Category: Australia

AustraliaSydneySydney BarsSydney PubsThe Rocks SydneyThe SGTravel Wine FoodWalking TourWine Tour

Secret Sydney Bars Walking Tour Guide #1

A guide to finding over 27 interesting, unique and hidden bars in Sydney City, from The Rocks to the City Centre (City Bars Walking Tours) Do you love craft beer, wine, whiskey, sake and other alcoholic drinks? Do you love exploring different bars? Are you always trying to find a new bar to experience? Sydney features a lot of hidden bars in many strange and wonderful places – in forgotten laneways, at the back of basement shop hallways and down fire escapes. Even locals don’t know where many of them are. This guide will show you where to find some…

AustraliaMelbournePuffing Billy RailwaySteam TrainsSteam Trains Australia

Puffing Billy Railway Tickets PuffingBilly Puffy Thomas Steam Train Melbourne Belgrave

Puffing Billy Railway Tickets PuffingBilly Puffy Thomas Steam Train Melbourne Belgrave The Puffing Billy Railway is a fun tourist attraction between Belgrave and Gembrook in the Dandenong Ranges. Contrary to belief there is not actually an individual locomotive called Puffing Billy. Rather, there are about 12 steam trains at the site, and you may see a few of them on the day of your visit. Sometimes Thomas the Tank Engine makes an appearance too! The entire site is run by volunteers of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society, so please be kind and understanding with them as they’re all working for…

AustraliaMelbournePhillip Island Penguin ParadeSt Kilda Penguins

On a Budget? Don’t Buy Phillip Island Penguin Parade Tickets Until You’ve Read This!

On a Budget? Don’t Buy Phillip Island Penguin Parade Tickets Until You’ve Read This! Phillip Island Penguin Parade Tickets can be expensive for students, backpackers and those travelers on a budget. In this article I reveal where you can see little penguins, otherwise known as blue penguins or fairy penguins, without needing to go to the Phillip Island Wildlife Nature Park. Of course, if you’re looking for a march of the penguins style trip, then Phillip Island is still highly recommended. Where Can Little Penguins be found in Melbourne? Little penguins can be found at various places along the southern…

AustraliaWine ReviewWine Tasting

Galafrey Wines Dry Grown Shiraz Vintage 2009 Video Wine Tasting Commentary Review #80

Galafrey Wines Dry Grown Shiraz Vintage 2009 Video Wine Tasting Commentary Review #80 Have you heard of a TV series called Doctor Who? In homage to this show, Ian Tyrer set up Galafrey Wines in the 70s. Galafrey (similar sounding to the home planet of the main character of the TV series Gallifrey) even had an entrance in the 90s painted TARDIS blue. Unfortunately, Ian passed on in 2003, but his legacy lives on, maintained by his family in Mount Barker, Western Australia. You can find out more at their website: Galafrey Wines I first heard about the winery in…

AustraliaFireworksMelbourneMelbourne Fireworks

Melbourne Fireworks 2017 From Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne Victoria Australia Video Happy New Year 2017

Melbourne Fireworks 2017 Happy New Year From Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne Victoria Australia Melbourne Fireworks 2017 was a breath of fresh air! The whole world has finally made it through the hellish 2016 (hottest year on record and a massive amount of celebrities, relatives and friends passing) and out the other end into the bright and shiny new 2017, full of promise. My new year’s resolution is to write more and live more in the now and to stop thinking about the past. Set some long term goals, divide them into incremental, daily steps and focus on things hour to hour.…

AustraliaCafeCafes in MelbourneCoffeeMelbourneMelbourne CafesQuiet CafesQuiet Cafes Melbourne CBD

Quiet Cafes in Melbourne CBD. Where are they?

Quiet Cafes in Melbourne CBD. Where are they? Quiet cafes in Melbourne CBD are difficult to find. The main problem I have with many cafes in Melbourne is the propensity to play loud music like nightclubs. I want to have a coffee and write a story. I need silence, or at the very least low ambient music without human singing. Humans are programmed to always be distracted by a human voice, and decades of struggling against this conditioning has had me simply giving up and spending countless weeks searching for cafes that don’t have music. Quiet Cafes for Writing What…

AustraliaOther ReviewsPokémon GamesPokémon GoPokemon Go PicturesPokemon Go Sydney

Pokemon Go Sydney. A Look At Some Images Around Sydney, Australia With Pokémon!

Pokemon Go Sydney Well, with worldwide interest in Pokemon Go quickly waning, (actual peak interest was in late July) it’s time to take a final look at this gaming craze that had many generations interested, and increased activity in young gamers for the first time, with a focus on Pokemon Go Sydney players. I haven’t enjoyed a game this so much since Pacman, which was probably how long ago I was actually interested in playing a digital game. I grew up with friend’s handheld Octopus, Donkey Kong and Oil Panic Nintendo games before playing the 20c slot games like Pacman…

AustraliaCafeCafes in MelbourneManchester Press Cafe MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne Cafes

Manchester Press Cafe Melbourne. MP Review on WeekendNotes

Manchester Press Cafe Melbourne One of the things I love about Melbourne is the absolutely huge amount of coffee shops. There are literally blocks of coffee shops, all offering something a bit different, and all able to survive in the industry as everyone loves trying a new cafe every now and then. Manchester Press Cafe Melbourne is hidden away in a side alley but usually has a queue and so has generated quite a buzz in Melbourne for its coffee and vegetarian food. I wrote a short article for WeekendNotes about it recently. You can read more here: Manchester Press…

AustraliaIzakayaIzakaya MasuyaJapanese Restaurant SydneyJapanese RestaurantsJapanese Rice WineJapanese SeafoodRestaurants SydneyRice WineSakeSake Tastingsashimisushisushi restaurantSydney Restaurants

Izakaya Masuya. Japanese Seafood Restaurant Sydney.

Izakaya Masuya Masuya International’s Izakaya Masuya is a surprising Japanese restaurant in the heart of Sydney city on O’Connell Street. Serving a variety of dishes and drinks not available anywhere else, including a sake tasting set of five, this is a must visit for anyone looking to do something a bit different with this kind of cuisine. We went there early during the week and found it to be quite busy. Bookings are essential and, as we didn’t have one, we were put on a large table with about six other diners. If you prefer some privacy, I recommend you book…

AustraliaCrab House and Craft Beer Barcrab restaurantO Crab

O Crab Sydney Crab Restaurant Crab House and Craft Beer Bar

O Crab Sydney Crab Restaurant Crab House and Craft Beer Bar I was absolutely amazed by the service at O Crab in Chatswood, Sydney, a fantastic crab restaurant. We went there to enjoy a pot of crabs, prawns, vegetables and seafood chowder, along with some delicious craft beer, and we weren’t disappointed. Crab Restaurant Tools! What really impressed me about this crab restaurant was what they gave us to eat it with. In tourist places like Darling Harbour or Cockle Bay Wharf, when a pile of seafood is served, you’re usually just given a lemon water bowl to rinse your…

AustraliaCafeCafe SydneyCafes in SydneyCoffeeValentine Cafe

Valentine Cafe Glenwood Sydney Gluten-Free Dairy-Free

Valentine Cafe Glenwood Sydney Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Sometimes there are hidden gems in the outer suburbs too. One of those hidden gems is known as Valentine Cafe and it is hidden away at the edge of a sports centre in a suburb an hour from Sydney City known as Glenwood. I found Valentine Cafe quite by surprise while on the hunt for food. I’m not good with motion sickness though I’ve found that a full stomach and looking ahead are the best solutions for my body type and, after visiting a friend in Glenwood, was eager to find a food place…

AustraliaCraft BeerThe Three ChimneysWollongong

The Three Chimneys Craft Beer Wollongong

The Three Chimneys in Wollongong It was a little difficult for us to find The Three Chimneys. One of the things about Wollongong that is slightly disturbing is that many of the streets don’t have signs. It’s really not designed for tourists. Either we need a mobile GPS indicator showing us exactly where we are, or we need to continually ask directions. So, finding our way from Five Barrels Brewing to The Three Chimneys was a bit nerve wracking in the dark on a rainy night with slippery footpaths. Still, Google Maps didn’t let us down and we made it…

AustraliaManly SydneySydney EventsTaste of ManlyWine EventWine FestivalWine Tasting

Taste of Manly Food Wine and Sustainability Festival Sydney With Music And More

Taste of Manly Food, Wine and Sustainability Festival We decided to check out the much cheaper option of the Taste of Manly, the Food, Wine and Sustainability Festival in Manly, Sydney. Just $10 per person for a plastic wine cup and $5 per cup of wine. We could remain within our budgets and still have a great time. The Taste of Manly Festival was a fun, well-organised event with lots of happy, well-behaved people, sampling some amazing wines. We had the opportunity to sample a 2007 Semillon from Mount Pleasant which had just started to release its aged personality, and…

AustraliaFeaturedJapaneseJapanese Restaurant SydneyJapanese RestaurantsJapanese Rice WineJapanese SeafoodRestaurants SydneySakeSake Tastingsashimisushisushi restaurantSushi StudioSydneySydney Restaurants

Sushi Studio Japanese Restaurant Neutral Bay Sydney Review

Sushi Studio Japanese Restaurant Sushi Studio Japanese Restaurant is usually booked out. It’s rare to be able to just walk in and get a table. You would not be able to figure that out simply based on the entrance. A standard, basic restaurant sliding door entrance with common white Formica top tables in a minimalist eating area makes this look more like a glorified food court than the premier Japanese sushi gastronomy fantasy that it really is. The place is legendary among other sushi restaurant chefs and you are likely to find other restaurant owners and sushi experts dining here too. So, not…

AustraliaFeaturedOther ReviewsSecret SydneySecret Sydney Bars Walking Tour

Secret Sydney Bars Walking Tour Guide 2014. A Guide to Finding Over 37 Interesting, Unique and Hidden Bars in Sydney City, from The Rocks to City Centre

Secret Sydney Bars Walking Tour Guide Secret Sydney Bars ebook! Do you love craft beer, wine, whiskey, sake and other alcoholic drinks? Do you love exploring different bars? Are you always trying to find a new bar to experience? Sydney features a lot of hidden bars in many strange and wonderful places like in forgotten laneways, at the back of basement shop hallways and down fire escapes. Even locals don’t know where many of them are. This guide will show you where to find some of them and give you a brief idea of what to expect in a walking…