BRUNY ISLAND – BEACHES, WILDLIFE, SCENERY AND THE SOUTHERN OCEAN

On May 17, 2015 By alisonferryIn History, TravelLeave a comment

The moment we drove off the vehicular ferry onto Bruny Island, we felt we had stepped back in time. This is a stunning island and what is more surprising is that it is the size of Singapore in area which has a population of 6 million or so and yet on Bruny there are only 650 permanent residents.

The road to Adventure Bay, where we had booked a house for a couple of days, is well sealed and the drive takes about 40 minutes. Along the way found boutique produce such as cheese, wine, chocolates, fudge, salmon and a berry farm which was, sadly, closed as it was out of season. Undeterred we made our first stop at the oyster farm – this is pure heaven for oyster lovers. Workers were busy shucking as we got there, visitors were guzzling them down with buckets of wine and there were lots of sauces and accompaniments to tempt every palate.

Next stop was the Cheese Factory – where tastings were offered and the smell of wood fired sourdough bread was inviting.

On a little further and we found the chocolate and fudge shop – there the chocolate coated coffee beans won out but the choice was endless.

The scenery along the road is breathtaking and it is rare to pass another vehicle. Adventure Bay is towards the southern end of the island and we had to pass along a narrow isthmus which, apparently in days gone by, the local aboriginal tribes crossed regularly hunting for wallabies, fish and penguins. Now there is a well constructed walkway to the top of the hill affording magnificent views but also providing safe passage as this is also a penguin rookery.

It’s a long climb – but worth it once at the top!

I was very moved by the tale of an Aboriginal woman called Truganini. A plaque at the top of the hill commemorates her life which was forever changed by the white invasion. Her tribal connection went back 30,000 years and yet the arrival of white man brought violence and brutality. At the age of 17 Truganini witnessed the stabbing murder of her mother by men from a whaling ship, Sealers captured her two sisters, Timber getters killed the man she was to marry and she was repeatedly raped by the men, her brother was killed and her step-mother kidnapped by escaped convicts. Not surprisingly her father was devastated and died within months.

Following the loss of her entire family, Truganini worked as a guide and interpreter for George Robinson who had been appointed by the colonial government to persuade the Aborigines to peacefully give up their land. Promises were broken, people were exiled and many died of disease of despair. Eventually, Truganini spent many years at a settlement on Flinders Island before dying at the age of 64 in Hobart.

It is hard to imagine those dreadful days when today there is peace and serenity everywhere.

We arrived at the tiny settlement of Adventure Bay and found our house not far from the beach, up on the hill in a quiet little community. Wallabies greeted us at the top of the drive and then scurried into the bush.

The house is cosy and it wasn’t long before we had a log fire burning and a spread of delicacies picked up from the Deli in Hobart and local stores along the way, all washed down with fine Tasmanian wine. A perfect start to our little stay on Bruny Island.

A TROPICAL EASTER

On April 11, 2015April 11, 2015 By alisonferryIn TravelLeave a comment

We spent the few days of the Easter break over on Magnetic island this year. It has become a tradition for Townsville locals to flock to the island for the Easter school holidays and the place was buzzing. It was a very social weekend and wonderful to see friends and families all come together in a community spirit.

In the early mornings we like to walk to a beach at Arcadia called Alma Bay. Often we are the only ones there and whilst one swims, the other does yoga – what a great start to the day.

Walks and wildlife are part of Magnetic island culture and during the cooler months we enjoy the interaction with nature. This weekend was no different, although the weather is still hot and muggy. Tourists and children love to go to the rocks at Arcadia and look for the little rock wallabies – some of which are bold enough to approach if you have fruit, vegetables or the wallaby pellets you can purchase in the local store. Jacqui had an assignment to photograph these cute creatures and so, armed with cameras and wallaby pellets we set off to see what we could find.

They didn’t disappoint and even managed to pose for us before scampering away.

The children came over for a day and instead of giving them lots of chocolate eggs, I decided to present them with craft and a soft bunny along with some baby eggs. This was a great hit, although they did hide themselves in a cupboard to devour all the eggs before they were caught out!

Easter is all about chocolate – and lots of it! We pretended not to notice the eggs had gone! Later I was asked to bring a dessert to a luncheon we were invited to on Easter Saturday and not being known for my creative abilities in the sweet department, I was somewhat dismayed. However, after a little research and a lot of positive thought, I managed to created this delicious Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

It turned out exactly as the picture, was easy and fun to do. I was also complimented many times but the thanks have to go to the Philadelphia Cream Cheese website for the inspiration. Go to: http://www.philly.com.au

Finally the few days came to an end and it was time to go home – but not before another lovely sunset from the deck with wine and nibbles!

AUCKLAND, WAIHEKE ISLAND AND ON TO THE BAY OF ISLANDS

On March 11, 2015March 11, 2015 By alisonferryIn TravelLeave a comment

We left Christchurch on a beautiful sunny day and flew to Auckland where we picked up a car for our little exploration of the North island and in particular of the Bay of Islands.

Our hotel in Auckland was in the city and a short walk to the Viaduct Basin where the Marina is located along with lots of shops, restaurants and a couple of maritime museums. We weren’t totally up to date with what was happening in the city and were excited to find all the yachts competing in the current Round the World Yacht Race had arrived in Auckland at the weekend. There were displays and film shows, information kiosks and sponsor marquees all over the area and we had a wonderful time wandering around and discovering much more about the Race and the people who compete. As well as that we managed to find a restaurant serving New Zealand Mussels in large bowls with the requisite fries and a chilled glass of wine so we were very content!

We decided to spend a day on Waiheke Island which is a short ferry ride from Auckland and is, in fact, a suburb of the city with a population of 10,000 of which 2000 commute to work daily. For us it was interesting as Magnetic island is much the same in that there is a resident population and people commute. There the similarity ends. Waiheke is much larger with several communities and a number of vineyards as well as accommodation ranging from backpacker to luxury spa hotels.

There are lots of lovely beaches and the main settlement of Oneroa has a number of restaurants and gift shops which we browsed through. We struck gold with our choice of restaurant for lunch, The Oyster Inn, situated in the main street is relatively new and has a wonderfully innovative menu with a range of seafood choices. It is very popular for dinner and their marketing slogan is “Come for Dinner and Stay for Breakfast!” as they offer three rooms on site.

Next day it was time to head north. We chose the coastal route through Whangarei and Oakura Bay to Russell which took much longer than driving to Opua where there is a car ferry across the bay to Russell. It was a long and winding road but we were in no hurry and enjoyed the magnificent countryside and forests.

Yachts in the harbour at Whangarei – it was crowded with boats from all over the world.

Beautiful beaches along the windswept coast but a bit too cool for us to dip into!

We finally reached Russell which took our breath away – a really beautiful little town with hillside houses and lots of restaurants along the foreshore. We had booked into a B&B, Bellrock Lodge, and what a beautiful place to stay. Again we struck gold!

The view from our room. It was peaceful and certainly invigorated the soul.

Everything Australian on Australia Day

On January 28, 2015January 28, 2015 By alisonferryIn Uncategorized4 Comments

Last weekend the whole country had a long weekend. Monday 26th January was Australia Day and that gave the population a signal to “celebrate” . There were sporting events and barbecues, welcoming and remembrance ceremonies, favourite Aussie icons and moments were recalled and music by Australian bands and singers was played throughout the day.

I have now come to look forward to this special day. We were on Magnetic island and invited to a BBQ lunch. Guests were obliged to wear something iconic such as thongs, board shorts, T shirts, Jacky Howe singlets, caps, hats, anything with a flag on it – and one guest even came in a bikini made from flag material!

Of course there were decorations everywhere including on the tables, where the good old crocodile provided a centrepiece accompanied by a snake!

Food plays an important part of the day and typical Aussie fare, such as pies, sausage rolls, cheese and vegemite rolls, prawns and barbecues with lamb, steak and/or sausages are on every menu. This is usually followed by desserts which include lamingtons, cup cakes, pavlovas and tropical fruit and trifles.

Having been well fed, we then launched into a Trivia Quiz game where all the questions were, of course, Australian. This stretched the mind a little with questions such as “Which former Prime Minister once managed a band called “The Ramrods”? How on earth was I was expected to know that? The answer – Paul Keating. For anyone interested in politics, this would be the most unlikely person to ever be involved in rock music. So, you live and learn!

Everyone knows Kylie Minogue but apart from her popularity in the music world, it was her Hotpants that brought such an impact to Australian culture. Favourite icons are Holden cars, Speedo swimsuits, Four XXXX Beer, Vegemite, Elle Macpherson and Miranda Kerr, Waltzing Matilda, Surfing, the Akubra Hat, Qantas, the Koala and the Kangaroo. The list goes on and on.

However, what puzzled me when I first arrived in this country was the language. I spent some time in the early years travelling through and living in the Outback. This would be the most difficult place to start to comprehend the locals. I remember one day driving along a bush road and stopping to talk to a Drover who was sitting on the biggest horse I had ever seen. He asked me a question and I had to turn to my companion and ask what language he was speaking. I did not understand one word. He then told me he was once “so hungry he could eat the arse out of a low flying duck”. I was totally perplexed. He then said he had to “hit the Frog and Toad” (road) and galloped off.

Gradually I began to learn many Aussie sayings: words such as “Joe Blake” for snake, “noah” for sharks, “lizards” for crocodiles and “Japanese riding boots” for thongs are casually mentioned in conversations on a daily basis. I even find myself calling a chicken “a chook” these days.

Rhyming slang is another Aussie favourite. Phrases such as “Pass me the dead horse” (Pass the sauce) or “I’ll go and have a Captain Cook” (I’ll go and have a look) “Give me the Jack and Jill” (Give me the bill) and “on the Al Capone” (on the phone) are often heard in the bush.

It doesn’t take long, eventually you become absorbed in this totally fascinating country and its culture. Then you can call yourself “An Australian’

Hooroo!