British Airways Flight BA6281

Time

I checked in nice and early, Jburg airport was very efficient, so I spent a lot of time at the airport. Luckily the airport is quite nice. The staff warned you at check-in that they don't have boarding calls so you just have to be at the gate. So, they got us on the bus, transferred the 10 or so of us out to the plane, only to be fold by the captain that the flight would be delayed because of a missing part, but that we could have a free coffee on the airline. I was fine with it since I had nothing to do at Vic Falls anyway, so they decided to take us to the BA lounge. I got a drink and started using the Internet, I wasn't interested in eating anything. Anyway, I was typing away, and next thing I know, I was the only one in the lounge. It seemed that the ground crew knew the plane was ready and didn't bother to inform me. If I had not looked around, I would have missed my flight. I was told when I asked the staff at the BA Lounge that I had to run to the gate (which was very far away) as quickly as possible or I would miss the flight.

Rating - 0

Comfort

Well, the BA Lounge was nice enough. It's quite small but then again there weren't any people there anyway. Everything seems to be serve yourself as it was minimally staffed. I was there for such a short time I didn't even get the chance to use the toilets.

There were so little people on the flight that we were spread out all throughout the plane, there were heaps and heaps of legroom for some reason too. In fact, there was so much space between the seats that I actually had to lean forward off my seat to use the tray table. The flight was pretty comfy for a small plane. The coat hook was very useful, but there was no footrest (not that I could've reached it anyway!).

Rating - 4

Service

Well, you can definitely see the difference. The captain was very nice, apologetic and informative. The cabin crew were ok, below the SA standard I was getting at the hotels and shopping malls, but they were pretty rude to me when I asked for a drink. Gees, there were 3 of them serving like 10 people! And don't get me started about those idiotic ground crew...hmmm, maybe I should file a complaint...people always seem to get free stuff out of them.

Rating - 1

Allowance/Gifts

Well, as usual, I had nothing to check in anyway. You don't get any comforts for such a short flight.

Rating - 3

Food

The food was terrible! A very bland and dry pita bread that had a whole in it and wasn't cut properly, so the filling was already falling out before you started eating it.

Rating - 1

Value

This was ZAR 1288. About 210 AUD.

Rating - 1

Jumbo Points - 10

Info

Johannesburg -> Victoria Falls
29 Sep 07, 09:15 - 10:50
Website

Etihad Airways Flight EY600

Time

I didn't have to check in or get my luggage again, so it was a very easy transit from the airport. They didn't really provide any information though, so I had to find it all out by myself. We had to line up for ages for the X-ray machine, and all these other people pushed in because their flight was leaving.

Once I got to Jburg, our bags took AGES to arrive, and there was this confusion with the luggage belt, so we were running around everywhere.

Rating - 3

Comfort

Airbus A332. I had to sit next to some really fat guy, just my luck, especially when more than half the flight was empty. I moved the first change i got and nabbed a 2 seater, so I was able to have a semi lie down.

The In-flight entertainment system was not working properly, it keeps not working after seeing 1 movie, on both of the seats I was on, but luckily this flight was at sleeping down so it wasn't too bad, but I still can't sleep on the plane. I only managed to fit in The Ex (much better than I thought).

Rating - 3.5

Service

Well, maybe because it was a night flight? But the staff definitely didn't deliver as much water. Other than that, they were great. The captain wasn't as informative than the other flights, but better than all the other airlines anyway.

Rating - 4

Allowance/Gifts

The same eye-patch thing.

Rating - 2.5

Food

Food was not that great again, but there were lots. We got a small meal before we took off and an ok breakfast, but no ice-cream.

Rating - 2.5

Value

Part of my 439 Pound flight deal.

Rating - 3

Jumbo Points - 18.5

Info

Abu Dhabi -> Johannesburg
28 Sep 07, 02:25 - 08:20
Website

Etihad Airways Flight EY12

Time

The check in didn't take as long as expected. I got on with no problems at all. Well, my luggage was only a bit over 10kg, so it looks like I can buy much more stuff on the way back, hahaha! All the delays is because of BAA, so I can't fault Etihad at all.

We took off 30 minutes late, but arrived only 10 minutes late. Since I had to wait 3 hours for my next flight anyway, what time we landed actually didn't matter with me. In fact, the flight was so comfy I wished we'd spent more time in the air.

Rating - 3

Comfort

We flew in an Airbus A346. The seat configuration was 2,4,2. It was a pretty empty flight, so people were pretty spread out and there was no queues for the toilets! The seats - has the bend back head rest which I like, had a footrest which I like, but the length is quite short - which I don't care about at all!

There are many things to occupy your time. They provided an excellent range of newspaper and mags at the waiting area. Their inflight magazine is not bad at all. The best thing though is definitely their in flight entertainment. I managed to finish off all the movies I started on the Cathay flight. Fantastic 4 - Rise of the Silver Surfer (crap), Paris, Je T'aime (very French), Fracture (very gripping), Chaos (an EXCELLENT movie). The screen was big, has all the usual controls, and it even operates as a touch screen. There are loads of videos on demand and the remote is really good. The headphones they provide are excellent. Well padded and comfortable, and most importantly, not too big.

The time flew by in a flash. I didn't sleep so I'll report on that the next flight. And if that's not enough to keep you occupied, you can watch the takeoff and landing on the screen as they have a vi-cam attached.

Rating - 3

Service

The check in desk was quite good. They checked that I had the right visa, assured me about my luggage for my transfer, and adviced me that it took awhile to get to the gate.

Once on board, the staff were very polite. I didn't need them much as my in-flight entertainment was very good. They constantly brought us drinks, took away rubbish and stuff. They cater to all the people who are fasting for ramadan, and served their meals when they could eat too.

The best thing though, is actually the information they provide you. The co-pilot was so informative about EXACTLY what was happening, and spoke in very clear English.

Rating - 4.5

Allowance/Gifts

Well, the magazines at the boarding gates were great. You also get socks, earplugs and a mask, so that's all the stuff you need and none of the stuff you don't. I don't know how lax they are with extra allowance, but I don't think I will try to find out.

Rating - 4

Food

Well, since they won the Skytrax award this year for best in-flight catering, I was expecting big things. My meal was pretty good, don't get me wrong, but I didn't think it was better than other meals I've had. I think they were pretty generous with their food though, and I love their constant supply of drinks, so I never felt I was thirsty or anything.

Rating - 3.5

Value

My London to Jburg return costs me 439 booked online. As I booked at pretty much the last minute, I think it was an ok deal. However, considering the plane was half empty and I am sure I received much better service and a lot more miles, it was great. I've also decided 7 hours is probably the ideal time for a flight, so having a break instead of going direct is probably not a bad idea!

Rating - 3

Jumbo Points - 21

Info

London-> Abu Dhabi
27 Sep 07, 13:05 - 23:15
Website

Day 1 31/8/07 - Australia

Sydney -> Hong Kong

Highlight

• With nothing to do, we arrived at the airport a little too early. The check in wasn't actually open so we had to wait in line. It seemed thought that everyone else had the same idea, so there was a huge line at check in by the time they opened.
• We ate our weight's worth at the Qantas lounge - which was quite boring btw, then ate some more on the plane.
• Business class - it's definitely better, and the service on Cathay is ten times better than Qantas.
• Arrived at the airport, with our boxes of apple, and had no problems getting out. The airport was so busy and the crowds were so huge, but we only had a short wait.
• Got to uncle's house, observing the night views and all the new buildings that have been built in the last couple of years.
• No more food for us, off to bed.

Food

• Qantas lounge:
  • roast beef sandwich
  • turkey cranberry roll
  • tomato roll
  • apple juice
  • champagne orange juice strawberry
  • peas and potato curry salad
  • caesar salad
  • asparagus soup with croutons
  • pea and ham soup
  • chicken nuggets
  • falafel
  • cappuccino
  • chocolate biscuit
  • cheesecake
  • chocolate tart
  • blue, brie and cheddar cheese
• Cathay dinner:
  • Starter
    • seasonal mixed salad served with palm sugar dressing
    • mustard marinated prawns with roasted zucchini and salsa Verde
  • Main course
    • Grilled beef fillet iwth green and yellow beans potato and leek gratin and red wine thyme jus
    • lamb tagine with mixed fruit cous cous
  • Cheese and Dessert
  • Fresh seasonal fruit
  • chocolate cake with King Island cream
  • cappuccino
  • praline
• Cathay refreshment:
  • Starter
    • fresh seasonal fruit
  • Noodle Soup and Savouries
    • Wontons in noodle soup served with chilli sauce
    • chicken and lamb satay on fried rice with satay sauce
  • Dessert
  • lemon tart
  • chocolate brownie
  • cappuccino
  • praline

Hong Kong & China 2007

Simple Plan:
Oz -> Hong Kong -> China -> Hong Kong -> UK

Expaneded Plan:
Sydney -> Hong Kong -> Beijing -> Hong Kong -> London

Date:
31/8/07 - 14/9/07

Flying:
Cathay Pacific Business Class!! + Air China :(

Cost:
$$$$$$

Things you see everywhere in Australia

Hayman Island

• blue water
• sandy beaches
• trees
• resort staff
• conference guests
• American tourists
• kids
• people in swimming costumes
• alcohol
• wedding

Day 6 11/8/07 - Australia

Hayman Island -> Hamilton Island -> Sydney

Highlight

• Our last day. We got up this morning with a bit of apprehension, not only because it was actually going to be 26 degrees, the warmest it has been all week, and sunny too, but also because we ha to contemplate the thought of packing.
• For our last breakfast, we didn’t even stuff ourselves, but I did have another champagne cocktail.
• The weather was nice enough for us to enjoy some last minute catamaraning. It’s certainly better here than Thailand, as there is actually wind and the area is much bigger, plus the water is so much cleaner.
• One last dip in the pool, before we checked out.
• We managed to play the golf driving range, pool, racquet ball and croquet before our transfer back, this time on a luxury charter boat instead of the normal boat.
• The flight back went smoothly, we didn’t miss our check in, didn’t go over in our luggage and the flight was not delayed.

Food

• Azure breakfast:
  • croissant with strawberry jam and smoked salmon and cream cheese
  • almond Danish
  • apricot Danish
  • chocolate muffin with melted chocolate chips
  • omelette with everything except cheese
  • zucchini and onion
  • eggplant with Napolitana sauce and cheese
  • mushrooms
  • duck sausage
  • bircher muesli with stewed prunes, cherries and berry compote
  • champagne cocktail with blue cheese and fig
• champagne
• orange juice
• carrot cake

Day 5 10/8/07 - Australia

Hayman Island

Highlight

• Slokky said the weather was going to be horrible today, so I planned a slow day with nothing to do, little did I know it was just his ploy to do nothing, as the sun was shining and the weather was the warmest it had been all day.
• Watched the fish feeding frenzy around the lagoon
• A late breakfast was in order after the excesses of yesterday’s dinner.
• A slight change of plans because of the weather, we decided to take a dingy out to visit a few of the island. Unfortunately the waves were too rough so we couldn’t go either, so onto Plan C, we got a boat transfer to Blue Pearl Bay 2.
• The boat transfer was lots of fun in itself actually, if you like riding huge waves at high speed and getting your face splattered with water.
• There was still glimpses of sun when we arrived on the spectacular Blue Pearl Bay, so we bit the bullet and dived straight into the snorkelling. The water was spectacular, there were so much fish everywhere, and they would just swim right up to you. We snapped lots of pics so hope they turn out.
• Unfortunately, the sun went into hiding again, so the water turned cold very quickly, and we had to leave the water.
• 2 pieces of misfortune greeted me. 1, I managed to scratch my leg against some coral, resulting in some pretty bad stings. 2, the speed boat ride back was even more exciting. We were going really fast and actually overheated, meaning that we were stranded in the middle of some wavy water for over 5 minutes. I was glad nobody threw up.
• Went to Spa Chakra to try out the steam room and plunge pool. For novelty value only really, it was nothing exciting.
• We wanted to grab a sunset cocktail at the Beach Pavilion, but it was closed early because of yet another wedding, so we walked along the beach to take advantage of the low cloud cover, to try to watch the sunset. However, the tide beat us to it, and we couldn’t actually walk out enough to see the sunset. Still, watching the sky change colour is magical enough.
• Had a quiet night in, to give our stomachs a good rest, and to actually eat some of the food we brought with us. Some instant noodles, cake and chocolate later, our load was lessened, but we were bringing a bit of chocolate home.
• Finally tried out the War of the Rings board game that we borrowed. It took forever to set up, had a million rules, even though we only used the "simplified rule". It could potentially be a very good game, if you remember all the rules that is…

Food

• Azure breakfast:
  • mocha
  • strawberry Danish
  • peach Danish
  • raisin scroll
  • smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel
  • scrambled eggs
  • baked beans on poppyseed bun
  • eggplant Parmigiana
  • bacon and leek frittata
  • eggs Benedict with salmon and bacon
  • roast tomato
  • spicy beef sausage
  • mixed fruit with 4 cheeses
• palmier
• kim chi ramen
• banana
• English breakfast tea
• seashell chocolate

Day 4 9/8/07 - Australia

Hayman Island

Highlight

• After the decadence of last night, we went for a very light breakfast, as we were going for a feast tonight.
• Today they decided to tidy our rooms nice and early, so the room was already all made up after breakfast.
• The sun decided to stay hidden today, so that stopped everyone else from going on the sailing trip with us, so we had the boat, Lady Dee, all to ourselves.
• Lady Dee is the ultimate luxurious vessel. There are 3 bedrooms, a bathroom and kitchen area. We didn’t stay inside for very long though, taking in the scenery of lush green island and blue water.
• Our crew were Beth, from the Hawkesbury, and Christian from Germany. They were really nice, and let us go wherever we wanted. It was like having a private charter. I got to drive for a bit – it was easy as they did everything else and all I had to do was turn the wheel.
• After some trouble negotiating a path between the coral, we were dropped off on Langford Island, with a long stretch of beach sticking out, where we had lunch. Besides a few snorkelers also out on a boat, we had the whole place to ourselves. Probably a good thing that the sun decided to stay hidden though, otherwise we won’t want to leave.
• We had better luck finding deck chairs at the lagoon pool today, as most guests were probably holed up inside, away from the wind. We only lasted about 5 minutes in the pool before we gave up.
• What else to do on a overcast, windy day? We had a go on the 9 hole putting green, borrowed a board game, browsed the retail shop, took a door of Spa Chakra, and played a long game of snooker.
• The highlight of our dining experience is The Chef’s Table, prepared by Glenn Bacon, the executive chef at Hayman Island Resort, which is held twice a week and has only 18 spots. We dined in the hotel kitchen, on a long table, and enjoyed being spoilt by the top quality food and wine on offer. The highlight of it though, was definitely touring the kitchen, including the chocolate room where free samples of Valhona chocolate truffles were on offer, and watching all the bakers at work for the next day’s breakfast.

Food

• Azure breakfast:
  • mocha
  • peppermint tea
  • grapefruit juice
  • blueberry Danish
  • raspberry Danish
  • cheese scroll
  • mango and natural yoghurt with dried fruit and nuts
  • poached egg with hollandaise
  • Sicilian lyonnaise (pork) sausage
• lunch on Lady Dee:
  • orange juice
  • apple blackcurrant juice
  • carrot cake
  • fruit platter
• Chef’s Table dinner:
  • Don Perigon champagne
  • kingfish tartare
  • steamed Brunny island oysters with sake
  • mud crab and reen papaya salad with plantains
  • 2006 Henschke "Coralinga" Sauvignon Blanc
  • Guinea hen, savoy cabbage, black pudding and pork hock compression
  • 2006 Haan "Prestiage" Viognier
  • Hiramisa kingfish with baby abalone, enoki and pearl barley “risotto”
  • 2005 Dog Point Chardonnay
  • Pave of wagyu nine score with snail tart and Montpellier butter
  • 2001 D’Arenberg "Coppermine Road" Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Purple carrot gelle and sherbet
  • Variations of orange
  • 2004 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon

Day 3 8/8/07 - Australia

Hayman Island

Highlight

• Our waterskiing plans didn’t eventuate as the kinds were too strong, so we ended up having a long breakfast.
• We did our hike around Hayman Island. The walk is on a pretty gentle, well marked path. The views were amazing, but the highlight was definitely landing on Blue Pearl Bay 1, while looking over to Blue Pearl Bay 2 (can't be reached on foot) with its crystal water, pebble beach, and the moored yatch around.
• Tried to go swim at the lagoon pool, but all the deck chairs were taken, so we had to go back to the main pool instead. Slokky jumped into the big pool for about 1 minute before deciding that it was too cold.
• We were curious what paddle skis were, but turned out to be some very nice kayaks. Paddled around in some very rocky water for awhile.
• Dinner at Azure again, this time for the seafood grill. I tried to eat my money’s worth with oysters, but only managed 18 before I was defected.
• Too full to even move, we retired to watch Zodiac in our room, one of the best movies to come out this year.

Food

• Azure breakfast:
  • champagne cocktail
  • pineapple juice
  • latte
  • hot chocolate
  • smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel
  • raisin bun
  • miso soup
  • chicken sausage
  • spicy beef sausage
  • beef steak
  • smoked salmon and spinach egg pot
  • French toast
  • pancake
  • fried potato
  • hash brown
  • grilled mushroom
  • Bircher muesli with berry compote and strawberry yoghurt
  • fruit and cheese
• marble cake
• seafood grill dinner at Azure:
  • oyster
  • prawn
  • crab
  • squid salad
  • pumpkin and sausage salad
  • salmon and potato salad
  • bean and egg salad
  • roast beef salad
  • couscous and fish salad
  • sushi
  • salt and pepper squid
  • chilli prawns
  • chicken and sweet corn soup
  • lobster and clams paella
  • Thai fishcakes
  • vegetable tempura
  • steamed whole fish
  • deep fried yabbie
  • fried salmon
  • fried kingfish
  • fish skewer with lemon
  • curry octopus
  • roast beef
  • chocolate mousse
  • passionfruit cheesecake
  • tiramisu
  • flourless chocolate cake
  • coffee slice
  • chocolate raspberry slice
  • crème caramel
  • orange poppyseed cake
  • carrot cake
  • fruit tart
  • fresh fruit
  • blue cheese

Day 2 7/8/07 - Australia

Hayman Island -> Knuckle Reef -> Hayman Island

Highlight

• Had a very enjoyable breakfast at Azure, sitting by the window looking right on the beach. It was a bit too cold to sit outside though. Only tried a small selection of food as we were going diving!
• Boarded Seaflight, run by Cruise Whitsundays. The oat was top class, and Hayman guests get special treatment (but we have to pay more than everyone else). Met Anne and Britney from USA, who were here for a birthday trip.
• Lots of activities on board, but we couldn’t actually fit everything in!
• Glass bottom boat – quite enjoyable, the marine biologist explained a lot of stuff, like what all the corals are called and what you were likely to see.
• Was looking forward to the "Subsea Adventure", a submersible. But it turned out to be not very exciting, we couldn’t see very much.
• Got suited up for diving, had a 1mm long suit with a 5mm short suit, but it was still freezing cold. We dived for 45 minutes but I couldn’t stand the cold. There were some pretty fish and coral, but much much less to see than The Similans and even our first Cairns trip, so in that sense was disappointing. The highlight was probably seeing (and touching ;p) Wally the giant wrasse again. I actually still had 90 bars of air left when we came up.
• We wanted to do a 2nd dive, but because of bad planning by them, we actually could not fit it in. Never mind, it was way too cold for me anyway, and it meant we could actually eat lunch.
• Lunch was not very exciting. We only got the leftovers of everyone else, and they actually packed up while we were trying to eat anyway.
• We only had about 15 minutes for lunch before we were whisked away for the next activity, which was a helicopter flight back to Hayman, visiting Heart Reef, Langford Island, Whitehaven Beach. The view was spectacular and was definitely worth the money ($349). We also saw a few whales on their migration from Antartica.
• Swam in the famous Hayman pool, but only the inside pool as nothing else was heated.
• Listened to the jazz and piano player in the Club lounge while Slokky ordered a girly mocktail.
• Watched them replace and wipe everything at turndown even though they only cleaned the room not too long ago.
• Had a quiet night in, looking at wedding photos, watch TV, read Harry Potter and of course the laptop. The free wireless access has to be the best feature of the resort.

Food

• Azure breakfast:
  • smoked salmon
  • assorted cold cuts
  • blueberry muffin
  • apple danish
  • rye bread
  • smoked salmon baked egg pot
  • hash brown
  • chicken sausage
  • chipolata sausage
  • croissant with strawberry jam
  • chocolate croissant
  • skim cappuccino
  • apple juice
  • pineapple juice
  • omelette with mushrooms, cheese and tomato
  • bacon
  • poached egg
  • brie with dried fruit
  • assorted fruit
• Lunch on Seaflight:
  • apple juice
  • bread roll
  • tortilla wrap
  • cold cuts
  • prawns
  • steamed mussels with tomato
  • crab stick salad
  • pasta salad
  • rice salad
  • potato salad
  • chicken
  • pineapple and melon
• tutti frutti mocktail ($12)
• English breakfast tea
• hot and spicy instant noodles ($1.50)
• chocolate seashell
• palmier

Day 1 6/8/07 - Australia

Sydney -> Hamilton Island -> Hayman Island

Highlight

• Things didn’t start off on a good note. For some reason, my usually reliable dad was late. It took him over 10 minutes to get ready to leave. Because he was usually so good, we didn’t factor in that it would take him so long to get ready, so we ended up missing our plane by 2 minutes, as all the Jetstar check in all “automatically” closes exactly 30 minutes before the flight is scheduled to leave. We knew the plane was still here, but they refused to let us on, even if we were on our honeymoon. The guy at customer service was quite helpful, but he just kept stressing that he had no power to actually get us on even if he could. He booked us on the next flight, but that was not for another 6 hours, and we had to pay $120 in late fee, which he tried to waive, but didn’t manage to.
• Defeated, we tried not to let that ruin our day, and spent the morning at Oatley with my relatives, looking at our wedding video and photos, and opening all the cards and presents.
• We made our way to the airport for the second time, we were 1 hour early, but still managed to be one of the last people to check in.
• Once we arrived at Hamilton island airport, things went very smoothly. From the seamless transition to our luxury cruise transfer, to the checking in process and the huge welcome cocktail that was served.
• The Resort was as we expected. After being in Asia, Hayman Island Resort certainly does not beat them in service, but I believe it is the best resort in Australia (not that I have the authority to say of course, more of a gut feel kinda thing). Our room was very nice, not as big as Aspasia, but good enough that I can spend the whole week there.
• We did an orientation of the resort where we found out all the Internet was free, and we could get wireless everywhere, all the restaurants, the club lounge, our room, and hence my consistent blogging 
• Since we were up at 4am this morning for that flight we missed, we were dead tired, and retired early for bed (after the fantastic turndown service) after our beautiful dinner at La Trattoria.

Food

• cornbread, marble cake, palmier
• Hayman cruise:
  • champagne
  • bacon and chicken quiche
  • fruit skewers
• midori cocktail
• dinner at La Trattoria:
  • foccacia with balsamic oil and tomato salsa
  • zuppa minestrone ($17)
  • pappardelle allo scoglio ($34)
  • tuscan pizza ($27)
• camomile tea

Hayman Island 2007

Simple Plan:
Oz

Expaneded Plan:
Sydney - Hamilton Island - Hayman Island - Hamilton Island - Sydney

Date:
6/8/07 - 11/8/07

Flying:
Jetstar deathstar

Cost:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Natone Hills Fly Fishery Bed & Breakfast

Room

Wow, I didn’t expect to have a big 3 bedroom house to ourselves. We had 3 big bedrooms to choose from. Our pillows were nice and comfy, but the double bed was a bit small and hard. All the beds were equipped with towels and electric blanket.

The place had a big living room, with some comfy but old chairs. The bathroom was spacious and newly done up, not fancily, just functional.

There was a carport out the front too that we had to share with the pigeons.

Rating - 4

Facilities

We had access to the fully stocked kitchen, flour, egg, cereal, pots, pans, all kinds of tea and coffee. You want it, it was available. There was a huge fridge, but alas, no freezer. We had a very small TV (a good thing). The bathroom even had toothpaste and loads and loads of toilet paper.

There was also a laundry and second toilet, a dartboard, loads of brochures. The best thing though, was that it was a working farm and in the morning you could go watch the cows being milked and have a go yourself. There are lots of tracks and paddocks you are free to wonder across as well.

Christine and Ian were very nice and very friendly. They talked a lot and invited us into their lives. They showed us around the place but left us alone too.

Rating - 4

Location

The location is both good in bad. Situated on a farm around 30 minutes from Burnie, it meant you couldn’t just get to the shops and go to restaurants or freshen up when you want, but the setting was so beautiful and quiet. Also because it was a farm there was no mobile reception.

Rating - 2.5

Food

We were given 6 fresh eggs, white and wholemeal read, loads of different jams nad butter, a huge supply of cereal and milk (sadly because of the law they couldn’t give us the fresh milk, which gets sent to be packaged), tea (green, peppermint, camimole, jasmine, breakfast), coffee, hot chocolate. They had sugar, flour, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, so I was able to whip up some pancakes for breakfast!

Rating - 4.5

Value

I couldn’t believe how cheap it was, at $60 a night, including breakfast supplies. I would definitely come back for more.

Rating - 5

Snooze Points - 20

Info

Greta Road
Upper Natone
North West Coast
TAS 7321
Phone (03) 6436 2181
Website

Riverfront Motel

Room

It was one of those holes in the wall. There’s enough room for you to walk between the two single beds, and that’s about it. We had a big suitcase so we had to step over it to get anywhere. The bed itself? The pillow was extremely flat, with a very soft mattress. The bathroom had a shower, a very small sink and nowhere to put your stuff.

Rating - 1.5

Facilities

Well, the light was not working so we had to make do with just the reading light. The kettle was one of those dumb one with no on/off button. It just boils when you plug it in, which of course meant it doesn’t turn itself off either, so you have to wait around to hear it boil before you turn it off. We were given biscuits and fresh milk, but there are really no other facilities. The curtain also don’t reach all the way past the bottom of the small slits of windows, and let the light through. Good thing we had a very early morning flight so it didn’t matter that much.

The service was very efficient (hey at least they had our booking!), I managed to arrange my check out the night before all without a problem.

Rating - 2

Location

It’s not in Hobart itself, but it’s not too far away. It’s easy to eat to Hobart if you have a car, and it’s actually a bit closer to the airport. However, except for a winery, there’s really nothing much around there. We couldn’t enjoy the supposedly beautiful views because we arrived after it was dark and headed off very early in the morning.

Rating - 2

Value

$75 per night, “discounted” from the rack rate of $79.

Rating - 2

Snooze Points - 7.5

Info

897 Brooker Highway
Berriedale
TAS 5001
Phone (03) 6272 6721
Website

Things you see everywhere in Australia

Hunter Valley

• vineyards
• Americans
• tourists
• happy people
• tourist trap

Newcastle

• uni students
• country town

Day 3 6/5/07 - Australia

Newcastle -> Sydney

Highlight

• Wow, the first holiday I haven't enjoyed for a long time. I'd forgotten why I don't go on holidays with my family...I swear when I have a family, I am not going to annoy them!
• After another restless night, with the front door alarm going off constantly and drunk uni students patrolling the halls, we set off for the Honeysuckle Markets, Newcastle's premier market. Well, put it this way, there were about 10 stalls that's about it, so we were able to buy some bread and veg and go home to have brekkie.
• On the way back, drove past some of the "sights" of Newcastle, the Red-Light District, and the Newcastle Steelworks.
• After our "lunch", it was time for the long drive home, watching a game of soccer, before finally arriving home.

Food

• Fosterton Farm Linseed sourdough ($4.80)
• Fosterton Farm corn sourdough ($4.80)
• Fosterton Farm farmhouse sourdough ($4.80)
• Fosterton Farm pumpkin, fetta and rice parcel ($3)
• Mayan Coffee cappuccino ($3.20)
• Bionnarie Dairy labna, duetto
• Hunter Valley Cheese Company gold washed rind cheese
• omelette with mushrooms

Day 2 5/5/07 - Australia

Newcastle -> Pokolbin -> Newcastle

Highlight

• Woke up really early because of the bird calls outside the dorm room, so we ended up having breakfast really early and leaving the house by 8:30am. As a result we got to the Hunter Valley around 9:30 am, so of course nothing was open yet.
• First stop was the Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Shop, which wasn't opened yet, so we had a wonder around the Pokolbin Chocolate & Jam Company General Store at the Pokobin Village Resort.
• Too impatient to wait, we went to the Hunter Valley Gardens Village (HVGV), where there is a beautiful church with stained glass windows overlooking the gardens (incidentally there was a wedding there too).
• There are plenty of shops around HVGV to poke around in, my favourites were The Waiters Friend, selling all manners of kitchen stuff, and of course The Hunter Valley Chocolate Company, where they craft some delicious chcolate, my favourite being the chilli chocolate. They didn't have the dark coffee beans we wanted, so the girl was kind enough to call their other shop and store some aside for us.
• We hadn't actually tasted any wine at this stage, so we thought it was time to give it a go.
• We started off at the Bluetongue Brewery, but since we had to pay to taste the beer, so we just had a look before moving on. You can go on brewery tours, but seeing we've been on tours before, we gave it a miss.
• Across the road was the Binnorie Dairy, it was very crowded, but the setting as beautiful, overlooking a lake and vineywards, so we didn't mind waiting around. When we finally did, we got to taste test the whole range of their cheese, duetto, marinated fetta, labna, mascapone. Their cheese offering was excellent, we were really pleased so bought up big.
• On the way there, we passed a really nice looking winery, set in the valley and they had a huge balcony, so we decided to use that as our first wine tasting stop. I am so glad we did. The Keith Tullochwine Winery was excellent, a small brewery that only makes a small collection of wines, on sale at the cellar store or at the Small Winemakers Centre, and restaurants only. The best thing about this place is the way you do tasting. You pick your spot on the spacious balcony or inside, and they bring you glasses and the wines one by one. They only produce 2 whites, three rds and a dessert wine only. The wines were of pretty good quality, and the service was excellent. Each wine was explained to you and you can relax with your tasting, reclining on the comfy couches. There are also newspaper and mags to read. We spent over an hour there and ended up joining their wine club as well as buying a dozen.
• We went back to the Smelly Cheese Shop but it was so crowded that we didn't stay there long. They have a whole range of their own cheeses as well as cheese from all around the world. If you're here on a quiet day it's well worth a wander, especially in their cheese room.
• The Hunter Valley Cheese Factory is located at McGuigan Cellars. We walked through the range of their cheese, including the marinated fetta, fresh herbed cheese, the smelly Gold Washed Rind, 2 goats cheese: the Branxton White Mould and Grape Vien Ashed Brie, a strong blue and a cheddar from Queensland. The marinated products were not as good as Binnorie Dairy, but we really enjoyed the washed rind. We also managed to pick up some excellent olive oil.
• Across the road for some lunch at the Australian Regional Food Store, but alas, the lunch menu was boring and unimaginative, not to mention expensive, so we made to with 2 mediocare coffees, before heading next door to the Small Winemakers Centre for more taste testing. Not only was the person rude and slow to us, but the wine was pretty ordinary. We left there in a hurry, plenty more cellar doors where they are more welcoming.
• Finally we made our way to the reason we went to the Hunter in the first place, the Meander on Marrowbone Road event as part of the Harvest Festival. Unfortunately it was a bit late in the day, and also because we'd drunk our weights worth in wine, we only managed to make it to 2 out of 5 wineries. Draytons Family Wines where they were offering a winery tour. But before that, we got to taste a few of their offerings, and picked up a dozen reds for the price of $4 each! The wineary tour was pretty informative, and covers the whole process - I've been to a few winery tours in my lifetime, and I actually never remember much of it...
• Our 2nd stop on Marrowbone Rd was to the McWilliams Mount Pleasant Estate, one of the oldest winery in the Hunter. They had a photo exhibition, showing wine making there in teh 50s, taken by famous photographer Max Dupain.
• Our last stop was to get our chocolates from the . I never realised why this was the last stop, as the girl mentioned the shop was just down the road. As it turned out, Slokky had "misinterpreted" and thought we had to go to the factory at Lovedale instead. So 20 minutes later, we found ourselves at the factory shop, where we watched two workers making chocolates. A few taste of fudge later, we came away with bags of chocolate treats.
• We wanted to go to Restaurant II, but it was booked out. So Slokky suggested Honeysuckle Wharf, the supposed Newcastle equivalent to King Street Wharf. Well, in terms of architecture, that's correct, but in terms of shops and people, there were like 1/4 of the people. Since we were with mum and dad, we didn't really get ot eat at where we wanted, so ended up at Twist Cafe Bar, which is not a highlight. Read about it in my review here.
• Got forced to go to Coles to buy soap, even though there were still heaps left, then got forced to eat "yam dessert", even though there is no sugar in it at all.
• As usual, Elaine refuses to sleep early and also refuses to keep the noise down when other people are sleeping, so had to stay awake even though I was really really tired.

Food

• baked beans, scrambled eggs and cheese on toast
• porriage with fruit and nuts
• Bliss Coffee Roaster cappuccino ($3.50)
• taste testing olive oils, jams, chutneys
• taste testing wines
• Australian Regional Food Store latte ($3.80)
• taste testing chocolate and fudge at Hunter Valley Chocolate Company
• mandarin
• Twist Cafe Bar dinner:
  • seared blue eye cod fillet in South Indian aubergine and potato curry topped with seared scallops and riata ($26)
  • pan fried yellow fin tuna served on sauteed kiper potato, asparagus and sundried tomatoes with wild roquette, basil oil and essence of balsamic ($26)
  • roased whole spatchcock with french lentils, currents, speck and merlot glaze ($24)
  • chargrilled bangalow pork cutlet with roasted parsnip and thyme mash, sauteed dbaby spinach and caramelised apple jus ($26)
  • seared atlantics salmon with beurre blanc, asparagus spear and potato rosti ($26)
• yam potatoes "dessert"
• peanut butter fudge

Day 1 4/5/07 - Australia

Sydney -> Newcastle

Highlight

• We started with dinner at Flemington's Saigon Pho, before taking the 2+ hour drive to Newcastle. The road was more crowded than I expected, but the road is nice enough.
• Elaine's campus dorm is very nice. The building is very new, the room is ver yspacious and there are some very beautiful BBQ area as well as a common room with a huge TV and Foxtel! Slokky might be spending more weeks here afterall

Food

• Saigon Pho dinner:
  • beef noodle soup ($7)
  • seafood combination in fried noodles ($9)
  • special fish with rice hot pot ($8.70)

Hunter Valley 2007

Simple Plan:
Oz

Expaneded Plan:
Sydney - Newcastle - Hunter - Newcastle - Sydney

Date:
4/5/07 - 6/5/07

Flying:
or not

Cost:
$$

100 Great Things To Do In Australia

001 Explore Kakadu’s little brother Litchfield
002 Be cast for eternity onto salty Lake Ballard
003 Swim with wild seals at Baird Bay
004 Go on holiday save 100 lives at Mapoon
005 Reach the oasis of Ormiston Gorge
006 Visit the other remarkable pebble Mount Augustus
007 Open a half-million-year-old treasure chest Naracoorte Caves
008 Visit one of the world’s oldest art galleries Carnarvon Gorge
009 Go swimming with tuna at Port Lincoln
010 Hear a great set of pipes at the Undara Lava Tubes
011 Walk to Art in Melbourne
012 Stay the night in a light on Montague Island
013 Lose yourself in the bluest lagoon at Fitzroy Reef
014 Call the birds in on towering Mount Gower
015 Take a vow of silence in New Norcia
016 Be among the first to paint the hills in outback SA
017 Celebrate Australian biodiversity at Australian Garden
018 Adrift on a Dead Sea at the Pool of Siloam
019 Rent your own island in the Mackerel Islands
020 Get dragged around with Sydney by Diva
021 Look! Up in the sky! It’s your round! Flying Pub Crawl
022 Bathe in convict history at the Bogey Hole
023 Live the life of a keeper on Gabo Island
024 See Sydney from a VERY different angle
025 Paddle under a convict prison in Fremantle
026 Play catch with sharks on the Undersea Explorer
027 Lose your blues at Greens Pool
028 Be a postman for a day on the Outback Mail Run
029 Take the longest sheer plunge down Wallaman Falls
030 Stay at Kangaroo’s lighthouse trinity
031 Dive into the world’s purest cleanest water Mount Gambier
032 See the world at 300m per second in a Mig Jet
033 Gain some extremely remote access at Garig Ganuk Barlu
034 Find food for your soul at Flames of the Forest
035 Stride among the city of Gnomes
036 Watch over Australia’s moodiest lake Blue Lake
037 The Sound of Music at Mount Scoria
038 See blind shrimps and a million stars at Cutta Cutta Caves
039 Fly to the ancient source of Australian art
040 Visit our most haunted house Monte Cristo Homestead
041 See the other side of the rainbow Rainbow Serpent Tour
042 Twitter with the Twitchers at Coffs Coast
043 Stroll along the seabed with Seawalker
044 Find a home among the Banksias
045 Bathe in a boiling outback lake at Dalhousie Springs
046 Spot some of Australia’s oldest graffiti on Chambers Pillar
047 Get on your soapbox Australian Billy Cart Champs
048 Travel in a clattering time machine the Afghan Express
049 Take tea with the Morning Tea Ladies on Tiwi Island
050 Go French for a hidden tourism gem French Island
051 Go to sea in a tinnie at the Beer Can Regatta
052 Hold your breath for the dive of the century Fish Rock Cave
053 Fly in raft out on the North Johnstone River
054 Run with white lions in Mogo Zoo
055 Win your wife’s weight in beer Wife Carrying Champs
056 Don’t fence me in at Cameron’s Corner
057 Watch spawning cuttlefish off Whyalla
058 Proclaim yourself King for the night Kings Plains Castle
059 Walk through untouched lands Kakadu Hawk Dreaming
060 Visit an outback slice of the ’50s at Bells Milk Bar
061 Imagine the land before maps on the Great North Road
062 Catch your own seafood platter at Black Point
063 Prepare to circle the wagons in Bendigo
064 Hop on Tasmania’s newest ride Piners and Miners Tour
065 Play polo in Banjo country at the Geebung Polo Match
066 Make your own wine at Penfolds
067 Tinker with Tilba Tilba’s trinkets
068 Walk among the dolomites in the Hastings Caves
069 Make like Moses at Burning Mountain
070 Go deep underground with Douggie’s Mine Tours
071 Boogie-woogie on rails in the Blues Train
072 Rent your own cave in the Upper Blue Mountains
073 Visit Australia’s unknown Grand Canyon Capertee Valley
074 Share your secrets with the Whispering Wall
075 Find your way among the roses at Ashcombe
076 Bomb the Perry Sandhills on the banks of the Murray
077 Have the perfect family day at Parsley Bay
078 Stumble across Beautiful Betsy
079 Crawl through a goldmine at Arltunga
080 See the giant water babies at Point Ann
081 Crawl through a convict tunnel in Clarence
082 Visit a country within a country Principality of Hutt River
083 Back your favourite cane toad on Magnetic Island
084 Twirl a brolly from a previous century Old Umbrella Shop
085 Delve into your immigrant past at the National Archives
086 Visit Hans Heysen’s home among the gumtrees
087 Spot Australia’s rarest mammal at Two Peoples Bay
088 Dive into surfing heartland’s Blue Pool
089 See the walls come alive at Kurri Kurri
090 See the world’s largest acrylic painting at Broken Hill
091 Sail the postman’s run up the Hawkesbury
092 Join the outback pest war against the Yellow Crazy Ants
093 Roll with the pumpkins at Goomeri
094 Wander through the scarecrows in the vineyard
095 Step through the looking glass National Art Glass Gallery
096 Get the best coffee in the galaxy at Tidbinbilla
097 Ride fly eat and learn on the Flying Camel Tour
098 Pay your respects to Tom Roberts’ Big Picture
099 Drink the world’s most expensive coffee
100 Set your spider senses tingling at Australia’s Venom Zoo

Day 1 24/4/07 - Australia

Sydney -> Hobart -> Sydney

Highlight

• Another close brush to the airport, I was stuck on the M5 for over 30 minutes, meaning my trip took 40 minutes longer than usual. Luckily the rain delayed all flights so I made it with about 5 minutes to spare.
• The flight was full of old people and young families, all on holidays to Tassie or going back to see family. This all adds to the atmosphere of a holiday. So even though this was a business trip, it’s Tassie, so it can’t help but feel like a holiday.
• Got a taxi without having to line up, and 10 minutes later we arrived in the city centre.
• A swift meeting with the GM and other heads of, and then we were off to lunch.
• Walked down to Salamanca Place, which looked very different without the market stalls and the crowd. It was very pleasant, with the beautiful sandstone buildings, antique and arts shop, and glorious restaurants all housed in the restored buildings.
• A pleasant walk to my favourite bakery in the whole world, Jackman & McRoss, and watched the world (or the Tassies) pass by. A beautiful way to appreciate Tassie.
• Stocked up on supplies and walked back down the whimsical Kelly’s Step back to the office.
• The workshops went well. Tasmanians are so much more relaxed.
• After finally securing a cab in the heart of the CBD, made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We enjoyed a glass of wine and enjoyed our Jackman & McRoss takeaway, before boarding the flight back.
• Ahh, Sydney, rain, wait for taxis, traffic…it’s good to be home.

Food

• Jackman & McRoss braised rabbit pie ($8.50)
• Jackman & McRoss quince tart ($6.50)

Tasmania 2007

Simple Plan:
Oz

Expaneded Plan:
Sydney - Hobart - Sydney

Date:
24/4/07

Flying:
Virgin

Cost:
$

Virgin Flight DJ 623

Time

This time we took off on time, but because of the rain in Sydney, we were delayed for 10 minutes on return, which was nothing, considering the Qantas flight to Melbourne was delayed 2 hours, and the long wait for a taxi afterwards and the traffic…

Rating - 4

Comfort

We were forced to stand on the tarmac for ages, it was freezing cold because people were very slow getting on the plane. This time the plane was full and I was sitting next in the middle next to my colleague and this tall man who drank lots of alcohol during the flight, so it wasn’t exactly comfortable. One of the reading lights didn’t work either so that didn’t help.

Rating - 2

Service

It must be mid-day fatigue, because the crew was pretty boring. They had their work cut out for them handling the request from alcoholic next door, and they handled it well, so well done to them.

Rating - 1

Allowance/Gifts

Yup, they had live to air TV again, but there was a problem so every couple of minutes the screen would blank out. Alcoholic actually bought the service for $6 (he should’ve checked that it actually worked first!), and then was complaining about it.

Rating - 2.5

Value

This was bought on a Fully Flexible Fare, for $349. Again, not paid for by me.

Rating - 4

Jumbo Points - 13.5

Info

Hobart - > Sydney
24 Apr 07, 17:00 - 18:50
Website

Virgin Flight DJ 618

Time

Because of the rain we actually took off half hour late, which was again fine by me because I was stuck in traffic and had to do another mad dash to the gate. Luckily Virgin has now implemented web check-in so I was able to walk straight to security, saving a lot of time. We didn’t arrive that much later though, only 15 mins, so we were still able to make our appointment.

Rating - 2.5

Comfort

I don’t think I really need to comment on this one any longer, having flown so many Virgin flights. This time we had a spare seat between us so it was much more comfy.

Rating - 4

Service

The crew were surprisingly low key. Usually they have some funny stories to tell, but I think because we took off late and they were in a rush, so they wanted to hurry and get everything done to meet their on time demand.

Rating - 3.5

Allowance/Gifts

This flight has the new “live TV” implemented, i.e. there is a screen on each seat where you get a choice of 30 channels. We were given free headphones and there is a review of the channels before take-off. I tried out a few channels, namely the news and the Lifestyle channels, and found it quite good. However, once we took off, you had to pay $6 for the service, which is ok of course. However, it meant that all the radio channels are disabled so you can’t actually listen to anything.

Rating - 3.5

Food

The usual stuff available, which I didn’t try.

Rating - 2.5

Value

This was bought on a Blue Saver, for $159. I didn’t have to pay for it anyway.

Rating - 4.5

Jumbo Points - 20.5

Info

Sydney -> Hobart
24 Apr 07, 8:55 - 10:45
Website

Rialto Hotel on Collins

Room

Our package was for a deluxe king room. The room was certainly bigger than normal. Situated on the 7th floor, which is the highest on that side of the hotel, and with a balcony overlooking the cafe area below, it is very impressive. It might be a bit freaky not to have natural light, but I was fine with that. I went out on that balcony often to observe people around.

We had a king bed that had the pillow thing going on. The bed as very comfy, the pillow a little soft but at least not floppy. The decor in the rest of the room I will describe as yellow. You couldn't really turn the lights up to brighten up the room. Gold glitz and dark wood paneling is the order of the day. There is a chair with a foot rest and a writing desk. The bathroom was quite spacious, with a marble-topped basin.

Rating - 4

Facilities

The mini-bar was kinda impressive. We had Foxtel (not that I cared) and a Playstation (ditto). All the usual suspects: huge rooftop pool, spa, sauna, gym, bar, business centre... The bathroom amenities were generous, and they had bathrobes (which we didn't use again) but no fluffy slippers.

The staff were very professional, both at reception, valet parking and at check-in. The check-in chick was a bit ditzy, thinking our breakfast wasn't included in the price. The bell-boy was nowhere to be seen when we needed him though. We didn't try out the famed concierge as we didn't even have enough time to do anything!

Rating - 4

Location

Right in the centre of town, actually, the ritzy part of town. It's close to transport and all the major attractions in the city. Too bad we didn't really make use of it.

Rating - 5

Food

We started with some good quality champagne, very sweet choc-dipped strawberries, and dark chocolate mint, so they were already in my good books. Anyone who provides a selection of fresh bread (go olive!) at breakfast gets my vote.

The food was above average for a hotel breakfast buffet, but of course doesn't beat a cafe. They have an egg station, offering up half set poached eggs, as well as your standard hot food fare. The bacon was very lean. The pancake still a bit rubbery.

My favourite, besides the bread, were the mix your own muesli and fruit compote. I also forced down a hot-cross bun because it was Easter.

Rating - 4.5

Value

Our one night package was $169 for a king sized room, champagne and strawberries on arrival and buffet breakfast for me. It as great value for a Easter holiday weekend right in the heart of the city. Valet parking was an extra $25.

Rating - 4

Snooze Points - 21.5

Info

495 Collins St
Melbourne
VIC 3000
Phone (03) 9620 9111
Website

Frog Gully Cottages

Room

There's a small kitchen, a large dining and living room, spacious outdoor deck, and 2 bedrooms, each with its own ensuite. Everything is tastefully decorated, more in the country style than that Mod look. I really like that there is a uniqueness in their decorations. Everything is frog themed, from the door mat to the toilet paper!The cottages are obviously quite new, some things even still have their tags on!

The double bed has electric blankets and fluffy doonas, but the mattress wasn't that comfortable and the pillow was floppy! This really let the cottage down in terms of rating.

Rating - 3

Facilities

This is supposed to be 4 star rated, and there is almost everything you need. The kitchen is not a full kitchen but all the basics are there, with everything being almost new. The gas BBQ on the deck is great too! They actually provide gloves for the kitchen and encourage recycling and composting.

There are heaters, electric blankets and fans, as well as DVDs, CD player, books, mags (all outdated unfortunately) and games. The bathrooms had some amenities and hair dryers. There is also a laundry should you be that way inclined.

Rating - 4

Location

Located on some beautiful wetlands, away from any life really, but close enough to a major town. Really the best of both worlds.

Rating - 4

Food

The breakfast provisions included: 4 strips of bacon, 4 eggs, 4 slices of bread, a selection of cereals and jams. Not as generous as other places we've been to, and not of the highest quality. In fact, the quantity is just right instead of being too generous. The milk they supplied had already passed its use by date though. Boring supply of tea and coffee, with 3 packets of Jarrah hot chocolate. They also gave us some chocolate frogs.

Rating - 3.5

Value

The cottages are priced at $160 for 2 at any time of year. At other times I would think they are a tad expensive, but at Easter, it's not bad.

Rating - 3

Snooze Points - 17.5

Info

Lot 2419
Rosedale Rd
Longford
VIC 3851
Phone (03) 5149 7242 or 0439 369 057
Website

Things you see everywhere in Australia

Melbourne

• toll roads
• trams
• live screens showing sport
• sport supporters
• rude drivers
• coffee shops
• beautiful sculptures on the street
• weird architecture

Gippsland

• SES coffee and tea service
• tourists, especially campers and caravans
• cows
• dairies
• wetlands
• forests

Things you see everywhere in Australia

Tasmania

• J Boggs
• Cascades
• pubs
• old couples or groups touring
• tourists
• farms
• cows
• sea
• road kill

Audi A3

Trip Summary

Melbourne -> Gippsland -> Melbourne

Drive

Quote "good handling, tendency to slightly under steer when pushed to the limits. The 6-speed gearbox is a dream. Steering a little twitchy for my preference"

Rating - 4

Comfort

It's a bit more squishy than the Focus, but it's roomy enough. There's not that much space in the backseat. I couldn't figure out how to adjust the headrest for a long time so was very uncomfortable. Otherwise, there is separate temperature control. Only complaint, slightly below average road noise reduction.

The cigarette lighter didn't work, or at least we couldn't figure out how it worked, so we couldn't charge our GPS.

Rating - 4

Service

Slow, we had to line up twice, once to register at the airport and another time to get the keys at the office. There was a scratch on the car so I went to report it at the office, at which they said not to worry about it. We then noticed the tank was only 3/4 full, so we had to go and report that again.

Rating - 1

Value

$330 for our 4 day sojourn. Not bad for Easter considering hiring a Hyundai would be only about $10 cheaper.

Rating - 3.5

Clean

Spotless... except for the scratches

Rating - 4.5

Zoom Points - 17

Info

Website

Qantas Flight QF 492

Time

Very good. Check-in is all electronic boarding pass, which you have to print out before you check your bags in, making the process much quicker. But it also means that you can't try to get switched to an earlier flight!

We left on time and arrived on time. The luggage did take awhile to come out even though the airport wasn't that busy.

Rating - 4

Comfort

Well, out of all the Australian airlines, Qantas has the oldest planes, the narrowest seats and the least leg room. This was another Boeing 737. The fabric on the seats were unattractive and worn, but at least they have the flaps on the side you can move to give you side support. There are a lot more TVs situated at a lot of points though so you can actually watch TV easily, even from the window seat.

Rating - 3

Service

The air hostesses are all old (so that's where the oldies go). They are very boring, never smile, but are very professional, in their announcement, in their delivery of food, in the showing you in and out of the aircraft. The counter service guy was ok too, and was helpful to a man who didn't know how to use the e-ticket machines.

Rating - 3.5

Allowance/Gifts

Instead of the 20kg bag allowance, we were actually allowed 32kg each, but each bag couldn't be heavier than 32kg, so we had to rejiggle our luggage to fit the requirements.

Rating - 3.5

Food

There was really not enough time for any food. We were given a packet of nuts and fruit and a drink. I decided to forgo the alcohol as I had had quite a share that day (hey, it WAS a wedding!). I asked for an apple juice, but to my surprise they actually gave me a mixed fruit juice, in the style of the nudie drinks. It was very nice actually. There are also some apples available, but really, all the food probably only costs about $2 all up.

Rating - 4

Value

Considering it was Easter and a flight on Virgin would cost $199, paying $214.39 for this was not too bad. Compared to the way we formally travel though, it's a rip off!

Rating - 3.5

Jumbo Points - 21.5

Info

Melbourne -> Sydney
9 Aug 06, 20:30 - 21:50
Website

Virgin Flight DJ 802

Time

The plane, to our relief, took off at 6:30 instead of 6:15 and arrived very close to the stated 1 hour and 7 minutes later, at 7:35, so was 10 minutes earlier than expected.

Rating - 5

Comfort

We flew in a Boeing 737, which is much squishshier than the Jetstar Airbus. Because of our check-in fun, I wasn't sitting next to Slokky (yeah!), but I ended up being squished between 2 old men (boo!). One was coughing and then snoring the whole time, at least the other one was ok. The seats are much narrower than Jetstar, but there's still enough legroom.

Rating - 3

Service

"Marky Mark" and his crew were a happy lot, especially for such an early hour. They got along very well and kept cracking those corny jokes about how good looking the crew were. The service was good and the announcements timely. Certainly better than Jetstar.

The check-in crew didn't really make us feel relaxed or calm when we checked-in, joining in the frenzy with us. At least they tried their best to get us on the plane I suppose?

Rating - 3.5

Allowance/Gifts

No freebies, not even headphones. I did take the in flight mag, which always has an interesting entrepreneurial article.

Rating - 2

Food

The usual options for purchase. We were too rush and too squished to enjoy our own food.

Rating - 1.5

Value

14,000 points plus $39 taxes

Rating - 1

Jumbo Points - 16

Info

Sydney -> Melbourne
6 Apr 07, 6:15 - 7:45
Website

Day 4 9/4/07 - Australia

Melbourne City -> North Balwyn -> South Yarra -> Melbourne City -> Sydney

Highlight

• Woke up nice and early for the buffet breakfast. We were so stuffed afterwards we took a walk around the city, to take advantage of the great location of the Rialto Hotel. We walked to Federation Square as this was not built the last time I was in Melbourne (2002). Whether it's ugly or not? I am leaning towards the not, because it's a great space in the city for the crowds to gather for community based event (i.e. watching sports).
• Traveled to St Bede's Church, North Balwyn, for a simple but touching wedding ceremony. Pink was chosen as the colour. It was a glorious sunny day in Melbourne, so they were very lucky.
• Had a brief wonder around the streets of South Yarra in our suit and heels. There wasn't much to look at as all the shops were closed, except for food stores.
• 9 Darling St was the setting for the reception. It was the best function centre I've been to. It doesn't have views, but it has a nice garden setting, a huge bar and waiting area, plush cushions decor, a decent sized dance floor. The best thing was the exceptional food. I was expecting the usual wedding hoo-ha, but the food was cooked nicely. We were served steak that was actually cooked medium! The dessert platter was to die for. The ceremony was simple - no dancing and no games, but the speeches were very touching.
• We had some time to kill before the flight back so took in the other new development around, Docklands. This reminds me of all the wharf area around Sydney, except better designed. Indeed, there are sculptures all around, the architecture impressed me, and the sense of space was great. Now if only Sydney had an area like that!
• We killed some more time by riding around the CBD on the city circle tram. The ride was spent talking to the conductor, who knew Sydney very well, than actually taking in the sites.
• The airport wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. Hadn't flown Qantas for awhile, but they are kind of boring, at least they have TV for you to watch, so the flight was over before you knew it, and another holiday comes to an end.

Food

• Rialto Hotel on Collins buffet breakfast:
  • selection of fruit
  • fruit bread
  • olive bread
  • hot cross bun
  • custard donut
  • fruit danish
  • cheese and cold cuts
  • coffee and tea
  • bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, tomato, hash brown, mushrooms
  • pancakes and poached eggs
  • make your own muesli station with poached fruit
• Wedding lunch at 9 Darling St:
  • oysters and prawns on fountain
  • appetizers - salmon skewers, risotto balls, filo parcels
  • Tasting plate: miniature crab claw with orange and ginger dressing, lime cured salmon and scallop in a half shell with wasabi and green pea puree
  • Char grilled eye fillet on white truffle oil mash served with cognac and peppercorn sauce
  • Baked trevally fillet with a Thai crust and a lime and coconut jam
  • Lemon tart, berries in a chocolate basket and cappuccino ice cream
• Qantas fresh juice - pineapple, orange, mango, passionfruit

Day 3 8/4/07 - Australia

Longford -> Tarra Bulga National Park -> Mirboo North ->Trafalgar -> Yarragon -> Trafalgar -> Warragul -> South Yarra -> Melbourne City

Highlight

• Having breakfast on the balcony while watching the sky change colour.
• watching birds and cows in the mist.
• Miners Lookout to observe the powerplant that generates over 90% of VIC's energy. The lookout was sponsored by the powerplant so it was immaculately update with beautiful decorations. You can see the coal mine and powerplant on one side and green farmland on the other.
• Tarra Bulga National Park, part of the Grand Ridge Road nature drive, was quite hard to reach. It involved driving through narrow, winding roads, sometimes unsealed. The park itself contained rainforests, a change from the temperate forests and wetlands we've been seeing. The air was cool, the floor covered with ferns.
• The highlight of the park was the Corrigan Suspension Bridge, part of the Wills Tracks. It wasn't as fun as the Bridge in Victoria Canada though.
• This was where our bunch of bad luck started. We decided to check out Blackwarry Tower, only to find out when we were nearly there that the road was for 4 wheel drive only. so we had to drive all the way back.
• Our next stop was the Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk. This was a pleasant walk through a rainforest gully and across trickling mountain streams. The highlight was supposed to be Cyathea Falls, but, because we were in teh middle of a drought, there was no water.
• The park was starting to fill with tourist at around this time (10:30), but when we tried to get out, we found our exit blocked by a fallen tree. No way to move forward, we had to take a detour (and because Slokky is crap we took a longer than necessary detour) on very narrow uncomfortable roads, adding an hour to our trip.
• Needless to say, after that drive, I wasn't interested in the dense forest and farmland scenery of Grand Ridge Road anymore.
• I was very glad when we reach Mirboo North, the home of the Grand Ridge Brewery. I really wanted one of their award-winning beer, but because we were delayed an hour and lunch was beckoning, I made do with a six-pack of takeaway beer ($25) instead.
• Had lunch at the Erinae Lavender garden's beautiful garden.
• Drove to Sunny Creek Organic Berries, only to find out that they weren't opened, even though people had called earlier and they had said they were opened. To compensate, we sample some of the apples and kiwi hanging from their trees instead.
• Yarragon Village is more one of the villages you expect on the tourist route. Filled with antique shops, and old fashioned lolly shop, lots of clothing and trinket store, not to mention enough cafes so you can have coffee at a different place each day for a week. Finally I picked up some fresh and rustic bread at the Yarragon Country Style bakery Bakery.
• Finally, at Yarragon's visitor centre, which also doubled as a gourmet food place, we were able to pick up a Gateway to Gippsland, Food & Wine Network brochure, which led us to Marshall Green Deer & Venison Farm
• The place was certainly hard to find, as someone had stolen their sign, so they had to put a red ribbon up. Once we were there, we were given a personal tour. First we were given some mitzu apples straight off the tree. While we were munching, we sharing the apples with the deers. Deers are quite shy animals, only 2 or 3 animals would eat out of your hand. We were told about the current mating season, as well as what the effects of the drought had been to farming.
• About 45 minutes later, we finally left, armed with some venison steaks (only $28/kg!), a quince jelly ($2), a handmade wool beanie ($6!), and a bag full of apples and quinces! She gave us recipe sheets, told us about her market sales and her other customers and her arts and crafts. We felt like we know just about everything! This has been another of those highlights that makes a trip so special.
• Well, after that, it was a bit too late to keep exploring. We stopped off at Warragul, but all the shops were closed, and the town itself wasn't that interesting, so we joined the traffic crawl back to Melbourne.
• Dinner at France Soir, classic French in style, but somehow so Melbourne.
• Relaxing in the roof top spa and plunging into the freezing cold swimming pool, just to say that we used the facilities at Rialto Hotel on Collins.
• Forcing down some complimentary choc-dipped strawberries as we were really full from dinner.
• Plucking out all of Slokky's chin hair (152!) because he forgot his shaver.

Food

• Mi Goreng BBQ chicken noodle
• Vaalia vanilla blueberry and mango passionfruit yoghurt
• sweet seed mustard tuna with linseed bread
• Goulburn Valley diced peaches
• Cadbury Eden
• potato bread ($2.70)
• mitzu apple
• France Soir dinner:
• Chocolate dipped strawberries.
• Mint chocolate.

Day 2 7/4/07 - Australia

Longford -> Sale -> Golden Beach -> Loch Sport -> The Lakes National Park -> Loch Sport -> Sale ->Rosedale -> Sale -> Longford

Highlight

• Enjoying breakfast on the deck with expansive views of the Latrobe River wetlands.
• Drove through "wetlands" to reach Golden Beach, part of the Ninety Mile Beach stretch. This is virtually miles and miles of dead straight beach. The weather wasn't the best so people weren't out in force.
• There was a "market" at Golden Beach, consisting about 3 stalls of people selling their junk, and by junk I mean junk.
• Loch Sport is very popular with the boating, sailing and fishing set, we drove through the town on the way to The Lakes National Park.
• The Lakes NP is basically one huge dirt track, we went for a walk on the Lake Reeves Nature Trail, where we observed several habitats and dead trees. It was a path less taken as the trail was totally overgrown. The lookout had extensive vies of Lake Reeve and the Gippsland Lakes system.
• Drove to the Jetty at Point Wilson, passing a few swamps on the way. We watched swamps of jellyfish floating around in the water. What surprised me were there were heaps of people actually swimming there...
• I wanted to eat at the jetty, but Slokky was against the idea, so we went and checked out the Loch Sport local bakery, decided what was left of the day wasn't worth eating. Slokky wanted to eat at Sale, so we drove especially to the Centre Bakery, because they had advertised all over the tourist brochures, and was extremely disappointed. All the choices we wanted weren't available, and because I was extremely hungry (it was after 2pm) at this point, and we drove there especially, we had to order. I should have not listened to Slokky and had the tuna sandwiches at an earlier time instead.
• Rosedale is a lovely little town with some pretty colonial buildings. We came though, for food (what else). The Tarra Valley Food store sells pickles, jams, chutney, sauces and relishes. The owner, George Sharp, makes everything on the premises and grow some of the fruit and veg as well. They have won a stack of awards, and everything we tasted was very yummy. More importantly, everything was cheap as chips. Even buying the raw ingredients must cost more than that. The sauces were $3 for a small and $5 for large. These prices are even cheaper than buying it at the supermarket. What's more, we actually had a 25% discount voucher as well!
• Tried to buy some local lamb and beef at the butcher but, forgetting that this was a country town, all the shops were closed by 1pm! So we had to contend with the local IGA, for some lamb cutlets and flatheads.
• Visited the fame Port of Sale, but couldn't see what was so special about it, just some grass and water.
• Another highlight was supposed to be the Sale Powder Magazine, a building built in 1865-65 to store gunpowder supplies. I think we've seen way too many heritage buildings to appreciate this little hut.
• More to our taste was the Sale Common State Game Reserve, where we went for a walk to the Long Waterhole and lookout. This is supposed to be a habitat for birds, but all we could see were a few ducks.
• Last stop was the Historic Swing Bridge. Built in 1883 and one of the first swing bridges built.
• Fired up the barbie and ate our Gippsland fare while watching the sun set.
• Played 2 player 500 (not as interesting as 4 player but better than snap any day) while indulging in chocolates and cheese.
• Giggled at all the newly weds who signed the Frog Gully guest books. Thanks for telling us about your honeymoon night!

Food

• bacon, fried egg, tomato with homemade bread
• banana
• vegetable pastie ($2.90)
• Mexican pie ($3.20)
• iced coffee ($3.90)
• taste testing pickles, jams, chutney, sauces and relishes at Tarra valley Foods
• BBQ flatheads with lemon and pepper ($7)
• BBQ lamb cutlets with pepper and hot sweet chilli dip
• baby mesclun blend salad ($1.79) with Maffra mature cheddar and lemon juice
• lemon tea with honey
• jarrah hot chocolate
• Cadbury Eden
• Maffra matured cheddar

Day 1 6/4/07 - Australia

Sydney -> Melbourne -> Wilsons Promontory -> Agnes Falls -> Port Albert -> Longford

Highlight

• Slokky got the time wrong for our flight, he thought it was 6:45am instead of 6:15am, so we had to run for it and nearly didn't make check in. Luckily they were just finishing boarding, and we did a 10 minutes from arrival to boarding the aircraft. We were also one of the first to get our luggage on the other side, so not too bad.
• Slokky doing the being anxious before holidays thing again
• Slokky kept getting the indicators wrong even though the Audi was exactly the same as the Focus.
• Slokky was really lazy and woke up really late, and then didn't pack stuff so was rushing around doing things, like jamming everything in the front of the suitcase and nearly breaking the zip.
• Slokky didn't work out beforehand where we had to go so wasted heaps of time.
• Drivers in Melbournians are quite rude, nobody at all gave way to us, especially one time when we were changing lanes and nearly got run off the highway.
• Our first stop ever at a stop revive survive station, got some free bickies, tea and a backseat driver revival bag, filled with kids games, biscuits and even a trivial CD!
• Got stuck behind a caravan and crawled along most of the highway, but when we finally made it to Wilsons Promonary, or "The Prom" 4 hours later, it was all worth it.
• First stop, Squeaky Beach, with beautiful white sand which squeak when you rub them together, mid sized waves and amazing rock formations
• Caught the shuttle bus to start our climb (more like a gentle slope) to Mount Oberon Summit, at ...m, with the most amazing view over the beaches and islands, as well as the Tidal River. We stayed to enjoy some nashi pears with lots of other walkers.
• Norman Beach - a flat sheltered beach with gentle waves, with Mount Oberon in the background
• Stopped by Norman Viewpoint for views of more ocean and island. After visiting almost all of Australia, I can say that that this is one of the most beautiful spots in Australia, if not the world (although I don't think I can be the judge of that one just yet)
• Last stop on the Wilsons Promontory National Park was the spectacular Whisky Bay, a small sandy beach with rock formations on both sides, a tranquil walk lead you to that area.
• Drove through some green rolling hills with dairy cows, the heart of dairyland. It's a bit like Tasmania, but with much more flat lands.
• Passed a wind farm on the way to Agnes Fall. The scenery is again spectacular, ocean on one side, rolling hills on the other. The fall itself didn't have much water, but the surrounding was so peaceful, especially at dusk when we visited.
• Slokky missed out on pics of some very good view of the sunset against the wind farm.
• Port Albert is a small charming fishing town. The local fish & chips, Port Albert Seafoods, was packed with holiday makers. They cook up their specialties of flatheads and duckfish (not available). We joined the crowd to enjoy some fried stuff by the wharf, with only the moonlight to guide us. If it wasn't so cold we could've stayed forever.
• Drove along some very very straight highway from Yarram to Longford, talk about efficiency!
• Frog Gully was suitably frog themed. We settled in front of the (electric) fire and relaxed while planning the next day.

Food

• Homemade bread with baby spinach dip.
• nashi pear
• Bushells tea.
• Arnotts Milk Coffee and Nice
• Arnotts dark chocolate wheatens
• chilli tuna tempsters on homemade bread.
flathead ($5.50) and chips ($2).
• Jarrah hot chocolate.

Victoria 2007

Simple Plan:
Oz

Expaneded Plan:
Sydney - Melbourne - Wilsons Promontory - Sale - Loch Sport - Melbourne - Sydney

Date:
6/4/07 - 9/4/07

Flying:
Virgin

Cost:
$$$

Holden VS Commodore

Trip Summary

Launceston -> Hobart

Drive

I didn't actually drive this, so you'll have to take Slokky's word for it. There is a tendency to slightly oversteer. It is well balanced but a little jittery when braking. There is good power and good torte. Being a Commodore, it was fitted with the standard ABS, cruise control, electric mirrors and doors...etc

Rating - 3

Comfort

Surprisingly for such a huge car, the ride was pretty bumpy. Either the roads in Tassie are worst than NSW or this car's suspension is worst. I'm inclined to think it's the latter. It certainly wasn't as comfortable as the Ford Focus.

In terms of creature comfort. The seats are wide, designed for the "average" Australian no doubt. The cushioning and support are pretty good, and of course there's plenty of leg room. The noise insulation for terrible. We could hear wind noises and you can't use fresh air with the air conditioning!

Rating - 3

Service

The people at Avis were excellent. We got our car sorted out at the airport ages before our luggage was even ready to be picked up. It was the same when we dropped the car off. As soon as we pulled in the Avis car park, an attendent has checked our car over and printed our receipt, before we'd even got out of the car!

Rating - 4.5

Value

We asked for a manual Corolla and get upgraded to an auto Commodore. However, this baby sucks fuel up like there's no tommorow! Hehe, they don't even bother displaying fuel consumption on the trip computer because it's just too depressing to know otherwise!

Rating - 3.5

Clean

Cleaned very well. There were a few minor scratches on the car, but that's even better for us, we didn't have to be that careful.

Rating - 4.5

Zoom Points - 18.5

Info

Website

North Lodge Apartment

Room

One word, HUGE. We were in the "penthouse", and the room consisted of one very very long room, with a bedroom with a queen sized bed and bay window and dresser on one end, to two single beds and the tiniest, and I mean the tiniest, bathroom I've seen (about the size of Japan's). In between all this there's a dining room and a pretty big kitchen. It all sounds really good doesn't it, but it's not as it seems. The penthouse was opened in 1982 and obviously hasn't been renovated since then. The furnishing were worn. The cupboard doors and tiles were falling off the kitchen and all the cutlery and appliances were also from the 80s. The bathroom was so impractical we brushed our teeth in the kitchen.

The good points though, there was plenty of room, the bed was nice and comfy, with very nice pillows. We had a pretty big TV and the largest wrap-around balcony with great views over the Launceston hills.

If they renovate this place they can probably charge an outrageous amount for it. I wonder what the rate is normally? I'd hate to imagine what the "studio" we originally booked would be like...

Rating - 3.5

Facilities

There's a full kitchen, laundry, lots of beds. But all this is matched by cheap coffee (International House), a small bottle of milk, shampoo and conditioner. The kitchen holds lots of bits and pieces, but they are all falling apart, plus, stuff were so dirty I didn't really want to touch them.

The guy who ran the place forgot about me, and questioned me heaps about whether I really had a booking. upon producing my email confirmation though, he turned nice and accomodating, and had to give us the only room left, the "penthouse", out of the whole place. He was very helpful actually, if only the first impression he gave didn't turn me off.

Rating - 3

Location

Great, very close to the city centre, right next to Kings Park. From our balcony you can get a view of the park and the surrounding hills. We didn't really make good use of it though.

Rating - 4

Value

Only because we got the penthouse was this place worth $90 a night. Granted it's quite close to the city centre, but this IS Launceston we're talking about, it's not like the city centre is the centre of everything. Despite all our times in Tasmania, we haven't spent very much time in Launceston at all! I don't appreciate misleading advertising on their website though, they made everything sound much better than they really are.

Rating - 2.5

Snooze Points - 13

Info

7 Brisbane Street
Launceston
TAS 7250
Phone (03) 6331 9966
Website

Jetstar Flight JQ 127

Time

The plane left 1/2 an hour late. It took ages to board the plane, ages to get our luggage, in the rain! About the only thing that was quick was check in. But I was surprised they didn't even ASK if we had anything flammable in our bags.

Rating - 1

Comfort

Like all the other jetstar planes. It was 3 across and no middle asile. The leathers seats are pretty wide, with a fair amount of leg room. The plane was nearly full, but there were 3 or 4 spare seats scattered around. Slokky and I had to sit separately, but it meant we were more comfortable.

Rating - 4

Service

Was ok. The check-in was cold as usual. The air hostesses kept giggling and gossiping amoung themselves. The servie was ok. I was surprised there was actually an announcement to tell us to clean up our own seats, and to throw our rubbish away!

Rating - 3

Allowance/Gifts

We only had the one bag but I think they are pretty strict.

Rating - 3

Food

They serve the usual stuff on board and charge an ok price for being up in the air.

Rating - 3

Value

$44.50 one way. We only travel on discounts!

Rating - 5

Jumbo Points - 19

Info

Sydney -> Launceston
8 Feb 07, 19:40 - 21:00
Website

Day 1 8/2/07 - Australia

Sydney -> Launceston

Highlight

• Our holiday got off to its usual start, with Slokky being late in meeting me as we were going to the airport.
• There were tons of people at the airport. You couldn't even find a place to sit in the food court.
• The plane was late. There were heaps of rude people on board, who all decide to stand in the aisle and not let anyone else through.
• We travelled with lots of old people and babies (which will become the constant recurrence on this trip, but we didn't know it yet).
• After we landed late, we had to get off the plane in the pouring rain at Launceston Airport. Yes it was primitive and they don't actually have connection corridor.
• We had to wait ages for our luggage. They don't have luggage belts and all the luggage gets driven in on a cart. It's the same at Hobart Airport too.
• Luckily the rain eased when we drove into Launceston. Our hotel, the North Lodge Apartments actually forgot me, so we ended up staying in the "penthouse". For more on this story read my review.

Tasmania 2007

Simple Plan:
Oz

Expaneded Plan:
Sydney - Launceston - Burnie - Stanley - Hobart - Sydney

Date:
8/2/07 - 12/2/07

Flying:
JetStar

Cost:
$$$

Easyjet Flight 5292

Time

Because we ended up arriving at the airport late (thanks to Italian public transport), there was no line at check in, but it also meant we boarded the aircraft almost last and there was no choice of good seats left. The plane was delayed for about 20 minutes.

Rating - 2.5

Comfort

ok for a budget airline, but not very comfy.

Rating - 2.5

Service

All the staff were cool but had no sense of humour and definitely have an attitude problem, or where they just being English? They could certainly be friendlier or warmer.

Rating - 2

Allowance/Gifts

They were extremely strict on the limit, which I thought they might be for a budget airline, so we tried to make our luggage as light as possible. They were being a bit anal though as they won't even let on 41kg.

Rating - 2

Food

Of course food is not included in the price, but you can buy on board. Their selection included loads of chain store food, and I'm certainly not sad I missed trying it.

Rating - 1

Value

69.48 Euros for 2. They had a special on not long after I got my tix, so it could've been even cheaper. Oh well, you get what you pay for I suppose.

Rating - 3.5

Jumbo Points - 13.5

Info

Milan -> London
Website