Honkers, Tastastic Oz & Weddings Galore!
Our 2 night stopover in Hong Kong on the way to Sydney was just superb.. enough time to shake off the half-way across the world jet-lag and see the best of what the city had to offer.. highlights were the contrast of bright neon lights and high tech shops and the frail looking bamboo scaffolding (tied together with packaging ribbon) all the way up the 20+ storey
buildings!!.. the markets, and the markets, and the markets... oh and the great food!!.. it's such a crazy place..
Sculpture on Nathan Rd
We got into Sydney (after an overnight 11 hr flight) to be greeted by Blake's brother, then first stop was Blake's house, then Oporto, then to Dawn Fraser Pool to cool off from the heat, then to have dinner with his mum, then out to catch up with our mates at the pub.. i dont' know how i stayed up that long, but the excitement of being back kept me going i think..
Two nights later we were packing again and flew off to Launceston with Lisa for Jo's Hen's night.. via the Boag's brewery tour, a rasberry farm, a cheese factory, and a chocolate factory.. the hen's night was heaps of laughs, and so much fun to be hanging out with the girls again.. the next day we toured the north west coast of tassie via another cheese factory, we went to "The Nut" (a nut shaped penninsular) and Stanley for a picnic on the beach (lots of cheese involved).. then took off to check out Dismal Swamp.. a newly opened eco-attraction which has a 110metre slide down into a swamp with a maze of boardwalks and some interesting installation art!.. the slide was hilarious!.. and a bit quick and scary too!.
Blake @ the Boag's Brewery
The 110m Slide @ Dismal Swamp
Jo and Paul's wedding the next day was beautiful.. and yes i cried.. the lunch reception was lovlely and included everything it should've, eating, drinking, dancing and merriment.. it was all over too quickly though and the happy couple cruised off to their wedding night nest..
so the intrepid Innisfail girls and partners grabbed a carton of beer and headed down to the beach in Burnie and had a bit of a beach party until the sun set (in full formal wedding attire)!!..
My Advertising feature for St George beer..
The next day after a lunch catch up with the happy couple at their house (and some damn good backyard cricket in the scorching sun) lisa, rob, blake and i set off for cradle mountain, where we went for a amazingly beautiful walk around Dove Lake as the sun set, we spotted a wombat and a Wallaby on the way, then to the Cradle mountain lodge for dinner where we were lucky enough to see a Tasmanian Devil lurking around in the bushes!!..
Cradle Mountain
Then onto Hobart where we struck a bargain.. $60 each for a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment at the Salamanca Inn (I definately recommend it!).. The master bedroom was about the size of my first flat in London!.. the apartment had a HUGE kitchen, lounge, dining and a lovley balcony where we downed some beers and fresh seafood as the sun set.. about 2mins walk away was the salamanca strip of cafe's and bars (and the markets on a saturday)..
Next day was the Cadbury factory tour!!.. yum!!.. chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! then onto have a look at the Cascade brewery and to the best surf n turf I've ever had at the Cascade Hotel.. yum!.. Then a scenic ferry tour around the Harbour with some afternoon tea, then to laze in the sun by a whisky bar/distillery drinking a beer and playing car cricket until it was time to catch our flight back to Sydney..
Overall, Tasmania is just indulgence!!.. so much good cheese, beer, rasberries, seafood, chocolate and so little people to consume it!.. I'm glad we did this state a service by helping them out!!.. he he he..
A few more catch up's in Sydney and we decided to make everyone come see us and also revisit the Balmain pubs that Blake grew up in and i grew to love with a Balmain pub crawl on the Thursday before easter.. Paige flew in that morning, then after lunch at the Lord Nelson, some quick shopping then we made it to The Commercial, The London, The Royal Oak, The Unity (with some hilarious karaoke action upstairs at The Attic - Blake and Chris did a wonderful rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart), Dicks, Town Hall, The Cat & Fiddle (where we were reunited with some old workmates), The Red Lion, The Bridge and the dodgy kebab shop!.. A fantastic night catching up with everyone!
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Good friday, Paige, Gaby, Daniel (Shaggy), Blake and I set off to Blake's holiday house on the Colo River.. a lovely house with a big deck in the middle of the bush next to the river with a sandy beach, loads of bell-birds, a goanna, and an outdoor wood-fire bbq... ah the serenity!
Pete came up that night and after a few rounds of four kings everyone was pretty jolly.. i recall an incident involving Gaby, a 1.5m drop and the bonnet of a car that left her with some pains in the morning.. and i haven't even included the funny bit (what she was doing when she fell).. you'll have to ask her about that!...
The next few days were a slow blur of eating, relaxing in the sun, swimming and playing beach games.. oh and perhaps a bit of drinking.. on sunday two car loads of blake's soccer mates turned up, so there was all those activites x12.. much fun, and we didn't want to leave on easter monday to return to the city, but alas some of us had to work (not me!)
That week, my dad, mum, and sis arrived to help prepare for my bro's wedding.. was great to catch up with them.. the wedding was magnificent, really relaxed garden wedding and reception/party around the pool into the wee hours.. can't beleive my brother is finally married.. not that it really changes anything, him and janina have been together for about 9 years!!..
as quickly as they came, my family left again.. short but sweet, but good..
the remaining time in sydney was full of more catch ups ending in a party for Pete (who's moving to melbourne shortly) on friday night and a party for Macca and Shaggy's housewarming, Chris's birthday, and blake and my farewell on saturday night.. a roast with blake's mum and bro last, and the final farewells to our mates..
buildings!!.. the markets, and the markets, and the markets... oh and the great food!!.. it's such a crazy place..
Sculpture on Nathan Rd
We got into Sydney (after an overnight 11 hr flight) to be greeted by Blake's brother, then first stop was Blake's house, then Oporto, then to Dawn Fraser Pool to cool off from the heat, then to have dinner with his mum, then out to catch up with our mates at the pub.. i dont' know how i stayed up that long, but the excitement of being back kept me going i think..
Two nights later we were packing again and flew off to Launceston with Lisa for Jo's Hen's night.. via the Boag's brewery tour, a rasberry farm, a cheese factory, and a chocolate factory.. the hen's night was heaps of laughs, and so much fun to be hanging out with the girls again.. the next day we toured the north west coast of tassie via another cheese factory, we went to "The Nut" (a nut shaped penninsular) and Stanley for a picnic on the beach (lots of cheese involved).. then took off to check out Dismal Swamp.. a newly opened eco-attraction which has a 110metre slide down into a swamp with a maze of boardwalks and some interesting installation art!.. the slide was hilarious!.. and a bit quick and scary too!.
Blake @ the Boag's Brewery
The 110m Slide @ Dismal Swamp
Jo and Paul's wedding the next day was beautiful.. and yes i cried.. the lunch reception was lovlely and included everything it should've, eating, drinking, dancing and merriment.. it was all over too quickly though and the happy couple cruised off to their wedding night nest..
so the intrepid Innisfail girls and partners grabbed a carton of beer and headed down to the beach in Burnie and had a bit of a beach party until the sun set (in full formal wedding attire)!!..
My Advertising feature for St George beer..
The next day after a lunch catch up with the happy couple at their house (and some damn good backyard cricket in the scorching sun) lisa, rob, blake and i set off for cradle mountain, where we went for a amazingly beautiful walk around Dove Lake as the sun set, we spotted a wombat and a Wallaby on the way, then to the Cradle mountain lodge for dinner where we were lucky enough to see a Tasmanian Devil lurking around in the bushes!!..
Cradle Mountain
Then onto Hobart where we struck a bargain.. $60 each for a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment at the Salamanca Inn (I definately recommend it!).. The master bedroom was about the size of my first flat in London!.. the apartment had a HUGE kitchen, lounge, dining and a lovley balcony where we downed some beers and fresh seafood as the sun set.. about 2mins walk away was the salamanca strip of cafe's and bars (and the markets on a saturday)..
Next day was the Cadbury factory tour!!.. yum!!.. chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! then onto have a look at the Cascade brewery and to the best surf n turf I've ever had at the Cascade Hotel.. yum!.. Then a scenic ferry tour around the Harbour with some afternoon tea, then to laze in the sun by a whisky bar/distillery drinking a beer and playing car cricket until it was time to catch our flight back to Sydney..
Overall, Tasmania is just indulgence!!.. so much good cheese, beer, rasberries, seafood, chocolate and so little people to consume it!.. I'm glad we did this state a service by helping them out!!.. he he he..
A few more catch up's in Sydney and we decided to make everyone come see us and also revisit the Balmain pubs that Blake grew up in and i grew to love with a Balmain pub crawl on the Thursday before easter.. Paige flew in that morning, then after lunch at the Lord Nelson, some quick shopping then we made it to The Commercial, The London, The Royal Oak, The Unity (with some hilarious karaoke action upstairs at The Attic - Blake and Chris did a wonderful rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart), Dicks, Town Hall, The Cat & Fiddle (where we were reunited with some old workmates), The Red Lion, The Bridge and the dodgy kebab shop!.. A fantastic night catching up with everyone!
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Good friday, Paige, Gaby, Daniel (Shaggy), Blake and I set off to Blake's holiday house on the Colo River.. a lovely house with a big deck in the middle of the bush next to the river with a sandy beach, loads of bell-birds, a goanna, and an outdoor wood-fire bbq... ah the serenity!
Pete came up that night and after a few rounds of four kings everyone was pretty jolly.. i recall an incident involving Gaby, a 1.5m drop and the bonnet of a car that left her with some pains in the morning.. and i haven't even included the funny bit (what she was doing when she fell).. you'll have to ask her about that!...
The next few days were a slow blur of eating, relaxing in the sun, swimming and playing beach games.. oh and perhaps a bit of drinking.. on sunday two car loads of blake's soccer mates turned up, so there was all those activites x12.. much fun, and we didn't want to leave on easter monday to return to the city, but alas some of us had to work (not me!)
That week, my dad, mum, and sis arrived to help prepare for my bro's wedding.. was great to catch up with them.. the wedding was magnificent, really relaxed garden wedding and reception/party around the pool into the wee hours.. can't beleive my brother is finally married.. not that it really changes anything, him and janina have been together for about 9 years!!..
as quickly as they came, my family left again.. short but sweet, but good..
the remaining time in sydney was full of more catch ups ending in a party for Pete (who's moving to melbourne shortly) on friday night and a party for Macca and Shaggy's housewarming, Chris's birthday, and blake and my farewell on saturday night.. a roast with blake's mum and bro last, and the final farewells to our mates..
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