All posts tagged: Sydney

Sydney Weekend Getaway: Ettalong

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Determined to explore more of Sydney and surrounds by water, we escaped the city for the Central Coast by ferry from Palm Beach. A rather beautiful way to spend a sunny summer birthday weekend. First stop was The Boathouse at Palm Beach, but as is typical, we didn’t really leave enough time, so just had a little squizz, found non-metered parking (outside The Boathouse Home), and walked over the hill and down to the ferry wharf, knowing we would dine as soon as we docked on the other side. The ferry trip only takes around 25 minutes from Palm Beach Wharf and is done through FantaSea Cruising. You can get your ticket on board. We were blessed with a stunning day so the water passage of this trip was just one big tempting swim land. Sitting inside was never considered. We sat on the back lower deck and jumped up often to hang over the rails and watch as the ferry went past bush-covered land and little inlets. It felt miles away from Sydney. It was sizzlingly …

Wild Wander in Berowra: Camping and Hiking Near Sydney

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New hubby Phil keeps telling me I shouldn’t post about this wild little gem of a camping spot, because why give away a secret sanctuary on the edge of the city that we can keep to ourselves? We even scored a spot here for New Years Eve – two days before the fact. In his ‘shush’ request, I think he’s (wildly) overestimated my influence, my ability to keep travel secrets and to hold on to my photos for no one to see. Sweetie! *newlywed gush*. OK, back on topic. The campground is called Crosslands Reserve and is tucked into the back of Hornsby Heights, down in the Berowra Valley National Park. It took us less than an hour to get there from central Sydney. INTERESTED IN HIKES NEAR SYDNEY? Here’s 3 more for your nature fix: Wild Wander: Bundeena Wild Wander: Kiama Coast Walk Wild Wander: Burning Palms The site is essentially a couple of adjoining parks down in a bush-clad valley with a skirting creek along one side. It was New Years Eve and …

Love is the Ultimate Outlaw – Our Kiama Wedding

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One month ago I got hitched to my long haired lover from Liverpool. The big day was a goddamn joyful explosion of love, colour, wine and tunes on a property on the edge of Kiama on the South Coast. As anyone who has been married would know, there are a mind-boggling amount of decisions that go into tying the knot. I will never underestimate that the single best one is obviously saying ‘YES’ in the first place (love you millions babe!). I’m also over the moon that Australia said YES to marriage equality this week! Everyone deserves the right to marry whoever they wish! Another was the choice of my bangin’ bridesmaids that were there through all the other steps and I couldn’t have made this wedding such a hit without my beloved bombshells.  Also, how hot do they look in these jewel-toned dresses?! Putting the spunky artist groom Phillip Marsden in charge of all things stationary and signage will be making couples jealous AF for years to come (unfortunately not pictured – will post …

Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival

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Cherry blossoms blooming, sumo’s wrestling, origami hanging, Cosplay peeps discoing – wait, where are we?! A couple of weeks ago, for a couple of weeks, the Auburn Botanic Gardens in Sydney’s western suburbs became the site of much hanami, which translates as the Japanese art of “flower viewing”. Crowds of people (and some hungry bees!) descended on the Japanese garden, which wraps around a lovely geese-filled lake, and is a mere corner of the nine hectares of the whole Auburn sanctuary. I’m not sure the resident peacocks knew what hit them, but it was definitely camera flashes. Instagram?! What the ef is Instagram?! They weren’t sure, but plumed their impressive emperor attire just in case. Or they wanted a fight. Who knows. Anywho… Crowds aside, for the Japanophile (which is probs all of us, yeah?!), it was worth all the potential danger you faced being hit by phone-wielding arms. Bursts of the delicate pink blooms lined the walking paths, and periodically you would find yourself alongside a lady dressed in their finest yukata (summer kimono), …

Cafe Love: Cuppa Flower, Waterloo

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Little black sesame Totoro cakes are just the tip of the cream-berg at this newish Waterloo cafe, that doubles as a florist and is heavy on kawaii. A short stroll from home, I’ve been to Cuppa Flower for coffee twice already, sitting by the window and jotting down plans for the week. The red velvet cake, sculptured into a icing rose at the summit, was too much temptation on my last visit so I succumbed to this soft, scarlet beauty and realised that this cafe has the goods when it comes to baking skillz and decided that a full brekky visit was in order. A tad nervous about coming on a Sunday (Sydney Instagrammable cafe = lines be cray), to the point where we had nearby back-ups in mind (old fave John Smith Cafe and newer local Portman if you’re interested), we waltzed in like rock stars to the round turquoise outdoor table, next to a heater lamp, and then watched the line start to form a few minutes later…and it got looooong, so we …