Cafe Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Destination's Journey

29 November 202225 November 2022

Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator

Built in 1934 the Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator was originally the Willoughby Municipal Incinerator. Its purpose was to dispose of Willoughby Council’s municipal waste rather than dumping it at the tip. As the name suggests, Walter Burley Griffin designed the building, the same architect responsible for the winning design of the city Canberra in the ACT.

Designed to use the Australian designed and patented Reverberatory Refuse Incinerator, it was very efficient for its time. Essentially, it used and inclined vibrating conveyor to move waste from the feed to the furnace. As the conveyor moved, waste was heated using excess furnace heat generated from the burning waste. This dried the incoming feed, making it more efficient to burn.

Over time, council neglected the incinerator, failing to upgrade its capacity as waste volumes grew until it closed in 1967.

In 2011 the Willoughby Incinerator re-opened to operate as an art space and artist studios on the lower section, while a café operates at street level. Run by Willoughby Council, the art space and studios present a diverse range of exhibitions each year.

We had a coffee at the café and then had a look through the gallery. As well as the art, the building interior was interesting, because of the industrial architecture still visible. Unfortunatley, much has been removed, but some still remains.

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To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

28 May 202228 May 2022

Wyong New South Wales

Wyong New South Wales Australia

Located on the New South Wales Central Coast, Wyong is around an hour’s drive north of Sydney, or an hour’s drive south from Newcastle. We visited to see the historic building and street art as well as visiting Alison Homestead on the outskirts of town.

Our first stop was the Chapman Building, where Glee Coffee have a café where you can grab a morning coffee. Opposite the café, the latest artwork was being installed. Unfortunately, these are taken down after a few months, but replaced a year later by the council.

At Alison Road, a map of the heritage walk has been installed. This is great in case you haven’t looked up the locations of what to see before-hand. Just across the road from the sign is Tightrope Lane, with it’s footpath painted as a tightrope.

We walked around the centre of town having a look at the old courthouse, post office and other buildings before heading off to the Alison Homestead. Another nearby attraction worth seeing is the old Milk Factory which now has a tavern, chocolate and candle making and arts and crafts.

Glee Coffee in the Chapman Building Wyong — Glee Coffee in the Chapman Building

Heritage Sign Hely Street — Glee Coffee in the Chapman Building

Our photos are available for purchase on

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

23 April 20229 April 2022

Ricardoes Tomatoes and Strawberries

Ricardoes Tomatoes and Strawberries

A favourite with locals and tourists, Port Macquarie’s Ricardoes Tomatoes and Strawberries is a fun place to pick your own fresh produce. Located only 20 minutes from the Port Macquarie CBD on the New South Wales mid-north coast, it’s a must-see place for visitors.

A large car park caters to the many visitors. On arrival you are greeted by koala painted in strawberry leaves, flowers and fruit. These koalas are a feature around Port Macquarie, being places outside many businesses and decorated to reflect their location.

After saying hello to the koala, we went inside to get a bucket and scissors and a few instructions including which greenhouse to go to. It was then off to collect our strawberries. At the end you pay before leaving for the weight of the strawberry’s that you have picked.

Ricardoes grow their tomatoes and strawberries hydroponically in greenhouses. Only certain ones are open to the public at a time because the others are either undergoing maintenance or not ready to harvest.

We spent some time picking strawberries, making sure to pick ripe ones. Signs tell you that the best ones are at the back, because most people go to the front rows of plants first. Once our buckets were full, we returned to the entrance to pay for them.

Café and Shop

Inside the main building, a display room has other products for sale, and we bought some strawberry jam. A café also sold Devonshire tea, so we finished off the morning with coffee, and scones with jam and cream.

This was a fun morning out, with strawberries to eat on the way home.