Travelling – Page 3 – Travels with Ali

Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Part Six – Sydney to Brisbane via Coffs Harbour

Day 15 – Sydney to Coffs Harbour

On the last leg of our journey now and it’s northwards bound today. Travelling to Coffs Harbour for the night to break the journey which was six hours drive away. Our first stop was for lunch in a tiny place called Budgewoi, a little off the beaten track but I love finding these hidden places.

The drive up to Coffs is full of lush and tropical scenery so different from the west coast and it was getting more humid as the miles flew by. We arrived at 6.30 pm and were staying at Beach Haven Executive Apartments located on the Solitary Islands Highway just minutes from the beach. We had a beautiful room overlooking the ocean. They do have a restaurant on site but as it was empty we decided to drive into Coffs Harbour and have dinner at the fabulous Latitude 30.

Our dinner!

Duck with cranberry sauce

Grilled scallops with cauliflower puree

No-one else around so I had to take my own photo

Day 16 – Coffs to Brisbane

Our journey today was just a four hour drive so we had plenty of time to stop off for lunch. Currumbin, QLD was the next stop where we met up with an old friend at the RSL Club with fantastic views over the beach.

By the time we arrived in Brisbane it was 5.30. We were staying at Soda Apartments on the South Bank for two nights. Great fully furnished apartment but so noisy as there is so much construction work going on in Brisbane. I love Brisbane which is also so laid back like Melbourne. People are so friendly here. Our first night we walked down to the South Bank and wandered along the river. It’s a great place to be at night, so much to see and so many restaurants to eat in.

Ahmet’s Turkish restaurant where we ate dinner

Turkish salad

Mixed Souvlaki with Yoghurt dip

Day 17

Today I fancied a drive inland – the hinterland as it’s called in Queensland and just chose a spot on google maps which sounded interesting! Glasshouse Mountains is just over an hour’s drive away. A beautiful drive up high into the mountains with amazing views but so difficult to stop as the road is so narrow and windy in parts. One of the restaurants looked spectacular so we headed there for lunch, Clear Mountain Lodge. We were the only ones up there, it’s a place I would really like to go back to and spend the night sometime. The views around are of the Glasshouse Mountains, Moreton Bay and the islands.

Cajun chicken

Seafood pasta

Vegetable and herb garden at the restaurant

We also had friends in Brisbane so off we went there for dinner that night!

Day 18

Checked out today as we were spending the last night in the Novotel at the airport so Anthony could get an early start for the long drive home! I couldn’t face long hours in the car again so I took the easy way and was flying back.
So our last day was again spent visiting friends, near Southport.
That night we had an early night with dinner at a restaurant in the Skygate

Freshly cooked bream

Oysters and wine!

And so it ends, our epic road trip across five states! What a wonderful 19 days it’s been. We’ve seen so many interesting places and eaten in fabulous restaurants along the way. On the way we caught up with friends and family in different states, but I must say I am looking forward to going home to see my precious grandson and daughter and planning my next trip. Until then Sayonara!

Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Part Five – Sydney

Day 13 to 16 – Sydney

After leaving Canberra we arrived in Sydney around 5pm. It’s not our first time in Sydney so we’ve done most of the tourist things Sydney has to offer. This time our visit was mainly to visit relatives and friends. Anthony decided he wanted to stay in Chatswood because it has a great shopping centre! We stayed in the wonderful Meriton Suites and had an apartment on the 26th floor with fantastic views. They also have their own carpark conveniently located in the basement. When you walk around Chatswood you can see why it’s called little Hong Kong, which was also why Anthony chose this place having lived most of his life in Hong Kong.

Views from the apartment

I’ve been having fun editing all my photos using Ribbet.com. It’s amazing the difference the editing has made. I thought I would add some frames too, it was too tempting not to. The photos above were taken with my Canon Powershot SX730.

Day 2 in Sydney

The apartment was very near the train and bus station around five minutes walk, and if there’s one thing Anthony likes as much as shopping it’s public transport. So after purchasing our Opal tickets – you need these to travel on public transport – we found the right bus stop to make our way to meet Anthony’s nephews in Crow’s Nest.

Two gorgeous boys – the one on the right is the lead singer with the upcoming band Johnny Hunter

Then it was back to the apartment on the train this time. Hubby a very happy boy using all this public transport.

Later we met my wonderful friend and her hubby in Manly, a favourite place of mine.

We drove to Manly but it’s very easy to reach by ferry from Sydney Harbour. Manly has a laid back holiday feel to it with a great beach. There are many restaurants, bars and cafes lining the Corso. The night we were there people were still swimming at 9pm and many were picnicking on the grass verge by the sea.

Day 3 in Sydney

After breakfast on the balcony again we headed over to Gordon to meet up with Anthony’s aunt and cousin for lunch. Time was soon marching on and we still hadn’t been to the city yet, so we hopped on the train to Wynyard which took us over the bridge and then walked down to The Rocks. We found a great bar in the cruise terminal overlooking the harbour where we had a few cocktails and thought about where to go for dinner.

Overlooking the Opera House with my usual Sauvignon Blanc in hand

A few more from our walk around

Something I’ve never done is climb the bridge. I would rather look at the view than be the view!

Dinner!

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Lamb shoulder with ratatouille

Seafood Pizza for Anthony

Well what did you think of my frames? To frame or not to frame? It was fun but very time consuming.

Our time in Sydney had come to an end but not our journey. And so onwards and upwards to Coffs Harbour and Brisbane in Part Six.

Historical Hue – May 2018

Hue is the ancient capital of Vietnam and is a city in Central Vietnam, and sits on the banks of the Perfume River. There are many historical monuments here and we hope to visit a few in the three days we will spend here. Australian passport holders do require a visa which is easily obtainable online. Vietnamese currency is the dong.

We flew into Da Nang to meet our driver Alex, who I had organised online through Hue Private Cars. It was a great service, so nice to be met at the airport instead of waiting in line for a taxi and be bombarded by different companies trying to offer you a taxi. I had agreed on a route beforehand to Hue which was over the Hai Van Pass and not through the tunnel. The day was perfect for travelling the three hour drive to our hotel in Hue. There was breathtaking scenery on the way and we stopped at a very tranquil place for lunch just past Lang Co Beach.

Hai Van Pass

View from the top

Lang Co Beach

Waiting for a La Rue

Arriving at our hotel at around 4pm we checked in to a fantastically large room. We were staying at the Saigon Moirin. This hotel dated back to 1901 and the French owners have tried very hard to keep it in line with its origins. Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard stayed here on their honeymoon and every night we were treated to the film “The Dictator” on the screen in the garden!

Views from our room and the hotel:

Sunset from the balcony

Enjoying a cocktail

corridor to our room

Saigon Moirin Garden

Busy Bridge

From our balcony

The road in front of our hotel was extremely busy, with the traffic lights sometimes working sometimes not. So Anthony just grabbed my hand and off we went, dodging motor cycles to get to the otherside. How the motor cycles miss each other is a mystery!

Dinner that night was at a Vietnamese restaurant called Elegant Vietnam which I had read good reviews about. We were not disappointed especially with the good wine list! The service was fantastic and food excellent.

For the next two days I used the hotel concierge to organise some trips for us as they had such interesting trips on offer. On the first day we were driven to some very famous tombs and the hidden bridge. To begin with we went first to the hidden bridge – Thanh Toan. It was incredibly hot!

Plowing the fields

Baby chicks

Red Tiled Thanh Toan Bridge

Elegant Vietnamese Gentleman

Hue, Vietnam

We then went to Khai Dinh Tombs and Minh Mang Tombs. Below are some shots from Khai Dinh. Beautiful ceramic tile decoration.

Dinner that night was at Les Jardines de la Carambole just across the river. What a fantastic restaurant and great service too. It is off the beaten track so you need to “google map” it. Delicious food and good wine.