Day Two in Australia and a Tour of Boomerang
On day two of my visit to Australia, I got up early and had to prepare for three separate media interviews. Each one was held on the 36th floor of the Shangri-La Hotel in different dining establishments. It’s always interesting meeting journalists and television personalities from other countries. After nearly an hour of interviews, Kevin and I met up with our driver and headed out to have some fun with my good friend, Paula Fox. Paula is married to Lindsey Fox, the founder and chairman of his family-owned trucking and logistics company, Linfox. I meet up with Paula in places like Sydney, Melbourne, Hawaii, and New York City. She was thrilled to show us her Sydney home, Boomerang, a recent acquisition. It was breathtaking, to say the least! We then ate a scrumptious lunch and also did a little shopping. What fun!
1 On day two, Kevin and I got up early. I had three interviews starting at 9am. Here I am with Melissa Doyle of Sunrise TV.
2 The second interview was with Lisa Wilkinson of the Today Show.
3 Interviewer number three was Angela Bishop of Ten News.
4 Following the interviews, we jumped in the car with our driver, Diego Lopez, and departed for our meeting/lunch/shopping with my good friend, Paula Fox. We saw lots of great sights along the way, including this wall.
5 Paula gave us a tour of Boomerang, the Fox's historic home situated right on Sydney Harbor. English architect Neville Hampson designed Boomerang in 1926 for wealthy Sydney music publisher Frank Albert.
6 I was really awed by this! - An entire hedge of gardenias! The scent was unbelievable.
7 This ancient stone bench in the garden is flanked by two beautiful cycad sago palms.
8 An old English lead urn with an amazing and unusual species of agave
9 Spanish American in style, the building got its name from Frank's father Jacques Albert's business trademark. Boomerang songbooks and mouthorgans were well-known in Sydney at the time.
10 The tiled roof was black when the Foxes bought the property. However, when they were cleaned it was discovered that the tiles were actually many colors!
11 The wonderful semi-tropical gardens on this vast property were recently redesigned by Myles Baldwin, the same garden designer who looks after Bronte House gardens from yesterday's blog.
12 Moorish-style tiles and ornamentation - Paula worked on the restoration project of this property for 3 years. I love these odd looking succulents.
13 A terrace of 'cracked ice' and a Star of David laid in stone.
14 Lovely fountains and pools abound.
15 Maria, the housekeeper, and her husband oversee the staff at Boomerang.
16 Stone pavers outlined with tropical grasses - a great look!
17 A better view of the grass growing amidst the pavers
18 Kevin's favorite urns in the garden - They are Eastern.
19 Another Eastern object - a gorgeous lantern
20 An old gas pump in the former garage
21 An old dishwasher in the butler's pantry
22 And the great old sink into which the dishwasher is built
23 The servery still has the original zinc cupboards.
24 The laundry room features tubs identical to those that I have at Skylands, my 1920's home in Maine. There were actually many similarities between these two great buildings.
25 The electrical closet was way too frightening!
26 These fabulous metallic glazed tiles look like they may have come from the Pewabic Tile Company in Detroit, Michigan. http://www.pewabic.org/
27 This is the sunken bath in Paula's bathroom.
28 A close look at the tiles - you can see that lots of gold leaf was used in the glaze.
29 The bases of the shower stalls are just like those at Skylands.
30 The bedrooms and hallways have magnificent fitted wardrobes.
31 A fun hat carousel in one of the closets
32 Of course, a built-in safe for valuables
33 A linen closet
34 Another fabulous bathtub
35 The magnificent balustrades are finely worked bronze and iron.
36 There are majestic stained leaded glass windows throughout the house.
37 The dining room features the finest woodwork. This is a lazy Susan built into the wall.
38 It's used for serving plated foods, which are placed into it from the servery on the other side of the wall.
39 One of the fine parquet floors
40 And more amazing parquet
41 Another bathroom in Boomerang with wonderful ceramic shelves and hooks
42 looking back at the house from the water
43 After the tour of Boomerang, we had lunch at Catalina, situated right on majestic Rose Bay. It is one of Sydney's most famous restaurants.
44 In keeping with the harbourside location, seafood is a Catalina specialty. The Head Chef is Mark Axisa.
45 Kevin opted for a Catalina signature dish of roasted suckling pig served with apple purée, braised red cabbage, and raisins. It was delicious!
46 In addition to the a la carte menu, Master Sushi Chef Yoshi Fuchigamii produces stellar sushi and sashimi. I had a chirashi sushi plate - slices of the freshest mixed raw fish served on a bed of sushi rice - excellent!
47 Another view of my chirashi sushi
48 An arugula salad with shaved Parmesan and balsamic vinaigrette
49 This is Paula
50 We were joined by Roslyn Packer, the wife of the late Kerry Packer, an Australian media tycoon. She was dressed impeccably in a Carla Zampatti design.
51 Roslyn and I in the restaurant while a giant storm approached.
52 I enjoyed a beautiful cappuccino.
53 The approaching storm
54 The sky was transformed in a matter of minutes!
55 Exchanging email addresses and updating phone numbers
56 After the storm passed, we went shopping. Every shop had something of interest, like these unusual Christmas decorations.
57 Many stores have evocative names like Pure and General.
58 Paula's favorite housewares shop is a café shop called La Croix, having a beautiful mix of old and edited new. We found many things that we wanted.
59 This carved stone plate was amazing.
60 I really loved this Belgian glass vase - beautiful artistry.
61 Paula wanted these great seals for her son's new home.
62 From the stone walls, to the banquettes, to the mirrors, to the floor - all done in great taste!
63 The cafe offers pastries, coffees, teas, and light fare. This apple tarte tatin looked divine!
64 The pastries are displayed under these great glass domes.
65 The cafe kitchen at La Croix
66 The store's cards
67 I wanted this giant bowl from France.
68 Horn glasses - I was tempted!
69 I have an architectural detail like this, but I have not yet inserted a mirror into it. What a great idea!
70 Paula's favorite butcher is right next door to La Croix.
71 Unfortunately, the shop was closed, but looking through the window, this is what one sees.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Martha, you look very nice in your white shirt and red pants, and I enjoyed seeing all the interesting places.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | December 16th, 2011 at 1:21 am
Once again, travel blog interests us who are fortunate viewing blog. LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION inspires me and Paula Fox is also amazing with her writing, life, and Boomarang. Didn't she write some wonderful books and has inspired many with her writing. Thank you for opening another door for LIVING with pictures of her life. What Fun indeed.
Posted by: ann | December 16th, 2011 at 6:09 am
Amazing images of you Martha, what a beautiful house in Sidney. Looks like you and Kevin had so much fun, the food is presented beautifully and looks delicious.
PS I would love to share with you my sugar flower cake, vanilla flavor. http://flic.kr/s/aHsjxoH2Vz
Happy weekend xo
Posted by: Rowaida Fl | December 16th, 2011 at 9:04 am
Martha,
Thanks so much for sharing with us, you are the best! Have a good day.
Posted by: KLBrown | December 16th, 2011 at 9:45 am
Hi Martha, Boomerang! What a stunning place to see on today's beautiful blog! The gardens are fantastic and the buildings are outstanding! This tour makes me feel very warm-love it! The stone pavers with tropical grass is awesome! The old gas pump and dishwasher sure are unusual! I agree that the laundry room looks just like yours in Skylands even before I read that comment! Paula's bathroom is fascinating! Love the stained glass windows-beautiful! Very clever lazy Susan! Catalina is another gorgeous place to see! I remember Kevin eating so much of that pork! Fun to see your good friend Paula! You have great friends all over the world! Love your shopping photos, too! What a fabulous tour this was-thanks so much! Off to check out The Daily Wag again all about Rooting Around in the Vegetables with F&S! Hope you have a great day and a wonderful weekend! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | December 16th, 2011 at 10:12 am
Hi Martha,
How nice to meet up with a friend in Sydney - her house is beautiful. I really like the colorful barrel tiles they discovered under the black when they cleaned them. I bought a dozen of your tester paints at Home Depot and was thinking of painting my wainscoting wallpaper with some of the colors if I can manage to keep the lines straight. I might actually do it now that I’ve seen Paula’s barrel tiles. Thanks for another day of your exciting trip to Australia. I’ve always been fascinated with your love for traveling – my son is the same but I’m strictly a homebody. I do appreciate that you share your adventures though because the information is always interesting and the pictures are amazing and you make me enjoy thinking about faraway places. Your blog is like reading a good book of someone who definitely knows how to enjoy life. Thanks again for sharing. Trish
Posted by: Trish | December 16th, 2011 at 10:39 am
Martha, you have a gorgeous bracelet on today,Dec 16, the colour is unusual,can you tell where you got it.
Posted by: Janet McHugh | December 16th, 2011 at 11:22 am
The Boomerang is gorgeous! I also love getting together with girlfriends for lunch and shopping. Thanks for sharing with your fans!
Posted by: Cindy F | December 16th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Thanks for the tour of Boomerang and Bronte houses. They are beautiful showcases of Australia's cultural heritage. The Botanic Gardens in Sydney are also great to visit and are more accessible to everyone. I hope you enjoyed your stay here. Thanks for sharing your time in our country!
Posted by: Karen Davis | December 16th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Hi Martha. I am so pleased you made it to Sydney. Are you doing any meet and greets whilst you are here? I was in your audience on the 3rd of December and had such a fun time. I would love to meet you whilst you are here!!
Posted by: Emily | December 16th, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Hi, Martha,
Thank you so much for sharing your remarkable and enjoyable photos from your trip to Australia. The architecture, furniture, and plant life are fascinating. I'll probably go back and study those photos many more times so as not to miss anything. Australia has been on my travel wish list for some time. I'll get there one day.
Posted by: Bobbie | December 17th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
..great photos..I have a blue heeler that is as close to Australia as I will get.
Posted by: Lucinda | December 18th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Hi Martha I think this pic. of you and your friend Melissa is a very nice pic. of you both! : - )
Posted by: Scott Wayne McVey | December 18th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Hi Martha,
Was great to see you enjoying yourself in Australia and we were really happy that you enjoyed the La Croix shop in Kings Cross.I'm sure you would have notice the tile boarder on the counter and the walls also did you see the frog lamps.These items were made by our company Courtyard in Bathurst NSW .Sorry about the rain.I think we may be in for a wet Christmas this year.Next time come across the Blue Mountains and visit us in Bathurst.I'm sure you wont be disappointed.
Posted by: Annie Bush | December 19th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
OH Martha, do shop at jim's store i love his shop..and he is so witty we love him!
Posted by: lori samatoski | December 20th, 2011 at 8:08 pm