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As far as I know, Australia is not known for their culinary prowess. I mean, if you put them in a list along with, say, France, Spain, and Mexico, I’m sure Australia would fare somewhere near last. However, that’s not to say they don’t have good food. In addition to good ol’ fish & chips (french fries; chips as in potato chips are crisps), their plate is filled with European, Indian, Middle Eastern and Asian. There are kebab and falafel offerings on almost every corner. There is sure to be at least 2 Asian restaurants in every shopping center as well – maybe Thai, maybe Indonesion, or perhaps Japanese or Chinese. And to note, every place we’ve eaten Asian food has been pretty awesome. Justin is really digging the red curry dishes. Even in the most un-Asian type of restaurant you can imagine (think, Bennigan’s or something), there’s sure to be a curry or Asian hot-pot type of dish on the menu.
Another popular fare here is Italian. Lasagna, pasta dishes, pizza – it’s everywhere. Even Domino’s is here. *Another plus when eating at an Italian restaurant - or any restauarnt really – is Australia’s popular B.Y.O. policy. The Bring Your Own policy means you can bring in your favorite wine – and there are plenty of good, inexpensive ones to choose from – and only get charged $1 or $2 fee per glass. Much better deal than buying a $30 bottle of wine that you may or may not like.
I also love the fact that organic and locally grown food is everywhere. All the grocery stores seem to carry a pretty decent selection of org fruits and veggies, as well as org canned and dry goods. Of course, all the corner markets and vendors have org and local selections too. For the meat eaters, there’s always a choice of hormone-free or free-range meats from chicken (not so popular in Aussie compared to in US) to lamb (very popular in Aussie compared to in US) to beef.
To sum up, my taste buds have been a roller coaster for the last 4 weeks.
Job – check!
Today was a good day. After two days of rain, the sun came out in full force…and Justin accepted a job offer! The company is AMALGAMATED Constructions (check them out here), and the project he’ll be working on just so happens to be about 10 minutes north of us; it’s a $190M project developing a residential resort & spa. Woo-hooo!
hahaha! Actually, we have been car-less for the last week. I’ve done so much walking that the pink frogs on my Converse are starting to look tired. It’s all good, though – it’s in the name of discovery! We’ve been able to get to explore our ‘hood a little better. But let me tell you, exploring can be tiring. I can’t imagine how exhausting Christoper Columbus* was throughout his career.
Ahoy, mates, there is more land ahead. I want to check it out, but damn, I am so tired from discovering all that land yesterday.
Anywho, I guess this just means I’m getting a little more ER; as in oldER. Back to my discoveries, though. We went up to the shopping center that’s about a 10-minute walk from here. It comes complete with food court and all, as well as a Big W (Wal-Mart here), 2 grocery stores, a bakery (no block is complete without a bakery here in Australia), etc…. We also took a run through the Burleigh Heads Nat’l Park this week. It’s so crazy to think that one minute I’m walking on a beach, the next minute I’m running through tropical forest with wild turkeys running around and earthworms so big that they just might entice a sailfish or something.
Nature and malls aside, we’ve also been on the hunt for a vehicle. All week I’ve been singing Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car song. You know, hoping that if I sing long enough about a car, it will just, like, show up in our parking spot. Hahaha!
You got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Anywho, Justin is on the hunt for a campervan. Cars are a dime a dozen here, so we’re just looking for the right one. If we can get a campervan, we can take it for mini-tours around Australia. I’m hoping for a V-Dub van, but we’ve heard the parts aren’t so readily available and such. We’re a lot of things Justin and I, but mechanic is not one of them. So, along with “find job,” “find car” is now on our to-do list as well. Until then, we’re being green and utilizing public transportation (did you guys check out the link for Ideal Bite on the left?).
What else? I guess I could go into what Aussies are listening to today. They say you shouldn’t judge a person by their looks, but how about by their CD collection? It’s not so much concerning who or what genres they listen to, rather the variety (or lack thereof) they have. That’s just my opinion. Anywho, having a car for awhile and only 1 cd, we were forced to listen to the radio. Along with Aussies love of electronic music (the dancey-housey kind mostly, and a few big names like Tiesto and Armin van Buuren), the selection ranges from local faves like Powderfinger and the John Butler Trio, to international players like The Killers, Pink, Avril…. And, Michael Buble?! A crooner-type who is thrilled with the fact that Oprah loves him, thereby the entire population of 40-somethings are scooping up his album. (No dissing here, really, just commenting. I’m sure you’re quite good, Mr. Buble.) Also, I’ve heard more Chris Isaak in the past couple weeks than I have in last decade! We had lunch at a Belgian restaurant last week, and in the rotation was “Wicked Game.” So, while eating my belgian beef & creamy mash (mashed potatoes) and drinking our Chimays and Stellas, we suddenly felt the need to roll around on the beach…in black and white….with a model. Ahhh, Australia, thank you for enticing these warm feelings.
Until next time, people!
*ahh, editor’s note here: What you choose to believe about the depth of CC’s “discoveries” is up to you. Personally, I’m not quite sure why he’s so celebrated in North America other than the guess that he was well marketed. He may have introduced horses and small pox to the New World, but he certainly didn’t “discover” it first. But, hey, no matter what, thanks for the day off CC!
Last week, Justin and I headed for Nightcap National Park/Whian Whian State Conservation Area. It’s just over the state border in New South Wales, and the total drive is about an hour and a half drive from Burleigh Heads. But, the time table is not because of the actual distance. The path to Nightcap is one part highway, two parts scenic route. And by scenic route, I mean roads with no shoulder and enough twists and turns to bring Chubby Checker back from the dead (he is dead, right? If not, my bad, Chubby). Parts of the road didn’t even have speed limits posted – just signs that said, “Drive to suit conditions.”
To begin, we headed out of town south on the Pacific Highway toward Murwillumbah. From Murwillumbah, we veered southeast a bit for another 30 kilometers or so toward a small town called Nimbin. Since we weren’t 100% sure what way to go (come to think of it, we haven’t been 100% sure on much since we landed in Australia), we thought it best to ask someone and I was sure the Nimbin information center would be the spot. Now, with half-baked directions and a visitors guide in hand, we were on our way. Eleven kilometers to our destination. Would Trudy, our Hyundai Accent rental car make it?
She did. The Nightcap National Park/Whian Whian State Conservation area is a sub-tropical rainforest. Sure I’ve seen tropical, but I’ve never seen a rainforest, and I definitely haven’t seen anything like this place in the US. I mean, the temperature, the fauna, the air, the ground beneath my feet, the view – it was all different. I’m not sure how much ground we covered, but I know we didn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what this park has to offer. I know there are camp sites in the park and maybe we’ll try that some time. I was no Brownie and I didn’t make it Girl Scouts, so I’m still on the fence about camping. In my mind, of course, it’s all fun and games – marshmallow roasts, singing, fishing – but in reality, I’m thinking mosquats the size of beetles, beetles the size of frogs, frogs the size of…well, you get my point. Anywho, Nightcap National Park is definitely on our “To-do-again” list camping or not.
(Check out more new pics at our Flick page – look left for the link!)
With the possibility of only a few more days left with Trudy, we wanted to make another day trip. This time, to Brisbane. Brisbane is the capital of Queensland, and quoting from my handy-dandy Fodor’s, see it – Australia guide book it’s “regularly voted as one of the world’s most liveable cities.” One of the world’s? Sounds pretty appealing. The drive was a little shorter this time, just an hour or so, and unlike our last road trip, it was nothing but highway.
Justin asked the inevitable, “Are we there yet?” and before I could reach down and grab a map, the city’s skyline appeared. Not ever living where highrises and skyscrapers are dominant, I still get a little awestruck when I see one. We crossed over the Captain Cook Bridge and made our way to the City Botanic Gardens. Although much, much smaller than NYC’s Central Park, the idea is similar for the City Botanic Gardens. Amidst a bustling city lies a little piece of neatly manicured gardens and lawns, benches and palm trees, birds and mangroves. You know, one of those places that makes you think, Damn, if I only had a talent. I could write a book here; or paint a picture; or play the guitar. With no talent summoning us at the moment, Justin and I were free to make our way to the South Bank. The South Bank was pretty cool – cafes, bougainvillea-lined pathways, there was a little market going on. What was craziest, though, is the man-made beach right in the center of the area. Sand, sunbathers and all – Brisbane brought the beach to their river city. Next, we headed back toward the City Botanic Gardens, walked over to Elizabeth Street and hit up an area called Fortitude Valley. We didn’t get to see all of the area, but what we did included a lot of pubs and alas, another mall. Along with the usual high number of Asians, I was also pleasantly happy to see the goth kids hanging about. It made me miss the emo kids wearing their tight jeans, high-top Converse and trendy washed-out t-shirt while sporting a haircut that is a geometric feat.
What did you say!?