Australia Zoo

My plus one is British, recently arrived in Australia and keen to have as many great Australian and Brisbane experiences as possible. Beaches, great cafes, hot sunny winter days (he's been loving those) and tropical island escapes. Of course, no visit to Australia is complete without a trip to Australia Zoo. In fact he told me that Australia Zoo was 'number one on his list of one things-to-do in Australia'.

Croc displays at Australia Zoo.

So when was told he'd have last Friday off from work, I hastily took a day off as well and that's how we came to be cashing in our tickets at the 'Steve Irwin Zoo' gates on a glorious week day morning.

 

 A surprisingly active Shingeback Lizard

In the large Tasmanian Devil enclosure, this was the only one we spotted. Tuckered out and enjoying the sunshine. 

A Cassowary.

A Dingo surveying the land.

Let me tell you, if you can get to Australia Zoo on a weekday, perhaps especially in winter, it is worth it. There were so few people around, even less small children, it makes moving around and seeing the exhibits easy and much more enjoyable.

I had sent the Boy a link to the show times on the Australia Zoo website (see it here) and he came back with an impressive day plan of shows. We missed the tortoise feeding at 10 because I was having a lazy breakfast at Gramarcy (delicious, must try) but we made it to the Wildlife Warriors show, which is my favourite for the incredible bird displays, the tiger show (Boy's favourite), we fed the elephants at 3pm and then rounded off the day by watching the Asian Small-Clawed Otter feeding at 3:30. The only show we missed was the croc show. Shameful, perhaps, but we saw a croc display  in the Wildlife Warriors show and tigers and elephants could not be missed.

A Jabiru flys into the crocoseum from her enclosure on the other side of the zoo. All the other birds moved too quickly to photograph. 

The crocodile display as part of the 12noon Wildlife Warriors show. 

Displaying natural behaviours in the tiger show.

It was a truly great day out. We took our time going around all the exhibits, took a couple of hundred photos of us posing with all the animals, munched on a home-made picnic while watching macaws and kites circle the crocoseum. We fed the kangaroos, another of my favourite zoo activities. Such a simple, enjoyable interaction with our native animals, I can never get tired of it.

Feeding our little group of 'roos.

My Boy could not get over the difference between Australia Zoo and zoos he had visited in England. Obviously here a big difference is in the activity of the animals. Being in warm sunshine, even in winter, encourages them to be more active and visible, rather than curled up against the cold and rain in the secret holes of their enclosures. Also, the level of interaction Australia Zoo in particular allows with the animals is outstanding. Because the animals are more active in their relatively open and visitor-friendly enclosures, you can get up-close and personal. The Zoo also provides a lot of additional opportunities to see the animals by taking them on walks around the zoo and feeding sessions, such as with the elephants.  All of this helps to create a memorable day.

Having a real Moment when Bashi, the male tiger stalked up to the glass and vigorously licked his face.We would as a result splurge on a painting of Bashi's paw prints made during the tiger show. All proceeds to tiger conservation efforts in Asia.

A male Cheetah being taken for a walk to survey his territory. 

The smaller but cheekier otters being fed.

A hint from the keepers; come to the 3pm elephant feeding. There is the same about of food and a third of the number of people as the 10:30am session, so you can go around the feeding line multiple times really quickly.

 Asian Elephants feeding during the official show and then I get to feed them a few hours later.

The Africa exhibit was still under construction the last time I visited in 2010, so I was glad to see it on this trip. Unfortunately, it was being re-constructed to make space for the baby rhinoceroses  that will go on display from 22 June. So the giraffe were hidden away elsewhere as their enclose was having a redesign. Disappointing for me, because they are one of my favourite animals.

Southern White Rhinoceros taking a nap.

The ticket price to get in may seem steep - between $53 and $59 dollars for an adult, depending on if you have a discount voucher, which you can get if you are an RACQ member - but when you consider the over all experience and that it is most certainly a whole day trip, it is worth the money. We were there for five and a half hours, making the ticket price an average of $10 per hour. Pretty good for the quality of the entertainment.You can also save a lot of money by taking your own food as we did and not being tempted into any of the official photo opportunities, tempting as they may be.


So that is one more experience ticked off the list. Thanks to Australia Zoo for a tremendous day out. It was everything we were both looking forward to!

You can also read the Boy (Pumba as he is affectionately known) on his brand new blog; Pumba's International Escape.

Anywhere Theatre Festival Review: Sans Love

Sans Love is the story of a young woman named Mercy who is surrounded by people afflicted with heartbreak. The loss of a grandmother, husband, girl-of-your-dreams, cat or the first love of your life leaves people desolated and hurting and perhaps never wanting to feel that way again. Enter Mercy. She has a special gift. She can ‘fix you’. She can take away the heartbreak; quite literally remove it from your body. The downside is that you will never love again. 

Sans Love is an utterly delightful and human piece of physical theatre. The cast of 7, including a chorus of 5, play off each other in a fast-talking, leaping, action-packed 70 minute investigation of love and loss and how we feel when love does not return.

Mercy is the protagonist but it’s the chorus that makes this story. Perfectly timed to interact with each other and the audience, they fling out lines and songs while throwing themselves all over the room. I particularly enjoyed their performance of the typical broken-hearted playlist. So accurate and sad but very funny. Each of the chorus members has been ‘healed’ by Mercy, a decision some are accepting of and others are purely angry about. They now surround her and help her in her treatments for the never-ending line of the broken-hearted.

Sans Love is playing in one room in an art gallery and the artwork on the wall, including some beautiful nude photographs, accounts for the shows’ ‘nudity’ rating. The set could be part of the exhibition proper, taking up the centre of the room, with props of the detritus of dates and relationship strung from the ceiling.

This is a clever, intricately-thought out show on a topic that everyone can relate to. You could feel the enjoyment amongst the audience, all huddled as we were on cushions on the floor, as we were made to laugh at the accuracy of the stages of heartbreak and get quietly depressed with the stories of loss that made each person choose to have their love removed.

Sans Love is being performed in Love Love Studio in the heart of Teneriffe, in a great spot if you want to have dinner / drink / dessert around the show.  Love Love Studio is one of those great random space that used to be a house and is now a bit run-down so it is now used as a gallery with a skate shop and probably a few other temporary residents as well. The current exhibition is suitably themed on love and loss.

 

Sans Love is a truly fun and clever piece of theatre. The sort of show you want friends to see and enjoy so they can understand the value of start-up theatre and initiatives such as ATF.

Review of Sans Love presented as part of the 2013 Anywhere Theatre Festival.

Tickets: All tickets $20
Dates: Wed 15 to Sat 18 May @ 7:30pm
Place: 27 Florence Street, Teneriffe, 4006
Duration: 70mins
Transport & Places of Interest: Love Love Studio is on the City Glider and 199 bus routes (stopping at Commercial Road) and is less than a 400-metre walk from the Teneriffe ferry terminal.

Anywhere Theatre Festival Review: Overexposed

Overexposed is a show about dating but it may not be the best place to take a prospective date. For a start, you don’t get to sit next to the person you come with. On arrival, you are shown in and separated to encourage you to meet a new date for the evening (though they, like you, are probably taken). Also, the content may be a little too much for potential couples. You don’t want to take a date to a show about sex if you’re still unsure whether or not you want to sleep with said date.

Overexposed is a mix of stand-up, music and film with just a tad of audience interaction thrown in. My poor date was made to participate and he survived admirably and as a bonus, learned the phrase ‘as you wish’ (from The Princess Bride). The show is open, honest and genuinely funny at times.

If you think you’ll be shocked, don’t worry. Though this may be a cabaret about relationship and sexual mis-adventure, there is not much to horrify or embarrass, despite the Adults Only rating.  Unless you have very fine sensibilities, in which case go see 1066: The Bayeux Tapestry Brought to Life. No sex or foul language in that one.

This is a show with some great ideas and a lot of work has gone in to it, but it just didn’t quite hang together. It needed more time to fully develop all the devices that the creative minds behind it imagined rather than stuffing the show full of half-completed ideas. Separating attendees – sure, but why? After some uncomfortable chit chat that was it. Film of people discussing relationships in cafes – yes it went with the theme but didn’t have a place in the show. This is still an enjoyable show but I think I’d like to see the full hour and a half version more.

Overexposed is presented in the foyer of the Bell Brothers Building in Fortitude Valley.  A slightly run down location intermittently filled with arts companies and start-ups, the foyer has a quiet grandeur to it and was an ideal location for a one-person cabaret. Intimate, with stage space a sweeping staircase for the performer to descend, it was a delightful impromptu theatre venue.

If you enjoy plays, relationship dramas and / or are a little dramatic when it comes to your own forays in the mess that can be romance, you should enjoy Overexposed. It’s a fun show that deserves the time (and money) to develop it further. 

Overexposed is showing this weekend and tickets are available through the Anywhere Theatre Festival website. 

Review of Overexposed presented as part of the 2013 Anywhere Theatre Festival.  

Anywhere Theatre Festival Review: 1066: The Bayeux Brought to Life

If you’ve ever taken an interest in European history or secretly enjoyed history at school or perhaps you have children you want to get interested in that huge general topic, take yourself to Small Crown Production’s 1066: The Bayeux Tapestry Brought to Life, performed in the Collector’s Cafe at the Queensland Museum.

Some context: the Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth nearly 70 metres in length that tells with beautiful detail the story of Harold Earl of Essex and Duke William of Normandy, who were both at one time designated heirs to the crown of England. When King Edward the Confessor died in 1066, Harold was proclaimed King, inciting the Norman invasion of England which culminated in the Battle of Hastings. William (known to history as William the Conqueror) triumphed and was crowned King, beginning the Norman occupation of England. 

 

1066: The Bayeux Tapestry Brought to Life opens where the tapestry begins, with events years prior to the final battle. First up we meet Harold Earl of Essex, a great warrior devoted to England, who having successfully quelled uprisings in Wales has been charged by King Edward to travel to Normandy and inform Duke William that he (William) is the chosen heir to the crown of England. Not a pleasant task for a man who thought he would be named so himself. Both men were skilled soldiers and politicians and the show sets up their differences in personality and perspective and how they came to believe that they were the rightful heir to the throne of England.

Small Crown Productions have done a tremendous job of fitting a complex story with a cast of thousands in to one hour and a cast of seven. They are helped by the ingenious shifting scenery which could be taken apart to construct keeps, ships and castles. I was not the only audience member who when watching the cast yell heave to and construct the ships for the invasion, wanted to leap up and lend a hand. Simple block-coloured costumes helped the audience identify the key players as each cast member played several roles on both sides of the feud.

The cast were clearly enjoying themselves and worked hard to deliver the story in all its’ dramatic glory. James Trigg, who portrayed Harold, has the square jaw, beard and booming voice evocative of a youthful Henry VIII and a great seriousness of purpose, which contrasted well to the more jovial but equally determined William, played by Silvan Rus. The team behind the show, lighting, sounds, animation, costuming and of course the Director Paul Adams, have also done a tremendous job on all the important minutiae the made the performance so enjoyable.

If you want to brush up on the tale before the performance, there is a scroll explaining the events and key scenes from the tapestry for you to peruse.  The scroll also pointed out key characters and pieces of scenery that would be appearing in the production.

Small Crown Production’s 1066: The Bayeux Tapestry Brought to Life is a dramatic piece of history brought to life with great enthusiasm. Educational and enjoyable, it is an excellent original production.

Review of 1066: The Bayeux Brought to Life, presented as part of the 2013 Anywhere Theatre Festival.

Tickets can be purchased through the Anywhere Theatre Festival website or at the door.  

See also the Small Crown Productions website or follow them on Twitter. 

Anywhere Theatre Festival Review: The Travelling Sisters Let Loose

Nestled in a quiet corner of Kelvin Grove is a stately Queensland, complete with sculpted lawn and wide verandas. In the high-ceilinged living room, two sisters who stumbled on the house late one night have made their disorderly home and have now invited an audience to come and hear their tales of love, loss and youthful confusion.

The Travelling Sisters Let Loose is an eclectic 2-person show of original songs, personal stories, fantastical tales and laugh-out-loud moments. The two actors and creators of the show, Lucy Fox and Ell Sachs, threw heart, soul and a whole lot of energy into entertaining their audience. They leapt from couch to table, flirted, chatted and sang for our entertainment as we collectively inhabited their personal space.

The most enjoyable moments for me came courtesy of Lucy and her alliterative original compositions. Her Tim Minchin like lyrics told a tale cowboys, shamans, seas voyages and pirates accompanied by delightful animation and Ell’s sound effects and well-captured characters. At one point I thought the whole audience would be called upon to help Ell construct a blanket fort, but it was only my wishful thinking.   

If you like theatre with extras, this is a wonderful show for you. Tea and coffee on arrival and delicious brownies for sale, bags of popcorn when the film began and home-made biscuits at the half-way point. There was even a friendly house cat for you to stroke, to heighten the feeling of snuggling down in a dilapidated but welcoming home. 

The Travelling Sisters Let Loose is an intimate performance, with only some 20 people allowed in to the living room to get comfy on couches, armchairs and cushions.  The show is sold out for Friday 10 May but there are four more shows. Travelling Sisters is a welcoming, personal, enjoyable show with a little something for every audience member. Particularly enjoyable on a chilly night.

Review of The Travelling Sisters Let Loose, presented as part of the 2013 Anywhere Theatre Festival.

Buy tickets online or at the door.

Anywhere Theatre Festival 2013

Brisbane’s Anywhere Theatre Festival opens today and in some exciting news, I am one of the volunteer reviewers! 

The Anywhere Theatre Festival gets theatre out of its traditional confines and into accessible, atmospheric public spaces. Shows may be held in foyers, in private garages, in the Museum or parks.

This is also a great chance for the dozens of small production companies in Brisbane and Queensland, who may not be able to afford to rent theatre space, to show off their talent and creativity.

If you’ve never heard of the Festival, check out the website here; http://anywherefest.com/ 

This festival is all about accessibility. Offering a range fun, innovative theatre shows, there is something to suit just about everyone. The tickets are affordable and the locations are the essence of accessible. Unsure about being in QPAC? How about seeing a show in the foyer of the Bell Brothers Building on Brunswick Street?

ATF starts today and runs to 18 May. Check out the program, or if you know me and feel like coming along to one of the shows I’m seeing and giving me the benefit of your opinion, these are the shows I’m excited to be seeing;

The travelling sisters set loose – Wednesday 8 May

1066; The Bayeux Brought to Life – Thursday 9 May

Overexposed – Friday 10 May

Viva Verdi – Saturday 11 May

Sans Love – Wednesday 15 May

Three Easy Steps – Thursday 16 May

Au audience with Tomas Ford – Thursday 16 May

A world without sex – Friday 17 May

Review: Hoo Ha Bar

Hoo Ha Bar has taken a while to get from conception to opening but open they did last week, and with it being 10 minutes from my work I was very keen to check out this new arrival in the somewhat staid South Bank area.

My friend Gabi and I met there for breakfast on Friday morning. Nestled almost underneath South Bank station it’s mightily convenient for both bus and train, and you can park your bike outside no problem. Inside is open with the wooden sparse slightly-hipster decoration that is becoming the norm of Brisbane cafes. No complaints, I like it, and I think Brisbane cafes are starting to look different to any other cities’.   

The menu is interesting and a little off-beat, all about flavours rather than traditional breakfast fare. The prices are exciting, though. Fruit toast is $3, and the rest of the menu is between $7 - $11. Cheap for Brisbane, where no one seems to bat an eye at paying $12 for avocado on toast.  Reading the menu, you know everything on it is going to be tasty.

Gabi had the Cannellini bean smash, rosemary, chilli, orange, lemon and Grana Padano served with garlic croute, though in her instance she requested gluten-free bread, which was no problem ($7).

I had grilled eggplant, peperonata, Haloumi, rocket and hummus on focaccia (replaced with Turkish bread) ($9).

The food come out quickly and was very tasty. It was also of just the right size for breakfast, filling but not so much that it is an effort to get up off your chair. The coffee came out within minutes and was strong and rich.

I really enjoyed our breakfast date and would heartily recommend Hoo Ha Bar to anyone. At the moment, Hoo Ha is more café than bar but apparently the liquor licence has been applied for so there will soon be options for lunchtime beer and cider and maybe after-work tipples as well. 

Hoo Ha Bar
41 Tribune Street, South Brisbane
Open: Tuesday to Saturday 7:00 am to 3:00 pm

Cobbler opened in West End this week

Cobbler, a 'brother' bar to Pony Cat in New Farm and Kettle and Tin in Paddington opened its doors on Wednesday afternoon. Seeing as I had a bit of time to kill between work and dinner at Lefkas, I stopped by for a look. 

The bar is nestled comfortably into a large space along the street front of Browning Street, West End. It's a welcoming space, all wood, bricks and high chairs. One of the two guys behind the bar was the owner as well as the creator of the impressive cocktail menu. The cocktails were mostly whiskey and rum based, ochre drinks that read very temptingly but I settled for a perfectly made g'n't.

 My perfectly mixed g'n't.

The well-stocked bar.

The bar is well-stocked with liquors, particularly of the amber variety. Brilliantly, each bottle has its' price on an easy-to-read label, so you can sit and pick which of the score of whiskeys is in your price range without having to ask. They are also, unlike most bars, reasonably priced. My Hendricks g'n't set me back only $10. The guys next to me were sampling whiskeys, of which there are dozens, served with single ice cubes that filled their tumblers.

If you're a wine drinker there is a limited selection, but this is a cocktail and whiskey bar and if that's the tipple you're after I say give this place a try. These guys seem to know what they're doing.

Cobbler is at 8 Browning Street, West End opposite the Melbourne Hotel.

Five for Friday

Well, this just seems wrong.

The suspended coffee movement in Brisbane.

A smartphone app for Melbourne bars and pubs. Because every person I know enjoys indulging in Melbourne's nightlife. 
 

The Vintage Dress Company. A New Zealand Company started by a former flight attendant with an eye for delightful vintage fabrics.  

Image courtesy of The Vintage Dress Company website.

Sedating children on long-haul flights; this will sound un-PC but I approve. Parenting blogs explode at 'near child-abuse' but parents who have ever taken a child on a long-haul flight think it's the ideal solution. Read one mother's account here.

I took a lot of long flights myself as a child and I think I was ok but with every landing, my ears would hurt so much from the pressure that I would scream at the top of my lungs. If I had been gently sedated, the whole experience would have been much less traumatic for myself, my parents and the rest of the plane.

On the flip side, I have been on flights with screaming, chair-kicking, running down the aisle, peek-a-boo playing children and I just want them to sit in their damn chairs and shut up.

Honestly, I'd sedate myself on long-haul flights if I knew which drugs to use. 

Breakfast review: Jam in Nundah

There is a snippet of Sandgate Road that most people don't travel on. Only locals take the turn off to go over the George Bridges Tunnel (irony, anyone) and down the three block section of road I think of as the Nundah High Street. It's nice bit of road that helps the area feel like a properly lived-in suburb with pub, cafes and shops.

On that little bit of high street is Jam, probably the most popular breakfast joint in the area. It doesn't matter what time of a weekend morning you walk part it, Jam is packed and has a few people patiently waiting for a table.

This Saturday, in the steady rain, my plus one and I spontaneously visited Jam for a rainy-day hot-breakfast treat. And it was pretty clear to us why it was packed out all weekend.

The menu was typical breakfast eggs benedict, various stacks and french toast but with just the right amount of interesting. A bit of chorizo here, salsa there. I love going out for breakfast and I appreciate thoughtful and interesting breakfast menus, but I also don't want to have to over-think my choice. It's breakfast. I probably haven't had coffee yet and I don't want to have to debate between organic sausage roulade or mushroom three cheese two-egg-white omelette.

Jam's menu is tasty but undemanding and even better, reasonably priced. I would have been happy with just about anything but I chose corn and capsicum fritters with avocado and tomato salsa and balsamic dressing.

Corn and capsicum fritters with avocado and tomato salsa and balsamic dressing, $14.

My plus one had a make-up plate of scrambled eggs on toast with extra toast and bacon and we shared a side of hash browns, for $13 then the hash browns were $3.

 

With a coffee each, one soy and one in a mug, the total bill came to $37 and we were very happy and very full afterwards. 

Other considerations; the service was cheerful and very quick, no complaints at all. It was a nice place to sit and the indoors/outdoors nature of the cafe meant a lot of noise drifted out while fresh air wafted in. Yes, you are likely to have to wait for a table but no one had to wait long. 

The special was sweet potato and pancetta patties, cheese kransky, maple roasted cherry toms and fried eggs on sourdough with various pickles for $17. The couple next to us got one of those each and neither finished it it was so large. It looked very tasty.

If you're a north-sider I would definitely recommend Jam as a hale and hearty breakfast location.

Five for Friday

This week Embassy Bar is re-opening as the CBD's first craft beer bar. Is this a little unbelievable to any other local Brisbane-ites? 

A cooking couple’s 100 rules of dinner. Some fun, some practical but worth a read for those of you who enjoying cooking. Also a great cooking blog, if you're in to that sort of thing. 

Some example 'rules': 

• 18. Kitchen chairs should be red. Or at least fun.
• 59. When cooking steak on the grill, get a nice char over hot coals and then move it to a less hot part of the grill — i.e. over indirect heat. Test for doneness by pressing down on the meat with your finger. When it’s ready, it will have the consistency of the flesh at the base of your thumb. Once it’s firm, you have overcooked it.
• 77. If you cook dinner for someone, and that person is not super forthcoming with his or her expressions of happiness or gratitude, you must (a) fight every urge to ask them if they like it, and (b) think twice about cooking for that person again. 

Courtesy of A Dinner Love Story. 

The home made gin kit. Otherwise known as the perfect gift for any of my friends. 

Reasons my son is crying. Incredibly un-PC perhaps but after a while also very funny!

World's most colourful cities. I want to visit them all.

  Júzcar, Spain (top) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (bottom). Images courtesy of Travel and Leisure.

Trivia at Kettle & Tin

Kettle & Tin may be less than a year old but they are already a Paddington institution, alleviating the weekend brunch stress on Anouk and going that step further with wine tastings (such as the Rose Revolution one I attended last year) and a pretty smashing dinner menu.

In March 2013, they launched once monthly trivia nights, then it was once a fortnight and now trivia is held every Tuesday night. It's free to participate, there are prizes for every round and $10 dinner specials.

Last night I and two girlfriends tried it out. I booked us a table and we arrived promptly at 6:30 for some brain-warming wine and food. The two $10 specials were whitebait and chips and bacon and truffle macaroni cheese. We immediately ordered the macaroni cheese, which a waiter informed us was 'outstanding', accompanied by confit duck nachos (which I have been wanting to try for weeks), the house terrine and orange and walnut salad, washed down with a couple of glasses of Merlot. All of it delicious and the macaroni cheese really hit the spot on a slightly chilly night.

Bacon and truffle macaroni cheese with a side of Penny's Hill Merlot.

The house terrine; pork and pistachio with gluten-free bread.

 Orange and walnut salad

Confit duck nachos

The trivia, now, if we'd been the full six person team I'd booked for, we might have stood a chance. But between the three of us and particularly with our limited (utter rubbish) musical knowledge we were not the best team.

 If there had been more questions about food we might have scored a little higher.

Not that we cared. We were having a great time and were getting reasonable scores, considering this was proper trivia and we were all a little out of practice. We were pleased we knew 'Name the three letter word for where oysters reside' (bed); 'What gas that yeast produces causes bread to rise?' (CO2) and 'What number is Aluminium on the periodic table?' (13).

Asked to name by sight Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift albums, the name of the Professor who once featured in Cadbury ads or the science of moving liquids and we were, frankly, stumped.

Our end score sheet.  Not the best scores but not too poor either.

It was a fun night. Three rounds of Trivia ran from 7 - 9pm, food and drink were quick and tasty and the whole room seemed to be enjoying themselves. Next time we go, we'll be taking a bigger team with at least one person who really knows their music.

If you're interested in partaking of some K&T trivia I recommend booking. The restaurant was packed and I think a few people had to be turned away.