Just back from dinner at Marque 1V where I had such a lovely dessert, I had to have 3 helpings! I only had a starter so I don’t feel all that bad ..

Today has been hotel filming day which started at 0800 with the drive-up. The Henry Jones Art Hotel is on the waterfront. It has 56 rooms & suites set in industrial wharf buildings that date back to the 1800’s. For many, many years (until 1974) it was a jam factory ... and was turned into a hotel in 2001, opening in June 2004.

My suite last night is called the Peacock Terrace Suite ... named after the original owner of the jam factory, George Peacock. The factory was taken over by Henry Jones ... It has 2 bedrooms on two floors, the oldest spiral wood staircase in Australia, an overflowing bath and most importantly HISTORY. While having a modern bathroom and kitchenette, there are many features from the “original” rooms ... wallpaper, walls and timbers ... a truly memorable suite.

Interviewed the General Manager, a lovely chap called Rod Black ... he is truly proud of this property. If YOU come here later this year, you should get “Henry Jones” jam ... watch this space!

The hotel has a gym, fine-dining restaurant, coffee shop and a bar ...

The property is the first “art hotel” in the country ... and features over 300 pieces from Tasmanian artists. The curator here is a very entertaining lady – Christine Scott – who took me on a tour of the exhibits. There are some fabulous pieces ... a few which I was tempted to buy ..! I was well behaved and didn’t! Shame ...

I then popped next door for ANOTHER yummy massage ... and then a local cider and finally dinner.

Moving hotels tomorrow ...

Song of the Day: Everybody Backstreet’s Back – Backstreet Boys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb-q1XPNr7M

Weather: Chilly but sunny

Computer room

THE staircase

Master bedroom

Rod Black

Jam

... pot!

Christine

My pup has a drink named after her!

I am not 100% at the moment (general fatigue & stress) ... but if I was just 60% this morning ... I am 90% now I have just had THE best massage/treatment in my life. It was not actually in the hotel but next door at The Key. It was SO good that I have booked again tomorrow after I finish filming! Yanet – the therapist – tweaked, poked, rubbed and pushed into shape again. At just $85 – also a treat!

I have had a pretty good day ... pretty, pretty good ...

Up early and picked by “Par Avion” for the 15 minute drive to Cambridge Airport. There we met with Anna McFarlane – my pilot/guide/lunch date/coxswain rolled into one.

In one of Par Avion’s Cessna aircraft we first flew for 45 minutes and arrived in Melaleuca in the South West National Park.

37% of Tasmania is World Heritage Site or National Park .... and one of the most beautiful areas is in the south west of the state. It’s inaccessible by road but some VERY crazy people walk for days through it! I am not a walker, rambler or hiker!

Some of the scenery we flew past was simply stunning and virginal to man. The beaches were long and filled with white sand & the rock formations were quite impressive.

Anyway, we flew into Melaleuca – a dirt strip. From there it’s a 100 metre walk to a viewing station for the “orange bellied parrot”. There are only around 100 of these parrots left in the world .. and they only live here. A group had spent all morning at the station and did not see one .... we arrived (just after they left) and saw, filmed and even interviewed (only joking!) two of them!!! We were VERY lucky!

We then hit the water and took a “tinnie” to Mount Rugby. The water in the lakes and rivers are all Coca-Cola brown as the tannins from the Melaleuca plant are washed into the water. It’s an amazing sight.

We then flew home and sadly said farewell to dear Anna before the boys filmed Hobart while I tried out the spa! Fair deal, says I!

Dinner was at a local restaurant called “Catch” ... yum

Song of the Day: Catch – The Cure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFkTYAQ2EqY

Weather: Tourist-tastic

Cambridge Airport
Up in the sky
ahhhh
Lovely!
Melaleuca

Look closely!
a "tinnie"
Anna!
Tannin water
Hobart from 1500 ft
more!

Greetings from Tasmania!

We left Melbourne first thing this morning in the largest limousine I have EVER seen – actually it was a 40 –seater single-decker bus!

From Melbourne Airport, we flew the one hour or so to Hobart where we were collected and deposited at the Henry Jones Art Hotel – the premier hotel on the island.

First impressions of Hobart/Tasmania are ... clean air, a laid-back stress-free lifestyle, a love of the outdoors ... contentment ...

We have a very full few days coming up ...

Song of the Day: Ordinary Day – Duran Duran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI6HKffqh2Y

Weather: Improving!


my limo
arrival
my home for 3 nights
lunch sans boids!

Today was hotel filming day. The Crown Towers features 481 rooms & suites ... a plethora of restaurants, a casino, enormous spa and wonderful views over Melbourne including the Yarra River which is just below it.

I am in Suite 2623 (as below) ... a lovely 1-bedroom suite ... around 99 sq metres in area.

SO - we filmed the hotel, interviewed the GM - Andrew Cairns, learnt how to make a Pavlova with chef Matt Graham and generally had a great day!

We were looked after by the lovely PR Melissa Pinder ... I am sure we pushed her to the limit! ha!

We ended the day with the Director of PR - Tara Bishop - who took us to Bistro Guillaume - a lovely French inspired restaurant.

It's late, so I will have to end for today ... we are off to Tasmania tomorrow.

Song of the Day: Glory of Love - Peter Cetera
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO0ZfI7WWCQ

Weather: Not sure, I didn't leave the hotel!
my living room
my view
my bathroom
my dressing room
my bedroom

general manager - andrew cairns
executive pastry chef - matt graham
post-pavlova!
with the lovely melissa pinder
james has only georgia on his mind!
the wonderful tara bishop

Today was the last "feature" day in Melbourne. I awoke and looked out of the window. Would there be sunshine, rain, hail or snow ... in fact, it was none of the above. It was just dull ...!

First stop, a 90-minute drive to Torquay and "Tiger Moth World". The Tiger Moth was introduced in the 1930's first for the RAF in the UK and then the RAAF here in the 1940's. Randy Walsh has been flying these machines for many a year and today he took me out for a flight! These planes have no comfort .... except for natural air-conditioning (!)

OK - just to say, it's 8 pm and it's raining so hard and the clouds so dark, it looks like the end of the world out there ...!

The flight was not that long as a HUGE rain cloud was tracking us but we had enough from the cockpit and Tim in another plane to make the whole piece look very cool.

From there we headed back to the city and to Charcoal Lane - one of the finest restaurants in Melbourne. Charcoal Lane (in Fitzroy) is unique as it's owned by a charity that works with Aboriginal and disadvantaged people and trains them to be chefs ... the difference here compared to similar schemes is that this one works! The food is fabulous and the trainees love what they do and strive to become great chefs.

The cuisine is modern Australian using traditional/indigenous produce.

With head chef - Damien Styles - I got to help prepare a kangaroo dish ... not only do these animals look good, they taste good too!

We then went for a drive to get Melbourne shots and sadly had to say farewell to our guide Tony ... he's been VERY good to us ...

Tomorrow, it's "hotel filming day" ... unless the world ends tonight!

Song of the Day: Don't Get Me Wrong - The Pretenders
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Bj8wrXslk

Weather: One minute - good ... next minute - bad ... one minute - good ... etc etc

James "Biggles" Fulcher
With Tiger the friendly Kitten
THE Tiger Moth
With Randy Walsh
Chef Damien Styles
Wine .. yum!
Driver/guide/friend - Tony Poletto
Melbourne skyline

The pictures above are from yesterday's flooding of Melbourne. It was truly awful ... the worst weather in 40 years! A huge number of roads & shops were flooded. Many were shut today as they dry out.

There was good weather today until around 6 pm when it started raining again. Eeek.
Today was a fairly light one as we ventured out to St Kilda Beach where I tried my hand at kite-surfing! With my instructor Chris Mcleod, I played in the water for a couple of hours - learning how to surf & kite ... it was NOT easy!

Thank you for all the emails & texts about dear Shadow passing away.

Tomorrow - weather permitting - should be VERY cool!

Song of the Day: Tears from Heaven - Eric Clapton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AscPOozwYA8

Weather: Varied - to say the least!

I love my job. I love my job because I meet some incredible people. I see some incredible things and do some incredible things. I also spend time with animals - kangaroos, emus, dolphins, elephants, orangutans and of course, puppy dogs. At the Sonora Resort in Canada, I had the honour of spending time with two delightful creatures - Shadow & Lucky ... they chased bears, rolled in mud & licked my ears AND made me feel loved when I was ever lonely ...

This morning Shadow passed away ...

My lasting memory of Shadow will be my last visit to the island late last year when both the pups trotted up to my deck - unannounced - on my last morning in Eagle Rock - to say goodbye and have one last cuddle & treat...! It was a perfect farewell ....

I have kept in touch with the pups every few weeks and think of them often. Today has not been easy.

Shadow will be sorely missed by everyone who ever met this delightful, friendly and cute pup.

Today Melbourne suffered severe flooding, hailstones the size of golf balls and the worst weather in memory!
We started filming with Fiona Sweetman from Hidden Secrets Arts & Design Tour. We met on Flinders Lane and ventured into a couple of galleries and boutiques before the weather made life VERY difficult.
Many of the galleries were closed as they were flooded ... the end of the world? well ... nearly ...

Off to sleep now ... goodbye dear friend.