A visit to Australia should definitely include a stop in Melbourne, the coastal capital of the southeastern state of Victoria.
The last two days of our journey “Down Under” were spent seeing some of the sights of Melbourne with a population of more than 4.8 million. Melbourne is the second most populated state in Australia after Sydney, and is Victoria’s business, administrative, cultural and recreational hub of the state. But first, we enjoyed a plane ride over Tasmania’s southwest with Par Avion to view the grandeur and spirit of the remote and harsh coasts and waterways of the rugged and beautiful region.
Enjoy these last photos of our trip.
On our last full day in Tasmania, we decided to take a tour of the beautiful southwest wilderness. Our tour was hosted by Par Avion: Tasmania by Air. Here is our aircraft, a Britten Norman Islander twin engine plane. Par Avion runs regular sight seeing flights over the area including Southwest National Park.
Departing from Hobart’s Cambridge Aerodrome, the tour flies over the Derwent River, Bruny Island and follows the stunning coastline through the Southwest National Park, to the South East Cape, the most southern point of Australia.
From above, we saw extensive fish and oyster farms in the waters around the coast.
These round fish nets are for salmon.
The squares are used for oysters or mussels.
As we neared the landing strip, we could see the white lines on the hillside – these are the hiking paths, and the only way to go any where in the wilderness – no horses and no vehicles. Getting around is all by foot.
Here is the Melaleuca Airport landing strip. This stop is part of the Par Avion tour. This airport has direct access to the South Coast Track to Cockle Creek or the Port Davey Track to Scotts Peak.
After landing, we all boarded a cruise boat and headed out to explore the waterways of The Port Davey Marine Reserve, Waterfall Bay and the Breaksea Islands.
Here are two of Par Avion’s crew, waiting for us at our boat.
We stopped at the Melaleuca Museum where we saw this sign. Button grass, Dactyloctenium radulans, is a native species found throughout Australia. It is a common summer weed species. This proverb refers to the “Port Daveyites” – the explorers, miners, whalers and track-cutters who came through Port Davey, in this rugged southwest corner.
We learned about the Mooreland and all the different rocks and vegetation that make up the landscape.
This is part of the Needwonnee Walk, a tribute to the rich indigenous history of the area. It is a half-mile long boardwalk that weaves its way through the forest and buttongrass plains beside Melaleuca Lagoon. The walk is named after the Needwonnee tribe whose homelands extended from Port Davey to New River Lagoon, including the Melaleuca area.
Here I am standing on the wooden boardwalk trail. We were always very careful to protect ourselves from the sun. Remember, the ozone layer over Australia is thinned, so there are a lot more UV rays reaching the earth.
The area was so clean – we saw some artifacts, but no wildlife.
We didn’t see any birds at all – where are they?
Melaleuca is actually the last natural breeding refuge for the Orange-Bellied Parrot. In the past, these birds were much more widespread, but now it is listed as endangered under the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act of 1995. It is also listed as critically endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999, and and it is one of the most endangered birds species in all of Australia.
Returning to the skies, we headed inland over The Arthur Range, one of Tasmania’s most spectacular mountain ranges.
We saw the high elevation of mountains tops – many with ancient Huon Pines, which only grow in the wet, temperate rainforests of southwest Tasmania.
And flew over the cleanest white beaches and waters.
Our plane tour was a great way to see some of these beautiful views – the colors of the water are amazing.
The entire Par Avion Experience took about six-hours, and was worth every minute. I recommend the tour if ever you are in the area. https://www.paravion.com.au/
And on to Melbourne – if you follow me on Instagram @MarthaStewart48, you may have seen some of my photos from Melbourne’s Luna Park, an historic amusement park located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St. Kilda. Luna Park is owned by my friends, well-known entrepreneurs, the Fox Family. https://lunapark.com.au/
Here’s Truman and our friend, Pamela, waiting in line for one of the rides – it was very crowded and very warm. Be sure to go to my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 to see photos of the children on the carousel.
The day was so hot, we decided to go back to the hotel for a swim. Here is Jude poolside – my grandchildren love swimming so much.
The kids had a wonderful time in the pool and made several new friends.
That night, we went to Nobu Melbourne, in the Crown Hotel, where we stayed. We sat at the bar overlooking stunning river views. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and I have been friends for many years – I love all of Nobu’s restaurants. And this one is just as superb. The head chef, Sean Tan, and his talented team, made us an amazing dinner. https://www.noburestaurants.com/melbourne/home/
Look at this red plate filled with all the sushi. We ate every piece – everything was so fresh and delicious.
The next day, the Fox family sent us their helicopter for a bird’s eye tour of Melbourne. The helicopter landed right on the Melbourne High School lawn, from which Mr. Fox had been expelled for lack of interest. He is now one of the leading business men of Australia and has since made amends with the school. In fact, he has visited on numerous formal occasions.
The helicopter took us all around the area.
We viewed several residential neighborhoods on the way to Portsea, a town in the outer southeast of Melbourne, on the opposite side of Port Phillip Bay.
Portsea Back Beach is a big attraction in Portsea, due to its great surfing conditions and long stretch of sand.
On the way to Portsea, we saw these black shadows – they are giant sharks.
Portsea is a popular summer-home community. Visitors love boating and swimming in the area waters. Here are Jude and Truman running to the beach.
Next, we took a ride on a lovely picnic boat with one of the Fox Family sons. The children are wearing long sleeves with high collars and hats to protect them from the strong UV rays.
We set out to find sea lions and dolphins. I love this photo of Jude and Truman.
And here we are at Chinaman’s Hat – an octagonal structure serving as a shipping channel marker and haul-out for local brown fur seals. It is located in the South Channel of Port Phillip. These Australian fur seals are protected under the Wildlife Act of 1975.
We were able to get a little closer, but visitors to the site are warned to keep their distance, since the seals can at times behave aggressively towards people who approach too close. Scroll down for a quick video I took at Chinaman’s Hat.
Here I am with Mrs. Fox, my best friend in Australia.
We took a walking tour of her gardens – I love her pergola.
The pergola is full of passion fruits – if you look closely, you can see them growing on the vines.
Unfortunately, it was a very brief visit, and then it was time to leave.
We flew back to the city and prepared for our long trip home. It was a fantastic trip. I hope you enjoyed this series of blogs – I love sharing my photos with you. Let me know what you liked best in the comments section.
And here's a fun video of the fur seals we visited at Chinaman's Hat.
Whenever I travel I always try to do as much as possible, so the trips are productive, informational and fun.
During another outing in Tasmania, we learned all about The Agrarian Kitchen Cooking School & Farm, Tasmania’s first hands-on farm-based establishment of its kind. We visited a Tasmanian Devil sanctuary and participated in a land-based marine farm oyster experience at the Saffire Freycinet resort, and we drove to Freycinet National Park for a trail hike filled with stunning panoramic views over Wineglass Bay and the surrounding areas.
Enjoy more of my photos from our glorious trip to Australia.
Located along the eastern side of the Freycinet Peninsula and in Freycinet National Park is Wineglass Bay. Its sandy beach is considered one of the top-10 beaches in the world.
Truman, Alexis and I went on the hike up to the Wineglass Bay lookout to see some of the beautiful views.
The trail is a fairly steep climb to the saddle between Mt. Amos and Mt. Mayson, but we all love to hike, so we were ready for the adventure.
Freycinet is effectively two eroded blocks of granite joined by a sand isthmus, or narrow strip of land with sea on either side.
These granite formations have curved, domal surfaces – a geological characteristic feature of granites called “onion skin” weathering.
Wineglass Bay is one of Australia’s most beautiful natural environments. It is called ‘wineglass’ due to the circular glass shape of beach and its calm, clear water. Different shades of green from the vegetation, white from the sand and blue from the sea can all be seen from our vantage point at the top.
Alexis and Truman made the hike to the peak in about 60-minutes. Perhaps I lived up to the meaning of “pokey” – walking slow and taking my time, but I finished in the appointed amount of time – about 90-minutes. And I took some beautiful photos along the way.
The trail down was similar to our hikes through Acadia National Park in Maine. All the trails were very clean and well-marked.
Though similar to Acadia, the rocks here are more sandstone in color than the pink granite in Maine. The shapes of these rocks were so alluring.
The Freycinet area was reserved as a national park in 1916, making it the oldest national park in Tasmania.
Some of the minerals in the granite consist of feldspar, micas and quartz. These can be easily seen in the boulders and outcrops throughout the park.
Here is a quaint little bench seat made out of rocks.
We also visited the Saffire Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary, where we met some recuperating Tasmanian devils and observed them as they ate and interacted with one other. This is Molly.
The Tasmanian devil is characterized by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odor, loud screech, sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding.
The Tasmanian devil has the most powerful bite relative to body size of any living mammalian carnivore. Its jaw can open very wide, allowing the devil to generate enough power to tear meat and crush bones.
Afterwards, we went to Freycinet Marine Farm located on the Freycinet Peninsula. It is a working oyster farm within an internationally significant wetland and ornithological site.
Here is Truman – exploring once again.
We were guided by a trained worker in wetland and marine ecology, who taught us how to pick oysters.
The oysters we picked were laid out onto a tablecloth covered table right on the water. They were rinsed and then shucked for us to enjoy. They were so delicious.
And here is Truman holding one of the fresh-out-of-the-water oysters.
Here I am with Rodney Dunn and his wife, Severine Demanet who moved from Sydney to Tasmania in July 2007 to transform an old schoolhouse into The Agrarian Kitchen Cooking School & Farm. Set on five-acres, The Agrarian Kitchen is a working farm and incorporates an extensive vegetable garden, orchard, berry patch and herb garden, all grown using organic practices.
Rodney leads the Cooking School classes. The teaching kitchen is currently at the couple’s home, but will soon be relocated at the Agrarian Kitchen Eatery, a few miles away.
Everything that was cooked was picked fresh from the gardens that day – here is a bowl of colorful squash blossoms.
Rodney made a delicious salad including cucumber, fennel leaves, red shiso leaves, basil, and locally made feta cheese.
Rodney also added sweet sungold cherry tomatoes.
While waiting for our meal, Truman loved playing soccer with Rodney and Severine’s son – soccer is Truman’s favorite thing to do!
Here he is before kicking the ball. Visit my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 to see a fun video of the boys playing.
Rodney and Severine had the most prolific berry bushes – I had never seen such wonderful berry bushes – blackberries, blueberries, huckleberries, raspberries, loganberries – everything was so amazing.
This is sourdough starter batter that Rodney made to coat the squash blossoms.
Rodney dipped the squash blossoms in the batter and then fried them in canola oil.
Afterwards, he seasoned them with a little salt – so good.
We also enjoyed grilled slices of small zucchini – picked fresh from the garden.
They were perfectly cooked. Everything smelled wonderful. We were brought into their home kitchen like we were some of Rodney’s students – and learned some of his cooking tips. It was very informative.
Rodney also cooked new potatoes in butter and then fried them with pieces of asparagus.
And for the meat eaters – grilled skirt steaks with pesto.
For desert, we had a blackberry and raspberry pavlova. I am not a huge fan of blackberries becuse of their hard cores, but these were the best – no hard core, just solid blackberries. Our visit to the Agrarian Kitchen was a perfect way to end our full day. Please visit their web site to learn more about this excellent school and eatery. https://www.theagrariankitchen.com/
Among my favorite memories from this recent trip to Australia - sitting on a beautiful countryside by a roaring campfire, enjoying a lovely meal with friends and family.
During our stay in Tasmania, Alexis, Jude, Truman, Pamela and I visited Bangor, an historic 15-thousand acre farm and vineyard located on the Forestier Peninsula in the southeast region of the island state. Our delicious feast was conceived and prepared by chef and author, Sarah Glover. We enjoyed fresh seafood and just picked farm vegetables and fruits. It was a most relaxing and delightful outing for us all.
Enjoy these photos.
Wouldn’t you like to be treated to an outdoor picnic like this when you’re traveling around an exotic place like Tasmania? Well-known Australian chef, Sarah Glover, invited us and friends to a lunch entirely cooked over open fire at Bangor. It was utterly delicious.
Tasmania is becoming a more important agricultural state – growing everything from ordinary vegetables to extraordinary fruit, such as bing cherries and apricots.
Many of the vegetables we had for lunch were picked right here in the expansive fields of the farm.
The ride to our picnic location was over dirt roads through fields of luscious hay bales and grazing sheep.
Here are just some of Bangor’s well-cared for superfine merino sheep grazing in their paddock.
Sarah brought everything we needed for the picnic.
Her Land Rover Defender is outfitted with stoves, ice boxes, and lots of room for chairs, dishes and other cooking supplies.
Here is the side of the 4WD vehicle complete with a serving window.
And in just a few moments, she had a gorgeous table set with linens, glassware, and china.
The children spent some time exploring the promontory. Truman and Jude love to explore and Bangor looks out onto both Blackman and Norfolk Bays, so the sweeping views were breathtaking.
Sarah then showed me and the kids all the foraged vegetables, fruits and seafood that she had collected that morning. Truman was curious about the octopus – here he is holding it.
Abalone is a common name for any of a group of small to very large sea snails.
The thick shell is composed of mother-of-pearl, which in many species is highly iridescent, with a range of strong, changeable colors. This abalone is covered in sea growth.
We also had three beautiful lobsters.
And sea urchins – another popular delicacy in many parts of the world.
After our fire was started, Sarah had the children nail the salmon to a log, so it could be cooked.
Under the fish, Sarah placed many herbs and made deep cuts through the skin to the backbone and stood the log up vertically along the fire. The radiant heat cooked it slowly and perfectly.
Tripods were set up for a grill and cast iron pots. And as the salmon cooked, the skillets and pots were heated over the fire.
Alexis, Pamela and Jude watched everything closely, while Truman and I learned how to clean abalone and urchins.
Truman was entrusted with a knife to split the lobsters and clean them well. He is an excellent chopper.
Next to cook – steamed potatoes strained over steam water, quartered and fried in butter.
Jude was entrusted with all the ingredients to make an apricot cake.
First she creamed the butter, added sugar, flour, milk, and a little bit of baking powder. Sarah forgot to bring eggs but that did not phase her one bit – she simply added more milk.
Jude broke apart the apricots with her fingers to remove the stones, and then put the halves in the pots – everything was so fresh.
The pot was covered, placed on the tripod over the fire, and then the top was filled with hot coals. The fire cooked it perfectly.
Truman did great cleaning and seasoning the lobsters. They were all placed shell down in a skillet to cook slowly over the coals.
Rosemary was added to the potatoes along with salt and pepper. My job was to make sure these potatoes were perfect also.
While waiting for the meal to finish, we all walked around the property and down a steep cliff to the small, private beach. Truman tripped and bruised his legs and arms, but he was just fine – recovered quickly as young, energetic boys do, and continued with the walk.
While walking, we saw these pointed rocks – they reminded me of a view from St. Bart’s in the Caribbean.
Once back at our campfire, Sarah and I posed for this nice photo near our cooking foods.
The salmon is almost cooked.
Sarah made herb pesto and used it to flavor the lobsters.
Sarah also served fresh garden fava beans with the octopus, which was cut into one-inch pieces, and seared with herbs and butter.
Everything was cooked to perfection. The abalone was cooked quickly in butter and devoured as the appetizer.
The fish was kept on the log. Here is Sarah’s boyfriend, Nick, and Bangor’s owner, Matt Dunbabin, carrying it to the buffet.
Here’s Sarah making a fresh green salad with sesame dressing.
And here is our buffet – so beautiful and so very delicious.
We also had a pinot gris wine from Bangor, a pinot noir, and a sparkling wine that tasted like great champagne.
And finally, our dessert made by Jude – this apricot cake was so good it tasted like steamed pudding.
Here I am with Sarah, Matt and his family – wife, Vanessa Dunbabin, and sons Henry and William. Thank you for such a lovely time at Bangor, and for the delicious food we shared. Please get a copy of Sarah’s book, WILD Adventure Cookbook – you’ll love it. https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Adventure-Cookbook-Sarah-Glover/dp/3791384937
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