Acland St,St Kilda, Vic. A wall of cakes.**2stars

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Sconquest

Disappointment in Paradise.

After hearing so many superlatives about the cakes in Acland St, I was prepared to be overwhelmed. I wasn’t but at least I’d got on the right tram this time. As you can see the windows were choc a bloc with enticing delicacies but the shops were rather underwhelming and unwelcoming.

       

Seemed like they lived by reputation not by reality. The temptation was to walk away but with all the positive recommendations I had to give it a try, but it was so hard to choose as none looked particularly inviting. The choices were between Acland, Monarch, Le Bon or Europa Cakes. I chose Acland. My preference was to take it away & sit on the beach but I  resolved to be strong and ordered an apple strudel & coffee. Squeezing myself onto the mosaic of tables crammed up against the wall I was shocked to find it was the old fashioned cream full of sugar. Yuk, I’ve been spoilt with so much nice cream around. My strudel tasted of lemon rather than apple so I wasted no time in succumbing to the lure of the beach and St Kilda Pier and resolving to return to one of my favourite haunts, the Hopetoun tea rooms.

Still winter but a glorious day to stroll along the beach and out to the pier and blow away any lingering cobwebs. Another time there’ll have to be a dedicated stop for Devonshire tea at the St Kilda Pier Kiosk. In the park there’s a statue of Captain Cook unveiled in 1914. For those with cultural curiousity check out the 1914 newspaper article from Trove.What would Captain James Cook think of all this enlightenment he’s brought to the world?

           

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Melbourne, Victoria. Views of Vienna at the NGV. Scones***3stars

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Sconquest

This gallery contains 5 photos.

A Matter of Taste.      Art is a matter of taste. A smorgasbord of likes and dislikes with a dazzling array of choices. Few of us have the space for these larger than life portraits by Gustav Klimt but they … Continue reading →

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Wentworth Falls, NSW. Just Glorious after rain.****4 stars

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Sconquest

Stepping Out at Wentworth Falls

  

Thought we were going to get soaked while walking at Wentworth Falls recently. Here’s a map. Fortunately, it was just grey and overcast with no wind. Parked at the Conservation Hut, down the steps to Queen Victoria Lookout, along a very wet and slushy Overcliff Track to the top of Wentworth Falls. Plenty of water over the falls, so hopefully got some decent photos. Love the stepping stones by Queens cascade. Just a short way along the National Pass for a lunch stop then back up past Weeping Rock and along the path and steps to the Picnic area and a rest by the lookouts before heading along the Short Cut Track to the car park at the Conservation Hut. No Den Fenella or Princes Rock detours today. Afternoon tea at the Blue Mist Cafe opposite the station at Wentworth Falls was interesting as there was a bit of a mix up but it all turned out ok. After walking, the Blue Mist is a very welcome seat and a hearty meal so there’s no scones today and best of all no thunderstorm!

          

          

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Camden, NSW. Camden Park House. ****4 stars.

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Sconquest

Scones and Roses at Camden Park.

A perfect spring day in Camden for the annual Camden Park House Open Day.  John and Elizabeth Macarthur’s descendants still own the property and have lived there since 1835. It is still very much a family home with plenty of hustle and bustle during such a popular day. The queues were fairly long and probably constant all day but there were large trees providing welcome shade for the half an hour or so we waited. My favourites were the ingenious folding shutters on the downstairs windows and the book lined hallway.

  

The family and friends provided a delectable, man-sized Devonshire tea for a princely $5, which we ate by the Rose Garden. The gardens are extensive and contain many heritage varieties including a Camden Park Camelia still growing after 185 years!

  

Took some time to just sit in the sunshine and simply enjoy the gardens, before heading off to nearby Mt Annan.  Camden Park House is in Elizabeth Macarthur Drive and can be hard to find so here’s a map, see No. 6 on page 32.

  

Unfortunately, the Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living appeared to be closed so we continued up to Mt Annan Botanic Gardens where I knew there was a cafe for a late lunch. Not today though, 2.30pm & the chairs were already stacked on the tables. Too bad, so I decided to head on home after taking a quick look at the gardens opposite. It’s been a long time since I last visited Mt Annan Botanical Gardens and I was amazed at how it’s all grown and changed. It was so sparse then and today it’s such a blaze of colour. Didn’t manage to stay long then either as my son ended up in the pond and soaking wet in the middle of winter.  Today, the sun was glorious and everyone was out and about having a good time, especially if they’d thought ahead and brought a picnic lunch!

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Kirribilli, NSW. At Home with Julia & Quenton.

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Sconquest

The Ferry

An image of The ferry

Maybe E Phillips Fox’s painting is just a little fanciful, but today was a glorious day to catch the Ferry across Sydney Harbour to Kirribilli for the annual Open Day at Admiralty House and Kirribilli House. Admiralty House is the official residence of the Governor General, Quenton Bryce, while Kirribilli House is the official residence of the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Admiralty House is rather grand and imposing while Kirribilli House is much cosier. Together, they offer superb views of Sydney Harbour, the Harbour Bridge, Fort Denison and the Opera House, as you can see.

              

Why not make the most of City Rail‘s Multi Day Pass or the great value of the Family Sunday Funday passes and travel on as many ferries, trains and buses as you can in one day? After the ferry back across to Circular Quay, we took a bus up to Hyde Park and walked through to the Art Gallery of NSW where we had a welcome lunch, although they do have scones and high teas here, as it was quite late and we were starving. If your like me and forget the names & artists of paintings there’s always the Google Goggles app for iphone or android phones. It’s quite amazing as it uses pictures to search the web.

Thank you to Julia, Quenton and all their staff for allowing  so many visitors to their homes and gardens on such a beautiful day.

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Canberra, ACT. Canberra Quilt Show

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Sconquest

Canberra’s Winter Colour

The Craft & Quilt Fair was in Canberra recently. As the Canberra Quilters were outstanding in the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne earlier this year, we had high expectations and so were a little surprised to find quilts that had already been exhibited in Melbourne. Still there was plenty of colour and Beth Miller’s Emu was a favourite. Got a little waylaid with the range of bags for sale and all the bag patterns available from Punch with Judy. With such a lovely sunny day and all that walking around it’s just right for some yummy treats at Adore Tea.

Here’s a sample of what was on show in Canberra:

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Canberra, ACT. Great Fun at Adore Tea. ****4 stars

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Sconquest
What: Adore Tea. Rating Today: 4 stars. Great scones & boutique jams.
Where: O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls ACT 2913 (Near Cockington Green) Ph:02 6230 9962
When: 9.00am – 5.30pm. Thurs & Fri to 7pm. Open 7 days.
Web: http://www.adoretea.com.au
Cost: High Tea $48. Scones $8.50 Tea $4.90  Value: ok
Notes: Huge Range of Tea & the staff take care to ensure it’s infused properly.
 

 Saturday Delights

As the name suggests, Adore tea is the place to come if your crazy about tea, teapots & like to have a bit of fun. The walls are lines with hundreds of different varieties of tea and there’s plenty of teapots, infusers and accessories to tantalize you. So many temptations before you even order!

  

The scones were light and fluffy and we appreciated the thought put into the jam which was infused with tea. Who could complain about apple & cinnamon tea infused mixed berry jam or french earl grey strawberry jam complete, both with clotted cream.

The staff were cheerful and helpful with the selection and infusing of the tea. The glass teapots had an infuser and a candle to warm them underneath which was something novel.

     

In Woden shopping centre Adore tea has a ‘petite’ retail store but the Tea House is at Nicholls and very popular. High Tea is every second saturday at 11.20am and 2pm but unfortunately, it was booked out. Here’s the High Tea Menu. We went anyway and just managed to get a table and ordered from the normal menu. There was plenty of delectable choices and a separate tea menu as well. Have to go back and try the high tea now we know!

       


Posted in Canberra, High Tea, Jam, Scones, Tea | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Heading back home after 2000km on Queensland Rail.

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Sconquest

What an adventure!

      

As a train travel novice this journey was an unknown to me. Most of Queensland’s east coast was also unknown to me. Looking back, the first change I would make would be to take an ipad or MacBook Air so I can keep up with my posts as I travel, although I’m not sure if there was the time anyway. Only took 750 photos in over two weeks this time. When you drive you get more photo opportunities. If your considering a similar trip I would suggest the following itinerary or part there of but it helps to have the East Coast Discovery Pass for the train.

1.Fly to Cairns.

  

2. Stay in Port Douglas.

 

Snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef with Wavelength. Take a tour to the Daintree Forest with a River Cruise or  to Cooktown.

3. Stay in Cairns.

  

Visit Kuranda by Skyrail and take the vintage Scenic Railway after Scones at Kuranda Railway Station. Visit Crocodile Farm. Tour Paronella Park and the Waterfalls with Scones at Lake Barrine.  
4. Take Queensland Rail Sunlander or Tilt train from Cairns to Townsville, that’s about 6-7 hrs.
  

5. In Townsville, stretch your legs along the 2.2 km Strand along the oceanfront or Castle Hill. Take the Ferry out to the Magnetic Island Walks. Visit Reef HQ Aquarium.

    

Stay at Hidden Valley Cabins and visit the Wallaman Falls. Try Scones at Paluma Rainforest Inn or Herveys Range Heritage Tea Rooms.

6. Take Sunlander or Tilt train from Townsville to Proserpine (3-4 hours) & Bus to Airlie Beach (1/2 hour).

7. In Airlie Beach, stay at Coral Sea Resort. Check out the Bicentennial Walkway or Ngaro Sea trail, Whitehaven Beach, Blue Pearl Bay or a Crocodile Safari with fresh damper. Relax, enjoy the view, a meal or even sail at the Sailing Club.

    

8. Take the Sunlander or Tilt Train overnight from Proserpine near Airlie Beach to Maryborough West (10-13 hrs), then bus to Hervey Bay and Ferry to Fraser Island. Can’t hurry this one, it takes a while.Stay at Kingfisher Bay Resort if your connections work.

  

9. At Fraser Island, take a day tour, swim in Lake Mackenzie and hopefully fly over the island. In season, take a humpback whale watching cruise. Enjoy the food and take photographs of the Maheno shipwreck or sunsets.

    

10. Take the Sunlander or Tilt Train to Brisbane(4-5 hours) or consider stopping at Nambour (2hrs) and taking the bus to Noosa or Coolum. Here’s the booking for train and bus (1-2hrs). It’ll take all day, though.

 

11. Finally, there’s the option to stay in Brisbane but why not consider travelling down to the Gold Coast (1 hour) where there’s some great beaches. If your lucky enough try Scones or even a High Tea at Surfers Paradise or the Old Teahouse Gallery at Mudgeeraba before flying back home, or catching the train onto Sydney or even Melbourne.

Would I travel on such a long train journey again? Of course, this is only the beginning! A world of scones awaits…….

Posted in Cairns-Port Douglas, Fraser island, Queensland, Townsville, Whitsundays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Springbrook, Gold Coast, Qld. Such an Elusive High Tea.

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Sconquest

Natural Bridge Peek-a-Boo

Heading into the Gold Coast Hinterland to the Natural Bridge at the Springbrook National Park. Here’s a map and info.

       A Walking Circuit takes you through the forest to the arched cave where the water plunges from a hole in the roof. If your lucky or come at night you might see the Glow Worms.

Steps take you up and over the top of the cave before heading back down so it can be a challenge with the angles of the steps and the waterfall for photos, as you can see.

      

Would you believe, we headed along the narrow winding road for about 50kms to Mudgeeraba and couldn’t find the Old Tea House Gallery and our long anticipated high tea! Asked some friendly locals who told us it was another 10kms out of town. I know, I should have had an iphone and looked it up first. Could I have blamed poor reception? No. Just one of those times where a map and more time would have helped. Maybe. Looked so good too! It was a terrific walk among the rainforest trees and round the natural bridge but we returned home sconeless, yet again.

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Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast Qld. At Last a Beach!

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Sconquest

My Kingdom for a Beach and a High Tea!

Forgotten just how wonderful it is to have such a beautifully long beach. I’ve come all the way down the coast from Cairns and although there were plenty of beaches, there’s nothing quite like soaking up the sun and strolling along a wonderfully long beach like Main Beach here at Surfer’s Paradise.  Coolum Beach used to be one of our all time favourite long beaches but it’s probably rather over developed now. Perhaps I should check it out again, there was an excellent Bakery , opposite the Surf Club. Coolum was the first place we ever had a waffle cone ice-cream. Just used to stand there and watch them being made. Mmmm, the smell! Sorry, that was a long time ago now.

Stopped at the Ferry Road Markets, Southport for scones at Sweet (which were rather ordinary) and checked out the nearby Tea Centre which seemed expensive. Our MISSION now, is to find a high tea. After a chat with a friendly hotel concierge and looking online I discovered there were plenty of options. We decided on the The Old Tea House Gallery at Mudgeeraba. There’s been rather a scone drought so wish us luck!

Here’s our Gold Coast High Tea list, give them a try and let me know.

The Old Tea House Gallery
7 Johns Road / Springbrook Rd, Mudgeeraba QLD 4213  Phone: 07 5525 3053 
Opening Hours:  Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10am – 4pm
Tea & Niceties
 1/21 Southport Ave, Mt Tambourine QLD  Phone:07-5545-3645
Sitting Times: Thursday-Sunday 11.15am- 2.30 pm for 2 hrs.
Gold Coast High Tea River Cruise
Gold Coast Mt Tamborine High Tea Harley Trike Tour 
RACV Royal Pines Resort Panorama Lounge  Lookout for chocolate High Tea!
Ross St, Benowa  Phone: (07) 5597 8700  
Marriott Lobby Lounge Surfers Paradise Lookout for chocolate High Tea!
158 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise 4217   Phone: (07) 5592 9800
 Hyatt Regency– The Verandah Bar   
Sanctuary Cove Resort, Gold Coast Phone: (o7) 5530 1234
Palazzo Versace -Le Jardin
94 Sea World Drive, Main Beach. Phone (07) 5509 8000
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