Location photographer. Getting behind the scenes. Showing off the secret, and not so secret, treasures of the world.
TigerAir, Airbnb, Uber... where is Qantas, Hilton and the taxis?
Travelling with new options. Taxi V Uber. Hotel V Airbnb. My experience.
The communal pool in the first Airbnb property in Southbank, Brisbane. A great area with BBQs, pool, spa, sauna and gym
Today I saw a post on Facebook, it went along the lines of... 20 years ago we were saying 'don't talk to strangers', 10 years ago we were saying 'don't meet someone from online alone' and now we are saying 'go find some random online and pay them to take you somewhere in their private car'.
It made me think about my recent trip.
I took my Mum and kids away. We went to Brisbane and Moreton Island. And I completely blew my Mum away with the use of Uber and Air BnB. Even TigerAir. Being more of a road trip and caravan traveller, she'd never heard of them.
Going to sleep with this view from FV by Peppers in Fortitude Valley
It used to be travel agents, hotel bookings, Qantas and taxi services. How things have changed. Now we can stay in peoples homes - whether it is a full-time holiday rental or a room in their home, use our phone to book a ride with someone who is using their own car to make money and book flights without the frills of yummy aeroplane food (haha) to cut costs.
It was the first trip where I have relied on mostly Airbnb and Uber. How did it go?
Well...
Uber works great. All the drivers I rode with were helpful, drove safely and got us where we needed to go on time. I like seeing where they are (even though that in itself can prove frustrating when they show up just around the corner but still take 5 minutes or longer to get to me), I can see a photo and find out about the driver before they arrive and at the end of the trip I can say thank you, goodbye and get out. No need to wait around for credit card payments.
Airbnb. It's hit and miss. I've had some great experiences with them - staying in some very cool Melbourne pads on previous trips. On this trip, I booked two apartments. The first was great - very good communication prior, during and after the stay, neat and clean and a nice vibe. The second wasn't so good - a lovely apartment but too dirty to stay in. I contacted the owner but her response was not to come clean (it seriously looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a few weeks with dust, mould, food bits, sticky stuff on the floor, soap on the shower floor) but to say that with what we paid she could not present the home 'impeccably clean'.
FV by Peppers, Fortitude Valley
Air BnB was very helpful. They communicated between myself and her and ended up giving me a refund. So, although I ended up having to book another apartment for that night at a higher cost - we had clean beds to sleep in and felt comfortable.
Would I use Air BnB again? Yes, I would. But I'd check reviews and communicate my standards a bit better before arrival. Booking through a hotel gives me more assuredness of some sort of cleanliness standards.
TigerAir performed well for us too. On time, friendly and, unlike previous trips, I was prepped for the bag weight checks at the gate (no more frantically layering of clothes). If only I had realised before standing in the boarding lineup in Brisbane that I had to go get my bags weighed and stickered first. After waiting for about 5 minutes another passenger told me. Oh well, we are all going to arrive in Adelaide at the same time, it doesn't matter what order we board.
Do I like the new way of travel? Yes, I like the options it gives. More choice. More convenience. And with more cost options, it opens up travel for more people. Or for people to travel more.
And I do believe that travel is the worlds best classroom. For all ages.
A little note from the world that never goes astray
Summer holidays...
Summer holidays. Where I expect sun and warm weather, but get rain and grey skies. Moreton Island and Tangalooma Resort is still fun.
When I booked an island holiday in Queensland, I just presumed it would be sunny and warm. After all, it was going to be October. And coming from Adelaide, even mid-twenties would be a treat.
So, grey skies, rain and 18 degrees was a bit of a shock. So much for the summer holiday to Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island. Where are my relaxing afternoons lazing on the beach after touring around? Instead, we are scrambling around for umbrellas and ponchos and venturing about the resort when the rain subsides a little. We don't even get to see outside of the resort. Something that annoys me - I love to know where I am and go discovering when somewhere new.
But, we adapt. We grab the umbrellas and ponchos and wander. Ashton wades through puddles. Belle cartwheels across the lawn. They both build a fort with their umbrellas on the beach. They even get me in the pool once. Brr.
Reception has board games, we play a few games of pool, and visit the marine centre where we learn about marine life. I am shocked at how dolphins and sharks have been slaughtered. I never knew that sharks were caught for their fin and then chucked back in the sea to die.
I'd definitely like to re-visit with the sun and warm weather. Moreton Island looks magical, and the resort itself is a little haven of relaxation and chill.
Streets of Havana
Streets of Havana, Cuba exhibition by lifestyle and location photographer, Heidi Lewis of heidi who photos. Come join us for some Cuban fun on 1st November at Howling Owl!
In May 2018 I went to Cuba for two weeks. It's been on my bucket list for many years, so I was very excited to be going, finally. Even if it did mean over 36 hours in travel to get there.
I went with Adelaide dance school, La Bomba. We stayed in Havana most of the time - discovering the neighbourhoods, visiting a local family, taking dance classes, watching an intimate dance rehearsal and of course drinking mojitos and salsa'ing through the night at many concerts and night spots.
During the day we discovered the streets - by foot, taxi, the yellow coco taxis and bicitaxi. Tourist areas and the not so frequented areas.
Streets of Havana exhibition shows (predominantly Old) Havana through my eyes. The buildings are crumbling but beautiful. Life happens on the street. It's a mix of colour, rubbish, beauty, smells (mainly fumes and petrol) and old relics.
Launch will be on Thursday 1 November from 6pm at The Howling Owl. Cuban inspired cocktails will be available and a Cuban dance class (with La Bomba) will be held at 7.30pm.
INFORMATION:
Streets of Havana
10 Vaughan Pl, Adelaide SA 5000
Launch 1st Nov at 6pm
CONTACT HEIDI 0402 716 406 for all media enquiries
Escaping for a relaxing night at Lush Pastures
A relaxing weekend away… close to home. Eat, drink, sleep. And a wander.
Ever since I photographed Lush Pastures a few years back, I knew I wanted to come here for a night (or more). Now, I'm here. And not for work. And I'm excited.
The experience, for me, all starts with the drive down. Lush Pastures is just outside of Yankalilla, so I get to drive along one of my favourite roads away from Adelaide. The winding curves, the big bosom hills (that are looking so lush after winter) on one side and sparkling ocean on the other. I feel like I am a race car driver, scooting around the hillsides - even though I'm sitting on a speed that is similar to Granny driving (well, that's what I'll tell my Mum and Dad anyway).
When the road turns to dirt and we venture upwards, I know we are getting close. Surrounded by green paddocks, trees arching over the road and the odd farmhouse... Mother Nature's design of countryside, hills and valleys, I have no choice but to breathe deep and soak it in. Relaxation begins.
Cheryl and Andy greet us as we are getting out of the car, and show us around the property. The views from the pavilions are beautiful - especially with the blue sky and green winter grass. We look out over the hills to the ocean.
It's mid-afternoon, I have grand ideas of tramping around the paddocks but instead, find ourselves sitting with a bottle of wine and cheese board in the huge chairs that look out of Romeo, our pavilion. It's like a painting, the panoramic window framing the hills, ocean and sky perfectly. Chatting away, sipping wine and nibbling Fleurieu cheese, figs and gourmet crackers, it's hard to move. So we don't. Until dinner. When we have to wander a few metres over to the Lodge for more wine and three-course meal with Andy and Cheryl.
Blue cheese and fig creme brulee, spanakopita and dill pancake rolls with smoked salmon start us off. Beef short ribs, potato crisp and bok choy fill the tummy even more. Homemade vanilla ice cream with red desert lime marmalade, chilli plums and chocolate brownie nearly make me burst. All washed down with local K1 by Geoff Hardy wine.
The conversation goes from personal stories, the theatrics of a soccer game, sports stars, hilarious Australian humour to wine. Cheryl and Andy are great to chat to - but by 10 pm I'm ready to collapse into a food-induced coma. I waddle back to Romeo.
Waking up with no blinds, I love watching the sun change the shape and tone of the hills from under the covers. Gemma comes to the door for a pat before breakfast - and probably to tell us breakfast is ready, which (in the gentlest way) finally forces me out of bed. It is 9 am after all.
Breakfast is waiting for us in the Lodge. Luckily, I had a good nights sleep to rest my tummy after yesterdays food because this is a big, yummy feed of cereal, fruit, eggs, toast, yoghurt and endless coffee.
Now is definitely a great time for that walk. We wander through the paddocks to the dams - with Bella and Gemma in tow. Or, more so, leading the way. And then it's time to leave.
Driving back to Adelaide, we stop off to walk Normanville to Carrickalinga beach. My body is craving movement. I wonder why? Food coma, lots of wine and a good dose of relaxation... I feel like a different person.
My old stomping ground... Victor Harbor.
Reminiscing about old times in Victor Harbor… while at work.
I had a photo shoot around Victor Harbor recently. I was very excited. I spent my late teenage years in Victor Harbor and hadn’t spent much time wandering the streets since. I wanted to see how it has changed. And boy, has it changed.
Now there are juice bars, health stores, coffee shops, funky plant stores where plants are named along with the old favourites like the lolly shop and cinema. The main street (Ocean St) has had an upgrade and now has artwork and seating areas while the whale tail in Warland Reserve still draws the crowds. I remember doing ‘mainies’ (doing laps of the main street) down here in the 90s, and now I’m sipping on double-shot lattes.
It still has the country feel but with the little niceties of quirky cafes, protein bar, wholefoods bulk store, and an outstanding collection of coverture chocolate that looks more like artwork than a treat.
I also went for a drive... as everyone does when down here. Out to Encounter Bay, to the Bluff and further out to Middleton. To check the waves of course. It's what I do when I'm down here. A day well spent at work.
Check out the map and story in the current issue of Fleurieu Living Magazine.
Havana nights...
Havana nights… salsa and rum.
DANCING IN HAVANA
Cuba. It’s the home of salsa. Anyone who loves salsa, more so Cuban salsa aka ‘circle salsa’ would love here. I have dreamt of coming here for many years. The allure of the classic cars and crumbling buildings was the main attraction for many years, that is until I took up salsa.
I'm told the dance scene has changed a lot in the last few years. Cubans are getting used to foreigners now, but before, it was a novelty. Any foreigner would be asked to dance, song after song. I find though, that they want to dance with people who can dance well (or a person they find attractive :)) The better you dance, the more dances you are asked for.
But even if I am not asked to dance, I love watching. In fact, sometimes I find myself in quite the dream-like state watching people. Growing up dancing, they know their stuff. They glide, they are smooth, they have the fancy moves, they are sexy - they are intoxicating.
If you are a newbie to dance, don’t despair. There are ways of still getting a dance. You can hire a dancer to go with you. You could do some classes then try your luck. Or you can go with a group and have a blast. With or without the Cubans. This is what we do.
We came to have fun, and we do. And we gain friends along the way. Cubans love fun and gravitate towards it. Do not take yourself too seriously while here. They (well, some) can be blunt, but they don’t mean it rudely.
Just like they don’t think they are rude by staring and ‘wolf whistling’ in their different ways when every woman walks past them. One day I watch a man nearly walk into building columns because he is too busy gawking at the woman he just walked past. The woman - dressed in active wear, with a very large booty, keeps walking, head held high while he gawks in despair. I giggled. The outward expression of interest is something I am not used to seeing. It's not about the hourglass woman with bigger than average breasts here, it is all about the curves and bum.
Anyway, back to the dancing. Some rules… Not just for in Cuba either.
Don’t get tense. You will be told this a lot. ‘Just relax’. Don't worry about not knowing what you are doing, or getting anxious because your dance partner is much better. Yep, easier said than done sometimes.
Second rule… let the guy lead. Don’t try to guess what he is going to do, just let it flow.
Three…. stay by the dance floor if you want to be asked to dance. That way, the people interested in dancing more can grab you when they finish a song.
Four… normally it is the guy that asks for the dance. In Australia, this isn’t always the case, but it is here. Guys may be shocked if you ask, it’s not a social faux pa, just be warned.
Salsa is the main dance of Cuba. Solo or with a partner, everyone can dance. We dance salsa suelta (solo) at many concerts while appreciating the performer in front of us. Sometimes it’s directed from the performers on stage, sometimes it’s followed from someone in your ‘line’ of dance. And sometimes, you just dance to your own style.
Now, go out there and dance. Don’t worry about the sweat (from anyone and everyone). It will be there, in abundance.
Surfergirls hit Crescent Head...
When Surfergirls SA head north to surf… we discover Crescent Head and surrounding areas.
It’s on day three that I realise what I’m doing. I’m on a surf trip with a bunch of girls. We have taken over the town (by default of large group of 8 foreigners) of Crescent Head and are now meeting the local surfers and regular surfer boy groups.
We are surfing at Big Hill, the best wave we could find in a time of little to no swell. And it seems everyone else is also. There is a big group out on the water, about 25. And the break is only a few metres wide. It’s like playing dodgeball, surfer gets the wave, and we all lean and swerve to not hit each other like pebbles rolling down a hill. I'm not used to the crowd; it’s scary, but it’s also fun. I hope I don’t get in anyone's way. And I hope I get some good waves.
We spend two hours or more in the water before the waves drop. People have gone, people have come, and more people have left again. But we are still here. It’s like a mission. We are here for surf, and we don’t want to give up. It doesn’t matter the wait or the wave height. We just want waves. Usually, there is swell at this time of year (August), but we have a feeling the blood moon has mucked with the oceans and swell. Locals have told us there has been no swell for the last few weeks. Very odd for here.
We search for waves on many breaks. We wander through the bush. We look with longing over cliff tops. We even surf the shark waters (unknowingly) for a wave. Typically early morning we find our wave. And I freeze for it. One frosty morning I lose feeling in my heels and can't stand on my board.
When we need to warm up, we head back to "camp". Our house at Crescent Head. We cook eggs on toast then head to the cafe for coffee. Our fave being Blackfish and Green Room. Again, we build on our relationship with the locals. They see us coming - probably due to our group size, and our hoodies that state ‘Surfergirls SA’. We even have one hoon on a skateboard scooting around town. Cheryl, our leader. We are no chameleons.
It’s a beautiful, tranquil spot (yes, even with us here). Seems to attract the over 40s crowd, but seriously, anyone chilled could come here. The houses line the hilltop, all overlooking the bay where little lines peel, great for longboarders. On a bigger day of swell, it’d be good for shortboarders too. I hear there is also a Shark Alert system in place, and the day we arrive the beacon has gone off to alert people that a shark is lingering in the area. Great idea, maybe. Or maybe it’s more a scare than anything else. We do know that they are there anyway. I guess I’d prefer to know if one (if not more that are not tagged) are hanging about where I want to surf. It keeps me out anyway. I mean, there’s no swell, but if there was, I’m not sure I’d go in.
If Crescent Head isn’t working - which it's not - there are plenty more breaks to explore. We head south, checking out Sunsets, Big Hill and Plumer Point. We end up at Big Hill all days… it has a small break when everywhere else is not working in these conditions. One day, I count 25 in the water, all surrounding one little wave. It seems everyone is crazy to get a wave, and this is the place. Perhaps the only place in the area.
You can also head north. We road trip up to Scotts Head for an afternoon. Another cruisy town where we spot SUP riders, little groms learning the whitewash waves and couples strolling along the beach. There’s no surf, but we keep the local coffee/takeaway shop open with coffee and juice orders. He was happy, beaming while telling us he hadn’t had a customer for over an hour. It’s common for the cafes to shut just after lunch and I’m beginning to realise why. Everyone gets their morning coffee hit then heads off - I guess after 12pm is wine time though, isn’t it?!
I caught some fun waves this week, and a nearly perfect one that I was told was ‘the wave of the week’. I was also told my face beamed after that wave. And that’s what it is all about. Catching the stoke, having fun and chilling out with friends (human or happy flipper kind).
Touring with Barossa Unique Tours
Touring the Barossa on trike and Mustang… in the rain. Loved it!
I recently attended Australian Tourism Exchange which was held in Adelaide.
On a wet Sunday, a bunch of us went out touring... and may I say, even in the rain, it was still fun.
Barossa Unique Tours did a wonderful job of entertaining, wining and dining us. They took us driving (and riding) through the rain, sipping wine at Artisans of Barossa, eating seriously good grub at Fermentasian and wine tasting at Whistler and Kalleske.
Here is a little video I did along with some photos... I'll let them tell the story.
MAY 1st Countdown... to Cuba!
Ticking off a bucket list item... Cuba.
The countdown is on...
to May 1!!!!
It’s been on my bucket list for a long time. I didn’t know when I would actually get there - it seemed like one of those hopeful dreams that may or may not become a reality. So when the opportunity comes up to go with my dance school, I thought why not.
The timing seemed right - if there is ever right timing. I separated with my husband last year. It’s only two weeks. I love dancing. I can go with a group of people I know, and the tour is run by a friend who has been doing cultural dance tours there for eight years. She knows the in’s and out’s better than me.
I’ll be going to the best dance spots, getting to know locals and dancing with friends. Plus my must-do’s of going anywhere… seeing all the history, taking lots of photos and discovering new parts of the world.
Me being me, of course, I’ll be taking lots of photos. I already have plans to have a “Cuba” exhibition when I return and maybe, just maybe, a calendar! Who wouldn’t love a Cuban calendar? There aren’t many around, so I’m going to have fun with this.
I am going on a tour, but will have free time. IF there is anything you recommend I have to do - please email or comment. I only have two weeks there, but seriously want to make the most of it. I’ll sleep on the plane. Well, try to.
P.S.
While I’m there, I’ll also be researching articles and taking stock photos for publications and my blog :)
If you are interested in me writing/photographing something for you, please let me know before I go.
Hollick Wines, Coonawarra
A photo shoot (and adventure) in the Coonawarra for Hollick Wines.
Coonawarra anyone? I can not believe it myself - I’ve never ventured down here. I wish I had more time to spend here, even a night so that I can explore. But I don’t.
Deb and I drive down in the morning, photograph for the afternoon, sleep, photograph from sunrise til near lunch, then drive back to Adelaide. Mighty effort. We are here to do a shoot for Hollick Wines. Everything from bridal shots to the restaurant to vineyard workings. I love it because I get to see and learn so much. That’s the beauty of my work - always learning different things about many different industries.
The Coonawarra is four to five hours drive from Adelaide.
A great pitstop is Keith and the excellent cafe, Henry and Rose, for coffee. If you have kids, the playground here is worth the stop. Kids scream their way along the metal monorail ride - it often has lineups.
On this trip, I also see the silo artwork at Coonalpyn. Wow. The tones and shadings leave me wondering how many times the artists had to clamber up and down the ladder to step back and see the progress.
But, getting back to the Coonawarra. Like any wine region, there are vines lined for miles. There are plenty of cellar doors. And a supply of accommodation. Smart move. Hollick Wines have just opened up their accommodation, just a few steps (literally) from their cellar door and restaurant, Upstairs. Handy. It’s a big house, well suited for a group of friends or a few families, but tonight, it’s just Deb and I. Sitting at the table on our laptops, we certainly don’t make use of the two living rooms, big farm kitchen and fireplace. It’s comfortable, and the best part? Breakfast, wine, beer, juice and bits and pieces are sitting in the fridge waiting for us to try. Complimentary. It’s the small things.
Just a few minutes away is the town of Penola. This town is Heritage listed with streets of old buildings. We take a drive down Petticoat Lane, dedicated to Mary MacKillop. It’s early morning, so nothing is open, but it’s great to see how well preserved it is, and how the town integrates around this history.
So, anyone wants to come to the Coonawarra for fun next time? A night or two?
