art – Page 2 – Travels with Ali

Pemberton and Northcliffe – Day Two

After checking out of Forest Lodge we drove into Pemberton to have breakfast. Pemberton is famous for its towering Karri trees and of course the famous Gloucester Tree (a link to a previous post about this). Following breakfast we walked the length of the high street and back to give our legs a stretch.

Pemberton

Pemberton is famous for its Marron, a freshwater crayfish endemic to South West – Western Australia. The quality of the water here is perfect for this extremely sensitive creature.

Northcliffe

A friend had mentioned that if we were in the area we should stop by Northcliffe as there was a fantastic nature art trail. So this was our next destination.

It was a 1.2km circuit and cost $10 each to walk around it. It was definitely worth it!

Rising from the Ashes

These were created by artist Kim Perrier who worked closely with the local community to create these artworks. They commemorate the catastrophic bush fire in 2015.

Forest Folk

Marble resin, cement, iron dust and steel

There were so many more art works but I’ll save these for another time! The driver was itching to get on the move.

Our next stop was Beedelup Falls, a series of waterfalls and a suspension bridge. But first a stop to take some more photos!

Beedelup Falls

This was a lovely walk through the forest and looking at the falls. It was the right time of year to see these falls as in the summer they are probably just a trickle.

Just a quick stop after this in Nannup for lunch and then onto Margaret River for two nights.

On the trail of Historic Towns, Western Australia – Toodyay and Northam

We decided to do a three day trip just recently to visit some country towns in Western Australia. These towns were once thriving communities, established at the beginning of the twentieth century by early white settlers. Nowadays these towns rely on the historical landmarks to attract visitors.

Our first stop was to see the silo art which is located just outside of Northam. These incredible paintings were done by artists Phlegm and Hence. Try as I might I cannot find much about Phlegm, only that their paintings are all over the world. Hense is Alex Brewer, an American artist, originating in Atlanta, Georgia.

It is wonderful to see these grey drab buildings being brought to life and there are now many dotted around Australia.

After this we had a quick stop in Toodyay, with a population of approximately 1,500. Before European settlers came to these towns they were populated by the Noongar people.

Toodyay

Population – 1,500. Established in 1836.

Built in 1864 and last renovated in 2018

Katrine

Next on out trail was a stop at Katrine, a tiny village just outside of Northam where I spotted a church.

Northam

We finally got to Northam around 4.30 pm and checked into the Farmers Home Hotel. This is a 150 year old newly renovated building which has 16 rooms. It is a magnificent building, the only downside being no decent restaurant. The Dome coffee house is situated in the building and offers guests a dinner menu. I can’t say we were impressed with the menu.
However we did have a fabulous room and in the distance you could see the Avon River. We managed a quick walk along the banks of the river before heading back to the bar.

Sculptures made of old agricultural machinery parts

The next day we checked out and began the long drive to Kalgoorlie, this would take around 6 hours including stops. My dear hubby loves a good long drive so this was perfect for him.

I will be featuring more historical towns in my next post. I hope you can make the journey with me!

Flora and Fauna

On Saturday while out for a walk around Lake Claremont I came across a beautiful new mural from Friends of Lake Claremont. I thought it was absolutely stunning with so much detail. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I love the way the tree keeps growing onto the roof. It blends in so well with the natural scenery.

Posted for Monday Mural hosted by Sami at ColourfulWorld.

Touring Tasmania – River Tamar Wineries

It was Maddy’s Birthday today and a day out at the River Tamar Wineries was on the itinerary. After letting them have a bit of a lie in from their late night, we set off around 11 am. We took the West Tamar Highway and our first stop was Grindelwald. From the name you can would be correct in thinking it was modelled on a Swiss village. Built in 1989 by Roelf Vos, a Dutch immigrant to Tasmania, for his wife after they visited Switzerland. The story is that she loved Switzerland so much the he built a village just for her!

As you can see the weather has cleared up beautifully.

There is a hotel here and a few activities for kids around. It’s very quaint but I don’t think I could spend a night here.

Our next stop was Marion’s Vineyard, established in 1979 by a Cypriot and Californinan couple with stunning views across the Tamar. There is no restaurant here but there is a beautiful area to enjoy a bottle of wine and a cheese platter. As we had reservations for lunch elsewhere we just did the wine tasting. If you buy a bottle the tasting is free. We had acquired quite a taste for Tasmanian wine so we did buy a few bottles between us.

It was such an interesting winery with lots of quirky decor in a taverna type setting.

This painting was on the wall inside the bar area and I just loved it. Can you recognise all these characters? Hubby knew them all of course, Laurence and Maddy had no idea, I knew most.

A stained glass image of the barn at night. The barn is pictured in the featured image.

The essential rusty tool exhibit, all Australian wineries have one!

From here we drove to our lunch venue, Timbre Kitchen, located in Velo Wines. When our waitress handed us the menu we wanted to order nearly everything on it! It all looked so delicious and of course once again I forgot to take photos of the food.

After a most enjoyable lunch, there was still enough time left to visit another winery for some more tasting! With so many wineries to choose from it was hard to pick just one. In the end we opted for The Swinging Gate. We were lucky to get a table as it was very popular with the wine tours, bookings are recommended. This time we were served at the table for different tastings and given a sheet of paper to mark down our verdicts.

I thought the “waste not want not” attitude to various items of furniture was a great idea, hence the doors on the wall.

A view from The Swinging Gate of Domescape Glamping in the Vines.

And really that was all we had time for, most of the wineries close at 4pm. A relaxing drive back to Launceston and tonight was our last night in Tasmania.

Mud Bar, Launceston Seaport
Launceston Seaport

A Few Sculptures by the Sea

Every year Cottesloe, Western Australia hosts Sculptures by the Sea and this year was the 17th year. It is one of the largest sculpture exhibitions in the World. We dropped by last week, fortunately we arrived just in time as it was the last day and some of the works had already been taken down. It runs for around two weeks in March.
The sculptures are arranged all along the beach and on the walkway above. Some are truly magnificent and wonderful works of art. My favourite type of gallery – outside!

Below are some of my favourites.

Labyrinth – Andrea Vinkovic

All the above stones are intricately carved but I couldn’t find anything about each stone’s story.

The backs of the stones are also carved, such fascinating designs

The above sculpture is made of bronze

This is made from Wandoo wood a type of eucalyptus and steel

This work is inspired by traditional Korean lucky pouch “Bokjumeoni”. It’s made of sandstone and rope.

The Boab – Tuinna Blackie
Interpretation of the Tree of Life

This is an event I try to see every year. It’s best to come early in the morning or late afternoon when the sun is not so strong.

Linked to Six Word Saturday

Palmers Winery, Dunsborough – Review

This is one of the places we visited during our weekend away in Dunsborough. Below is the mediterranean style entrance to the restaurant. Lucky for us the weather was wonderfully sunny and warm.

I had only booked 15 minutes before we arrived due to a mixup with another place we thought we were going to! We had a choice of tables inside as outside was fully booked. We could see outside anyway, we were just happy to be able to get in somewhere.

There was so much choice on the menu that we decided to share a few dishes, always the best way to eat if you ask me. In our little group we had one GF, one pescatarian and one who doesn’t eat shellfish! We ordered something for everyone and the one who wasn’t fussy got to taste everything!

We started with Parmesan Crumbed Eggplant w/ Buffalo Mozzarella, local Asparagus, Tomato and Basil Sugo Entrée

Just enough for a taster each but enough to settle down the hunger!

To drink we ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc Semillion to share which went down far too easily and quickly as there was quite a wait for our mains. Anyway we were in no rush and had no set agenda.

Finally our mains arrived and I think I speak for all of us that it was well worth the wait.

Goldband snapper with preserved lemon & herb crushed potatoes, roasted red pepper & caper salsa, asparagus & citrus Beurre blanc

Balinese roast duck, yellow curry, Pilaf Rice, Steamed Asian Greens & Sambal

Grilled Western Australian Banana Prawns cooked in a roasted Garlic & Parsley Butter

Added to this was also a Green Papaya & bean shoot salad w/ toasted cashews & peanut dressing which was deliciously blended.

I would say my favourite was the Balinese duck curry, but all the dishes were mouth-wateringly divine.

There were some stunning paintings displayed at Palmers, I took a few photos of the ones I liked best.

After lunch was over we had a wander over to the cellar door to have a quick tasting and for me to take a few photos of the beautiful surroundings.

The Courtyard

Everything about this winery was close to perfection. Food was amazing, lovely service from the staff and the grounds outstanding. If you’re ever in this region don’t miss the opportunity to visit.

Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Part Three – Melbourne

Five nights in Melbourne

As I mentioned in my previous post we had an apartment on the 59th floor! I’ve never stayed in an apartment so high before. We had floor to ceiling windows in every room with fantastic views over Melbourne.

The next four days were going to be relaxing and taking it easy, with good food and plenty to drink! Lots of walking and definitely not much driving.

Although Melbourne is so busy and teeming with people, it still has a laid back feel to it. So many tourists going through all stopping to enjoy the beautiful sights Melbourne has to offer.

On the South Bank overlooking the Yarra River

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While we were in Melbourne The National Gallery of Victoria was exhibiting the works of M.C. Escher (a renowned Dutch artist) with the works of Nendo Design Studio from Japan, Escher X nendo. I took some photos of M.C. Escher‘s works while walking around with Maddy. I hadn’t heard of Escher before and it was something Maddy wanted to see. She was very knowledgeable so didn’t need the audio guide!

I would like to have posted some of the fabulous prints we saw but when I checked on the website you needed to fill out a copyright request form in great detail. If you do go to Melbourne before 7 April it’s really worth a visit to see his works.

Nendo

Great Mural just outside Flinders Station

Some other photos of around Melbourne

One of many art deco buildings – Manchester Unity Building

St Kilda’s

St. Kilda’s is a coastal suburb not too far from central Melbourne. It has a completely different vibe to it than the city. Over a hundred years ago it was a very ritzy resort for the rich. Many palatial mansions are still standing, now converted into hotels. It’s great for a day or night out with so many restaurants, from cafes to fine dining.

Enjoying a glass of sangria

Dinner at Rococo’s

We ate and drank at fabulous places over the last five days and enjoyed every one. Food and service are always exceptional in Melbourne.

Tsindos Greek Restaurant, Lonsdale Street

The amazing Lucy Lius’s, Oliver Lane

And that my friends was that! This was where we left them and carried on with our epic journey onwards and upwards towards Brisbane. Next stop Canberra then Sydney in Part Four.

Multicultural Melbourne

A gastronomic four days in Melbourne eating my way around the world! A quick visit to see Laurence and Maddie who have just moved there from Perth.
Melbourne has to be one of the best places to eat what you want at any time you want.
Our first night was tapas at Bombas. A super busy restaurant on Lonsdale Street. Some of the dishes we ate below served with a cold glass of Alberino:

Beef tartare

Whole deep fried prawns

Chargrilled broccolini with yellow bean and pine nut picada

Scallops with spicy harissa

Then up to the rooftop cocktail bar for a nightcap

20180725_221829 — A pint of sangria for me!

Thursday

Today Maddie and I went sightseeing while Laurence worked the day away. There is so much to see and do in this wonderful city it was hard to know where to start. But with google at hand I downloaded some walking maps and off we set. We chose the Secret Garden walk and headed off. Melbourne has some beautiful parks and its easy to get lost in them. Photos below were taken in the Queen Victoria Park.

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After a little pit stop we headed into St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Such an ornate cathedral.

For my second night we opted for Greek and walked over to Melina on the Rooftop. Forgot photos of the food but as you can see below we enjoyed it all. Great views from this restaurant.

Friday

Into my third day now and Maddie suggested the Melbourne Museum. I’m not a museum person by choice but fair’s fair and we hopped on a tram to have a look. I was very pleasantly surprised and we really enjoyed looking around the place. There was a fantastic tapestry display showing. Such intricate and delicate work. Here’s some shots I took:

Just outside the Exhibition Centre

Next off we took a tram to the Docklands to have some lunch and a little look around. This suburb is located on Victoria Harbour and is west of the city. Its hard to believe that there are that many people here to fill the numerous apartment blocks!

Some intricate detail has gone into these apartment buildings.

Still keeping with the European theme for dinner Maddie and I walked to Hardware Lane to Max on Hardware, a great Italian place. Hardware Lane is a brilliant place for restaurants and bars if you’re not sure what to eat or where to go in Melbourne! We had superb service at Max’s and enormous servings of food.

We met up with Laurence after at Cookie for more cocktails. I found out people in Melbourne seem to be extremely friendly after a random stranger insisted on buying me a cocktail! An eclectic bar with a great vibe, a mix of all ages so didn’t feel out of place.

Saturday

Today I was determined to find the famous laneways of Melbourne. There is a detailed walk on this website – happiness and things – so I wasn’t wandering around aimlessly. These were the lanes we covered : Strachan Lane – Duckboard Place and AC/DC Lane – Hosier Lane – Centre Place – Block Arcarde – Royal Arcade – Union Lane – Tattersalls Lane. Some of the artwork is fantastic, some just scrawled graffiti and apparently they change all the time. We also had breakfast at a very busy cafe in Centre Place called RMB cafe – there doesn’t seem to be a website for it. But its quick service and a massive variety of eggs to chose from. Some shots of the artwork I took below:

Saved the best dinner till last – the pièce de résistance. A whole new cuisine and continent tonight – Japanese Tepanyaki. After walking through Chinatown we came upon the Ginza and luckily for us they had places for three. I say places and not table as you share with others – up to 24 a square with the two chefs in the middle. Even though it was on the pricey side the entertainment value was worth it. It was a very noisy restaurant but with people’s laughter as the chefs performed like actors on a stage.
Firstly you chose your set from the menu, then a waitress comes and puts a large white bib around you with your set number on so the chefs know what to feed you. It all starts very civilly with a bowl of miso soup, but then watch out as you are asked to open your mouth to start catching your food, then you have to catch eight bowls, then a bowl of rice and finally for the chosen one have an omelette fired at you like bullets. I highly recommend this place for a great night out – although not on a first date!