Riverina Roadtrip - Junee & Wagga Wagga

Over the Easter long weekend, I went on a solo road trip to the Riverina Region in NSW. Originally I had planned on driving to Mount Kosciusko however with my healing ankle, I decided against it. I have also decided to incorporate as many maps as I can just to paint a clearer picture of where I went.

Blackwood Pantry

There are always so many new cafes popping up in Sydney that it makes it really hard to keep up with them. That being said, it does get to the point where they are a little bit interchangeable. I guess at the end of the day, cafe food are all kind of similar.

When I visited Cronulla, I popped into the newly open Blackwood Pantry.





Similar to a lot of new cafes, it had a very clean, simple and beautiful interior with lots of natural light. I ordered the Buddha Bowl.

Fried eggs, quinoa, kale, roasted cauliflower, pickled red cabbage, toasted almonds, lemon & buttermilk dressing - 17

It was amazing and it was so filling. I really loved the picked red cabbage (I am in a bit of a 'pickled' phase right now).

My dining partner ordered the Morning Glory.

Soft boiled Egg, Chorizo, Tandoori roasted Sweet Potato, Kale, pickled Red Onion, whipped Goat Cheese, Avocado - 18

Funnily enough, my dining partner and I usually end up picking the same item and the Morning Glory was my second choice after the Buddha Bowl. I also really enjoyed it, especially the chorizo. However the highlight of the entire dish was the avocado! There has been an avocado drought which has meant that I have not been able to afford avocados lately. $4 for one? No way.

I would definitely recommend Blackwood Pantry if you are in the area. It's really simple, delicious and not overly expensive food.

Cronulla & La Perouse

Another weekend, another day spent chilling by the ocean. I started off my day having brunch at a new cafe in Cronulla. I hadn't actually been to Cronulla since .... forever. I think I might have visited back when I was in primary school, however I am not certain. It reminded me of Manly in some senses, except Manly is a lot bigger. I guess it's the very laid back vibe of the place, unlike the super crowded and busy Bondi Beach.

I ended up also heading to La Perouse in the eastern suburbs. Bare Island is a military fort built in the 19th century to protect against Russian invaders. However, the concrete was inferior and it was decommissioned around 30 years after it was built.

Another sunny day in Sydney, however I feel like it sometimes becomes a little bit of a cliché. Although the sun is setting earlier and earlier now which makes me a little sad. This was never something that bothered me, but for some reason, seeing the days become shorter and shorter is affeecting me a little. I also can't believe that we are in the middle of March. Where has the time gone?! I will leave on my roadtrip in two weekend's time. Crazy!

Wollongong

Wollongong or 'The Gong' is located around 1.5 hours south of Sydney. It is the third largest city in New South Wales and an easy day trip from Sydney on the train.

I had been itching to head out of Sydney however with my still healing ankle, my options have been quite limited. I am not sure if I actually have been to Wollongong before but on first impression, I thought it was gorgeous. The proximity of the Illawarra escarpment to the city made the place feel very different to the other big cities in New South Wales.

I first visited the Botanic Gardens which was super nice!









I then headed out to the ocean and walked along the coast until I reached the lighthouses.













I didn't spend as much time in Wollongong as I would have liked and actually didn't even visit the city centre. I guess this can only mean that another visit will be in the near future. Next time I would like to visit Nan Tien temple which is the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere.

Also thank you everyone who wrote such kind words and advice on my previous post.

This is my third trip as part of #take12trips. To see previous trips please click here

D'VineRipe Longest Tomato Lunch

The Tomato Festival 2016 was held at the Botanic Garden and I had booked two seats at 70m long table for the longest tomato lunch.

This was an event that I randomly stumbled upon and as a fan of tomatoes, why not? I have a funny story about tomatoes actually. When I was a child, I loved tomatoes and I must have pestered my mum about being hungry. So she gave me a tomato to eat just like an apple. After that tomato, I really didn't like tomatoes for quite a while. But the dislike eventually passed and I found myself at the tomato festival!















The weather was pretty miserable on my way to the lunch but luckily it cleared up momentarily during the lunch. However it started bucketing shortly after I left.
There was so much food, almost too much in fact. There were 6 different items and in generous servings! My favourite were: the chutney with the cheese (I love cheese), the caramel tiramisu and the 65 degree salmon fillet (not pictured).




A slightly too dry and too salty focaccia. 

By the end of it, I was pretty sick of tomatoes and really full! It was a very lovely experience and a lot of fun. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and of course, there was an amazing view, with good food and great company!

Dutch Snacks

This post is a little belated! At the end of last year, Mei and I exchanged a goodies box filled with snacks from our home country. I included things that a) I quite enjoyed and b) were quite iconic as Australian snacks. She has posted about it here.


Packaged so beautifully!







Unlike Mei, I didn't have the forethought to take photos of each item out of the packet as I was too busy stuffing my face!

My favourites were:

• Shortbread (mmmmmmmm!!)
• Lukken (although they are Belgian!)
• Stroopwafels! Of course, I love these and in fact, I should have some left. Not sure where I've stashed them now.

Thank you Mei! I love how the internet has provided me with this opportunity. Although my only issue is that I wish that Australia Post was not so bloody expensive as I would be able to do something like this more often.

BW Film: Turkey

I always have these bouts every now and then where I feel that I should be out there doing something. It really comes down to my wanderlust flaring up and I am just itching to travel and explore the world.  But alas, practically I can't be jetting off to other countries all the time. And of course, between saving as much money as I can for a deposit for property and travelling the world, something has to give.

Some travel photos from Turkey. An incredible country and one I want to return to ... one day. Too many places to see, too little time.













Love Valley.




The clay was crazy. I actually forgot about it until I saw this photo.

Warragamba Dam & Burragorang lookout

Last Sunday, I headed to Warragamba Dam and Burragorang lookout. Warragamba Dam supplies 80% of Sydney's drinking water and was built in 1958. When I was growing up in Sydney, drought restrictions were such a normal part of my life and in 2007 the damn fell to levels below 33%! I remember when they were discussing about building desalination plants and how by 2015 (ish) we would run out of water. Thankfully the drought eased and the dam is now at 93% capacity.








The Burragorang Lookout overlooks the Burragorang Valley which was drowned to create the lake and subsequently, provide Sydney's water supply. During the construction of the dam, the inhabitants of the valley were vacated and some of the buildings were dismantled. However, apparently some of the buildings remained and are now underneath the waters of the lake so when the water level is low, parts of the town reappears.

I thought the lookout was absolutely stunning and it was very nice to see quite a few people having a picnic in the area. However my biggest gripe was that someone was flying their drone which was so incredibly noisy and ruined the peace. It sounded like a line trimmer/whipper snipper. How annoying!





It was a very nice drive and I loved being out of the city. What I didn't know that the area is part of the Blue Mountains National Park; I didn't realise it stretched that far south! I am also 80% sure that I saw a small orange Qantas plane near some farmhouses!

This was my second trip of 2016 for my #take12trips. To see my previous trips please click here.