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Posts Tagged ‘Australian’

So, you are thinking about taking an Australian pass or holiday?

Australia is a fantastic country offering something for everyone. It has plenty of sunshine, astonishing beaches, an outback landscape that is stunning and of course some great cities and the Great Barrier Reef.

Australian holidays can be anything you want them to be. But make sure you do some careful planning. Don’t underestimate the size of Australia which makes getting around difficult if you rely solely on a automobile or campervan. You will need to combine it with some air travel.

Take some advice from a local who has been there, seen it and done it! Plan your trip in sync with the Australian Weather. The good news is that it doesn’t matter when you travel, there is always somewhere in Australia that is hot (or cold!)

If you like the sunshine, then most of Australia is hot from October to March.

For most Australian destinations, this is the ideal time to visit.

The top end of Australia (anything north of and including Cairns and Broome) has two seasons – the wet and the dry. The dry season is the time when you want to go. It’s just not a good intent to go in the wet as roads and attractions are often shut due to flooding. There is one exception to this though. You shouldn’t be place off going to the Great Barrier Reef. It might rain a bit on your way out to the reef and the boat trip could be a bit rocky but its definitely worth it.

If the usual tourist trail of the East coast isn’t really floating your boat, then head to the top end of Australia. Here you can experience some fantastic outback adventures and appreciate the stunning scenery and bird life in the nearby national parks of Kakadu and Litchfield.

This area is steeped in traditional aboriginal culture -a must see area if you want to get to know the aboriginal Australia.

Australia holidays need at least 3 weeks to be enjoyed. Anything shorter will feel very rushed. Perhaps you are one of the lucky ones and have a few months to explore Australia. If so, Australia has heaps to on offer.

However long you have, try to incorporate an outback experience, at least one city and some beach/coast. That way, you will get a real feel for what Australia is all about.

I personally advocate the following places, especially if this is your first time here. Yes, some of them are very touristy but you can’t come to Oz and not do them.

Sydney – There’s more to it than the bridge and opera home but they are particularly stunning and deserve a visit.
Melbourne – a total contrast to Sydney with its great shopping and little lanes to explore.
Ayers Rock – a truly memorable aboriginal experience – even spiritual!
Kangaroo Island – the place to see animals in their natural environment
Jervis Bay – Astonishing beaches. You’ll think you are in paradise.
The Barrier Reef – Come and see the fishes and maybe even learn to dive.

Come on – what are you inactivity for!

by brett.donald

The Ingham brothers had the same passion for breeding horses as their father, and inherited a broodmare titled Valiant Rose, a descendant of an Epsom Derby winner and champion broodmare sire, Bend Or. Valiant Rose ordered the foundation for the Ingham’s racing empire which soon became the largest breeding and racing operation in Australia. Their racing empire included Crown Lodge Racing Stables at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Sydney, Woodlands Stud in Denman in the Hunter Valley, and Carbine Lodge at Flemington in Melbourne. In addition, the Inghams run ran racing stables in Brisbane and Adelaide.

Among the most successful horses from Inghams’ stable was the 1996 Australian Horse of the Year, Octagonal. The thoroughbred racehorse won multiple Group One races that included the Cox Plate and Australian Derby. The other horses to bring accolades to the Inghams were Lonhro and Canny Lad, two top stallions that rose to dizzying heights during their racing career. Lonhro as good as his sire, Octagonal with 26 wins, 3 seconds, and 2 thirds from 35 starts. Their first Golden Slipper Stakes came from Sweet Embrace, the Ted Stanton-trained horse that marked the beginning of a successful breeding and racing operation for the Ingham brothers. The Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup were the only two races to elude the brothers.

The success with Octagonal and John Hawkes, private trainer for the Ingham brothers, inspired them to establish stables in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide. Hawkes prepared over 60 Group 1 winners with record earnings that lead to the established of the largest Thoroughbred operation in the country. Jockey Beadman shared the success with the Ingham brothers, riding Octagonal to memorable victories in the mid-1990s. Each season the Ingham racing empire won prize money in excess of million.

On Jack Ingham’s death after a long struggle with leukemia in 2003, Bob Ingham AO, continued to run the empire with other family members, bringing in new breeding stock through some high profile purchases. Both brothers were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004. In addition, they were honored by the government as an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia.

In 2008, Bob Ingham announced his desire to sell Inghams entire racing operation to Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Darley Stud operation for around 0 million. Included in the understanding were over 1000 of Australia’s ideal thoroughbreds. The deal also included two stables at Flemington and Warwick Farm, two stud farms at Jerry’s Plains in the Hunter Valley and Cootamundra, and a pre-training complex at Belmont Park. The declaration was prefabricated on the eve of the Magic Millions Yearling Sales in 2008.

Sheikh Mohammed, ruler of Dubai, is the biggest racehorse owner in the world, while the Ingham’s operation was the largest in the southern hemisphere. No matter what, the Inghams will be remembered for their part in making Australian racing what it is today.

Dig In To The New Issue Of BBC Australian GoodFood Magazine

GoddFood Magazine November Issue Cover

(Vocus) October 27, 2010

Stovetop conspicuously empty at 5:30pm? Children clamouring for something that will pass their completely arbitrary taste test? Hubby pondering a dash to the pub?

The 154-page November issue of BBC Australian GoodFood entrepot comes to the rescue, with more than one hundred triple-tested, tried and true recipes for everything from soup to nuts.

Kylie Kwong can help decide. “MasterChef” judges Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris are at the ready, as is in-house Food Director Suzanne Gibbs and a half-dozen other chefs and experts who offer their tips and tricks on produce, diet, nutrician, the care and feeding of a hungry family and, of course, tasty and healthy food.

The hot new food entrepot everyone is speaking about, BBC Australian GoodFood is acquirable via subscription at magshop.com.au, the one-stop source for Australian magazines subscriptions, books, gift ideas and more.

What’s on the Menu?

Confessing “for a mortal of Chinese descent, I find that rice fills me up too quickly,” Kylie Kwong offers marinated soy duck and interactive seafood salads that spotlight mangoes and organic honey in their ingredients. “Plus,” she says, “there’s the added bonus that they are incredibly good for your health.”

Drawing once more on his Greek heritage, George Calombaris goes step by step with three simple mezze dishes: Baby cucumbers with spicy feta dip, crispy whitebait with almond skordalia and sweet and sour onions with pistachio crumbs. Of course, recommends George, these “are ideal enjoyed with a glass of ouzo or wine.”

Not to be outdone, Gary Mehigan offers his own sure-fire crowd pleasers for get-togethers in the form of mini scotch eggs with salad cream, bastilla of kumara, olives & goat cheese and smoked chicken wings with caramelised onion. Advises Gary: “they look fantastic and are simple to take while nursing a drink.”

Our Motto: Be Prepared

The most successful dishes come from those who have thought it through in advance, as evidenced by Brisbane chef Philip Johnson’s inventory of what he keeps in his own larder. Turning to inner Sydney, architect Scott Weston shows off a fully-equipped kitchen taking up a minimum of space.

Rounding out the feature-packed issue are a guide to kitchen knives, the current ideal wine purchases from at home and abroad and Australian GoodFood’s not-to-be-missed Alexandria, NSW schedule of in mortal events for Christmas Baking, Italian at Home and Tasty Whole Foods.

Leave Room for Dessert

From bread custards to tarts, apricots are everyone’s favourite seasonal stone fruit and Australian GoodFood has 10 different ways to present this sweet treat. Or maybe a low-fat lemon tart is more to taste, here’s one with no more than a quarter of the fat found in the classic version that doesn’t kill taste or presentation.

In-house food director Suzanne Gibbs points to the food processor as the single piece of kitchen gear that emboldened her to make pastry from scratch, offering a pair of mouth-watering cherry concoctions in the form of crumble pies and strudel.

The November issue of the new food entrepot doesn’t forget the kiddies, offering clever sweets recipes for scarily titled seasonal favourites freaky fingers, spider cupcakes and of course, brainballs.

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