Christmas in Tasmania

 We have just returned from a whirlwind Christmas break in Tasmania.  It was just six days from when we left to when we returned but what an amazing journey it was.  We had every range of temperature possible, from a balmy 31 degrees in Palm Cove on the day we departed and the day we left Lake St Clair it was a freezing -0.5 degrees!  

We meet our friends Lynn and Graham in the Virgin Lounge at Brisbane where we waited for our direct flight from Brisbane to Launceston.  We decided to live it up in Business Class for our 2.5 hour flight to Launceston and it was a good choice as our flight was late in the evening and included a delicious hot meal. We arrived into Launceston around 9pm and Lynn had arranged a private transfer for the duration of our stay.  We quickly found our driver and were in our hotel room by 10pm.  We had time for a nightcap but were tucked up in our beds before midnight.

The next day - Christmas Eve - our driver was booked to pick us up at 11am for our transfer to Lake St Clair. After our continental breakfast we took to the streets for a walk around downtown Launceston.  We all had things to purchase but Lynn and I couldn't resist a browse in Forever New and of course we didn't leave empty handed. 😉 The morning passed very quickly and we had no sooner arrived back at our hotel  when our driver arrived.  He informed us that it was about a 2.5 hour drive to Lake St Clair and as our check in time wasn't until 2.00pm we asked that he stop for lunch somewhere along the route.  This place was Derwent Bridge at the Hungry Possum Cafe where we were fully satiated.  Lynn and I both share a love of hot chips and the bowl that we ordered as a side were up there with the best!

Arriving at our destination - Pumphouse Point, Lake St Clair - was a real eye opener.  It was beautiful and the setting amongst the wilderness backdrop was perfect. We had an "induction" before making our way along the 250 metre jetty to our accomodation in the old Pumphouse building.  It was gorgeous and the heritage building has been beautifully restored to accomodate the eight (I think) rooms across three floors. Additional accomodation is available in the main building on the shoreline but I think our ground floor rooms in the Pumphouse were the pick overall.  

The heritage listed Pumphouse Building where we stayed

I took this photo on our last morning when it was below freezing 

We made our way to our rooms and arranged to meet at 5.00pm for Sundowners before making our way to the main building for dinner at 6.30pm.  The lodge has many "honesty" bars scattered throughout the complex where you chose you beverage and simply write it down on pen and paper supplied for each room.  It worked very well.  All meals are included in the tariff.  Breakfast was a hot and cold buffet and lunch was a picnic hamper - think cold cuts, cheeses and condiments - with a loaf of Sourdough delivered to your room at the time you specify. The picnic hampers were already in the fridge in our room on arrival.  Dinner was the main meal and always consisted of three courses.  Every meal was perfect and Pumphouse Point used only the freshest locally sourced produce.  The four of us were seated at large tables and we enjoyed the company of new people each night.

One of many honesty bars adjoining the lounge area

This is one of several lounge areas and we were lucky enough to have this area right outside our door

None of us are ones for sitting around although I still enjoyed a bit of down time to read when the others decided to take out E-Bikes for a cycle around the area.  They rode to Derwent Bridge where beers and cheers were in order.  We also walked the lake circuit on Christmas Day that took us around two hours for the 9km return walk.  It was a cold day but we soon warmed up on this walk and enjoyed our "picnic lunch" back at the lodge.  We didn't over indulge though as we knew we were going to be served a large six course Christmas Dinner!

Walking the 9km Lake Circuit

Christmas Menu

Every guest had this lovely Hamper waiting outside their door on Christmas morning

The time passed very quickly although we all commented that three nights here was the perfect amount of time and it was lovely to be with our friends to while away the hours.  It is a very special place and I'm sure we will return to the area if not Pumphouse Point.  We are all still planning a caravan tour of Tasmania but are now just waiting for more certainty with Covid restrictions and who knows when that will be.

Here we are standing at exactly the middle of Tasmania

Oaks Kitchen Cooking School

I'm a bit of a lover of cooking schools as I almost always pick up a new technique or skill so when my hairdresser recommended Oaks Kitchen Cooking School, I was in! I contacted our friends to see if they wanted to join us.  Of course they did.

So last week we all jumped in our little Zuke and hit the road to Oak Beach located halfway between Port Douglas and Palm Cove.  It is a beautiful area and the climate in that particular spot seems to be perfect for kitchen gardens.  Oaks Kitchen pride themselves in providing from their garden a large percentage of the food that they use in their menus.

As soon as all the participants arrived we were shown around the garden by Chef Ben. The garden itself is no till, no chemical and plants are allowed to roam freely and are very healthy.  They have a lot of companion planting of different flowers to attract all the beneficial insects and also gives the garden an almost cottage feel.

We didn't spend a lot of time in the garden as it was quite a hot day and none of us had thought to bring a hat.  Back in the open plan kitchen we were presented with the menu that would prepare.

The first course was Betel Leaf wrapped crab followed by Silken "Tofu" in a chilli sauce and the third course was a fish curry.  All our ingredients were carefully laid out on a separate table and once we had gathered them it was a simply a matter of watching Ben and then going back to our space to prepare.  There was a fair amount of pounding in the Mortar and Pestle and a little chopping but the end results were amazing.

Betel Leaf wrapped crab meat

None of us were totally in love with the "Tofu" that was made from Buckwheat Flour and water that was allowed to set, but the sauce that we poured over the pretend tofu was delicious and the suggestion by Chef Ben to serve it wrapped in sweet potato leaves was ingenious!

"Tofu" with Chilli Sauce and Sweet Potato Leaf

The fish curry was probably our favourite closely followed by the Betel Leaf Crab.  

Fish Curry

We learnt how to adapt the recipes to suit our personal taste.  Some of us don't like chilli as much as others while Philip and I don't like coriander as much as others.  We simply added less of the ingredient we didn't like.  It is amazing how much Asian food can be adjusted. Understanding the different ingredients used to balance the five tastes of Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter and Unami has you well on the way to producing a top class asian dish. This is a great article describing the Secret Five Tastes.

Socialising

Last weekend was a busy and very social weekend for us.  Friday evening we joined our forever friends Kate and Mike for a wedding anniversary dinner at Temple of Taste Restaurant at Sea Temple Resort.  We had not been back to Sea Temple since Marco and Suzi's wedding almost 10 years ago! As we wandered through the beautifully landscaped gardens to the restaurant we just knew that we were going to be in for a treat.  Friends recommended the restaurant  to us as they had dined there recently where out of their group of 6, not one single person did not enjoy their meal.

The menu is Asian inspired with almost every dish accompanied by a side salad including asian herbs. Now, my readers would know I'm not a great lover of coriander (tastes like stink beetles to me) so I had to put this aversion to one side for the night because there was a lot of coriander!  

Both Philip and I ordered the soft shell crab for starters and for my main I chose the 12 hour cooked lamb and Philip chose the Barramundi.  

My lamb was a bit on the dry side and the two sauces on the plate were slightly contradictory but I still would have given it a 6/10. Philip said his Barramundi was delicious but his accompanying sauce was very spicy.  I tasted it and had to agree with him although I don't mind a bit of spice. Would I recommend this restaurant, yes with reservations.  The meal was very pricey and the food was okay but it is the overall ambience of the restaurant that gets a 7/10.

The next day we drove to Port Douglas where we had invites to three functions. Our first function on the Saturday night was cancelled at the last minute as one of our group had a very bad fall from her bike and was taken to Cairns Base for CT scans.  We were disappointed and thankfully Angie is now recovering albeit with a lot of bruising.  As we were already dressed to go out we headed to The Tin Shed for drinks and a shared Seafood Platter.  It was a perfect choice as we sat and watched the boats sail in and out of Dicksons Inlet. It was a picture perfect evening.

On Sunday we had organised to catch up with our friends Annette and Mark from Mossman for lunch.  Philip went to school with Mark so they have been in our life for a very long time.  We always love catching up with them and all their news.  We meet at the Courthouse Hotel and all enjoyed eating the Courty's Ceasar Salad with Chicken and Smoked Salmon.  I forgot to get photos but wow it was very delicious and the perfect choice for a lunch on a hot day.  I am still a non-drinker and l'm finding that there are lots of choices now for non-drinkers thank goodness.

We sat over our meal for almost three hours until we had to excuse ourselves for our next function.  This was an informal gathering of Philips cycling friends and their partners for a bit of Christmas Cheer.  Reub and Karen have a lovely home that sits right on Four Mile Beach and there are not too many homes in Port Douglas that can claim that luxury.  Shoes were discarded as we walked into the lovely home and directed to the drinks table.  Rueb and Karen provided lots of delicious food during the afternoon including delicious  finger sandwiches.  The party was eventually broken up by a storm that moved in from the ocean.  It was a bit of scramble to move everyone undercover and it was at this point that we said our farewells. The drive home was a bit of a nightmare with torrential rain for most of the way but that is the way of the tropics the we love so much.  

Judi xx

Filling in our days in Paradise

Since we have been home from Mission Beach it's been go, go, go......

Many appointments, medical, financial and beauty ;-) and the occasional social.  Christmas is just around the corner and we are starting to get invites to Christmas catch-ups that are always something to look forward to.  I heard on the radio that there are less than 30 sleeps until Christmas and I am feeling just a little overwhelmed as we have a trip to Townsville before we head to Tasmania for Christmas.  I'm hoping to do a little shopping for Tasmania while we are in Townsville but I guess it will be nigh on impossible to purchase winter clothes in the middle of summer in Townsville.  Where we are staying in Tasmania (Lake St. Clair) had a snowfall last week.  It would be beyond our wildest dreams to have a white Christmas.  Fingers and toes crossed.

The weather in Palm Cove has been glorious to say the least.  All the wild weather that Queenslanders in the south have been experiencing has certainly not reached us here in the north.....yet.  Philip and I have been wandering down to the swimming net enclosure each afternoon for a relaxing dip in the refreshing water.  We love it and it also helps to fill in those hours in the afternoon that you might be looking for something to eat or drink.  Speaking of drinking, I have decided to become a Teetotaller.  Any alcohol of late has been like drinking poison for me and has been making me very very ill so it is time.  As a hemochromatosis carrier I always have to be aware of liver function as it is the organ most affected by hemochromatosis. It is a no brainer to eliminate alcohol. I hope I can do it and I do feel quietly confident but I am not going to put unnecessary pressure on myself.  The silly season will be a pressure test!

Exercise wise both Philip and I now go to Aqua Aerobics on Mondays that is a perfect place to be on a warm day. It is a very large class and you really have to fight for your space 😁.  I am still attending two hatha yoga classes each week and have now also incorporated a Yin Yoga class once a week.  I walk when I feel like it which is probably three times a week.  One walk is a 7.5km flat walk and the other is 4.5km with a big hill climb. On my walk yesterday I walked to the end of the jetty. It was particularly lovely and hardly a soul fishing from it that was very unusual.

There has been a sign at the jetty to say that there has been a crocodile sighted in the area lately so people should be aware.  I have never seen a crocodile here but this morning at yoga we had the absolute joy of seeing a pod of dolphins pass by very close to the waters edge.  What a treat and the yoga class was temporarily suspended as we all stood and watched these beautiful mammals. 🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬

What I've been cooking and eating

It's no secret that I am a foodie through and through.  I am forever downloading new recipes to my Paprika App from various websites.  My usual process is to see what I have in the fridge/freezer and then I do a google search for recipes using those ingredients.  You would be surprised what I find.  I am very fortunate that I have a husband who will eat almost anything, as do I.  Even if I don't love something it will not stop me from trying it in a recipe.  For example I don't love coriander but I am not afraid of using it in a recipe if it calls for it.  If I can substitute if for something else, for example parsley, I will.  I am also not adverse to using fruit in my cooking.  A friend noticed how much fruit we had in our fruit bowl recently and asked if we would eat all of it.  I was a little taken aback because of course we would eat it all!  If not the raw article it will be thrown into a salad (think Mangoes, Apple, Oranges) and  stone fruit that has almost met its "used by" date will be thrown into a saucepan with maple syrup, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, star anise and gently simmered. The beautifully stewed fruit is then my "go to" breakfast along with greek yoghurt and nuts.

A recipe I found on our last trip away in the caravan was one by Neil Perry.  I had pork chops in the freezer and lots of apples in the fruit bowl. Neil Perry's Barbecued Pork Chops with Apple and Potato Salad (link HERE) was really delicious and the combination of apple potato and lemon was a combination that I would not have thought of but it really worked.  It will be on repeat.

A recipe that I have wanted to try but could never find all the ingredients is this one.  Fillet Steak Salad. (Link HERE)

The ingredient that I couldn't source here in Cairns was Watercress so I decided to buy a bunch of radishes and use the green tops as a substitute. Perfect. Philip declared this salad one of his top 10 so that is a big call.  It really was tasty and the addition of grated parmesan tossed with the leaves really enhanced the overall taste experience.  It was unusual to have two dressings in a salad but believe me it really worked and shouldn't be skipped.

Another eating experience in the past week was at a Wine Night held in Port Douglas.  Six wines were matched with six amazing small plates.  Unfortunately I didn't get any photos from the night but here is a copy of the menu.

The group get together often for wine/food nights and I am pleased that we have been invited into the group.  We were invited by Philip's cycling group who have become our firm friends and look forward to our next function. 

Wongaling Beach

After our stay in Millaa Millaa our next stop was Mission Beach where we were to meet up with our friends Kate and Mike.  We chose the Dunk Island View Caravan Park at Wongaling Beach on a recommendation from a friend and it was a great recommendation.  The park was well maintained with lots of shady areas and the sites were grassed with good size slabs.  The sites were also well spaced with bushes between each site and they were also very long sites that gave us ample room for van and vehicle. 

 The only negative about Wongaling Beach is that it is a drive to go anywhere.  There are no shops within walking distance and the stinger nets are at  North and South Mission Beaches but not Wongaling. However it was only a small negative in the scheme of things.

We arrived around lunchtime the day before our friends and by the time we had unpacked the van, had a bite of lunch and a mini nap it was time to make our way to South Mission Beach for a swim in the balmy waters.  It was pure bliss to rock gently up and down with the waves.  The following day I had an appointment with my skin doctor in Cairns so we woke early and gave ourself plenty of time to have breakfast at one of the little cafes near my doctors office before my appointment.  (Pleased to say that I got a clear on the sun spot that my doctor was concerned about).  After the doctor, it was a trip to Cairns Central and then Bunnings before finally heading the car south again for the two hour drive back to Mission Beach.  By the time we arrived at the van park our friends had arrived and set up their own camp.

We made a bit of a plan over drinks that evening to visit Tully (Kate's home town) and the Tully Gorge the following day which ended up being a little cloudy so it was a good day to be in the car.  We thoroughly enjoyed the tour around Tully where Kate took us to all her old haunts and to the house that she grew up in along with her five siblings.  Tully Gorge was an eye opener.  I had read a lot about it but it is an extremely lovely drive up to the power station at the top of the gorge.  The road crosses the Tully River that is a favourite place to go white river rafting when the water level is high.  Philip wants to do this sometime but I will have to renege on that one!  We had a photo shoot on the bridge over the river.

The following day Kate organised a boat tour for us.  We boarded the Island Spirit for a 3 Island Tour visiting the privately owned Timana Island, the luxury Bedarra Island with a stay at the resort there costing around $3000/night and finally Dunk Island that was devastated by cyclone Yasi in 2011.  We stayed on Dunk for around an hour and a half.  We had packed a picnic hamper so we devoured this and then went for a swim in the warm tropical waters.  Surprisingly there are no marine stingers around Dunk Island.  Our tour took around three and a half hours and it was money well spent.  Our kiwi tour guide was very well informed and as we were the only customers on board the boat we had his undivided attention!

There are some private homes on Bedarra selling around the $7m mark.

The very exclusive Bedarra Island Resort. This is as close as we were allowed.

Dunk Island

Back at our campsite that evening we were visited by the resident male Cassowary and his three chicks.  It is the first time I have ever seen one of these magnificent birds in the wild. What a treat.

Millaa Millaa and Surrounds

Philip's cycling group decided to do a 40k cycle departing from, and returning to, Millaa Millaa. The first part of the ride was a climb of 900m that took them to the wind farms at Windy Hill near Ravenshoe and the second part was a nice downhill along the old Palmerston Highway. It took them roughly three hours but the eight cyclists seemed to enjoy the challenge.  

(You can see the road that Philip followed in this photo and where we are standing is the beginning of the downward part of the ride. Quite an achievement to cycle this)

We decided to take the caravan to Millaa and have a good look around the area.  We also needed to brush the cobwebs off the kayak and take it for a spin around Lakes Eacham and Barrine.  This area is a host to many beautiful waterfalls and walks and the Mamu Skywalk is something we have always wanted to do.  Being the foodie I also wanted to visit the Mungalli Dairy Cafe to purchase some goodies.

Our first day was a trip to Yungaburra to walk Petersens Creek.  It is a relatively short walk but has a few challenging uphills for a good workout. 

We walked all the way from the bridge to the railway bridge and it really was a lovely walk. The locals have put a lot of time into rehabilitation of the riparian area with lots of plants to stop any potential erosion.  We crossed over the suspension bridge and headed towards the Old Water Turbine that had us intrigued.  Next stop was the inviting waters of Frawleys Pool.  Unfortunately we didn't bring our bathers so we had to be content to just dipping our toes into the cool water.  From here it was uphill to the Old Railway Bridge that we also found fascinating.  The walk, although short, took us two hours with various stops along the way.

The following day we drove down the Palmerston Highway to the Mamu Skywalk.  We have driven past several times always promising to stop when we had the time. Today we had the time and I have to say it was absolutely worth the stop.  The skywalk is around 2km one way and words cannot describe just how great this walk is.  The views from the elevated walk, cantilever bridge and the 37m high tower take in the whole of Woolooran National Park and Johnston River. It was truly spectacular and we would do it again in a heartbeat.

After Mamu we headed back along the Palmerston Highway and stopped to do the walk into Wallicher and Tchupala Falls.  These two falls are also picturesque and the walk in was very easy but as we had rain the day before we managed to pick up a few leeches.  Ugghh!  It was getting late and our bellies were telling us that it was time to head home so after a couple of quick photos, we headed home.

Days four and five were devoted to kayaking on the two lakes, Barrine and Eucham.  Eucham was first on the list and it is a very easy paddle around the small lake.  Philip wanted to do it twice but I suggested we go for a swim in the lovely warm water.  I splashed around but Philip stood perfectly still and let all the little fish clean up his feet.  They needed it 😁.  After we packed up the kayak and headed back to the van for a quick lunch we headed out to the Waterfall Circuit at Millaa.  The three waterfalls, Millaa, Zillie and Ellinjaa are all beautiful falls and well worth the walks to get to them.  We had been to these falls previously with my old photography group and I still think Ellinjaa Falls are my favourite.  We watched somebody with a drone taking aerial photos of the falls and regretted not bringing our drone with us.

Day five was my favourite day.  We made our way to Lake Barrine and straight up did the 5km circuit of the lake.  It is a very easy level walk with plenty of photo opportunities along the way.  After the walk we stopped into the teahouse for their renowned Devonshire Tea.  Yummo.  It was then time to work off the calories so once again we assembled the kayak and headed to the water.  I thoroughly enjoyed this paddle. We had a few challenging moments with the wind blowing across the lake but all up it was a great paddle that took us roughly an hour with plenty of stops along the way.  It was a great way to end our stay at Millaa.

We stayed at the Millaa Millaa Van park and I can highly recommend this lovely park.  We got to chose our own site and chose one away from trees.  We probably should have chosen one with a cement slab as the rain made it a little sloshy but nothing that worried us too much.  The one thing we loved about this park was that apart from the amenities block there were upmarket plumbed-in "port-a-loos" scattered throughout the park.  We have never seen this before and it is was very convenient that we had one right beside our site.  We had six nights here and would certainly return.

Melbourne Cup 2021

(A bit belated, I know, but that seems to be the way of my busy life at the moment.)

We once again made our way to Port Douglas for the Zinc Restaurant Melbourne Cup Luncheon that is a huge fund raiser for the not for profit organisation, KIND - Kids in Need Donations.  This is a terrific organisation that we thoroughly support each year.  This year it was a little closer to home for us with our friends from Julatten, Sam and Crystal, having their little boy Sebastian diagnosed with brain cancer at the beginning of 2020.  It was a huge financial and emotional strain for the family as Sam and Crystal had to move to Brisbane, leaving behind their three little girls, to have the treatment that Sebastian desperately needed. KIND was able to help them out and if you get a chance to pick up this book, it will help the family financially to face the ongoing costs that will be incurred well into the future. Here is the link to the website https://www.crystalleonardi.com

Back to the Melbourne Cup.  This is a lovely way to celebrate the "race that stops a nation".  The three course meal with matching wines is perfection and sitting with a group of friends from Philips cycling group made the day very enjoyable.  

We bought many sweep tickets and raffle tickets and placed bids on the auction items.  It was quite hilarious that Philip bid $450 for a $300 Tommy Bahama voucher, but it's our one time to donate each year and KIND is our organisation of choice.  We managed to pick up the "Trifecta" in sweep tickets and also picked up two of the raffle prizes so it was a good day.