Melbourne Patron

In early June, a group of friends and I spent the Queen's Birthday long weekend in Queenscliff, a 1.5 hour drive south of Melbourne. We hired a holiday house only a block from the main street, where we cooked, drank, and played a lot of poker. We also attempted to fish for squid off the pier, on the coldest and wettest day of the weekend; watched a steam train rejig its carriages at the historic Queenscliff station; took walks along the water and checked out the marina; and finished up the weekend at Point Lonsdale's spectacular lighthouse. It was the perfect winter holiday. Here are a few of my pics. Squid fishing Queenscliff pier shelter Water life A cold view Steam train at Queenscliff Station Steam train steaming Local boat dock Pelican, boat and bridge Suburbia Queenscliff Marina 360Q observation tower Point Lonsdale Pier Running on pier - older boy (1 of 3) Running on pier - older boy (2 of 3) Runnin...

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...