Toulouse-Lautrec and Canberra

December 2012

DH's mother was in town and was keen to check out the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit, so we decided to do a quick overnight trip to Canberra.

Stay
Medina Apartments  - James Court
In a great location, close to town and with a bus stop out the front. But the bed was horribly uncomfortable and I never say that!

Eat
Cream Cafe for breakfast - I loved it in here, and the service was good.

Wagamama for dinner - always a favourite of mine

Do
National Gallery of Australia - Unfortunately they don't allow you to take pictures in the National Gallery of Australia, but the exhibit is on till April and the Indigenous Art section is worth the trip alone.

Drive up to the Black Mountain Tower - although the view in the car park isn't worth the trip along anymore

Old Parliament House - they have the Australian Democracy Museum that we didn't have time to check out, but the view down to the Australian War Memorial.

You can check out an old post here, for more to eat and see in Canberra.

Sydney in December

December 2012

We finished off our year of travel with a weekend in Sydney.

Stay
Shangri-la at The Rocks - some of the views are phenomenal

Eat
Lunch at The Opera Bar - how's that for a view?

The Dinning Room, Park Hyatt - with a view from the opposite side of the harbour

Drink
BluBar on 36 floor at the Shangri-la

Opera Bar

Opera Kitchen



Do
See something at the Sydney Opera House - we saw a matinee session of Swan Lake by the Australian Ballet Company

Walk around the markets at The Rocks - always the go to spot on a weekend

Spend time walking around the beautiful harbour foreshore

2012 Travel's In Review

So 2012 wasn't as big a travel year as 2011, but it did start off with a bang..

January 2012
We finished 2011 in South America and our trip there continued through January.

Machu Picchu, Peru (New Years Day)
Cusco, Peru
Colca Canyon, Peru
Arequipa, Peru
Nazca, Peru
Paracas, Peru
Lima, Peru
Galapogos, Equador
Quito, Equador
Iguazu Falls, Brazil and Argentina
Santiago, Chile
Rapanui/Easter Island
Papeete, Tahiti
Moorea, Tahiti

February 2012
We kept it local for our five year anniversary, spending the day eating at Peats Bite, NSW

April 2012
We spent the Easter long weekend snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef on Wilson Island, Queensland

June/July 2012
We once again visited the Cook Islands, starting in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, including the Cross Island Track, then heading off to one of the smaller outer Islands Mauke, Cook Islands.

September 2012
While based in Melbourne, Victoria for work, DH came down for a weekend.

October 2012
Not one's to stay at home when we can get away, we visited Hobart and it's surrounds in October.

Hobart, Tasmania, including MONA
Port Arthur, Tasmania
Tasman Island, Tasmania

Followed by a quick trip to Brisbane, Queensland for the rugby.

December 2012
Saw us celebrate my birthday by a home stay in Sydney



Okay, when I put it all together, it's not a bad effort for 2012....what was your year like?

Thanks for reading my posts this year, hears to great travels in 2013!

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

We had such a good time at the rugby here in 2011 we decided to come back. Instead of rain and the miserable weather we had last year, it was bright, sunny and a balmy 30C (approx. 85F). We also had less time this trip taking a later plane from Sydney and catching an earlier flight back on Sunday due to DH being on the back shift.

Stay
Accommodation can be in peak demand and pricey for these games. So while I paid more than I would have wanted to for a 4 star hotel, I was much happier with this option than where we stayed last year. The room at The Sebel Suites was clean, had a good view and was quiet. My only complaint would be is that you can tell these hotels are old from their bathrooms, which don't seem to get updated as much as the rooms.



Eat
Lunch at AJ Vietnamese Noodle House. We were early at noon, but by time we left the small cafe was bustling.

We tried to find a better spot for breakfast, but due to time restrictions once again found ourselves at Spoon Expresso Deli. Give it a miss, the service is poor and the food is average, particularly for the price your paying.



Do
Catch a game at Suncrop Stadium, I still think it's the best venue to watch a rugby game

Have a drink and take a walk along Southbank

MONA, Hobart, Tasmania

I am not a fan of modern art, but this was DH's main drive for coming to Hobart.

We took the first ferry of the morning at 9:30 am, arriving at MONA at 10:00 am.

The MONA gallery has only been open since 2011, and is privately owned. The gallery is actually underground and the architecture seems to have been designed to match the art inside.

We had lunch in the cafe, but the Wine Bar or the Source might have been better locations (the food was ok, but over priced, my perri perri chicken salad, was small and not at all spicy like I would have expected, yet still tasty).

Like I said I'm not a fan of art but it was easy to spend the day there.

We finished by catching the bus directly to the airport at 3:30 pm, they definitely have it all set up well.

Tasman Island, Tasmania

I had no idea what to expect, it definitely wasn't the spectacular scenery we experienced on our cold trip out to Tasman Island.

We did this as part of a day trip from Hobart, which also included a side trip to Port Arthur.

We even got to wear these dry suits, which even though aren't that attractive were more than welcome in the wet, windy and cold conditions.

The three hour boat ride takes you up the coast, stopping at major points for pictures and an explanation by the boat crew.





The trip ends with spectacular views of Tasman Island, before heading back to the starting point.

Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia

I love history  even though my Convict history is poor I've always wanted to visit the Port Arthur site and to be honest I had no idea what to expect.



We did a day tour which included a boat trip out to Tasman Island, and unfortunately promised three hours at Port Arthur, but there was only less than two.



To me it had a very similar feel to Williamsburg in the US. I don't know if it was the weather  the green scenery or just that it was a similar time period.



We only had a couple of hours to spend and really it would be easy to spend the whole day here, we missed most of the museum and we didn't get out to the boys prison or the Isle of the Dead (I love checking out old cemeteries).