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Rottnest Island

Today I’ve been making the most of the various different types of transportation that can be utilised in Perth and the surrounding area.

Just like that film with John Candy and Steve Martin.

My day started off on foot (1) as I made my way to catch up with the Amateur Gourmet (remember him from previous posts?) We then took a car (2) to Jandakot Airport for our helicopter ride (3) across to Rottnest Island….

…where we picked up our pushbikes (4) for a bit of an explore before boarding the Rottnest Express speed boat (5) to see some dolphins, seals and whales (could’ve been number 6, but weren’t allowed to ride them)…

…before eventually returning back to Perth with Captain Cook Cruises (6, there we go)

Oh yeah! Then I got the bus home. (7)

Rottnest Island is an extremely popular holiday destination and is Western Australias very own island getaway. It’s a leisurely 30 minute ferry ride from Fremantle (or 15 minutes by chopper if you’re lucky) and is a strict car free zone.

…So let’s go pick up our bikes from the 2013 WA Tourism Award Gold Medal winners in the Specialised Tourism Services category, Rottnest Island Bike and Hire and have a look about!

I’ve had some amazing food experiences on my Taste Master journey, but what awaited us at one of Rottnests 63 pristine beaches was quite possibly my favourite lunch so far. Chef Anthony Bearman from the Rottnest Lodge was in charge and he cooked up a fantastic feast of local seafood which was perfect.

For a start, just look at the setting.

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Speed Grazing in the Swan Valley

Hello there folks.

This week I’ve been hanging out with American uber-blogger Adam Roberts aka The Amateur Gourmet.

Adam is a food blogger from New York and is in Perth to take part in a food blog conference. He’s been writing about his (mis)adventures in the culinary world for about a decade and writes honest, funny stories about trying to cook.

Today we were taken on a ‘speed grazing’ tour of the Swan Valley with Taste Bud Tours.

The Swan Valley is situated about 13km from the heart of Perth city and has a nationally awarded food and wine trail. The aim of the tour is to introduce passengers to the people behind the label and provide an insight into the growth, harvest, development and production of the food, wine and beer of the region. So off we go!

Taste Bud Tours

It’s an early pick up, so first stop on today’s agenda is the Yahava Koffee Works. They roast all their coffee beans in-house and give visitors a coffee tasting education like you’d expect with wine at a winery. I can really taste the difference, from bitter tones to citrus tangs.

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Top Four Big Things

Western Australia is a very big place with very big things in it, and throughout my travels I’ve compiled my Top Four Big Things list.

I was going to do a Top Five Big Things but got to number four and couldn’t find a fifth.

Anyway, Top Five’s are SOOOOO 1990’s.

The year is 2013 people, so let’s get with the times. This is my TOP FOUR BIG THINGS LIST (so far) of WESTERN AUSTRALIA!

Number 4

Bananas are big business up in Carnarvon, the food bowl of Western Australia. With $104 million worth of fruit and veg being grown annually (including more than half of WA’s banana crops) no wonder they’re so proud of their fresh produce. Continue reading