headed back down to the wharf for a quick look at her massive bulk before cabbing it to Bondi Beach for our morning coffee. Then we walked around the cliff walk to Bronte (lunch consisted of sushi - me; salad sandwich - tony; massive burger - Ish) and on to Clovelly (past a very fine cliff top bowls club) (photos for you bowling boys)
(and an even finer swimming inlet) and Coogee, where we put our feet up and let Tony read the paper a while. Then it was off for Japanese food (Ish's first ever sushi -and yes it was the raw fish version) and a night cap of some frozen yoghurt at Woo Moo or Moo Coo or whatever the place with the cow on the ceiling is called.
So that was the week that was week 1. The highlight of week 1 (for me) was definitely jumping off a boat with Ish and going snorkelling together. She's a game girl! Plenty more highlights to follow in Week 2...
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Victoria Bitter
I could do a whole series of photos on the iconic advertising signs of Melbourne. It would be need a day driving around the city to tick off all the lovely old signs. And more like a week if the old industrial buildings and some of the graffiti was included too.
In the meantime, here's the Victoria Bitter sign taken from a moving car as we drove along Punt Road.
In the meantime, here's the Victoria Bitter sign taken from a moving car as we drove along Punt Road.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Fouzia's Lamb Biryani
I am very slowly working my way through a long to do list. Posting the recipe for my friend Fouzia's Lamb Biryani has been high on the list and at last here it is.
Fouzia talked down her cooking skills in advance of cooking this, there was no talking them down after. She also said that the more you make the spicey indian dishes the better you get at judging your spice mix and quantities. Apparently she was rusty, however the dish was very tasty and put many of those that are served in indian restaurants to shame. The rice was fluffy, not oily, there was plenty of meat and generous amounts of the sauce.
FOUZIA'S LAMB BIRYANI
1 kilogram of rice makes 10 portions. Expect to make the dish over at couple of days, as staged below, for maximum fluffiness of rice and tastiness of meat.
There were potatoes in this dish too but I don't have that in my recipe as written down.
I think they were cooked off at the start (?with the meat ? separate) then put aside and added back in at the end of the sauce making stage. I shall check this out and correct accordingly.
1. Soak Rice
1KG rice
Soak overnight before use for maximum fluffiness
2. Marinade Lamb
Ingredients:
1 KG lamb portions with bone (adds to flavour)(best ask butcher what is best cut)
1 lemon
Spices (can use a biryani spice mix as basis)
Teaspoon turmeric
Teaspoon cumin seeds
Teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon or more chilli powder
7 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
Give lamb portions a bit of a bash with a rolling pin to help it tender.
Mix lamb with all the ingredients, including both the juice of the lemon and the remaining lemon halves in a bowl.
Marinade for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
When ready to begin sauce, cover lamb with water, bring to boil and simmer for half an hour. Drain meat, retaining all the meat, pieces of lemon and twiggy bits.
3. Make Lamb Sauce
Ingredients:
6 onions, chopped
1 bulb garlic, chopped
1 ginger root, chopped
5 big tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 long green chilli chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Spices:
2 teaspoons cloves
10 bay leaves
3 sticks cinnamon bark (not cinnamon sticks) broken up
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
Fry onions in vegetable oil until golden over a good heat.
Add garlic and ginger, spices, mix well and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add tomatoes, salt, chillies and chilli powder and cook for 30 minutes on high heat. Stir regularly so doesn't stick to bottom of pan. If beginning to add some water.
After 30 minutes taste and add more chilli etc if required.
Add meat to sauce and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Cook rice
Boil rice in an excess of water with a bit of salt until a grain of rice squashed with a finger is soft but has a little give, approximately 10 minutes (time will reduce with longer overnight soaking).
Drain rice.
5. Layer rice and sauce
In a large saucepan put alternate layers of rice and lamb sauce until all used up.
Cover the pan with 2 tea towels to make an airtight seal, then put the pan lid on top.
Put the pan on a very low heat, allowing the dish to steam for 10 minutes.
6. Make the chutney
Ingredients:
2 long green chillies
1 onion
4 or 5 spring onions
bunch mint leaves
1 1/2 bunch coriander
6 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt to taste
ground black pepper
1 tomato
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz. Keep in the fridge in an airtight jar till ready to use. The chutney can be stirred though natural yoghurt to taste and served on the side of the biryani.
Chopped cucumber and tomato can also be added.
And the chutney can be mixed with good old tomato sauce for a red chutney.
7. Serve
Making sure that you dish out portions which have both the rice layer and the sauce layer.
I hate to say it, but Autumn is making it's presence felt here. The mornings are growing dark, the minimum daily temperatures are falling and there has been a chill in the air on occasion. On the plus side the cooler temperatures call for hotter and heftier food, and this is just the thing. Just the thing to cook in a camp oven, over a wood fire, by an upstate victorian river at easter time maybe?
Fouzia talked down her cooking skills in advance of cooking this, there was no talking them down after. She also said that the more you make the spicey indian dishes the better you get at judging your spice mix and quantities. Apparently she was rusty, however the dish was very tasty and put many of those that are served in indian restaurants to shame. The rice was fluffy, not oily, there was plenty of meat and generous amounts of the sauce.
FOUZIA'S LAMB BIRYANI
1 kilogram of rice makes 10 portions. Expect to make the dish over at couple of days, as staged below, for maximum fluffiness of rice and tastiness of meat.
There were potatoes in this dish too but I don't have that in my recipe as written down.
I think they were cooked off at the start (?with the meat ? separate) then put aside and added back in at the end of the sauce making stage. I shall check this out and correct accordingly.
1. Soak Rice
1KG rice
Soak overnight before use for maximum fluffiness
2. Marinade Lamb
Ingredients:
1 KG lamb portions with bone (adds to flavour)(best ask butcher what is best cut)
1 lemon
Spices (can use a biryani spice mix as basis)
Teaspoon turmeric
Teaspoon cumin seeds
Teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon or more chilli powder
7 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
Give lamb portions a bit of a bash with a rolling pin to help it tender.
Mix lamb with all the ingredients, including both the juice of the lemon and the remaining lemon halves in a bowl.
Marinade for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
When ready to begin sauce, cover lamb with water, bring to boil and simmer for half an hour. Drain meat, retaining all the meat, pieces of lemon and twiggy bits.
3. Make Lamb Sauce
Ingredients:
6 onions, chopped
1 bulb garlic, chopped
1 ginger root, chopped
5 big tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 long green chilli chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Spices:
2 teaspoons cloves
10 bay leaves
3 sticks cinnamon bark (not cinnamon sticks) broken up
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
Fry onions in vegetable oil until golden over a good heat.
Add garlic and ginger, spices, mix well and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add tomatoes, salt, chillies and chilli powder and cook for 30 minutes on high heat. Stir regularly so doesn't stick to bottom of pan. If beginning to add some water.
After 30 minutes taste and add more chilli etc if required.
Add meat to sauce and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Cook rice
Boil rice in an excess of water with a bit of salt until a grain of rice squashed with a finger is soft but has a little give, approximately 10 minutes (time will reduce with longer overnight soaking).
Drain rice.
5. Layer rice and sauce
In a large saucepan put alternate layers of rice and lamb sauce until all used up.
Cover the pan with 2 tea towels to make an airtight seal, then put the pan lid on top.
Put the pan on a very low heat, allowing the dish to steam for 10 minutes.
6. Make the chutney
Ingredients:
2 long green chillies
1 onion
4 or 5 spring onions
bunch mint leaves
1 1/2 bunch coriander
6 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt to taste
ground black pepper
1 tomato
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz. Keep in the fridge in an airtight jar till ready to use. The chutney can be stirred though natural yoghurt to taste and served on the side of the biryani.
Chopped cucumber and tomato can also be added.
And the chutney can be mixed with good old tomato sauce for a red chutney.
7. Serve
Making sure that you dish out portions which have both the rice layer and the sauce layer.
I hate to say it, but Autumn is making it's presence felt here. The mornings are growing dark, the minimum daily temperatures are falling and there has been a chill in the air on occasion. On the plus side the cooler temperatures call for hotter and heftier food, and this is just the thing. Just the thing to cook in a camp oven, over a wood fire, by an upstate victorian river at easter time maybe?
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Rosa's Kitchen
It is true. We eat out ALL THE TIME. Melbourne food is good, it needn't be expensive, there are more places than we could ever eat in (and we are trying to eat in them all), we have no mortgage, no children and only one dependent.
I shall make no more excuses. Especially when the place in question is Journal Canteen. It it my favourite place and I've only been twice.
On Tuesday we had a quick lunch perched on bar stools at the counter. He had an entree size spaghetti with pesto, tomato sauce stirred though and some breadcrumbs on top. Whatever. I had the antipasto plate. Large, of course.
It was similar to the plate we had had once before (see many blogs ago). The absolute highlight was the dressed courgette strips. The nice man in the kitchen said that you use a mandolin to slice the courgette in to thin slices and salt them overnight. Rinse and squeeze out till dry the next day and finish with garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mint. I love pickles and these were a fine fresh sweet vinegary delight. The fried chat potato slices with tiny salty pieces of bacon were also good. Oh, and the fresh tomato, bread, caper and olive oil salad couldn't have been any better. I'll shut up now. Go!
I shall make no more excuses. Especially when the place in question is Journal Canteen. It it my favourite place and I've only been twice.
On Tuesday we had a quick lunch perched on bar stools at the counter. He had an entree size spaghetti with pesto, tomato sauce stirred though and some breadcrumbs on top. Whatever. I had the antipasto plate. Large, of course.
It was similar to the plate we had had once before (see many blogs ago). The absolute highlight was the dressed courgette strips. The nice man in the kitchen said that you use a mandolin to slice the courgette in to thin slices and salt them overnight. Rinse and squeeze out till dry the next day and finish with garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mint. I love pickles and these were a fine fresh sweet vinegary delight. The fried chat potato slices with tiny salty pieces of bacon were also good. Oh, and the fresh tomato, bread, caper and olive oil salad couldn't have been any better. I'll shut up now. Go!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Afternoon tea
We had afternoon tea on saturday. A thankyou for all the girls who have extended their hospitality and their kitchens to me in recent years. The theme was kitsch and the dress code pretty. I am sorry there weren't many pictures of everyone in their finest, but it was all about the food.
I had just finished reading the Australian classic 'My Brother Jack'. It follows a Melbourne family, two brothers in particular, from the end of the Great War until nearing the end of World War II. The clever brother who has no gumption ends up married to a beautiful woman who is interested only in appearances. Her description of cocktail onions dyed bright jewel colours was an inspiration and we had bright yellow, green and red onions on cocktail sticks with pineapple and cheese cubes. Who knew you could buy them already dyed! My photos of that have disappeared sadly. As have the pictures of crab dip piped on to savoy biscuits topped with tiny capers.
Here's the main spread though. Herb sandwich rounds topped with caviar; cucumber salad; champagne chicken and tarragon vol au vents; prawn marie rose on baby cos lettuce; a dairy free fritatta with stripes of asparagus, red peppers and black olives; diana's mini meatballs and crumbed rice balls; jo's revolutionary mini potato and caramelised onion quiches - on bread buttered and baked till crisp and pumpernickel with smoked trout and horseradish.
After a decent interval we had Alex's stunning flourless chocolate cake with raspberries and strawberries and Franca's decadent caramel and chocolate swirl cheesecake - topped, of course, with a chocolate cream.
And as if that wasn't sufficient Shalini's perfectly perfect mini lemon meringue pies and Chrissie's mini banana and chocolate chip muffins. Sarah took a detour past Victoria's famous bakery and brought vanilla slice, raspberry and almond tarts and iced apple rounds.
It was a tea party of course so there was plenty of tea to quench our thirst. We found that 2 cups of slightly sweetened earl grey tea with 100mls each of cognac and lemon juice poured over ice and finished with a splash of lemonade did the trick. As recommended by gourmet traveller.
Thank goodness the boys came round and ate all the leftovers.
I had just finished reading the Australian classic 'My Brother Jack'. It follows a Melbourne family, two brothers in particular, from the end of the Great War until nearing the end of World War II. The clever brother who has no gumption ends up married to a beautiful woman who is interested only in appearances. Her description of cocktail onions dyed bright jewel colours was an inspiration and we had bright yellow, green and red onions on cocktail sticks with pineapple and cheese cubes. Who knew you could buy them already dyed! My photos of that have disappeared sadly. As have the pictures of crab dip piped on to savoy biscuits topped with tiny capers.
Here's the main spread though. Herb sandwich rounds topped with caviar; cucumber salad; champagne chicken and tarragon vol au vents; prawn marie rose on baby cos lettuce; a dairy free fritatta with stripes of asparagus, red peppers and black olives; diana's mini meatballs and crumbed rice balls; jo's revolutionary mini potato and caramelised onion quiches - on bread buttered and baked till crisp and pumpernickel with smoked trout and horseradish.
After a decent interval we had Alex's stunning flourless chocolate cake with raspberries and strawberries and Franca's decadent caramel and chocolate swirl cheesecake - topped, of course, with a chocolate cream.
And as if that wasn't sufficient Shalini's perfectly perfect mini lemon meringue pies and Chrissie's mini banana and chocolate chip muffins. Sarah took a detour past Victoria's famous bakery and brought vanilla slice, raspberry and almond tarts and iced apple rounds.
It was a tea party of course so there was plenty of tea to quench our thirst. We found that 2 cups of slightly sweetened earl grey tea with 100mls each of cognac and lemon juice poured over ice and finished with a splash of lemonade did the trick. As recommended by gourmet traveller.
Thank goodness the boys came round and ate all the leftovers.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Una's, Kings Cross, Sydney
Not only have there been complaints about too much talk about food, now there are whisperings (frank accusations actually) that my blog has been superficial in its commentary. Or rather that i have not put enough of myself in what i say. Well be careful what you ask for people.
Almost five years ago I first went to Sydney for a weekend with Kate while I was here on holiday. We wandered around Kings Cross and Paddington with mild hangovers one Sunday morning and ended up eating sausages, sauerkraut and rosti at a very cute Austrian restaurant.
There is a very pleasing symmetry that four and a bit years on one of my good 'new' Australia friends now lives in walking distance of the place and with much more significant hangovers (and after bailing out of going to a fancy Sydney eatery drinkery because of said hangovers) we walked up to Una's and ate massive portions of schnitzel and potato.
I love a bit of romance and being able to be nostalgic about a country in which I have lived for so little time is rather wonderful. Particularly as my time here runs out so quickly now. I also like the rather odd translation of the hanging on the wall, courtesy of a freebie internet translation tool.
It goes something like...
"a loving word at the right has been some compensation against heartache"
Almost five years ago I first went to Sydney for a weekend with Kate while I was here on holiday. We wandered around Kings Cross and Paddington with mild hangovers one Sunday morning and ended up eating sausages, sauerkraut and rosti at a very cute Austrian restaurant.
There is a very pleasing symmetry that four and a bit years on one of my good 'new' Australia friends now lives in walking distance of the place and with much more significant hangovers (and after bailing out of going to a fancy Sydney eatery drinkery because of said hangovers) we walked up to Una's and ate massive portions of schnitzel and potato.
I love a bit of romance and being able to be nostalgic about a country in which I have lived for so little time is rather wonderful. Particularly as my time here runs out so quickly now. I also like the rather odd translation of the hanging on the wall, courtesy of a freebie internet translation tool.
It goes something like...
"a loving word at the right has been some compensation against heartache"
Monday, February 8, 2010
Iconic Coca Cola Sign Kings Cross Sydney
Laziest blog to date (but the internet keeps dipping out...).
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