On a quick trip to the Blue Mountains (two hours drive from Sydney) the Australian Society of Travel Writers met for a meeting recently. We stayed at the once magnificent, and on its way again to be, Fairmont Resort at Leura. Twenty years ago the Fairmont was the saviour of tourism to the Blue Mts with families, conferences and weekenders filling each and every room. Set overlooking a magnificent valley, there was hardly a resort to match this in Australia. Bad moves and bad management left the place in a state of neglect but it's feeling the love again. And it's looking good with many of the local staff returning. Welcome back gorgeous!
While in the Mts we dined at the Grand View hotel in Wentworth Falls on excellent bistro food and had dinner at the famous Ashcrofts in Blackheath on Saturday night - bravo Ashcrofts.
Next day we headed to Oberon, a small town with a big heart. We were taken on a 'Mushroom Forage'. I somehow thought I had to get down on the ground and do truffle sniffing but it was easy - once I was told how to identify the mushrooms. In these pictures, the pretty red top one with the spots is dangerous/poisonous and downright nasty - on the other hand the ones I am holding - Saffron Milky Tops are juicy, meaty mushies that when cooked up are delicious.
So if you are out that way, visit the Oberon Visitors Centre for mushrooming kits and go for it.
And if you're asking - there were no hallucinations taking place that day - but what was that seven legged apparition poking its crazy head out of the pine forest?
This could be the last post for a few day, I have just arrived in Vietnam and will be going to Myanmar tomorrow - where it is said that there will be little or no internet connection . . .we;ll see
