Nelson's Bay in Winter // Adventures

The uni semester break is winding up and for some reason we decide to drive two and a half hours North of Sydney to Nelsons Bay ... during Winter (because Summer is “been there, done that”). 

Nelsons Bay is pretty slow and chilled (literally) during the Winter months so we were excited for a lazy weekend getaway from the Sydney flurry filled with beach dawdles in the sun, dolphin spotting and, of course, guilt free trashy Foxtel (cue Dance Moms and Real Housewives of Melbourne).

But do put these on the To-Do when you visit J
- Dolphin/Whale watching cruise (we managed to also catch a dolphin from the pier!)
- Wake up at 6:20 AM (Winter) for the sunrise at Nelsons Head Inner Lighthouse
- Dawdle around d’Albora Marinas
- Walk past the Marina along the beaches to some lookouts (or bike it!)
- Laze in the sun and soak the views at Soldiers Point
- Pack a picnic and nab a bench near the waterfront
- Red Neds Gourmet Pie Bar on Stockton St (does Woolies have Lobster, Prawn & Barramundi pies at your convenience? No)

Enough chatter, just photos so enjoy the montage!

MVPD

 xx

The Eatery Review + Roaming Byron Bay // Review ~ Adventures

Splendour festival is hard work, especially when you give yourself 3 hours to wake, freshen up (so you don’t look like the zombie you woke up as) and roll up those pesky sleeping bags before getting stuck in traffic back to Byron!

 

A little birdie (a.k.a. local Byron gal) told us to hit up ‘The Eatery’ in our cafe search because apparently ‘Cafe Byron’s’ coffees weren’t on point.

So what a better way to refuel – the place was a cafe + bar + bistro (wow slaying) but we were here for the lunch. Afterwards was the time to explore all the surfy stores, boutiques and arcades peppering Jonson St (and the surrounding streets).

 

The order was a slider plate of smoked salmon, bacon and chorizo ($15) and two Coconut Chia Bowls ($11). I’m not one for sliders but the chorizo one was rather good. I thought it would be punch-to-your-throat spicy but no! The sausage was cut not too thick, the mayo was light and the thick grated carrot was a nice change of texture (a little fresh crunch).

 

For me, chia seeds need something special as they taste quite plane on their own. Sweetened with maple syrup was a bit basic I thought and would have much rather more stewed fruit and the sweet vanilla labneh to do that job. It was also topped with this “Magic dust” as they called it which was a sweet version of dukkah with goji berries. It wasn’t a stand out dish, even the dukkah was kind of lost in the stewed fruit and quickly lost its crunch. I feel that Aboutlife do better chia pudding (I’m sorry).

 

The magic dust also graced the banana smoothie which I think properly tasted like banana unlike other I’ve tried! No sneaky caramel flavour here!

 

 

So this was where we chilled (with our luggage too) to watch Byron locals do their thang listening to a really good singing busker across the road.

 

Sadly one major flaw was the service time (like how fresh can you get with all the elements of our dishes already premade). Even though we got seated and ordered immediately, ours and another fellow splendour table took ages to come out like the cookie monster ate our orders or something! L The staff were really lovely though but we were so hungry we had to inquire after our order. How they didn’t manage to notice two tables sitting around for ages - I don’t know.

 

Let’s not end on this bad note, the place had the atmosphere that I was needing at the time – lazy and quiet with bar tenders working softly away.

Three Word Summary: Relaxing, Lively, Local
Ambience 4/5
Fare $$
Service 2/5
Foodwise 3/5

MVPD

Xoxo

On the Road Again

Tips for road trips
My parents are big on the 'you must see your home country because you explore abroad' hence why I have only ever been overseas once - to Vietnam. Hence why we always go on road trips like drive to Melbourne if we have a spare week.

 

So I've seen my fair share of little country NSW towns and gigantic landmarks like the Big Pineapple in Bunderberg and the Big Merino in Goulburn!

Now that means I slightly (only slightly) fancy myself the semi-ultimate road tripper so here's a little guide of how to survive the sore bottom, the leg cramps, solve the playlist dilemma and have you looking happy and fab (non hobo) at your destination.

 

1. I hope I don't need to tell you this already but: UPDATE YOUR IPOD. You can only go so far with the last sync circa 2010. Seriously, challenge yourself to listen to all the songs that come on shuffle (that's right - don't you skip that Hannah Montana track).

2. Plan de snacks.
Don't immediately go for your chips and crisps because: chips/crackers = dehydrate = drink water = busting for the non-existent toilet on the road (AKA The Water Cycle).
So get some hydrating snacks in the cooler bag too like fruit, carrots/cucumbers/Celery with dip.

3. Pack plenty of water - stay hydrated kids!

4. Pack simple cutlery in case you make that grocery stop and don't have the props to, for example, demolish your shared tub of ice cream!

5. Girls (and guys) pack all your face essentials or you’ll be wishing your face didn't look like a peeling mandarin.

6. Be equipped with thongs so those little toes of yours actually get to see the light (would you want to be crammed in sneakers for a 6 hour road trip – didn’t think so). Show your neck some love too with a contour pillow!

 

7. SUNNIES – last thing you need are holes in your retina to stop you from enjoying the passing landscape!

8. Don’t always Bypass the towns (unless its Bowral  - I joke). Country towns for some reason usually have a sweets store and of course nice cafes and homey bakeries for your lunch fix. (BONUS: non-cliche insta photo of a cafe no one else in Sydney has been)

 

9. If you can, plan a road trip where you can visit the Weekend markets! Places like Byron Bay have farmers and miscellaneous markets – just check which weekend of the month they’re open!

So there you have it, my list that hasn’t quite let me down yet. I’ll leave you to fight over who drives and who does the washing :P

Seriously, road trips are where memories are made!

MVPD xx