We also planned an extra day on the way up to stop and visit the Dubbo Zoo. For those that haven't been it is designed to drive around in either your car, a hired golf buggy or bike but you can also choose to walk. As it was only 6kms we decided to walk but I was shocked that we were the minority especially as when you drive you even have to stop and get out of the car at every enclosure therefore lots of people just drive on by and don't see all of the animals. It was a warm day but we managed to see all of the animals. I do love the zoo!
After another exhausting drive we eventually made it to Kingscliff late Monday afternoon just in time for it to start pouring rain!! We stayed at Peppers Salt Resort & Spa and it was a beautiful place. We had our own one bedroom apartment in the resort and it had all the bells and whistles anyone needed. The resort itself had a beautiful restaurant, poolside bar and two pools, one of which was a lagoon pool. We unfortunately didn't have the best weather but I did manage to fit in at least one afternoon by the pool and a few walks by the beach. I loved spending some time on our private balcony reading a book and just relaxing. Due to the sad weather, we spent a lot of time at the resort which meant we ate a number of different things there. The poolside bar did amazing food and also doubled as room service. Over the course of the week we tried a few things from here including the most amazing duck spring rolls you have ever had and some very fresh delicious fish tacos.
One morning we wanted to get out and do something so we took advantage of the no rain situation and headed to Mount Warning Rainforest to go for a walk. We were hoping to go on smaller walk but this was of course closed to due to weather so we tackled the 9km round trip hike to summit...we were not prepared for this 5 hour walk so we made it about 1.5kms and turned around. It was really lovely to get outdoors and go for a walk and I really enjoyed the rainforest apart from the leeches..eww yucky things!
On our last night I wanted to get a little dressed up and go to a beautiful restaurant with amazing quality food. There was a strip of restaurants opposite the resort and we had tried a few different places including a Thai place which was really delicious but I took a chance on this little Italian restaurant called Bellini and it blew us away. It was a little expensive but so worth it. I chose the gnocchi and Dylan had a steak. The gnocchi was probably the best I have ever had, it was cooked to perfection and the sauce was made with cherry tomatoes. I would so go back just to eat here again! Dylan also said the steak was the best steak he has ever had in his life, which is a big call but he certainly used it as a comparison to any steak he has eaten since!
Sadly my holiday already feels like it was months ago which isn't a surprise with how much I have packed in since we got home. I don't think I can go into detail about everything so here is a simplified version! I went on a ghost tour with some friends from work around Ballarat which was very interesting to hear some history of Ballarat but I didn't see any ghosts..boohoo. Before we went on the tour we all got together and ate at Cafe Meigas, a Spanish restaurant that I have been trying to get to for a long time. It is only open a few nights a week so it has been hard to get there. We all chose a dish each and tried some tapas. All of the food was great but there was so much to try I felt so over full it ruined the experience. I think I need to go back here with a much smaller group to give it a real report but it is definitely worth a try, not to mention the best sangria that I have ever had outside of Spain.
As a birthday treat (I will accept all belated presents and well wishes!) Dylan and I headed out to Red Peppa. It is one of the more pricey restaurants in town but it was so worth it. The quality of food here is amazing and it is so worth the price unlike some of the other pricey restaurants in town. I had the Pumpkin & Goats Cheese Tortellini and it was amazing. Homemade pasta just automatically makes a dish so much better. The only thing that I would fault with it was that the tortellini was so big that sometimes the pasta was a little too thick in places. There was about three or four things I wanted to try on the menu so I think we will be making a trip back very soon, I will just have to make up another special treat reason to go there!! In addition to my birthday dinner with Dylan, this year I decided to have a very low key celebration and had an afternoon out with the girls. I decided I wanted to go to Tuki Trout Farm for a spot of fishing. I love fishing but it is something that I haven't done in a long time. It is so relaxing and serene and I managed to catch myself a fish. We opted for the lunch special where you catch your fish and they cook it up for you. It was really enjoyable and I would love to go back here again. It is about a 30 minute drive from Ballarat and is a beautiful setting for a special occasion. For those that don't like seafood, they also have their own lamb that they produce and cook at the restaurant not to mention sharing plates and desserts!
After stretching my birthday week out, it was time to concentrate on work and work only as O-Week was already upon us. It is a fun but exhausting week where we work crazy hours to make sure we have day and night time events for students to enjoy. My favourite event to organise (and it is very popular with the students) is what we call the main event. It is a carnival themed event where we have a number of vendors come in and serve all free food and have a bunch of carnival themed rides like a bungee tramps, face painting and a bucking bull. This year the food included Round the Way Bagels, Potato Twirls & Red Door woodfired pizza's but I decided to try a gozleme from Tasty Gozleme as I have never had one before. I had a basic spinach and cheese one and it was delicious. A great alternative to the normal crepes that you often see. I will definitely try one of these again when I see them out and about.
Before I finish I have to mention probably the most exciting thing since I last wrote. My little brother got married this weekend!! We spent the long weekend in Mildura and had an amazing time catching up with family and friends. The wedding was great and even though I have already gone photo crazy this blog I have to share one with you.
In addition to all of these things I've been going to and food I've been eating, I have also started some pretty exciting things that have taken up a lot of time. I started a new job just prior to O-Week which I am so excited about. It is still at the uni and still in the same team but I am now the Sport & Recreation Officer on campus. I am sure it is no surprise to many of you as I have always loved sport, but I so pumped to be stepping into a role with more opportunities to implement my ideas and develop my own program instead of working on other peoples ideas and programs. I also made the decision to sign up and try the Michelle Bridges 12wbt program. I have heard many good things about it and have been looking into it for a while so I just took the plunge and signed up. I am already 5 weeks in and have had a pretty good experience so far but I think I will leave this for next time as there are some great things that I have cooked that I would love to share with you. Until then, keep smiling xxx
