Melbourne and Windsor

Parliament House, Melbourne

Looking for a mini-break we decided to visit an old favourite, Melbourne, Victoria. It's been over 6 years since our last visit so it was time to familiarise ourselves with this lively city once again. I love Melbourne, I love its friendly hospitality and its lane-ways and arcades. I love the people, passionate and confident and noisy. The city is busy and vibrant, I love the trams and nowhere in Australia can equal the dining experiences.

We had booked a package to stay at The Windsor, an establishment that cannot be described as simply "an hotel". This old-world hotel oozes charm, character and history. The corridors and stairs squeak and groan and the ancient lift takes an age to transit floors. All of this enhances the true experience of a stay here. The staff are formal but not stuffy, helpful and friendly. The rooms clean and old-fashioned, chintzy, cosy and delightful. If you travel to Melbourne, don't turn down an opportunity to experience The Windsor!

I confess we were spoiled, we were upgraded from our pre-booked Junior Suite to a Windsor Suite, on the top floor our huge corner suite overlooked Parliament House and there was no shortage of space, from the huge lounge, to the even larger bedroom and the walk in robe! Heaven!

Before we unpacked, a knock on the door brought a complimentary bottle of Yarra Valley wine, ahhhhhh, it was nice!

This wasn't our first stay at The Windsor, but it was the best and I guarantee it won't be the last!

It didn't take long for us to settle in and set off for a short walk. Lots of restaurants nearby and we soon found our afternoon favourite haunt, the delightful Wine Bar in Little Bourke Street, just around the corner, with a delicious cheese platter consisting of Pyengana Cheddar and Brillat Savarin, an exquisite accompaniment to a bottle of perfectly chilled wine.  Ideal to put you on until dinner!

Having arrived mid afternoon and checked out the locality, a short glamour nap was followed by dinner at Bamboo House! Yes, ok, I do love Chinese food, along with Thai it is a personal favourite.

Peking duck wraps, possibly the best ever, spicy dishes, mouth watering! As I write this, I am already planning my next trip!

I know my friend @2aussietravellers will be so envious!

We spent the next few days exploring the lane-ways and shopping, checking out the architecture in the Melbourne shopping malls. Our stay too short and a trip to the Yarra Valley, wine tasting was fun!

China Town, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

All too soon, it was time to head home ... our few days in Melbourne and The Windsor, just awesome! In the catchphrase best associated with Arnie, I'll be back!

G20 Colours Brisbane

The Brisbane Sign, Southbank

Last night was fun, an early dinner at Obsession Chinese Restaurant, at Southbank, followed by Felicity Kendal at QPAC in Noël Coward's 1925 play, Hay Fever! A farcical, very British comedy of eccentricity, upper class snobbery and appalling bad manners! 

Sadly, Obsession, once a favourite haunt has lost much of its character and personal touch with the handover of control from the proprietor Joyce to a new generation. Our friendly wait staff all gone, the genial atmosphere is no more but in fairness the food remains exceptional and the staff helpful, its just that ... welllll ... the enjoyment factor isn't quite the same.

Hay Fever was entertaining, I can't say it was quite up there with Helen Mirren's, The Audience in the West End, London last year but Felicity Kendal looks great and stands out on the stage as a professional.  Her delivery of witty lines had the audience chuckling throughout.

After the theatre, we made our way into the city to see "Colour me Brisbane", a Queensland Government hosted cultural event in honour of the G20, which descends on us in two weeks time. For locals, the arrival of so many heads of state and senior government officials from around the world is likely to bring disruption, road closures and excessive security no doubt fraying a few nerves. On the plus side, we have a bonus public holiday and lots of entertaining events. Below are a few amateur snaps of lights projected onto our city buildings, to see more check out the official Government site here.

I am proud to see Brisbane hosting the G20, a perfect opportunity to showcase our fabulous river city, our sunshine state and our casual and relaxed culture as well as our friendly people. Many around the world will watch in envy those of us who live here!

Living in an apartment with the view of the city, I am looking forward to plenty of activity in the skies as the security services practice their anti-terrorism techniques!

TheTreasury Hotel hosts images of "The Changing Face of Brisbane"

Australian flag, King George Square projected onto the city building behind Uniting Church

British flag, King George Square projected onto the city building behind Uniting Church

All in all, a very pleasant evening! And today? Well just blogging on the balcony, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and a BBQ for lunch! Trust me, it doesn't get much better than this!

Brisbane, Story Bridge and River

Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia

Riverfire 2014!!

Once again we were treated to a sensational event, as fireworks and military jets took over our beautiful city!  In September each year Brisbane hosts a Festival, a mostly cultural event spread over 2-3 weeks, with attractions around the city, in theatres, at Southbank and across the city, which closes with Riverfire.

Riverfire kicks off at around 3:30pm, with an RAAF fly past. In recent years we have welcomed Super Hornet's and this year they excelled themselves!  Our best show ever and we were treated to three separate fly pasts in all!  

WOW! Thank you!

My friend took some of the best shots, I especially like how she captured the view of the team in the cockpit! Love it!

Between flypasts Black Hawk helicopters and surf life savers keep us entertained as we await the main event ...

At 7:04pm we were rewarded for our patience with a final flypast by the Super Hornet's, breathtaking and followed by a 30 minute firework spectacular. 

We are very fortunate, for the last 5 years we have viewed Riverfire without leaving our apartment. We live in an apartment at Kangaroo Point and we are just so lucky to have ring side seats for a spectacular pyrotechnics display and big thanks to the RAAF, military jets and helicopters!

While I am not an expert photographer, I am happy to share a couple of my amateur snaps:

This year was one of the best fly pasts, but some of us still have a touch of nostalgia when we think of our old favourite - F111's who flew in low over the city for a unique dump and burn!!  Here is a good video from Riverfire past ...

... and this is a personal favourite pic from Riverfire 2014!

The Hunter Valley, Pokolbin and Thistle Hill

 rosé by the fire

Thistle Hill, Reception

... and so we found our way to our lodgings for the next few nights, Thistle Hill, Pokolbin. Our host Carol was delightful and it was soon obvious why Thistle Hill is the #1 rated B&B in the area!

Lazy days and wine tasting tours followed, the promise of a long day and a degustation menu didn't pan out as promised but our tour with James' Hunter Valley Wine and Vineyard Tours was exceptional! Good value, great fun, a small group of 10! Lots of laughter and more wine than is good for you I'm sure!

One winery offered us more than 20 tastings but helped us limp through to lunch with a generous serve of cheese and crackers! Can't imagine why we needed food after a mouth watering home-baked breakfast including (yes honestly!) fresh scones with jam and cream, devoured earlier!

Breakfast Room

We picked out a few favourites along the way, not least a delicious Shiraz liqueur from Ballabourneen tasted and purchased as we listened to the highly amusing chatter of our host and a Chardy from Audrey Wilkinson that really hit the spot!

Our stop at one winery saw us filmed to be featured on a popular TV show, but given it was the last stop after a full day, I won't be seeking out that video!!!

Hidden Gems

We found a few hidden gems, Blaxlands Inn deserved a second visit, you can't go past their deep dish pies, but our favourite find of the winery week was Cockfighter's Ghost and their gold award winning Pinot Gris and their chardy is pretty good too!!  Thank goodness for the Internet, the cellar door is never far away!

Thistle Hill, Guest Lounge

Our wine tour group included a couple of honeymooners who had celebrated their wedding on Segways in Coff's Harbour just the weekend before! Sounded like a blast and different for sure!

Yes, we tasted every one!  And more!

A horse and carriage, outside Blaxlands Inn, Hunter Valley

Outside our room at Thistle Hill

It's been a few years since we last went to the Hunter and it is fair to say, it has improved with age! The people are friendly, the wine is exceptional, the food is mouth watering and the air is fresh! I'll be back and we won't leave it so long next time!

Flying Machines and the Hunter Valley

Time for some time-out and an interesting camera effect on our journey down to the Hunter Valley on our little Qantas Link prop plan - a Bombardier Dash 8-300.

A more relaxed flying experience than usual, lower flying at 22,000 feet enhancing the views over the Gold Coast as we flew South, destination the Hunter Valley wine region. Although not the quietest flight ever - my ears buzzed for days, a beautiful flying day, brilliant blue skies as we flew past the beautiful rugged coastline of New South Wales to land in Newcastle. Recording the prop through the window on my camera made for some fascinating and entertaining viewing.

There is no sense from up here how potentially hostile it can be on the ground.  Outback Australia famous for its dangerous snakes, spiders, extreme temperatures and dry, arid red dirt.

I'm no expert, far from it and it is a mindset to which every migrant, inbound to Australia must adapt. I am sure Aussie kids are brought up to just be naturally careful, otherwise surely they wouldn't survive the weekend. 

If you leave your shoes on the deck overnight, don't forget to bang them out before putting them on! If in a cafe, don't be surprised to look up and see a snake coiled amongst the rafters, keeping warm! Watch out for possum's in the trees in early evening, even in the city, see the flocks of bats with more than a metre long wingspan head in at dusk in mango season and just occasionally, pause the car while a koala labours its own sweet way across the road in front of you, apparently without a care in the world.

Don't get me wrong, all this doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it is more typically a sense of awe and wonderment than fear that pervades, even after 16 years of living here I am not entirely sure I shall ever quite get used to it, I hope I never take it for granted.

Out and About in Brisbane....

Sometimes, we forget that where we live can be worth exploring too!  Here's Brisbane!

Brisbane skyline viewed from Mt Coot-tha Lookout

Southbank, Brisbane, Qld

Bougainvillea-covered Arbour, Southbank, Brisbane

The Wheel of Brisbane

Enjoy Southbank Parklands, on the banks of the Brisbane River, spread over 17 hectares, a corner of paradise directly opposite the city, complete with a man made beach and always sunny!

Wander through the pretty kilometre long bougainvillaea covered arbour or hop on the Wheel of Brisbane for a bird's eye view or or stop by the Nepalese Peace Pagoda for some quiet time.

Be there on the 1st Sunday of every month if you just love soaking up the atmosphere of local craft markets!

Nepalese Peace Pagoda, Southbank, Brisbane

Cockatoos in the trees

Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Southbank, Brisbane

Maybe after a visit to one of our art galleries or the Queensland State Library, you can reserve your seat at one of QPAC's four venues to catch a concert or a Theatre show!  So lucky to have major events here, Disney's Lion King and Wicked to name but too, from ballet to Classic concerts, get in quick, tickets sell out fast!

The Ship Inn, Queensland Pub

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Cuddle a Koala, over 130 to choose from @ Lone Pine

Jump on a river cruise to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, a great place to meet and cuddle and hand feed some of the locals!  Cute!

Kangaroos bask and laze in the sun

Southbank

Delicious Cuisine at Obsession, Southbank

Paddle up the Brisbane River

Ella's Pink Lady, Jessica Watson's round the world yacht, some say foolish, some say brave, either way, she's famous and her tiny boat now lies in the Queensland Maritime Museum, Brisbane while Jessica appears to have  taken a step back from publicity

Kangaroo Point

Take a ride on our little red tourist ferry, it's free!

Check out our spectacular fig trees along the river walkways

As you stroll along the banks of the Brisbane river, watch or learn to rock climb at Kangaroo Point Cliffs

Rock Climbing @ Kangaroo Point Cliffs

Watch the sun go down from Kangaroo Point

Sunset, Brisbane

Watch the sun go down from Kangaroo Point before ending the day with dinner at the Story Bridge Hotel and if you didn't manage to climb it, then don't miss out a chance to check out our bridge of many colours - The Story Bridge

Sunset, over Brisbane, viewed from Kangaroo Point

Th Brisbane Wheel after dark, Southbank