{the view from our balcony in manly beach, sydney}
I realize the words ‘impromtu’ and ‘Australia’ do not in any circumstances go together (well…unless you live in New Zealand….or Tasmania.), but a last minute trip Down Under is exactly what happened, and I am still (still!) reeling from the jetlag. In short: Australia is incredibly awesome. Though I have a terrible habit of jabbing James in the ribs each time we are somewhere new and proclaiming “I WANNA MOVE HERE!,” in Australia, I really meant it. I have never been somewhere so full of vibrancy, life, great weather, cuisine, and culture, that also tied into itself a native people who are fantastically friendly, welcoming, and entertaining. We boarded a flight destined halfway around the world, and made our way to Manly Beach, Sydney, the Mornington Peninsula, and then finally to Melbourne. Over the course of fourteen days we ate, drank, danced, walked, and sang (karaoke!) ourselves silly, and I’m still amazed that I managed to drive on the wrong (left) side of the road – sitting behind the wheel on the wrong (right) side of the car – without causing an international incident. I feel so lucky and thankful to have been given an opportunity to experience what I think is one of the most special places on the planet, and hope that eventually we will be able to make it back there to spend a lot more time. I’ve got lots of ‘real’ pictures and perspective to come, but here’s a little sneak peek into two weeks of bliss via Instagram.
{sampling a flight of brews at four pines, manly beach}
{strolling around beautiful sydney, despite the overcast skies}
{the BEST pho i have ever had, ever. (and i’ve had a lot!)}
{lunching with a bottle of white at the winery in surrey hills, sydney}
{surname, spotted!}
{taking notes and taking in a delicious (real!) pint of little creatures pale ale}
{relaxing on the green in st. kilda, melbourne}
{the basement bar at our tres chic hotel: palmer & co at the establishment hotel, sydney}
{i like the sound of this!}
{wine country, in the mornington peninsula}
{the best.dumplings.ever at mr. wong}
{gearing up to soak up some sun in sorrento}
{speakeasy love.}
{to die for pho}
{ducks + geese}
{red bean drink = heaven on earth}
{a very happy lady after a massage and some hot springs baths}
{rugged and gorgeous sorrento}
{homemade char siu pork}
{wine tasting in the countryside}
{u-pick-em strawberries – these guys were monsters!}
{tide pools}
{the best thing i’ve ever eaten: sweet and sour pork at chin chin}
{pretty graffiti, melbourne}
{well said: nightcaps at go-go bar}
{beachside lunch at stokehouse, melbourne}
{sipping cold white while waiting for our whole grilled john dory at claypots}
{palms in the city}
{a soft shell crab dry curry – to die for}
{coconut lemongrass + vodka slushie}
{a little city laneway}
{our favorite, on tap}
{rugged beauty of the rocky beaches}
{dinner at cafe sydney}
Love the update on your life!
thanks tolley!! i hope we get to see you & the fam soon!
Oh, amazing photos!
xx
thanks nicole!
We visited Australia recently too and absolutely loved it, far more than we ever thought we would. Glad you had a lovely impromptu trip!
Mmmm I have a love affair with pho…those pictures made me drool!
i do too – it’s definitely up there in my top 3 favorite things
Hi Cory, it was through your blog about Positano a few months ago that I went to Italy last May and absolutely loved Pos. my fav. place in all Italy. Now I read that you have just visited Mornington Peninsula. We could have met as my daughter/son in.law, have a vineyard not far from Tucks and I stay with them frequently. I am so pleased that you enjoyed your holiday ‘down under’ and hope you return some day then we could meet for lunch at my fav. restuarant Donovan, next door to Stokehouse. Where did you have the best Pho ?
Warm wishes for 2013
Jeanette.
hi jeanette! great to hear from you! sounds like we have the same travel tastes?! i have lots of pictures to come, and we loved tucks….we loved the entire area in fact! i was so taken by redhill, i could have stayed forever. in melbourne, we were thisclose to going to donovans! we stayed in st. kilda and were only a 5 minute walk from there, but at the last minute decided to go to a seafood place called claypots. i am sorry we missed it now! i will mark that down for next trip. our pho was had enroute from mornington to melbourne, in a little town called springvale. the exact name escapes me now, but when i think of it ill let you know! xo
So glad you and James enjoyed your stay in Australia – you must come back! (And by the way, please bring the family x)
thank you alison! we had the BEST time, and i cannot wait to visit again. we will definitely be back with some family in tow….and will hopefully spend some time with you! i still owe you a jerusalem artichoke recipe….i have not forgotten! coming soon, i solemnly swear
hope all is well in OZ, sending you xx’s and oo’s from colorado! xox
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