going troppo

i remember years ago when i went to port douglas i felt the most immense sense of relaxation -

not only because the air and waters were warm and limpid but because melbourne was over 6 hours of plane travel away with no possibility of getting anywhere in a hurry [this was pre-mobile phone frenzy, so perhaps it would be different now, but a metaphoric still a world away]

flying far north

qantas red e-deals

virgin blue deals [good deals available till May 11)

webjet covers all bases

so does wotflights

port douglas

important to stay within walking distance of macrossan st, and the port and restaurants and the supermarket (ie not in the resorts at the other end of 4 mile beach)
port douglas retreat, 31 mowbray st
tree view studio, 3 nights, $109 studio apartments, built on only two levels, the building blends in with the tropical gardens that attract many native birds.
palm villas, 40 warner st, port douglas

$115 per night (3 night minimum) on wotif (but it looks like this is a year round price)

the whileaway bookshop and cafe apparently makes good coffee

car hire from cairns - either north or south

compare prices at vroomvroom
(europcar seems the best deal, (15% off for bookings more than 2 days before the end of june; see here for other specials)

a side trip to the atherton tablelands

drive descriptions

• "waterfalls drive" map
• master map
• a blurb about sites to see, things to do tells us

The Atherton Tablelands is a beautiful sub tropical haven located between the Bellenden mountain range and the Great Dividing Range, just one hours drive (100km/62 miles) from Cairns.
The Tablelands is an area where monsoonal rains and evolution have combined to create a dense mosaic of unique plant and animal habitats, rainforests, national parks, mountains, rivers, lakes and beautiful waterfalls, combined with some of Australia's richest agricultural lands (the "food bowl" of the northern tropics) and charming small townships.

some articles from the age/smh about some charming townships

• yungaburra
• tinaroo
• millaa millaa
• atherton
• herberton

The rural landscape of the Atherton Tablelands is green throughout most of the year, with a temperature, which rarely exceeds 30c. Situated on a plateau, which rises 600 metres to 1000 metres above sea level, it is a cool escape form the summer humidity of the coast.
The Tablelands picture postcard like towns and villages has an amazingly diverse range of residents who share their extensive arts, crafts, music and festivals gladly with visitors.

[pictured is the malanda pub, built in 1911 and apparently the largest timber structure in australia]

Also, the Tablelands is a haven for bush walking, rare bird watching and wildlife ...The Tablelands features Australia's widest waterfall, and many other picturesque waterfalls cascading over mossy rocks into cool clear rivers. Also to be seen on the Tablelands are the deep blue waters of extinct volcanic crater lakes and extensive National Parks.

south from cairns mission beach

article, divine mission, in the age/smh, 4 july 2010

both houses,minimum 5-night stay applies between 25 june and 17 july

ka-koda 6, 6/44 koda st mission beach

one of 6 bungalows offering a carefree, relaxed atmosphere on a shoestring budget ($120 a night for 3 nights)

dixon's beach house

94 kennedy esplanade, south mission beach ($120 a night for 3 nights) absolute beach front holiday house

the holiday accommodation site that lists this house has photos showing mission beach the morning after cyclone yasi, and several weeks later - showing the signs of recovery
the best way for them to recover is for tourists to return to town, Recovering after Yasi but 'open for business'.

locals have launched something called the butterfly project to help attract tourists, Mission Beach to spread its wings with joy

Mission Beach is a butterfly haven and the community have always talked about butterfly trails for visitors and things like that...The Butterfly Project will see hundreds of handcrafted butterflies hanging from trees, letterboxes, fences, anywhere visible from the road.
it's a lovely idea
mission beach backs on to a national park and there are lots of walking tracks in the area.the licuala state forest is home to the ulysses butterfly, which is an incredible iridescent blue

there's a
water taxi to dunk island but dunk island was badly hit by the cyclone and isn't in any shape to host day-trippers or resort guests.

mission beach holds an outdoor film festival (last year it was held on september 17-19

visit the babinda boulders 68 km south of cairns

although they are haunted by aboriginal legend

a blue moon?

there may be a second moon this year

cape bridgewater, shelly beach retreat (stayz, take a break)

cape bridgewater is just past portland, and around the corner from discovery bay, where there are monster sand dunes, and stormy, wind-swept and flotsam strewn beaches
lots of romantic beach-combing potential

there are also bush walks, taking in blow holes and a petrified forest

according to one blog, goats can sometimes be met en route

getting from here to there

Isthmus between North Bruny Island and South Bruny Island.

day-trip south of hobart

while we're here, we can listen to huon fm! program guide
drive towards kingston, and then take the channel highway road to kettering, the ferry point to bruny islands (north/south) - ferry from kettering, $28 return, passengers included.
bruny island (south) where we can visit the bligh museum (adventure bay), and go on bush walks

back to the mainland,

kettering - farm gate cafe and providore

heading south, woodbridge - down a side road, Woodbridge Hill Handweaving Studio and Gardens

birchs bay - 59 devlyns road, grandvewe cheeses

around the peninsula and up to cygnet (smh/age article lowdown), an "alternative" tree-changer refuge, full of swish cafes (age/smh article, valley of the foodies), seasonal folk-festivals (featuring the tasmanian chilli beer company who produce a delicious no-alcohol ginger chilli beer) and is the new home of the tv gourmet farmer and ex-food critic, matthew evans

mr evans recommends (inter alia)

• the red velvet lounge - "hippy café has gone all grown up and now boasts benchmark modern country cooking"


• lotus eaters - "I’ve never had anything from this café that I didn’t love. From the soups, to the panini and pizza, it’s all good. Lotus’s coffee is textbook and the eccles cakes the best I’ve eaten, anywhere"


• the yoyo bakery - evans lists their "stunning pretzels, great rye bread, wonderful poppy seed scrolls" ; From Sitting on Top of the World Blog - The Yoyo bakery is pumping out fabulous loaves made from locally grown & milled flour direct from Oatlands-Callington mill

cygnet is also an artist/craftist enclave, so there are galleries and shops, like near and far shop (where this beanie comes from)

up to huonville, turn south again for

franklin, home of excellent scallop pies (rated 7/10 according to the scallop pie rater blog - pic of an expert scallop pie rater) from petty sessions cafe (franklin)

also in franklin - treasures old & new, cnr main rd and church st, i think it's in the old church!
click here for the google map of the journey

hobart bo-ho hobo

amazing how it happens
you think about going to hobart (well, tassie, but including hobart)
and then the design files puts up a "week in hobart" file
click the map for design files shopping & eating spots!


1. places to eat

basket & green cafe
179 Elizabeth Street (corner of Elizabeth and Brisbane),
island espresso
171 elizabeth st, hobart (they serve toasties with heidi farm cheese. yum)

• 33 salamanca place - doctor coffee (also bakery at 58 collins st)

yellow bernard, 109 collins st - cafe

pigeon hole cafe, 93 goulburn st, west hobart

south hobart food store, 356 Macquarie St, Hobart, Australia
wursthaus kitchen 1 Montpelier Retreat, Battery Point
- gourmet traveller voted this one of the top five food stores in australia,
[apparently they stock heidi farm cheeses - including a tilsit]

good bakery, jackson & mcross, 57 hampden rd, battery point - known for sourdough, patries, and lots of pies including lamb & rosemary, and slow-cooked beef

scallop pies - apparently legendary, first appearing on hobart's wharves in the early 1800s; there is a scallop pie rater blog which lists good (and average) pies sampled by the blogger and his readers. some of the best seem to be in the middle of tassie, hamilton, a servo just before you turn off for stanley

takeaway at franklins wharf; also flipper fish punt at constitution dock (where the 1833 sculpture comes from, i think), fish frenzy at elizabeth st pier or mures at victoria dock

2. cultural, social, historical

• number 1 priority = MONA


• maritime museum
cnr argyle and davey streets


• tasmanian museum & art gallery

• the shipwrights arms, 29 trumpeter st, battery point - apparently a generous fisherman's basket, apparently, too - "Legend has it that the pub was connected to the nearby slipway by a tunnel that the drunk and incoherent were bundled down onto understaffed boats"

• apparently the knopwoods retreat is a good pub, 39 salamanca place, a hobart "institution" - where the locals hang out

3. let's go shopping

hobart shopping guide (via design files)

cwa shop.
165 elizabeth st, hobart

northgate flea, food, famers & antiques market (every sunday), northgate shopping centre carpark, main rd, glenorchy (near moonah, where my family lived during the 60s)

books!

22 salamanca square, hobart bookshop specialising in tassie, literature and poetry. chris pearce opened this shop in 1990 with janet grecian, but his dad, cedric was one of hobart's best-known booksellers, at fullers, 1946-1981

speaking of fullers, 131 collins st, hobart

in sandy bay
the market, masonic temple, 3 sandy bay road

giant tassie-shaped freckles, nonpareil confectionary, 11 mayfair shopping plaza, sandy bay

speaking of maps of tasmania, here's amanda palmer singing about hers,

more girly, crafty shops etc (via design files)and just for

• inside home and gifts, 90 murray st


• love & clutter, 31 murray st


• store & co, 130 macquarie st


• ruby's room, 127 macquarie st


• the maker, shop 005, 77 salamanca place

mount wellington


go up the big hill that looms over hobart, you can drive up and take in the view or go bush-walking
the "lost world" track - google map says where it is
it might be cold up there! photos of eucalypt-scented ice-blocks by local blogger, little glowing lights

dad's painting of hobart and mount wellington in the mid-60s when the family lived there.

there's the tiniest chance that we'll be in tasmania when the aurora australis is visible - the top of mount wellington is apparently a good vantage point when the aurora(s) flare up. i've signed up to get an alert just in case there's aurora action. recent thread on the topic on trip-adviser

new norfolk - antique shops, like the drill hall emporium,

back to nature / out of hobart
east coast, orford, and maybe a stop at spring beach -- where my mummy and daddy had their honeymoon, back in 1963.

they stayed at a holiday house (perhaps like this one?) owned by quakers, who were so loving of all creatures great and especially small, they had little mouse holes built into the cottage to give mice free run of the house. mum says you could hear them scurrying around at night. you can see maria island from spring beach. in june, the ferry travels twice a day on sundays/fridays (9.30 pm triabunna to darlington, maria island) and fro (4.00 pm). so we may miss out, unless we make a special trip. $50 return per adult.

things to do and see in the area

banana bread song

what to do with old manky bananas

wholemeal banana nut bread

moist banana bread perfect for using up ripe bananas.

you can freeze old bananas until I have enough for a recipe, thaw for an hour or so at room temperature.

you can also use apple sauce in place of the oil to make this low fat - it's not quite as moist, but the flavour is still just as good.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 125g (1/3 cup) honey
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  
• 220g (1 2/3 cups) wholemeal flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  
• 3 tablespoons hot water
  
• 60g (1/2 cup) chopped walnuts

Preparation method

Preheat oven to 160 C.

In a large bowl, beat oil (or apple sauce) and honey together.

Add eggs and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla essence. Stir in flour and salt. Add bicarbonate of soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then add to the mixture. Blend in chopped nuts. Spread mixture into a greased 23x12cm loaf pan.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a skewer when inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for half an hour before slicing.

apple of my eye

how about a trip down to tassie on the spirt(s) of tasmania, a drive down the east coast, taking in national parks, beautiful scenery and stopping in hobart for a few days, going to mona spirit of tasmania winter discounts (apply from 3 may, book before 20 april) price for twin cabin (with porthole) + car fee return is $642, $554 (no porthole)

click the map for directions, routes & road recommendations from the ulysses club

devonport to ... the spirt of tasmania docks at 6 am, so we'll be rolling off the ferry and we'll be hungry!!

straight off the boat (and just a block away, opening at 5.30 am is the kitkat cafe,

a little later, at a reasonable "breakfast time" two possibilities in longford
the river's edge, 38 tannery road (opens at 8 am - probably too late!)
jj's bakery and old mill cafe, 52 wellington road (opens at 7 am, much better!)

a little further along the road in the town of perth is ut si cafe gallery, 86 main road, in an old church if we head up into the tamar valley, we'll find the tamar valley wholefoods & coffee shop, 110 weld st, in beaconsfield. maybe on the way back?

launceston, tamar valley (eating around recommends Daniel Alps at Strathlynn (Ninth Island Vineyard) Open Every Day 1200-1500 95 Rosevears Drive, Rosevears, 7277+61 3 6330 2388

bay of fires! the northern section of the bay lies within the mt william national park the much vaunted four day guided walk seems to take in national park and a tiny bit of private land, where the lodge is located. but the "walk" is essentially the day and a half it takes to get to the fancy lodge, and then having free time while staying at the lodge, so more a "two day walk" than four. less pricey is a 3 day walk offered by "life's an adventure" from an article about the bay of fires walk, 'Wombat poo is shaped like a cube," says Kate, our guide, holding the little square landmine in her palm. the southern section can be accessed from st helen by road, up to private land, "the gardens". locals/long time visitors/hikers say, The best part of the Bay of Fires is just north of Gardens Lagoon beach, about a 45 min walk from the car park at Gardens. You would have to carry in water for an overnight camp. The headlands between the little coves have nice spots for a camp. more info at free camp sites tasmania just south of the bay of fires is binalong bay a place to stay - binalong bay views - $150 per night, the house is free during may/june (according to the stayz calendar which isn't always accurate!) house website hobart hobart hobart hobart
hobart

hobart
hobart - what better place to stay in hobart but a 60s style motel,the best western blue hills motel, battery point?

96 sandy bay road, hobart / battery point

we're staying three nights, so we got "good deal"

we're

what will we do what will we do in hobart?

well, how about the main catalyst for deciding on tassie?! tthe thttttehethe Museum of Old and New Art mona is situated in the back 'burbs of hobart up the derwent river, so to help patrons get there, there is a dedicated mona ferry you can catch from brooke st pier, $15 return. clever! so you get to the museum and you get a lovely river cruise up the derwent! how charming. ads in the local paper for the mofo, short for MONA FOMA [Festival of Music & Art]. article in age/smh

the museum has been hewn from the sandstone cliffs;

julius popp's bit.fall art piece "cascad[es] metres down a cliff face" ..."with a waterfall of words in raindrops" (abc review)

the building is an art piece
click here for more hobart

freycinet peninsula/coles bay lots of walks in the national park, including the trek up to the hazards, and down to wineglass bay






• walking in the freycinet peninsula national park / wineglass bay



• the short walks website also describes coles bay to wineglass bay
parks & wildlife service - hazards, wineglass bay (yucky story, but wineglass bay gets its name from ..."Shore-based whaling [in the 1820s-40s] whenever the whalers were about their grisly business, the bay was dyed red with blood - like rich red wine in a glass")
just north of the national park is bicheno - with a beautiful beach (according to a local blogger - her pics seem to bear this out) accommodation bicheno hideaway, 179 Harveys Farm Road beautiful boathouse and chalets chalet 1 - specials for winter 3 nights, $300 yey!

north of Bicheno is the entrance to the Douglas-Apsley National Park, with its dry sclerophyll forest and riverside walking tracks, swimming holes, birdlife and Oyster Bay pines. Walks include the 20 minute return stroll to the Apsley Waterhole, the three hour Apsley Gorge circuit