Stanthorpe and Home

Our disappointment with the drive to Scone was soon forgotten when we hit the road north to Stanthorpe. Unsightly power lines and dull town strips gave way once more to rolling plains and golden poplars swaying in the breeze, an amber hued autumn sun streaming rays through defoliaged branches. The gorgeous light and high plains we sped through brought back memories of our last drive in New Zealand, which was a treat as I found photo opportunities over every crest. The great distance that had to be covered in a day restricted shutterbug stops unfortunately, but I tried to use every rest break to take a few snaps.



We knew that travelling on ANZAC day would limit our choices for lunch as most businesses would be closed. What we weren’t prepared for was how hard it would actually be to find any sort of food. Stopping about 150K out of Stanthorpe in Glen Innes, I had my first Australian random breath test and introduced Alison to her first meal at an RSL, one of the few places in town actually open. Dining next to servicemen was a nice feeling given the significance of the day.

Reaching Stanthorpe we could immediately tell that the area showed great promise. Fruit and related produce were evidently the city’s claim to fame, though we arrived a little too late in the day to actually check out any stores that may have been trading. Keen to explore as much of the area in our short time frame, we pulled into the local information centre and picked up a map and a handful of brochures. Geography was not quite as kind as the Hunter this time and we found that many interesting spots would be too far out of our way on our return journey. There would however be a market on the next day, which could give us a taste of things to come should we decide to return in the future.

After making a quick reservation at a nearby restaurant and dumping our bags at another motor inn, seemingly devoid of green hopping creatures this time, we decided to take a walk in the park. Alsie suggested that one might be able to punt on the creek running through town, though I’d imagine the foot bridges would prove to be an obstacle to any who actually tried. Shame as the park was utterly charming, scattered with couples holding hands and laughing children braving the water to rescue a soccer ball in distress. Alison found an empty swing that begged to be put to use and happily obliged.



The cold weather put us in the mood for some hearty pasta so we were thrilled to discover an Italian restaurant that was not only open, but put on an all-you-can-eat buffet on weekends. Anna’s turned out to be just the ticket for us as we were content with quantity, even if the quality was somewhat lower than expected. There were numerous awards on display at the entrance though a more astute diner would have noticed that the accolades were at least eight years old. The food was certainly edible and a large selection of sweets, especially the cannoli, were most welcome.

Our Market in the Mountains experience the next day turned out to be a little underwhelming. Not entirely sure what we expected to find there but there just seemed to be a lack of atmosphere among the stalls. We did walk away with two pots of agapanthus for our garden and yet more cannoli from a nice lady so I suppose it wasn’t a complete waste of time. With nothing left to keep us in Stanthorpe, we continued north with a quick stop over at Sutton’s cidery to pick up a bottle of cider and some apple juice.

Before long we were back in Oxley and unpacking a car full of holiday purchases. We’d have loved to continue life on the road indefinitely but our emaciated bank accounts and expanding waist lines meant that good times would have to come to an end for now. Besides, after a week on the road covering 2864.2 kilometres and $279 at the bowser, it’s good to be home. That said, it’s a good thing that we have tomorrow off to get used to the idea of returning to work. Kudos to Alsie for planning such a wonderful holiday.

Frog in a Bowl

Travelling further north on our return to Brisbane, we stopped in for a night in the Upper Hunter region at a motor inn in the little town of Scone. Getting to the Upper Hunter was a bit of a shock to the system as I was expecting this leg of our trip to be comparable to our stay in Pokolbin, at least in terms of scenery and quaint travel stops. It seems that the Upper Hunter bears little resemblance to its southerly neighbour, as the only sight that excited comment on the drive was the coal power station at Muswellbrook.

Scone itself was cute enough to explore on foot. Old heritage buildings from the early 1900s were scattered along the main drag and local business displayed a flair for clever puns and humour. I know I’d certainly be tempted to make use of a laundrette called “The Lost Sock”. The only disturbing pattern we observed on our short stroll was a curious passion for horses, clearly illustrated by the number of equestrian themed accommodation and the sole restaurant in town dubbed “Canter”.



What really stood out about our stay turned out to be an amphibious assault on our lavatory as we were leaving for dinner. A tree frog had obviously decided that our bog bowl would be a nice spot for a rest, and we were in firm disagreement. Being “city folk” we immediately asked our host for advice on the matter, to which he promptly laughed and suggested closing the lid and flushing. Apparently these visitors are fairly common events and contribute to country charm.



It took two flushes to repel our guest, and upon lifting the lid after the first attempt I was greeted to a look of thorough indignation from the mouth of the u-bend. Movement threatening to breach the water surface had an air of retaliatory response, so I swiftly shut the lid and unleashed another swirling deluge, which thankfully had the desired effect this time. Ah, these little country towns.

Hunter Valley

Leaving Canberra, we set out to make our way north of Sydney to a small town of Nelson Bay for a quiet night by the lake and sea. The drive turned out to be a little longer than expected due to a nasty accident on the F3 highway and inclement weather. Our mood in the car reflected the cloudy skies but a late lunch of fish and chips by Lake Macquarie in Belmont cheered us up enough to get to our final destination.



Our stay at the headland was short but we still managed to check out some of the local lookouts and sample some fresh seafood at the marina. Weather the following day cleared up just in time for us to enter the southern region of the Hunter Valley. Rows upon rows of grape vines stretching to the horizon and waves of passing road signs, each promising delectable restaurants or cellar doors at the end of the drive way. Not wanting to waste a moment, we pulled into the first brewery we found at the Hunter Beer Company. Hoping to experience a full spectrum of local brews we ordered a tasting plate with four beers to accompany our pub lunch meal. The kolsch on the left was our favourite, but the wheat beer, bock and ginger beer were pretty nice too.



We were booked into Patrick Plains Estate for two nights, a little slice of opulence that started with complimentary canapes and wine from the vine yard our balcony overlooked. A nice fruity red but we were honestly too busy raving about the labna covered in chilli grape sauce to pay much attention to the wine we gulped down.



Of course, this was just the tip of the gorging to come. Dinner on our first night was just down the road at The Mill. A charming little place where I uncharacteristically failed to finish my meal, a succulent mountain of lamb shanks over a bed of apple cous cous and topped with tzatziki and papadoms crisps. Quite an amalgamation of cultural cuisine but it worked well in concert. The extra side order of chat potatoes roasted in duck lard might have pushed my appetite over the edge.

Second day in the Hunter and we trekked across the area, aggressively collecting bits and pieces for a memorable picnic. A wheel of smear ripened and a wedge of blue cheese from the Hunter Valley Cheese Company. Some smoked Italian sausages from the Lovedale smoke house to go with Italian ciabata baked in Morpeth. For some extra sides we also picked up a handful of white anchovies and balsamic pickled onions from the Smelly Cheese Shop. For a little dessert we swung by the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company for fudge, chocolate morsels and a glistening bar of macadamia crunch. All consumed with great gusto at the park beside Hunter Valley Gardens. I’m sure that smear ripened cheese isn’t doing my arteries any favours, but crikey that’s good stuff.



Dinner was a little extravagant, but Alison and I reserved a table at The Rock for a night of gratifying gastronomorgy. I’ll refrain from listing the entire menu, saliva inducing as it may be, but you can imagine that with “Veal tenderloin with herb crouton, white anchovy, red pepper, lemon and caper butter” as an appetiser followed by “Grilled Wagyu rump with stuffed confit tomato, straw potatoes and light foie gras sauce” my taste buds were singing for the rest of the evening.

We felt that a wine tour was absolutely mandatory on our last day in the area so we signed up for one at McGuigan’s winery to be educated. I know next to nothing about wine so all the factoids were pretty interesting. Who would have thought that so much effort and cost would go into actually making, storing and bottling the stuff. $1500 for a wine barrel that needs to be replaced every five years? What I really wasn’t prepared for though was how much I enjoyed the wine tasting afterwards. We didn’t actually buy any bottles of grog but I do know that I really enjoyed a drop of oak chardonnay. I might turn into a wino yet.



Of course we couldn’t leave wine country without buying at least some booze. I’ve now acquired an appreciation for Blue Tongue ginger beer, alcoholic mind you, so we loaded up a slab in the car along with a champagne bottle of Hunter Beer Co. kolsch. All good things come to an end unfortunately so we now make our way to Scone for a short stop over, before continuing to Stanthorpe and then good old Brissie. Now that we know how good the food is here we’ll be sure to come back. It’s like an amusement park wonderland of food and drink and just our sort of place.

Canberra

Driving so far has gone well. No contact with hopping marsupials thankfully, and while the days have been long we've made good time with lots of road covered. I should have checked the odometer, but I believe we've travelled about 1200K and now can enjoy the kind hospitality of Meg and Rich in our nation's capital.

Pulled into Canberra at about noon yesterday and found our host's new house with ease thanks to the GPS. Not that it would have probably been too difficult to figure out given the disturbingly ordered layout of this city. Shame a large majority of the drivers here fail to reflect the calm precision of their roads as it seems like everyone's in a rush to get somewhere important, with little thought given to commuter courtesy.

Meg and Rich's house is absolutely charming, surrounded by a meticulously nurtured garden (which has inspired Alison and I to treat our yard with more respect) and crowned by a distinguished second level rumpus room that boasts a superb view of the surrounding country side. I have to say, the drive in surprised me a little as I hadn't pictured Canberra to be quite so pretty. The city itself seems sufficiently equipped to deal with basic commercial and culinary needs, and while it's not a sprawling metropolis the omnipresent view of Parliament House casting its shadow across rows of government buildings to the war memorial certainly impresses the visitor a sense of importance. The surrounding area folds into rolling hills, now washed in fiery autumn colours that just beg to be enjoyed from the convenient mountain lookouts. The first we checked out was Mt Stromlo, which is also home to the newly rebuilt observatory.



After appreciating the view and a watching a resident troupe of mountain bikers speed down the mountainside, we were quickly whisked into the city proper for an informative tour of Canberra's major landmarks. Exploration on foot would have to wait till the next day but we got a pretty good idea of the spots to investigate further. The next stop was then to the trendy suburb of Kingston where we got a chance to browse the wares of the Sunday markets. Als and I ended up passing on trinkets to focus (unsurprisingly) on the food available. It turned out to be a late lunch but we eventually sampled some Ethiopian cuisine in the form of spicy beef with peanuts, coconut chicken and a side serving of kita bread. Not too shabby, and it went down quite nicely with some baklava and a warm apple cider chaser

We were in a bit of a treat with dinner as Meg and Rich booked a table at Portia's Place, an unassuming chinese restaurant in Kingston where one can often catch a glimpse of the power brokers of Australian politics. No famous faces on the night we were there, but the food was warming and tasty. Stand out dish was a lamb hot pot that was slow cooked with a healthy douse of shiraz, though the other two choices of braised eggplant and fried flounder were most definitely delicious.



Our second day in Canberra was focussed on dealing with the Malayisan High Commission to get my new passport and some sightseeing. Yarralumla is the Canberran suburb that contains all the foreign embassies and we had a great time driving past each building, trying to guess the represented country. I'd have taken some photos but the patrolling Australian Federal Police cars suggested that this wasn't the best place to dally around looking suspicious. Getting my new documents was a bit of an anticlimax as I'd suited up for a big fight with the pencil pushers to go a couple of rounds over my name and identification. Guess I shouldn't complain about nonchalance passed for efficiency.

The rest of the day was spent seeing the old and new parliament house and what we could fit in of the war memorial. It was great to compare the old and the new buildings for parliament. The old building, which is now a museum, was particularly fascinating when you consider how many people worked there in such a small place. The "new" building (built in 1988 I believe) was very impressive architecturally, though the senate and house of representatives weren't sitting on that day so I didn't get a chance to witness democracy in action. It was a blustery day but we went up to the roof and got another great view of the city.



Evening came and we had a nice evening of fun and games with Meg and Rich, starting with some carpet bowls (a recent purchase Rich made at the markets the day before) and concluding with an energetic session of Pop n' Music. I'd never played the game with a real controller before so I was pretty excited. I think I'd still pick Beatmania IIDX over this if I had to choose from the Bemani series, but in truth Harmonix have just raced ahead in the music game genre with the Rock Band and previously Guitar Hero series that it's going to take quite a bit of thinking for Konami to make a come back in the genre they created. Clearly evident by their recent effort with Rock Revolution.



Canberra's a great city and we look forward to coming back again. Of course our experience was coloured by our great hosts so thanks guys!

Project ends, holiday starts

Work has been crazy busy over the past few weeks. While the recent Easter weekend provided some respite, most days lately have been long and tiring. Of course this flurry of activity was all in the lead up to this very day, which marks the end of my first project at Flight Centre and the sad departure of two of my team members, Martin and Damian. The impact of the Global Financial Crisis (tm) has not been kind to many projects and people at our company, resulting in numerous redundancies and delays to project schedules. I'm at least in the fortunate position of retaining my employment status thankfully, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed by the truncation of my project scope.

On the bright side I think we've accomplished an astonishing amount in very little time. It certainly pays to work with great people that are committed to the cause and it's a crying shame to lose two of them under such unsavoury circumstances. I've obviously had to part ways with colleagues before but bidding farewell to good people that have slogged their guts out for you has been particularly difficult. It's all a learning experience I suppose, and at least I have one more feather in my novice manager cap.

What issues we may have with the latest build and solemn good byes aside, this day also marks the beginning of what I'd like to think is a well deserved holiday. Alison and I are slouching around in Toowoomba at the moment where we intend to kick off a week long driving holiday. The main impetus for this trip is to renew my passport in Canberra, which unfortunately is the only place aside from Perth where one of Malaysian nationality may acquire new documents. Tomorrow will see us driving a little over eight hours down to Dubbo, followed by another six hours the next day to reach the ACT. Assuming all goes well with the bureaucracy at the Malaysian High Commission, we should then continue on to a comfortable stay in the Hunter Valley before returning to Brisbane.

Let's hope our car fares a little better compared to our last driving holiday...