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  • Education

  • An excellent reunion

    By Michael Reid

    28th June 2024

    A few legendary SHS boys

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    What a cracking lunch at Potts Point Hotel. Great to be back in Sydney, and to catch up with Gibbo, Millsy, Dwane and Dave, with a cameo phone call from Simmo.

  • Always the Best Reun..

    By Michael Reid

    17th September 2023

    With Peter Harwin in Crookwell, NSW

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    It's always a delight to break bread with our most wonderful teacher Peter Harwin, who took us for our final two years at Edgecliff in 1969 and 1970. Peter subsequently became Headmastee at Edgecliff until his retirement. 

  • 1976 Schoolies at So..

    By Michael Reid

    6th December 1976

    A very chilled fortnight by a few of the ‘76 crew.

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    Munro, Stu, Lux, Chris, Monty, and Mick. A highlight was Stu's drive-by brown-eye to the patrons of The Seabreeze Hotel....

  • Literature

  • Miss you heaps

    By Michael Reid

    24th May 2024

    The 24th of May

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    The 24th of May


    And here we are today 
    The 24th of May
    Our first sad anniversary 
    Of this our new reality 
    An unwelcome new eternity
    Life without your sweet maternity.
     
    I shed a quiet tear this morning 
    Long before the chilly dawning
    Thinking of our many happy days
    You were the most devoted mum
    Your love an undervalued sum
    I miss you and your ever-caring ways.
     
    Love you heaps.
     
     
    ©️Michael Geoffrey Reid 2024, all rights reserved.
     
  • Is it Thursday?

    By Michael Reid

    25th April 2024

    A reflection by the ocean in Tasmania.

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    Is it Thursday?

     

    I’m sitting by the ocean
    With a fire burning warmly
    And a moon only one day past the full.
     
    The ocean is so calming
    As the waves are gently rumbling 
    On a beach of white sandy preamble.
     
    My wife is warming inside
    I’m sitting by the fireside 
    A bottle of white wine to keep me pure.
     
    And I’m dreaming of another day 
    When I owned beachfront property
    And I realise I’m better off today.
     
    It’s a quiet revelation
    It’s a major goal sensation
    That my life could not be better than this way.
     
    So I linger by the fire
    I abandon my desires
    As I won’t let this contentment fade away.
     
    Now listen to my harmony 
    As I beseech you to believe 
    That life is all about the here and now.
     
    Just love the person near to you
    And honour those who’re dear to you 
    And you will reap all that you will allow.
     
     
    ©️Michael Reid 2024, all rights reserved.
     
  • 1710

    By Michael Reid

    7th March 2024

    On the eve of our 10th wedding anniversary

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    1710

     

    Quietly, this lovely night bids goodnight
    And leaves one wedded decade in the rear
    I look across our bed and still I smile
    My heart expands to simply see you there.
     
    And soon we’ll wake to our eleventh year
    I’ll look across and see your loving face
    Then we’ll repeat our love’s unguarded role
    Our morning words and kiss, our new embrace.
     
    Your honest love will wipe dry any tear
    You always near is my unique delight
    Before I sleep I whisper this man’s goal
    Another ten enchanted by your sight.
     
    7th March 2024
     
     
    ©️Michael Reid 2024, all rights reserved.
     
  • Happy Birthday Mum

    By Michael Reid

    6th December 2023

    Your first birthday since we lost you.

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    Happy Birthday Mum

     
    Your first birthday without you 
    And without your loving brother too
    We lost him only this last Friday
    I cried and cried for him on Saturday 
    Mum,  you would have been eighty-eight
    You wouldn’t stay to see that lucky date
    And so we toast your birthday with a tear or two
    The first time that I can’t sing to you 
    Still I do hoping you might hear
    I wish you peace my mother dear.
     
    6th December 2023
     
    ©️ Michael Reid 2023, all rights reserved
     
  • A Reflection

    By Michael Reid

    30th May 2023

    Written for the funeral service of my darling mother Elaine in 2023.

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    A Reflection 

     
    An elegant woman of simple dreams
    To be loving wife and mother of four
    Her heart at risk of tearing at the seams
    From all the love she carried in her core
     
    Her four boys lived a charmed and easy youth
    We knew we were the blessed boys of mum
    We floated happily in her sweet truth
    That we indeed were brighter than the sun
     
    As reality slowly came to bear
    Revealing all our frailties and scars
    Mum’s unwavering conviction stood clear
    We always would remain her brightest stars
     
    For Mum, life’s pressures pressed too hard upon
    She struggled to fulfil this lonely role
    Floundering in helpless desperation
    As life extracted a life-changing toll
     
    Yet through it all our gentle champion emerged
    Bloodied and bruised, yet still so full of love
    She harnessed her great passionate reserves
    And with a fresh resolve, she rose above
     
    So here we stand, in wonderment today
    That this good kindly font of motherhood
    Survived and thrived in unambitious ways
    And taught us how the worst can be withstood
     
    This lesson bests what formal teaching might
    And Mum was not an educated soul
    Yet she taught us that love could win the fight
    And thus she played the perfect mother’s role.
     
    Michael Reid
    May 2023

     
    ©️ Michael Reid 2023, all rights reserved
     
  • Eighth on Eighth

    By Michael Reid

    8th March 2022

    Pre-dawn on our eighth anniversary

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    Eighth on Eighth

     

    In the hour before sunrise
    With the sound of falling rain
    I reach out as you’re sleeping
    And draw you to me once again.
     
    When the morning shines upon us
    And the sunlight warms your thigh
    There is only one reality
    And nothing to deny.
     
    The nor’easter blows the salt our way
    Across the waves of the raging bay
    We’ll later stroll the long breakwall
    To the mouth of the old Macleay.
     
    We shall dine at the Chop ‘n Chill today
    On a seafood feast with love and wine
    I’ll stare into your eyes once more
    Anniversary divine.
     
    The nor’easter blows the salt our way
    Across the waves of the raging bay
    There’s a thunder in the skies above
    Nature’s tribute to this day.
     
    In the moments before sunset
    With a glory that you’re mine
    I’ll stare into your eyes once more
    Anniversary divine,
    Anniversary divine.
     
    8th March 2022
     
     
    ©️ Michael Reid 2023, all rights reserved
     
     
  • The Crackenback Wind..

    By Michael Reid

    8th April 2019

    This poem was written during a wild and sleepless night at Lake Crackenback in New South Wales.

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    The Crackenback Winds


    It’s roaring outside now at forty-two knots
    Like a thousand beasts on a rampage
    We’re bunkering down in an effort to sleep
    But I know that the battle is lost.

    The ending of this I can’t fathom or gauge
    With windows and walls being battered
    While the neighbouring trees sway, scream, crack and fall
    Their valorous roots yielding to rage.

    Another sound beats all to test our fettle
    As the wind swings the chimney cap round
    The poorly-set copper is grinding its teeth
    An incessant screeching of metal.

    I’m thinking of creatures in fear in the wild
    And hoping that none come to grief
    It’s likely this onslaught will take something’s child
    Before this night’s madness should cease.
     
    April 2019
    Lake Crackenback, NSW Australia
     
     
    © Michael Reid 2019, all rights reserved
     
  • To Mum

    By Michael Reid

    6th December 2015

    On her 80th birthday at South West Rocks

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    To Mum

     

    Elaine Iris Reid nee Walls
    For you we've dressed these outdoor halls
    The last day in your seventies
    So we expect some revelry
    Nay, we expect some devilry
     
    Some of you may be unaware
    But she's run wild in her underwear
    She was in Sydney in the sixties
    Though Vaucluse was a bit less risky
    Her beauty oft turned man to fool
    So many of our mates would drool
    She was The Milf at Grammar school
     
    She's always had a generous soul
    She'd gift the shirt right off her back
    But please decline the offer whole
    Or that would expose her generous rack
     
    We love Elaine she's our mother
    We're all here except our brother
    Love from Pete he was a cracker
    Always in strife since a little tacker
    This is Rick the younger twinny
    Big of heart and not so skinny
    Then there's John the oldest brother
    Once so wild but soon grandfather
    My name's Mick yes I'm the baby
    Spoilt since birth, still misbehaving
     
    We love Mum 'cause to her we're perfect
    We don't have to try we don't have to work it
    To her we're amazing, make no mistake
    Our wives got such a lucky break
     
    Life has thrown Mum ups and downs
    She's popped her share of medication
    Yet she always showed a love profound
    Family and friends her dedication
     
    So here we are to celebrate
    With sparkling wine and chocolate cake
    A tribute to a spirit free
    With yet another cup of tea.
     
    Mum, we love you and we thank you
    For all you've done and all you've been.
     
    Happy 80th birthday.
     
    6th December 2015
     
    ©️ Michael Reid 2015, all rights reserved
     
  • Ode to Pete

    By Michael Reid

    11th April 2014

    On the passing of my brother in 2014, for his Memorial Service

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    Ode to Pete


    Come, bid me farewell as I head out to sea
    I’m off to another reunion
    The horizon beyond is calling to me
    The ocean my perfect seclusion.

    Well here we are, it’s the time we all feared
    I’m sorry I’m not up to greet you
    But I realised there’s somewhere else I need to be.
    Yes, it’s fitting we share a few mem’ries and tears
    But I swear that my time here was plenty for two
    So there’s no need to pine over me.

    I built skateboards, caravans, and billy carts
    And we’d steer them down Kings Road Vaucluse
    We’d cycle to swim down in Alf Vockler’s baths
    And we’d sail Manly Juniors there too.

    We chased Mr Whippy for Gluggs and ice-cream
    Got banned from St Peters and the Cubs
    Not much study was done at old Grammar School
    Banned from Alf’s as well, had no worries it seemed
    Perisher, Palmy, and Vaucluse Yacht Club
    Life flourished with very few rules.

    Our home in Woollahra, where we became men
    And many a party was held there
    These years were defined by a new regimen
    South West Rocks formed the means to repair.

    As a teenager, I took to the surf
    Saving lives became my summer sport
    Fantastic for picking up girls I might add
    So Palm Beach became my default summer turf
    I relished these times, such a fabulous rort
    Yet much more joy was still to be had.

    From that skinny kid at the Vaucluse Yacht Club
    To Cavalier and African Queen
    We’ve come quite a way from the old Grammar tubs
    Please take good care of What Boat? for me.
     
    Bid me farewell as I polish my last car
    And I fear for my tools with some dread
    The new garage cupboards are well above par 
    I finally finished the pool shed.

    I’ve eaten fine food and I’ve drunk fine wine
    And I’ve dined dressed in suits and bow ties
    Yet my treasured meals were with family and friends
    On a bright sunny day, at their house or mine
    With cold sausages, rum & coke, and meat pies
    Cheering “here’s to good health” without end.
     
    The greatest days of my life, what double thrill
    To have watched the birth of my daughters 
    And all I ask so that my life is fullfilled 
    That they be each other’s supporter.

    I hope that my actions defined the man
    I wasn’t accepting of rumour
    More the loving and loyal son, brother, friend,
    Loving and devoted husband and Dad
    Some say a wicked and sharp sense of humour
    And a Billy Thorpe fan to the end.
     

    Come, bid me farewell as I head out to sea
    I’m off to another reunion
    The horizon beyond is calling to me
    The ocean my perfect illusion.

    Push me away from the shore one last time
    Cheer and laugh with me as I set course
    I’m feeling the breeze and I’m trimming the sails
    The forecast is clear and the weather sublime
    I’m living the dream with no sense of remorse
    Just a library of jokes and great tales.

    Don’t pity me for the winds I was tossed
    Don’t grieve for the pain of my leaving
    While I agree the lost battle was tragic
    There’s always a lesson to come from a cost
    Your life is a tapestry ripe for weaving
    And my life is part of your fabric.

    So bid me farewell as I head out to sea
    My bow points to an unchartered realm
    The horizon beyond is calling to me
    And I’m back in command of the helm.


    Michael Reid, April 2014

    ©️  Michael Reid 2014, all rights reserved

  • The Greatest of Guys

    By Michael Reid

    10th April 2014

    Following the death of my brother.

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    The Greatest of Guys


    The greatest of guys has just left us,
    He's taken his last boat to sea
    He's driven his last fancy vehicle,
    He's taken the life out of me.

    My big brother hero just left me,
    He's saved me just so many times,
    He'd counsel against rash decisions,
    Then sup on the smokes and the vines.

    He was all you could want at a party,
    The sharpest one lines in the house,
    Way too many jokes to remember,
    The lion and never the mouse.

    His actions defined his commitment,
    To his wife and his children and me,
    The rule that he taught was to give more,
    And to love as the fish loves the sea.

    He taught that you can be too serious,
    He's left such a strong legacy
    His actions spoke louder than words,
    Lived with honesty, integrity.

    The strength that he showed was enormous,
    When faced with his terminal fate,
    He accepted the cards that were dealt him,
    Then worried for those in his wake.

    He doubled the time they had given,
    He told us to live and not grieve,
    He cared more for those left behind,
    And so tripled the love he would leave.

    Farewell from your mother and father,
    Farewell from your family and friends,
    We are all so much richer for your life,
    We will bask in your gifts to the end.

    The greatest of guys has just left us,
    He's taken his last boat to sea
    He's driven his last fancy vehicle,
    He's taken the life out of me.
     

    Mick Reid
    April 2014
     
    © Michael Geoffrey Reid 2014, all rights reserved
     
     
  • Leave Nothing on the..

    By Michael Reid

    20th March 2014

    ‘“Oh that’s good, Sammy’s here, Mick’ll be okay.”

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    Leave Nothing on the Table


    Tonight I watched my best man
    Writhing in a hospital bed
    They couldn’t get the morphine in fast enough
    I wish I was here in his stead.

    Watching my sweet brother die
    Saying goodbye so slowly, so long
    All I can say to my friends
    Is cherish the time lest it’s gone.

    Hold on to this minute my friend
    It might be the last one you know
    Hold on to this minute my friend
    You might be the last one to go.

    Make love to your wife while you can
    Spend time with your loved ones, and grow
    Hold on to this minute my friend
    It might be the last one you know.

    Leave nothing on the table
    Leave nothing more to say
    Leave nothing on the table
    Leave no more cards to play.
     

    March 2014
     
     
    ©️ Michael Reid 2014, all rights reserved
     
  • In Our Time

    By Michael Reid

    1st July 1992

    A poetic, cynical analysis of politics, unfortunately timeless….

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    In Our Time


    Old people asleep under yesterday's news
    A freezing denial of Capital views
    Wrapped from the winter in hopeless desertion
    While oil heaters soothe our leader inertia
    The Ministers gag until Parliament stands
    No solvent like recess for washing the hands.

    Carousel fever, polepidemic
    Power the plague, and glory symptonic
    Good men and true have succumbed to the curse
    Humanity's syphillis dressed as nurse
    More power prescribed as cure for the ill 
    Sinecure sanctity, smoothest of pills.

    Ignorant rhetoric will always appease
    A ravenous thirst for mass marketing sleaze
    Confidence, colour and loads of compassion
    Offering silk from pork auricle rations 
    Bidding for destiny's role of Messiah 
    A flourishing specie, Earnest Pariah.

    Barely beneath this posturing swagger
    Is hidden a sheathed amorphous dagger
    Policies hacked from pre-polling-booth crass
    Poverty, pestilence, pain for the mass 
    Tear-streaked appeals or national fervour 
    Fail to dissuade the starving from murder.

    Enter the honest man seeking endorsement
    Shouting the truth from podium and pavement
    But truth lacks conviction and wreaks of decline
    So parasites push for the cosy sublime
    Exit the honest man broken and bloody
    Onward the bureaucrat smiling and ruddy.

     

    Michael Reid
    July 1992

     

    © Michael Geoffrey Reid 1992, all rights reserved

     

  • With God on Earth

    By Michael Reid

    16th December 1991

    A representation of a dream I had on the same night as With Lennon in Heaven

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    With God on Earth


    Walking by the sea today, I happened on God
    Looking powerful and weak, pleased and disenchanted
    He had all expressions, He was everything
    Today I noted sadness, discontentment and resolve
    Beneath a firm set mouth and loving soft-rimmed eyes
    No scorn, no tears, yet hope I felt was banished to the stars
    I sat beside Him, respectfully apart, he seemed not to notice
    Then slowly His head turned my way, His eyes met mine
    I felt my life paraded in the sky, my soul the oyster
    Prised apart and barren on the shore - no white pearl glistened
    In the sun, and piety became my newest strength, this
    Modern weakness gently buried muscle, mind and madness.
    I was the first to speak, and conversation flowed
    Our speech seemed slowed, yet all around moved in time
    With our time - the obvious was the first with "Now you're here
    I guess we've failed, and you want to call a halt,
    But can't you simply take the tiller for a week
    And train a good lieutenant or two?" "Ah, dear
    That does seem simple enough, and very tempting
    To the one who comes to end what He began
    But tell me what will follow when you see
    I simply show from time to time and right the wrongs
    How would you go knowing no final price need be paid
    No loss to share, no work to do, it's all been left to
    You Know Who? Sorry, that is no solution."
    The next, I hesitated briefly before "Then how and when?"
    "The time you choose, the manner from your selfishness and
    Greed, you can never fight with Nature and expect to
    Win the war. There are those who have not met Me,
    Do not want Me, won't accept Me. They have all,
    Without exception, met Nature, and Nature is My
    Mistress - and She is strong, and will not yield to mindless
    Rape. You will choose the time, you have already chosen the
    Manner of Death. Be brave, and life will follow it."
    We stood, and parted ways in love. I cried aloud,
    Then wished I'd brought my video recorder.
     

    16 December 1991 (amended in 2024 by adding 'recorder')
    Kenmore, Brisbane.
     
    ©️Michael Geoffrey Reid 1991-2024, all rights reserved.
     
  • With Lennon in Heave..

    By Michael Reid

    16th December 1991

    A representation of a dream from the night before.

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    With Lennon in Heaven


    Lennon sat at my table, I barely recognized him
    Slouching over soup with spoon suspended in the air
    Composing, maybe dreaming of peace, he lowered his spoon
    And from the bowl removed a hair, and placed it on
    The plate beneath - I tried to catch his eye
    To introduce myself and trade erudite one-liners
    And become his closest friend - he caught my eye
    And asked me to pass the jug of water please, his
    Accent lingered in the air as he thanked me and
    Left me for his soup spoon and his musings.
    I would bide my time, I thought, and speak up
    Between the fish and the fruit salad, I was rewarded
    When he looked at me and smiled, and said "it seems
    To me you've come a long way just to say hello"
    "Well yes" I hesitated, then "I was quite clear I've
    Only come to visit, I do intend to head back soon"
    "And good luck to you - don't lose your passport" he
    Chuckled and looked around. It was a large hall,
    I couldn't see the end, either end, the tables went
    On and on, so many faces, I looked back and John was
    Gone, no, he was beside me, and we were alone as the
    Others left into the mist, he said "I had a mate called
    Kangaroo, some time ago now, and here's another one;
    Don't fear death, unless you've been more bad than good,
    Is that what you wanted to hear? Well it's not that
    Simple, Kangaroo Two, but it's close enough until you
    Graduate - stand by that and you can't go too wrong.
    Oh, and while you're living, being famous is fine,
    Only avoid Very Famous like the plague."
    He patted my shoulder (it was my right shoulder)
    He left me seated, and walked away, the mist receeded
    I had not noticed that before, and as he walked
    He called back "See you Kangaroo Two"
    Exit left, still Very Famous Lennon.
     
    16 December 1991
    Kenmore, Brisbane
     
    ©️Michael Reid 1991, all rights reserved.
     
  • Ode to Failure

    By Michael Reid

    11th October 1990

    A reflection following one of many times I’ve been defrauded. Sucker for punishment…

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    Ode to Failure

     
     
    Oh Night, my pleasure and my fear
    I draw you close like death to me
    For you in your deep earnest cloth
    Are close to death as I might hope to be.
     
    I loved once life and friends and dreams
    And courted pleasure, moment's sweet allure,
    When fancy futures were light games to play
    Today the only time I dared assure.

    And now I choke McCartney's yester words
    With flames so near and all I love in pain
    With little air, so many wounds to heal
    And never in this life to blot the stain.
     
    Confusion wracks my analysing mind
    As now I lust for vengeance and reprieve
    Or self-indulgent passive paranoia -
    No, now I cry for peace and time to grieve.
     
    Through this war my precious family strained
    We two were one have stood for long apart,
    Yet strength of love seems winning this crusade
    The quest itself a victim of the heart.
     
    I love my family all, and all my friends
    In truth I strove for all to win the world.
    How can I now confess my innocence -
    The world I knew was never there at all.
     
     
    Michael Reid
    11 October 1990
     
    ©️Michael Geoffrey Reid 1990, all rights reserved.
     
  • Next Time Round

    By Michael Reid

    1st June 1979

    Clearly a wild time….

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    Next Time Round


    You rose from a nightmare
    You say I was the star
    Then you stabbed the life into me
    To see the sunrise
    And all I was thinking
    Was where I had been
    And all I was loving
    Was the lady before.

    You saw my dilemma
    You knew where Iʼd gone
    So you punched my lies
    Back into the pillow
    And you opened my eyes
    And I knew I might love you
    The next time around.

    Then you slipped into your boots
    And you buttered my toast
    Then you said you were leaving
    And you left me a ghost
    So we sit, he and I, drinking lonely white gin
    With the bottle tucked patiently under our chin
    And my mind wonʼt say where to begin.

    Take me back lady
    Take me tonight
    You know that Iʼm sad
    Canʼt you see Iʼm alone
    And Iʼm dying
    But here Iʼm okay
    And when Iʼm with you
    I promise Iʼll love you
    The next time around.

    I sat on a rainbow
    I fell to the ground
    Then I cried for the pay man
    To sell me the sun
    Till the words brought the darkness
    And my dream was alone
    And I heard a voice crying
    Thereʼs nobody home.

    I fell from a bottle
    I knew I was alone
    So I stumbled onto a dream
    To see the sunrise
    And all I was thinking
    Was where I had been
    And all I could see
    Was the night and the nightmare
    But now I was lonely
    And I knew I would love
    The next time round.

    Then you slipped into your boots
    And you buttered my toast
    Then you said you were leaving
    And you threw me a ghost
    So we sit, he and I, drinking lonely white gin
    With the bottle tucked silently under our chin
    And my mind wonʼt say where to begin.
     
    Excepting
    Take me back lady
    Oh hold me tonight
    ʻcause you see Iʼm a ghost now
    Canʼt you see Iʼm a clown
    And Iʼm dying
    But here Iʼm alright
    And when Iʼm with you
    I swear that Iʼll love you
    The next time around.
     

    June 1979 (as amended)

    © Michael Geoffrey Reid 1979-2011, all rights reserved.
     
  • My Lady

    By Michael Reid

    1st May 1979

    In good times….

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    My Lady


    My lady, suffer not this fool who present holds your favour,
    For he is but a pleasant toy and everwhile the knaver;
    You see this love as one which, given time, shall fairly blossom,
    Yet you are but the apple tree and I am but your possum.

    By nature’s course we have been met, and mated by our wishes,
    And here at heaven’s inn we cull our grapes from golden dishes;
    However words once left must now be flourished in the open,
    For parted dreams in joinéd hearts need not see both hearts broken.

    I have no quarrel now betimes but that which you beseech me,
    Indeed I search as children might so you would further teach me -
    Forgive me, mistress, such duress as I have wrought upon you,
    It is my heart and not my mind which you do e’er belong to.

    We have a movement to the day not common ‘twixt the people,
    And this is harnessed with an arméd line taught by the steeple;
    We are withal, as one may say, one nut and bolt together,
    (Though such a coupling publicized would paint us in the heather).

    So thus we have a space for selves kept secret from the masses,
    While meantime you ignore the boys and I shall miss the lasses;
    And if such miracle occurs as we retain this union,
    The world will see the gods and we have plotted in collusion.
     
    Michael Reid
    May 1979 (as amended)

    © Michael Geoffrey Reid 1979-2011, all rights reserved.
     
  • Two Poems - Of Reali..

    By Michael Reid

    1st April 1979

    Clearly life is not all beer and skittles….

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    Of Reality


    Time on morbid hour I dwell alone,
    Captured in my self-denying cell;
    I could see now but for an instant,
    I could hold you still and call you mine -
    But moment soon would flee to minute,
    And you would ring the chastened bell
    And send me sweetly back to hell.
     

    Of Logic


    If words on wishes held smooth repartee
    We soon would be entwined in loving ease,
    And never leave but for a brief refrain
    To reinforce our love of love’s disease -
    But close we sit and dwell a league apart,
    I with you in heaven, you with separate part;
    And still with distant rules we sigh and kiss
    Our hearts as two, our hands in patterned bliss.
    This manner shall not hold my reckless tone,
    I cannot breathe within these walls alone:
    My cell of one heart spread for two
    And not replaced - I will not die for you.
     
    Michael Reid
    April 1979 (as amended)

    © Michael Geoffrey Reid 1979-2024, all rights reserved.
     
  • This Leaf of Dust

    By Michael Reid

    4th March 1979

    Trying times indeed…

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    This Leaf of Dust


    The falling leaves cry to the wind,
    One final plea for reason,
    A tree of life now parting
    For a time to memory,
    And this our early Autumn
    Dries a supple Spring romance,
    As old Hephaestus forges new
    Tomorrowʼs sunlit dance.

    It bled for us, this leaf of dust
    As will to broken dreams,
    For life must draw from death
    And love from amity -
    In time, we shall rejoin as one
    Then with the falling rain,
    Till earth and heaven meet to die
    We shall deflower again.
     
     
    1979 (as amended)
    © Michael G Reid 1979-2011
  • Tomorrow’s Child

    By Michael Reid

    1st January 1979

    Another time of simple love…

    Card image cap

    Tomorrowʼs Child


    And once as children, sailing on a smile
    A day or lifetime, freedom sanctified
    And still untouched; a herald sang of you
    Our precious charm, our lifeʼs alluring bride.

    And then as beauty, softly from a cloud
    A wide-eyed dove, evolved from life to love
    From love to lady, feeling for a dream
    With dulcet eyes, a fresh pellucid stream.

    And now as laughter, shadows in the sun,
    Once-false-lit depths ascending to the sky
    And evil-scented words now primrose buds,
    Our hell to earth, our love to greater love.

    And still as sweetness, snowflakes upon sorrow:
    The light on fears, the smile on naked minds
    The kiss upon our tears; you seek within
    Your warmth unquestioned, flowerʼd seasonʼs kin.

    In sweet time, we wander now as one
    Through gentle meadows, waters freshly sung
    And left uncoloured, morning seerʼs delight,
    The prophetʼs doom, a silence mellowing and bright.

    One morning, year, one ceaseless age
    As time stands painlessly beside
    Your smile unspoiled, unmeasured, pouring free,
    With love unto tomorrowʼs child.
     

    January 1979 (as amended)
    © Michael G Reid 1979-2011
  • Salted Lips of Time

    By Michael Reid

    15th November 1978

    Written at Moruya Heads in 1978 during a road trip with my old school mate Harry. I added the chorus in 2019.

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    Salted Lips of Time (Song)

     

    Reaching from a wind-swept dream, oh yeah
    A silent pleasure-ground
    Of smiling sun
    And dancing seas, eternity above,
    A fire within,
    A fire within.

    Sailing, gliding, sifting promises
    Of love-dried sand through answered cries;
    A seagull diving, I above, unclothed
    And free, licking salted lips of time -
    And life, a fresh-blown memory
    On morning’s eyes.

    Oh the wind-swept dream
    Oh the smiling sun
    Moruya memories
    When the world was one

    Oh the wind-swept dream
    And the smiling sun
    Fading memories
    One by one

    Alive, enchanted, feeling with the sky
    And for a world apart, a past denied
    A dream embraced, my wind-swept dream,
    My sailing, silent carousel of love,
    This freshness draining tears to sighs,
    And pleasure to our Mother’s mastery.

    Oh the wind-swept dream
    Oh the smiling sun
    Moruya memories
    When the world was one

    Oh the wind-swept dream
    And the smiling sun
    Fading memories
    One by one

    Fading memories
    One by one
    Fading memories
    One by one

    Moruya Heads, November 1978 (as amended)

    © Michael G Reid 1978-2019, all rights reserved

  • Salted Lips of Time ..

    By Michael Reid

    10th November 1978

    This was essentially the original version, before it was turned into a song.

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    Salted Lips of Time


    Reaching from a wind-swept dream,
    A silent pleasure-ground of smiling sun
    And dancing seas, eternity above,
    A fire within.

    Sailing, gliding, sifting promises
    Of love-dried sand through answered cries;
    A seagull diving, I above, unclothed
    And free, licking salted lips of time -
    And life, a fresh-blown memory
    On morningʼs eyes.

    Alive, enchanted, feeling with the sky
    And for a world apart, a past denied
    A dream embraced, my wind-swept dream,
    My sailing, silent carousel of love,
    This freshness draining tears to sighs,
    And pleasure to our Motherʼs mastery.
     
    Moruya Heads, November 1978 (as amended)
    ©️ Michael Reid 1978-2011
  • Separation

    By Michael Reid

    1st November 1978

    Regarding my parents’ separation

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    Separation


    An intense mortality creeps inward
    Biting as a teething child,
    Drawing, sucking, forcing out the breath
    And into fear, or solitude, or both
    But even in embalméd troth
    A grasping web beneath.
     
    I hide, cushioning myself around
    With fortress borne in green’s grey mist
    Deprived, depriving, crying out
    For love or hate to penetrate
    Or both, but mute in dreams,
    And white from yesterday.

    November 1978 (as amended)
    © Michael G Reid 1978-2011
  • Alive Again

    By Michael Reid

    1st November 1978

    A poem I wrote in 1978

    Card image cap

    Alive Again

     

    In dreams untried, (the painted actor’s grief)
    All feelings bled, dry fears of wisdom shed,
    Our humble man, the actor held beneath,
    The prophet’s dream, the child’s belief.
     
    A man entombed, without tomorrow’s sky
    I felt I knew, he felt the sunrise too,
    Alone with all, the world without the eye
    And I was dark, as if to die.
     
    He knew the words, and raised his pen to see
    But met the heart, and visions held apart
    Then cried for life, a deeper scar of me,
    He took my hand, then set us free.
     
    And from this time unmeasured, deep within
    From sleep we rose, upon a virgin breeze
    In freedom borne, fresh days of dreams begin,
    Awake at last, alive again.
     
    November 1978 (as amended)
    © Michael G Reid 1978-2011
  • The Aegean Soldier

    By Michael Reid

    1st September 1978

    The lazy epic of a 19 year old…

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    The Aegean Soldier


    A hilltop of green saw the soldier,
    In pain as he cried to the mist;
    For the soldier saw only his father,
    In death to a black morningʼs fist.

    Persephone watched from a rise
    And sighed for the pain at her ʻneath,
    And the father in white watched beside,
    As the young soldier courted the wreath.

    ʻI have but the one life to giveʼ he cried,
    And felt his judgement true,
    And then he wept for truth to wilt
    And faith to drown in dew.

    ʻAs againʼ cried the thoughtless Aegean,
    ʻI have lost only morningʼs attire;
    But the prayer for a tear of remembrance
    Is the wood for the next mourningʼs fire.ʼ

    Sweet Demeterʼs child spake at last
    With a strength for the dying to learn,
    That the voice of the winter be broken
    As the harvests of honour return:

    ʻFor the dew shall once more breed afresh
    And shall plunder fateʼs deepest domain,
    And while man follows peace through the darkness
    He may never wear deathʼs coat in vain.ʼ

    ʻAnd so hold the courage of lightʼ cried his father
    ʻAnd would to the tunnel unseen -
    And feel in the nightʼs dew a warning
    And see, in the morning, the green.ʼ

    Not brooding in the clammy light
    The Aegean took death by the sword,
    And headed in time for the darkness,
    And soldiered the light by his word.

    Michael Reid
    1978 (as amended)

    © Michael Geoffrey Reid 1978-2011, all rights reserved.
     
  • And In The Morn

    By Michael Reid

    1st June 1978

    Tough times….

    Card image cap

    And In The Morn


    On broken tears, the naked flesh
    Embalméd in a silent misery;
    Twilight dreams surrender to the dark,
    Unflinching in its callous strain
    Of time for time, and now to life,
    And in the new-found morn
    Denies the early past,
    A twilight yes, but not the dark,
    The love but not the love,
    No seepage from the heaven learned,
    For naked flesh in daylight feels undone,
    And cries as convicts for the mother’s womb.
     
    Michael Reid
    June 1978 (as amended)

    © Michael Geoffrey Reid 1978-2011, all rights reserved
     
  • A World of Gold

    By Michael Reid

    20th December 1977

    Whilst bagging bananas at Coffs Harbour

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    A World of Gold


    In a tireless age, in an infinite dome,
    The breath of morning birds and new-born winds
    Unfolds, in a senseless skin, a beauteous mirth
    And in an unmasked eye a world of gold.
     
    Michael Reid
    December 1977 (as amended)
    Coffs Harbour, NSW

    © Michael Geoffrey Reid 1977-2011, all rights reserved.
     
  • Sweet Princess

    By Michael Reid

    1st June 1977

    A couple of stages of grief….

    Card image cap

    Sweet Princess


    If you can say our love is lost
    And futureʼs warmth to seasoned frost,
    If you can smile a last goodbye
    To eyes that never dreamed deny,
    If you can name one kiss the last
    And loving nights a pleasant past,
    If you can hold short memʼries dear
    And cast them in unconscious fear,
    Then shed my tears while youth remains
    To walk the seasoned fightersʼ lanes,
    And banish Timeʼs eternal pain.

    But if, my heart, you feel the fire
    Still kindling with our past desire,
    If you can feel unseasoned arms
    And whispered moans of natures charms,
    If you can smile on evening walks
    And teasing silent loversʼ talks,
    If you remember past still new
    And waiting for the reckless few,
    Then cast aside all mortal bonds
    And teach me what is right and wrong;
    And I will draw the sun to you
    With love which Time will neʼer undo -
    Sweet Princess, in a lifeʼs debut.
     
    Michael Reid
    June 1977 (as amended)

    © Michael Geoffrey Reid 1977-2011, all rights reserved
     
  • To My Only Tomorrow

    By Michael Reid

    1st March 1977

    Love’s frail assumptions.

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    To My Only Tomorrow


    In dawnʼs first light, in thoughts of purest love,
    I gaze with humble fire upon a sigh
    Mute soft, and tender, ready to be kissed,
    As velvet grass by morningʼs humble mist.

    Let fate depress your charméd lips to mine
    As though sweet destiny was meant for love,
    And memʼry not for then, as for tomorrow -
    Peasant dreams of riches, dressed in sorrow.

    And you will be the oracle to truth
    In measured rays of willow-bending fears;
    And in a bond of beauty, ever-clear,
    All-flowing with each silent tear.
     
    Let memʼryʼs tears self-crucify in love
    And never look again, but in our way
    To kindle fresher dreams, and melt as one
    Into a scented fire, heaven sweet
    With present love.
     
    Michael Reid
    March 1977 (as amended)

    © Michael G Reid 1977-2011, all rights reserved.
     
  • Corridors Lost

    By Michael Reid

    20th February 1977

    I wrote this poem shortly after finishing high school, around the time of my 18th birthday.

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    Corridors Lost

     

    We left the cries to find the heart,
    And headed north to pillars new:
    Then found the place we hoped would be,
    But never thought, could never see.

    We rang the bell and crawled inside
    To lovers high on nightly gin,
    Of skies and breathing honey beds
    In snow of old, yet newly fed.

    The turkish camel coat addressed
    As if to speak, or clear its throat,
    And love returned in dripping burns
    As stifled memories to learn.

    Night shining over wandʼring eyes
    As clever owls fought natureʼs minds -
    Yet silent, fearing grassy tombs
    Of clouds coersed by butter-wombs.

    Together praying into webs
    Of mothball eggs on pillow heads,
    We cried aloud to desert ears
    In barking cracked and willow tears:

    Please let us leap into that mound,
    And be devoured by deathʼs delights,
    By Natureʼs past, where love the song
    As manʼs dry fear, in graves belong.

    The beacon, as a lover, turned to dust,
    Yet spoke in language without sound
    To say, you may return to love or lust,
    But never to your wishes - all was still.

     

    Michael Reid
    February 1977 (as amended)

    © Michael G Reid 1977-2011, all rights reserved

  • A Dream

    By Michael Reid

    1st October 1976

    Written when I should have been studying for my HSC....

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    A Dream

     

    I see the light, I feel the fire,
    Piously burning as the souls of tired
    Adventurers search for the valleyʼs heaven -
    Mystical, avenging, uneventful mode,
    Still fearing callousness of heart yet
    Hoping then, as now, but even fonder
    For the tireless stream of memories to come.

    I cry for time, I know the signs,
    Hindering all mortal, meaningless thought,
    All frigid dying sanctities of mind;
    For those who overthrow shall be divine,
    But not as this, for now they are dry
    As dusty bread, and shall remain only
    To feed the soberly judged, the captive soul.

    I wish to rise, in death of mind,
    To be the hinge on the prophetʼs door,
    And as such to ponder on the wise
    And smile, as a child, at the blind.
    Clarity in death of fostered fears,
    Flowing like a hundred intermingled loves,
    As one, free for life, in beautyʼs web.

     

    Michael Reid
    Woollahra, NSW Australia
    October 1976 (as amended)

    © Michael G Reid 1976-2011, all rights reserved.

  • Awakening

    By Michael Reid

    1st September 1976

    End of a crush…

    Card image cap

    Awakening


    Young folly breathes a treacherous path,
    When zest for life, in youth, is felt so old
    By those incensed, yet still in childhood’s wrath -
    A bitter remedy for love, so cold.

     
    Michael Reid
    September 1976 (as amended)
    Queen Street, Woollahra 
     
     
    © Michael Geoffrey Reid 1976-2011, all rights reserved
  • With The Tide

    By Michael Reid

    1st September 1976

    A poem written in lieu of studying…

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    With The Tide


    Have you felt that youʼve won, ʻthough youʼre going to die;
    Have you seen all the joys and the tears and the sighs;
    Have you known of the heartbreak, the winning, the prize
    Which helps you to lose, when the next time you try?
     
    Will your mind ever wander to eternal flames;
    Will your heart systematically know whoʼs to blame;
    Will your feet ever find the way back in the rain,
    Or is walking the easy way out of it....

    Did the Christ someone knew really save him from hell,
    And has anyone told all the stories to tell;
    Is our life just for living, or dying as well,
    And does anyone know all the answers?
     
    Donʼt ever pretend that youʼre not still a child,
    Donʼt ever divulge all your secrets, run wild;
    Donʼt ever enjoy what you feel you beguile -
    Stay close to the mind youʼre forgetting.
     
     
    September 1976 (as amended)
    Queen Street, Woollahra
     
    © Michael Geoffrey Reid 1976-2011, all rights reserved.
  • ClubMaster

  • Introducing Valoury

    By ClubMaster

    28th October 2021

    ClubMaster’s touring camper van has been completed.

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    Since buying this second hand Toyota Coaster in January 2021, we spent a few months repairing and improving her before embarking on the first of many journeys throughout Australia.

  • Music

  • Wendy Matthews in Fr..

    By Michael Reid

    15th March 2024

    A local hall welcomes the incomparable WM to town.

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    It was a terrific performance by the mercurial Wendy Matthews, belting out her hits to an appreciate Franklin (and visitors) audience. Impressively opened by support act Indira and Friends (well, keyboard friend this night), the main act was 90 minutes of such classics as 'Friday's Child' and 'The Day You Went Away'..

  • A Day at the Creek

    By Michael Reid

    24th February 2024

    A tribute and blues and country day of fun at Mole Creek, Tasmania

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    What a great day of relaxed and sunny fun.

  • Datura4 at Rodney's,..

    By Michael Reid

    20th May 2023

    A great local band at an exceptional Perth venue.

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    A decent crowd pressed in to listen and dance to Dom and the boys from Datura4 rocking the night away at the iconic Rodney's in Mosman Park.

  • Business

  • Co-Op Toyota, North ..

    By Michael Reid

    4th April 2024

    Our best Toyota service experience Australia-wide

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    At best a vehicle service is usually a neutral experience, with payment for services enhanced by coffee and a biscuit, and hopefully no unpleasant surprises around repairs and cost. Rarely does an unpleasant surprise result in a truly positive travel experience, yet such was the case with our visit to Co-Op Toyota in North Hobart.

    Having decided to have our Coaster 'Valoury' serviced in Hobart, we were hoping for a pain-free routine service. Alas, we were advised late in the afternoon that we had a badly leaking fuel injector, requiring either repair or replacement. Even as a repair this meant we would have to stay an extra night in town, so we opted for the repair option to avoid a three-night delay to our travels.

    Enter the true quality of the Co-Op team, including Abbey, Pete, Sonia, and particularly fabulously engaging Nigel, and the ever- helpful and super-patient Ryan. Not only were we invited to spend the night in our bus in the Toyota car park, but we were also plugged into power, then gifted Easter eggs, a beer, and breakfast vouchers to the fabulous Lazy Brunch cafe next door.

    We cannot speak more highly of this crew. If you're in Hobart, show them some love and bring your business here. Many many thanks, Co-Op Toyota.

    As a secondary salute, we highly recommend Lazy Brunch next door to Co-Op Toyota. 

  • Visual Art

  • MONA, Hobart, Tasman..

    By Michael Reid

    28th March 2024

    Fantastic, provocative, educational, and entertaining.

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  • Tasmanian Museum and..

    By Michael Reid

    9th March 2024

    Land of Light: Lloyd Rees and Tasmania

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    It has been a bucket list item to view an exhibition of the works of Lloyd Rees (1895-1988), one of our most talented and recognised artists. After wandering the Hobart foreshore we stumbled across this gem of an exhibition, which celebrated Lloyd Rees broadly, but focused on his Tasmanian works from the 1960's until his death in 1988. His latter years were spent as a permanent resident of Tasmania. Such a joy.

  • Steppes Sculptures

    By Michael Reid

    7th March 2024

    A gift to Tasmania from Stephen Walker AM

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    Located near the Steppes Cottage, we visited the sculptures en route from Penstock Lagoon to Hobart. Only metres from the highway, they're worth a visit.

  • With daughter Bec

    By Michael Reid

    30th June 2009

    Painted for her 21st birthday - I suspect she’s thrown it out…!!! 😛

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    I've never had decent photos taken of any of my attempts at art, and only seem to have a few examples which have been photographed at all. Here's one of them. I don't recall exactly when it was completed, so I've taken a guess.

  • Self Portrait

    By Michael Reid

    1st January 1990

    An earliish piece in pastels

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    I've never had decent photos taken of any of my attempts at art, and only seem to have a few examples which have been photographed at all. Here's one of them. I don't recall when it was painted, so I've taken a guess.

  • Old lady in pastels

    By Michael Reid

    1st January 1984

    A copy from one of my art books.

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    I've never had decent photos taken of any of my attempts at art, and only seem to have a few examples which have been photographed at all. Here's one of them. I don't recall when it was painted, so I've taken a guess.

  • Landscape

    By Michael Reid

    1st December 1980

    Painted at Coogee and/or South West Rocks

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    I've never had decent photos taken of any of my attempts at art, and only seem to have a few examples which have been photographed at all. Here's one of them. I don't recall when it was painted, so I've taken a guess.

  • Social

  • Back in Burleigh

    By Michael Reid

    22nd August 2024

    It’s great to be back…

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    Enjoying an afternoon ale at The Crab Pot at Burleigh Surf Club, after a short walk on the beach.

  • Now THAT’S a 3rd B..

    By Michael Reid

    9th July 2024

    How spoilt are we to have the day with Moo.

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    We all slept well after this one.

    From a tea party to building towers to playing the keyboards to watching Bluey to scooter riding to playground in the park, brownie making with Grammy, more Bluey, then finally a sleep. 

  • On the tram

    By Michael Reid

    24th June 2024

    And then there was the trip home.

    After the zoo, and the ferry ride to Circular Quay, it appeared a choc chip cookie was in order for Moo befor we caught the tram home. Rookie error or dastardly plot, Fobbi..??? It's clear to see how much she loves her Grammy.

  • Taronga Zoo with Mil..

    By Michael Reid

    24th June 2024

    A great family day.

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    A great way to spend a sunny Sydney winter Monday. Moo loved spending time with her cousin Caleb, Aunty Raels and Aunty Cass, and Grammy and Fobbi.

  • Hope & Anchor Tavern..

    By Michael Reid

    8th March 2024

    The oldest continually licensed hotel establishment in Australia

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    Well it simply wouldn't be right,

    'twould be simple effrontery,

    if we didn't down a well-chilled pint

    at the oldest pub in the country.

  • Tasmania Mures Upper..

    By Michael Reid

    8th March 2024

    A wonderful 10th wedding anniversary with a wonderful woman.

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    What a way to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. I love you, Sammy.

  • Celebrating 17 years..

    By Michael Reid

    3rd March 2024

    A beautiful lunch with my beautiful wife.

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    With thanks to Great Lake Hotel for your wonderful hospitality, Sammy and I celebrated 17 years since the day we met, as we also approach our 10th wedding anniversary.

  • With extended family..

    By Michael Reid

    11th February 2024

    A great couple of days catching up.

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    Terrific to spend some quality time with Maria, Andrew, Kylie, Jayden and Ryan.

  • And again at Stanley..

    By Michael Reid

    5th February 2024

    A fortuitous return to stumble ancross old Brisbane friends.

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    So we return to this fabulous bar to introduce our new friends Kev and Sandy to Michael et al, and who should wander in but Chris and Lou from Brisbane. Extraordinary....

  • Christmas Day

    By Michael Reid

    25th December 2023

    A great day with many of the Reid’s and Retamal’s.

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    What a terrific day, missing only a few of the immediate family. 
     

  • Perth

    By Michael Reid

    24th April 2023

    Plenty of business and pleasure

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    There's no shortage of things to do and people to see in Perth.

  • Easter 2023

    By Michael Reid

    8th April 2023

    An event to remember - fun with Steph and Muzz

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    What a great long, long weekend we had. Six nights at Pdaceful Bay in southern Western Australia.

  • Fun with Deb & Craig

    By Michael Reid

    16th February 2023

    Torquay or not Torquay, that is the question...

    Card image cap

    A fantastic visit with our great friends Deb and Craig, enjoying the scenery and the venues around Torquay, and theirn exceptional work on their home. To our great pleasure, the trip included a visit to Alexander, Elanna and their kids at Geelong.

    Having been so close watching our children grow up together in Brisbane, it's been a blast catching up in their latest Victorian environs.

    Great hosts, lovely humans - until next time....

  • Harry Unharried at G..

    By Michael Reid

    1st February 2023

    A fantastic few days with old friends Ian (Harry) & Gina.

    Card image cap

    The first of our stops heading south from Sydney in early 2023. It was the perfect start to our journey, a truly relaxing few days of sightseeing, talking, singing, laughing, loving.

    This was a reunion of people, locations, and spirits on the south coast of New Souty Wales, the region where Harry and I visited in our teens aboard my VW pop-top Kombi, on a holidy where Ian played guitar and flute, I sang and wrote poetry, particularly Salted Lips of Time written at Moruya Heads, and we just chilled like genuine '70's hippies.

    I had no idea until recently that Harry had photos of that trip, and the only photos I believe in existence of the VW Kombi, so I've included them here. The shorts I'm wearing look like a nappy, probably appropriate at the time.....

  • Amazingly graceful w..

    By Michael Reid

    23rd July 2022

    A terrific catch-up whilst sailing the glorious Whitsundays.

    Post thumb image

    And then there was the toilet, severely calcified but dealt a final death nblow by moi.... Yet we prevailed, dunny repairs completed, and a great time shared.

  • Happy 80th Birthday ..

    By Michael Reid

    6th December 2015

    On the occasion of Elaine’s 80th birthday, celebrated at South West Rocks.

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    A significant gathering of family and friends at South West Rocks, New South Wales.

  • Happy 70th Birthday ..

    By Michael Reid

    11th December 2005

    On the occasion of Elaine’s 70th birthday.

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    Celebrated at South West Rocks, New South Wales.

  • Military

  • HMAS Hobart, Tasmani..

    By Michael Reid

    9th March 2024

    A pleasant and stirring surprise performance.

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    As we wandered towards our luncheon booking at Blu Eye Seafood, following a couple of hours meandering around the Salamanca Markets, we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves front and centre with a formal presentation from the service personnel of HMAS Hobart. I hope, with little optimism, that we'll not need to be calling upon these gallant Australians to protect us in the years ahead.

  • Accommodation

  • Camping at Glen Derw..

    By Michael Reid

    10th March 2024

    A picturesque stop-over en route to the lakes district.

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    What a delightful location to spend a couple of days, so close to Hobart. The historic homestead of Glen Derwent is managed by Liz and Rob, who have operated the property for seven years, and offered the weekend Devonshire and high tea service for most of that time.

    The property is awash with free-roaming chooks, sheep, and peacocks, green grass and still waters. Both powered and unpowered sites are available to caravans, camper vans and motorhomes, with potable water included. All campers must be self-contained - own toilets and showers.

  • Great Lake, Tasmania

    By Michael Reid

    26th February 2024

    Camping on the rocky foreshore of Great Lake.

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    We spent a few nights with our friends Pete and Deb, which included a cruise aboard their electric motored runabout - one strike on our trolled lure, but no captures.

  • Cooee Point Reserve

    By Michael Reid

    9th February 2024

    Absolute Oceanfront Camping

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    This site exemplifies the opportunities which await travellers in Tasmania. Plenty of sites for caravans, camper vans, and buses, with water, bibs, and a dump-point. You need to be self-contained, there are no toilets or showers. Fires are allowed in enclosed BYO units which are off the ground.

  • Murrawah Inn, Tasman..

    By Michael Reid

    8th February 2024

    Magnificent stop for Caravans and Campervans

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    If you're in Tasmania's north-west, do yourself a favour and visit Mark and Michelle at Marrawah Inn. You can park your caravan or camper van on a gated level bitumen pad behind the pub. The bathroom is to die for, with a full en-suite including rain head shower ($2 for 4 mins). There's also a separate toilet with external basin.

    At the time of writing the nightly tariff was $15.00, which included a beer or glass of wine.

    The meals are high quality and generous, but it's the proprietors who make this place special - two nicer people you'll never find.

  • Stanley RV Camping

    By Michael Reid

    1st February 2024

    A gem on Tasmania’s north-west

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    This paid caravan site is for fully self-contained vehicles. It is essentially waterfront, and has potable water and a dump-point. It is strictly first-in best-dressed, with no bookings, and it does tend to fill up most nights. The cost is $10.00 per night, with a pay five, stay seven option, which you can pay progressively should you so choose.

    The site is immediately adjacent to Stanley Golf Club, which welcomes visitors for golf, dining, or a drink at the bar. Friday night is raffle night (with thanks to Mark Hursey for donating the whole snapper we won..!!!). A short walk along the waterfront takes you to Hursey Seafoods and it's Restaurant, which is superb. The entire town is within walking distance, with a multitude of dining, accommodation, and shopping options for a small town.

    The town itself is unbelievably pretty, full to the brim with character buildings, all nestled at the base of The Nut, a giant natural rock structure affectionately called Tasmania's Uluru.

    Add the chairlift to the top of The Nut, the sunset penguins landing in the shore, and fishing off the jetty, and you have all you need for a multi-day stay.

  • Midway Point, Sulphu..

    By Michael Reid

    30th January 2024

    Ocean-front paradise accommodation for free

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    Available only to fully self-contained vehicles, this free ocean-front campsite has numerous sites but is extremely popular and does fill up. Bookings are not available, it is strictly first-come first-served. There is no water, and only one Council bin. There is a fabulous beach nearby, with access across the train track for walking, swimming, and fishing. The traffic noise is barely noticeable, nor is the sound of the occasional passing train. Sites are predominantly level and well grassed.

     

     

  • Mersey Bluff Caravan..

    By Michael Reid

    26th January 2024

    First stop on our extended Tassie tour

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    What a wonderful start to our trip. Situated a very short drive from the ferry disembarkation, Mersey Bluff offers a perfect welcome to Tasmania.

    Luke and Carolyn are excellent hosts, maintaining a very tidy park, a welcome cycle escort to your site, and plenty of advice on the sights to visit and routes to take on your Tassie sojourn. We booked for three nights, extended to four, and could have stayed more.

    Firewood can be purchased at reception for $15 per bag.

    Whilst there are plenty of free and low-cost accommodation options around the Apple Isle, especially for self-contained vehicles, I consider this caravan park to be a worthy indulgence at either or both ends of your travels.

  • Molloy Hideaway Cara..

    By Michael Reid

    22nd April 2023

    A paradise by the river - tell no-one....

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    The initial reason for selecting Molloy's over the two caravan parks in Augusta was the wind - the forecast was for continuing very high winds during our stay in the region. The winds proved a godsend, as we discovered an amazin facility.

  • Rivermouth Caravan P..

    By Michael Reid

    4th April 2023

    So much to do, so take your time….

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    A very attractive waterfront hideaway in the south-east of Western Australia.

  • Welcome to The Duke

    By Michael Reid

    15th March 2023

    The Duke of Orleans Bay Caravan Park

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    What a location this is. 

  • Salvation at Cockleb..

    By Michael Reid

    13th March 2023

    Cocklebiddy Roadhouse Caravan Park

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    After a mechanical malfunction to our Coaster, we found ourselves calling the minimalist town of Cocklebiddy home for a little while. By town, we mean the Cocklebiddy Roadhouse, as this place constitutes the entire town.

    We were 'fortunate' to break down on the highway immediately after lunching here (I recommend the chips with gravy), and the bus failed us next to a Telstra tower where the amazing Pete and Abby were working to improve the area's internet reception. They not only towed us back to the Roadhouse, but Pete then installed our replacement belts (which were still a little loose, and we all feared were the wrong Toyota belts).

    So a night at the Cocklebiddy Caravan Park was to follow. Whilst the toilets and showers are basic (showers $4 for 7 minutes), they were fully functional and surprisingly clean. A powered site was $30 per night, or $25 unpowered. The gravel sites are fully level, and turned out to be extremely popular with numerous overnight visitors.

    Other benefits are the adjacent service station and shop, a kiosk serving hot food and many food supplies, a bar with pool table, and a dining room. Local celebrities are Sammy and Bruce, two magnificent rescue wedge-tailed eagles. Most importantly the team were a delight, in the servo, behind the bar, and in other support roles. Special mention to Dave, Troy and Jack for helping us resolve our mechanical issues.

  • Eucla Caravan Park

    By Michael Reid

    12th March 2023

    A great stopover as you enter Western Australia.

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    Only 12km down the road from the WA/SA border, after you've passed your quarantine inspection.

    Showers are $A1 coins for 4-5 mins, plenty of time for most.

    The amenities were spotless when we visited. Camp kitchen is basic.

    The view is terrific if you choose one of the limited easterly spots.

    Rates were $30 per night for both powered and unpowered.

    Visit the Old Telegraph Station down the road, and the memorials adjacent to the camp ground.

  • Travel

  • A Reunion at Swimcar..

    By Michael Reid

    20th April 2024

    What a delight to reunite for a cracking night.

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    Always a joy to catch up with John and Annette, and thoroughly enhanced by meeting John's lovely sister Michelle and her extraordinary daughter Zoe. Now there's your classic under-achiever, an elite level athlete, scholar, musician, and all around beautiful human. It was a great night of wine, nibbles, chat and song.

  • Swimcart Beach, Tasm..

    By Michael Reid

    13th April 2024

    Good morning from the Bay of Fires

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    A sunrise in paradise.

    This morning's adventure is brought to you by our other-Coaster neighbour Wayne, who supplied me with cracking local fishing knowledge, tips, and a second loaner beach rod and reel. Best to have at least two lines in the water, and we wanted to test two different rigs (a wire and a nylon variation of the Paternoster rig).

    The trick lay, apparently, in wading out through the close-in channel and onto the sandbar, then casting beyond the bar. So here we were, enjoying the incredible sunrise, when I realise it's near dead low tide - my opportunity to cross the channel. The water was very fresh, so on went the full waders. Sammy held one rod whilst I waded out across the sandbank, cast the first line out, waded back, exchanged rods with Sammy, then repeated the process.

    On returning to the shore I checked the first reel's drag tension, then looked at Wayne's reel - to find there was no line on the reel....!!!! I looked down the beach to see the last of the line heading towards the surf. I raced down and retrieved the line in time. With Sammy's help I then fed the line back through the rod and tied it to the reel housing, before winding up some slack line. With this excitement behind us, we grabbed our morning coffees and settled into our beach chairs (thanks kids, these and the little table are so often in use).

    The end result - no fish..... Care factor very, very low. A fun start to the day.

  • The Pondering Frog, ..

    By Michael Reid

    11th April 2024

    Meet the ice cream that broke me….

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    After a shared generous plate of nachos, my dessert of choice was the chocolate-coated peanut butter ice cream, not so much a delicacy as a three-course meal (once you include the cone). I was literally incapable of eating another thing for the rest of the day.

    Lester and Collette are the delights who run this place. Lester was full of great information and advice about travelling destinations, funny as hell, and could not help us enough with our needs whilst visiting overnight.

    For travellers, there are plenty of grassy spots for caravans and camper vans, two potable water taps, a skip bin for rubbish, and use of the toilets during cafe trading hours.

     

  • Oatlands, Tasmania

    By Michael Reid

    30th March 2024

    This entire town is a walking historical tour.

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    What a fantastic town to visit, loaded with history.

  • Bruny Island Cruises

    By Michael Reid

    18th March 2024

    A truly magical three hours on the water.

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    The untamed unspoiled wilderness that is southern Bruny Island welcomes you.

    Duration
      3 Hours Approximately

    Operates
      Daily, except Christmas Day

    Departs From
    1005 Adventure Bay Road
    Adventure Bay
    Bruny Island
     View on Map

    Prices up to 31 March 2024
    Adult $155
    Child (3-16 yrs) $95 
    Family $490 
    (2 adults, 3 children)

    Prices from 1 April 2024
    Adult $175
    Child (3-16 yrs) $105 
    Family $540 
    (2 adults, 3 children)

  • Salamanca Markets, H..

    By Michael Reid

    9th March 2024

    A vibrant morning on a hot autumnal day.

    It was action aplenty at a very busy Salamanca Markets in Hobart. By mid-morning it was cheek-by-jowl, but cleared significantly after lunch. The significant range of stall offerings meant there was something for everyone. Our chorizo and chicken paella was excellent. I couldn't go past one of the many hat stalls without acquiring a new driving cap. The entertainment was varied and interesting, and most of it was simply terrific.

  • Hobart, Tasmania

    By Michael Reid

    8th March 2024

    A pleasant autumn afternoon on the Hobart foreshore.

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    Following an excellent lunch, we wandered around Hobart's waterfront, from one pier to another along Constitution Dock.

  • Waddamana Power Stat..

    By Michael Reid

    6th March 2024

    A fascinating tour of the former Tasmanian power station.

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    If you're in the area, make a point of visiting Waddamana Power Station, which is now a museum. Allow a couple of hours - it has a fascinating story behind it, and much of it remains untouched since it last operated. Instead of 'Where's Wally' you can play 'Where's Sammy' - hint: last photo....

  • Pine Lake, Tasmania

    By Michael Reid

    27th February 2024

    A brief but fascinating visit to Pine Lake

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    As part of a day trip from our digs on the shore of Great Lake, we travelled with our friends Pete and Deb to Pine Lake for a fairly short but fascinating wander along the boardwalk. It's worthwhile reading the information boards along the way.

  • Alchymia Distillery

    By Michael Reid

    9th February 2024

    A Gin, Single-Malt Wiskey, and Vodka distillery with an English heart.

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    A delightful distillery which has been established in Table Cape, north-west Tasmania by a lovely English couple Matt and Sarah.

    Sarah conducted our tasting, and presented some excellent options from which we chose the absolutely sublime Limoncello. The effort they've put into the tasting room and the surrounding buildings and environs is in itself worth the visit.

    Check them out at alchymiadistillery.com.

     

  • Trowutta Arch

    By Michael Reid

    9th February 2024

    This took me back to Ferntree Gully

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    What an amazing, prehistoric, unspoiled, clean-aired environment.

  • Arthur River and The..

    By Michael Reid

    8th February 2024

    On the north-west coast of Tasmania

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    What an incredible day cruising the pristine Arthur River.

  • Murrawah Inn to Gree..

    By Michael Reid

    7th February 2024

    A steep and testing 5km hike to a beautiful location.

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    We decided some exercise was in order, and off we went to the beach at Green Point. The scenery was spectacular, the gradient challenging, the destination sublime, the company as wonderful as ever. The location boasts a free campground, a cold shower, toilets and a shelter.

  • Highfields House

    By Michael Reid

    6th February 2024

    An interesting visit to this heritage homestead

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    An elegant old building complete with numerous outbuildings and facilities.

  • Stanley, Tasmania

    By Michael Reid

    1st February 2024

    The home of The Nut, and so much more

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    Frozen in time, this picture-perfect colonial outpost is one of the most charming towns you could visit. Set on a peninsula in Tasmania's north-west, it boast fabulous historic buildings throughout. Apart from the incredible spectacle of The Nut, which we hope to visit by cable-car when the wind subsides, there are numerous quality wining and dining options. Accommodation options are also many and varied. And to top it all off, the penguins arrive at sunset, and we saw our first as we sauntered home last night from the Stanley Wine Bar. We'll be lingering here in Stanley for a while.....

  • Day 5 of the Tassie ..

    By Michael Reid

    30th January 2024

    From Devonport to Sulphur Creek

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    A little poem I wrote of our splendid Day Five:

    Day Five


    ‘Twas farewell to Davenport and Mersey Bluff park
    As we wanted to reach our next venue by dark
    So we dropped in to various shops for supplies
    Before heading north-west under bright summer skies.
     
    After detouring up to see Brandon’s Lookout
    Where we shared simple food with grand viewing about
    Then we rejoined the Bass for a very short roam
    To the home of Blue Banner in old Ulverstone.
     
    The pickling factory was a pleasant surprise
    Now a multi-dimensional food enterprise
    With a lemon meringue to make a grown man cry
    And great coffee to boot, ‘twas a heart-felt goodbye.
     
    Then onwards we drove into the Abbotsham’s hills
    To Cradle Coast Olives where old time just stands still
    With award-winning oil for salads and stewing
    We headed for Ulverstone’s Island State Brewing.
     
    After sampling an Emperor Penguin IPA
    We needed to locate the next place we would stay
    Then Valoury took us to the place we did seek
    And we jagged a grand spot along old Sulphur Creek
     
    So we set up our camp and we bunked down to stay
    We felt we’d accomplished such a lot for one day 
    Then we counted the distance we’d travelled along
    Only 36 k’s - hell, this trip might be long….
     
    ©️ Michael Reid 2024
  • Boarding the Spirit ..

    By Michael Reid

    26th January 2024

    Boarding the SOT at Geelong en route to Devonport, Tasmania

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    A seamless, orderly, and friendly process, despite the high volume of passengers.

  • Cheynes Beach, Weste..

    By Michael Reid

    22nd March 2023

    Magic in a mist

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    One of the more anticipated destinations, Cheynes Beach didn't disappoint despite the disappointing weather.

  • Fowlers Bay, South A..

    By Michael Reid

    10th March 2023

    Where desert meets the ocean in a historic village.

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    Fowlers Bay is an extraordinary location, our first stop on our journey across the Nullarbor Plain.

  • Muscat Lavis

    By Michael Reid

    6th March 2023

    A First Meet, or a Reunion - who would know...

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    So we met whilst camped with our ClubMaster bus Valoury at Streaky Bay, South Australia, and hit it off so well. Chats lead to shiraz, and the promise of a muscat which subsequently could not be found. We parted company the following day, after which I thought I'd revisit the broad spirit of The Commitments' version of Mustang Sally. So here it is, and Cathy and Mike, we wait in hope:

    Muscat Lavis

    Muscat Lavis,
    Guess you’re gonna find your muscat now
    Muscat Lavis now baby
    Guess you’re gonna find your muscat now
    You’ve been searching all through the van yeah
    But I guess you couldn’t find it so you, you just drank our red wine down.
     
    All you want to do is hide your muscat Mikey
    Hide Mikey hide
    All you want to do is hide your muscat Cathy
    Hide Cathy hide
    Yeah all you want to do is hide your muscat Cathy
    Hide Cathy hide
    All you want to do is hide your muscat Mikey
    Hide Mikey hide
    You’ve been drinking our sweet St Hallet
    Now you’ve got to put your own muscat on the line.
     
    We went to old Streaky Bay
    We saw Mike and Cathy staying there
    Well we had a nice meal together
    And Mikey said our, our muscat's on the way.
     
    So I cracked another bottle of St Hallet
    We had a long chat about the day
    I offered a home-brewed Bellbowrie port yet
    But you felt that might send you a little grey
     
    Oh St Hallet now baby
    It’s sittin’ all alone on the table tonight
    Yeah Shiraz on the table
    But the missing Lavis muscat, it just ain’t right
    You’ve been drinking our sweet St Hallet
    Now you’ve got to put your own muscat in the light.
     
    Still we’re waiting for muscat heaven
    Well Mikey this ain’t how a man should play
    Just ‘cause of nine you’re number seven
    It doesn’t mean the muscat stays away
    I know you’re from a good Catholic family
    Well you’d best confess long before you pray.
     
    Muscat Lavis,
    Guess you’re gonna find your muscat now
    You’ve been drinking our sweet St Hallet
    Now you’ve got to put your own muscat on the line.
     
    All you want to do is hide your muscat Cathy
    Hide Cathy hide
    All you want to do is hide your muscat Mikey
    Hide Mikey hide
    You’ve been drinking our sweet St Hallet
    Now you’ve got to put your own muscat on the line.
    On the line
    Yeah on the line
    Put that muscat on the line.
     
    ©️Michael Reid 2023

     

  • Streaky Bay, South A..

    By Michael Reid

    6th March 2023

    A beautiful hamlet to relax before starting across the Nullarbor Plain.

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    Streaky Bay is a terrific little town.

  • Kimba, South Austral..

    By Michael Reid

    5th March 2023

    A brief stop-over half way across Australia.

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  • Great Ocean Road, Vi..

    By Michael Reid

    20th February 2023

    Two days of driving bliss

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    A couple of glorious days aboard our bus Valoury as we travelled from Torquay along the Great Ocean Road.

  • Torquay, Victoria

    By Michael Reid

    16th February 2023

    A classy and picturesque destination

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    With no shortage of quality dining and recreation options, the Torquay area, with a number of nearby towns and hamlets, also enjoys an abundance of exceptional beaches, parks, and accommodation.

  • Soggy but Satisfied ..

    By Michael Reid

    12th February 2023

    And a little window shopping….

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    It was pouring with rain for much of our visit, but the charm of this beautiful village shone through.

  • Narooma, New South W..

    By Michael Reid

    8th February 2023

    Another delightful NSW destination

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    A few quality days at Narooma on the New South Wales south coast.

  • Moruya Heads, New So..

    By Michael Reid

    8th February 2023

    A brief stopover as we head south to Narooma.

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    An interesting visit to the headland at Moruya.

  • The Whitsundays, Que..

    By Michael Reid

    23rd July 2022

    A magnificent experience is sailing around the Whitsundays.

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    Whale watching, plenty of sightseeing, sunbaking, swimming, snorkelling, and a whole lot of fun. This should be on everyone's bucket list.

  • Dining

  • Sunday at The Sheaf

    By Michael Reid

    21st July 2024

    A family afternoon of dining and dancing.

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    The old beer garden has come a long way since the '70's, and is now an absolute delight. The food was excellent, the live music was superb. I had the pleasure of dining with my aunt, my wife, my daughter, and my granddaughter, and dancing the afternoon away with my granddaughter, now three, who really had her groove on until she fell asleep in my arms. Pretty much a perfect Sunday afternoon for this bloke.

    The Golden Sheaf Hotel, Double Bay, Sydney, Australia.

  • Sunday at the Watto ..

    By Michael Reid

    14th July 2024

    Watsons Bay Hotel, Sydney

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    A near perfect winter's day, in the beer garden of one of Sydney's finest pubs, with family and friends. It doesn't get much better than this.

  • Lazy Brunch, North H..

    By Michael Reid

    5th April 2024

    Stylish decor, delightful service, quality breakfast.

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    Right next door to Co-Op Toyota, this is an excellent location for that lazy breakfast. With a Japanese infusion into the menu, the options are many and varied.

  • Tasmanian Inn, North..

    By Michael Reid

    4th April 2024

    Another favourite Hobart pub.

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    Just fabulous, this little gem in North Hobart/Ryde is warm and inviting, immaculately presented, and well serviced. The food was also excellent and promptly served. One of the tidiest pubs we've ever visited, with dedicated and friendly staff.

  • The New Sydney Hotel..

    By Michael Reid

    4th April 2024

    What a gem in the CBD, the ultimate oasis in the desert.

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    The character simply oozes from this old pub, resplendent with roaring open fireplace (with a bowl of self-serve complimentary marshmallows on the mantle). The service from Hayden and the team was friendly and thorough, with an impressive suite of ales and ciders on tap.

  • The Kempton Distille..

    By Michael Reid

    4th April 2024

    A brief but very interesting visit.

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    There's a cracking story behind the property which now forms The Kempton Distillery. 

  • Callington Mill Rest..

    By Michael Reid

    31st March 2024

    A near perfect dining experience.

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    This was a case of a generally exceptional experience, including warmth, humour, delight, failure, pathos, and redemption.

    Callington Mill delivers a high quality environment, quality decor, exceptional presentation (paper napkins notwithstanding), quality food and beverages, and generally fabulous service.

    We were very pleased with our choices of kingfish, cauliflower arancini, and citrus tart, all of which were a delight and ably supported by the Frogmore Creek sparkling cuve and sauvignon blanc.

    The distillery's whisky tasting paddle was a treat, and in this lucky instance included a bonus fifth half-shot to invite me to taste one of the more peaty products. The whiskies are mostly international award-winners, and whilst expensive by the bottle are well worth tasting. They are indeed of international standard.

    Generally flawless service was marred by us staring at our completed mains plates for nearly half an hour (only resolved by us signalling for attention), however our compensation on noting this to staff was the whisky paddle being immediately comped without any request by me - a most reasonable and gallant response.

    All in all, this was a delightful experience, and I would happily return. Congratulations to John Ibrahim (not the Sydney identity) and his team for adding such a high quality establishment to the already delightful town of Oatlands.

  • The Kentish Hotel, O..

    By Michael Reid

    30th March 2024

    A pleasant afternoon drink at The Kentish.

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    In the historic Tasmanian midlands town of Oatlands, The Kentish Hotel stands proud. Built in 1832 in what is now the most in tact Georgian town in Australia, this heritage listed country pub is the beating heart of the community it serves. Boasting a bar, restaurant, cafe and accomodation, The Kentish is the perfect place to grab a drink, dine on deliciously fresh Tassie produce or settle in to a cosy room for the night.

    The Albert Pilsner on tap is well worth a try.

  • Glen Derwent, New No..

    By Michael Reid

    10th March 2024

    Devonshire Tea at Glen Derwent

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    Only 30 minutes from central Hobart lies the town of New Norfolk, one feature of which is the delightful historic property of Glen Derwent. Weekends usher in the opportunity for Devonshire Tea or High Tea. Rob and Liz will take excellent care of you. The scones were freshly baked to order, and Sammy declared her gluten-free ones as excellent as I found mine. The jams are to die for, especially the raspberry.

  • Great Lake Hotel, Mi..

    By Michael Reid

    3rd March 2024

    A great wilderness dining and hospitality experience

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    We dined here with friends, then twice we returned for lunch. Each experience was a treat, with funny and attentive staff, high quality food, and a fine selection of beverages. The ambience is perfectly suited to the location, with a modern mountain decor including two roaring fireplaces (when the weather demands) complete with leather lounges.

    The menu is upmarket pub, including a terrific seafood chowder and exceptional desserts. The staff were diligent in attending to Sammy's gluten and lactose intolerances.

    In addition to the many dining and hospitality options at Great Lake Hotel, Miena Village also offers a general store with fuel, motel style accommodation, both powered and unpowered caravan sites, toilets and showers and potable water, and substantial general car parking. This is a genuine hub.

    We're probably visiting a fourth time, should our travel itinerary come to fruition.

    Our thanks to James, Nicki, Declan, Shane, Deirdre, and all for your attention and quality service.

  • Mole Creek Hotel, Mo..

    By Michael Reid

    23rd February 2024

    A night at the pub as prelude to A Day at the Creek.

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    This was so much fun in very chilly conditions with our friends John and Annette, and Pete and Debbie. Finger foods, a few drinks, and a dance to a fabulous local band.

  • Bischoff Hotel, Wara..

    By Michael Reid

    18th February 2024

    A quaint gem in NW Tasmania

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    This is a delightful stopover as you journey through Tasmania's west.

  • Marrawah Inn, Tasman..

    By Michael Reid

    6th February 2024

    A delightful dining surprise in north-west Tasmania

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    There are some establishments where you dine on reputation of the chef, or on the local ingredients, or simply on location or brand. Marrawah Inn is where you dine on love - the love injected by Mark and Michelle into their staff, their customers, their community. 
     

    We dined here for a few nights, tasting lamb shank with mash and vegetables, garlic prawns on rice, grilled flake with chips, and various desserts including Eaton Mess, and Affogato. Delicious, delightful, generous, and served with the proprietor's warmth and charm. Count us in, we'll never again visit the north-west of this State without visiting the Marrawah Inn.

  • Stanley Golf Club

    By Michael Reid

    2nd February 2024

    A very pleasant surprise

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    After our previous night of over-indulgence at Hursey Seafoods and Stanley Wine Bar, we decided to eat light this evening. Being guests of the Stanley Rec Site, which is managed by Stanley Golf Club, it was only right to patronise the Club's Friday night raffle. The surprise packages were twofold: firstly, the in-house Shadys Restaurant served a very high quality of food - we chose the marinated octopus and the hand-cut chips from their tapas menu, both of which were truly excellent; and secondly, we won a large whole snapper in the raffle....!! It was a challenge fitting the fish in the Engel freezer..!!

    Another memorable day at the base of The Nut.

  • Stanley Wine Bar

    By Michael Reid

    1st February 2024

    Quirky, eccentric, delightful

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    Another great Tassie experience was meeting fellow travellers Alan and Angela in the front room of the Stanley Wine Bar. Our host Michael was engaging, entertaining, and generous. the place is so filled with memorabilia and outrageous inclusions that you need time to soak it all in. Visit the rear courtyard on warmer days. Definitely a highlight of our journey so far.

  • Hursey Seafoods Rest..

    By Michael Reid

    1st February 2024

    The freshest of Tassie seafood

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    It was a delightful dinner for two in the upstairs Hursey Restaurant. The seafood chowder entree was magnificent, and could have served as a mains, and the Fisheman's Plate was also exceptional. Service friendly, funny and efficient. The modern, minimalist decor served well. The views are fabulous.

  • Tasmanian Pickled On..

    By Michael Reid

    30th January 2024

    Best lemon meringue tart ever tasted….!!!

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    Well that's a surprise, dropping in to buy a couple of bottles of pickled onions, and finding a cafe restaurant in full flight, chock-a-block with tourists and locals alike. We'd already fed ourselves, so I ordered a coffee and we shared a lemon meringue tart. This tart was truly sublime, and was voted by us both as the best we'd ever tasted. The staff were fun, the pickling factory is viewable behind glass windows and on screen. A fabulous start to our journey from Devonport as headed north-west.

  • Drift Beachside Brun..

    By Michael Reid

    27th January 2024

    Contender for Tasmania’s Best Seafood Chowder

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    What a location, what a venue, what service, what meals...!!! Quality abounds at Drift Beachside Brunch, Devonport. 

  • Welcome to The Sir G..

    By Michael Reid

    22nd January 2024

    A stylish surprise in tiny Jugiong

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    What a pleasant step into the fully renovated environs of The Sir George hotel, built in 1852 on its current site after the original pub was washed away in the floods.

    Apparently the property was purchased and renovated by a Sydney mother-daughter partnership. Additions included an exceptional wedding venue with multi-cabin accommodation. We understand the property was subsequently sold, with the new owners maintaining the grounds impeccably.

  • Dinner for Eight

    By Michael Reid

    12th October 2023

    Reunion of Andy, Chris, Dave, Mick and spouses

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    A fine dinner at Lorraine's Bistro in The Robin Hood Hotel, Waverley, with the Aitken's, Freed's and Mather's. Wonderful to catch up with guys I've known since we were about five years old, and to enjoy quality time with Alex, Mandy, Tamar and Sammy.

  • Samson’s Paddock, ..

    By Michael Reid

    4th May 2023

    The ultimate dining ambience

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    What a warm and fuzzy feel when you walk into this place? Open fireplaces, sandstock brickwork, very nice indeed.

  • Ocean Pantry, August..

    By Michael Reid

    23rd April 2023

    The headquarters of Augusta’s artificial abalone farm

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    An interesting visit, where we learned of the 10,000 artificial structures situated 1.5km offshore from this venue. Abalone prepared or in natural state, including thin slices ready for a gentle 30 seconds per side over the grill, a delightful luxury for that special occasion. At around $180 per kg, you might want to limit your guests at that dinner party...!! You can grab a coffee and a snack here, and buy your abalone to prepare at home.

  • The Dam, Denmark WA

    By Michael Reid

    10th April 2023

    What a glorious experience.

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  • Drift Restaurant, St..

    By Michael Reid

    6th March 2023

    The waterfront restaurant to visit in Streaky Bay.

    Card image cap

    Drift is a quality restaurant with a casual beach vibe, situated in a fantastic waterfront location adjacent to the Streaky Bay Wharf. The food and service were boith excellent on our visit.

    Opening hours are limited, so best to check.

    Menus and prices are as at 8th March 2023.

  • Vale

  • Mum’s Funeral Serv..

    By Michael Reid

    30th May 2023

    The Funeral Service of Elaine Iris Reid held on 30th May 2023 at The Chapel of Macleay Valley House, Frederickton.

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    Farewelling our much loved sister, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, great-aunt, great-great-aunt, cousin, and friend.

    Please feel free to view the service via the following link:

    https://vimeopro.com/walkerfunerals/past-funerals/video/831392785
     

    A Reflection

     
    An elegant woman of simple dreams
    To be loving wife and mother of four
    Her heart at risk of tearing at the seams
    From all the love she carried in her core
     
    Her four boys lived a charmed and easy youth
    We knew we were the blessed boys of mum
    We floated happily in her sweet truth
    That we indeed were brighter than the sun
     
    As reality slowly came to bear
    Revealing all our frailties and scars
    Mum’s unwavering conviction stood clear
    We always would remain her brightest stars
     
    For Mum, life’s pressures pressed too hard upon
    She struggled to fulfil this lonely role
    Floundering in helpless desperation
    As life extracted a life-changing toll
     
    Yet through it all our gentle champion emerged
    Bloodied and bruised, yet still so full of love
    She harnessed her great passionate reserves
    And with a fresh resolve, she rose above
     
    So here we stand, in wonderment today
    That this good kindly font of motherhood
    Survived and thrived in unambitious ways
    And taught us how the worst can be withstood
     
    This lesson bests what formal teaching might
    And Mum was not an educated soul
    Yet she taught us that love could win the fight
    And thus she played the perfect mother’s role.
     

    ©️ Michael Reid 2023

  • Vale Pete Wells - 19..

    By Michael Reid

    13th May 2023

    Farewell to a much loved bloke.

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    Around the country we are remembering Pete at sunrise on a beach.

    We will miss you Pete, and we'll think of you with every fish and every wave that we catch. 

    Thanks for the images to those who took them over the years.

  • Politics

  • A Liberal on the hus..

    By Michael Reid

    3rd March 2024

    It was a pleasure to meet Justin Derksen at Great Lake Hotel.

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    Justin is doing the rounds in his bid for election in Lyons, presenting his views to the folks of New Norfolk and central Tasmania. We had a brief but interesting discussion on politics, health, education, and his passion to serve his community.

    For those interested in learning more about Justin, you might select this link: https://tas.liberal.org.au/our-team/justin-derksen

     

  • Sport

  • The Beaches of Devon..

    By ClubMaster

    28th January 2024

    A detailed description of our beaches for your pleasure and safety.

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    The beaches of Devonport

    T 1136-1137 BLUFF BEACH (DEVONPORT SLSC)

    Beach Details

    No.          Beach             Rating               Type                     Length

    T1136     Bluff Beach     HT 4  LT 4         R + LTT               300m

    T1137     Bluff Beach     (E)HT 4 LT 5     R + Rock Flats     700m

    Spring & neap tidal range = 2.5 m & 2.1 m

    Patrols: Devonport SLSC - DEC to MAR weekends & public holidays, Noon to 5PM

    Devonport is the largest town on the north coast of Tasmania. It has a population of 25 000 and is the major port of entry for people arriving by car ferry from Melbourne. As the ferry passes through the narrow entrance to the Mersey River, the Bluff Beach is one of the first sights. The city is located on both banks of the river and divided into East Devonport, Devonport and North Devonport. The city has all facilities for travellers and tourists, as well as extensive coastal reserves backing the beaches and river. There are three main surfing beaches (T 1132 ,1136 & 1137), all located in North Devonport 1-2 km from the city centre. The beaches are bordered by rocks and bluffs and vary in orientation and exposure, providing a range of beach and surfing conditions (Fig. map).


    Devonport’s main surfing beaches and the surf club are located either side of The Bluff.
    Bluff Beach (T 1136) is a low gradient 300 m long northeast-facing, sandy beach located on the more protected eastern side of Mersey Bluff. The 20 m high Bluff and its rich aboriginal occupation sites is a major tourist destination and provides a good view of the beach. The beach is backed by a large foreshore reserve containing the Devonport Surf Life Saving Club complex including a fine-dining resuarant, cafe, clubhouse, patrol rooms, first aid room, craft storage and court yard.  Other facilities include a skate park, large car park and picnic and playground facilities.  Additional recreational facilities are also available on the Bluff. Waves average 0.5 m, while tides range up to 3 m, and combine to produce a very narrow high tide beach, with waves sometimes reaching the low backing seawall, while at low tide the low gradient beach may be up to 100 m wide. Rocks and rock flats begin to dominate off the eastern end of the beach.

    Beach T 1137 commences at the low rocks that mark the end of Bluff Beach and curves to the southeast then east for 700 m to the western training wall of the Mersey River mouth. The wide reserve continues the length of the beach to the river. The beach is steep and narrow and composed of cobbles, with the intertidal rock flats extending 100m offshore. The Mersey River surf break runs along the side of the flats.

    Swimming: Bluff Beach is the least hazardous, because of the usually lower waves and fewer rips and the presence of the surf club. Coles Beach is moderately hazardous with rips forming when waves exceed 0.5 m, while Back Beach is one of the more hazardous on the west north coast, and is only suitable for board surfing.

    Surfing: Coles Beach is the more popular, while more experienced surfers will also surf Back Beach being careful to avoid the many rocks. During a bigger north swell there are also breaks along the outer banks of the Mersey River mouth.

    The Mersey River mouth at Devonport divides the lower energy western from the more exposed eastern sections of the north coast.

  • Recipes

  • Honey soy garlic sal..

    By Samantha Reid

    11th May 2023

    A simple stir fry meal for four.

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    Honey soy garlic salmon stir fry 

    • 4 salmon filet skinless, cut into bite-sized cubes
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 1 pinch black pepper
    • 1/4 chopped cabbage
    • 1 red capsicum seeded, sliced
    • 1 onion large, peeled, cut into bite-sized wedges
    • 3 carrots, sliced
    • 4 bok choy, sliced and washed thoroughly 
    • 6 cloves garlic finely minced
    • 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • ¼ cup soy sauce
    • ¼ cup water plus 1 tablespoon
    • 3 tablespoons honey
    • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

     

    INSTRUCTIONS 

    • First, prepare the salmon. Start with a fresh, boneless, skinless fillet. Cut it into bite-sized cubes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
    • Next, prepare the vegetables. The capsicum should be seeded and sliced, then cut into bite size strips. Peel the onion and cut into bite-sided wedges. Peel and mince the garlic cloves.
    • In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium high to high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the salmon to the wok. Cook for 3 minutes, shaking the wok and flipping the salmon GENTLY to cook on all sides. Transfer the salmon to a bowl, pour 1/2 of the honey and 1/2 of the soy over the salmon. Cover with foil, and keep warm.
    • Then in the same wok, add the  onions. Cook and stir quickly for about 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.
    • Add the cabbage and cook for 3 mins. 
    • Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell the garlic, about 1 minute.
    • Carefully add the water, soy sauce, honey, and ginger to the vegetables. Reduce heat to a simmer, and stir to combine.
    • Add remaining vegetables and cook for 3 minutes. 
    • In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Pour this mixture into the wok and stir well.
    • Increase heat to a low boil and cook for a minute or two until the sauce has thickened.
    • Return the salmon to the pan, toss to coat well.
    • Remove from heat and serve immediately. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.

    ENJOY 😊 

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