Eden Restaurant Mt Tamborine

29/06/201701/07/2017

It’s a glorious winter’s day and it’s school holidays on the Gold Coast.

I’m up on Mt Tamborine which is about a 45 minute drive from central Gold Coast. There are a few ways to the summit and the ridge along the top is scattered with vineyards, restaurants, coffee houses, walks, a sky walk and the part where my daughter is going, Thunderbird park.

I drop her off to do the tree top challenge and I head off to a vineyard to do some work.

My friend owns Cedar Creek Wineries and their sparkling white is fantastic. Unfortunately they are booked out for lunch so I head next door to Mason Wineries.

I am pleasantly surprised!

Run by a worldly couple Dylan and Suraya, the vineyard has a happy feel.

The restaurant is called Eden Restaurant.

The menu is different – tapas style smaller bites, with plates to share and a couple of salads.

The wines are also pretty good and reasonably priced.

Today I have the panko chicken, quinoa salad. It is quite different. Jalopenos, rocket, corn chips and capsicum salsa. It is light and yummy!

This is an interview I did with Chef Dylan. I love his commitment and passion for sourcing out real food!

Alpine Hiking Mt Rigi

10/05/201731/05/2017

Switzerland offers many walking adventures, many accessible from trains, furniculars, cables and car.

Today we set off for a short 3 hours walk along Mt Rigi.

There is a car park at the bottom and three options for getting to the start of many walks. You can walk the entire way but you would need a day. The first part is very step. We choose to take the furnicular which is around 30 Swiss Francs return.

At the top you can switch off your mind and just follow the track. This is the start to many tracks but the main one is easy to follow and will take you to the summit of Mt Rigi.

The Swiss Alps start declaring themselves early on and are nothing short of breath-taking. It is hard to get one’s mind around the fact that the ones in front are 2000+ metres and the ones in the back ground are 4000 + plus. You really feel on top of the world, mingling with the clouds and gods.

There are plenty of things to see and do along the way. Cafes serving hot tea, wine, food are littered along the walking track.

Cows are taken to the hills in the summer and we are there on the last day they will inhabit the slopes until next summer. We are fortunate to witness the rounding up of the cows, with their big ding-dong, jingle bells as they are mustered to lower pasteurlands.

I love seeing this side of the world… traditional farming techniques that have worked for years and honoured season after season. It works, so why change it? And as my friend says, happy cows = happy milk.

The last part of the walk to the summit is step but very manageable with chairs scattered along the path to the top.

You can catch a train if you wish – the old carriages – some built in 1880 are reliable and comfortable.

At the top there are two dining options – a self serve buffet, or a sit down a la carte restaurant. Depending on the clouds, you will either get the most amazing pan views of the alps and valleys, or fluffy white clouds.

We opted for the self serve buffet and wine, then the train back to the starting point.

The train ride down is excellent and there are many opportunities to take photos of the lush forest. Towards the end there is a lovely waterfall on the right hand side of the train. If you have longer, you can walk down instead of catching the train.

We met a lady on the train who had done 58 walks in 4 months, so there are not shortage of walks not scenery. Have some fun, take a warm jacket and good walking shoes (sneakers are fine) and enjoy the magnificent views from the top of the world.

Mt Warning Delights

14/08/201614/08/2016

Today was a magic day shared with close friends in a very spiritual part of Australia, Mt Warning.

Mount Warning — Mt Warning (Wollumbin)
in NSW

Mt Warning, also known as Mt Wollumbin is a step craggy mountain (actually the remnants of a volcano) that makes for a big day time climb.

The 4.5 km, one way walk, (9km return trip) takes on average 5 hours, giving you a 20 minute break up the top. You can of course do it quicker or longer, depending on your fitness.

I would say this walk requires moderate fitness and I don’t think it is for the feint hearted. The steep incline meanders through some lovely bush tracks, with the Tweed Valley dropping away below.

The height of the mountain in a bit over 1100 meters, and the last little bit is practically a rock climb straight up. There are chains to hang onto but it is loads of fun pulling yourself up, especially if you legs have given way!

The views from the top are spectacular, spanning from the Gold Coast hinterland to Byron Bay and Nimbin.

There is something very bonding about sharing the view with other people who have just survived the rock climb as well. Many kick back in the sun and enjoy a feed before heading back down.

For some silly reason I took a bottle of wine to be drunk at the top but there was no way known I was going to drink wine, in case I fell off the mountain, so it was carried all the way down undrunk.

At the base of Mount Warning are two options for eating, my favourite being Mavis’ s Kitchen.

Yummy beef cheeks — Beef Cheeks at Mavis’s Kitchen

It’s a well established restaurant with fantastic gardens and food. They grow a lot of their own produce in their beautiful garden. Today a couple catch a helicopter in, which adds to the surrealism and grandioseness of the place.

The sunlight in the area gives everything a luminescent glow, citrus greens and crisp blues. A perfect day with the perfect balance of options.

Oh for the record, I had the beef cheeks, on polenta and the Tyrell’s chardonnay. Devine!

Canyoning in the hinterland

09/02/201609/02/2016

It’s late winter and we are after a new challenge.

My friend, a professional abseilor suggests some canyoning. Perfect I say!

We struggle to find places to freelance abseil but stumble across a little known place on the way to Springbrook. It called Back Creek Gorge at Beechmont (Killarney Glen) and you will have to google to find it but we did, so no doubt you will too.

We were expecting an abseil into a single pond but what we discovered was way more incredible!

The Back Creek Gorge is a a six hour adventure traveling down loads of water falls, all with varying challenges and degrees of difficulty. Even with my still broken toes, I have a ball.

Absailing Gold Coast — Abseiling Gold Coast

The only way out, as night falls, is straight up through the bush. Starting to realise that our food rations might get put to the test, and an overnight stay in the wilderness is on the cards, we both forge on. Up, scratched and out.

I have a ball and would do this type of adventure again and again. BUT I would suggest only going with an experienced abseilor. You needed to know your knots and not lose your cool. Not for the faint-hearted.