Tea in the Garden
Martine's GardenOur departure from Sydney was very smooth, I think now that we are leaving, we have our routes all worked out. Don’t ever rent a car in Sydney, save yourself lots of angst! We did enjoy our trips to the countryside however and may not have done them without the car.
On our flight we met a delightful schoolgirl, Ashley. I had noticed her in the departure lounge because she was with a group of teens and probably going on a school trip to Tasmania. She was very attractive in a wholesome way and seemed very unselfconscious and self-assured. She was vivacious and talkative and asked all kinds of questions about our impressions of Australia and Australians. She was from the Gold Coast but didn’t know the origin of that name; she said she’d have to look that up. She was in Cadets and on her way to a survival course in Tasmania for one week. Most of her companions were boys, and they seemed to accept her as one of their mates. She was the youngest of five girls and her father had encouraged all the girls to go into Cadets; she was following in the footsteps of four older sisters. She said they were all two years apart in age and her father gave up on having a boy after she was born and encouraged his girls to be self sufficient. Good thinking, Dad! His plan seemed to be working.
Once in Hobart we proceeded to 106 Goulborn St., Behind the Green Door, a B & B owned by Martine and Bill Heilman, friends of our friends in Kuranda, Keila and Henri. Martine is Swiss from Neufchatel and Bill is Australian. Martine is a wonderful gardener and her touches are evident in the self-contained little cottage we are renting from them. She painted a frieze of little houses around one wall and created a beautiful 3D work of art featuring butterflies above the bed. There was a beautiful handmade gingerbread cookie on our bed and other delicious cookies and chocolate Easter eggs in the cupboard. Bill probably built the chalet; it is well constructed with beautiful wooden floors. It is fully equipped including a washing machine and clothes line, and we feel very much at home. I remember discussing the importance of laundry facilities when on holiday with my NZ sister-in-law, Anna. It’s great to be able to look after this mundane chore in situ rather than trekking to a laundromat with lumpy bags of dirty duds.
Martine and Bill advised us about hiking trails and not driving too far while here. They encouraged us to hike in the bush near Hobart and to return again sometime to hike the National Parks when we can stay overnight near some of the trails. I will make it a personal goal to return here one day and spend about 3 weeks, there is just so much to see and do. Many Australians have never been here, and I’m not sure why. I guess because it is remote and the weather is cooler; they seem to need that sun. My brother-in-law, Douglas, says they’ve never come because the terrain is like that of New Zealand. Yes, but the wildlife is 100% Australian!
Martine and Bill told us we could build a fire in the wood stove if we were cold but it’s only 13-15 C! We actually lower the heat in our house in Toronto at night during the winter to about 16 so this isn’t really cold to us. And there is no humidity – paradise! Using the space heaters periodically will be fine.
We had enough time to shop for groceries and stroll around Salamanca Square before retiring. We found a hip restaurant, Smolt, mentioned in a Sydney Times Good Food Guide for 2009. We enjoyed a small plate of olives, ciabatta with olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar reduction, seafood mains including salmon and calamari, lavender ice cream (me) and raspberry sorbet (he) and coffees. Heavenly.
On our flight we met a delightful schoolgirl, Ashley. I had noticed her in the departure lounge because she was with a group of teens and probably going on a school trip to Tasmania. She was very attractive in a wholesome way and seemed very unselfconscious and self-assured. She was vivacious and talkative and asked all kinds of questions about our impressions of Australia and Australians. She was from the Gold Coast but didn’t know the origin of that name; she said she’d have to look that up. She was in Cadets and on her way to a survival course in Tasmania for one week. Most of her companions were boys, and they seemed to accept her as one of their mates. She was the youngest of five girls and her father had encouraged all the girls to go into Cadets; she was following in the footsteps of four older sisters. She said they were all two years apart in age and her father gave up on having a boy after she was born and encouraged his girls to be self sufficient. Good thinking, Dad! His plan seemed to be working.
Once in Hobart we proceeded to 106 Goulborn St., Behind the Green Door, a B & B owned by Martine and Bill Heilman, friends of our friends in Kuranda, Keila and Henri. Martine is Swiss from Neufchatel and Bill is Australian. Martine is a wonderful gardener and her touches are evident in the self-contained little cottage we are renting from them. She painted a frieze of little houses around one wall and created a beautiful 3D work of art featuring butterflies above the bed. There was a beautiful handmade gingerbread cookie on our bed and other delicious cookies and chocolate Easter eggs in the cupboard. Bill probably built the chalet; it is well constructed with beautiful wooden floors. It is fully equipped including a washing machine and clothes line, and we feel very much at home. I remember discussing the importance of laundry facilities when on holiday with my NZ sister-in-law, Anna. It’s great to be able to look after this mundane chore in situ rather than trekking to a laundromat with lumpy bags of dirty duds.
Martine and Bill advised us about hiking trails and not driving too far while here. They encouraged us to hike in the bush near Hobart and to return again sometime to hike the National Parks when we can stay overnight near some of the trails. I will make it a personal goal to return here one day and spend about 3 weeks, there is just so much to see and do. Many Australians have never been here, and I’m not sure why. I guess because it is remote and the weather is cooler; they seem to need that sun. My brother-in-law, Douglas, says they’ve never come because the terrain is like that of New Zealand. Yes, but the wildlife is 100% Australian!
Martine and Bill told us we could build a fire in the wood stove if we were cold but it’s only 13-15 C! We actually lower the heat in our house in Toronto at night during the winter to about 16 so this isn’t really cold to us. And there is no humidity – paradise! Using the space heaters periodically will be fine.
We had enough time to shop for groceries and stroll around Salamanca Square before retiring. We found a hip restaurant, Smolt, mentioned in a Sydney Times Good Food Guide for 2009. We enjoyed a small plate of olives, ciabatta with olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar reduction, seafood mains including salmon and calamari, lavender ice cream (me) and raspberry sorbet (he) and coffees. Heavenly.
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