Ballarat ~ Steak House

The Ballarat Steakhouse is definitely a gem of a find and a must visit for lovers of a superbly cooked steak.

On this particular day we had spent a large portion of it wondering the streets of nearby Sovereign Hill and so the kids and adults alike were all a little weary and shaggy looking. I had seen the steakhouse mentioned a few times in my travels so thought we should try and check it out.

Being a steakhouse as the name suggests we figured it would be pretty casual, so we chose not to book and simply rocked up straight from a day out. We were a little surprised to say the least, whilst the building itself is quite small and unobtrusive from the outside. Inside it is masquerading as a slightly upper end dining experience, no beer garden here that's for sure!

After a brief glance at each other hubby and I decided to go for it anyway, ignoring how shabbily presented we all were. Apart from the waitress that seated us and took our meal orders being sightly curt, we enjoyed our quick dining experience here.

Hands down I had the BEST steak I have ever had, it was sumptuous, melt in your mouth and cooked to perfection. I chose a prawn skewer and baked potato for sides. I must say a small salad would've been nice and had I known that I wouldn't receive any greens with my meal I probably would've ordered one.

There is a great deal more to their menu than steak, the kids all enjoyed a yummy, large Caesar salad and we all left with very full tummy's and satisfied taste buds. Thanks Ballarat Steak House!

In simple pleasures you will find life's treasures,
Kylie xx

Ballarat ~ Avenure of Honour

During my time spent researching Ballarat I was surprised to realise that they have quite a large memorial piece dedicated to honouring those that served in World War One.

No matter where we travel on our journey's I always ensure we at least try to visit places, icons, and structures that show the different aspects of the area we are in. Yes, of course we do the ever popular tourist haunts but I feel, especially for small towns that it is important that visitors recognise and pay homage to those smaller but no less important structures.

On the drive out to the Avenue of Honour and the Victory Arch we discussed why there is even a need for such a thing, how it came about and why it was important for us to visit there.

The Avenue of Honour, which extends for some 22 kilometres along Sturt Street, displays 3912 trees, honouring the lives of the men and women of the area.

The Arch of Victory does not represent any such victories, as the name implies. It is purely a memorial monument. It was certainly impressive and a tribute to the people of Ballarat, being the first avenue of its kind in Australia and the longest in the Southern Hemisphere. Well done Ballarat you should be very proud.

In simple pleasures you will find life's treasures,
Kylie xx

Ballarat Wildlife Park

Ballarat Wildlife Park is a small family run wildlife centre, opened in 1987 by Greg Parker. The park covers 37 acres and has about 400 animals on display, including free roaming kangaroos.

During my time researching Ballarat and all it has to offer I came across the wildlife park. Now, we've been to a few zoos in our time and so in all honesty I was considering simply skipping this one.

However, as I always do of late when researching places to visit and various travel options I jump on Trip Advisor, there I found several comments about the wildlife park, pretty much all of them recommending a visit there, for one reason or another.

So of course a visit to the park was added to our list of plans. In fact it was the first place in Ballarat we called on, after dropping our luggage off at the cabin in which we were staying.

As with everything in Ballarat it was a short, simple drive over to the wildlife park, we visited on a Saturday afternoon just after Christmas, so I'm guessing it would've been one of their busiest times. The park was open enough for the large groups of people to spread out, the only time we were really aware of people were at the animal presentations, where things did become a little crowded.

We love these majestic creatures.

We entered with perfect timing, the Koala presentation was about to begin and who can resist seeing and touching these guys up close.

This Burmese Python was simply stunning. On our second walk through the reptile house we found it with its mouth agape, it was ginormous.

The reptile house sits right alongside the Koala presentation area so we naturally made our way over there. In fact we visited the reptile house more than once. We loved that it housed creatures that none of us have seen up close before.

The exhibits were varied with a large number of reptiles on display many of them we had never seen in such close proximity before

Our 6 year old and this snake spent several minutes poking tongues at each other.

Each of the kids experienced their own personal encounter with at least one of the animals. I'm always in two minds about zoos and wildlife parks but the one positive is the way that animal encounters such as these leave an indelible mark on you.

This guy followed and seemed to play with our 10 year old as she moved her hands across the glass front enclosure.

There were only a handful of people there, yet another great encounter.

I think we had come back around for a third look inside the reptile house when we realised that the keeper had the enclosure open and was feeding these little gators.

It was quite a warm afternoon and we definitely felt the heat.

The park itself meanders down the side of a hill, with well laid paths, signage and fenced areas making it easy to wander around.

Time to introduce you to CRUNCH!

Crunch didn't move once whilst we were visiting. He simply sat and glared at all the passersby.

At 5metres long and 500kg this guy is one huge crocodile. It was difficult to get photo's of him as understandably he was tucked away behind his glass enclosure. Poor old Crunch was a bit of nuisance croc in far north Queensland and after a series of adventures he ended up here in his new home in late 2013.

The enclosure for these guys is huge.

The tank has a large low viewing area which would be an amazing spot to truly take in Crunch's size, here we got a good glimpse of his much smaller female counterpart.

There were several ducks and birds taking shelter under the shady trees.

As you meander down the concrete walkways, heading to the bottom of the hill you are greeted with a large lake area.

This little kookaburra was so used to people the kids could just about touch him.

The kids were quick to spot this guy, quite obviously not a park resident but my guess is he spends most of his time here, he was clearly at home and comfortable in this space and very used to strangers coming up quite close.

We enjoyed a cool ice block in the shade, whilst our Emu friends looked on.

Emus roam freely about the grounds.

Our 13 year old and this parrot were captivated by each other. The parrot flew to him no matter what end of the enclosure he stood at. Our guess is, he loved the red t-shirt.

The large bird enclosure housed a pair of stunning black cockatoo's but it was this little guy that stole our hearts.

A large gully flows straight through the centre of the park, it was quite dry there during our visit.

Our 10 year old could've spent hours here and probably would've liked to take a few of these guys home. She has mentioned a few times about becoming zoo keeper at some point and after leaving she was quite clear that she would like to work with the roo's.

By far the favourite stop was with the free roaming kangaroos. They spent most of their time lazing around in the shade of a tree as it was quite a warm afternoon. That was of course until someone came along with food.

Aww mum, he's so cute when he holds my hand.

It took our 6 year old a little while to warm up and have a go at feeding, he was somewhat concerned about being bitten and scratched. We eventually were able to persuade him that it was a relatively safe activity if he remembered that they were still wild animals and he needed to act appropriately. He instantly fell in love also, when this little guy held his hands each time he took food from him.

The park was well laid out and very easy to get around. There is a small cafe and gift shop at the entrance/exit of the park. We were actually surprised at the large number of international tourists here but later realised when we visited Sovereign Hill as to why. We were able to obtain a family pass to enter the park for $78.50. We had pretty much walked the entire park in just under 3 hours, but you could just as easily spend 4 or 5 hours here if you wanted to take in a number of keeper presentations. Visit the Ballarat Wildlife Park website to plan your trip. We were very glad to have included this in our stay at Ballarat.

In simple pleasures you will find life treasures,
Kylie xx

Burial Rites

Burial Rites is the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir. The last woman to ever be executed in Iceland.

This is Hannah Kents debut novel and what a fabulous story teller she is. Burial Rites has to be my favourite novel of 2014 and one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time.

Kent’s ability to transport you directly to the frozen hills of Iceland in the early 1800’s is pure magic. Her depth of research is impeccable. Whilst this is a harsh and difficult story to tell I am so thankful that Kent took the time to do so. My heart hung heavy for some time after closing the last pages of this book. I found it very difficult to pick up something else to read for weeks. That is when I truly know I have read something of beauty, something that has touched my soul, etched onto my heart.

Agnes was accused of murdering two men, one of them her employer, she is required to spend out her time waiting for her execution with a local Icelandic family, much to their disgust. And so the story of her last few months on earth begins.

I have found it extremely challenging to write about this book. I feel I owe it so much more than to simply tell you what it is about, but I’m struggling to acquire the words in which to do so.

This is not an easy Sunday afternoon by the pool type read, but one that will surely grip you, if you take the time to persevere with it. There are no major peaks and troughs throughout the saga, it is in fact quite a melodic piece. Once you have had a glimpse inside the life of Agnes and those around her it will be one that’s difficult to forget.

Far from your fast paced, page turner of a novel, it was for me, more of a sit down and mull over the lives of the characters and to admire their tenacity in living with such harsh conditions. Of how they simply accept their lives and the hand they have all been dealt.

“To know what a person has done, and to know who a person is, are very different things.” I think this sums up perfectly what is truly at the centre of this novel.

Burial Rites is a piece of historical fiction that is a well researched, hauntingly moving account that will surely touch anyone that reads it. I am eagerly awaiting Hannah Kent to release her second novel, whenever that may be.

In simple pleasures you will find life’s treasures,   
Kylie xx

Storm Chasing

I love storms!

Well actually maybe I should rephrase that a little. I love storms only if they aren't horrifically bad and only if my dear husband is home. If there's a whopper brewing and he isn't here you can bet I am on that blower texting him to get his butt home ASAP. Meanwhile I'll be putting on the mummy brave face for the kidlets whilst I'm shaking in my boots hoping to God that nothing major happens.

So yeah I do love storms. The way the temperature drops, the wind picks up and the smell of the rain on the air, it sure gets those senses going.

I follow a few Storm Chasers on facebook, those guys are freaky cool, the images they capture are totally amazing. Truly a storm in all its fury is Mother Nature at her best. Even just catching an image of a storm front heading our way is something I have longed for but they have always eluded me.

Until this particular afternoon in December late last year, this little beauty was headed right for us at the perfect angle and yes my dear husband was home so all I had to think about was taking the pictures, bless his soul!

She was a fast moving beast though and I didn't even have time to fetch my real camera so the iPhone snap it had to be. It has definitely left me wanting more though, so bring on those summer storms I say, bring them on.

In simple pleasures you'll find life's treasures,
Kylie xx