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Where to stay: Royal Hotel, Cardiff Wales

February 02, 2020

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Adelaide Hills, Hamlyn Cottage

Hamlyn Cottage Taking a break from posting about Singapore and do one closer to home. It's late spring at the moment in Australia and that's the time for the garden enthusiasts to visit private gardens that have been opened to the public. So a few weekends ago, off I went to a garden that was open in the Adelaide Hills. Hamlyn Cottage is a privately owned property just outside of Mt. Barker, the owner is a horticulturist who writes articles for various print media. She's established a garden that has low water usage (important in South Australian conditions due to hot dry summers) and is as organic as possible. It was a pleasant drive up the freeway through the hills, the countryside was still very green, the summer dryness had yet to begin. Once in the town of Mt. Barker it was easy to follow the signs back out into the countryside again to the open garden. It was very busy with a full carpark of other garden enthusiasts! The house is an old stone cottage which has b...

Al Ru Farm

Open Garden Scheme The Open Garden Scheme is a wonderful way to experience private gardens that generally are not open to the public. Al Ru Farm is one I've been wanting to visit for a while and on a perfect spring day was able to go along and see these extensive gardens. The owners, Alan (Al from Al Ru) and Ruth (the Ru part of the name) bought this property in 1979 to agist some cows and Ruth set about establishing the gardens which now cover 10 acres. They began hosting weddings in 1990 and there are event spaces, plus accomodation on the property. Al Ru Farm can be found just outside the small township of One Tree Hill, keep going on the back roads and you do end up in the Barossa Valley. With such extensive grounds, the gardens are spaced into various 'rooms'. There's a lake with a large open area, from photos it seems this is where a marque can be placed for wedding receptions. The greenhouse and on the other side of the hedge is the pool area, it was still cove...

Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)

Hobart, Tasmania MONA is Tasmania's newest attraction, it opened in January 2011. The museum is the largest privately funded institution in Australia and it houses the collection of its (very wealthy!) owner, David Walsh. Full disclosure here in that I'm not the biggest fan of modern art, so originally this museum wasn't on my list of places to see in Tasmania. But I had recently read a travel writer's report his visit and he had caught the ferry up the river from central Hobart. I loved the idea of a ferry ride on the river and then seeing some art. The ferry departs from the Brooke Street Pier which also houses a large tourist booking service so it's possible to buy a combined ticket for the ferry and entrance to the museum. Once at MONA there are 99 steps up from the jetty to the main external area. There was some huffing and puffing from the ferry passengers going up the stairs! Having successfully negotiated the stairs, you are then reward...