We wanted to head off snorkeling somewhere closer to Sydney preferably in the city itself. After doing a bit of research we decided to head off to Clovelly beach.

Covelly beach, Sydney

Clovelly beach has two sides, the bay with a concrete platform and the other is a small beach which is much more suitable for kids and for everyone irrespective of their swimming skills. The maximum depth at the entire beach is 5-6 metres and the edges of the bay are pretty shallow.

Snorkeling

As much as this was our purpose, I was utterly disappointed from the colour of the water. It was green in colour due to the weather. The water wasnt clear at all and there were sea weeds. There wasnt so much of fish either and it was really hard to see the colour of the fishes. We were snorkeling only in the beach as we are still noobs and are not very good swimmers. Also having snorkeled in Fiji I think our expectations of Clovelly were set pretty high in our minds. May be I wasn’t just that lucky.

Snorkeling at the Clovelly beach, Sydney

Ocean swimming

This part of the ocean is between Coogee and Bronte and there isn’t any waves hitting into the bay. And also given that the surf rescue is only metres away, literally, it is a much more safer place to learn and practice ocean swimming.

A family outing

The small beach, the BBQ and the family area around the beach makes it a nice family outing. The beach especially is pretty shallow and with no waves it is kids friendly.

The verdict

I would definitely go there again to learn ocean swimming or to just hang out with friends but for snorkeling may be I should try it out again on a much more brighter day.

Hunter valley, about 2.5 hrs drive from Sydney, famous for its wineries and vineyards is a must visit destination in New South wales for the wine lovers!

I have never been a wine lover, but our recent trip to Europe, especially Italy’s Chianti region has changed me. I still dont have an attitude for the white and Roses but I absolutely love the reds and as the hunter valley gurus say I have got a good I have heard that  knowing wine and appreciating it is an art. So the main purpose of our trip was to learn wine and to try and at least get a vague idea of  ”what makes great wines great?”

Hunter valley vineyards

We started from home at around 8 and headed up towards newcastle and got onto the freeway towards hunter valley vineyards. In about 2 hrs time we reached Cessnock where we stopped for some coffee and nibbles. We then headed off to the information centre to get a map. We finally made it to the first vineyard at around noon. We decided to give more importance to the smaller boutique wineries instead of the big ones and I am so glad about that decision. We met some wonderful inspiring people and heard their stories and tasted some great wines while doing so.

We stopped at Moorebank vineyard, which is a vineyard set out in a picturesque setting. We met a nice lady Susan who works here and you can learn quite a lot of things about wine, food, and life in general just by chatting with her. They dont hav a huge collection of wines here, but the 3 red wines they had, I totally loved them! Given that I am “red person” I started with a blend of Merlot and Shiraz which was quite good, but I felt that it was a bit “young”. I wanted something that was more strong flavoured and yet not too dry. I think I found it in their Merlot 2006, just something I was looking for and for $26.00 AUD it was pretty good on the pocket too!

Moorebank Vineyard at Hunter Valley

Apart from talking and sharing knowledge about great wines Susan is by far the strongest lady I have met so far in my life. Surviving a crash with a spinal injury and the subsequent health issues, she is a happy and strong lady who says that she tries to win the pain and its all in the mind! Such a strong person that she is, she is a true real-life inspiration!

Moving on, we headed towards Tamburlaine organic wines. These guys are the largest organic wines boutique.  I have tasted a wide range of organic red wines here, starting from a young to a reserve cabernet sauvignon. The lady explained to me how you should be tasting wine, the wine and the food match. I love their Shiraz but they usually run out of stock, so I ended up getting a Merlot reserve which I totally intend to reserve for a couple of years at least, hopefully!

Sandalyn estate is another great one that sells olive oils, puddings, wines and also does cooking classes. I loved their date and toffee pudding and am a big fan of their garlic infused olive oil! I also got Cuvee Pinot Noir from them. Pinot Noirs are usually light and easy, not too strong or heavy. So I usually dont end up buying Pinot noirs as I prefer to just have one glass of it when I dine out. As many of the people at the vineyards in the valley mentioned today, I have an intermediate palate and I like pushing myself to the edge, constantly in search of new flavours. But this particular Pinot Noir I got from Sandalyn is a “Cuvee” which means, apparently, is of a “specific blend or batch” and I must confess, the flavours in it are not like any other Pinot Noir.

Murali and Chris at Gartelmann Wines

My next buys, the two other wines that I totally loved but missed out on buying them due to the shortage of time are “Petit Verdot 2009 from Gartelmann wines” thats costs $30 AUD and “2006 Thomas Charles Reserve Shiraz from Adina Vineyard” for $35 AUD which I  especially loved for its woody flavours. need to hit back the valley to get these next time! Adina also has some nice olives, infused olive oils. But I wasnt very impressed by their customer service, so had to dash out to get the infused olive oil somewhere else.

CHOCOLATE! Who doesnt love chocolate? There is also a chocolate factory in the valley where you can try different kinds of chocolates and buy them. I ended up getting some dark chocolate for the chocolate fondue.

Chilli Bomb at the chocolate factory in Hunter Valley

Oh please be sure to try their “Chilli bomb” Yumm! This is my favourite, and I am so going to visit them for it every time I go there.

I also learnt some cool wine terms, techniques and wine and food relationships which I will write in my next post!

This time of the year in Australia is really nice, its ofcourse spring and its getting warmer! The best time to go hiking!

Blue mountains is one of the most popular tourist destinations in New South Wales. With its name derived from the blue haze, its truly an spectacular view of three sisters from the echo point. Apart from the views, the amazing rural settings in the surrounding villages like Leura, Katoomba there are quite a lot of walks and hikes for the adventure lovers.  A range of walks, starting from the very easy short walks to hard and only for experienced multi-day walks provide an adrenalin boost to the adventurers.

Valley of the waters in blue mountains

Me and my hubby are adventure lovers but are still noobs, so we decided to choose an intermediate category of walk “The Wentworth Pass”.  Starting from Sydney we drove to the Conservation Hut on Fletcher Street at Wentworth Falls and parked our car here. This our starting point. Oh before we move on with the walk, let me just quickly mention that the Rosemary baby potatoes are awesome at the Hut

Baby potatoes with rosemary and garlic

Armed ourselves well with coffee, almonds, boiled eggs and we started walking down! The first one hour or so is an easy walk and then the little hurdles start appearing! The small stones in the stony creek path instead of the steps, small creeks to long jump on (kidding, you just need to take a big enough step), the tiny walk paths on the edges of the mountain in the rain forest, a few places where you need to crawl or creep along the edges of the rocks, and the thousand or so vertical stairs that felt like they were going on forever!

Crossing a creek during Wentworth pass hike in Blue Mountains, NSW

The only major obstacle I would say, that we needed help from someone else, was a big boulder with a rope. We had to get on top of the boulder using the rope. I think this is the only step that you will need some help with if you are not used to rock climbing kinda activities.

But with all of the obstacles in place, the walk itself was totally worth it. We hiked right beside the falls, getting down into the valley of the waters, and up the mountain to the base of the wentworth falls and onto the other end of the walk. The views of the falls, valley and the forest were just breath-taking and the view of wild mushrooms on the side of the rocks was interesting!

Wild Mushrooms at wentworth Pass in Blue Mountains

While the length of the walk is only 5kms, the actual ascent itself is 900m and it took half a day for us, about 6-7 hrs, with frequent stops! The vertical climb does demand a bit of energy, so not ideal for someone with joint/knee issues! We ourselves had sore muscles for the next couple of days and had to hit the gym to stretch the muscles!

Overall it was bit of a challenge but we totally loved it and will do it again and might even decide to stretch it a bit more and do an overnight walk!

So in our attempt to explore rural New South Wales (south coast), we drove past Jervis Bay, Batemans Bay driving through the national park, past some beautiful beaches! The drive was beautiful and there are a plenty of beaches to play at, if you are looking for a break!

We drove to Moruya, NSW which is abt 4 and a half hours drive from Sydney! While we enjoyed the drive thoroughly, we booked a room at Hotel Monarch, which i would say is very cheap! For the stay over the long weekend, it was AUD 89.00 per night for the couple! It was a decent standard room and a bathroom, with a fan and heater, very modest and clean! They even had complimentary breakkie which included cereal, toast, coffee, tea for that price!

So, we checked into the motel, then started driving round the town! Its small town but gorgeous! The people were lovely and very friendly! We drove to the nearby town Narrooma which is a far more bigger town! We drove for about another hour or so to Central Tilba to visit the cheese factory! They had cheese tastings (free) and sales as well! This small place which I can easily call a village is totally gorgeous with different shops! From there we drove to see the “Camel Rock Beach” at Bermagui and I must say I was amazed as to how can sandstone form in such a way that appears exactly like a camel! The beach was gorgeous and for some reason there wasn’t any crowd over there! So we enjoyed to the fullest! About another hour or 2 drive, there is a killer whale museum at Eden! Its definitely worth a stopover with its exhibits and tours!

Camel Rock Beach

We headed back to Moruya after that, but the journey can be continued towards Bega to visit the famous Bega cheese factory! Whenever I say Bega, I cant stop thinking of the ad “But Bega is made in Bega”.

We had our dinner in a nice pizzeria at Moruya (probably the only one in that town)! The place was nicely decorated and the food was good! We did the stopover and the next morning we drove to Canberra to visit the Floraide! Before we started our journey, we had breakkie at Susan’s in Mogo! I must admit, they make the best Mocha in the entire planet! And the breakkie was awesome!

Breakkie @ Susan's in Mogo

They also had a nice shop which sells different kids of home baked bread and also healthy cereals!

The bread shop @ Susan's cafe in Mogo

This past long weekend, we thought we would go somewhere different where we have never been! We have always driven towards south coast but almost never past Kiama! So we decided explore a bit more in south coast!

Whilst Kiama is one of the most beautiful places I have seen, the entire south coast drive was gorgeous and every second of it was picture worthy! It gave me a good chance to practice my photographic skills!

So we started at Homebusy Bay, Sydney and we drove on Princess Highway past Kiama, Nowra heading towards Jervis Bay! drive was nice and I especially liked what I saw over there after I got off! We were heading towards beach, with no pre-decided destination on mind! We saw signs “Cave beach” just before Jervis Bay! So we tured towards it, drove for about another few kilometers when we faced the car park! Parked the car and walked down in the bush! I am so glad now that we decided to go with spontaneous decisions instead of preplanned! What I saw was very different to the usual beaches we see! We were on top of a small hill, a little bit elevated! So to head to the beach, we had to walk down, I could see a few campers there! It was an unpowered campsite (with basic amenities like toilet)! Its not like the normal organised campsites like in national parks! I loved what I saw, they were living in nature (atleast for a day or 2)! Sadly we had no camping gear with us, so we could not stay back for it! But we thought of heading there next time with our gear!

Cave Beach

There is also a lookout which overlooks the bushes, the hills and also the beach! Whilst we did not stay there for sunset and sunrise, I reckon it will be a very beautiful sunrise here! Yeah I will check it out in our next trip there and update.
So we got down the small hill (not many steps, so suitable for elderly people as well) and there was this beautiful beach in the midst of 2 hills and then the vast sea! I could see small caves in those hills on the beach, which is why its aptly names “Cave Beach”. There weren’t huge number of people there, probably because of the bad weather! But it was so beautiful and awesome for pictures!
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Kangaroos in Jervis Bay

For someone who wants to explore the south-coast, it can be an excellent trip to travel towards Kiama , watch the blowhole, explore the town, head towards Jamberro Park, have lots of fun with the water-rides then travel to cave beach, camp there over night and then move on to Jervis Bay!
Apart from camping, there are also other activities you can do here like cycling, dolphin watching, some nice bush walks! We also had an opportunity ti take some amazing shots of the Kangaroos in one of the school grounds in Jervis Bay! Love Mother Nature.

Do lookout for the other posts that I will be putting on soon with the other places that we have seen in this trip!

Gold Coast is a very beautiful city in Queensland and is only about 2 hrs drive from Queensland’s capital city Brisbane! There are both domestic and international flights flying into Gold coast!

Gold Coast is famous for its most beautiful beaches! If you are visiting Australia you cant make an itinerary without visitng these beaches!

The beautiful and famous beaches like Surfers Paradise and Mermaid’s beach have  one of its very own and magnificient beach which made them a must-see in the city! Surfer’s Paradise is full of holiday accommodations and hotels! Right opposite to the beach is the shopping centre with food court, bowling and obviously excellent shopping! My personal favourite was “Tree Of Life”! It had niceindo-western jewellery and dresses for quite a cheap price! I never got that stuff for that price in Sydney!

When I visit places, I tend to buy more of local stuff rather than international brands as I can get them anywhere, but for the local stuff I cant find them anywhere again! Its for its originality! Surfer’s paradise is full of such shopping!

While you can enjoy the day with in the waters, or enjoying the bright sunshine lying on the beach, the night life is amazing! Even on a weeknight the place is full of party-goers and there are some excellent pubs that you can hit and have  a late night!

Queensland tourism have also done an excellent job in setting up information centres everywhere in the major centres of the city and the major tourism spots, giving out information and brochures regarding the various tourism hot-spots, activities and transportation.

There are many number of activities for the adventure-lovers like Jet skiing, Para-Sailing, Speed boating, Bungee jumping, rain forest walks etc! Though I could not cover all of them due to the lack of time, we definitely did a good job with Jet Skiing, Para-sailing and speed boating and I am glad we did them! Its an experience that no-one should ever miss! And yeah if I visit this place again, which I am sure I will in next couple of years, then I would do all of them again and much much more!

Where? Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

How to get there? There are both domestic and international flights flying into Gold Coast

Price?

• The domestic flight tickets from Sydney to Gold Coast start from about $50.00 AUD one way!

Gold Coast is famous for its beautiful beaches, the excellent shopping and to keep up with the adventurous mood the theme parks and other activities like Jet Skiiing , Para Sailing etc! Its just amazing at what this city can offer the visitors, by far its a “Definite place to see” when you think of Australia!

• Movie World
• Sea World
• Wet ‘n’ Wild
• Dream World

You might have guessed by now that Wet n Wild is my favourite.

Warner Bros Movie World is just great with exciting rides like Scooby-Doo roller coaster ride,  shows like the Batman show, a 4-D picture, the fun and the excitement from  “The Police Academy” show, the Superman Escape where you can fly with Superman and help him in one of the rescue operations (obviously its 4D) and much much more there is heaps of fun for both kids and adults!

Sea World is also my favourite as it provides a unique opportunity to watch and learn facts about all the rare and geographically dispersed animals! You dont have to travel to Antarctica  to see Penguins, or visit north or south poles to see a Polar Bear! Sea World has them all! There are a couple of Polar Bears which form the main attraction here! You can feed penguins, or visit the Dolphins Show to see the gorgeous Dolphins performing stunts! In my opinion, this is a place packed with fun and lots of knowledge too!

After Movie World’s dramas and Sea World’s knowledge what better place can you find in Gold Coast other than Wet n Wild! Packed with adventure, fun and heaps of excitement the water rides, pools, water slides, waves pool which makes waves on regular time intervals and much much more are all suitable for all age groups! There are kids pools as well where kids can meet other kids and make new friends! During school holidays season they play movie on every saturday night near the pool! You can watch this resting in your beach chair or from being in the pool! Overall its very romantic and fun!

What? Enjoy the fun and excitement in the theme parks

• Movie World
• Sea World
• Wet ‘n’ Wild
• Dream World

Where? Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

How to get there? There are both domestic and international flights flying into Gold Coast

Price?

• The domestic flight tickets from Sydney to Gold Coast start from about $50.00 AUD one way!
• There are three park super passes , 2 park passes etc! Prices start from $50.00 AUD and vary depending upon how many parks and how many entries !

At about 2.5 hrs drive towards the South of Sydney, there is a beautiful place called Kiama! Its very famous for its naturally formed “Blow hole” where water jets to a few metres height from a hole between two rocks! With its most amazing beaches and the natural sea water rock pool its definitely my favourite weekend hideout!

The food here is really nice and the scenic beauty is just amazing! At about 6 pm in the evening all I would wish for would be a nice coffee enjoying the fresh air that Sydney lacks due to its over crowdedness and the tall sky scrapers! I think the fresh air, the people and their willingness to help, the nature are the best things that I love about the rural areas! The sunset near the “blow hole” is just beautiful and is a very nice spot to take some beautiful pictures! And its very romantic too.

Rool Pool and Beach at Kiama

For those of you who love a bit of adventure like us, the rock pool is just awesome! You can also find some quiet and secluded beautiful beaches which are also very good spots for getting an overall tan! The shopping here is quiet cheap as well and I love my summer dresses that I bought here for like $30 or $40 dollars each! They are so beachish and summerish (if you know what I mean)

I am also a bit of water sports lover (though an a bad swimmer :p)! The Jamberoo park which is about 25 min drive from Kiama is an excellent water sport centre with different kinds of pools, water slides, man made beaches, car race track and other water activities that you can ever wish for! Its one of my favourite water activities place.

Diving at Jamberoo

I definitely rank this place after the “Wet n Wild” in Goldcoast! The kids would just love all the activities and the adults can enjoy themselves as well! The race track was awesome and still was quite safe indeed! There is a man made beach which makes waves at regular time intervals and is very safe and was lot of fun to see everyone try takeover them! You can hire the rubber tubes as well for about 5 bucks each! There is also a canteen that servers fish and chips, burgers, soft drinks, coffee and yes ofcourse ice cream!

The entrance ticket to the park costs $37.00 per adult and $29.00 for kids!Kids under  years can get into the park free! The park is open from 10.00am till 5.00 am and I definitely think that its definitely worth it and its a full day’s worth of fun!

Overall this is my favourite hideout and is my perfect weekend escape! Easy to get there and lots of things to do! Cant ask for anything better!