Home again after an amazing road trip around Australia

We are home again after 4 months away on our road trip holidaying around Australia.  Perth was the initial destination and then after 6 weeks based in the Perth Hills we drove back to Queensland.We left in March from Cairns, driving along the Savannah Way to the Northern Territory where we explored Kakadu, Darwin, Litchfield National Park, Katherine Gorge and many other delightful areas camping along the way.  Our road trip continued into Western Australia to Kununurra and Broome and down to Perth. What a magnificent coastline over there. Then after leaving Perth we drove home through South Australia and NSW and back up to Queensland. I can't help thinking as I reminisce and start blogging again about my food experiences during the trip.

Lots of very well cooked and very fresh Barramundi with vegetables or salad was often my choice when we ate out at restaurants in Queensland and the Northern Territory as the weather was still very warm and I love fresh fish. I really tried not to include chips with those meals. Such a trap when you are travelling. I made an exception in Darwin though where it is compulsory to eat crumbed barra and chips on the beach whilst watching the glorious sunsets. I also remember a particularly good Barrumundi dinner in unassuming Burketown, at the Morning Glory Restaurant, owned by a couple of delightful Chinese people, amd after all Burketown is the Barramundi capital of Australia. Well that is what they hang their hat on anyway . Burketown was also where we  bought some very tasty rosemary and camel sausages at the Roadkill Butcher. Catchy marketing is very important in the outback.

When we bedded down in Normanton we drove to coastal Karumba. I was rather excited about eating  the famous Karumba prawns.  So we ordered prawns at the Sunset Tavern and whilst they were very big unfortunately they were rather tasteless. I suspect they had been frozen but never mind it is something you just have to do in Karumba beside the ocean.

Neil enjoying some Karumba prawns with the compulsory beer. It was still hot in
 the N.T.

A shady spot at the Sunset Tavern in Karumba

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The Sunset Tavern 

 In the more remote parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory, I couldn't go past a good steak, despite seeing all of the lengthy road trains transporting cattle to market. Then of course there were the delicious and memorable fresh oysters I ate at the Ceduna Hotel in S.A. on the return journey. Ceduna is very famously the oyster capital of Australia.

Delicious oysters in Ceduna, South Australia

When we were camping, it was easy to thaw out one of my prefrozen meals from our car frig and that worked really well. When I needed some pampering and a break from camping, and we stayed in a motel or a cabin, we just thawed out a precooked meal in the microwave when we didn't eat out.

When we arrived in the Perth Hills, I was put straight to work in the kitchen as our first grandchild was only a couple of weeks away from being born, and many family favourite desserts were requested and very welcome in the Perth winter. Myrtille developed very sweet cravings during her pregnancy so cakes and desserts were definitely a priority for her. When little Hugo arrived two weeks later than expected, and then came home a few days later, the slow cooker became my best friend so that I could still have lots of baby cuddles and amongst the mayhem that a newborn baby creates, still produce a nutritious, hearty and delicious meal at the end of the day.

LIttle Hugo only a day old with his very proud  Grandma

A walk in the country around the Perth Hills with proud father Matthew and  little Hugo. Trying out the new pram.

During the whole 6 weeks we were in Perth I continued to make my sourdough bread, which everyone enjoyed, and was a taste of home for me. I am so pleased that I took my sourdough starter Mother in  the freezer of the car frig all around the country with me. I have proved that the starter can be frozen, and then thawed out and used and then frozen again and still work perfectly.

Our son Matthew loves to cook, and still managed amongst the excitement to cook an excellent Lamb Biryani in the Webber, recipe to follow later.

During our whole experience in Perth and particularly after the baby arrived I was so thankful for the recipes on my blog. I cooked a few new creations of course when time permitted, but overall I resorted to what I knew and had already cooked at home. I accessed my blog many times.

I am slowly slipping back into a routine after being away for so long. I've just taken  a large loaf of Viking Sourdough bread out of the oven. New herb and vegetable seedlings are waiting in their punnets to be planted and I am enjoying my garden once again.

What a fabulous journey, the real highlight being the arrival of little Hugo, but it's great to be home and to be warm.