Stationery Pursuit

I know someone that collects writing materials (letterheads, journals, pens, etc), so every time I travel I feed their obsession by souveniring the complimentary hotel stationery.

Here's what they got from my recent trip to Sydney.

Brief respite from the cold

I don't often get to travel for work, but was sent to Sydney this week to enjoy some balmy weather at my employer's expense. After weeks of bitter cold in Ballarat a day of 22°C humid warmth was a pleasant change. With a busy round of flights, taxis, hotel, & meetings there was no time for leisurely pics of the city, but here's a few from the comfortable room at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth where I spent Wednesday night.

The high life

I can't complain about my start to the year (and decade!), being sent to Melbourne for a conference at my Employer's expense, staying at the Crown Promenade Hotel. As luck would have it my room was on the 22nd floor with a wonderful view of the CBD and river, the mobile phone pics below don't do it justice.


The Casino itself didn't hold much appeal, so when Ms C62 dropped me off we took the short walk across the river to see one of my fav parts of the city, the old arcades and laneways between Flinders & Bourke Streets. On Wednesday evening we caught up again for dinner at Tutto Bene, Ms C62's fav South Bank restaurant.

The view from Tutto Bene (panorama from 2 pics spliced together)

If only every year could start so swish! But that's not all, back in Ballarat on the weekend we saw "Avatar" in 3D at the Regent Cinema (visually brilliant!) followed by pizza at the Main Bar ...all in all a very pleasant week :)

Back from the west

In spite of the changeable weather we had lots of fun in WA. First up 4 nights in Perth CBD seeing the city, dining out, museum/art gallery, Northbridge, Leederville, Perth Mint plus a Day in Fremantle (River cruise, Markets, Old Gaol, etc.). Then hired a car and drove south west, staying 2 nights in Busselton and seeing the Margaret River region (Mammoth Cave, the township, wineries, Chocolate Co., and back up through Cape Naturaliste). Returned via Fremantle and Cottesloe on the last day.

Dining out ranged from fine to fun, with Miss Maud's in Perth worthy of note for it's sheer quirkiness (a Swedish themed Smorgasbord right out of the 1970s, complete with live accordion music!). The free Perth "CAT" bus services were also great, making it very easy to get around. Managed to visit a few vintage shops too, with "Off the Wall" in Fremantle being my Fav (for more on vintage shopping in Perth/Freo see these posts by B'rat Bloggers BVS and CR&VT).

Here's some random holiday snaps (cam & mobile):

Part 1. Perth: City from river, Mall (CBA building), Mint, Museum (3 pics), Cottesloe beach.


Part 2. Fremantle: Stree cafe, Markets (2 pics), Prison (2 pics).


Part 3. South West: Busselton pier, Mammoth Cave, Margaret River vinyards, Margaret River Hotel, Cape Naturaliste (2 pics).

Westward bound

Following what seems to be a bit of a local trend, Ms C62 and myself are heading off to Western Australia for a week. We'll be exploring Perth and Fremantle, with a side trip via the coast to the Margaret River region. Fingers crossed for some good weather.

Pic: Perth City from the Swan River

This however means we'll be away for the ARMAGEDDON Expo on Oct 17-18 in Melb, but strangely Ms C62 doesn't seem too upset by this.