Travelgal on the move

Travel, History, Road trip, Accommodation, The Wild West, Vintage views, Trains

Nevada USA – vintage all the way

July 17, 2018July 17, 2018by bmalzard2 Comments

It couldn’t be further from Las Vegas than from here to the moon. But hey! this hotel is looking very Nevada-ish old-school neon with extra curricular enticement. Before walking through the doors of the historic Hotel Nevada & Gambling Hall I’m stepping on the stars in the footpath. Wayne Newton, Ingrid Bergman, Gary Cooper and other Hollywood and Las Vegas notables. This was surprising as Ely is a bit off the beaten track and certainly not in the grand five-star food chain.

The hotel was built in 1926 (six storeys too) and was the first building in the state to be fire-proofing.
Rooms were rented for $1.50 and up – touted as all with private toilet, ’85 per cent private baths’.
Prohibition was still in effect and the hotel entertained with bootlegged refreshments and you could have a punt all day.

Ah, the heady days of ‘Bathtub Gin’ made from raw alcohol, water and flavourings and the gentle tipple of ‘White Lightning’ supplied by the locals made for an interesting aperitif or two!
The hotel is as she was all that time ago. OK modern appliances and all that comes with the 21st century but is hasn’t been tricked up at all – in fact it’s a classic, historic, atmospheric mess.
Walk in the door and the pokies (slot machines) are winking and blinking, paraphernalia of the past Wild West and Wild Rocker days adorn the walls and lots of wonderful nostalgic black and white images crowd the walls.

I enter a small lift and am deposited on the third floor for my room – damn, I don’t get the Jimmy Stewart room.
Small room (as they were built almost 90 years ago); get my WiFi mojo happening and cosy up on my bed with a few chains hanging over it – more rustic décor than S&M.

A great sleep and down to a full-on Nevada breakfast – I’ll have the lot’. Gotta love American breakfasts – this meal would take me out rustling cattle, fighting a range war, starting a gold rush and back home again for a barn dance – yeeha!
Many of the rooms have nameplates including John Wayne – this hotel was a stopping overnight place as the starts from the 30s onwards would be motoring to Sun Valley and other holiday resorts.
If you are ever in this neck of the woods – check out Ely, as it’s got a wide-street, quiet nights kind of appeal – it’s High Desert country and most of the downtown buildings have quaint painted murals depicting the city’s colourful history of pioneers, miners and the Pont Express AND . . .

the rich railroad history is classic here. You can even have a holiday and pay about $800-900 for the privilege of working on a classic loco – for train buffs this is holiday Nirvana.

The Nevada Northern Railway National Historic Landmark is the last of its kind – the sole survivor of the grand era of railroading in the Silver State. But there’s no death throes here – it’s a living, breathing, operating railroad. No pretty glass cases here holding polished remnants of machinery – this is get down and dirty, gritty equipment in the vast complex of buildings.
There are four original steam locomotives, six original diesel locos, and more than 60 pieces of original rolling stock – the oldest piece dates to 1872 when President Ulysses S. Grant sat in the White House (and not on a $50 bill).
Climb aboard and travel back in time – the train’s waiting for you.

You can have Railway Reality Week – to work on the Railroad, for a hands-on experience for around $US999; a Winter Photo Shoots special – witness railroading as it was last century and photograph century-old original steam locos pulling vintage freight and passenger cars, around $US500.
Ely is in White Pine County, in the heart of Nevada’s scenic heartland – founded in 1970 as a trading post called Murry Station, and eventually grew to be one of the country’s major copper mining regions.

It’s located at the crossroads of US Highways 50, 93 and 6.

www.nnry.com and the facebook page for the railway is www.facebook.com/nnry1 and on check out www.youtube.com/nnry1Happy trails and Rails . . .

images-3

Track for the Nevada Northern Railway was laid over a century ago, connecting one of the largest copper mines in North America to the Transcontinental routes to the North. Today, several of the original coal-fired standard-gauge steam locomotives that were ordered and delivered new to the railroad over a century ago are still in operation! The Nevada Northern Railway is the best-preserved example of a standard-gauge short-line left in North America.

Come to Ely, NV and immerse yourself in historic railroad experiences:

90 minute passenger train rides
Walk around through the original railroad maintenance shops and train yard
“Be the Engineer” experience where you actually run a locomotive, and drive a train
Railroad Reality Week full railroad immersion experience
Special evening trains
Don’t miss the annual Haunted Ghost Train and Polar Express Train when they are in season.

HAWAII FIVE – UH OH! DO I HAVE ENOUGH SPACE IN MY LUGGAGE?

July 11, 2018July 11, 2018by bmalzardLeave a Comment

Flying. I always wonder when people complain about their flights. We might sometimes experience late flights, cancelled flights, service not up to par, inedible food, terrible co-passengers . . .but.

If you are travelling up the back of the plane you have to suck it up. Just remember, you are contained in a metal tube, that is flying you, often, across the other side of the planet. It’s amazing. And it’s cheap.

I judge my flight fares to a flight I did from Sydney to Athens in 1980. There were three stops along the way, it took what felt like a week to get there and it cost me $680 (one-way ticket).

So these days flying economy is pretty damn good for the price and the comfort has been amped up since my first flight o/s.

I fly a lot. And I fly lots of different airlines.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES

My latest excursion into the wide blue yonder was a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles with a stopover in Honolulu for 48 hours, flying with Hawaiian Airlines. My first time with Hawaiian Airlines and first time visit to Hawaii. ’Aloha’.

I had a smooth and courteous check in at Sydney airport and the plane departed on time.

Now, for an extra $165 (and also check seasonal special deals) I am sitting in the premium product Extra Comfort. Now, 165 bucks is not much in the scheme of things in the travelling life, and for the almost 10-hour flight – I choose comfort.

And I’m not talking a ‘Princess’ moment, I’m talking extra comfort.

‘Extra Comfort’ is a section of seats in the smooth Airbus A330s and A321s that offers more legroom and those few extra centimetres makes the difference between cramped and comfy.

I lucked out and scored a window seat and nobody sat in the seat next to me. So I could spread out with my arms and knees not colliding with a fellow passenger. (I had a passenger sitting next to me on the Honolulu to LAX leg and still felt at one with space!)

In Extra Comfort we were given a comfort kit, with toothbrush and paste; lip balm; eyeshade; earplugs and earphones for the inflight entertainment which was pretty good. A decent selection of new, recent and classic films and a few good tv shows.

Within an hour of take-off, we were served dinner – pretty average but because I didn’t have any special dietary requests, my little salad, chicken, rice and vegetables did the job.

It was a long time between meals and towards the end of the trip we were served a sandwich and cookie. I visited the galley a few times to grab a coffee or a tea and the crew brought water around regularly.

The crew was proficient, friendly and great with the kids onboard.

I recharged my devices on the usb port, and despite trying to catch a few movies I caught a few zzzzzs.

My only discomfort was that I found the air-con too cold and had to use two blankets for the entire trip.

LUGGAGE

And the best news on this flight is the luggage allowance. YAY! It’s 64kg (2 x 32kg).

Travellers love shopping in Honolulu. There is a wonderful variety of goods to gather and the amazing Ala Moana Shopping Center (below) and outlet malls have quality goods, clothes, accessories, sports shoes, kids clothes and so much more.

So, to take only a few things with you and fill up those lonely luggage spaces on holidays without the worry of paying excess at the airport is inspiring for the expert shopper.

Hawaiian Airlines is a total destination carrier that exudes the culture of the islands and a fine way to get to mainland USA. But for me it will be a one stop holiday next time. Honolulu and the other islands, here I come.

All announcements on the flight ended with the word ‘mahalo’ which is an expression of thanks or respect and an acknowledgment that we were flying Hawaiian airlines. (Hawaiians are conservative and polite so they’d never dream of not saying Mahalo when it is appropriate. If you want to be extremely formal and show that are feeling extremely grateful you would say: “Mahalo Nui Loa.”)

So I’ll say “Mahalo Nui Loa”.
Always check the local Hawaiian Airlines home page because there are almost always short term specials and deals posted on it – see now under “Limited-Time Flight Deals” and “What’s New at Hawaiian Airlines” at https://www.hawaiianairlines.com.au/
AND access the .com.au site to get the Aussie content in Aussie dollars… https://www.hawaiianairlines.com.au/

View from on high – no, not from your Hawaiian Airline aircraft silly – from a fab hotel. Read all about it in a future blog.

History, Natioanl Parks, National Parks, Road trip, Slow Travel, Travel

Get outta town – or slow travel on weekends

July 3, 2018July 11, 2018by bmalzard2 Comments

Winter in Australia – all over Australia – is not a hardship. Maybe down south there’s snow and drizzle but rarely does it lock residents in their homes for too long.

Now I can only speak from my base that is Sydney, Yeah, Sydney people are pretty much big sissies in the winter from June through to August.

And even though I like to get out and about for walks I admit to taking the easy way out on a chilly day – fire on, tv on, locked in.

My partner and I decided last year to get out of town on the odd weekend the rediscover regions within a couple of hours drive time or even a cheap flight away.

And we even ventured further than an urban adventure close to home.

Last year we flew to Melbourne and hired a car to take us the Ballarat for two nights so we could do the Silo Art Trail drive out through the western district and the Mallee. What a trip. Silo Art Trail couldn’t have been a better day – crisp cold, sunny and low flying clouds on a forever horizon.

And the experience of the illustrated silos fed our addiction to wall/outdoor art (see blog ‘Where the art is’, June 5, 2018 and ‘Painting the Town Red, June 10. 2017).

The following day in Ballarat was crap weather, so we visited the Art Gallery (regional galleries in Australia are inspirational and impressive), grabbed lunch and went to the local movie house – a classic cinema built in the 1930s and renovated with love. After watching a blockbuster film we headed to a splendid restaurant (yes, in Ballarat) Catfish, a lauded foodie haven. And owners and chef Damien and Danielle Jones have just closed Catfish and will reopen as ‘Mr Jones’ – serving refined rustic!

A drive to Melbourne airport next day, a flight back to Sydney and we’d had an amazing weekend.

Ballarat movie theatre, a local cafe and black swans on Lake Wendouree.

Another getaway was a drive to Wisemans Ferry, a gentle area of the historic and beautiful Hawkesbury River. A day was spent walking the old convict road, reading up on the past, and taking the three-minute ferry across the river. We drove on to St Albans, a remote settlement with a pub that has tales to tell of convicts and early farmers’ trials and tribulations.

(Read Kate Grenville’s book The Secret River about a 19^th century story of the region.)

Our weekends are sometimes ’half weekends’, such as a trip out west of Sydney to eat classic Vietnamese food for lunch in Cabramatta and another day in Windsor, a town that has fascinating convict buildings and a bustling brunch and lunch society.

Recently we did a three-day escape from the big smoke. A drive out of town to the Blue Mountains and across the Great Dividing Range and landed at Jenolan Caves, the old Caves House continues to have repairs done and the canteen is now a groovy café and offers up good coffee and tasty lunchtime fare. But the sight of Caves House makes one delirious with speculation and imagination – wondering how the heck this came to be. The little settlement is remote from every big town with one road in and one road out – and if the weather is bad – there’s no way out for a few days.

We took a tour though the cold caves and it was marvellous. The stunning caverns that have seen tourists and Victorian adventurers scrabble through, then walk planned paths gaze in awe at the natural architecture of millions of years’ worth of evolution and grand design wrought by time and water.

There are some wonderful nostalgic photographs of guests here from way back where we see woman in long skirts, blouses with leg-o-mutton sleeves and wide brimmed hats, men in coats and ties and hats – all ready to clamber over rocks and indoor ‘climbing walls’.

The following day we drove to Kanangra Boyd National Park. This has to be one of my fave natural views in the world.

The long plateau of sandstone juts out into Kanangra Valley that has undulating, and wonderful folding green valleys below where in a long gone past indigenous tribes trod the nomadic trading route.

We sat looking over the splendour of this vast park – unsullied by crowds, roads and development. Please let it stay that way.

Kanangra Plateau.

A drive on to Bathurst, a university town and under a big blue sky, typically really cold during winter. A dinner at a great surprise of a restaurant – Dogwood – an Aussie take on the best of American classic food, I went for the gumbo and the ‘dog’.

So, how about making a plan? Get outta town for a couple of days, change your routine and rediscover the geography of your youth or discover an urban treasure or country town within a few hours’ drive from your front door.

As we grow older time seems to be moving faster – let’s halt its progress and advocate for ‘slow travel’ close to home.

Happy weekend travels (or sneaky weekday getaways.)

Where do you like to ‘get away’ to on weekends not too far from home?

Writer Bev Malzard is in search of the Best Pie, or Vanilla Slice in country towns. Every town or village has a window sign at the local bakery shouting its winning achievements. She keeps taste tasting along the way and quite frankly still hasn’t had the ‘best’ yet. She continues her quest.

Architecture, Art, History, Spain, Travel

SPAIN: Mad for Madrid

June 26, 2018June 29, 2018by bmalzard2 Comments

It seems that travellers are mad for Spain at the moment, and why not, cities brimming with history, aromatic with the scents of flowers and amazing food and the time-honoured hospitality of this grand old country that is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Following is a short trip down memory lane from a couple of years back and a short but sweet 48 hours in Madrid.

Platea Madrid.

Arriving in Madrid on a pleasant end of a summer day, we drove along tree-lined streets and were delivered to the hotel Villa Magna in the elegant Salamanca barrio (precinct). This is the time when jet-lag kicks in but it’s too exciting being in a new city and it’s afternoon – lunch time, yay.

The fabulous Mercado de San Miguel where all sorts of divine food is at your disposal.

And this is how the eating frenzy began. First stop was a five-minute walk from the hotel to the beautifully restored and beloved Platea Madrid. The old art deco theatre has had new life breathed into it and has become a fragrant complex of tapas bars, Michelin starred restaurants and snack bars with rustic market-style décor. A cooling ale and a plate of potatas bravas (fried chunks of potato with spicy, paprika ridden tomato sauce), small bites of battered cod and some succulant slices of jamon iberico – I was hooked.

Jamon Iberica.

And an early dinner eschewed. This was the funny part of the trip – our timing was not always conducive to being ‘hungry’. Breakfast isn’t a big deal here. Coffee and a little pastry maybe or two coffees. Lunch is from anywhere between 2pm and 4pm and if you are on a schedule, you’ll find yourself having dinner within a couple of hours after a banquet of a lunch.

Normally, a little tapas bar has one or two specialties – this one featured grilled or stuffed mushrooms and fried chillies – and of course slices of jamon . . .

So after a quick change in my room and a serious count of the threads in the cotton sheets, we were off to nearby Tatal, a fancy restaurant owned by Rafael Nadal and Julios Ingelsias (both of then stood us up for a shared plate). The restaurant started filling up and by the time we left at 10pm (early by local standards) the place was packed with well-dressed patrons – and a week night too.

The following day was a series of long walks through the beautiful Buen retro Park, a visit the famous Museo Nacional Del Prado to view extraordinary paintings and sculptures by Spanish artists (Goya, Picasso, Velasquez for starters, shopping for espadrilles, finding just the right cake for afternoon tea and a final jaunt around town on a Tapas Tour – a definite must for food lovers.
Ah, Madrid, it was short, it was sweet but oh, so fine!

With more espadrilles than you can tip toe around, they are the authentic design and made here in Madrid. Writer Bev Malzard struck it lucky when her sandals broke and she just HAD to buy three pair of espadrilles – as you do!

Accommodation, Australia, City stays, History, Road trip

Tasmanian ancestral home beckons

June 18, 2018June 15, 2018by bmalzard2 Comments

It was a dark and stormy night. How often do you get to say that and it’s true?

And it was a dark and stormy night as Hobart, the Tasmanian capital was lashed by one of the worst storms in decades.

We drove from Freycinet into Hobart as the weather picked up momentum – rain and wind worsening as we closed in on the city.

And then to find our accommodation. The gps took us up a winding road and we were high above the city that was starting to look like it was disappearing under a blanket of swirling mist.

And here we are. At Corinda.

This glorious old home was built by Alfred Crisp, a well-to-do timber merchant who rose through the social ranks to become Lord Mayor of Hobart. And when Julian Roberts and Chaxi Afonso Higuera recently bought Corinda in Hobart’s Glebe, they were doing much more than simply acquiring a new business. Alfred Crisp was Julian’s great, great grandfather, so when the opportunity presented itself Julian brought Corinda back into the family.

After the Roberts bought the Victorian property, which was built on land previously used for a convict-run vegetable garden, they spent several months refurbishing and adding their personal touches. Guests stay in sumptuous heritage rooms featuring exquisite joinery crafted from fine Tasmanian timbers, such as huon pine and blackwood, as well as luxurious textiles and one of a kind antiques.

We fell in love with Corinda straight away, and not only because we were given shelter from the storm.

We carried our bags upstairs to the sound of our footsteps clashing with the well-trod stairs, just a few creaks to remind us that our feet were among hundreds that had climbed up over the years.

We could hear the rain pounding the windows as the wind from the south punished the front of the house. Our bedroom was warm and cosy and the bathroom was a stylish addition to the closed-in side verandah. And that’s where the force of the weather showed itself. The wild wind had found tiny openings and was pushing the rain under the door and between the window panes.

It’s an old house and is in excellent repair but this crazy storm tried every trick in the book to disturb its equilibrium.

And the best it could do was to try to flood our bathroom, but we stopped it in its tracks with old school shoring up – towels. And that did the job.

It was hard to leave our room as we had settled in but we had to head down town for a dinner. We parked in the Salamanca area and ran through mad rain til we reached our foodie destination. It wasn’t until after dinner that we realised that we were in a critical situation – the road was beginning to flood. We shot through then!

The next day as we loitered over our eggs and bacon and barista coffee we heard the news that the roads were closed, and the schools in the immediate vicinity of the city were closed too.

The storm had run its course and left a heap of damage behind. I wonder how many storms Corinda has witnessed – and survived to tell the tale.

Next night we decided that the house was too good to leave so we had drinks in the elegant drawing-room. Without a reservation desk and staff bustling around, it feels as if you have the grand home to yourself, we didn’t but it seemed so.

We even had a pizza delivered to Corinda rather than leave our precious comfort behind.

While Julian and Chaxi were new to Corinda, they are far from new to hospitality. Between them they have more than 20 years’ experience in hotel management, gained in establishments in the UK as well as Australia. Now settled in Tasmania, they’re using that experience to their advantage on home ground. For example, they source the finest local produce for the Corinda breakfast table. Guests can wake up to fresh free-range eggs and organic bacon, served with home-made bread and locally produced jams.

The property is famous for its lush landscaping, with many mature trees and shrubs as well as European-style parterre areas. The garden has always been maintained in the style in which Alfred Crisp created it and provides a verdant outdoor setting for weddings and other events (weather permitting). Group walking tours of the garden can be booked on request.

Corinda is the perfect base for those wanting to explore Southern Tasmania’s world -class attractions including MONA and World Heritage-listed Port Arthur. Corinda’s sister property, boutique country house hotel Brockley, is situated on the spectacular East Coast of Tasmania, and is ideal for those wanting to extend their Tasmanian break to include Maria Island and Freycinet National Parks.

We continued the act of loitering around the breakfast table, having yet another excellent coffee. Then out for a drive to Richmond for a little more history and hopefully, a sunny day. And it was.

Writer, Bev Malzard was a guest of Corinda. And it wasn’t her who ate all the nuts at the bar in the drawing-room . . . or maybe it was.

www.corindacollection.com.au www.brockleyestate.com.au

Note from the owners

‘We’re excited about welcoming guests to Corinda, which truly epitomises the beauty of unspoilt historic Tasmania. It’s our ancestral home, so we were thrilled to be able to buy it, bring it back into the family and refresh it. Now that the hard work is done, we’re looking forward to sharing Corinda’s heritage and history with our guests.’

Special offer: Guests can stay for four nights in the house and only pay for three from April – October 2018. Direct bookings only and date exclusions apply. Please check www.corindacollection.com.au for more information.

Cooking School: Later in 2018 Corinda will be launching its cooking school where classic, authentic Spanish/Canary Islands cuisine including paella will be shared the way they should be. Recipes Chaxi learnt sitting on her grandmother’s knee will a part of the curriculum. Lunch will be served in the dining room at Corinda with Tassie fine wines to accompany the feast.

Travel

Uluru – for light and love

June 11, 2018June 12, 2018by bmalzardLeave a Comment

Field of Light Uluru - Landscape (1)

About 20 years ago I caught a bus from Alice Springs, a town in the heart of Australia to see what was then called Ayers Rock, the grand monolith that sits in the centre of Australia like an anchor – tied to the ground holding the continent in place.

For some reason the area was in my head as somewhere I had been before but like many Australians who think they have seen it – I was fooled too by the mystery and pictures in my head that had been pasted into my brain for decades. I hadn’t seen it until I did see it.

Voyages_291117_246266

Shhhhhhh, Sounds of Silence dinner setting.

I had been in the bus trundling long for about three hours, nodding off along the way when I looked up and across the flat terrain, empty except for a few wan She Oak trees, a light breeze wafting through their scrappy, spiky tendrils . . . and there was the rock.

A sight for hungry eyes, the great red blister on the horizon beckons. Also known as Ayers Rock but now officially gazetted as Uluru. The monster rock is an ‘inselberg’, literally an island mountain. Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjara Ananagu, the Aboriginal peoples of the area.

Voyages_291117_246485

The area around Uluru hosts waterholes, caves and ancient paintings.

(Uluru is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Uluru and Kata Tjuta also known as The Olgas are the major natural features of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Ntional Park.)

So if you have not visited the beating heart of Australia, or maybe long to return there’s no better time than the present.

Following are three fab reasons and experiences to head to the Outback now.

INSIDER’S GUIDE TO EXPLORING ULURU

Uluru’s ultimate dining experiences

Silence is golden

It’s hard to believe that 25 years ago some bright spark created the unique experience of fine dining in the Australian desert, under the stars in a world of silence.

Yes, the Sounds of Silence is celebrating a quarter century anniversary and since the beginning privileged guests encountered a vast and glorious canopy of stars that look down on Uluru, the resorts, visitors, local clans, soft silent sands and a few gently chattering diners.

ARR_DIN_SOS_ASmart_Stars

It is at this ultimate dining experience, with toes in the sand, where guests are surprised by fine food and wine and then, if they are lucky, they’ll have their first sighting of the Rings of Saturn via a telescope in a cloudless black-sky night. And here be welcomed to country by the haunting sounds of the didgeridoo. And here let your heart swell as you acknowledge that you are in the centre of Australia and are immersed in an experience of a lifetime.

The Sounds of Silence dinner continues to thrill . . . and yes, the stars still twinkle, the food, wine and service shine and celestial beings murmur the quiet, spiritual surround sounds.

Visit: https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/experiences/detail/sounds-of-silence

Dessert in the Dunes

You will pinch yourself. Just sit quietly and take it all in – all is the unusual, the wonder and the awesomeness (and that word isn’t used lightly here). You are about to tuck into a brilliant, gourmet meal beginning with canapés while the light holds, then on to a particularly amusing bouche, then an entrée of Moreton Bay Bugs (can it get any better?) followed by wagyu beef. And in anticipation of a dessert on its way of rosella & lychee petit gateaux you draw breath and take in your surrounds.

UKTNP_DIN_TW_ASmart_01 (Rosella and Lychee Petit Gateaux)

You are in the middle of the ultimate dining experience of Tali Wiru in a natural setting in the Red Centre.

Tali Wiru means ‘beautiful dune’ in the local Anangu language and that’s exactly where you are.

Under the crisp night sky this is an open-air, exclusive restaurant like no other. Uluru and the distant silhouette of the Kata Tjuta domes are your walls.

And as each course is delivered, with carefully matched wines to your table, just imagine the unseen chef – who is cooking this splendid feast by the light of a lantern . . . true.

No dining feast matches Tali Wiru and the impeccable service comes with a smile – or are they just smiling at your bewilderment at being here. Lucky you.

Visit: https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/experiences/detail/tali-wiru

Let there be light

At Uluru, the lights are on. At the spiritual heart of Australia, as the sun sets at twilight the remote desert area within sight of ‘the rock’ is illuminated by 50,000 globes that have been ‘planted’ in the sand and they glow by the strength of solar-powered optic fibres.

This extraordinary installation is the brainchild of British artist Bruce Munro (pictured below), who with his team of locals installed thousands of slender stems crowned with frosted glass spheres.

Be in the light and for an unparalleled experience, ‘A Night at Field of Light’, combines the Sounds of Silence dinner experience with the once-in-a-lifetime Field of Light art installation. The soft lights spread across the desert floor behind you, and you’ll tuck into a tasty three-course buffet menu before you’re invited to immerse yourself in the Field of Light with its pathways glistening with rhythms of coloured light inviting you to explore.

Field of Light Uluru - Orange Sky

This monumental work of art was created and produced by many. The other-worldly feeling here evokes an emotional response of joy and maybe a little melancholy – perhaps that was Munro’s aim.

Ayers Rock Resort Aerial

Ayers Rock Resort.

Visit the Red Centre to see Uluru now, and win the trifecta – these three ultimate experiences will satisfy the soul.

The Field of Light installation will be happening until December 2020.

Visit: https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/events/detail/field-of-light-uluru

http://www.brucemunro.co.uk/installations/field-of-light/

Writer, Bev Malzard managed to fit this terrific trio of Outback experiences over a three day trip. She also ambitiously rode a pushbike around Uluru. There was a lot of puffing and grunting. She completed the circuit – and doubts she’ll ever do this again. Once was enough,

Uluru’s ultimate dining experiences

Silence is golden

It’s hard to believe that 25 years ago some bright spark created the unique experience of fine dining in the Australian desert, under the stars in a world of silence.

The Sounds of Silence dinner continues to thrill . . . and yes, the stars still twinkle, the food, wine and service shine and celestial beings murmur the quiet, spiritual surround sounds.

Visit: https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/experiences/detail/sounds-of-silence

Dessert in the Dunes

You are in the middle of the ultimate dining experience of Tali Wiru in a natural setting in the Red Centre.

Tali Wiru means ‘beautiful dune’ in the local Anangu language and that’s exactly where you are.

Under the crisp night sky this is an open-air, exclusive restaurant like no other. Uluru and the distant silhouette of the Kata Tjuta domes are your walls.

And as each course is delivered, with carefully matched wines to your table, just imagine the unseen chef – who is cooking this splendid feast by the light of a lantern . . . true.

No dining feast matches Tali Wiru and the impeccable service comes with a smile – or are they just smiling at your bewilderment at being here. Lucky you.

Visit: https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/experiences/detail/tali-wiru

Let there be light

At Uluru, the lights are on. At the beating spiritual heart of Australia, as the sun sets at twilight the remote desert area within sight of ‘the rock’ is illuminated by 50,000 globes that have been ‘planted’ in the sand and they glow by the strength of solar-powered optic fibres.

This extraordinary, unique installation is the brainchild of British artist Bruce Munro, who with his team of locals installed thousands of slender stems crowned with frosted glass spheres.

This monumental work of art was created and produced by many. The other-worldly feeling here evokes an emotional response of joy and maybe a little melancholy – perhaps that was Munro’s aim

If you have never visited the Red Centre to see Uluru, there is no better time than now – and to win the trifecta – these three ultimate experiences will satisfy the soul.

The Field of Light installation will be happening until December 2020.

Visit: https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/events/detail/field-of-light-uluru

http://www.brucemunro.co.uk/installations/field-of-light/

Architecture, Art, History, Road trip, Travel

Where the art is – try a country town

June 4, 2018June 2, 2018by bmalzard2 Comments

What was guerilla art is now great art. Walls become artworks and sleepy lanes and behind the scene walls and silos the grand canvasses of rural towns. Once was graffiti, is now urban engagement and licence to paint the town red.

It probably began 45,000 years ago in Australia; community minded fellas worked their magic art on to the walls of caves to let passing nomads see what food was available, attractions in the region and objects to be found or maybe just to show off their talent. Rock art galleries started it all.

For thousands of years, human beings have made their mark upon plain surfaces, from stick men to tag-style graffiti.

And when someone criticized the wall vandals of the 80s with the sentence “Punks can’t spell Cappuccino”, that phrase became official graffiti and the wall expression medium had arrived, evolved and gained acceptance by the less-than-art-critical-public.

Melbourne art works.

Pre ‘acceptable’ wall art in New York City, of the 70s gave birth to excessive public graffiti – think subway trains. In one of his essays back in the day, Norman Mailer said New York subway graffiti is “the great art of the 70s”. And it burned brightly until Mayor Ed Koch. elected on a clean-up-the-city every which way platform, scrubbed clean the city. By the mid-80s NYC graffiti had faded quietly and what was left or came later became the acceptable norm.

Melbourne outdoor art.

Across the Atlantic, enigmatic artist Banksy launched his wall art career in his home town, Bristol. Stencils became his medium as his art gained notoriety on a big scale in the late 1990s.

Banksy’s work sneaks up on you. Characteristic of the works are the obvious digs at hypocrisy, violence, greed and authoritarianism but pathos and whimsy are in the creative makeup too.

And at home, wall art has changed the urban ‘artscape’ and rural regions. Australia is engaged with a stunning variety of wall/outdoor art that crept in stealthily during the late 90s too. Melbourne had the wall art advantage first up because of the surviving laneways in the inner city. And some of the most creative artists have emerged from the southern capital.

Sydney was a slow starter but every week another piece of excellent art appears on the walls in and around the inner west and on the edge of the CBD. Without a lot of laneways remaining due to concentrated development, the older suburbs snatched the prize.

The big winners for wall art are the small cities and rural towns of Australia with their untouched walls.

In previous blogs I have attended the amazing First Coat Festival in the Queensland tidy town of Toowoomba. I’ve followed wall art festivals to Wollongong south of Sydney, wandered the lanes of Melbourne and followed the fabulous Silo Art Trail in Victoria.

And once you get an interest in wall art/outdoor art there’s no turning back – you see it everywhere and become fans of certain artists. And when you see them at work and converse with them, you’ll find a group of young people who are modest, amiable and happy to share the love of this medium.

My last excursion into the rural artistic enclaves of Australia was to Benalla in Victoria for the /Wall to Wall’ Festival last March, the second one held there.

Benalla is a small city located on the Broken River in the High Country north-eastern region of Victoria, Australia, about 212km north-east of the state capital Melbourne. At the 2016 census the population was 9,298.

We drove from Sydney and overnighted at the pretty town of Rutherglen just over the border after driving through Albury.

Benalla is a town of character with great coffee shops a bakery that boasts numerous wards for having the best Vanilla Slice in Australia, good restaurants, beautiful Botanic Gardens and a splendid regional art galley.

We hit the street running to take in as many artworks as possible. Best view was watching the artists at work. They seem so small against the large canvasses they work on.

Benalla Art Gallery.

Outside of Benalla is a slip of a siding town called Goorambat where there a silo has been painted and in a wee Uniting church Matt Adnate has created the portrait Sophia’ which has become a local attraction.

‘Sophia’ by Matt Adnate.

I would encourage anyone to take the time out to get outta your city and explore our wonderful country towns as they are leading the way to colour in the bland residue of the dusty past. The towns are coming back to life and with the extraordinary support of the locals and visitors, they are more than an Aussie country town – they are performing on the world stage where art trails and maps are exposing the talent of the new breed of artists painting the town red!

Writer Bev Malzard nearly expired in the heat of the Benalla Wall to Wall weekend and hopes it might be a little later than March next year. BUT find out for yourself and keep in touch with what’s going on throughout the year in the town of the great vanilla slice – and yes, of course she ate one.

Visit: http://www.enjoybenalla.com.au Wall to Wall