Winter Break

In my part of the world it's winter. One of the perks of being a teacher is the term holidays! To be honest, I don’t want to go back to school! I’m a teacher so I have to go back to school when the holidays are over.

This is what I have been doing:

Currumbin WildlifeSanctuary

I went for an hour long drive with my brother to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. It is essentially a zoo to native Australian animals such as the kangaroo, koala, various snakes, Tasmanian Devils, birds and other animals.

 There’s also a segway track, zipline and ropes obstacle course available at the sanctuary. I went at the end of the day so everything was winding down. I think I would have enjoyed the sanctuary during the start of the day where there’s a crowd and all the animal shows are on. I found the place a bit run down so I hope they refurbish one day. I didn’t think there were many animals at the sanctuary.

Super Bee HoneyWorld, Currumbin

While I was Currumbin, Queensland I also went to visit Super Bee Honey World. It’s a big store that features honey from all over Australia and they also show live bee demonstrations. My brother was a bit scared of the idea of live honey collection so we didn’t see the show. I bought two honey sampler packs, one for my family and one for a friend.

Super Bee Honey Gift Packs I bought, courtesy of Super Bee Honey World

Surf World

We also went to Surfword which is next door to Super Bee Honey World. Surf World is  a small surf museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating surf history. I think if I knew something about surf boards, I would have been more interested in the variety of surf boards on display. What I was particularly interested in was a photo of DukeKahanamoku who was a surfing pioneer. It was good to be reminded that surfing is actually an old sport from Hawaii.

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Mum’s birthday

My mum turned 49 on Thursday. We decided to go Feast which is an all you can buffet. They have a good selection of food available, from roast meats, pasta dishes, salads, Asian food, seafood and deserts. The service was excellent; the staff was friendly and not intrusive. In some places, they watch you like a hawk because they want to collect dishes so they don’t pile up which can be an uncomfortable dining experience.

I don’t try to stuff myself anymore when it comes to a buffet. I don’t like feeling too full and wasting food as there’s always a heap of food uneaten on the plate.  I just aim for three courses. So I had pumpkin soup and cheesy bread for starters, roast pork, gravy and potato bake for a main meal and soft serve ice cream with jelly and mousse.

I got eight new mugs for mum’s birthday and I baked her some cupcakes. My little brother got her a scarf and a woolen hat. My older brother is going to take us to Dream World.

Eat Street Market

Eat Street Markets is an outdoor venue consisting of food stalls and trucks selling hot food from around the world. Australia doesn’t have street food except at outdoor events like festivals and markets and those are only temporary. So Eat Street Market is the closest thing we have to a street food venue.

Eat Street Photo courtesy of Eat Street Facebook

The markets open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Fridays and Saturdays it opens from 4pm-10pm and on Sundays it opens from 10am-7pm. Admission is $2. I recommend bringing cash because all the stalls deal in cash. There are three ATMs at the markets but they usually have long queues. Most of the food is around 6-20 dollars depending on what you are getting. I think it’s a little pricey but the markets are located in an up market area and the quality of the food is high.

Woodfire Pizza couresty of Eat Street Facebook

I first went to the market with my friend Jenny. It was  a bit of an out of the way venue for us and we discussed various ways to get there. At first we were going to take public transport because neither of us wanted to drive to a faraway place we had never been to but later Jenny offered to drive.

The markets are very hipster, with lots of trendy people walking around in their skinny jeans and quirky outfits. 

 I also liked how there was plenty of places to sit down and enjoy the food. The markets had plenty of secondhand chairs, milk crates and wooden tables for dining outdoors which added to the hipster feel. I hate having to eat and stand, especially if I’m eating something messy and awkward. There was an overwhelming variety of food available from all parts of the world. So we wandered around looking at everything. There was Korean sliders, crispy Peking duck, wood fire pizzas,  chicken satay, cheese krunsky, calamari, calzones, macaroons, ginger beers, ribs, wings, cronuts, churros, gelati, dumplings, octopus, lamb shanks etc. Jenny and I decided to share food so we got the Korean slider burgers, Capricosa pizza and herbal iced tea.

The ice tea that Jenny and I had. Photo courtesy of Jenny

I recommend bringing some plastic containers so you can take food home. There were so many things we wanted to try but we were already too full. Usually, the food is served on plates or bowls to be eaten there so you can’t really take it home with you. I think it’s better to go the markets if you are in a group because you can share food and sample a bit of everything. Besides food, there are two live bands for entertainment and a few stalls selling handicrafts and vintage stuff. The emphasis of the markets is food though so there’s not much to do after you have eaten.

Korean sliders that we ate. 

I also went to the markets again on another day with my brother and mum. This time we bought chicken satays, calamari, curry puffs, coconut ice cream, Vietnamese rice paper rolls, a German food platter and ginger beer. I really liked the curry puffs and coconut ice cream. The ice cream is soft serve and there is a good coconut flavor.