Last weekend was the most amazing experience, and anyone who has ever fulfilled a life long dream will appreciate just how I feel.

One of my lifelong goals is to own a Ferrari but in the meantime I would be happy to have the opportunity to drive one. Well this weekend part of  that dream came true.

So how did this all come about?  I was recently  in Kiama lunching at the SeaBreeze restaurant when  I looked up from my meal, and just at that moment around the corner drove 4 red Ferrari’s led by a red Alpha Romeo. Talk about an amazing sight, not one but 4 of these magnificent machines.

I could hardly contain my excitement so we finished up lunch as quickly as possible and headed over to where the Ferrari’s were parked. Of course this was the perfect photo opportunity and it was at this point that we found out about the Prancing Horse Ferrari Drive Experience.

A little bit of research on the internet was all it took to find that there are both weekend packages and day trips available . I marked ‘Drive a Ferrari’ into my to-do list with a date later in the year. Well, little did I know that my opportunity was going to arrive much sooner than expected.

After booking tickets to the Harv T Ecker (Millionaire Mind) and Richard Branson/Tony  Robbins conference events in Sydney we had some free days between the two, so I emailed Matt at Prancing Horse to enquire if they had anything available for those days and  it turned out that only the one day trip was available. However, there was a free spot available the week before the first conference, so I booked it. Never let an opportunity pass you by.

We drove up on the Thursday and stayed overnight at the Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport hotel and ordered room service for breakfast as we wanted to head off early to make sure we arrived at Prancing Horse by 8am.  For once the traffic was light and after a momentary glitch when our GPS lost satellite connection, we arrived well before the required time.

Paula taking a test drive

And there they were 4 beautiful shiny red Ferrari’s and the Alpha Romeo lead car, all parked in a row.

Matt and Steve made us feel welcome with tea and coffee, pastries and fruit. Once everyone else had arrived we were each given a cap with ‘The Ferrari Experience’ written on the side and Prancing Horse on the front.  After a few formalities such as filling in the necessary forms and undertaking a breath test, we headed outside for a run down on the quirks of each car.

The fleet of Ferrari’s that we were going to drive over the next two days were:

• Ferrari F430 Spider
• Ferrari 360 F1 Spider
• Ferrari F355 Spider
• Ferrari 328 GTS

Two of the cars are manual (stick shift) and the others are sort of automatic with gear paddles on the steering wheel column.

Before setting off on the road trip, we got to drive each of the  cars up and down the road just to familiarize ourselves with how they operate and drive. Once everyone was comfortable we  set off.

I get to drive the F430 first, and fall into position behind the lead car. The throaty sound of the engine is awesome and I find this car easy to drive. Stuart tells us to act as if we own the car, but I am too excited to act cool and just love the attention as we move effortlessly through the Sydney traffic. We are stopped at the lights when a young fellow leans out of his truck, grinning from ear to ear and asks how the car handles and how well does it handle spin outs. We laugh and tell him that we haven’t tried spinning out as we don’t think the guys in the lead car would be impressed. ‘Hell’, he laughs, “overtake them, they’ll never catch you”. Very true.

This is an amazing ride, really comfortable. Although I have to change the gears up as we drive, the car automatically changes down when required. It is possible to turn the car to full auto, but I like being able to change gears, it makes me feel as if I am in charge.

After about 45 minutes we pulled over to change drivers, so now it is Paula’s turn. She can’t stop grinning either. We are delighted to experience so much power and yet have such a nice easy ride.

Then it’s time to change cars, so we trade in our F430 for the older F355, which is a manual drive. The clutch is very heavy although the gear changes are easy. The one thing we don’t like about this ride is the drone of the engine. It’s very noisy although we can still talk without having to shout.  We later find that once the car is doing 100klms + it starts to sing and no longer drones…nice. I get to drive this car all the way to our destination as Paula is not too keen on driving a manual.

We stop at the Seabreeze restaurant for a tasty lunch, which gives us time to chat with the other drivers:

• Kevin from Queensland,  is celebrating his 50^th birthday along with his wife Debbie,
• Charlie Brown, the Australian fashion icon and her husband Danny are along for the ride after a hectic week at Sydney’s fashion week, where Nikki Hilton modelled Charlies fashions
• David, who is also celebrating a birthday and his delightful wife Cindy.  It turns out that Cindy was going to surprise David but he was backing up her computer and found out about the drive.

We have a really nice group of people including Matt and Steve our friendly, funny and knowledgeable guides.

After lunch we head to Gerringong where we will be staying the night at the Bellachara  Boutique Hotel. You have the option of a double room, twin or separate rooms if required.

The room is large, clean and very comfortable and we have free movies which is a bonus, although not as much as the free massage that is included in our package.

After the initial shock of finding that I will be having a male masseuse, I settle in and have the best massage I have ever had.

Bellachara has a lot going for it and if you find yourself lucky enough to be staying over, make sure you take advantage of the day spa, you won’t regret it.

Later in the night we have a delicious 3 course meal and a further chance to reminisce over the amazing day we have all just experienced.

Everywhere we stopped on the way down, we had people gather around for photo ops. There is nothing like a Ferrari as a showstopper.

Cost?

The Ferrari Overnight Escape Package costs $2980 for 2 people. We actually think this is a bargain as we have researched other similar drive experiences and they don’t even come close in terms of price for what you get with this package. This is really a once in a lifetime luxury package and well worth the money.

What’s Included?

• drive four different Ferrari s over two days
• luxury boutique accommodation
• day spa and massage for two
• 3 course dinner
• 2 breakfasts and lunch
• all fuel included
• insurance

Day Trips

If you have limited time or funds, you can opt to take the Prancing Horse Ferrari day trip which costs $990 per person and includes the 4 Ferrari’s, breakfast, lunch, fuel, insurance.

Matt and Stuart giving last minute instructions

Time to go - Ferrari 430

Driver Swap

Paula Posing

Pit Stop

Paula gets done for Speeding in the Ferrari 360

After a buffet breakfast it’s time to head off back to Sydney.  Charlie and Danny aren’t returning to Sydney with us so Paula gets to drive the F360 on her own and I get to drive the F328.

The road winds around so its not possible to open up and let the car go. However, the minute we get to an open spot, Paula plants her foot to see just what the F360 can do. Next thing a shiny red police car spins across the road and pulls her over.  Turns out she gets booked for doing 12o klms in an 80 klm zone.  Paula is a careful driver and this is her first ever speeding ticket but as she says, “It was worth it”. So after coping a $692 fine,  she heads  down to catch up with the rest of the team.  She’s not so keen on driving now, so I hop into the drivers seat which frees up the F328 for one of the other drivers.

And off we go in convoy once again.  David is behind us and drops back so that he can gun his car to catch up again, mind you we all play this game at some time or another during the drive.

Kevin is in front and he takes off at every set of lights. Both guys are thoroughly enjoying their experience. Mind you the ladies are getting quite a kick out of it as well, especially now that each gets a turn to drive solo.

All too soon its time to pull into Barclay St and transfer back to our own car. The end of a truly amazing couple of days.

The Ferrari Drive experience makes and ideal gift and the recipient will love you forever. It’s also great if you just want to treat yourself.  The guys at Prancing Horse certainly helped to make this a memorable trip. And we will return for a re-run, thats a certainty.

Here is the Sydney Weekender video that shows you just what you will experience.

My grandaughter Ayla and I went into Brisbane City to take a look around Southbank.

I haven’t been there for many years so it was quite a surprise to see the changes that have been made over the years.

After strolling along the boardwalk and taking a photo of Ayla in front of the Thai Temple we headed to the new attraction, the Wheel of Brisbane.

The wheel is just as the name implies a Ferris wheel with 42 closed in gondola’s each holding up to 6 adults and 2 children.

Each capsule is air conditioned thank goodness, as the morning we went on it was a rather warm day and we got quite heated before turning on the air con.

The prices of the tickets are

• $15 for adults
• $12.50 for seniors
• $10 for children 12 years and under
• $2 for children aged between 1 year and 3 years. And although I don’t have any little ones, I really believe that this age group should be free.
• For anyone who is considering making a wedding proposal or requires a private gondola, you can book this for $95.

Keep in mind that you can buy tickets at a discounted rate if you purchase them online.

So what do you get to see when you are taking a turn on the Wheel of Brisbane. Well the wheel turns slowly giving you a great view of the Brisbane river, the city and Southbank and providing you with plenty of opportunity to take some spectacular photos of the surrounding area.

Standing at 60 metres in height, the Wheel of Brisbane isn’t as high as the London Eye’s which measures 135 metres, but it is still impressive, especially at nighttime when it illuminates both the skyline of the Southbank parkland and the Brisbane river with thousands of LED lights. However, we went during the day and it was just as appealing.

The ride goes for 12 to 15 minutes which is equal to 3 or 4 rotations of the wheel.

Not only was I impressed with the Wheel of Brisbane, I just love what they have done with Southbank itself.

There is a lagoon with a lifeguard on duty, giving you the peace of mind in knowing that you and your family are safe while frolicking in the water.

You can stroll through walkways with stainless steel structures draped in purple Bougainvillea and there are plenty of bars and eateries to sit and have a meal or a quick snack.

Then there is the pathway along the river for those with an athletic bent, to run and jog to their hearts content.

I thoroughly recommend that you take the time to while away a few hours in Southbank when you next come to Brisbane.

And of course the Arts Centre, Museum and the railway station are close at hand and the shopping district and casino are just across the bridge, or you can catch the CityCat for a trip down the Brisbane river.

All I can say is that Brisbane has certainly come of age since the World Expo was held here in 1988. And for those who came to Brisbane then, well wasn’t that a fantastic show to behold.

After a leisurely stroll through the bougainvillea walk, we stopped to have ice cream at the New Zealand ice cream stand, a favorite for both of us are the Hokey Pokey and Boysenberry ice creams which we had in a double cone topped with whipped cream and hot chocolate fudge. Yum.

Ayla by the Lagoon

Water fountain at Southbank

Brisbane River

Brisbane City

The Thai Temple Southbank

The Rainforest Walk Southbank

Ayla on the Wheel of Brisbane

The Bougainvillea Walk

The New Zealand Ice Cream Shop

We arrived in Kiama at around noon and booked into our hotel.  Once again we booked into The Sebel as our last experience was very pleasant. The room wasn’t quite ready, but we were both hungry so we left our luggage at reception and headed off to have fish and chips at Barnacles by the water.

Unfortunately there were way too many people so we parked the car back at the Sebel and walked down to the shops.

And that’s when we found the Ritzy Gritz, a Californian New Mexican style restaurant.

On the wall are many awards for excellence dating from 2001 to 2008. I wondered what had happened in 2009/2010.

The prices are very reasonable and there are a nice assortment of dishes to choose from.

After being seated, Paula ordered a Stirred Margarita. This cost $11 and proved to be quite refreshing, being made from Daiquiri, Cointreau and lime juice, she could have had a frozen Margarita but it was a bit too cold to try one of these. There is an extensive range of drinks available, and you can have either alcoholic and non- alcoholic.

Seating is available both inside and outside, we chose to sit inside although many people were taking advantage of the lovely sunny day.

I ordered a Chicken Quesadilla for $18.00 and Paula ordered the lunchtime Nachos   for $15.00. We were also thinking of getting a sticky date pudding for dessert, but we were really full and there was no room to fit in any more food by the time we finished our main course.

The servings are very large and the food is beautifully prepared, tasty and satisfying.  My quesadilla came with a small jug of dressing and it was just heavenly. Not being sure what was in the jug to start with I only poured out a little onto the plate but after tasting it I poured out the rest.  On inquiring what the dressing was, we were told it was Raspberry vinaigrette and it was developed by the owner’s son Jake who is a chef that travels the world following the snow. A very talented chef if this dressing is anything to go by.

The décor is traditional Mexican style with lots of color.

As I said we had intended having dessert but couldn’t fit it in, and there is a nice variety available at $9.00 each

• Baked cheesecake with white chocolate and lime

• Sticky Date Pudding with warm Caramel sauce

• Double layered mud cake

• Sweet Tortilla with raspberry couli

All of the desserts are served with fresh strawberries, cream and ice cream.

We enjoyed lunch so much that we are going back for dinner and to try out some of the desserts.

And so here it is the next night and we head down to the Ritzy Gritz for dinner.

We start with 2 daiquari’s, one alcoholic, one non-alcoholic, both are tasty.

For dinner we choose the Fajita for two.

This dish consists of two plates, one is a cast iron sizzling plate on which there is a selection of onions, capsicum, tomatoes, and our choice of chicken and beef.

You can have chicken, beef or lamb  or a combination of two meats.

The other plate has an arrangement of lettuce, grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

The meal is accompanied by 8 tortilla in a tortilla warmer.

There is so much food and it is beautifully presented.

I ask if its possible to have a small serve of the beautiful raspberry vinegrette to accompany the meal and the waitress very obligingly makes  sure that we are given a jug of this lovely nectar.

Then we set about devouring our meal, which in the end we can’t finish, mainly because we had decided before heading out for dinner that we were going to try the sticky date pudding.

We order one serve between us and it is once again beautifully presented and very tasty.

This is truly an experience not to miss, the food and the service are excellent.

Sticky Date Pudding

Ritzy Gritz Awards Wall

At the Rtizy Gritz

Seating in the Ritzy Gritz

Ritzy Gritz Decor

Inside the Ritzy Gritz

Where can I find the Ritzy Gritz for a great dining experience?:

40 Collins St
Kiama

Ph: 4232 1853

Sydney Opera H0use

The Sydney Opera House is instantly recognizable and is one of the most famous man-made structures in the world.  But how much do you know about it?  Let’s take a closer look at this fascinating building.

What is it?

That’s not a trick question!  The Opera House isn’t just one venue.  It comprises six altogether.

The two larger sets of ‘shells’ contain the two largest which are -

The Opera Theater – which has 1,507 seats and is the Sydney home of Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet and

The Concert Hall – which has 2,678 seats and is the home of the Sydney Symphony.  It’s also used by many other concert presenters.  It contains the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ, which has more than 10,000 pipes, making it the largest mechanical tracker action organ in the world.

On the Western side of the building, there are three smaller theaters –

The Drama Theater which has 544 seats.  It’s used by the Sydney Theatre Company and for other dance and theatrical presentations.

The Playhouse a 398 seat theatre with a stage at one end.

The Studio.  a flexible space which can seat up to 400

On the Eastern side, is the

Utzon Room, named after the architect of the building.  It is a small multi-purpose venue which can seat up to 210.

There is also a seventh area called

The Forecourt which houses free community events and large outdoor performances.  It is a very flexible open-air venue with a wide range of configuration options, including the potential use of the Monumental Steps as seats for the audience.  It is used for a range of community events and major outdoor performances.

The building also contains a recording studio, cafes, restaurants and bars and shops.

The smaller set of ‘shells’ houses an award-winning restaurant called ‘Guillaume at Bennelong’.

Where is it?

The Opera House is on Sydney Harbour, close to Sydney Harbour Bridge.  It’s on Bennelong Point (hence the name of the restaurant).  Three sides of it are on the harbour and it is next to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Who designed it?

The architect was a Dane named Jørn Utzon.  In 1955, he entered a competition to design “…a large hall seating 3,000 and a smaller hall for 1,200 people, each to be designed for different uses including opera, orchestral and choral concerts, meeting, ballet and other presentations…”.

233 people from a total of 32 countries entered the competition.  Utzon won and was awarded the prize of £5,000.  He went to Sydney in 1957 to help get the project off the ground and moved there in 1963.

In 2003, Utzon won the highest award available to architects – the Pritzker Prize.  The statement confirming his prize said

“There is no doubt that the Sydney Opera House is his masterpiece. It is one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century, an image of great beauty that has become known throughout the world – a symbol for not only a city, but a whole country and continent.”

A further honor was bestowed on the Opera House and Utzon’s vision when it was deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

And you think you’ve got problems…

The Opera House was supposed to open on Australia Day (26^th January) 1963.  It eventually opened in 1973, ten years late.

The original estimate for the cost of the project was $7 million.  By the time it was completed, the Opera House cost $102 million – more than fourteen times over budget.

The Opera House was finally declared open by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on October 20 1973.  Due to disagreements and disharmony during the building, the architect, Utzon, was not invited to attend the opening ceremony. In fact, his name wasn’t even mentioned!

Worth waiting for

Sydney Opera House is now one of the busiest performance centres in the world.  It showcases more than 1,500 performances every year, watched by around 1.2 million people.  It is home to Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Symphony.

It is also a huge draw for tourists with over 7 million people visiting it every year.

Facts About The Building

• Sydney Opera House covers 4.5 acres (1.8 hectares) of land.
• It is 605 feet (183 metres) long
• It is 388 feet (120 metres) wide (at its’ widest point)
• It is supported on 588 concrete piers sunk into Sydney Harbour, some of them as deep as 25 metres below sea level.

That roof…

The instantly recognizable roof of ‘shells’ looks white from a distance.  In fact, it is covered with 1,056,006 Swedish tiles – some glossy white and some matte cream colored.  The rest of the exterior is mainly covered in panels of pink granite which was quarried in Tarana in New South Wales, Australia.

The ‘shells’ are made from pre-cast concrete panels which are supported by pre-cast concrete ‘ribs’.

Reconciliation with Utzon

In the late 1990’s, the Opera House Trust communicated with Utzon to ask for his input into changes to the building.  In 1999, he was officially appointed to the Trust as a design consultant.  ‘The Utzon Room’ was a space that he re-designed and it opened in 2004.  In 2007, he proposed a reconstruction of the Opera Theatre but sadly died in 2008.

Visiting Sydney Opera House

If you’d like to see what goes on behind the scenes, take the backstage tour (there is one each day) to see the areas that only performers and crew usually see.

The Essential Tour (every half hour between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. tells the story of the building of the Opera House and the many problems which were encountered and overcome.

To check what is currently showing at the Opera House and to book tickets, go here.

Situated in an ideal position, there is a fabulous view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour from the  Sydney Opera House. It is also one of the stops for the hop on hop off bus.

Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Opera House

Hop on Hop Off Bus - Sydney Opera House Stop

Orange & Cardamon Lamb Shank

Today  I had the most amazing gastronomic experience at the Rubicon Restaurant in Griffith, ACT.  The Tarte Tatin is absolutely to die for. But as this was the dessert course, I am getting ahead of myself.

Paula and I had just spent the morning shopping and when it came time for lunch we decided to head to Rubicon, a restaurant we had researched on the net. It had already received exceptional reviews so we wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

We were greeted at the door and ushered to our table by a cheerful young man, who served us water and then left us to ruminate over the wine list and menu.

After much discussion we decided on the following entree: Crisp pork belly, sesame caramel, fennel and Fuji apple salad which cost $19.90.

As we intended to have 3 courses we decided to share the entree, and told the lovely young waiter that we were sharing this dish.  When the entree arrived, the chef had thoughtfully plated up two plates for us.

Confit of Duck

The pork rind was beautifully crisp and the sesame caramel sauce was delicate and extremely tasty.  The flavor of the thinly sliced apple beautifully complimenting the pork.  I found that my pork was a little dry for my taste, but that didn’t detract from the overall dish. We were so taken with this dish that we  forgot to take photos. Also it would have been unfair as it wasn’t a true representation of the actual serving size.

For mains, Paula had the Lamb Shank and I had Duck Confit both costing $29.90.

Paula’s meal was a  beautifully prepared Lamb Shank served on a bed of nicola mash with green beans, carrots and roast garlic. The meat was very tender.

My Duck Confit was just divine, with soft, tender meat and a crispy skin.  It was served with an assortment of roast vegetables – carrots, potato,parsnip, onion, turnip, and something I have never thought to roast before, beetroot, which I really enjoyed. There was also a serve of brocolini.

Both meals were very tasty,  beautifully prepared and served.

Then came the piece de resistance. For dessert Paula chose a dark chocolate mousse  and I selected the Tarte Tatin both priced at $14.90.

Paula’s Dark Chocolate Mousse, Steamed Date Cake with brandied cherry and chocolate crackle was certainly a hit. The mousse was beautiful and smooth and very rich.

As for my dessert, well what can I say, my first mouthful of the Tarte Tatin was amazing. the flavor just burst in my mouth and I loved it. This is a dish that I will definitely be back for.

The Caramalised Apple Tarte Tatin was served with a sweet, but not overpowering, butterscotch sauce, creme anglaise and vanilla ice cream.

When we were leaving, and I mentioned how wonderful the tarte tatin was, I was advised that this is their best selling dessert and that they had removed it from the menu  at one stage but had to reinstate it because there was an outcry.  I can well believe it, this dessert is something you must try.

We definitely recommend Rubicon for a relaxed atmosphere, great food, great service and an overall enjoyable experience. We will definitely go back.

So here are the views of our delightful meal.

Confit of Duck & Veges

Chocolate Mousse and Date Cake

Caramalised Apple Tarte Tatin

Rubicon Restaurant, Looking Through to the Dining Area

Rubicon Restaurant

Rubicon

6a Barker St
Griffith ACT 2603
Phone: (02) 6295 9919
Fax: (02) 6295 2012

Located in the  Griffith Shopping Centre, which is about two minutes from Manuka and around seven minutes from the Canberra CBD and airport.
There is plenty of free parking at both the front and at the rear of the restaurant.

Hours:
Lunch: Monday – Friday 12pm – 2pm
Dinner: Monday – Saturday from 6pm