ROJO ROCKET...Avoca Beach, NSW, Australia

My husband and I discovered this wonderful MEXICAN restaurant which is about a 20-minute drive from our house and have made it our "celebrate our birthdays" place!  The food isn't TEX-MEX, but is instead real Mexican food.  Honestly, if you ever come to Sydney, it's worth the hour's drive north to Avoca Beach to eat at this fantastically decorated restaurant.  It's hard to decide which is better--the wild-colored interior, or the superb food.  Of course, you might also be enthralled by the gigantic RED metal ROCKET in the yard!

We've tried quite a bit of the menu and haven't found anything that didn't make us say "Wow!  The flavours are fantastic".  They have the very best GUACAMOLE ever!

One of the things I love is that when it comes time to pay your bill, the waiter brings you a cardboard cigar box to put the money into.  Those boxes bring back  memories of my elementary school days back in Texas--we always got a new one at the beginning of the school year to hold our pencils, ruler, crayons, etc.

The decor is very colorful and celebrates the Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, holiday with fabrics and colors.

They also have a groovy 1976 nine-seater HEARSE named "Miss Sabrina" that can be rented with a driver from Sunday through Thursday, and also for pick-up and delivery to the restaurant by booking it on Friday or Saturday nights.

Check out their website, www.rojorocket.com.au, for lots more information, photos and a menu that will make your mouth water!

P.S.  You will need to make reservations, even for lunch on Saturdays, because it is such a popular place!

♥

Close the door behind you.....

One of my favorite places in all of Australia is Hobart, Tasmania.  If you ever get the chance to come to Australia, make sure you include a visit to this beautiful town and state.  There are now a couple of airlines, Virgin Blue and Jetstar, that fly regular, relatively inexpensive, services to Hobart and Launceston daily from either Sydney or Melbourne.  My husband and I love Tasmania so much that we plan to retire to Hobart in a few years.  I can hardly wait!

I think one of the reasons I love Hobart so much is that, as far as trees and climate go, it reminds me of back home in the States.  The air in wintertime is very cold and crisp thanks to its close proximity to Antarctica.  The trees have leaves that change colors.  People wear beautiful wool sweaters and the wood fires are kept burning.  It's absolutely glorious in the wintertime!

The place to be is downtown near the old wharves at Salamanca Place and the neighboring residential area, Battery Point.  There are several nice places to stay in the neighborhood, including The Lenna, which also has apartments right in Salamanca Place.  We've stayed in the hotel a couple of times, but we really preferred the apartments because we were able to buy fantastic food from places like The Wursthaus Kitchen and cook for ourselves.   The Lenna now has a couple of penthouse apartments on top of the hotel, which would, undoubtedly, have spectacular views of the harbour and the Derwent River.  One of the best things about staying in Battery Point is that you don't really need a car, you can easily walk to the market, shops and cafes in both Battery Point and Salamanca Place.

If you do come to Tasmania, be sure to arrange your stay so that you can visit the Salamanca Market at Salamanca Place on Saturday morning.   Rain or shine, the market is on!  There are stalls selling everything from organic vegetables, flowers, gorgeous woolen items, wood crafts, food, and of course, most importantly for me, vintage clothing.   There are also many stores and cafes in the old wharf buildings, as well.  My favorite shop is Fellini, which sells the loveliest men's Italian clothing.  I love shopping there for my husband!  Of course, they sell women's clothing and Italian shoes, and I must confess, I have done a bit of shopping for myself there.  I just cannot resist Italian shoes.......

One of my best memories of Hobart is of one cold winter Saturday morning, strolling through the market, being serenaded by a group of Chilean musicians.  There is a large community of Chileans who originally came to Tasmania to pick apples in the orchards southwest of Hobart in the Derwent Valley.

On every visit there I walk around taking photos and I just love the doors and windows of the gorgeous old Georgian homes in Battery Point.  They are all the colors of the rainbow.  Here's a small collection of some I took on my last trip to Hobart.

And here's a couple windows and gardens to round out the tour.  Don't you just love the lace curtains?

So, ya'll come on down to the SOUTHERNMOST part of Australia!  I promise you, you'll just love it!

♥