[time3200]

To my shame I have just discovered this section of C&Z, and what a find!

We are visiting Australia from mid Feb for 3 weeks this year. By 'we' I mean myself and wife, along with our 18 month old son. We start in Perth, then go across to Adelaide/Melbourne/Sydney.
We have been to Australia before, but never out west.

There is some great info on here about Adelaide food, and we have a local deli owner here in Northern Ireland who is originally from Melbourne. She is giving us some tips for that part. (thanks Kath!).

I would really like some suggestions for any aspect of the trip, but especially Western Australia. We have no fixed itinerary beyond 8 days in WA. There appears to be great food/wine to be had, but I am struggling with specifics.
Any suggested places for food, coffee, pasties, breakfast.

I know this post is vague, but we are flexible, and if there is somewhere really great - we will go!
On our last trip I drove through the night to get pancakes in Adelaide!
Thanks

[Judy]

G'day time3200

Where in Adelaide did you get those pancakes on your last trip?

Barbara is from Margaret River and I'm sure she will have some great suggestions for you, but in the meantime you might like to take a look at her
lovely blog which has lots of photos of her recent trip home.

If you need any more Adelaide suggestions, emilyj and I will do our best.

Have a great trip!
_________________
Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness

www.cupcakerecipebook.com.au

[Barbara]

High Time 3200. I'm more than happy to advise on WA. Send me a PM with what your interests are.
_________________
Barbara

[time3200]

Thanks Judy - I have dropped a PM to Barbara, and also visited her blog.

Would be delighted to have some guidance for Adelaide. We were there in 2003, and can't help think that we missed some of the best bits.

We both love great food, but are slightly restricted - evening or formal dining is not really an option.
Have a preference for informal anyway.

Any tips for breakfast, coffee+pastries, and or lunch would be really welcome. The Pancake House was breakfast the last trip. Not bad!
Also - we will be self catering - so a good grocery store.

Thanks

[Judy]

Time, I am assuming you will be staying in or near the city, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Central Market is a must-visit (open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday) and breakfast or lunch at The Big Table near the Gouger St entrance is always good, just ask Madame Shawshank. There is also a supermarket there, so that's your best inner city option for self-catering.

Then on Sunday mornings there's the Farmer's Market at the Adelaide Showgrounds, just south of the city. Loads of fresh produce, baked goods, specialty goods like olive oils. meats, flowers, all that good stuff.

The east end of Rundle Street has lots of cafes which are great for breakfast or lunch, or dinner. And take a tram ride from Victoria Square in the city to Glenelg for lunch, plenty of good places to choose from.

I'll think some more and add to my suggestions.
_________________
Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness

www.cupcakerecipebook.com.au

[time3200]

Hi Judy,

We intend to spend at least 3 or 4 days in and around the city. We will probably stay self catered on the beach front.

We had a camper van last time arround - and remember we stayed in a really nice park. We may get a lodge there....

Thanks again for taking an interest. I am really keen to make the most of this trip - it could be a while till we get back.

[emilyj]

Wow, finally a travel question that I know the answer to!

In Adelaide CBD:

I second Judy's suggestion of the Central Market- it is good just for the atmosphere. There are a lot of informal dining options along Gouger St. T-Chow or Mandarin house are good for Chinese but Sat. night are so busy, you are lucky to get in the door.

Again I second Judy in suggesting Rundle St. for informal dining- I would recommend Eros Cafe is quite good for Greek- the dolmathes are particularly nice.

I don't go out for breakfast much anymore but I used to go to the Store on Melbourne St. in North Adelaide on special occasions and it was usually nice. I have also heard that Citrus in Hutt St. is nice (although I haven't been there for years). East Terrace continental- or E.T.C for short on East Terrace (duh!) in the City is nice for breakfast too.

The Queen of Tarts on Hutt st. has nice cakes and sweet things in general.

I had two other suggestions but their names have escaped me. I will report back when I remember

On the beachfront/ Western suburbs

Although I used to live at the beach, I never really ate out much there but I have a couple of suggestions:

The Thai resteraunt in Henley Beach is quite nice- Thai Orchid- it may be a bit 'formal' but they have takeaway.

The Good life Pizza on Jetty Road in Glenelg are quite good. They have a website www.goodlifepizza.com

[Barbara]

I have sent this by PM to Time3200 but decided to share it in case others were interested.

In the time you have I would concentrate on Margaret River and the Swan Valley area near Perth. Perth City itself is fairly ordinary. If you go into the city the King Street area is best for eating (Etro) I haven't been to Fremantle in a few years so can't comment on its ambience. There is an area called Northbridge and I haven't been. It is popular in the evenings but there have been problems with hooligans.

Beaufort St is an up and coming area and where I had lunch at Veritas and next door for coffee the Beaufort St Merchant.

From the bottam of town you can take the ferry across to South Perth and there is the Windsor Hotel for a beer and several cafe's looking out over the water. The zoo is nearby if that interests you.

I'm assuming you will have a rental car. I would suggest it.

Margaret River is a 3 hour drive from Perth and I would suggest you take the coast road via Mandurah. You can bypass Mandurah but it is worth a stop at least in one direction for lunch. There are three areas - the main shopping area, the boardwalk area where we ate at the Boatshed, and the new Marina area (not worth it in my opinion).

By pass Bunbury, although if you want a swim it is worth a visit. I like the area in front of the surf club if the waves aren't too high, or there is an area on the other side where families with little ones go as it is calmer water. Vat 2, on the water and one of the better cafes, has a childrens play area alongside.

Margaret River, Dunsborough, Busselton, Yallingup, Cowaramup, Willyabrup are all within easy driving of each other. Base yourself in Busselton or Margaret River and do day trips. There will be a greater choice of accommodation in Busselton. Or you could do a loop starting in Busselton and along the Caves Road to Margaret River and back along Bussel Highway.

Wineries worth visiting - the biggies - Cullen, Vasse Felix, Voyager, Cape Mentelle, Leeuwin Estate,Xanadu. My favourites - Hayshed Hill(charming) and Howard Park (award winning architecture).
Food Stores - Margaret Riviera in Cowaramup. You must try the Yallingup Wood Fired Bread. Opposite is the Regional Wine Store where you can taste wines from several vineyards. Next door the Kandy Cow (for the toddler!).Also Olio Bello for oilve oil tasting.

Wine Tours- I've done a Bushtucker Tour but wasn't overly happy with it. There is a crowd called Wine For Dudes which includes visits to Hayshed Hill and Howard Park on certain days. Not sure about taking a toddler along though. http://www.winefordudes.com/
Also check out http://www.wildwoodvalley.com.au/ for accommodation and cooking demos.
Kate Lamont runs cooking classes and has one in the area 18th Feb.
http://www.lamonts.com.au

Other things in the region Augusta Lighthouse, Jewell Caves - lots of steps and you will probably end up carrying the toddler ! Also the Eagle Park is an interesting experience and something for the toddler. http://www.eaglesheritage.com.au/

The Underwater Observatory on Busselton jetty is really worth it. I've just posted pictures on my blog. Your toddler will appreciate it more than the lighthouse I think.

Perth - Base yourself around Subiaco which will be handy for walks in Kings Park, has the Brew-ha (see my post), good shopping and cafes and the Subi Hotel when you need a beer. From here you can drive out Stirling Highway to Napolean Street shopping area which has the Boatshed Grocery Store. Pick up picnic supplies and drive onto Cottosloe Beach for lunch by the water. From here you can continue on to Fremantle and then loop back Canning Highway into Perth and up Hay Street into Subiaco.

Swan Valley is worth a day trip to visit some vineyards and cafes.
http://www.swanvalley.com.au/food/cf.html The ones with the symbol of the two children are child friendly.

A couple of things to be aware of. Busselton Beach is beautiful but has stingers which are harmless but can be a little painful if you get stung. The flies - makes eating outside unpleasant so carry a can of Aerogard.

Hope this helps
_________________
Barbara

[emilyj]

I remembered the names of the two places I was trying to think of the other day.

Nano's on Hutt St. do good focaccia and pizza- very good for lunch

Serves you right on Unley road do very good breakfast/brunch. They also have a lunch menu. Everything is homemade- really good.

Thanks for sharing your tips on WA Barbara, I'm going there soon so I will make sure to try some of them out!

Hope you have a lovely time in Australia time3200

[time3200]

Dear All,
Thank you so much for the replies - we now have a wealth of information, which has been really helpful for our planning.

Just back from a trip to Bratislava - which is why I have been so slow feedback. (if anyone knows where good food lurks in Bratislava - let me know - I am back there next week!)

Anyway - I will post some feedback on our trip - and thank you all again.

Time3200