Blog - Travel Explored

Coffee, aka. Wake Up Juice – Week 3, 2018

Posted on January 22, 2018

You quickly know it when you find a Barista that is passionate about their job. The way they speak about coffee is different and it very much shows in the final product, the coffee you get to drink. However, when it comes to making coffee there are two major components in that final result. There is, of course, the coffee, but there is also the milk.

The topic of milk and coffee and how the two interact is something that I want to explore over the coming weeks. In itself, it would easily fill a book, if you went into depth on each and every aspect. However, I want to give you a couple of little things to remember before blaming the coffee entirely.

Almost all coffee roasters put time and effort into maintaining a consistent flavour or profile for their coffee. You will especially find this with big-name mainstream brands. Often because of the quantities of coffee, they are roasting, they need roast the coffee in a fashion that removes any particular flavour coming through.

The result is usually quite a dark roast, that tastes like coffee but little else. As the roast gets darker it also tends to gain bitterness. Of course, this is what some people look for in coffee and why some roasters seem very popular. In essence, it could just be that the need to explore other options when it comes to coffee to try and move away from the more mainstream coffee brands.

Monday, 15th January 2018

Day Made – Little Paul’s

Location – 17 Greg Chappell St, Albion QLD

Coffee – Laneway Coffee Roasters

Little Paul’s is one of those cafes that I discovered because of Instagram. At some stage, one of their posts showed up on my feed and I watched what they were doing. It looked like a good spot to check out and I found my way there. In the end, I am very happy I did as I discovered they had some rather nice coffee from Laneway Coffee Roasters. Which also led to the discovery of a spot that I shared last week, Raw Lovely Two, who use the same coffee much closer to home.

Tuesday, 16th January 2018

The Fox Den

Location – 82 Church St, Gloucester NSW

Coffee – Pablo & Rusty

The Fox Den in Gloucester is a little spot I discovered on the way to Canberra, as part of the road trip I did in November 2017. Along with my friends, we had no idea where to grab a coffee in this town and as we wandered along the street spotted this great cafe. Well it also looks like they do a whole lot more than just coffee with a good looking menu, but it was to early for lunch. They are serving up Pablo & Rusty coffee, which I must say was just what we were looking for.

Wednesday, 17th January 2018

Blackbird Espresso

Location – 4 Martha St, Camp Hill QLD

Coffee – Wolff Coffee Roasters

While Blackbird Espresso may be just a hole in the wall sort of cafe, it is one that is well worth a visit. They do have a couple of tables on the footpath, which is usually shaded by the awning in the morning. The best part of a visit to Blackbird Espresso for me though is the super friendly service and the choice of coffee’s from Wolff Coffee Roaster.

Thursday, 18th January 2018

Blacktan Coffee & Kitchen

Location – Shop6, 4/8 Burke Cres, North Lakes QLD

Coffee – Roasted In House

The first time I tried to visit Blacktan Coffee, I was actually a day early before they even opened. However, a week or so later I was in the area again and got to try their coffee. They are roasting the coffee themselves in-house, with the coffee roaster sitting proudly at the back of the cafe. Unfortunately, it was not a coffee that I overly enjoyed, roasted just a bit too dark for me. However, in saying that it might go well for coffee drinkers that like that.

Friday, 19th January 2018

John Mill’s Himself

Location – 40 Charlotte St, Brisbane City QLD

Coffee – Five Sense Coffee Roasters

I cannot be entirely certain how I learned about John Mills Himself. But it made an impression, and I knew that I had to find my way here to check it out. The cafe itself, which leads a double life as a bar at night, is quite small. What it lacks in size though is definitely made up for with great coffee. When I visited I gave the Ethiopian Single Origin from Five Senses a try. But you can find other coffee’s on the menu from various roasters including Parallel Roasters, Small Batch Roasting Co. and Sample Coffee Roasters just to name a couple I have spotted.

Saturday, 20th January 2018

Wolff Coffee Roasters

Location – 140A Gerler Rd, Hendra QLD

Coffee – Roaster In House

One coffee that I always enjoy when I drink it is Wolff Coffee Roasters. If you look above on Wednesday was one of the cafes that use Wolff Coffee. Heading to the source is often a good way to see how they intend their coffee to be enjoyed. The Espresso Bar at the Wolff Coffee Roastery is small, but they do have some great coffee. They also run a range of training and coffee experiences from this location including the opportunity to roast your own 1kg batch of coffee.

Sunday, 21st January 2018

Pomeroy’s Coffee Roasters

Location – 2/85 Kent Rd, Brisbane QLD

Coffee – Roasted In House

One way that I often find places to try the coffee is a quick search on Google Maps. While that is how I found my way to Pomeroy’s at Wooloowin, it took a little to realise it was the right spot. An old listing for a previous coffee roaster in this location was showing up. But not to worry as Pomeroy’s continued with the idea of roasting coffee in house. They do have some nice coffee and if you are on the Gold Coast they have another location at Isle of Capri.

Coffee, aka. Wake Up Juice

I hope that you are enjoying seeing a little of my coffee journey. If you have a moment I would love to hear any feedback that you have in the comments below or if you want to send me an email. Also if you have any cafe recommendations around Brisbane that would be great as well.

Taking a Walk at Noosa National Park

Posted on January 19, 2018

The Sunshine Coast to the north of Brisbane is a rather beautiful part of the country. There are extensive areas of the national park to hike, mountains to climb and beaches to enjoy. Although I honestly do not get a chance for much of this when I visit the area.

I often find myself going through photos that I have taken and never got around to sharing. The following post was some of those images from a short walk at Noosa National Park back in 2015.

Noosa National Park covers an area of 4,000 hectares and includes some fantastic walking trails, bush regions and coastline. Originally established in 1939 Noosa National Park now sees over 1 million visitors annually.

Coastal Trail

The track that I followed was the Coastal Trail, which is the longest of five designated walks at 10.8km return. Although I only covered around half of the one-way distance today due to the time I had available. You can find a map of the walks at Noosa National Park on the Queensland National Parks Website here.

In addition to the five main tracks, there are a number of tracks that interlink between these. For the most part, the tracks are probably going to be inaccessible for the disabled and strollers. However, there does seem to be a section of the Coastal Walk that would be suitable, with bitumen paths. You need to access it from the northern end of the park at the Day Use Area though.

The Coast Line

As you head off along the trail from the day use area, you start to see a little bit of the coastline. While it is all beautiful, there are some spots that are rather stunning with the way they have formed over the years. The coastline of this area is mostly a mix of rocky outcrops and beaches.

A rocky section of the Noosa National Park Coastline.

A Beach along the northern edge of the Noosa National Park.

The above photo is looking back over the section of beach in the previous picture. The flat rocky part is back around that headland across the lovely little cove.

The Walk

I have previously shared about this walk on another website that is no longer online. So I have a little bit of information about the walk, and the distance as that other website specifically covered walking.

The total distance I covered was around 5.5km, so almost half the full return length for the Coastal Walk. The time was about 1.5 hours give or take, and included some stops to take photos along the way.

To The West

From the day use area at Noosa National Park, the main walks head off to the south or east. However, you can also follow the beach along to the west for a short way if you want to see the area a little more.

While the beach to the west does have a little sand, it is mostly pebbles and rocks. But you also get a view around to the beaches of Noosa itself from here. Although not in this picture there were a couple of people taking the opportunity for stand up paddle boarding in the calm waters here.

Explore More

I love getting out and exploring an area whether it is close to home or away overseas. One of the things that I hope to achieve with Travel Explored is to inspire others to do the same. Whether it is the area, you live and think you know or an area you are travelling to, go and explore. Get out there and see what the world has to offer. Surprise yourself what is just around the corner instead of being shocked when someone else shows you.

Around Brisbane Feature

Sunday Afternoon at Kangaroo Point

Posted on January 17, 2018

I cannot even recall the last time that I just went for a walk around Kangaroo Point. There have been times that I have parked and walked to the ferry, but last Sunday I took a little bit of a look around. I must say it was not a detailed walk, but I just wanted to share a little from the walk including a few pictures.

My visit to the area was to attend a stop on Chris Guillebeau’s book tour for his new book. The new book is called Side Hustle and takes you through a 27 step journey to starting a side hustle yourself. The point to meet was at Riverlife which is in the old Naval Stores on the banks of the Brisbane River.

Getting to Riverlife can be a challenge, as there is no real dedicated parking. The most common places to park would be the top of Kangaroo Point Cliffs and walk down. Alternatively, you might get lucky and find a parking spot on Lower River Tce which has limited car parking. The option I choose though was to park near the Story Bridge Hotel on Main Street.

My Walk

I took two walks from where I parked the car today. The first was a walk across the Story Bridge to collect a Geocache. The second walk was down Main Street to Captain Burke Park and back along the Brisbane River to Riverlife.

Geocaching

Geocaching has been a hobby of mine for almost five years now. Often when I find myself somewhere with a little time to fill in, I will open up the Geocaching Application and see if there is any nearby.

Sunday afternoon was one of those times with a little time, and just took a look at what was around. It turned out that there was a reasonably new Virtual Geocache on the Story Bridge. The Geocache was called A Story About a Bridge (you might need to be a member of Geocaching to view this page) and just needed a little walk and a photo to be able to log a find.

Story Bridge Hotel

The second walk was to get me to the venue for the book tour meet up this evening. After leaving the car the first spot that I passed by is the Story Bridge Hotel. The hotel built in 1886 with the name Kangaroo Point Hotel. However, was renamed to the Story Bridge Hotel in 1940 to coincide with the opening of the Story Bridge.

The Story Bridge Hotel is one of only seven hotels in Queensland from this ear to have three stories. I did not quite capture the front of the hotel, but it is a nice building to take a look at if you are int he area. You can see the roadway approach to the Story Bridge running behind the hotel in this photo.

Story Bridge

The most prominent feature at the northern end of Kangaroo Point is the Story Bridge. The bridge is the eastern of five crossing over the Brisbane River near the Brisbane CBD. The bridge was built in 1940 and operated as a toll road until 1947. Constructed of the steel cantilever style with six lanes for vehicle traffic and footpaths on both wides for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

The bridge received a Historic Engineering Marker from Engineers Australia in 1988. Additionally, the bridge was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. Finally in 2009, as part of the Q150 celebrations, the bridge was announced as one of Q150 Icons of Queensland.

Holman Street Ferry Terminal

The Holman Street Ferry Terminal is a great spot to head across the river to the Brisbane CBD. The Cityhopper ferry operates from this terminal and travels between North Quay and New Farm with a total of eight stops. The stops include North Quay, South Bank 3, Maritime Museum, Thornton Street, Eagle Street Pier, Holman Street, Dockside and Sydney Street terminals.

City Skyline View

Walking along the edge of the Brisbane River towards my destination there is a view of the Brisbane City skyline. One thing that I find interesting is just how different the look of the skyline can be from different angles. Even just the difference between the top of the Kangaroo Point Cliffs and the river bank. Unfortunately, I don’t have a comparison today, but the view is still lovely from this point.

Riverlife

The destination for my walk today is Riverlife that is operated from the old Naval Stores. The building was constructed between 1886 and 1888. Subsequently, they were added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992.

Riverlife which was started in 2005 operates from this heritage building and has quite an extensive offering. From tours both on and off the water to event spaces both in and out of doors. Which coincidently is why I was here for an event.

Side Hustle Book Tour

For around six months now I have been listening to a daily podcast called Side Hustle School by Chris Guillebeau. Then towards the end of September 2017, he released his book called Side Hustle School. As part of launching the book, Chris is looking to visit 100 cities showcasing the book and the concept of a side hustle.

Even though I had been listening to the podcast and had purchased the book on Audible, I almost missed the tour stop in Brisbane. It was only due to a friend posting about it on Facebook that I knew it was happening. I am delighted that I did not hear about it after the fact as hearing Chris speak about the side hustle concept in person was compelling.

Check Out Kangaroo Point

While I had a specific purpose of visiting the area today, there is more than enough to spend some time just taking a walk. In fact, the area that I walked is only a small fraction of Kangaroo Point that you can explore. So if you are visiting Brisbane or even live in Brisbane and have not been to Kangaroo Point, why not go and take a look.

Coffee Feature

Monday, Because Coffee Helps – Week 2, 2018

Posted on January 15, 2018

At one point in time, I used to visit the same cafe almost every single day. They opened their doors almost every single day of the year with just a couple of exceptions. Of course, that tended to work out rather well for me, always having somewhere to go for my chai latte or hot chocolate.

On the other hand, since I have started drinking coffee and visiting different cafes almost every single day has been challenging. Throughout the year it is not to difficult, but in the first and last week of the year, it can be hard. There are many cafes that close for this period, of course giving the owners a very well deserved break. However, it is also why I am happy to now be into the second week of the year. Almost all the cafes are starting to open their doors again and I can get back to hunting down some great new spots for coffee.

Monday, 8th January 2018

Day Made – Coffee Supreme

Location – 3c Gibbon Street, Woolloongabba, QLD

Coffee – Coffee Supreme

Day made is the Brisbane home of Coffee Supreme, a coffee roaster that started in New Zealand. Though their cafe here is small it is a great spot for coffee in Woolloongabba. There a few seating options from a large communal table to a more intimate option of just a thin wooden board between you or tables on the footpath. The coffee is served up just how you like it, black or milk, espresso or filter, blend or single origin and you can also purchase beans to take home.

If you have a little bit of time it is also interesting to go and read a little about the history of Coffee Supreme. You can find that on the Coffee Supreme History page on their website.

Tuesday, 9th January 2018

Badminton Brew

Location – 30 Badminton Street, Mount Gravatt East, QLD

Coffee – Elixir

Badminton Brew is a great little spot for coffee that I found in the back streets of Mount Gravatt. Although it is not somewhere that you just happen upon driving past, if you are in the area it is worth looking up. They serve up some nice coffee from Elixir which is always nice and strong. A great little addition to the cafe is the variety of small canvas prints of where people have taken their take away cups. You can just seem them in the background towards the top of this image, an interesting idea I think.

Wednesday, 10th January 2018

Raw Lovely Two

Location – Panorama Drive, Thornlands, QLD

Coffee – Laneway Coffee Roasters

Raw Lovely Two is a nice little spot for coffee that I never knew existed in Thornlands not too far from home. I only discovered them by chance after visiting another cafe that uses the same coffee from Laneway Coffee Roasters. Aside from the coffee they do have a rather good range of raw vegan cakes and treats, I could not resist and did give one a try. It was also a good chance to make use of my Keep Cup as they do only offer paper cups.

Thursday, 11th January 2018

The Barn, Stradbroke Island

Location – 16 Bingle Road, Dunwich, QLD

Coffee – Montville Coffee

Early in December 2017, I made a visit to North Stradbroke Island with some friends. While they were looking for breakfast when we arrived I was more than happy to just get my coffee. The Barn (formerly The Island Fruit Barn) is a great spot not too far off the ferry for a coffee where they are serving Montville Coffee. The food does look quite good and hopefully will get back again soon to try it out.

Friday, 12th January 2018

Foster Black

Location – 1151 Creek Road, Carindale, QLD. (The Glasshouse, Westfield Carindale Shopping Centre)

Coffee – Semi Pro Coffee Roasters

Something that I always keep my eye open for is new cafes and coffee spots opening up. So it was with some anticipation that I watched as this new little coffee stand was put together in the Westfield Carindale Shopping Centre. They have been open a little while now, but this photo is from a few days after they opened. The coffee comes from Semi Pro Coffee Roasters and was quite good.

Saturday, 13th January 2018

Cafe Omega

Location – 145 Balo Street, Moree, NSW.

Coffee – Grinders

On the last day of the road trip to Canberra, one of our last stops was in the town of Moree. While we had been on the road this morning I had some time to look up coffee shop options ahead of us. Cafe Omega came up as one of the best options and we made the stop. They are serving coffee from Grinders and was just what I needed.

Sunday, 14th January 2018

Mint Road Cafe

Location – 59 Boolimba Cres, Narrabundah, ACT.

Coffee – Black Mountain Coffee

On the second morning in Canberra, there was not a lot of time. The night before had been rather late due to the event we attended and there was plenty of driving ahead of us for the day. After a quick look at the map, I found a good looking option for coffee not far from the hotel and headed out for the walk. The cafe was Mint Road Cafe and they were serving Black Mountain Coffee.

Monday, Because Coffee Helps

That is it for another week of coffee from me. Getting started doing this weekly overview of coffee has been great for me. At the moment it is that little push that I need to get moving on giving you some more content. While it might not be specifically travel focused in some ways it does feel that it is to me.

Feature Inspiration

Looking Back – My 2017 Travels

Posted on January 10, 2018

2017 Travel - Canberra Road Trip - Coffs Harbour

As the end of 2017 approached I thought that it was about time to think back over my travels in the past twelve months. What I found is that I travelled not quite as much as I had hoped.

As a summary, it looks like I travelled a total of 45 days this year. The travel was over ten separate occasions and did turn out to be a little less than I would have liked. However, did manage to fit in a short cruise and a short road trip.

The Trips

Most of my travel this year has been on short somewhat local trips not far from Brisbane. Half of the trips visited area’s that are an easy day trip by themselves, but it is nice to get away from home for these little trips.

On the other end of the spectrum for the year were two bigger trips. With a South Pacific Cruise and a road trip to Canberra. But still in the scheme of things they were somewhat short for what was involved.

I want to just take a quick look through these trips. I will be able to link to some posts I have written from some of the trips. But the other destinations are something that I will be working on including some more in-depth write-ups in the coming year.

Tweed Heads – 10th – 12th February

As the year begun, I had expected that a South Pacific Cruise would be my first trip away. However, at the last moment on Thursday, the 9th of February a quick decision for a weekend away in Tweed Heads was made.

I cannot even recall much of what we did while on this weekend away. It is one of those rare times that I do not have any photos to show. There is a good chance that I did visit some coffee shops in the area though, as there are some rather good ones nearby. I do think that I may have been a little preoccupied with the upcoming cruise.

South Pacific Cruise – 16th – 26th February

The cruise aboard the Sun Princess was my fourth cruise. Even though I do love cruising, it had been almost five years since my last cruise. You sometimes wonder just where the time goes, but I got to cruise again anyway.

I was cruising with a friend, and we departed from Brisbane on a ten night / 11-day cruise around the South Pacific. The cruise had five ports of call in New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Even though a port call to Mystery Island got cancelled, it did not spoil the cruise for me. Some passengers were upset by this, but it is something you can do very little about.

You can read more about my cruise in the following two posts.

Sun Princess 10 Night South Pacific Cruise | Sun Princess Ship Tour

Mooloolaba & Caloundra – 22nd – 26th May

Mooloolaba is not too much further in distance or time than a visit to Tweed Heads from home. However, when you physically get in the car for the drive it does feel like, it takes much longer. Although to be honest there is a good portion of this which could be attributed to detours to other places along the way. Which on this occasion included stops for coffee in Caboolture and Beerwah.

For this trip, we stayed two nights each in two different spots. The first two nights in Mooloolaba and the second two nights in Caloundra. The primary purpose of the trip was to see a musical show that was on at a club in Caloundra. But it can be pleasant to get out and see an area that you do not always get a chance to visit. We took some time to visit areas around Maroochydore, Buderim and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland around Maleny as well.

Warwick – 24th – 25th June

Warwick is a place that I do not remember visiting until sometime in 2013. Since then I have visited the area many more times than I can even remember. Until the weekend of 24/25 June 2017, I had not stayed overnight in the area.

Although I don’t have any photos from this trip, it was an interesting experience. There was a first for me with an overnight sleep out in the car. I did have a tent but left it to late to set up as I did almost consider driving back after the Astronomy Night. I do have a photo from the second one I attended in September though.

Ballina – 16th – 19th August

I cannot be sure, but I think in the past few years I have travelled to Ballina a couple of times. It can be a rather interesting area with a little bit around the town to look at on a morning walk. There are also some nice coffee shops in town, and it can be a great spot to be staying if you want to take a day trip to Byron Bay.

There are also some rather nice areas as you travel inland from Ballina. You can travel through Alstonville and onto Lismore. But there are a few great spots just off the highway to the north and south of Ballina as well. The picture above is the wall at the dam that supplies Ballina with water. Just downstream from the wall is a waterfall that is quite spectacular and provides an excellent little walk for those so inclined (like me).

Tweed Heads – 13th – 15th September

Even though it was only two weeks before we would be revisiting Tweed Heads, we managed to squeeze in a weekend away. The visit was mostly to check out the hotel we would be staying at, as the next visit was a little longer.

Unlike my first visit to Tweed Heads earlier in the year, I had the camera going this time. With nothing else planned there was a visit to a few coffee shops, even if there was a little rain to damp the spirits at times.

Warwick – 23rd – 24th September

One of the reasons for the overnight trips to Warwick is for Astronomy. A friend as some space on a property where it is possible to set up camp, telescopes and cameras to observe the dark sky. The weekends for these trips often coincide with the new moon which offers the darkest sky.

Unlike the last trip I do have some photos from this one including a capture of the Milky Way. The night sky and astronomy photography is something that is of interest to me. But it is also an area of photography that can require a lot of time to achieve good results, let along any results at times. So for the time being it is not a big focus for me.

Tweed Heads – 28th September – 2nd October

In September 2017 my brother got married at a place just outside of Tweed Heads. It was a good excuse to get away for a few days even if the area is one that I have visited a couple of times this year.

Some of this trip was spent around the wedding and spending time with family. There was also time spent walking around the area and enjoying some coffee in a few local spots. Plus one afternoon I managed to capture some rather nice photos of the sunset on the beach.

Canberra Road Trip – 6th – 13th November

Earlier in the year, I had hoped that I might get a chance for a road trip this year. Even though the trip was only eight days, it was a road trip all the same.

The road trip took just eight days, and I travelled with two friends. We took four days going south to Canberra and three days for the return trip with a full day in Canberra. I have a few posts already on the blog about this trip so I will not go into too much more here.

Even though the trip was pretty quick for the number of stops, I made use of every single one. Especially around Canberra checking out some of the great local coffee. The one below comes from Penny University Coffee Roasters.

If you want to read more about this trip, you can find the following posts cover it from start to finish.

Southbound Road Trip | Canberra | Northbound Road Trip

Caloundra – 6th – 7th December

The last overnight trip for the year was at the beginning of December. The trip was kind of a last minute and mainly to make it a little easier to see a show that was on in Caloundra.

Along the way, on this trip, I definitely made use of checking out some coffee shops a little out of my usual area.

2018 Travel Ahead

Well that about sums up my 2017 travel, there were a couple of good adventures in there. As for the coming year, I have no idea what it is going to bring in terms of travel. But there is one thing I hope that some travel will definitely be a part of it.

Coffee Feature

For The Love of Coffee – Week 1, 2018

Posted on January 8, 2018

When it comes to coffee, it is a very popular drink and one that for many years I claimed no interest. In fact, I could possibly count on one hand the number of times that I consumed coffee before I turned 25.

I will leave my full history with coffee for another time. But in the past 15 months, I have become something of a coffee fanatic. In this time I have visited hundreds of different cafes. Taking the time to try the coffee from dozens of different roasters and origins.

Throughout this time I have been sharing the experience primarily via Instagram and Facebook. However, I wanted to extend this a little bit with a weekly summary of the coffee shops, cafes and roasteries that I have shared each week. I figured there is no better time to get started sharing than the beginning of a brand new year.

Monday 1st January 2018

Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex Cafe

Location – 421 Discovery Dr, Paddys River ACT 2620.

Coffee – Coffee Amanti

I visited The Canberra Deep Space Communications Centre in November 2017 as part of a little road trip. The cafe here has a deck that looks out over a number of the radio antenna that points skywards to explore the sounds from out of space. The antenna in this picture with the coffee is called Deep Space Station 43 and is the largest steerable parabolic antenna in the southern hemisphere. The coffee was ok the view was a little more interesting in this case. If you are interested you can read a little more about my time in Canberra.

Tuesday 2nd January 2018

Sarmic

Location – 4/7 Apollo Road, Bulimba, QLD

Coffee – Bear Bones Specialty Coffee

Sarmic resides in the suburb of Bulimba on the southside of Brisbane. Bulimba is an area that is somewhat of a hub for restaurants and cafes. With the nearby Oxford street lined with many different places to eat and drink. However, Sarmic does offer quite a nice spot to get away from the busy main street, with easy parking and good coffee. The food does look quite good as well, but I am still to give that a go.

Wednesday 3rd January 2018

GURU Life

Location – 522A Petrie Creek Road, Rosemount, QLD.

Coffee – GURU Life Coffee, Roasted in-house.

My visit to GURU Life is a testament to the idea of using many different ways to find out about great spots for coffee. Had I just relied on checking for places on the map, I likely never would have discovered it sitting out where it is. But I look around areas often using Instagram to see what comes up and it was a photo here that caught my attention. A little more digging and it was added to the itinerary for a trip to the Sunshine Coast in December 2017. Although they were warming up the coffee roaster, I did miss seeing the coffee roasting on this visit. But the coffee roaster is visible in the background of this image and the spot where the coffee goes in is at the end of the rainbow.

Thursday 4th January 2018

Naturally Hooked

Location – 7 Bunker Road, Victoria Point, QLD.

Coffee – Dancing Bean Specialty Coffee Roasters

Naturally Hooked is a great little spot not too far from home for me, within walking distance. The visit here was on the day before my birthday, and it turned out that their birthday is the same as mine. However, they have been opened for just a year, while I have been around a little longer. As for the Keep Cup, I had not found much need for one, since I rarely if ever get my coffee to take away. But it was something that went on my Christmas list and thought it a good time to start using it.

Friday 5th January 2018

Pablo & Rusty’s Brisbane

Location – 200 Mary Street, Brisbane City, QLD.

Coffee – Pablo & rusty

I have not visited Pablo & Rusty’s recently, but it was my recent trip to Canberra in November 2017 that brought them to mind. There were some coffee shops that I visited en route to Canberra that used their coffee. A little while later while going through some photos, I rediscovered a photo from my visit earlier in 2017 to their Brisbane Cafe.

Saturday 6th January 2018

Black Sheep Coffee

Location – 109 Norman Street, Woolloongabba.

Coffee – Black Sheep Coffee, Roasted in-house.

Black Sheep Coffee is one of the numerous Coffee Roasters on the Southside of Brisbane. I have visited them on a couple of different occasions, and they always seem to be somewhat busy. There are plenty of people either popping in to have a coffee or to buy the freshly roasted coffee beans. Their roastery does have a very industrial look to it with a mix of steel and timber making up some impressive looking furniture throughout.

Sunday 7th January 2018

Eighteen88

Location – 2/8 Annerley Road, Woolloongabba, QLD.

Coffee – Dramanti Artisan Roaster

Eighteen88 is a great new cafe that has only just opened on New Years Day 2018. The cafe is in the same space that another cafe used before in the front of the Princess Theatre building at Woolloongabba. I must say the fit-out does look amazing and makes for an area that is interesting to look around and a great spot to sit and enjoy some coffee. They are serving up some great coffee from Dramanti Artisan Roaster with both a house blend and a single origin on offer.

Feedback

Thank you for taking the time to take a look at my week of coffee. I would love to hear any feedback about this post and the idea of sharing something like this each week. So feel free to drop a message in the comments below or get in touch on any of my social media accounts. I would most like to know if there are any other details that you might want to know or anything I can include to make these posts more valuable for you.

Planning Travel Tips

My Experience Balancing a Road Trip

Posted on December 4, 2017

Early Morning Foggy Roads near Stanthorpe

There is nothing quite like the feeling of getting in the car and heading out on the open road. You might be heading off on an unplanned adventure or following a detailed route. Taking a little time to research and get to know the route you are travelling can make the trip all that much better.

Below I want to take a little look at the few road trips that I have made. There is nothing in them that speaks to a balance between getting there and the destination. In fact, for the most part, my trips have been somewhat unbalanced pushing to cover distance instead of maximising what I would see along the way. Even though there are some positive aspects to these experiences they are in general a what not to do.

My Experiences

I have had a variety of experiences with a few short road trips and mixing up the planned and unplanned nature. The first time I travelled overseas, I rented a car for five days in England and headed off knowing nothing more than my first stop. While on the other hand, I have recently returned from an eight-day road trip to Canberra where we prebooked every overnight stop. In each situation, the advice I will give here is rather appropriate.

Southern England

The first time I travelled overseas included five days driving around the English countryside. When I decided to make this part of my trip I had grand plans of studying maps and having a detailed itinerary.

Which end up being in stark contrast to reality when I arrived in England. I landed in London and collected the rental car. The only plan I had was accommodation booked in Amesbury, and a visit to Stonehenge planned for the morning. Which of course is not the worst of situations to be in, but far from ideal for my nature.

While staying at Amesbury for the night, I looked around for the destination the next day. I booked a hotel in Devizes, but still did not know what I would do between Amesbury and Devizes.

It was not until the next morning when visiting Stonehenge that I found the perfect solution. English Heritage operates Stonehenge like many other historic sites around England. I found that I could become a member and visit many of their sites for free or significantly reduced rates.

Even though my time in England was virtually unplanned, I did have the next day mapped out before going to bed each night. I knew where I was sleeping the next night and options to visit along the way. However, this still left me with some issues over the trip that could have worked out much better with research and planning. Such as I could have focused on a small area and spent less time driving.

While I do not regret these choices, I have learned some lessons for the next time. The most significant lesson is that while I don’t have to plan everything to a finite detail, taking some time to research would be a benefit.

Brisbane To Stanthorpe

The second trip that came to mind with this post was one that I took from Brisbane to Stanthorpe. I had planned the overnight stops in Coffs Harbour and Armidale. Having travelled over half of this route before I did not expect that I would need to plan my stops.

There is no doubt that along the way I got to see some great locations. You can see for yourself if you wish to read the post here. However, I found that there were essentially two halves to the trip, based on if I had or had not visited the area before.

For the first half of the trip, I seemed to revisit places that I knew I enjoyed. Passing by a couple of great spots that I wanted to visit. I either forgot about them or only found out about them after the fact. Maybe 30 minutes to an hour on Google Maps and I would have had a much better plan. I assumed that having been through the area before I knew enough about it. A false assumption.

The second half of the trip was covering new territory. At which point you would think that I might have taken a look at what was around. But again I took the approach of just seeing what I found. There were one or two places that I found which were interesting. Of course, this led to missing some excellent spots.

Brisbane To Canberra

Somewhat in contrast to my time in England, the recent road trip I took from Brisbane to Canberra had some level of planning. But in the end, it was not quite the right planning.

Before leaving Brisbane, myself and the friends I was travelling with had planned the seven overnight stops. But even with these stops, there was still a lot of driving in between which we had no idea what we passed. There were a number of stops that we wanted to make, but they would only account for maybe four or five stops. When driving the distances, we were facing there should be more like four or five stops a day.

Along the way, we did manage to find more than enough places to stop. However, there was also quite a few that end up having to be left for another trip. Either due to the time of day we arrived, the time it would take for the visit or any number of other little things. With some planning, this could have potentially played out a little different. But if this is what it takes to learn a lesson, I am happy to learn.

Lesson Learned

There are two lessons that I feel I have learnt from these little road trips that would make future ones better.

1. Do Some Research

Google makes life so easy to research the areas that you are travelling to now and it is only going to get better. So many interesting sites appear on Google Maps. Maybe not everything is marked on the map, but combine the maps with a couple of targetted searches. Soon enough you will have some great information to work with and have a fantastic trip.

There does need to be a little more than just doing the research. I would also suggest having a book or notepad to take some notes. Better still if you plan to navigate with Google Maps, save the spots you want to visit on Google Maps. They will be a lot easier to find when you are setting your next destination.

2. Less Time Driving

The most significant issue that I keep coming up against in my trips is the amount of time driving vs exploring. In England, I spent almost 24 hours driving in five days, while the road trip to Canberra saw 40 hours of driving in eight days. When you are in the car for 5 or more hours driving in a day, it takes away from what you can potentially stop and see.

While at times there can be a necessity to cover certain distances within certain times, it is something I want to avoid. Going to Canberra turned out to be one of these occasions with a fixed travel window and fixed event to attend. However, in the future, I would love to keep the driving to less than two hours on any one day. Taking more time for walking, hiking, sightseeing and exploring.

Time to Start Researching

On that note, I do think that it is the time that I start planning another road trip. Very open to any suggestion in Australia or otherwise would be interesting as well. I can tell you that I will be giving more thought to looking at the map, searching the areas I travel and minimising my daily travel time.

Destinations Feature

Tamborine Mountain Day Trip From Brisbane

Posted on December 2, 2017

Tamborine Mountain - Coastal Views from Palm Grove Section

Tamborine Mountain is one of those locations that brings back memories for me. As a child, it was the destination for weekend drives on many occasions. I can recall the walks along Gallery Walk or be sitting and watching the Hang Gliders numerous times. Even stopping for a pastie or pie at the Tamborine Mountain Bakery

Now as an adult I continue to take visit the area of Tamborine Mountain. While the stop at the bakery is often still included my focus in other areas has changed a little. I find myself now visiting the coffee shops, bush trails and waterfalls more so.

About Tamborine Mountain

Tamborine Mountain is located in South East Queensland and is part of the Scenic Rim area. Located around 72km south of Brisbane and 40km west of Surfers Paradise.

The area has numerous different attractions including wineries, national parks, shopping, cafes, glow worms, Skywalk and Thunderbird Park. There is almost something for everyone and whether you are a tourist or a local it is worth taking a day to visit.

Getting To Tamborine Mountain

Getting to Tamborine Mountain from Brisbane or the Gold Coast is relatively easy. However, it is essential that you have your own transport or book on a tour. After reviewing some potential public transport options, there are none that are practical.

From Brisbane

Depending on your starting location you want to head south along the Pacific Motorway or Gateway Motorway following the signs for the Gold Coast. Take Exit 57 – Oxenford and follow the signs for Tamborine Mountain (Route 95). Roughly 20km from the exit you will arrive at the beginning of Gallery Walk (Long Road).

From Gold Coast

It is difficult to give specific directions from the Gold Coast as there as so many varied departure options. My suggestion is to use a GPS or phone to navigate to Doughty Park at 2 Main Western Road, Tamborine Mountain. In this park, you will find the tourist information centre where you can get local maps and information.

The Tamborine Mountain Shuttle is another option if you are on the Gold Coast. Operating Friday, Saturday and Sunday they pick up at select locations in Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise. You can find out more about the service on their website at Tamborine Mountain Shuttle.

While visiting Tamborine Mountain you will find signs like the one on the right above at different locations. They are a great way know where you are and to find some of the locations around the mountain.

What To See at Tamborine Mountain

There is a lot to see in and around Tamborine Mountain and it is rather difficult to fit it into a single day. So you may find that you need to be a little selective about what you choose to see. Below I will focus on the free options for attractions. However, there are a number of places you can visit that do cost a little but can be worth the visit.

Gallery Walk

The 500m or so stretch of Long Road at Tamborine Mountain that forms Gallery Walk is an eclectic collection of stores. Offering everything from a place to stop for coffee through to arts & craft, souvenirs, jewellery and fudge & candy.

Depending upon your interests a visit to Gallery Walk could be anywhere from five minutes to all day. I personally quite enjoy spending time enjoying a coffee and just watching the world go by. But there is something there for many different interests. Many of the stores

Many of the stores do not seem to open until around 10 am. However, a number of cafes do open earlier than this.

Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens

In comparison to some botanic gardens, I have visited the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Garden is not large. However, the smaller size is what makes it a great place to visit as part of a day out at Tamborine Mountain.

As you enter the gardens from the carpark you are greeted by a lake with the gardens spread out behind. The gardens are split up into a number of different areas including a Japanese Garden, Perennial Garden, Rainforest Walk and a number of other walking trails.

If you enjoy getting out into nature, taking a walk or photography I would highly recommend a visit. The gardens are open 7 days a week, during daylight hours, with more information available on their website. Tamborine Mountain Botanical Gardens.

Waterfalls

Tamborine Mountain is a great spot to find some rather accessible waterfalls. While a couple of the waterfalls require a short hike some are very accessible. If you want to get the best perspective I would recommend Curtis Falls or Cedar Creek Falls. However, there is also Witches Falls and Cameron Falls that are a little more work to access and not such a straightforward view.

Below you will find my experience with each waterfall. However, you can find more information including how to best access each waterfall on the Discover Tamborine website.

Curtis Falls

Of the four waterfalls at Tamborine, I think that Curtis Falls would have to be my favourite. While it is not the easiest to get to with a 1.5km return walk on a dirt track plus a few stairs. You are rewarded with the best view of the waterfalls, looks directly across a pool beneath the waterfall to see the waterfall.

Cedar Creek Falls

Cedar Creek Falls or at least part of them is the most accessible of the waterfalls at Tamborine. The first section of the track which leads to the top of the waterfall is a paved track. I feel that it would be easily accessible with a stroller and maybe even assisted access for those in a wheelchair.

You can continue on down the paved track to the rockpools and a lower cascade. However, beyond the view of the top of the waterfall, you will find numerous stairs and a steeper slope. Definitely a spot to visit a nice warm summers day as you can swim in the rock pools.

Witches Falls

To reach Witches Falls you have two options on a loop track. To be honest, while I enjoyed the walk and would likely return again, Witches Falls was somewhat disappointing. From the lookout, you have a rather limited view of the waterfall, in fact not much more than some spray.

If you follow the clockwise approach you will descend gradually down to the lookout for the waterfall. With the return journey taking you up a number of switchbacks and is somewhat strenuous.

Alternatively, you can take an anti-clockwise approach. You will descend much quick via the switchbacks and find a much more gradual walk back to the car.

Both approaches start from the same parking area on Main Western Road and cover the same 3.1km distance. There is a third option which you can follow the Witches Chase Track a slightly shorter 2.7km return. There is parking at the end of Beacon’s road for this, but I have not personally taken this route.

Cameron Falls

Cameron Falls is the last waterfall that I have discovered at Tamborine Mountain. The walk is around 2.6km round trip on the loop track and does include some stairs. The area is quite beautiful and does include some creek crossings as the track crosses Sandy Creek.

The Views

One of the main reasons to visit Tamborine Mountain is the views. While the locations for a coastal view are somewhat limited, there are numerous spots you can find inland views. Many of the lookouts are right beside the road, while there are a couple that you need to know how to get to them.

Coastal Views

If you are arriving at Tamborine from Brisbane following the above directions you will pass Eagle Heights Mountain Resort. This is one of the best places to get a view of the Gold Coast Skyline. There is plenty of parking here, and depending on the time of your visit you may be able to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner while enjoying the view. More information is available on the Eagle Heights Mountain Resort website.

Clear Coastal views are not the easiest to find beyond the above option. Many are either partially obstructed by the trees or not safe to pull over. If you are up for a bushwalk some views are possible from the Palm Grove Section of the Tamborine National Park. However, the track which provides the best views was closed on my last visit and had been for some time.

Inland Views

Getting some great views looking inland is much easier. There are numerous lookouts along the Main Western Road with easy parking and space to walk around. On the weekends some of these spots can get rather busy, especially if the conditions are good for hang gliding. So you might want to be prepared for a little walk. If you have the chance a weekday visit is often better for access to parking.

Tours

As mentioned earlier getting to Tamborine Mountain without a car is rather impractical. There are some options to overcome this by booking a tour to visit the mountain. Below you will find some tours for Tamborine Mountain available on the Viator Website. While I have used and recommend the Viator website these links are links where I will receive a commission when you book a tour. By using these links you are helping to support me operating this website and providing posts like this for free. If you would like to visit the Viator website directly you can type www.viator.com into your web browser.

Gold Coast Lamington National Park and Tamborine Mountain 4WD Eco Tour
Price: $108.22
Sku:2338TOUR1

Afternoon Tamborine Winery Tour from Brisbane Including Tamborine Mountain Distillery.
Price: $75.45
Sku:5688P8

Tamborine Mountain Brewery Tour from the Gold Coast
Price: $121.94
Sku:32457P8

Tamborine Mountain Brewery Tour from Brisbane
Price: $121.94
Sku:32457P2

If you found these tours helpful, the Viator website has thousands of other tour options all over the world.

Get Out And Go

For those who live locally that have not visited Mount Tamborine or have not been for a long time, I would encourage you to go and take a look. All you need is a day, and you will get to experience a great piece of South East Queensland. There are also plenty of options for accommodation on Mount Tamborine so an overnight stay could be a great way to experience a little more of the area.

I would love to hear about your visit to Mount Tamborine or even any questions that you might have about visiting the area.

Cruising Feature

5 Things to Enjoy Onboard a Cruise Ship

Posted on November 30, 2017

Victoria - Cruise ships at Ogden Point - Norwegian Pearl, Sapphire Princess, & Holland America Line MS Oosterdam

There are many aspects of travelling by cruise ship that I enjoy. But I decided I would somehow narrow it down to five to share with you today. I have tried to pick out those things that are available on many ships. Rather than the one-off things that may only on a small number of cruise ships.

1. Specialty Dining

Every ship is going to be different with the dining experiences that are on offer. There is a good chance that you will find the regular dining room service above what you already expect. You can also find the service at the speciality restaurants another step up. But it often is not just the service that is better the food can offer some intrigue as well.

The first objection some people make is the extra cost for these venues. The price can range anywhere from $10 and up. The price is not too high though; I do suggest giving them a try at least once. However, look at the options for some of the speciality restaurants may be open at lunchtime for a lower price.

My Experience

To date, I have had an opportunity to try the restaurants on four different ships. My first two cruises on the MS Statendam and MS Volendam I visited the Canaletto and Pinnacle Grill. While on the MS Nieuw Amsterdam I tried Tamarind, Canaletto and Pinnacle Grill. My last cruise onboard the Sun Princess I visited their Stirling Steak House.

If I were to cruise on these ships again, I would most definitely revisit these restaurants. On the other hand when onboard the Sun Princess, another restaurant on offer was Share by Curtis Stone. I opted not to visit this restaurant as the price to me did seem a little high.

What Feels Good to You?

You need to be comfortable with the price you are paying for the experience. So this is something that will be different for everyone. Considering that meals are included in your cruise fare you need to see if what you are paying to visit a speciality restaurant is ok for you. Remember you want to enjoy the experience of visiting the restaurant, not feel like you are overpaying for something.

2. Check Out A Show

Through my travels, I have visited cities such as Las Vegas and New York. Cities that are renown for the shows that they have available to see, I have never been to a show in one of these cities. The reason being they are either expensive or hard to get into. Why would you want to spend half your holiday lining up to get reasonably priced tickets?

On the other hand when you are cruising it is a whole different story. Depending on the ship you are on there is a range of varied entertainment. From the musical entertainment of a solo performer right through to full Broadway-style shows. No need to book or pay for a ticket they are included in your cruise fare.

There is often some variety to the shows on offer as well. For the first half of my very first cruise, I went to the show every night and did not see the same things twice. There were musicians, comedians and magicians, combined with numerous shows by the onboard performers. Some shows were the same in the second half of the cruise. But that was because it was two separate cruises I had booked together.

The great thing about the shows on a cruise ship is that they are free to attend. So if you are not sure if you will like the show, get a seat towards the back. If you don’t like the show, you can easily leave without disturbing anyone and see what else is on around the ship.

3. Movie’s On Deck

Movies Under The Stars

One of my favourites things to do while on my Sun Princess cruise was to watch Movies Under The Stars. Throughout the day they played a range of programming on a big screen over the pool. There was a bit of everything, including movies, concerts and sports.

Unfortunately, not all ships feature a big outdoor screen. But for those that do they can make a great chance to see a movie in a little bit different environment. You may also find that some ships have a movie theatre or at times might show a movie in their showroom.

4. Try Everything

Every ship has many different little activities and things to check out while onboard. You just have to remember that you are on holidays and take a chance to try something different. While some things will cost a small amount, there is also a lot that is free. The place to look is your daily program to see what activities are planned for the day.

But also take the time to read up on the ship you will be cruising on before leaving to see what is onboard. These can include, rock climbing, mini golf, waterslides and surfing. Many ships even have a range of classes you can take from cooking to photography, computer and arts and crafts.

5. Watch The Water

You might question me on how watching the water can be enjoyable. However, you might be surprised at how relaxing the simple nature of watching the ocean glide by can be.

It can be somewhat challenging to keep up doing things all the time. So whether it is day or night, I do find it somewhat interesting to watch the water and the wake from the ship. At different times of day, you get a different experience of this simple activity. Even on occasion, you will see some different marine life from dolphins to flying fish in the wake.

Have A Great Cruise

In the end, it does not matter what you end up doing while onboard a cruise ship just that you enjoy the experience. Try not to let one thing or even a couple of small things impact the whole voyage. A little compassion and understanding for other guests and crew can make the whole experience better for everyone and help to improve your overall enjoyment.

Destinations Feature

Brisbane to Canberra Road Trip Part 2: Northbound

Posted on November 27, 2017

The trip had started five days earlier leaving Brisbane, and now it was time to depart Canberra for the return journey. On the way south we travelled the coast road, following the Pacific Highway for the most part. However, for the trip north, we would follow the inland route following the Newell Highway for the most part.

The most direct route between Canberra and Brisbane inland is around 1,250 km or 14 hours. For our trip with the stops we made it was closer to 1,450 km and 17 hours of driving. To break up the journey and have time to see what we wanted to see we made two overnight stops in Dubbo and Narrabri.

Day 1 – Canberra to Dubbo (444 km)

I knew the day would see us driving quite a distance so was sure to be up early and get out for a walk and some coffee. Although after a late night and the need to get on the road this was shorter than I hoped.

By 10 am we were at the National Dinosaur Museum which I covered in my post about Canberra. The museum is in the suburb of Nicholls the almost the last suburb before leaving the Australian Capital Territory. So it was also the best place to refuel and grab some breakfast before starting on the long drive to Parkes.

CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope

Parkes is some 300km north of Canberra, and we completed the drive with just one stop. The stop was rather brief when we spotted some dust devils in a field and decided to try and photograph them. That did not work out, and soon we were back on the road.

Having got underway not long before midday, we arrived at the Parkes Radio Telescope around 3.30 pm. Just enough time to take a look through the visitor’s centre before they closed at 4.15pm.

CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope and Visitors Centre

The dish is the second largest radio telescope in Australia and one of the largest single-dish telescopes in the Southern Hemisphere. The diameter of the dish is 64 metres and weighs in at 1,000 tonnes. Unfortunately for us on the day of our visit the dish was undergoing maintenance and was pointing straight up.

CISRO Parkes Radio Telescope

The Parkes Radio Telescope has a couple of credits to it that many people may or may not know. In 1969 the dish was a prime receiving station for the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon. Subsequently, a movie in 2000 relived the role the dish played in this mission. The movie was called “The Dish”.

Dubbo Walk

After leaving the Parkes Radio Telescope, we continued to Dubbo and got checked into the hotel. In the evening there was a little time for a walk before getting some dinner. I only got to see a small area on this walk, but knew I would be up and out again in the morning.

Old Dubbo Fire Station

Macquarie River at Sunset

Day 2 – Dubbo – Narrabri (328 km)

The second day was intentionally kept short with a couple of stops that we wanted to make. There were two astronomy related sites that were on the itinerary, one which got pushed to the morning of day 3. Plus I had discovered some sandstone caves at Nhalay Yarrul which looked interesting to visit and exploe.

Dubbo Morning Walk

I took the opportunity to head out and explore a little around Dubbo in the morning before my friends awoke. I started with a walk along the main street of Dubbo before heading down to the Macquarie River.

Train Bridge over Macquarie River in the morning.

Soon I found my way to Victoria Park, a lovely big park with a pathway lined with Jacaranda trees. At the far end of the pathway is the Shrine of Remembrance.

Dubbo Victoria Park

Another building not far away that caught my attention is the Dubbo Train Station. It is an older stone building which was opened in 1881 and serves the Main Western Line in New South Wales.

Dubbo Train Station

Once I rejoined with my friends, it was time to find something for breakfast. A suggestion from the clerk at the hotel was CSC Restaurant & Bar. I must say that it was a good choice and a great recommendation. They offer coffee from Orange Roasting Co. which was a great way to start the day.

Coffee at CSC Restaurant & bar

Solar System Drive

One of the aspects that we were looking for on the journey from Dubbo today was the Solar system Drive. Through this drive, they have placed the Solar System along the highway routes approaching the Siding Spring Observatory. The Observatory is the centre of this 1:38,000,000 scale model of the Solar System.

Unfortunately, this was not one of the best-planned parts of the trip. A little research would have shown us that the drive starts at the visitor centre in Dubbo. But the first planet we discovered was Saturn.

Saturn on the Solar system Drive

A little research as we continued soon confirmed we had taken the wrong route. But all was not lost as the research confirmed there are five different routes you can follow. With the planets we had missed so far to be found again on the route we would be taking north.

Pluto on the Solar System Drive

If you are looking to do this drive, it is worth reading up and planning your day accordingly. You can find information about the five different routes on the Solar system Drive Website

Siding Springs Observatory

Siding Springs Observatory is approximately 28 km west of the town of Coonabarabran near to the Warrumbungle National Park. The drive takes you from around 500 m elevation in Coonabarabran to over 1,100m elevation at the observatory.

Siding Spring Observatory Dome

The Siding Spring Observatory is home to the Anglo Australian Telescope, a 3.9-metre optical telescope. There is a visitors centre, and you can access a viewing room to see the telescope first hand (behind a glass window anyway).

Anglo Australian Telescope

There is also a rather good view from the area around the observatory as well. Looking to the south and east, you have an almost unobstructed view in spots.

View from Siding Springs Observatory

Nhalay Yarrul (This Rock) Sandstone Caves

It was only by chance that I spotted some information about these sandstone caves when looking at the route we would be travelling. Located about 20 minutes north of Coonabarabran, you can drive about 1km from the highway to the start of a 1.7km trail.

The walk is reasonably flat, but I would still recommend a reasonable walking ability to tackle it. Plus don’t forget to carry some water as it can get hot on the trail. There is a two-way piece of track which splits to a loop after around 500m, with a toilet block at this point.

The Path to the Sandstone Caves

The area has been used by native people for many generations, as a place for making tools and taking shelter. In a couple of the caves there are some signs of tool making and also other markings.

Signs of tool making

One of the most challenging aspects for me was capturing photos that show the extent of the caves. The walls just kind of blend into each other and while the cave below looks shallow it is around four metres deep. Many other caves seemed deeper and more protected that would provide excellent shelter in bad weather.

Small Cave at Nhalay Yarrul

Walking around the area some of the cliffs look to reach up to 20 meters or more in height. While some of the cliffs were sheer drops, others showed extensive erosion from both wind and water. The other challenge in capturing images was the time of day, with the sun showing up directly above the cliffs in most cases.

Eroded cliff at Nhalay Yarrul

Narrabri

Our arrival in Narrabri was later than expected and as a result, had to leave a visit to the Paul Wild Observatory for the morning. With the little daylight we had left, we took a drive around the town and a short walk while waiting for dinner.

Day 3 – Narrabri to Brisbane (666 km)

The last day of this road trip and it was the longest driving day as well. But that is not such a bad thing when you can see home at the end of it. To add to the long drive was a somewhat limited set of sights to see, but we did make a couple of stops to break up the trip. I started the morning with a walk and then it was onto our first stop at the Paul Wild Observatory.

Narrabri Morning Walk

With so much driving ahead of me today I wanted to get some walking in early. There was not much to see around Narrabri, but I did find a couple of spots to get a photo.

Narrabri Post Office build in 1888

Faulkners Factory – A cordial factory up until 1980

Narrabri Creek in the morning

Paul Wild Observatory

The Paul Wild Observatory is home to the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The array consists of six 22metre dishes, five of which are onsite at the Paul Wild Observatory on a 4km long wide-gauge rail line running east-west. With the sixth dish located 3km further west of this location.

Due to the current configuration of the array, it was not possible to capture all five dishes in the one image.

Australia Telescope Compact Array Radio Dish

Australia Telescope Compact Array four Radio Dishes, the last two are hard to distinguish between.

The Final Drive

Once we finished at the Paul Wild Observatory, we set our sights on home. The drive got broken up into five segments with the first stop at the last sign for the Solar System Drive, Pluto (photo above).

The next stop we would make was a brief stop in Moree. Here we grabbed a quick coffee, and I took a chance to stretch my legs. But we were soon on the road again with our sights on the Queensland Border. We made a stop in Goondiwindi for fuel and some water, before a final stop in Warwick for coffee and to sretch the legs.

The trip over the past eight days has been a lot of fun getting to see a huge part of Australia that I had never visited before. There have of course been both good and bad aspects of the trip, but they are for another day.

In the near future, I will be looking to share a little about the positive and negative sides of this road trip. A couple of topics I think I will discuss come down to the distance travelled and time frame of the trip, along with travelling with other people. But at this point, I hope that you have enjoyed this small series looking back at the journey. You can read the rest of the journey here Part 1: Southbound | Canberra

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