Beach Days and Baking Joys: Our Sixth Month in Australia

It's hard to believe we've already spent half a year in this beautiful country. We've embraced local traditions, celebrated new holidays, and slowly but surely, we're starting to call this place home.

Now that we've settled in nicely in our new rental and established our routines, this month gave us more time and space to explore our neighbourhood, and try out new baking recipes in our state-of-the-art Smeg oven. Read on to find out what we've been up to!

Beach Hopping Around Melbourne's South

We live close to many beautiful beaches in South Melbourne, with Brighton Beach being the nearest, just 2 km from home. Despite the winter chill, we set out to explore these beaches every weekend. Brighton Beach is charming, with its famous beach boxes lining the shoreline and gentle waves lapping at the white sandy shore. It's the perfect place to soak up the sun and relax on a bright, sunny day.

Chasing Sunsets at Red Bluff Lookout

Red Bluff Lookout is a beautiful viewpoint located in Black Rock. From the car park, a small path leads down to the beach—a lovely stretch of golden sand bordered by the most gorgeous limestone cliffs. From the beach, you can climb the cliffs to reach the vantage point, a flat red rock offering a 360-degree view of the beach and its surroundings.

Clotted Cream Cake Frenzy

With our 90cm Smeg oven, I decided to finally test a cake recipe I've been saving for months. It's a clotted cream cake with an orange twist, something I've wanted to make ever since I saw the recipe. So, we bought a springform cake pan and all the ingredients, including a tub of Bulla crème fraîche. The orange-y, buttery smell of freshly baked cake soon filled our kitchen, and I couldn't help but do a happy food dance. The cake turned out incredible, especially for my first time baking one, and we both enjoyed generous slices, washing them down with big mugs of tea. Yum!

Cafe Runs in the Neighbourhood

Melbourne is sometimes called "the coffee capital of the world" given the sheer amount of cafes in the city. The suburbs equally have their own unique, quirky hip cafes with their own personalities. So during our evening walks, we started to explore the cafes of our neighbourhood in Brighton East. Our favourites are The Timbuktu Cafe on Wilson Street, and The Merchants Guild on Centre Road.

And so, as we mark half a year in the Land Down Under, our adventure continues. From beachside strolls to cozy baking sessions, every moment adds a new layer to our story here. Stay tuned, and I'll keep sharing the highs, lows, and everything in between as we continue our new life in Australia.

Love,

Yasho.