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HOT: Miss Marie, 45 Beetham Pde, Rosanna
Blog: MEL: Hot or Not - 24 October 2011
Miss Marie is a cafe with an inner-city vibe catering to the discerning suburban cafe set. The first hint of its slightly left-of-centre sense of humour is in small shrub outside its entrance. The hanging child made me take a horrified double-take before I gasped in relief to see that it was only a doll. [...]
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Bilbies and Bettongs – The Alice Springs Desert Park Nocturnal Experience
Blog: Landlopers - 24 October 2011
We weren’t supposed to spend the night in Alice Springs. My Grand Plan for the Outback in Australia clearly had us picking up the Britz campervan and driving to Glen Helen for a night of “roughing it.” The day before though we learned that there...Copyright LandLopers All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
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The Alphabet Dinners: I is for I Carusi
Blog: Aerohaveno: A Travel Blog - 21 October 2011
In The Alphabet Dinners series, I review the cheap restaurants of Melbourne... In alphabetical order. It's been a while since I reviewed a cheap Melbourne restaurant taken from the Age Cheap Eats guide. That's partly because I was up to the letter I, and there weren't many choices.
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Melbourne's Angels & Demons
Blog: Aerohaveno: A Travel Blog - 20 October 2011
We're in the last week of the Melbourne Festival, the city's annual big-budget celebration of the arts. Coming hot on the heels of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, it showcases impressive and challenging productions from around the world, as well as locally produced shows of distinction.
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HOT: The Mercy Seat, 31 Johnston St, Collingwood
Blog: MEL: Hot or Not - 19 October 2011
In case you get confused by the ’99 Problems’ emblazoned on the door of number 31 Johnston Street…the address is a cafe called The Mercy Seat by day and a bar called 99 Problems by night. Time-sharing space (and facilities) is such a good idea! The Mercy Seat serves vegan food that’s not just beans [...]
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HOT: Sataylicious, Shop W3, Dandenong Market, Cnr Clow and Cleeland St, Dandenong
Blog: MEL: Hot or Not - 18 October 2011
Is it possible that I’ve found the best satay sauce in Melbourne…in Zone 2? Every family, every region and every country has their own satay recipe – and everyone has their favourite. I’ve eaten a lot of satays both in Australia and in South East Asia and I’m so excited about discovering the spicy satay [...]
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Black Butt – Funny Town Name
Blog: The Travel Tart - Offbeat Tales From A Travel Addict - 18 October 2011
Blackbutt – Funny Town Name of the Week Blackbutt is a town located in South East Queensland in Australia. Contrary to what this Funny Town Name sounds like, it has...
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Embracing the Corny in Australia – Sounds of Silence Dinner Experience
Blog: Landlopers - 18 October 2011
I usually stay away from what I perceive to be over-touristy experiences, but the Sounds of Silence dinner at Uluru intrigued me. A trip to Uluru, or Ayers Rock, tends to be fairly scripted. The resort experience is like a cruise ship in the desert...Copyright LandLopers All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
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HOT: Quartetthaus, Melbourne Festival, Ngargee Centre for Contemporary Art, Sidney Myer Courtyard 111 Sturt St, Southbank
Blog: MEL: Hot or Not - 17 October 2011
Something very curious has landed in the courtyard of the Malthouse Theatre. What is it? It looks like a big wooden box. No obvious doors or windows but if you listen carefully you can hear the faint scraping of string instruments. It’s the Quartetthaus! The Australian National Academy of Music and lighting and design studio [...]
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HOT: Town Hall Hotel, 166 Johnston St, Fitzroy
Blog: MEL: Hot or Not - 16 October 2011
The Town Hall Hotel is a handsome gastropub where you can expect fine dining quality of food and service, without having to wear your best frock or bear the fine dining prices. The bistro menu has a heavy Italian focus and spans small, medium and large plates to cater for any appetite (they also have [...]
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Preserving Style and Architecture at The Rialto in Melbourne
Blog: Landlopers - 14 October 2011
I don’t usually write about hotels, unless I find something really unique to say. This post isn’t any different, I’m not going to write about how great our rooms were or how amazing the service was at the InterContinental Melbourne – The Rialto, instead I...Copyright LandLopers All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
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Can Travel Make the World a Better Place?
Blog: Todd's Wanderings - 12 October 2011
Is travel an inherently selfish indulgence or a vehicle to bring about world peace? The travel and tourism industry is huge, and in 2010 over 940 million people traveled outside their own country as tourists and generated $919 billion dollars in global revenue. That is a lot opportunity for both mischief and genuine interaction. So the question comes back to: is the opening of borders leading to greater understanding or a hardening of stereotypes? I’ve been on the road for the past 12 years, both teaching children and working in international development.
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HOT – Satay Hut – Shop 3 Little Stanley St, Southbank.
Blog: BNE: HOT OR NOT - The decisive guide to Brisbane - 11 October 2011
The fourth and final of my Malaysian feast adventures, thanks to Malaysia Kitchen Australia, was at Satay Hut in the Southbank restaurant precinct. This place is always packed at lunchtime, servicing the hungry local businesses and tourists alike, so I figured it would be a safe bet for dinner too. To be honest I had [...]
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HOT: Pope Joan, 77-79 Nicholson Street, Brunswick East
Blog: MEL: Hot or Not - 11 October 2011
At last count, there were 19 blog reviews of Pope Joan on Urbanspoon. So I’m far behind with my visit and now I’m not sure why I’ve waited so long. Pope Joan is the kind of neighbourhood cafe for which you’d be willing to travel. Which is why it has found success despite being located [...]
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The Unpublished 11: St Kilda by the Bay
Blog: Aerohaveno: A Travel Blog - 10 October 2011
I just stumbled across a trial guidebook entry about the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, which I wrote in 2005. It was created as part of my application to be included in Lonely Planet's pool of authors; ultimately successful therefore, but never published.
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Giveaway: Environmental Film Festival Melbourne 2011
Blog: MEL: Hot or Not - 6 October 2011
The Environmental Film Festival Melbourne is back again this year with more environmental themed films screening from 11-16 October at Kino Cinemas, 45 Collins St, Melbourne. The aim of the festival is to increase awareness of key environmental issues by bringing together film-makers, experts, policy makers, politicians and the wider community in an open conversation about [...]
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HOT: Cafe Vue at Heide, Heide Museum of Modern Art, 7 Templestowe Rd, Bulleen
Blog: MEL: Hot or Not - 5 October 2011
It’s been a while since my last visit to Cafe Vue at Heide and this time we decided to try the a la carte menu rather than the Menu du Jour set menu. On a sunny weekend the cafe is a real drawcard for visitors to Heide Museum of Modern Art. There’s often a queue [...]
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Kings Canyon Death March, er, Hike
Blog: Landlopers - 5 October 2011
I have a confession. I have never been on a forced march, made to do hard labor in a Federal penitentiary or been indentured to a life of servitude. And yet, all of these feelings came to the forefront as we began the Kings Canyon...Copyright LandLopers All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
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HOT – Banneton Bakery – 25 Balaclava St, Woolloongabba
Blog: BNE: HOT OR NOT - The decisive guide to Brisbane - 4 October 2011
Fancy a short black in the sun, accompanied by a real life French pastry? Or perhaps something a little more wicked and sweet, like a sacher torte and hot chocolate? Banneton Bakery, nestled quietly in amongst a rather industrious strip of warehouses and stores in Woolloongabba, hits the mark when it comes to sweet or [...]
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HOT: High Tea at Lobby Lounge, The Westin, 205 Collins St, Melbourne
Blog: MEL: Hot or Not - 4 October 2011
I can think of no better way to spend a cold, rainy afternoon than in front of an open fireplace drinking tea. Better still, drinking tea, eating cakes and lounging around reading an Evelyn Waugh novel. I recently indulged in my perfect rainy-day afternoon scenario with High Tea at the Lobby Lounge of The Westin [...]
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Finding the Best Hotel For Your Visit to Uluru
Blog: Landlopers - 4 October 2011
Even though I enjoyed every moment of exploring the Northern Territory’s Red Centre, the real star of course was Uluru (Ayer’s Rock). If you travel to Uluru, you will necessarily be a guest of the Voyages Ayers Rock Resort, namely because they’re the only game...Copyright LandLopers All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
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Into the Hills on Puffing Billy
Blog: Aerohaveno: A Travel Blog - 4 October 2011
In all my travel writing about Melbourne and its environs, I've rarely written about the iconic Puffing Billy steam train (except for entries in my two iPhone/iPad apps, Melbourne Historical and Melbourne Getaways).
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Travel Mystery – Why Australia Will Never Have Burger King
Blog: Landlopers - 3 October 2011
photo credit: Sweet One I love bizarre societal quirks. Little details that many may miss and travel guides never address. I was confronted with one such oddity on a recent trip to Australia. I noticed a lot of restaurants that looked like Burger King, they...Copyright LandLopers All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
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HOT – Des Alpes Swiss Restaurant – 47 Blackwood St, Mitchelton.
Blog: BNE: HOT OR NOT - The decisive guide to Brisbane - 2 October 2011
Market-goers of Brisbane will know Blackwood St for its monthly Jan Power’s market day. But did you know Blackwood St is also home to a lovely, unassuming, family run restaurant that serves delicious, honest, home-style Swiss cuisine? Swiss food, like its people, is largely influenced by its neighbouring countries with the exception of course, of [...]
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HOT: Mitte, 76 Michael Street (cnr Rowe Street), North Fitzroy
Blog: MEL: Hot or Not - 2 October 2011
I’m not sure whether Mitte is named after the district in Berlin and the German word for ‘middle’ but let’s just say at the outset that there are no German references in the menu, decor or service of this neighbourhood cafe. It’s in a little hideaway location on the corner of two residential streets in [...]
