Judy Ryan

I am going to Australia and New Zealand this <BR>coming March. The group that I am going with is called Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT for short). We have one night in Sydney that is dinner on our own. Harbour Rocks Hotel or Sir Stamford Double Bay are the two hotels that we will be staying. Any unique restaurants around there that you can recommend? Also we will be having a home-hosted dinner in Tasmania. Any ideas for a hostess gift? The same dinner arrangement (on our own) is true in Melbourne <BR>and Adelaide--any suggestions? <BR>I will be going on to New Zealand--dinner on our own in Queenstown. <BR>Again, any suggestions of quaint places to eat? I am looking forward to this trip!

John

Judy: <BR>My wife and I have visited the places on your itinerary with the exception of Adelaide. Twice. Since you only have one night in Sydney, spend it in Darling Harbor. Many restaurants of all flavors. Expensive and inexpensive. Your group can find whatever cuisine they like. <BR> <BR>If you're going to Hobart, a nice hostess gift from the USA would be much appreciated. (I assume you're from the USA)Be sure to visit the wharf. Many very reasonably priced restaurants located on the water. Be sure to visit Port Arthur Historic Site. <BR> <BR>In Queenstown you'll find any type restaurant from McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Inn, to local favorites. Roaring Meg's is quaint. The dinner cruise on the TSS Earnslaw is a must. So much to do in Queenstown and so many good places to eat. Most everything is centrally located on beautiful Lake Wakipitu and walking is the fashion once downtown. <BR>You're going to love Australia and New Zealand. Finding good places to eat is not a problem. <BR>John

tina

hi judy, <BR>we just got back from our trip a couple of weeks ago. stayed at the harbour rocks. it was nice and incredibly convenient to the harbour. really quaint neighborhood. we ate at a place called wolfie's one night, right by the quay. i had my first of many samplings of kangaroo meat there! <BR>like the previous poster wrote, queenstown has quite the variety of restaurants to choose from. however, i CANNOT recommend pot au feu. it is a cute place, but the waiter is a snob and treated us rather rudely just because we didn't have reservations. we would have just walked out of the place if he told us that his (many) vacant tables were reserved. instead he begrudgingly sat us and then ignored us for nearly an hour. we walked out and headed to a great japanese restaurant in the town centre that had fabulous sushi. that restaurant (unfortunately i can't remember the name but it's a pretty big place) i would highly recommend. <BR>have a great time, <BR>tina <BR>

Judy Ryan

John and Tina--thank you for your input. <BR>I have taken note, believe me. John, <BR>what would you suggest as a hostess <BR>gift? Yes, I am from the US. Minnesota <BR>as a matter of fact. Something from <BR>my state such as wild rice (the Native <BR>Americans harvest it)? or any other ideas? I know chocolate is out of the <BR>picture, because Australia has better <BR>chocolate than we do!

Kay

Hi Judy, <BR>In Australia, if going to someone's house for a meal, it is common to take a bottle of wine and/or a bunch of flowers. You can easily buy either here. Australian Customs have VERY strict regulations on bringing in food, plant & animal matter so they may confiscate the wild rice. You can usually bring in processed, packaged food such as tins, biscuits, chocolate etc but you still have to declare you have food with you when you enter the country. The Native America idea is a good one, but maybe something else? <BR>Kay

fiona

Hi Judy, <BR>The customs service in Australia is really strict about food and plant matter. A friend of mine was unable to bring in some photo frames from Bali because they had dried banana leaves on them (at least that is her excuse for not bringing me a present!). Anything made of cloth should be okay. <BR> <BR>As for restaurants, I live in Adelaide and it is full of really good, and, by comparison with Sydney and Melbourne, very cheap restuarants. <BR> <BR>The two 'top' restaurants, are The Grange, which won the Australian Restaurant of The Year award a few years running, and the Magill Estate, which is in a winery. The food at both is very avant garde, but delicious. Set menus are about $100 a head, but it really is an experience. <BR> <BR>Less expensive but very good are The Sauce (in Dulwich and my favourite), Cibo, Soho or The Oxford (North Adelaide), Shiki (Japanese), Royal Garden (Chinese), Suree's Thai Kitchen (Thai), Amalfi or Chianti (Italian), Estia (Greek at the beach), Eros (Greek in town), Jasmin (the greatest Indian food known to man). <BR> <BR>We have restaurants serving food from pretty much every ethnic group or region you can think of! <BR> <BR>Additionally, there are loads of restaurants in town in Gouger or Rundle Street, and out of town at Henley Square overlooking the sea, in Norwood, and in North Adelaide. <BR> <BR>Finally, you can go really cheap and eat fabulous noodles or laksa in the central market for $6! <BR> <BR>Have fun!! <BR> <BR>Fiona. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Leslie

Hi Judy - <BR> <BR>As far as Melb. restaurants go, the choices are fantastic. If you are staying in the city centre, 2 of my personal favorites are on the same street - George Parade (little laneway behind the Grand Hyatt on Russell St.) - both are Italian, and I would strongly recommend reservations any night of the week. Italy 1, and Il Solito Posto. Those are reasonably priced, esp. considering the fantastic current fx rate between $USD & $AUD. On the more expensive side, there is the Flower Drum (Chinese). Lygon St. is the 'Little Italy' of Melbourne, and great for people watching but beware of a lot of very average restaurants. Tiamo on Lygon St. however has great coffee and better than average basic pastas. Brunswick St. (take the #11 tram from Collins St., or maybe a $10 taxi ride from the CBD)in Fitzroy is full of restaurants. Good Greek food at Pireaus Blues on Brunswick St. <BR> <BR>Also, please heed all the previous warnings about Australian Customs. I am an American living in Australia now, and have learned the hard way about what is acceptable. Anything w/ any type of dairy components is not allowed, anything made of wood or any other natural type materials will be examined closely and more often than not, confiscated. Enjoy your trip, you will love this part of the world.