Close Up

SquareUp Photo Challenge: Camping at Carnarvon Gorge, October 2020 #27

The hairy fruit of a sandpaper fig may not look tempting but once the skin is removed, the flesh inside is very sweet.

In January I’m joining in with Becky’s Square Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules are simple: most photos must be square and fit the theme word up. Look for #SquareUp

A Nut By Another Name

Oct5

Kind Squares Photo Challenge #5 ~ Queensland: One of a Kind

Destination: Bauple

Have you ever eaten a bauple nut? You’re probably shaking your head, but chances are you have and you didn’t even know it!

The trees on which the nuts grow are native to northern New South Wales and south eastern Queensland and were named by the local indigenous people who once lived in the region. Enterprising farmers began growing grafted trees as early as the 1860s and in the 1880s they were introduced to Hawaii, where they became one of the state’s most important crops. Today the nutritious nuts are grown commercially in 13 countries, in a global industry valued at more than one billion US dollars. The bauple nut is Australia’s only native food source grown in other countries.

Have you guessed which nut I’m talking about? The bauple nut, also called the Queensland nut, is most commonly known as the macadamia.

Original ungrafted bauple trees still grow on the slopes of Mt Bauple in the Fraser Coast region of Queensland, in a national park reserved for scientific study.

Three original trees also grow in the grounds of the Mt Bauple Museum in the nearby town of Bauple, which celebrates the famous nut in a festival each November.

Next time you pop a macadamia in your mouth, take a moment to remember all those trees growing wild on the slopes of Mt Bauple and the indigenous people who prized the nuts as a delicacy.

This month I’m joining in every day with Becky’s October Kind Square Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules are simple: most photos must be square and fit the theme word “kind”. Look for #kindasquare.

Everything You Could Want

Jul4

Square Perspectives Photo Challenge ~ Australian Landscapes #4

Destination: Murray’s Craft Brewing Co, Bobs Farm Port Stephens, New South Wales

When you’re hungry and thirsty, Murray’s Craft Brewing Co on Nelson Bay Road is the place to be.

There’s plenty of beer on tap, along with local wines created by Port Stephens Winery. The restaurant has an extensive menu and the servings are generous and delicious.

After your cravings have been satisfied there’s room out on the grass for a friendly game,

which is sure to leave you feeling thirsty again.

While our travel plans are on hold I’m joining in every day with Becky’s July Square Perspectives Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules are simple: photos must be square and fit the theme of perspective. My posts represent the definition of perspective as a vista – seeing something over distance or time.

Chocolate Heaven

May30

Exploring Australia

Have you ever been able to enter a chocolate shop and walk out empty handed? No?

Me neither.

And when the shop is attached to a chocolate factory the temptation is even greater. Even those with the strongest willpower will find a purchase impossible to resist if they visit The Factory in the New South Wales coastal city of West Gosford.

In the large factory shop packets and boxes of chocolate, nougat and marshmallows are artfully stacked in tantalising displays.

Handmade confections named after iconic Australian places fill large glass cabinets.

Through the porthole windows between the shop and the factory floor visitors can see all these treats being made. I have to confess I’m too busy tasting free samples to take photos of the production line.

Luckily I remember to use my camera in the café, where the menu boasts five special hot chocolate creations.

A morsel of cake accompanies each drink, just enough to complement its rich flavours and decadent toppings. With such mouthwatering descriptions, it takes much longer to decide which to choose than it does to devour our treats when they arrive.

When afternoon tea is finished and we return to the shop, it’s even harder to select just a few favourites to take away.

I think I might need one of everything!

Another Top Drop

Apr29

Western Queensland Road Trip Square Tops Challenge #29

It might have been quiet at Nindigully Pub, but it was the opposite the day we went to Riversands Wines.

The car park was packed, marquees filled the garden and a band was warming up on stage. We’d obviously gatecrashed a party!

It was the St George winery’s annual Easter in the Vines celebration and by the time we arrived it was completely booked out. That didn’t stop winemaker David welcoming us with a warm smile and a few samples of his award winning wines. A bottle of his delicious Stirling’s Reserve Red Liqueur Muscat was soon in my bag.

We were too late to join in the “cook your own” barbecue lunch, but David found us a table under a shady tree.

Anyway, who needs steak when there’s coffee and freshly baked scones with homemade grape jam and cream on the side?

While our travels are on hold, I’m joining in every day with Becky’s April Square Tops Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules are simple: photos must be square and fit the theme word “top”.

Top Rated

Apr14

Western Queensland Road Trip Square Tops Challenge #14

According to the tourist brochures, Deb’s Cafe is the best in Bollon. It’s also the only cafe in Bollon.

The cafe’s top rating is no surprise. You can get a tip top tasty lunch and your live bait for fishing, both at the same time!

Top Choice

Apr8

Western Queensland Road Trip Square Tops Challenge #8

Scones in Wyandra and cake in Cunnamulla – we’re not likely to pass by a café without stopping for a treat. But there’s not always a café or coffee shop out in the bush.

We always carry sweet supplies just in case and when the home-baked goods are gone, Mr ET has a special favourite. There’s sure to be a box stashed away in the caravan for emergencies.

Mr ET’s top choice of camping treat is:

What’s Up Top?

Apr7

Western Queensland Road Trip Square Tops Challenge #7

It’s not the delicious cakes in the cabinet which first attract our attention when we enter the Gidgee Bean Café in Cunnamulla.

The old building is enjoying a new lease of life but the interior gives clues to its age. The pressed metal ceiling and broad high skylight immediately draw our gaze upwards. And right at the top is a tiny door, mysteriously leading nowhere.

Down at floor level, an eclectic collection of china sits in mismatched cupboards and old black and white photos of Cunnamulla’s past decorate the walls.

We’re distracted by the arrival of our almond and orange cake and we forget about the oddly placed door for a while.

It’s only as we’re leaving that I remember to ask about the building and that door. It turns out to be not so peculiar after all. The building used to be a haberdashery with a second floor, long since removed, used for storage.

The Up the Top Mystery is solved!

A Slice of Melon

Aug27

Western Queensland Road Trip #1 Chinchilla

Australia is renowned for its collection of “big things” – there are more than 150 over-sized objects scattered across the country.

Goulburn, New South Wales, is the centre of a prosperous wool growing district and there you’ll find the Big Merino.

In the fruit growing region of northern Victoria is the Big Strawberry, on the Goulburn Valley Highway at Koonoomoo.

The Big Rocking Horse is located at Gumerach in South Australia, outside a wooden toy factory.

And the Big Galah, on the Eyre Highway at Kimba, South Australia, is located exactly halfway between Sydney and Perth.

Have you heard about Australia’s newest “big thing”?

In 2018, the vacation booking website Wotif launched a nation-wide competition, asking Australians to help select their next big thing. The finalists included a big kilt in Glen Innes, a big peanut in Kingaroy and a big tulip in Mittagong, all reflecting each district’s community or industry. The winner, voted by the Australian public as their favourite, was The Big Melon in the western Queensland town of Chinchilla.

With a warm temperate climate perfect for melon farming, Chinchilla is the centre of Australia’s most productive melon growing region. Every second year, the community celebrates their love of melons during the Chinchilla Melon Festival. Activities during February’s four day event incorporate everything melon related, including pip spitting, melon tossing and melon skiing competitions.

If you’re travelling on the Warrego Highway and you pass through Chinchilla during melon season, make sure you allow a little extra time. Once you see The Big Melon, you’ll be wanting some of the real thing.

Canada’s Best

Aug22

Canada #45

“What was the best thing about your trip?”

We’re often asked this question when we return from a holiday and it’s always difficult to give just one answer. After five weeks in Canada, here are the things we loved best.

The Best Party