Straight after work I head to Town Hall to purchase some snacks for my early Southern Xplorer train down to Bowral tomorrow morning departing at 7.05 am from Central Station Economy class seat B 56. I only purchased an economy class ticket this trip as it is less then a 2 hour direct train trip to Bowral. The train was fully booked but most people are heading to Canberra for the long weekend to see Floriade and not the smaller Tulip Time Festival @ Corbett Gardens in Bowral.
I booked the cheapest dorm room available at the last minute - a bed in a 6 female dorm room 519 at Sydney Central YHA where I headed after snack shopping at Woolworths Town Hall. I tried to book a bed - any bed in a female dorm room at YHA Railway Square but the hostel was completely booked out.
On my way to the YHA I stopped off to look around the Friday Night Markets in Chinatown which I rarely have time to do.
There were some tasty things there to purchase for dinner but all I wanted to do was get organised for tomorrow's day trip and sleep.
I never understood why there are always long queues for "puffies" at the Emperor's Garden hole in the wall canteen window in Chinatown or the "rice yoghart" store acriss the road next to Market City.
I have been getting the last bottom bunks lately during my stays so have been lucky and it minimises disturbing the others in the dorm still fast asleep at 6 am in the morning.
Saturday 5th October 2019
Next morning my alarm goes off at 5 am. It was a quick shower final repack hot water from the kitchen to fill my thermos drink bottle and rinse my punnet of blueberries as snacks for my train trip to Bowral.
Checked out and headed to Central Station platform 6. It was a little early for the train as there was another intercity train still parked alongside platform 6. The train officer advises me that once this intercity train leaves he will open the gate to let me in to platform 6.
Meanwhile it started to pour with rain around 6.30 am. I met a grandmother with her little grandson with their wheelie bags waiting for the same train but bound for Canberra. The little grandson was so excited about his first visit to Canberra and The Questacon ( an interactive Science museum) - he told me he wanted to stay there forever which I had to respond with a "I don't think so as you will get very tired!" I told his grandmother where I was off to and how Floriade was on at the moment which she was unaware of. She thought that it might be a great idea for them to visit whilst they were down in Canberra if her little grandson became bored with The Questacon. They were down in Canberra for the 3 day Labour Day long weekend.
I ask the train officer which end of the platform is Car B at and it was at the front of the platform therefore a long walk. The train is fully booked and is split into 2 before continuing onto different regional destinations therefore you have to ensure you have booked and boarded your correct carriage and seat.
Once on board and I was one of the first passengers on board Car B, I found my seat and started to eat my breakfast I had purchased and packed - 2 x ham and cheese croissants and some hot tea as well as some of the blueberries.
Nice & dry from inside Car B on the Southern Xplorer train I look out the window and it is pouring with rain at Central Station
It is still pouring with rain outside. Most passengers arrived around 7 am ie 5 minutes before the train is scheduled to depart. As we depart and travel out of the city into the countryside the rain eases however as soon as we approach Bowral it starts to pour again. I alighted at Bowral station running for refuge along with a few others under the stations awnings as it pelted down with rain for about 5 minutes then the rain eased and stopped.
I just arrived at Bowral Station and it is pouring with rain again. I seek refuge under the station's main awning however the intercom to open the ladies restroom does not work so if you need to use the rest room you have to walk across the bridge to use the one on the opposite platform. Lucky I didn't!
First stop after stopping to stare at the Gumnut Patisserie was Tulip Time @ Corbett Gardens. I walked around the outside of the garden's white picket fence and saw the entry fee deciding not to enter inside and spend time there this year. The tulips were not blooming today but droopy and had 'burnt' tips due to the amount of rain. Not worth paying $12 to see especially with Floriade which is free on at the same time in Canberra. I just took heaps of photos from the street from all sides outside the gardens.
So many pretty photos of Tulip Time @ Corbett Gardens without paying the $12 entry fee.
Second stop after Tulip Time @ Corbett Gardens was the Cookshop ( I hope I have the spelling correct). I love visiting kitchenware and homewares stores and I visit this store whenever I am in Bowral for a food and wine or work related event or trade show. Here I purchased 2 Maxwell Williams coasters which are unavailable where I work. We sell these coasters but not in this particular pattern. I purchased them as I don't own any of these type of coasters which are tile with a cork backing to test them out and observe how well they work as coasters in terms of absorption of moisture and durability. I was also trying to find a glasslock bento box which we do not sell but do sell the glass storage boxes in the same range and a flower nail for baking which we also sold but have not stocked for a while. No luck wit these 2 products. Whilst I was there I asked directions to get to the Southern Highlands Food & Wine Festival @ Bradman Oval. By now the rain had stopped but it was looking very overcast - will the weather hold up for this 2 day outdoor event over this weekend.
The Cookshop - above photo taken for work of a product.
Third stop finally was The Southern Highlands Food & Wine Festival @ Bradman Oval. It was just 10 am when I arrived and the festival had just opened. The entry fee was $15 - you pick up a free stemless branded plastic wine glass and you use it to wine taste for the day. Every tent selling alcohol was offering samples and it was still too early in the morning for me to have a drink. The first tent that I aporoached was a cider tent offering a sample - I had to inform the stall holder that I still had his cider from last year but did sample a different flavour to the one I purchased last year. Next was a walk around the entire round of food and wine tents before selecting 2 possible tents to purchase brunch from - should I have a hot smoked salmon dish for $22 or a chicken dish for $10? One of the 2 food tents I selected started offering samples of pork therefore I took a sample - after looking at their menu board my mind was made up and I will be back for their chicken dish. I walked around a little more and purchased some Tar10 fruit chutney which I sampled and a bottle of Kirsh and rasberry sauce for my manager. I must have tasted about 3/4 of the Tar10 range which I was encouraged to do by the stall owner. So many delicious products in the Tar10 range it was difficult to pick just a few - I sampled quite a selection before my final 2 purchases. I also loved the bandy caramel sauce but decided no this time round.
Around 11.30 am, I did not taste any more samples of wine or cider to go with my brunch, I just paid $10 in cash for the chicken dish from the Birch Catering tent which I had made my mind up on after sampling their pork.
I selected a table with chairs and an umbrella ( in case it suddenly poured with rain) and set my self up to have brunch including sitting my stemless glass filled with water on top of one of the coasters I had purchased earlier. The lunch was quite tasty although a little overcooked - may have been in the sous vide too long.
After brunch it was one final round of all the tents in case I missed anything and a tasting of freshly brewed Kombucha. I only tasted 3 of the flavours in the range black oolong green matcha and my favourite chai which I made a purchase of 1 x 250 ml bottle @ $7 a bottle - this was certainly not your average supermarket bottled kombucha you get!
After visiting the festival it was a short 15 minute or so walk back into town.
Fourth stop was an interesting one I stumbled upon whilst shopping around Bowral including a visit to Dirty Jane's ( a must visit in Bowral so much to see under one roof and plenty of great food and drink places) with a purchase of a suculent from Orangery, The Milk Factory Gallery to seek out Pancake Designs Resin range of bowls and platters ( for work) and The Modern Furniture Shop with a purchase of a black and white Merrimeko Bowl for my succulent to sit in.
Inside the Milk Factory Gallery it did have a sign advising " no photography" but I ignored it and sneeked a few in - the gallery staff downstairs were all preoccupied by an event in another room to notice. I needed them to show my manager when I returned to work - the pieces were more ornamental and far too small - probably not food grade either. I did like the flat resin boards though.
Fifth Stop was to Gazman to pass on a message to the manager who was not working that day from Andrew the manager from Gazman St Ives who says Hi. The guys there will send her a message.
Six and Final Stop a visit back to Gumnut Patisserie and a purchase of specially made individual tulip shaped cake to take back to Sydney with me - oops could not wait I ate it all before heading back to Bowral Station to catch the 4.13 pm intercity train back to Central Station with a change of trains at Macathur Station or Campbelltown Station.
This was my unofficial pre first stop upon arriving in Bowral - I stood outside The Gumnut Patisserie staring at all the cakes breads pies pastries etc in the windows on display but did not go in to purchase anything thinking I could return later in the afternoon to purchase something to take home with me. It was still really early, wet and there was no queue. How wrong my decision was - by the afternoon when I returned there was a queue outside the door onto the street and hardly anything left. I was even worried that the tulip cakes I wanted to purchase would be sold out by the time I got to the front of the queue as they were no longer in the window displays. I was lucky this time however no bread left.
This was a tulip cake but it fell off the green macaron base before I even started eating it - sorry too difficult to photograph just use your imagination. With my trusty dessert spoon I had bought with me I dug in. Inside this delectable cream coloured light and fluffy mousse cake were pieces of crimson coloured berry and orange coloured mango jelly encased within some sort of light custardy cream . The leaves were piped with some sort of chocolate and as previously mentioned the base the tulip sat on was a green macaron. Yummy dessert after a tasty light brunch at Bradman Oval.
I finally arrive back at Central Station 2.5 hours later then it was another 45 minutes or so on the suburban train and bus home by around 7.30 pm. The difference between travelling to or from Bowral Station from Central using an Opal card on an intercity train with a change of trains at either Macathur Station or Campbelltown Station rather then taking a prebooked regional Southern Xplorer train direct from Central is about a 30 minute difference in travel time. Opal card will only cost you around $6.20 one way on a Saturday compared to a prebooked Economy seat on that Saturday of around $23.86 one way booked online and where the cost is subject to changes in seasonal terms and conditions.
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