Chik's Crib: December 2016

28 December 2016

Tas-Mania Things to do in Coles Bay

Travel December 28, 2016 0

Coles Bay is a pretty far drive, though the beachfront apartment makes the long drive worthwhile. You'll be bashing through the country roads for quite a bit, and what I mistook for the sound of raindrops was in fact bugs splattering against the car at 100km/h.

Word of warning: Coles Bay is very rural. Don't count on things like having wi-fi or 4G reception. The nearest supermarket is a 30 minutes drive away at 100km/h, and has a small, expensive and frankly dodgy selection of meat (Some have expired 5 months ago). If cooking for yourself here, it's a good idea to plan your meals and to stock up on groceries while in Hobart.

Devil's Corner

Tas-Mania: Things to do in Hobart (Part 2)

Travel December 15, 2016 0

Didn't expect there to be a part 2, did you? Neither did I. I'm surprised by how much there is to do in Tasmania...

Richmond

A town of just 880, it is about half an hour north of Hobart. The hilly region comprises of several cheesemakers, wine-producers, chocolatiers and ice-creamery, all concentrated in one tidy region. Once in the area, each attraction is within 10 minutes of one another. It's an easy detour if you're heading to Port Arthur's attractions, and frankly, I enjoyed my time at Richmond more.

Wicked Cheese Co

Website

Opens daily, 10am - 4.30pm

Raindrop Cake Recipe

Recipe December 08, 2016 2

Yes.

It's a glorified jelly.

But calling it a cake makes it that much more fun. The essence of this recipe is adding a big pinch of agar agar powder to 250ml of water and let simmer for a minute, and let set in the refrigerator. And presto! A colorless, flavorless jelly that crumbles water-like in your mouth.

Tas-Mania: Things to do in Hobart (Part 1)

Travel December 04, 2016 0

Booya! Our final exams ended 18 hours ago, but already, life on campus already seemed like a distant memory. Did I really spend the last 6 months studying close to 12 hours a day? I can't imagine sitting still at my table for one more moment. We took a 50 minutes flight to Tasmania the very next day. Virgin offers a competitive rate, and came with 20kg of check-in luggage.

Pro-tip! There are travel brochures around the airport. As you exit the plane, keep a lookout for these brochures, which advertise the different markets and local producers of Tasmania. You can also pick up a map of the city of Hobart.

Our car rental from Hertz was waiting at the airport. We snagged a Holden Trailblazer, a 7-seater, 4 wheel drive behemoth. It was massive. Baring the occasional logging truck, we dwarfed every other vehicle on the roads. It was just right for the five of us. (We carry an impressive amount of baggage.) We initially requested the RAV-4, but the Trailblazer, with its insanely powerful, Diesel-running engine and rear view camera, was an upgrade. I was never one to shy away from cracking a Holden joke - "how do you halve the value of a Holden?" "Drain all the petrol out of the tank" - but I'm impressed at the comfort of this car.