Coast to Hinterland Food and Wine Tour, Sunshine Coast, Australia

 With a whole week to just relax and enjoy Mooloolaba, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, I thought it would be fun to spend one day taking a food and wine tour out into the hinterland.  Collected from my hotel by a very friendly Dave, who was to be our guide for the day,  I was one of just five on the Coast to Hinterland Tour, we were a small friendly group.

 Our first stop was  at the very pleasant little town of Maleny  to enjoy a tasting of locally made chocolates. This was a little bit underwhelming to be honest.  It was basically just a chocolate shop but it did have an amazing array of different flavoured chocolates and we were invited to try a number of samples, some with uniquely Australian flavours, and we were  also given a slab of chocolate to keep.

From there we went to the Maleny Cheese factory.   After a short talk about the making of cheese and viewing the factory area where the cheeses were made we were given two large platters to share with a wide assortment of Maleny cheeses, breads, crackers, chutneys etc, all delicious, which we enjoyed with a welcome cup of coffee.  I highly recommend this place for the warmth of our welcome and the generosity of the cheese boards.

Well satisfied we continued on to the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve for a walk through tranquil native bush and to view spectacular views out towards the Glass House mountains and  the coast.  We were lucky, it was a beautiful day and we had very clear views and I always enjoy the serenity of the bush.

Cool, shady bush at the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve

View from Mary Cairncross of the Glass House Mountains

Then it was time for a wine tasting at Clouds Restaurant. We each received  generous pourings of 4 different wines and sat in a sunny courtyard enjoying the tasting, hearing about the different wines and chatting with our fellow passengers.  Pleasant indeed. 

The road to our lunch destination was very pretty, stopping at Gerrard's Lookout for panoramic views of the countryside, then on through rolling hills and finally down a steep bush lined road to Secrets on the Lake.  This is a pretty eccentric kind of place in a stunning location right on the edge of a lake. Within the restaurant there are numerous intricate wood carvings.  They are impressive.  Lunch here was absolutely superb.  The quality of the food was outstanding, befitting of a wine and food tour.  I had barramundi, asparagus, tomatoes with a potato mash for my main followed by orange creme brulee. Delicious.

View from Secrets on the Lake resort

My sublime lunch

One of many carvings in the restaurant  area

The owner of the lodge offered to show us one of the accommodation lodges.  The lodges are set high on poles and are accessed by long wooden walkways through the bush.  The lodge, like the restaurant, was eccentric with plenty of wooden carvings and an unusual layout, really not my style, but it had stunning views over the lake and I imagine would certainly be a very restful place to spend a few days.

Australian themed tiles in a lodge shower

The day was speeding by and by the time we got to the lovely village of Montville most of the shops and cafes were closing.  We did have time to take in the views towards Mooloolaba and as I had been to Montville on a couple of other occasions I wasn't too fazed.  A shame for the other passengers, though because Montville is charming and home to numerous independent crafty type shops.

The charming Camphor Cottage, Montville (Photo from Trip Advisor)

The view out over the rain forest from the platform at Mapleton Falls

Mapleton Falls cascading down into a deep ravine 

To round out the day we made our final stop at Mapelton Falls National Park to see the waterfall plunging 120 metres down into the deep Obi Obi Gorge. We viewed it from a platform hanging right out over the ravine.  I'm not usually afraid of heights but found this a bit stomach churning, nevertheless  I stood on the platform to take in the view of the rain forest and waterfall before scampering off to safer ground. 

Then it was back to Mooloolaba after a truly fantastic day.  I highly recommend this tour, it had a bit of everything and really showcased the lovely hinterland of the Sunshine Coast plus, as the tour's name states, provided delicious food and good wine. 

Great company for the day. Glass House Mountains behind us.

Disclaimer:  I have no association with Coast to Hinterland Tours.  I paid my own way and this is my unbiased opinion of the day.

Day trip to the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

I really couldn't remember much about the Blue Mountains from my visit when I was aged 14  so with a day to spare in Sydney recently I decided to take a day trip out there and have another look. The day didn't start well, although it was all my own fault.  I had travelled from Perth to Sydney and had reset the time on my alarm incorrectly.  I was up and raring to go at what I thought was an ideal time so went to the hotel lobby to wait for my pick up.  I thought the night staff were looking at me strangely until I finally realised it was 4am and my pick up wasn't until  6!  Oh well, back to my room for a while. Right on the dot of 6am the BLUE MOUNTAIN TOURS bus arrived driven by a bright, bubbly, friendly driver/guide named Amy.  The day was looking up.  As the first aboard it meant a bit of a trip around Sydney to pick up other passengers but Amy kept us well entertained telling stories, playing popular Australian music and educating us all on Aussie slang. Our first stop was for breakfast of bacon and egg burgers and coffee at Cafe 2773 in the charming little country town of Glenbrook. 

 Well fortified  we set off to drive higher into the Blue Mountain range to see the iconic Three Sisters peaks. What a stunning and spectacular sight it is with bush, mountains, deep valleys, sandstone cliffs and standing proudly over them all, the Three Sisters. Apparently we were lucky to have a very clear view as mist and cloud were threatening.  We spent quite some time there admiring the panorama from all different vantage points before  reboarding the bus and heading the short distance to Scenic World to ride the world's steepest railway as recorded in the Guiness Book of Records. It drops 206 metres with an incline of 52 degrees. Originally built to take coal out of the mine in the valley below, it is a thrilling, if short, ride.

Just look at how steep the track is!

At the bottom we  enjoyed a gentle ramble along a bush walk while Amy described the mining history of the area, the vegetation and the various birds spotted along the way including colourful parrots and the rare lyre bird. I love the bush so was in my happy place although, as a New Zealander who doesn't have to worry about such things, I was on the alert for snakes and spiders.

A homage to the coal miners and horses of the valley

At the end of our stroll we boarded the Cableway to reach the top of the valley and then changed to the Skyway which took us across the Jamison Valley 270 metres below and past the Katoomba Falls tumbling down to the valley floor.  It was all thrillingly scenic.  Time for our pre-ordered and tasty lunches at The Bunker in the small town of Springwood.  This was a great opportunity to get to know, and chat with, my fellow travellers, who came from many different countries.

The Skyway crossing the Jamison Valley, Three sisters on the left 
 (photo from Trip Advisor)

The Katoomba Falls are around 200 metres high

After lunch we headed off to our final stop of the day, the Featherdale Wildlife Park. This is basically a small zoo and an excellent place to see many Australian birds and animals. Here you get a close up view of Tasmanian Devils, Quokkas, Dingos, Wombats, Cassowaries, Crocodiles, Emus and the very, very busy little Echidna that never stopped moving, plus many colourful Parakeets, Parrots, Kookaburras and other birds.   This is a great place to see the amazing variety of wildlife unique to Australia. 

A rare albino wallaby

Koala

A tree kangaroo, I never knew they existed

The busy little echidna

After a generous amount of time at the park we headed back to Sydney.  It had been a fantastic day, I enjoyed every minute of it and highly recommend BLUE MOUNTAIN TOURS. I'm pretty sure this is the only tour which includes both breakfast and lunch. 

 Disclaimer:  I have no association with Blue Mountain Tours and paid full price for the day...it was well worth it!

Happy, happy, Christmas 2024 everyone.

 Hello there! I am back again just in time to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas. It's been a long time between posts  because I have spent the better part of this year working on another project which  I have now completed. I am really looking forward to becoming active on this blog again in 2025.  2025, I can't believe it! Where do the years go?

Left: Welcome to my home

Here in New Zealand  Christmas falls in summer so it is hot, sunny (hopefully!) and a time when everybody heads off for their summer holidays. Although many people still plump for the traditional Northern Hemisphere style Christmas dinner more and more people here are choosing a relaxed barbeque by the beach.  That's not to say they don't make an effort to make it as Christmassy as possible so the barbeque might include special foods like salmon, prawns or even, if you're lucky, crayfish, accompanied by extra special salads. Hot plum pudding is just not something anyone wants to eat on a sweltering day, pavlova, fruit salads and ice cream are the Christmas day favourite desserts here.

If you want to have a go at making a pavlova here is the recipe from New Zealand's most loved recipe book.  This book has been a "must have" in New Zealand homes for many years.

edmondscooking.co.nz/recipes/cakes/pavlova/

Pavlova

Pohutukawa, the New Zealand Christmas tree, in full bloom near my home.  A sure sign that Christmas is near.

Summer or winter the message of Christmas is the same the world over.  It is a message of hope, peace, joy and goodwill to all.  You do not have to be a Christian to appreciate this message and it is my wish for all my readers.  I also hope you all enjoy family time and relaxation and that 2025 brings you only good things,

See you next year!

The time my travel plans went wrong

 A few years ago I took the Ghan Train trip from Darwin to Adelaide, Australia, and loved every moment of it so I made it my mission to take the Indian Pacific train from Perth to Sydney.   I would then have travelled from the top to the bottom  and from the West coast to the East coast of Australia. I always enjoy making a plan and then carrying it out.

This was the plan but in reverse ( Photo Indian Pacific Publicity)

In high anticipation I duly booked the trip and flew the seven and a half hours to Perth from Auckland.  Perth is a fresh, modern city and I liked the look of it immediately but things went wrong as soon as I arrived.  Firstly I couldn't find a taxi or get an Uber, it being a busy Saturday night, so I set out to walk to my hotel from the railway station. Unfortunately I walked back and forth along the street I thought it was on several times before finding it tucked away down a side street.  When I went to check in I was told they had no record of my booking and the hotel was full, despite the fact I had received an email confirming my booking. The only room available was right under the hotel's very noisy air conditioning unit.  No sleep at all for the next two nights!

Fortunately I was booked to go on a 3 day tour of the Margaret River region on the third day.  That tour was wonderful (I have written about it in previous posts)  Run by the McLeod family tour company it was faultless. 

The Bell tower, Perth.  Interesting architecture

We returned to Perth for a two day stopover before catching the train.  Would you believe it? Hotel reception once again told me they had no booking for me and, yes, once again I had an email confirming that they did. Fortunately I stood my ground and managed to get a better room this time.  I spent the next couple of days sightseeing and enjoying Perth.  The night before the train trip was to start I went to the hotel bar to have a drink with some traveling companions I had met on the Margaret River trip. When I arrived one of them asked me "Have you heard the news?"  I hadn't.  Turned out the train trip had been cancelled due to flooding on the tracks.  What a disappointment, that had been the whole purpose of my trip.  So new plans had to be made.  

Janine and Steve, great companions making 
a trouble shared a trouble halved

Since the train was meant to go to Sydney and I had booked my flight home to New Zealand from there I needed to book a flight to Sydney which I did early the next day. Fortunately two of my fellow travellers booked the same flight.  I also contacted my hotel in Sydney and extended my stay for three nights.

The three of us duly went to the airport for our flight and guess what?  The flight was cancelled.  Talk about a comedy of errors.  We were told our flight would be the next day so needed to book a hotel near the airport for the night which we did.  To top it all off we exited the airport to find a taxi queue about a hundred yards long but none of the drivers wanted to take us because the trip was too short and they would lose their place in the queue for a possible longer trip.  Then the taxi drivers started arguing with each other, shouting and fists were raised.  Oh my goodness, by asking for a taxi we had started a riot! Finally a taxi from a long way back in the queue came to our rescue.  As we drove away we could see the taxi drivers still shouting at each other. Phew! We all had a good laugh about it later.

Lovely view of the Swan River and Perth from an unexpected stay at the Aloft Hotel 

The hotel we spent our night in was lovely, we all enjoyed it and were quickly refunded the cost by the airline. The next day we flew to Sydney with no problems and I spent a few days sightseeing in and around Sydney before flying home. We all agreed that we would be unlikely to book the Indian Pacific again.  I don't think cancellations of it are rare but who knows, maybe one day

Cocktails in Sydney

The very last insult was that my hotel in Sydney charged me for the night I wasn't there due to my flight being cancelled.  I had contacted them immediately the flight was cancelled but apparently that wasn't soon enough.

The question is "Did I have a good trip?"  Yes I did, I had a fabulous time. I met and spent time with some lovely people, I saw spectacular places I had never seen before, the weather was beautiful and evening cocktails at the hotel bar overlooking Darling Harbour in Sydney were a special treat.  I didn't come home feeling disappointed at all.  The trip wasn't what I'd planned but I'd made the most of it.  I'm a great believer in just going with the flow.

Rottnest Island, West Australia and the Delightful Quokka

Rottnest Island (Aboriginal name Wadjemup) lies 19 kilometres off the coast of Perth. It is a sandy, low lying island so named by the Dutch explorer, De Vlamingh in 1696, who called it "Paradise on earth" but thought the adorable little quokka that inhabit the island looked like large rats. I was keen to visit the island I had heard so much about, and especially to see the quokka, so on a bright and sunny autumn day I set off with two travelling companions on the ferry from Perth.  We had all bought a package tour which included the ferry trip, admission to the island, lunch and a bus tour around the island.  The  trip down the Swan River was slow and scenic with just one stop at Fremantle to pick up more passengers and from there a high speed 30 minute trip to the island.

Thomson Bay

I was surprised to find the main town on the island, Thomson Bay, was a hive of activity, thronged with tourists with multiple restaurants, souvenir shops, bike hireage and accommodation.  For some reason I hadn't expected the island to have a resort feel about it although having a permanent population of only 300 it has annual visitor numbers of 780,000 so I shouldn't have been surprised.  We had been hoping we would be lucky enough to see at least one quokka, we shouldn't have worried, they were everywhere.  Very, very cute and harmless.

Quokka - about the size of a cat

The bus tour was worth its weight in gold covering a large part of the 19 kilometre square island.   In an hour and a half we got to see the stunning pure white, sandy beaches and clear turquoise waters fringing the shores, seals swimming in the sea, native birds and various other wild life.  We also learnt about the island's sad and colourful history.  At various times it has been used as a harsh prison for Aborigines, a reformatory school for offending youth, a military out post and even as a quarantine station during the covid epidemic of 2020.  Nowdays it has left that sad history behind and is a very popular holiday spot especially for divers and snorkelers searching for its delicious lobsters and scallops.

Although there are various bays with settlements and accommodation most of the island is scrubby and unspoilt and our tour driver told us the island is also infested with snakes.  I was so pleased I was on the bus!  The only vehicles permitted on the island are buses and official vehicles so the roads are largely free from traffic apart from masses of cyclists.  Hiring a bike seems to be the thing to do on Rottnest.  We passed many, many cyclists, some sunburnt from the sweltering sun, some having had accidents and most looking exhausted.  Cycling the island is not as easy as visitors seem to think, there is almost no shade and nowhere, apart from the main town, to buy drinks or refreshments. If you go to Rottnest I highly recommend taking the bus tour, a much easier, more comfortable way to see the island, that is, unless you really are a keen cyclist and well prepared, I suspect many we saw were not.

We had a delicious lunch and glass of wine at Freddies in Thomson Bay. All the restaurants and shops have small gates at the entry to prevent the quokka from entering. There are signs everywhere telling people not to feed them but there are always some stupid people who do.  Eating human food is very bad for their health.  After lunch we went in search of quokka in their natural environment and stumbled across one that was obviously ill. We like to think we did our bit by ringing the island's vet who  came quickly to take it away for treatment. Eventually we found a quokka in a quiet, bushy spot and spent some time photographing and observing it, then we went to the beach and sat in a shady shelter there admiring the view and waiting for the ferry to go home.  It had been a great day, we had seen as many quokka as we could possibly wish to and had learnt a lot about this interesting island.

I Wander Around Fremantle and then go to Prison

 Fremantle is a lovely historic, maritime town located at the mouth of the Swan River and is West Australia's main port. It is a compact town, ideal for walking, where the streets are full of buildings little changed since the 19th century. It is just dripping with character and I loved the opportunity to step back in time.  I spent a couple of hours strolling around, taking photos and stopping here and there for a rest or a coffee at one of the many lovely cafes in town and then enjoying a late lunch at the Kalis Fish Market Cafe (highly recommend this) overlooking the fishing boat harbour.

Below: Some of the many heritage buildings in Fremantle

Fremantle is home to West Australia's only World Heritage listed building, Fremantle Prison.  Built in the 1850's by convict labour it was used  as a prison right up until 1991. I arrived there just in time to take a guided tour with a young and enthusiastic guide who related many gruesome stories about this terrible and forbidding place. 

It was a place where, in convict times, the discipline was harsh with floggings, leg irons, solitary confinements and a diet of bread and water common place. The ultimate punishment, of course, was execution, there were 43 men and one woman executed in the prison and there are many tales of hauntings.  Fortunately nothing haunted me on the tour apart from my contemplation of the grim conditions and treatments the prisoners endured. It was horrifying and fascinating and I couldn't help but be pleased we live in more enlightened times. 

The netting between floors was to prevent prisoners throwing things at the guards below.  Unfortunately it didn't protect them from the contents of chamber pots

Despite the harsh conditions for some reason it didn't stop recidivists, some prisoners coming back multiple times. There was constant violence between prisoners and towards guards, when the prisoners were in the yards exercising the guards on duty had to remain inside a wire cage to protect themselves from attacks. There were many attempted escapes and riots - at one stage prisoners set fire to the prison causing major damage. Thankfully modern prisons have now replaced Fremantle Prison.

Left: A typical cell with a hammock bed

Right:  Security cage for the guards while watching prisoners exercise

Prisoners were not permitted to draw on their walls but this prisoner was extremely violent and the only thing that calmed him down was his art.

My guide was a fount of knowledge and told many interesting stories.  The tour was extensive and I highly recommend it as an insight into how punishment was meted out in times past.  It's strange to say that I really enjoyed the tour, but I did, it was fascinating and educational.  I would not recommend it for children though.  There were a couple of children on my tour and they were visibly upset and frightened by some of the stories. This was my first, and hopefully my last, time in prison.

West Australia Maritime Museum, Fremantle

 Ever since Australia won the America's Cup in Fremantle in 1983 I have wanted to go there. The feed back from visitors at the time was that it was a quaint, historic, maritime town and that sounded like my kind of place.  I was also keen to see the Maritime Museum and more particularly the America's Cup display.

West Australia Maritime Museum, Freemantle

A part of my job as a guide at New Zealand's National Maritime Museum in Auckland is leading America's Cup tours. I love that part of my work and am always keen to add to my knowledge.  Since Fremantle  is just a short half hour train trip from Perth, where I was staying, it was perfect for a day trip.

Australia II, America's Cup winning boat.  It is hard to get a photo of the whole boat due to the way it is displayed

The museum is a short walk from the railway station and housed in a very modern, stylish building right on the waterfront near the entrance to Fremantle Port. The interior is light, airy and open and goes up several levels with many great displays of all things maritime including leisure boats, home made boats, fishing displays, commercial boats and of course the America's Cup boat Australia II. 

Inside the museum 

The America's Cup display was my first port of call, so to speak, and it is excellent.  I like the way they have figures of the crew on deck in the act of sailing the boat and the large lego replica of the boat close by is quite spectacular.  Interestingly Australia challenged for the cup 6 times before winning it on the 7th attempt.  They lost it in the next America's Cup and have never entered again. I was so pleased I got to see the display and thoroughly enjoyed looking through the rest of the museum, it would be easy to spend a whole day there. There is a cafe overlooking the water and a gift shop in the foyer. I am proud that New Zealand is the country outside the USA which has won the cup the most times and we currently hold the cup for the fifth time.  Clearly their win was very special to Australia, the T Shirts in the gift shop were celebrating 40 years since their win in 1983. 

HMAS Ovens (Photo by West Australia Maritime Museum)

Next I  booked a tour of the museum's cold war submarine, HMAS Ovens. The decommissioned submarine sits on land beside the museum.  It is 90 metres long and 8 metres wide and carried a crew of around 70, including officers. Kept in well maintained and original condition it is now a living memorial to those from Fremantle who died while serving in World War II.

Inside HMAS Ovens

The tiny galley where all meals were cooked

Bunks stacked three high

Led by a former crew member the tour was fantastic.  It is hard to imagine what life would be like in your under sea world but our guide was able to show us and describe it well.  Not for me the cramped underwater conditions but fascinating to see all the same  and to marvel at the resilience of the men who served on her.

I highly recommend a visit to the West Australia Maritime Museum and if you go make sure you take a tour of HMAS Ovens.