Getting Out! (Bunbury @home)

Sometimes I just want to stay at home. You know that feeling...

The one where the outside world is maybe just a little too much to bear and much like a bear as the cold air blows in and the sky closes over with grey and wet, you stock up on ridiculous amounts of snacks and curl up in your cave. Stuff yourself to bursting point and close your eyes and dream of a time when the sun shone down, warming the day and your soul. A wonderful sentiment indeed and while I would love to write about my own #hospitality and how if you visited my cave you would be greeted with popcorn and warm blankets and movie marathons and silly games, I have an obligation to at least entertain the notion that you are reading something of worth. So here it is!

Over the weekend I visited a number of #venues, each time announcing myself as a blog writer and each time greeted with nervous fear and a telling statement.

“As long as you write something good.”

This was followed by awkward laughter and poorly timed jokes too bad to mention.

My dad would have been in his element. This got me thinking and for anyone that knows me, searching for clarity within the depths of this head can take some time.

Of recent months a trend has been growing and it becomes more evident every time I drag myself out of the comfort of my recliner. A telling sign that claws at me like a frustrated feline swatting at its human for possibly no reason at all but more likely for a can of stinky fish. A sign of tough times, an empty street on a Sunday #lunch, a #town that shuts down by 10pm on a Friday night and a lone barman waiting for the next patron, his hand glued to the beer tap because he knows if they just walk in the door at $3 a middy that’s a hell of a lot cheaper than a glass of coke or a milkshake or a coffee for that matter.

I walk down the main street, a sense of nostalgia of better times, of a bustling hub packed with #diners from all walks of life. Families, business people, mates catching up for a pint and well dressed ladies coming together over #coffee and #cake. Staff running themselves ragged, a little stressed but still smiling because they know at the end of the 10 hour shift they would have made a difference, offered someone an experience that they will remember.

Great service, amazing food and a sensational atmosphere. All hallmarks of a great venue.

Well I’m here to tell you the staff are still there and the venues are waiting. Waiting for you dear reader to peel yourselves away from the shiny screen and shimmy out of the human shaped indent of your couch and pick up your phone, call a friend or your mum and go get yourselves an experience.

#Bunbury has so much to offer and no matter what your poison I can guarantee there’s something for all. Whether it might be good coffee, a decent sandwich, a juicy steak, a healthy salad, a share plate, a milkshake, a pasta, a bowl of mussels, a burger, a risotto, a pizza, a kebab, tacos, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Italian... you can find it in the City and at ridiculous prices.

There used to be a time when I would have to save for a month just to afford to go out for a couple of hours and hope by the end of dinner I still had enough money to splurge on a tiny insignificant crème brulee to share. That time is long gone and while I still have to save (mainly because I’m terrible with finance) my dollar goes further than ever before.

This is a call out, a rally to arms for everyone and anyone that’s sitting at home reading this wondering what to do with your day, shake off that winter fur and make your way down to your favourite haunt and indulge. But don’t be greedy and keep it to yourself, share the love.

Tell us where you are, what you ate and why we should check it out. They say there’s no place like home and #Bunbury is my home and it is up to us to look after it and show it that we care. We have amazing venues, so let’s show them that we care too!