Bohemia on the Coast

Finally there is a place for excellent coffee on the Central Coast!

Its like a piece of Greville Street in Melbourne was up-rooted and planted in the heart of Long Jetty, and THANK HEAVENS for that.

The Glass Onion Society is a relatively new cafe with an eclectic soul! The espresso bar will soothe the  9 to 5 grind away, with smooth and full bodied coffee. The cakes will dance their way onto your plate and the atmosphere will evoke memories of times gone by.

Adorned with vintage table settees and inspiring art, dressing the walls, The Glass Onion Society has set the stage for what is to come on the Coast. The staff are incredibly friendly, relaxed and professional, its obvious that they love working there and take great pride in the establishment. They have an old record player that sounds amazing, and kudos to the staff for letting my mom pick an album to play! AMAZING.

Connected to the cafe/espresso bar is a vintage clothing store. There are some super cute pieces in here, if you're looking for 'one off' items, have a look here first and then grab a coffee!

This espresso bar is sure to become a number one favourite with the locals, and I will definitely be back!

Check out their Facebook page here.

 

 

 

Australia Day

I ventured around Sydney this Australia Day, along with a few brave souls who risked getting soaked by the rain - looks like Mother Nature turned on a great afternoon for us!

A little zen in Gosford

A Japanese garden in Gosford? Yes, that's right! If you're looking for a little zen - the Edogawa Gardens at the Gosford Regional Galleries is where you will want to head.

The Gosford Regional Galleries are located in East Gosford and are free to enter. There are always beautiful exhibitions on from local, national and international artists and  you can easily spend a good hour or so marveling at the creations. Further, if you see a piece you like, chances are its for sale (most of the pieces are) so you may be able to take a little treasure home with you!

The Galleries also have a cute little gift shop that sell tourist memorabilia but also some lovely pieces of jewellery and collectable items. There is a cafe/function centre within the garden/galleries, The Caroline Bay Brasserie, on this occasion we didn't eat here, but we have done in the past and the food is really yummy. Be warned though - if you are a 'dessert person' save room, the cakes and tarts are amazingly decadent and can easily serve 2 people! For more details about the cafe/function centre visit their separate website www.carolinebayfunctions.com.au

The centre run a few workshops and events - So if you are more 'right brain' inclined check their schedule! If you more left brain inclined, check the schedule too, its always fun to learn new things! (If you want to find out if you use the left or right side of your brain more, I found this cool little test to do online, click here to give it a go!)

The gardens are incredibly beautiful, such care and attention to details can be seen in every corner. Its a great place to sit and meditate, be still and enjoy the positive flow of energy. The garden is home to some very cute little ducks who freely mingle with the magnificent koi fish in the pond at the centre of the garden. What would a Japanese garden be without a Zen garden? There is something very peace for about the zen garden, its really nice to sit next to it and take everything in!

So next time you drive through Gosford make sure you stop at this very zen place and enjoy a bite to eat, some inspiring art, and a tranquil garden - www.gosfordregionalgallery.com 

Skinny Love

Love this song, and this artist!

Food for thought...

From the great mind of William Shakespeare...

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts.
His acts being seven ages.
At first the infant, mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail unwillingly to school.
And then the lover, sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to his mistress' eyebrow.
Then a soldier, full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, seeking the bubble reputation even in the cannon's mouth.
And then the justice, in fair round belly with good capon lined, with eyes severe and beard of formal cut, full of wise saws and modern instances; and so he plays his part.
The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon, with spectacles on nose and pouch on side, his youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide for his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, turning again toward childish treble, pipes and whistles in his sound.
Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second childishness and mere oblivion,
sans teeth,
sans eyes,
sans taste,
sans everything.

Out and about

No words, just pictures.

Light the way

Norah head lighthouse was constructed in 1903 and is a magnificent piece of history to visit on the Central Coast.

The history of this light house is really interesting, to read about it, I would recommend a visit to this website - www.norahheadlighthouse.com.au

This is a very popular spot for photography enthusiasts, family photos and of course weddings. The crispness of the white lighthouse against a royal blue sky can have you gazing in admiration at this man made beauty.

The beaches surrounding the lighthouse are amazing and tranquil. They require a little more effort to get to then a standard beach (There is a set of stair to climb down and up again) but it is worth the mini step workout!

You can walk across the beaches, over the sea rocks and spend hours looking at the mini marine world that inhabit the little crevasses and pool in the rocks.

I love any type of bush walking or beach walking! I recommend to grab a picnic lunch and your bathers and enjoy the calming surrounds!

There is accommodation at the lighthouse. The small town of Norah head also has a few small take-away food outlets and a small general store. If you're 'just driving by' stop! and have a look, take in the beauty and the amazing views.

A new love a-Flair

Last night we enjoyed a beautiful meal at Flair Restaurant, Erina Heights, Central Coast NSW, our experience was amazing.

With a hat rating from the AGFG - Flair Restaurant will leave your taste buds tantalised! To start with, the customer service is brilliant. From the time of booking through to asking for l'addition, we were treated with the best, seamless customer service.

I may not be a food writer but the food here is nothing short of brilliant. The quality of the ingredients is immediately evident and the sheer skills and outstanding abilities of the Chef shine through in each dish.

We will definitely be returning here to re-experience the culinary delight.

For details please visit their website - www.flairrestaurant.weebly.com

On the edges of the lake

Hugging the shores of Lake Macquarie are a number of small towns. I recently spent a day in Nords Warf and Murrays Beach.

Lake Macquarie is the biggest inland saltwater lake (if I am not corrected), in the southern hemisphere, and is extremely popular with all forms of water activities, shore side picnics and BBQ's.

For more general information about Lake Macquarie - I found this website to be useful      www.lakemacquarie.com

Nords Warf is a tiny little town and is perfect for a day get away or if you like the seclusion there is a well known resort Rafferty's (www.raffertysresort.com.au) to stay at and unwind. There was a great track that I did a bit of bushwalking on along the shore line of the lake.

Murrays Beach is just across the way from Nords Warf, don't let the name fool you, it is not a beach, but there is one close by. This is a fairly new estate and sports some architectural homes designed to blend in with the native Australian bush land.

The Lakehouse cafe is a great spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner - with beautiful views of the bushland and lake. The coffee is good and so is the food www.lakehousecafe.com.au There are lots of walkways around Murrays Beach and for those adventurous souls - you can trek from Caves Beach to Murrays Beach, why not finish the walk with some food or a coffee!

Beach Life

It is all about the surf, sun and sand at Caves Beach, located at the lower end of Newcastle in NSW. The colour of the water here never ceases to amaze me. Its amazing sapphire and turquoise blue hue dances gracefully against the white sand!

This is a very small town - but a hidden gem!

If you are keen on bush walking, then there is an amazing coastal walk/trail that runs from Caves Beach, through Pinny Beach and out to the headland. I have walked this track and the views are brilliant. There are a few more trails that you can do, all of them vary in length and difficulty. Check out the Wallarah Nation Park website for more information www.environment.nsw.gov.au/nationalparks

A new look

OK, slowly getting use to using Blogger. The blog now has a cleaner look and with many many thanks to my friend Gary, it now has a logo.

Please have a look at his amazing design portfolio - www.garychestney.com.

ps. you can now also follow the blog with updates on Twitter!

Summer at The Entrance

Its truly amazing how a bit of sunshine can transform a sleepy seaside town into a bustling tourist hotspot!

The Entrance on the NSW upper Central Coast always comes to life during the summer months, it really is an ideal place for everyone. Families love the parks, carnivals and swimming (if you pass by here during the day or late afternoon, the local park will be packed with people picnicing and flying kites.) Couples love it for the 'walks on the beach' and choice of restaurants. Ice cream lovers - you're in for a treat...from memory there are 3-4 different ice cream parlors... Yummo! On the other end, fitness people will love it for the public baths (sea swimming pool).

There are some really nice places to eat here, the pub is well known for its relaxed atmosphere and amazing beer garden, but if your after something a little hard to find on the coast, then you can't go past Kim Vietnamese www.kimrestaurant.com.au - great service and delicious food!

I'm not an expert at all on fishing, but if the number of boats, prawning gear and eager people lining the banks with fishing lines is any indication of the fish biting - then you may be in for a 'catch-of-the-day'. Although, it did look like most of them were just there to socialise and enjoy the moment in the sun.

Yarramalong Lavender

Today we went for a drive through Yarramalong and stopped at this pretty little lavender farm called Cedar Park - www.cedarparklavender.com.au.

The lavender was so incredibly fragrant, it was like being taken to the french country side. If you have time to drive through Yarramalong, I would highly recommend it. The picturesque countryside is simply breath-taking.