I am a bit of a wine fan. By this I don't mean that I have the slightest clue between good or bad, or read lots of magazines or books about wine, because I absolutely don't. I just mean, I really like drinking wine and discovering what I do and don't like in terms of different types and brands of wine.
Recently we spent a bit of time in SA doing a few winery tours, because let's face it, there is no better way to spend a holiday.
Driving along the road to the winery we were aiming for, we saw the Cellar Door sign for Ross Wines and thought we would have a look. I had never heard of them before, but really that is half the fun, right?
We sauntered on in and as luck would have it we were the only people there besides the absolutely beautiful staff member behind the bar.
The venue was lovely, the service was brilliant and the lady was super informed about their product.
She told us all about the different wines they stock, how they were made and produced and the pros and cons of various wines. We were probably there for about 45 minutes in total, and only ended up buying one bottle of $15 wine, but this was not an issue at any point (outwardly at least) for the staff member. She was unendingly cheerful and helpful and happy to give us samples and weigh up pros and cons.
If you find yourself in the area I highly recommend checking them out. Alternatively, order online so you can check out their lovely product. I highly recommend "The Beekeeper" if you are into sort of sweet white wine.

If you are into organic products, or are trying to move to a healthier lifestyle (which I am), then this is a really great business to check out.
They have a really big range of organic products, muesli, nuts, dried fruits, beans etc, and happily are quite reasonable priced.
I am currently on a bit of a health bender, we are trying to get pregnant and want to make sure we are as healthy as possible to have the best chances, so I have been searching high and low for organic products that won't send us broke. Sadly most organic options are pretty expensive, or kinda yuck, but I have found this is a pretty good compromise.
They have a few different stockists, like IGA stores and stuff, which can be easily identified on their website, you just put in your postcode and search within different distances where you are happy to travel. Or order from them.
Staff are lovely and happy, clearly organics have lots of benefits :-) They are also super helpful - last time I made a purchase I walked away with some recipes of delicious foods that can be made healthier with their products (like chocolate cake make with quinoa instead of flour). Haven't given it a try yet, but looking forward to testing it out for our next party event.
If nothing else, check out their website, it has loads of information and costs you nothing to check and see what you think.

I found a brochure for Hamper World (The Gift Specialists) on the staffroom table at work one day and had a bit of a flick through it. They have a really decent selection of hampers, with a variety of price points (from like $15-$300) and different food and beverage combinations.
I wanted to buy a hamper and get it delivered to the real estate agent who looks after a unit I own (the poor woman has had a tough year, most recently dealing with a car driving into the unit and causing damaged, which happily for me, she has dealt with entirely) because she is exceptionally professional and helpful and deserving. I am not in a position to duck into Target or Myer and buy one to drop off because of the distance, so Hamper World provided a good alternative.
Delivery around Australia varies from like $10-$20 and it can take a week or two for deliver, depending on where you live (mine was 8 days, cause we are in Queensland) but it is worth it for the simplicity they provide.
The hampers are attractively packaged and easy to order, staff are nice and professional and most importantly, the lady the gift was for LOVED it. Happy all round.

Seriously - the most AMAZING cheese in the whole world! I first came across their beyond delicious Persian Fetta at a festival a few years ago, and now go more than out of my way to get my hands on it. Even a diagnosis of lactose intolerance hasn't stopped my purchase and consumption of this product. Their Goat's cheese is pretty yummy too.
I have only been to their actual farm once, mostly just buy the product when I come across it, but both the farm and product are truly brilliant, and wonderfully unique. Even better, in my experience, the prices are competitive when compared to supermarket type brands, but way better quality, so it isn't like you are going to be paying super high prices just to be able to access it. I can rarely justify those type of things, if it is significantly cheaper in the supermarket, I will likely buy it in the supermarket. YVD cheese doesn't cause that kind of issue. Except for me when I do buy it I buy large quantities, so I guess I do end up spending lots of money :-)

Big fan of this bakery. They have a huge range of food, it isn't part of some big chain with the same boring cookie cutter stuff, and their prices are really reasonable.
They have amazing apple turnover with fresh cream - seriously to die for!
There is basically no bakery food you could think of or want to eat that they won't have there.
Huge warning though - stay away if you are on a diet, it is absolutely torture to even walk by the front door of the bakery and get a whiff of the devine scents drifting out.

The Loganholme Cactus Jacks is always crazy busy, but if you get there earlish for dinner, or make a booking when you have sufficient people going, it is easy enough to get in.
The food is generally quite good, the staff and lovely and friendly and the food doesn't take long to arrive at your table. Even when you have multiple people, they tend to get the food for everyone to the table at the same time.
Only issue I have had is that their menu ingredients don't list all things in the actual food, just some of them. I ordered a dish because the long list didn't include corn, which I can't eat, and then had the food arrive and it had corn. Apparently they just list the key ingredients. Since I discovered that, I just ask the waitress to check and haven't had a problem, just worth the warning I figure.
The main positive though, if you are there with a group, they allow you to pay individually - you shouldn't get stuck with the horrible "one bill per table" surprise at the end of your meal.

I have had dinner here on two occasions and had very similar experiences. The food is good, particularly if you order off the menu rather than waiting for the food to come around to you on the little train (that can take ages and mean you end up not getting what you actually wanted because it was never there). It is fresh and well presented and delicious really.
The environment is clean and tidy, not fancy or anything, but simple and easy enough to move around. Comfy booth chairs too.
The staff are a little vague in general - they look quite confused most times when you speak to them, but by the same token are nice and friendly and smile a lot.

I really like this place - I have been on a number of occasions for a variety of different reasons, from birthday afternoons to staff dinners and always had a really great time.
It has a great location, with beautiful scenery, particularly if you can sit outside on the balcony, and is easy to get to, there is parking pretty much underneath.
The prices are as you would expect for a city type location, but not completely over the top or anything.
They rock some pretty fabulous cocktails, and their meals are generally good. Nice share plates too if you are just going for snacks with a few friends.

Stucey Shoes is a fabulous online shoe store, run by a stay at home mum who has this project to keep her (very) busy.
They have a facebook page you can subscribe to so you keep in touch with all the new pretty shoes coming through, and a website for easy purchases.
Frequent and awesome sales occur and see me spend way too much money... I generally only admit about 50% of my expenditure to my other half, or I would be in big trouble. But, with the sales, you get lots of shoes (if you want) for a really reasonable price.
If you are confident in your shoe size or happy to measure insoles to make sure you won't have to play the return game, this is definitely a good way to look at buying shoes. If you like them, that is. As the proud owner of just over 90 pairs, I am definitely in the shoe fan category. and spend lots of time looking a new options for my collection, thus my love of this particular website.
Anyway - it is a website, a small business run by what seems like a really lovely lady who thinks shoes rock, and it is easy to navigate, so checking it out won't hurt you in any way, it is definitely worth the look.

I am a HUGE Brisbane Lions fan, so probably predisposed to like this place, but that aside, I do think it is a great addition to Springwood.
It has so much to offer - sells AFL merchandise, bottle shop, Pokies section, Keno, restaurant, bar, outdoor area, smoking area, kids play area. Something for everyone and every requirement.
We generally head in, grab a drink, choose what we want for dinner (make sure you get $1 membership - food is cheaper), get our Keno to watch during dinner while we eat and chat and then waste $10 on the pokies.
The staff are friendly and efficient, the venue is clean and well maintained and the food is good... not fancy of course, but good RSL/pub type menu.
There is heaps of parking, and they have a courtsey bus if you need it :-)

Approximate cost: $15-$25