This is the renovation & interior design work of my oldest brother. He lives in a typical Australian 1950′s American influenced Ranch style brick home. With some creative uses of upcycled & recycled materials, this tight budget renovation is ‘heavy-on-clever’ [in the words once heard from my neighbor]. It is a single story 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home, with a detached garage, and a huge front patio that is perfect for entertaining, well – will be as soon as it is finished.
I ♡ Melbourne. It was great to be back in my hometown, and I loved meandering about discovering what was new, what had changed, and what had stayed the same. Home Sweet Home!
Hosier Lane, a laneway that has its own Wikipedia page, is always changing and always popular with tourists and urban artists. Counterintuitive to all travel advice, Melbourne is a city to get lost in, especially its laneways / back alleys, for it is here you discover hidden & magical Melbourne. They are a filled with the bars, cafes, restaurants and some of the worlds best underground art. Hosier Lane is just one, of approximately 180 examples of these little streets that you can explore. Enjoy!
For us, no visit to Melbourne is complete without a visit to Movida. We popped into Movida – Next Door for some tasty treats, and as usual, we were not disappointed. Best way to order, is leave it up to your server to assist, and if you see anything good pass by ask for it. The menu is great for grazing, it is seasonal and frequently rotating, so you never get bored, and there is a decent selection of wine options. Give it a go, you won’t be disappointed as they serve up nothing but flavorful goodness here. If you can’t get to Australia, you can always buy one of the cookbooks here.
We enjoyed a short stay at the QT Gold Coast Hotel, and really were surprised by this fun-filled decor. This was originally the Gold Coast International hotel, and the revamp this Hotelier did was fantastic. Bright bold colors on a simple white backwash. Beachy & playful, they really have set a new standard for the Gold Coast in leading the way for design that is environment appropriateness. You can’t but help smile and feel like you are on vacation in this location. Highly recommended.
Stringray Lounge – on the ground floor offers the perfect place for pre & post-dinner drinks, or perfect for lunch. The drinks are really reasonably priced, along with the food, and it is no surprise that locals like to hang here, it is not just for hotel guests, it is a great local spot.
Bazaar – Located on the first floor, is open for breakfast & dinner [Lunch only on Sundays] is a buffet! Normally I would run from a buffet dining option, but this one you should run too. The room, like the rest of the hotel is beautiful, albeit a lively, it is more of a asian market meets modern Australian restaurant decor. The food is largely cooked / prepared to order, and if they don’t have it listed they will make it. We asked for beef tartare and they willing made a delicious version for us. There are roasts, salads, pizza. seafood, cheese, charcuterie, there really is something for everyone. Enjoy!
PS. QT Hotel – love the hairdryer, so fun!
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia – I once happily called this place home. Not much has changed really, more building have been added, some have been replaced, some have gotten really tall. The beach still rolls on forever and ever and, well, that is about it. It’s hot, it’s humid, it’s a beach culture. I can’t recall what drove me to call it home. The end.
A few snaps, and they are ‘must have’ snaps, of the Sydney Opera House & Sydney Harbour Bridge [aka the 'Coathanger']. When I lived in Sydney I loved saying good morning & goodnight to these two as I would arrive & depart for work from Circular Quay ferry terminal. No matter how my day was they always could make me smile, and they still can : )
A collection of photos from Sydney’s CBD [Central Business District] and surround neighborhoods. There is a wonderful mix of old & new to be found all over Australia. They know how to showcase some fabulous public artworks, incredible architecture, & beautiful preservation of days gone by.
Bills – Surrey Hills, is always a must stop for at least one breakfast whenever we are back in Sydney. I love the Australian modern – open airy decor, and of course the sumptuous goodies on the menu. Two fave classics: the sweetcorn fritters, roast tomato, spinach and bacon; and the ricotta hotcakes, banana and honeycomb butter. Get in there and give them both a go, and get the cookbook whist there so you can attempt to recreate them when back home. Fresh, delicious & YUMMY!
This part of the world needs no introduction, Bondi Beach is an Australian Icon, as well know as the Sydney Opera house. The best way to enjoy Bondi is with a glass of wine from Icebergs, where you get the best view of the beach and the Bondi Baths below, a landmark for over 100 years.
We had a delicious lunch at Kitchen by Mike. It is not an easy spot to get to without a car, but it is worth the trek, and made we wish Chicago would get with the program and think outside the box when setting up new and interesting restaurants. This one is in a warehouse that hosts many functions: eatery; furniture store; art gallery; and I hear they cater events too [read more here]. The lines were long, but they moved quickly towards the buffet lunch menu that was frequently replenished as food was flying out the door. Inventive salads [watermelon & heirloom tomato / another with nectarines], perfectly seasoned fish & chicken dishes, and excellent pizza too. Value for money with something for everyone.
Oh! And the bathrooms are worth checking out too, great use of recycled / industrial materials & fittings.
Nothing warms the heart of a Australian like a meat pie. A tradition shared with Grandparents for a Saturday lunch, a must to be consumed at an Aussie sporting event, and a desperate desire after a few too many. The Aussie meat pie provides comfort. In need of some comfort food and far from the Aussie shores with a good bakery selling meat pies I had to go to the effort [with the help of the Husband] of making them myself. Pretty easy really, they just take a little time to put together.
Make a stew of your favorite kind. Here are a few ideas: Guinness, Cheese & Steak; Curried Chicken; Beef Burgundy; Lamb & Rosemary with Red Wine; or anything that you can cook-up in a crock-pot will work too.
To make the casing for the pie use some store-bought ready rolled puff pastry. All you need to do is line some pie tins with puff pastry on the bottom, add in some warm filling, add-on a lid and seal up the pastry. Then cook in the oven at 350*F for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
Once cooked serve it with some tomato sauce [not ketchup] and add a side of warm peas. I prefer to eat my with my hands, but my husband likes to go at it with a knife and fork. Warning – pie eating with the hands is a skill, one that we are taught as kids in Australia growing up, it can get very messy.
Want to read more about Aussie Pies? Here are a few blog posts to check out: Pie in the Sky; Wikipedia – Aussie / NZ Pies; head head here in the USA to buy online or visit them in NYC; and love this method for making mini pies.
Port Arthur has a long harsh history dating back to 1830 when the area was established as a timber station, however it is better known as the ‘Penal Colony’ for the ‘Penal Colony’. As this is where from 1833 until 1853 it served as the destination for British & Irish convicts that committed new crimes after they were sent to Australia’s mainland. The place was filled with most hardened of convict and were faced with the harshest security measures and punishments of the British penal system. It remained open until 1877.
More recent history associated with Port Arthur, and not really talked about when you visit was a tragic massacre that took place in April 1996. The killing spree of Martin Bryant, murdering 35 people and wounding 21 is marked as one of the deadliest rampages of the 20th century. He is currently serving 35 life sentences plus 1,035 years without parole. This event lead to a national ban on semi automatic shotguns and rifles and has seen some stringent gun laws introduced. During a visit you can sense dark clouds of misery and torture, but then there are parts that are so peaceful and tranquil it is well worth a visit to learn more about early settlement within Australia.
As we were driving through Tasmania, when we stopped into a little town for a meat pie for lunch. Whilst we were eating our tasty steak and kidney pies a man on a motorbike happens to share a random piece of information with us “Hey if you have some time make a detour up the road and check out the pub in the paddock with the pig”. Sounded random and peaked our interests so we decided to follow his worldly advice.
We found the pub in the paddock easily enough, and went inside to see what all the fuss was about. It is a tiny little building with friendly bar staff. We order a beer and sat looking at each other, then the women behind the bar offers us the opportunity to “buy the Pig a beer or two”. Ah-ok! We buy the beer, head to the paddock to find Priscilla and the minute she saw us she made a bee-line not to us, but to the beer. Holy pig can she guzzle it down.
When people ask me about where they should visit in Australia, I always recommend Tasmania. It is a frequently overlooked destination for overseas visitors and yet it offers up some of the most unique and picturesque landscapes on this beautiful earth. Jagged mountains that reach for the sky and fall off into rugged coast lines filled with deserted beaches. It has beautiful protected parks and an abundance of wildlife. The small country towns are bursting with friendly residents eager to share stories and make sure you have a good time, pop into the local pub and feel like you are at home in an instant. Quaint and unspoilt best describes Tasmania.
