November 29, 2014

St. Jude's Cafe

Back into the grind of Sydney weekends with the sun shining and my morning Saturday routine of attending Eveleigh Farmers Market for my weekly "small shop", I met my friend for a morning walk and a lovely brunch. We made our way towards Reuben Hills in Surry Hills to have a morning coffee (since I hadn't had anything to eat or drink yet) and wow, there was a massive line for a table! So, we decided to grab an ice latte to take away and continue our walk through Surry Hills along Bourke Street towards Redfern.

Along Bourke Street in Redfern we came across St. Jude's Cafe (Corner Thurlow & Bourke Streets) and managed to acquire a table straight away. Instantly, the friendliness of the staff made me feel so welcome and confident that I made a good choice to come in. I've walked and driven pass St. Jude's many times but hadn't had an opportunity to try them out until today.



From the moment we sat down all the staff members were quick to ensure that we were comfortable, taken care of, water provided and made sure that the specials of the day were told to us. The cafe is a quirky decor with vintage dolls and framed photos of saints and all around the walls are orange butterflies. They then gave us some time to have a look through the menu and decide on what we wanted. Oh, boy, did everything look good on the menu; it was a hard decision. The only thing that we both knew was that we definitely wanted brunch, so breakfast style food - but WHAT? 


After looking around at other people's food like food stalkers we finally decided on both ordering the pumpkin and sweet corn fritters with a soft poached egg and a side of salad. Absolutely amazing! The sweetness of the corn mixed with the puree of the pumpkin and various spices made my taste buds dance around. To be honest, I haven't had fritters for a while so, to have it again and for it to be soooooo tasty, it sure made my morning brunch well worth it and the walk there sweet. It was a very decent serving size and filling and at the same time I just couldn't stop and wanted more. 


I will definitely be coming back to try other items from the menu as stalking the other customer's dishes, sure made me want more and gave me food envy. I totally recommend going there for brunch and even lunch (the menu looked good) and to top it off, the customer service is top-notch.

Have you been to St. Jude's? If so, let me know what your thoughts of the cafe are and what did you have? Also, any recommendations of what I should try next?

Jo xo


November 26, 2014

My Fiji Break

Oh, it is so good to be back home and sleeping in my own bed. Don't get me wrong, I loved my little break in Fiji but home is where my heart is and as much as I love to travel and see the world, every time I go away, I am reminded of how much I love Sydney.

My last post about Fiji, "Bula from Fiji", I wrote about my first three days there, so click on the link and have a read, if you haven't already. In that same post I mentioned that we had booked a day trip to a private island, Schooner Island to be exact, through Rosie Holiday with a company called Whale's Tale Cruise. It was a full day trip where a bus came and picked us up at 9am sharp (no Bula time) from our resort and drove us to Port Denarau where the sail boat awaited us.

Looking up at the ship
Initially we were advised that the day trip could take a maximum of 60 people (way too many in my mind), but as luck would have it, we had about 25 people, including two kids, on this day trip. It made for a good number of people and everyone on board were really lovely and friendly with most of us getting along by the end of the day and having a good laugh and a dance on the sail boat.

The great thing about booking our day trip with Whale's Tale Cruise is that they are the only boat going to Schooner Island and the staff on the boat provide personal service for each customer throughout the whole day. We aboard the sail boat to a lovely continental champagne breakfast as the staff prepared the boat to head off. It takes approximately an hour and a half to get to Schooner Island so we enjoyed our breakfast and champagne, the company of the other people on the boat and the scenery of clear blue ocean waters and the surrounding Fijian islands. 

We arrived at Schooner Island with options to chill out on the island or take part in some activities. I chose the guided snorkel; we head out into the water with our guide, Antone, who takes us through some amazing parts where the corals are glistening, the fish are aplenty and very colourful (yes, we found nemo!) and there are many things to see and touch such as star fish and sea cucumbers. Antone, had some bread with him (that he kept in a bag) and put some in my hand and the next thing I knew, I had all these amazing fish eating out of my hand and swimming around me……it was awesome!  

We had a nice BBQ lunch on the island all together and had the option of spending the rest of the afternoon chilling on the island, more snorkelling or hand line fishing. I ended going back out snorkelling to another section and another crew member had joined us; with a long metal rod! During the whole time I thought that he was in search for a particular fish for their dinner, but to my surprise when I got back to land, he was in search of an octopus! Yes, an octopus! I'm glad they told me when we reached land as I believe I would have freaked and swam in the opposite direction faster than Ian Thorpe!

Schooner Island from the sail boat
On Schooner Island
Washed up coral

The time in Fiji was spent relaxing, recharging, swimming in the pool, little tanning, taking part in the trivia and bingo (I won a game!) and reading. I managed to get through two books and by the last day there, I had no book to read. Lucky for my iPad and the internet, I spent my day surfing the internet working out my next holiday destination and when in the year is the perfect time to go. Oh, I love to travel and it's been a while so back on the travel wagon to explore places I haven't been, seen or experienced. So exciting!

One of the books I read….totally recommend reading it.
My overall summary of Fiji….. It's a great place to go visit for a short break, 5 days or so and that's it; especially if you're just there with a friend as there isn't much to do in Fiji. Getting to Fiji is relatively cheap but once you're there it can get expensive with food and day trips. Suggest to eat at Port Denauar as there are more variety and the cost is so much cheaper. However, I would say that Fiji is a perfect place for families to go to as they really do cater for kids and there is so much to do with kids during the day.

It was a perfect little trip to recharge, relax and refocus what I want to do next year with regards to travel. It was amazing to get away from the hectic life of everyday work and to not think about the reality and just enjoy the slower pace of life where time and day doesn't matter. 

Sunsets here are amazing!
Thank you Fiji! 

Jo xo

PS - Yes, as mentioned in my previous post "Bula from Fiji", China's President, Xi Jinping, was staying at our resort. It was hectic, there were scanner machines, lots of local and Chinese security, local police and his entire entourage including his cook and butler!

November 21, 2014

Bula From Fiji!

Bula! Day 3 here in Fiji and it's been an amazing relaxing time here. The weather has been shining down on us everyday ranging in around the 30's with a nice cool ocean breeze. The friendly "bula" (hello in Fijian) from staff and the locals puts a smile on your face every moment and it's times like this you realize that some time away to relax and recharge is needed. 

Above the clouds on the way to Fiji
In my last post, Packing for an Island Holiday, I blogged about how my girlfriend and I decided to come to Fiji to get away from the hectic Sydney lifestyle to relax, take in the glorious sun and recharge. So, here we are, day three of our lovely island trip. 

We've literally spent the last three days sitting by the pool, reading our books, eating and drinking - thinking hasn't really been required other than what day trip we want to do or what to eat. Simple! We're resorting it and staying at the Sheraton Fiji Resort on Denarau Island. The bonus with staying at the Sheraton Fiji Resort is that it's also connected to Sheraton Denarau Villas and The Westin Denarau Island Resort, all lined up next to each other, which means that we can use all the facilities at each of these resorts and charge anything back to our room. Makes it so easy and convenient; we don't have to carry cash around and we get an array of facilities to use such as the different restaurants, spas, gym and pools. 

These resorts are on Denarau Island which is a little island attached to the mainland and is dotted with many resorts so you do have the options of going to the other resorts for lunch and dinner. Most of of these restaurants are pricey and fine dining which is lovely but some nights I just want something simple, casual and light; we'll have to check out the options at the port marina tomorrow. 

Flights and accommodation with breakfast included is pretty cheap for Australians to get to Fiji but you do have to budget quite a bit for lunches and dinners here. These places are great for families though; kids are everywhere (I thought they would be at school at the moment ?!?). For young families these resorts are great as they cater for children from kids clubs to kids under 12 are free for accommodation (probably because they are sleeping in your room!) and they also eat free, so not a bad deal. 



I've previously have been to Fiji but headed straight out to the islands and I still recommend heading to the islands if you want crystal clear water and beach time. These resorts on the mainland don't have great beaches so you spend more time around the resort pools. Although the pools are pretty amazing. 

We've made friends with the resort activities staff who insist in calling us "sisters" - not sure why when we're clearly different nationalities! But, hey, when in Fiji, just go with it. Today, we joined in on the trivia and surprisingly came third! I guess I was surprised that I knew a majority of the questions; doesn't happen often so I'm happy! There are a few activities to do here such as frog jumping races, cocktail tasting, volleyball competition, paddle boarding and swimming (of course!) or there is just laying around the various pools and reading - this has been my routine; it's been tough! 

Reading time by one of the many pools
At night there isn't much to do other than have dinner. We've been going to the resort bar in the evening for cocktails and enjoying the music by the local band. They are amazing, singing local songs, chart topping songs, oldies and international songs; no joke, they've sung in Mandarin! 

Sunsets are amazing here…..
Looking forward to our day trip tomorrow to a private island, with 60 other people (totally private huh?!?). It should be fun, can't wait to get in the water to snorkel and explore under the beautiful waters. 

Jo xo

PS: I think the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, is staying here for the next couple of nights; either that or there is a whole heap of Chinese officials and security guards for the fun of it. 

November 16, 2014

Packing for an Island Holiday

A little semi spontaneous holiday has been booked! YAY! One of my best girlfriend and I decided that we needed a relaxing holiday in the sun. A holiday where "thinking" wasn't totally required and a holiday where we could just de-stress, relax, get some much needed sun (they say vitamin D is a necessity right?!), read our books and just simply recharge from our busy lives in Sydney.

So, from that, we have booked tickets to head to Fiji in three days! Yep, in three days! And in the next three days I need to get a pedicure, find mini toiletries, find my locks for my suitcase, locate Fijian dollars, and work two more days and that in itself has a whole heap of organising and finalisation. It's funny how the days leading up to a holiday you find yourself running around trying to get things done as well as catching up with friends. 



I wanted to share this post with you about what to pack for an island holiday as well as for the plane to make your journey a little easier. There are many blogs about what to pack and what to bring when you have kids but this one doesn't involve kids, it just involves you as the traveller. If you're anything like me then you'll also be an over packer! 

I admit that I end up re-packing my suitcase and carry on a few times before leaving for the airport. I think it's because I think that I need everything such as my entire wardrobe and my entire shoe collection but clearly for an island holiday I don't think I'll be needing my stilettos or high-waisted disco pants, but they will be considered. 

Firstly, it's an island holiday that we're going on so generally we don't need to pack that many clothes and nor will we require winter clothing as the weather in Fiji will be around 30 degrees- BLISS. Secondly, the length of the trip; we're only going for a week so taking 20 pair of underwear may be a little extreme, however, I do recommend packing a couple of spares for "just in case" - situations such as you have to stay a couple of extra nights because of flight delays (kind of hope that happens to us).

I've been sitting here thinking about what to pack into the suitcase and I've decided that I won't be taking much but the main items I will be taking are:

~ two bikini sets (maybe even three)
~ two summer dresses, these will be great for dinners
~ three pairs of denim shorts (can never have enough denim)
~ two skirts
~ a few singlets and t-shirts
~ board shorts, great for paddle boarding and kayaking 
~ kaftan, great for wearing around the beach to go to the bar 
~ couple of gym gear
~ a nice pair of sandals and a pair of thongs (aka flip flops)

Then you'll need to think about toiletry items especially if you have sensitive skin, like I do, then you'll want to ensure that you have the products that are suited for you. We'll be staying at the Sheraton so I'm going to save luggage space by not taking shampoo and conditioner as generally these are provided by the hotel but I will be taking my own body wash, toothpaste, body cream, face wash and cream. Do you pack anything in particular?

Next, you have to think about your carry on and what you're going to pack into that. There are a few items to think about and before you know it, you have a mini suitcase as a carry on but there are items I would suggest going in your carry on rather that in your check-in suitcase.

MONEY AND IMPORTANT DOCUMENTATIONS
Always, always, always keep all your money (including the foreign dollars) and important documentations such as your passport, flight details, accommodation and transfer details with you. Any other items of value should also be in your carry on or on you such as jewellery and credit cards. Unfortunately, there are still dishonest people so be smart and ensure that these items are will you at all times. Depending on the country you're going to it might be worth getting a money belt (I used one while travelling around South East Asia and Europe). 



ELECTRONIC ITEMS
I certainly will be carrying on my laptop, iPad and iPhone with me, including all the charges. If you have a camera or any other fragile item, these should also be carried on with you. This will ensure that these items don't get accidently damaged by baggage handlers. 



MEDICATIONS
If you have any medications or medications that you need to take regularly you should pack for about three days worth. "Why three days worth?" It's purely a guide but it's just in case your suitcase gets delayed or lost; you don't want to be in trouble or in another country trying to find your medication.

TOILETRIES AND A SPARE CHANGE OF CLOTHES 
Although you have packed toiletries into your suitcase, it's good to have some mini (approved liquid sizes) toiletries in your carry on such as face wipes, mini toothpaste, mini body cream and even a change of clothes. "Why a change of clothes?" Well, if your checked-in suitcase is delayed or lost then you'll have a least a days worth of items with you to refresh and then go out and purchase more items if your suitcase will take a few days to arrive. 

OTHER ITEMS TO KEEP YOU COMFORTABLE
Flying can be exciting - exciting because you're about to journey to another country to relax and experience the culture. However, flying can also be long and boring so having some comfort items can make it a lot easier for you. If you have an iPad or laptop, think about loading some movies or shows onto it so that you can pass time by watching movies or shows that you like and/or take a good book with you and even some magazines so you catch up on the goss around the world. 


Pack some healthy snacks; most airlines will provide snacks during the flight however, these are usually biscuits and sweets which you don't want to be loading yourself up on. You can pack some vegetable chips, fruit like a banana or an apple, carrot sticks and mixed nuts are great to have on hand. 

I hope you found some of these points useful. Let me know what other items you pack or have found useful as part of your travels. Now it's time for me to get packing (or re-packing) and prepare for my trip! 


Keep you eyes posted on the blog as I'll be sharing my fun and journey from Fiji - Bula!

Jo xo

November 13, 2014

42 Days Till Christmas!

OH. EMM. GEEE. Can you believe it?! There are 42 days left until Christmas! Well, according to an Instagram post I saw this morning. As I get older and around this time each year, I've notice myself saying "I can't believe the year has come around so quickly!" Then the next thing you know it's New Years Eve and you're celebrating the new year. 


Are you even prepared for Christmas? Have you started planning the day and where you're going to be, what presents to buy, who is hosting Christmas and how much food you're going to consume in the one day and the days to follow on from that from all the left overs! 

I have recently found myself thinking about presents. Thinking about what presents to buy my family and friends as well as budgeting for these presents. For me around this time of year, all my bills such as insurances are due at the same time so having the "spare" money for presents is a slight squeeze for me. I find myself having to budget more tightly so that I have enough money to get everyone a little something something as well as living day to day with such necessities as food.


The hardest people to buy for at this present moment are my three beautiful and hilarious nieces. They are girls who have just reached the double digits in age (Oh, where has the time gone?) and I still find myself finding gifts that are a little too young for them or things I just don't know if they'll really like. I was thinking of getting them watches, but I know dad had recently bought them watches when he was overseas and they were just "meh". Even dad has been forced to given them money for their birthdays so that they can get something that they want or save it towards something bigger. 

Any suggestions that you have would be greatly appreciated. If you're a parent, aunty or uncle who are buying gifts for kids, let me know what you're planning on getting. Share your ideas with me and everyone else who may be struggling.  At this stage I'm leaning towards Smiggle. Not only are they great for kids of all ages (even me as I secretly love stationery!) but they are a great back-up for gifts and every kid loves them.

Hmmmm back to working out how to fund all these presents. A lesson I've long taught myself with regards to budgeting and ensuring that I can still live day-to-day and week-to-week is:

  • making a list of all the people you have to purchase a gift for (combining couples gift also helps) 
  • setting aside a maximum amount you'll spend on each gift 
  • roughly penciling in the type of gift you'll get them, as this will save you walking around the shops forever trying to find something.

Then finally, and this only works if you start this planning now, is working out how many weeks you have until Christmas and buying one or two gifts each week so that you're not blowing your weekly budget and overspending. Below are some rules I've given myself when buying Christmas gifts and something that you can use or just keep at the back of your mind:
  • I don't believe that you have to spend a lot of money on gifts for Christmas as you're buying for more people at the same time and I believe that Christmas is about spending quality time with family and friends
  • If there are gifts that you need to send overseas or interstate, plan to purchase those gifts first so that you can send them in time for them to receive the gifts just before Christmas 
  • If sending gifts via the post, remember to also budget for postage cost
  • Keep your receipts just in case a gift you buy such as clothing can be exchanged if the size is incorrect.
These are just some tips from me that I've learnt over the years when Christmas shopping and something that I thought I would share with you. Do you have your own tips and plans when purchasing Christmas presents for friends and family? Do you set a budget for yourself or do you just go all out? Do you find yourself doing all the Christmas shopping at the very last minute?

Share your Christmas story with me as I've love to hear about it and any tips that you may have so that I can learn something new myself. 

Happy Christmas shopping!

Jo xo

November 12, 2014

Sculptures by the Sea 2014

Last weekend was the final weekend for the famous Scupltures by the Sea for 2014. I had lunch with some old work colleagues last Saturday at The Shed in Queens Park; a fabulous little cafe perfect for those with children as it's right next to a children's playground - a win/win for all! 

After lunch, one of my girlfriends, from lunch, and I decided to head down to Bondi to check out Sculptures by the Sea, the pop-up The Grounds by the Sea and most importantly, have a lovely catch up. I drove there and as luck would have it, managed to find unlimited free parking - Jo 1, Waverly Council 0! We gently strolled down to Marks Park where majority of the sculptures were and where The Grounds by the Sea was constructed especially for this event. 



Given that we'd just had lunch we decided to check out all the scupltures first and then head back for a shake (something yum to look forward to after the walk). It was a very busy afternoon; so many people had come to see the scupltures and I would assume it because: 
1. it's a popular free event
2. the weather was pretty good
3. it was the final weekend.

Either way, there was a lot of people walking along the beautiful coast, to admire the stunning and unusual art. We casually strolled along looking at each of the sculptures deciding on which ones we liked, which ones we didn't like so much of and what some of them meant. Maybe we should have taken one of the brochures to read about them, but that would have taken the fun out of making up our own stories of what we believed the scupltures mean. Don't you do that?



Half way through the walk we decided to take a seat on the cliff's edge and take in the stunning view of the ocean. It's moment like this that reminds me of how much I love living in Sydney. I've been lucky enough to live overseas in the UK and have travelled extensively but there is something about Sydney that brings me back. It's probably because it's home for me and it's where my family is but it's also the lifestyle that we are privileged to have here. Things like, but not limited to:
~ being close to the beaches
~ a harbour city 
~ the outdoor lifestyle 
~ the amazing food and the different cruisines
~ the weather
~ the various cultures. 



We sat there on the edge for a little while catching up and chatting about why we love our home, how we're both looking forward to the summer months, general life and plans for a holiday trip in the future. It was lovely! We then continued our walk to see the rest of the sculptures ending up at Tamarama beach admiring the giant frypan and the cool snakes and ladder sculpture, which was my friend's favourite. 





We headed back to take a look at The Grounds by the Sea and get an ice cold shake. An awesome little set up at a stunning location; it's a shame that they couldn't stay for the summer months. The staff were friendly, the menu was fabulous and the entire concept was oozing coolness! Well done to The Grounds….Hope to see more pop-ups throughout Sydney (*hint hint*). 



Did you get a chance to see Sculptures by the Sea this year? If so, what did you think? What was your favourite sculpture? 

Jo xo

November 04, 2014

Shenkin Eatery

Another top weekend we had! After a much needed sleep-in on Sunday morning I met my beautiful girlfriend for what I was hoping to be brunch but according to my iPhone clock it was lunch time already! It's Sunday, so time doesn't matter and if there is a cafe serving brunch items all day then it's a winner in my book! 


Due to our intensive starvation situation we went to have brunch/lunch at the Shenkin Eatery that is located on Crown Street, Surry Hills. A lovely little local cafe for me and I absolutely adore them. 

The Shenkin family has always been in the inner west so to have them located in Surry Hills is a special bonus for us living in the inner city of Sydney (although it still didn't stop me going inner west as I do love it there). The family consists of Shenkin in Erskinville, Shenkin Esspresso in Newtown and Shenkin Kitchen on Enmore Road. 

The food focuses on Australian and, their heritage, Israeli palate and I must say, that's the part I like the most. Anyone can do bacon and eggs but bacon and eggs with a twist is what gets my taste buds excited and dancing for more. 

The menu is decent and provides a good size of options without having too many items or too little. The coffee there is tasty as well and the service is top notch with staff constantly making sure you're happy and comfortable. The atmosphere is casual and the design on the cafe is very cool rustic with wooden tables and steel stools. 

To start, I ordered an ice coffee and my friend had a bottled orange juice. I'd love for them to do fresh juices especially with summer coming (*cheeky hint*) but being a coffee girl I'm satisfied! I then ordered the "The Bite" and my friend ordered the "Sliders".


My dish was devine and consisted of pan-fried mushrooms, poached egg & avocado falafel served with sourdough bread, mixed lettuce and Allenby sauce. Oh, that "Allenby" sauce is to die for! I wanted to bottle it and take it home. 

The Bite with the amazing Allenby sauce drizzled all over
The Sliders
A very decent serve of food by Shenkin; you seriously don't walk out of there feeling hungry or disappointed and the flavours are delicious and go together very well. 

To the Shenkin family ~ thank you for opening up in Surry Hills and sharing your talents with us inner city peeps. I love your food and customer service and will be frequenting more often! 

Jo xo

November 03, 2014

Where's Wally?…On Cockatoo Island


Where's Wally?….I think we saw him at the Island Bar on Cockatoo Island! Dressed in a red and white stripe top, denim shorts, white trainers and the classic round black glasses our group of seven was dressed as Where's Wally made our way through the city centre of Sydney to board a private ferry from King St Wharf and headed over to Cockatoo Island for an afternoon of workplace team building.

I don't usually take the ferry in Sydney but when I do, like on this day, it reminds me of being a kid going on a journey with school or my parents and I absolutely love it when the ferry rocks from side to side. For many others, I think I makes them a little sea sick, but for me, the feeling is therapeutical and so much fun!

Everyone were in group of around seven people and being Halloween each group were encouraged to dress up in Halloween costumes. It was amazing to see the amount of effort everyone put into dressing up and really coming together as a team. There were zombies, mummies, pirates and witches disembarking onto Cockatoo Island for an afternoon of treasure hunting. 

When we first arrived onto the island, we were greeted by the island rangers for a quick briefing and housekeeping and a warning that it is currently seagull mating season! There is a section of there island where many seagulls come to mate and have their babies and can tend to be very protective which means they will swoop at you if they feel that you're a threat to their surroundings. With this additional information and location, we made sure we stayed away or at least protected our heads!

The weather was absolutely amazing. The sun came out to play and felt like a true summers day in the middle of spring; we couldn't complain at all. We made our way to the Island Bar where we were treated to lunch before starting the team building game. The food at the Island Bar was really tasty and plentiful; to start with they brought out plates of antipasti, cured meats, flat bread and various panini's. Then boxes of different types of wood-fire pizzas arrived - let the carb loading begin! I must admit, the pizzas were very tasty and if I had more room in my stomach, I would have gone back for more!

Wood-fire pizzas
After lunch we then worked together in our groups to start the treasure hunt. Each team were provided with a map and the first five of ten questions we needed to answer. We had 90 minutes to complete the hunt and basically, as a group, you had to correctly answer the questions and the fastest team to complete the hunt with all questions answered correctly were the winner - simple! 

I would say, having a couple of very competitive team members in your team really helps with the game as well as someone who is willing to run (in the heat) the information back to the judges also helps. The hunt really allowed us to explore the island and find out some information about the island such as the two previous names Cockatoo Island was known, the number of tents on the island and the various buildings around the island. It also made us work together as a team to find and work through the information as well as coming together to take a "selfie" at each location to prove that we did go to that particular location as a team.


We initially hit a little hiccup on the first leg of the hunt where one of our answers was incorrect but quickly as a team we managed to get the answer to the judges fast and obtained the second set of questions. We then took off as quickly as possible and the heat was seriously beaming down on us and of course this leg of the hunt involved a little more running. We managed to work through the questions very quickly even with other teams trying to sabotage us!

Where's Wally?



With our last question answered, our team captain, who was also the runner, ran our answers back to the judges while the rest of the team walked back to the Island Bar and discussed our potential winning prize. The prize was a $500 donation to a charity of choice so as a team we had to discuss and decide on a charity that we wanted to donate the money too. At first, I thought that this would be a hard discussion to have as a team as each person, including myself, would have their own charity of choice and to choose only one, and which one, would be difficult as all charities are deserving of the donation. However, as a team and being the month of October, Cancer month here in Australia, we decided to donate, if we'd won, the money to the Cancer Council. Cancer Council was chosen because we wanted the donation to cover all types of cancer rather than a specific one such as breast cancer.

When the team arrived to the Island Bar, where the judges were, we walked in realising that we were the only team back with the awesome news that we had all the questions right! Being the first team back and having all the questions right meant that we were the WINNERS! The ironic thing about being the first team back and finding out that you're the winner was that the other teams were still out hunting so there wasn't anyone there to see that we had won. However, that didn't stop us from celebrating, screaming and dancing around as winners do.

The Island Bar
As winners, it was then fitting for us to take some "winners" photo shots for the internal newsletter and then sit down to relax with a drink as we waited for the other teams to arrive back. The rest of the afternoon was spent with everyone enjoying a couple of drinks, some more food and soaking up the summer heat and just catching up with everyone outside of the office environment. 

Time to relax.
If you haven't been to Cockatoo Island, I totally recommend that you go there. It's a very short ferry ride from Circular Quay, Darling Harbour and even Balmain and with summer coming it's a perfect place to go with family and friends for a relaxing day of exploring and chilling at the Island Bar. I know where I'll be hanging out this summer!

Hope you had an awesome Halloween!

Jo xo