Aus/NZ/Oceania Travel

Posted by Philippa Rowlands

Warrandyte is now a suburb of Melbourne, but was once on the outskirts of this fast spreading city. It can now be termed a suburb even though it has a distinct rural flavour with bushland and open paddocks out of the town centre.

Warrandyte has immense appeal as a place to wind down and enjoy simple pleasures. The Yarra River runs through the town and it is this natural feature that draws people to the area as well as the great cafes and craft and antique shops.

One of my favourite places is the Bakery up above the river. Hot chocolates come in mugs (always a good thing) and some of the cakes are especially delicious, like the flourless orange cake or the really delicious Portuguese custard tarts. Children are catered for with the largest babychino I have ever seen. The wood fired bread is also just yummy.

Aside from the food and the coffee being great this café is situated at one of the best places on the river. You can sit and watch the water flow past only twenty or so metres away and it is a great way to while away an hour or two, but there is a huge warning – the bakery gets incredibly busy at weekends and during public holidays – a midweek visit is best.

Just below the café is a fantastic playground with climbing equipment suitable for a wide range of ages as well as a listening post with sounds of the gold rush. There is an undercover picnic area and even better the staff at the bakery don’t mind if you take your coffee into the playground ceramic mug and all.

Coming from the City the Bakery is on the left hand side of Yarra Street next to the river. Parking can sometimes be a bit difficult, but just a few metres along the road there is a car park down near the river.

After indulging in a relaxing coffee and some treats walk them off along the river. There is a path that runs for several kilometres along the river and you can enjoy watching the ducks, cormorants

Posted by Philippa Rowlands

Autumn is nearly at an end in Australia and the sourthern states are getting colder. Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra and Sydney are starting to feel the chill wind, but it is still a great time to visit these states as the locals head to the warmer climes of Perth, Darwin and Brisbane. This is the perfect time of year to take advantage of cheap accommodation and discounted tours or the international "tourist calm" in the warmer cities.

Winter in Australia is not really all that cold, although Hobart can sometimes get snow. The other cities, while a bit chilly do not attract ice, snow or sleet. Winer provides a freshness and a calm in most Australian cities and visitors can take advantage of cosy cut priced accommodation with open fires in such localities as the Blue Mountains, the Dandenong Ranges, the Great Ocean Road, Adelaide Hills, and many beachside locations. Many hotels in melbourne, Hobart and Adelaide have up to 50% off during the winer months.

In Queensland, the weather varies considerably as you move north into the more tropical climate. Even though the winter weather in Cairns is considerably cooler than the summer months ,it is still pleasant enough to swim and cerainly a great time to visit the reef. There are no box jellyfish to contend with on the coast and the water is warm and inviting. There is only one small issue with the Great Barrier Reef in the winer months and that is there can be quite a strong onshore wind. This is sometimes so strong that the tours out to the reef are cancelled. It also means that the boat trip can be a little rocky, which may make it unsuitable for people who suffer from motion sickness.

Personally, I love Australia in winter, walks on blustery beaches, cosy cabins, wild bushland adventures, cool desert, warm soup, devonshire teas, less hustle and bustle and bargains.

Posted by Philippa Rowlands

Australia is so dry at the moment that when some welcome rain fell in Melbourne at the end of April everyone was relieved and I had the opportunity to visit Kawarra Australian Native Plant Garden in the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne where I could really appreciate the effect of even a small amount of rain. Although the garden is not huge, it is unique. The two-hectare site (about 8 acres) has been converted from farmland to a native wonderland. The garden contains one of the largest ranges of Australian plants from the local area.

The rain had revived the plants and the garden was full of tiny honey eating birds.

The plants are all subtly labelled so it is easy to identify the plant species. The garden also contains many rare and unusual species. It is just lovely to walk the meandering paths through the fern gully and rainforest area, the water garden and the Boronia and Waratah collections. Kawarra Gardens offers a relaxing side trip on a visit to the beautiful Dandenong Ranges. It is a quiet corner where you can experience the great variety of Australian plants. The gardens also offer a small nursery where you can buy propagated plants and facilities that can be hired for events such as seminars and small weddings. I was pleasantly surprised to find this garden hidden away behind Kalorama Reserve just off the Mt. Dandenong Tourist Road. Not even many locals know it is there. For a great quiet and relaxed way to get an appreciation for Australian plants Kawarra Native Plant Garden is just perfect.

The property is owned by the Shire of Yarra Ranges and relies on a “friends” group to help maintain this gem of Australian bushland plants.

Posted by Philippa Rowlands

Is Australia's one day cricket team the best in the world? Following an outright win in the 2007 World Cup Cricket champoinship they are arguably the finest one-day team in history after winning their third consecutive World Cup.

Adam Gilchrist, scored an incredidle 149 runs which is the highest score made in a final in the 32-year history of the World Cup. This historic preformance earned Gilchrist the honor of Man Of The Match.

Australia won the cup with a convincing 53-run victory over Sri Lanka. The World Cup tournament had been plagued with conroversy, poor organisation and even the unsolved murder of Bob Woolmer the coach of the pakistan team. Despite all these difficulties Australia has shone through as a super power of one day cricket with a stunning competition.

Australia has won 23 World Cup Cricket matches in a row, starting way back in the tied stretching back to the tied 1999 semi-final against South Africa at Edgbaston. This is an incredible achievement.

"We've dominated this tournament probably like no other cricket World Cup has been dominated before," Ponting has said. A huge smile on his face.

The achievement of this years World Cup is bitter sweet for Australian cricket fans as it maks the retirement of popular champion fast bowler Glenn Mc Grath and Australia's coach John Buchanan.

Posted by Philippa Rowlands

Each Saturday Suzi Wharton or one of her experienced guides take visitors on a chocolate lovers dream tour of Melbourne. This is my type of tour.

She takes visitors, both local and international, on walking tours of the city to taste a selection of chocolates, truffles, chocolate ice-cream, cocoa, hot chocolate, cakes, candy, cookies and more chocolate. Once you have been on one of these tours you may not feel like chocolate for a week or at least for a few hours afterwards.

Melbourne is a great city to walk around. There are hidden arcades, historic buildings, beautiful shopfronts, hidden boutique shops and so many wonderful cafes, but for a chocolate indulgence these tours are perfect. There are three tours on offer, each taking in different chocolate hot spots and cafes.

The tours are all inclusive - that means you get all the samples for free and the price is very reasonable. Taste you way though the city streets and have a great time. The tour participants are united in their love of chocolate and this seems to create a kind of chocoholics bond. There is usually lots of fun, conversation, as well as two hours of sweetness.

Use the excuse that chocolate raises your endorphins and makes you feel euphoric, use the excuse you are premenstral, use the excuse that a chocolate fix makes you feel sexy or even that chocolate makes you feel mellow and relaxed and is a great way to de-stress. No matter what excuse you use a chocolate tour of Melbourne will be a pleasure.

Posted by Philippa Rowlands

The smell alone is irresisttable, the Cadbury Chocolate Factory in Claremont near Hobart, Tasmania, Australia is a chocoholics dream come true. Tempt your tastebuds with a cruise up the Derwent River from Hobart, aniticipate the delicious chocolate.

The Cadbury Chocolate Factory Cruise and tour takes about four hours. Enjoy the relaxing cruise up the beautiful river and then disembark on the picturesque peninsula and feel your mouth start to water as you breath in the delicious smells eminating from the factory. Follow the excellent and informatiove tour through the factory and at last some free samples - yum!!

Throughout the tour you will be given the chance to taste the freshly made chocolate and savour the flavour of one of Australia's premium chocolates.

It is all so tempting.

Most importantly, this tour gives chocolate lovers many opportunities to sample the delicious Cadbury chocolate. The samples are freshly made and should satisfy your curiosity about this delicious confection. The Cadbury Chocolate Factory makes all kinds of chocolates from the simple Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate through to Caramello Koalas, from Fruit and Nut to the Roses mixed collection and from Peppermint cream to Turkish Delight.

At the end of the tour the Cadbury Chocolate factory shop is also irresistable with all kinds of yummy chocolate treats at cheap prices. The "perfect" chocolate is reduced and bargains are to be had everywhere you look, but if you don't mind a dint in you chocolate or a little leak from a peppermint cream then grab "seconds" at even cheaper prices.

A tour of chocoholics heaven with a boat cruise is one of Hobart's most popular tours.

Posted by Philippa Rowlands

Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory, Australia and is the gateway to some amazing outback experiences, but it is also a fascinating city in itself.

Darwin is a fascinating place. There are quite a lot of great things to do and see in and around the city. Darwin is also a terrific base for unique day and overnight trips.

I have friends who live there at the moment and know the local scene and several people I know have just come from holidays in and around Darwin.

Some favourite aspects are the festivals - The Darwin Festival, Darwin Fringe Festival, Bass in the Grass and the Speargrass Festivals in particular and for a fun and rowdy time the Darwin Beer Can Regatta is a bit of a hoot.

Darwin is an interesting city, fairly small, but bustling. It is a terrific place to people watch. The harbour is always busy with ships of all sizes and sometimes a saltwater crocodile can be seen swimming around.

There is a wide range of cultures represented in the city and that is reflected in the food.

The tropical climate means shorts and t-shirts almost all year round.

The fishing is fantastic and a fishing expedition with a guide is highly recommended or take one of the many boat trips just for fun.

The large indiginous population means there are opportunities to explore their art and culture, but unfortunately you may see the bleaker side of indiginous Australia as well.

AND the food is great, particularly if you like fish - yum.

The history of the city is also interesting - involvement in WW2 and also Cyclone Tracy which devastated the city in 1974.

Posted by Philippa Rowlands

The Punt Road Winery in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia is a nice surprise to the wine buff and the uninitiated alike. The staff are wonderful, explaining the district, their wines, the wine making process and the peculiarities of their vineyard in an interesting, informative and helpful way. Unlike some wineries where the staff look jaded and respond to questions in a flat monotone we were pleasantly surprised to be welcomed with a smile and had an unhurried and fabulous tasting.

The wines were lovely from a fine Sparkling wine and Chardonnay through to the Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet. The botritis affected reisling was also a special treat.

Punt Road Wineries on St Hubert's Lane off the Maroondah Highway, Coldstream, Victoria sits back from the main highway. The tasting room is pleasant and open with large windows so you can appreciate your surroundings as you taste the wine. There is a small area open for a BBQ and even a bocce field. Well behaved children are more than welcome to play on the lawn while the adults taste the wine. A delightful setting with delightful people.

Something that I particularly like is the fact that some of the wines are only available at the cellar door, so you may pick up something a little special when you visit the winery itself They also have a range of very special limited release wines only available at the door. This range is sometimes limited to just a few hundred bottles and while we were at the winery we were lucky enough to sample the Special Reserve Cabernet...Lovely.

Posted by Philippa Rowlands

Today I went to Healesville Sanctuary, which is just a few kilometres from the small and bustling village of Healesville and about a one-hour drive from Melbourne, Victoria. This is one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in Australia with a wide range of Australian animals to see and expert handlers and wildlife guides to answer all your questions. The sanctuary is small enough that you can see most of the animals in a day visit. There are kangaroos and wallabies, emus, koalas, nocturnal animal habitat, insects, platypus and echidnas, birds of prey and parrots, lyrebirds and cockatoos, eels in the creek and kookaburras in the trees. A new addition to the park is the Wildlife Rescue Centre, which has hands on activities for children as well as wonderful explanations about the protection and care of Australian animals. There is also a veterinary clinic within the Centre that cares for sanctuary animals as well as those brought in from the wild. If you are lucky enough you can observe their care through the glass wall. The veterinarians will explain what they are doing as they proceed to care for the animals. Sometimes operations are also conducted, but this area is separate and you can choose if you would like to watch.

A day at Healesville Sanctuary is an excellent way to see Australian animals up close and in a caring environment. There is an emphasis on education at the Sanctuary with guides trained to answer questions, an excellent area for children and adults to feel the fur and feathers of the animals and have a short and clear explanation of some of the more unusual aspects of Australian wildlife. The natural setting enhances your visit and you can bring along BBQ fixings and use the free facilities or there is a small café.

Posted by Philippa Rowlands

What do you do with only two days in Melbourne, Australia? So much to see and so little time. I guess it depends what your priorities are, the city hums with nightlife, cafes, and great food and there is the internationally recognised zoo and a trip up the Rialto tower to see the city. There are lovely trips on the Yarra River and walking through the botanic gardens, and around the city looking at historic buildings. There is great theatre, and perhaps a ride on the free tourist tram or a visit to the beautiful St. Kilda beach and a terrific continental cake in Acland Street.

A day trip can take you to wineries in the Yarra Valley and up the beautiful Dandenong Ranges for a Devonshire tea, a walk in the bush and a visit to William Ricketts Sanctuary. Perhaps a restored historical town would suit with a visit North to Sovereign Hill and the Goldfields or perhaps a day trip East to Philip Island to see the fairy penguins, seals, koalas and giant Gippsland worms. If animals are what you want to see then Healesville Sanctuary is just wonderful with reptiles, birds, platypus tank, nocturnal house and educational displays and an animal rescue centre and if you have time take the spectacular drive over the Black Spur Ranges to Marysville and then up Lake Mountain.

What do you choose? What do you do? What do you see? Two days is just not enough. Travel panic sets in!

And what about the great ocean road, one of the most spectacular drives in the world. That takes two days in itself. That does it we will just have to extend the visit.