Melbourne Patron

On recommendation from the lovely folk at Next Door Cafe , on our way back from Port Arthur , we stopped in Dunalley for a late lunch of fish and chips (or "fiss 'n' chips", as my Mum would say. I reckon it's the only remnant of her Dutch accent). View from car park. Seem to have lots of those in Tassie As far as I could tell, there's hardly any of Dunalley. It's pretty tiny. (Wiki tells me it had a population of 313 in 2006.) And the Dunalley Fish Market is at the arse end - or the top end, depending on your perspective, I suppose. It does have spectacular water views - which I'm sure are amplified by beautiful summer weather - and is possibly the kookiest takeaway shop you'll ever see, but it also has what is likely to be some of the best fish and chips you'll ever eat. Entrance, complete with traditional fish 'n' chip shop plastic door strips Empty decorated tank thing (or a VERY large bathtub for visitors in summe...

It was one of those places that became fashionable with hipsters before hipsters were even really a thing. But Bourke Street Bakery  (633 Bourke Street, Surry Hills) has apparently stood the test of time, consistently churning out great baked goods and coffee since 2004, expanding to four locations in all the hippest areas of Sydney. Being a coffee addict who needs at least one decent espresso-based coffee to start the day, my family try to mix it up for me every time I visit them in Sydney. We try all the local cafes, plus more, and naturally there are a few favourites. I hadn't been to Bourke Street Bakery before, but I'm pretty sure I'll be going back. We rocked up three days after Christmas and there was a queue. It's not unusual, apparently, but it was fine, because it moved quickly. Which unfortunately didn't give me a lot of time to peruse the baked items on display in the window. When I got to the front of the queue in the tiny shop, there al...

Opera Bar is one of those never-fail, so-Sydney, spectacular venues, absolutely perfect for taking out-of-towners to... or just when you need a dose of Sydney Harbour yourself. Right on the lower concourse level of the Sydney Opera House (between Circular Quay and the Opera House), Opera Bar has a frontal view of the Harbour Bridge. If you don't mind tourists, it is the perfect outdoor location to sit and watch either people or the ferries gliding into and out of the Quay. View from Opera Bar I met a friend here to have a good-and-proper catch-up, the kind that covers why we are here in the universe, what our next moves are, and how happy we are about everything. The sun was out full-blast and there were no tables with umbrellas or shade left, so we hijacked a bar table and moved it partly into the shade. I got burnt anyway (mainly on one side... trucker's arm, so attractive). We both ordered the fish and chips, pricey and typical, but beautifully cooked and presen...