Tag Archives: travel

Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour has come such a long way from what I remembered of it in the late 80s. That pink shopping centre chic on one side and the aquarium way over on the otherside are almost lost in the vibrancy of buzz going on. I remember grandma at the aquarium (way back when) going to each of the exhibits in turn saying (in Chinese): “that one’s nice, that one’s nice, that one’s delicious, that one’s nice…”

A ferry terminal from which to do a round trip to Circular Quay via Cockatoo Island, and more restaurants and cafes than you can poke a bread stick at, my favourite discovery was a gelateria next to Imax which served black sesame gelato. Not quite as nice as the ones we had in Kyoto, but still very yummy.

A walk all the way dorn Sussex Street to Chinatown to find some dinner, I was disappointed at the vibe of the street and mall offerings, so ended up going up into a food court and getting some Japanese from there. Which was all the more disappointing for its gooey tofu and half cooked gummy over garliced gyoza. From another stall I’d hoped for a bubblecup but got an oversweet lychee tea with stodgy pearls in it. Good thing I had a kilometre to walk the experience off.

Kingston SE

Not to be especially confused, but there are apparently 2 (if not more) towns called Kingston. The one we want is Kingston SE, home of the big lobster. We were initially sad as the lobster season was over a month away, however as it turned out, they’d started early so we had a delicious seafood lunch from the little shop by the pier.

Cape Jaffa was a revelation as the last time we were down that way, there was no marina as such (just wee scale models, and posters of happy families pointing skywards to the future). Stage 1 looked completed, but were it not for Cape Jaffa being so far from practically anything (and possibly also the economic downturn), it would otherwise be a booming place.

Having found the beaches of Little Dip, we thought we’d make a return visit to get some proper sunset pics.

Little Dip Conservation Park

It’s with a little irony that the conservation park around the corner from our accomodation is protected from all things, except for 4WD vehicles. We noticed on a walk that the erosional damage in some places was almost a metre deep. Still, we have to draw arbitrary lines somewhere…

Our (my) concern was getting back in the dark after some sunset photography, particularly as the clouds looked especially rainy.

Robe Holiday

We find Robe the perfect place to go for a break, it’s nicely far away but not too far & usually bereft of the fordes that make holidaying a bit unbearable. A stop at Penola was a revelation as the town was buzzing. Partly due to a long weekend, but also the anniversary of Mary McKillop. The town’s a lot more alive than I remembered from previous visits.

Robe itself is fairly central to Kingston (mmm Lobsters), Mt Gambier, Coonawarra (mmm wine), and the Limestone Coast (mmm more wine). I also find it an ironic place for a person of Chinese descent to go given its goldrush era history.