Nothing to see there. At the peak elevation of 1271 metres weather gets really crazy and scares away all vegetation except some stubborn shrubs that took their lessons from Bear Grylls. There are warning signs both on the mountain and in Wikipedia which tell the adventurers that the weather can change rapidly and warm clothes are recommended at all times. I felt it before I had time to read any signs. It was 30°C at the sea level so we arrived to the summit wearing only T-shirts. We left the car, we jumped back into the car. Next time we emerged from it we had two more layers of clothes on us and a fourth layer wouldn’t be unwelcome. Continue reading “2013 Trip to Tasmania – Day 1 – Mount Wellington”
2013 Trip to Tasmania – Day 1 – Cascade Brewery
Despite the tangily refreshing oak spiciness of their Chardonnays, the Ecksians weren’t the kind of people to let a brewery burn.
—Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent
It was actually my wife’s idea. Olga isn’t that much into beer, but she liked the building. I tagged along, so to say, as I was actually driving her there, and didn’t regret it.
We didn’t take a brewery tour but went straight to the visitor’s centre. At the entrance we were each given a crown cap which was an equivalent of a discount voucher in the beer garden, or in Minecraft terms, a crafting ingredient – if you put together a crown cap and a 50 cents coin you would get a glass of fresh beer – pure magic! Continue reading “2013 Trip to Tasmania – Day 1 – Cascade Brewery”
2013 Trip to Tasmania – Day 1 – Bargain Car Rentals
Bargain Car Rentals office was closed. We arrived to Hobart Airport at 10 am on Sunday, their working hours started at 9 am but the office was closed. There was a piece of paper on the door with a phone number which I was asked to call if the office was unattended. As it was a mobile number, I assumed that it belonged to a local office worker. I dialled it and explained that I was waiting at the office door.
“What office?” I was asked. Well, I knew that Hobart wasn’t a big city so maybe they had just one employee who served all Hobart offices on request.
“Airport,” I replied.
“In which city?” asked the person on the other end with a note of annoyance in the voice. My next thought was too crazy to think. Could it be that the same guy served all… nah, impossible! Continue reading “2013 Trip to Tasmania – Day 1 – Bargain Car Rentals”
2003 Huntington Estate Abercorn Grower’s Revenge wine
In February 2013 we made a wine tour in Mudgee. One winery, Huntington Estate, stood out in my memory as a place where I liked all wines I tasted. Later, in August, I received a newsletter from them where they had a special deal on their aged wines which were sold as cleanskins. I always ignored such advertisements that offered mixed cases of wines selected by persons unknown for reasons unknown, but this time was different – it was from Huntington. In fact, I didn’t plan on buying more wine for quite a while as I was still stocked up after Mudgee trip and Sydney Good Food and Wine Show, but they offered 8 to 11 years old wines for 10-15 dollars a bottle, and again, it was from Huntington. Still, how would I justify buying another case? Clink! Once my thoughts turned in the direction of finding reasons (or, shall I say, excuses), it was a done deal. My wife was just happy that I finally decided what gift I wanted for Father’s Day…
Although the wines were called cleanskins, each bottle had a simple white label with a wine name. There were 7 different labels in a case. I didn’t expect them to sell outstanding aged wines for that price, but all wines were basically good and I wouldn’t mind buying a bottle of each sort again. However, there was one bottle which was simply excellent – 2003 Huntington Estate Abercorn Grower’s Revenge. It was an unusual blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. The wine was warm and velvety on the palate and had that pleasant bitterness of overripe black cherry which I like so much. The taste became even better after I opened the bottle and left it under a vacuum seal for a week. I’d like to buy a case of that wine, but it’s not on sale anymore.
2013 Trip to Tasmania: The Plan
In the first week of December 2013 we visited Tasmania. The timing was critical as Olga wanted to see fields of poppy and lavender and there were only two weeks in a year when they blossomed at the same time. We also planned to visit other, season-independent attractions which included landscapes, seascapes, historic sites, wineries, breweries, distilleries, local gourmet food producers, and all this in just 8 days!
We decided to fly to Hobart and rent a car there rather than use BYO car option. The ferry fare alone was the same as the car hire cost to say nothing about saved accommodation expenses and time. To give ourselves even more time we did not return to Hobart but flew back from Launceston.
During our trip we stayed at 5 different places which you can see on the map below.
Photos, impressions, reviews will follow soon.
Hamilton Island
In June last year we spent a week on Hamilton Island. In many respects it was a unique trip. For one thing, it was our first beach holiday in Australia, the kind when after breakfast you ask yourself what you are going to do all this time before lunch. In contrast, our previous holiday trips were thoroughly planned affairs which involved booked motels (a different one each day), long hours behind the steering wheel and, the worst of it, early wake-ups, because you only had so much time before the sunset. Continue reading “Hamilton Island”
Road To Nowhere
Soban – Korean BBQ Restaurant
This year I decided to celebrate my birthday in style, which, in my world, means going to a restaurant. As I don’t like surprises on my birthdays (after all, I have another 364.25 days each year to try new things and get upset), I opted for Soban, a Korean BBQ restaurant which we visited before. I reckoned that Monday night is not the most popular time for people to go out so I didn’t bother myself with booking a table for three. Sure enough, when we arrived there was plenty of vacant tables and we occupied the best one on the terrace. Choosing an outdoor table in Soban makes perfect sense as not only it gives you a better view, but also saves you from suffocation if you order one of the BBQ dishes, which was our intention. Continue reading “Soban – Korean BBQ Restaurant”
Everglades
As I said before, the garden around Norman Lindsay Gallery was not a masterpiece. To complement the experience we headed to another National Trust property – Everglades – which was all about landscape art.
Everglades appeared to be a large park with numerous terraces built on a rather steep slope ending with a spectacular drop. It was commissioned by a Feltex carpet merchant and cost him, in modern money, 25 million dollars. I wonder if it was an attempt to buy a piece of happiness, because he didn’t seem to have a blissful family life. When he died in 1962 his will revealed that the park was left to National Trust, not to his wife. Continue reading “Everglades”
Norman Lindsay Gallery
Recently we went to Blue Mountains and visited two National Trust properties – Norman Lindsay Gallery and Everglades.
Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum are located in Faulconbridge, a few turns away from Great Western Highway. Each turn has a large brown sign directing visitors to the gallery, so it is easy to get there even without a GPS. However, such a device may be handy on the way back, as no one cared about marking the route from the gallery to the highway.