I found out about this online business from the Dogz Online website - there were many positive reviews about their natural pet treats so I thought that I would have a look at the site for myself. The website design is very straight forward and easily navigated clear sub headings and categories. I was able to quickly find the pet treat category and browse through the great range of natural dehydrated treats. They have all the regular dried treats like liver jerky, rawhide, pig ears and bully sticks along with other game meats including turkey necks, venison ears, goat tendons, shark cartilage, emu and kangaroo.

I placed an order for some (well lots) of these great treats for my doggies with shipping being a flat rate of $8.50. My immediately received an email confirmation and then the order itself arrived in the mail a couple of days later.

The products all looked great and I loved that there are no added artificial preservatives. Both my dogs love them too - especially the goat tendons!

I was really happy with the service and product and will definitely be placing an order with them again in the future.

Approximate cost: $65

We recently purchased some fencing materials from Abbott Supply's steel yard. I initially made an enquiry over the phone and then went in to see them and was given a quote for the wire fencing and wooden posts that we required. Abbott Supply have a shop that stocks industrial hardware products (kind of like a Bunnings/Home Hardware store). At the back is the steel yard which has its own little office. The steel yard handles all of the steel, fencing and treated pine posts.

The guys in the steel yard were very helpful in explaining what materials would be needed for the job and assisted in determining how much wire fencing we would need. Even though I didn't know much about what I was ordering I felt confident in trusting their expert opinions and advice.

We decided to go ahead with the quote so phoned the steel yard back and were able to pay by credit card over the phone and have the materials delivered the following morning.

Very happy with the level of customer service that we received and will definitely use again and recommend to anyone wanting to purchase hardware and fencing supplies.

Approximate cost: $610

The staff here at Napier Street Children's Centre are lovely and very caring. They were happy to give us a tour of their clean facilities and explain their daily schedules and procedures.

They are really good at accommodating for different children's needs/regular routines and were able to comfort and soothe when we were first dropping our child off and there were tears.

I really like that they happily give a report back on my child's day including all that they got up to and if there were any dramas.

My family and I visited the Highlands Hotel yesterday for their buffet lunch.

Upon entering the atmosphere and decor is absolutely stunning with exquisite lighting and furnishing. The toilets have a fish pond display in them! There is a great looking indoor playground equipment area that was being used by lots of kids who all seemed to be enjoying themselves. The location is great too being right by the lake.

We went up to the bistro entrance and advised the gentleman that we had a booking for 7 adults. He looked up and noted that there were presently only 4 our party and said that even though the other 3 had not arrived yet we had to pay altogether now before we were allowed in. That was fine and then he proceeded to tell us that when our other 3 guests arrived that they would have to let him know of our table number and to remind him that they had already been paid for, so we had to ring them on our mobiles and advise them. They arrived about 8 minutes later and when they went to enter they told the guy the table number and that they had already been paid for. He then disagreed with them and had to try to look it up on the system, after a minute or two he reluctantly let them through although kept stressing that you are only allowed in the buffet for 1hr 50 minutes and then your session is up and you have to leave so to make sure that we had left our table by that time.

I understand that they don't want people paying entry into the buffet and spending all day there eating but it felt a bit over the top for the guy to keep going over that point and as though we were being rushed when really an hour 50 minutes was a reasonable amount of time.

We were told that we were at table 7 and to just go through and find it, we asked whereabouts it was and the guy said towards the back which was a little bit vague considering there were heaps of tables towards the back. Our round table only had six chairs so we had to ask for an additional one to be brought over. The staff member that brought it over commented that she wasn't sure why we were seated at such a small table when there were other larger empty tables around us and then proceeded to remind us that we had to be gone by 1 hour 50 minutes and pointed out a place card in the centre of the table that had this information written down for us in case we apparently forgot! We had to squish in around the table however most of us had table legs in the way so we couldn't push our chairs in very far at all.

Anyway, aside from this rough start to our dining the rest of the experience was fine.

There was a huge selection of foods that were all hot and the buffet was being constantly replenished. There were soups, salads, fresh seafood, pastas, lasagna, pizza slices, fried chips, dim sims, fried calamari, salt and pepper squid, stir fry vegies, a few stir fry dishes, curries, roast meat and roast vegetables. The dessert selection was equally impressive with tiramisu, danish pastries, custard, cupcakes, mousse, ice-cream, pavlova, sticky date pudding and slices. The majority of the dishes were tasty and full of flavour, it was only a couple of dishes that were just average tasting but still fine to eat. All drinks including tea and coffee are purchased from the main bar.

Overall the food was good but the staff seemed inexperienced and lacked customer service skills - a friendly attitude and smile goes a long way!

Approximate cost: $26.90

The Brewhouse do their own coffee so we thought we might stop in and try it out.

First impressions when you walk in are that the interior decor is interesting . . . it is basically a warehouse factory that has been transformed into a cafe. The kitchen area is actually an old shipping container. The walls have graffiti style murals on them which actually makes the place seem more 'chic' and sophisticated. The tables are all a rustic wooden look with wooden stool chairs.

We ordered our coffees and while we enjoyed the taste, I would have preferred the coffees to be hotter. We could basically drink them as soon as they were served. I'm not sure if they are are always like this as this was the only time I have been here and they were very very busy.

The cafe had some various slices, cakes and muffins available, along with a small but adequate menu. We didn't order any food however the cafe was full of people enjoying bacon and egg type breakfast dishes.

All of the staff were friendly and welcoming and we were served relatively quickly.

The only issue is that finding close parking around that part of Hargreaves Street/Bath Lane can be difficult.

Percy and Percy has been around for a few months now but I only just dropped in the other day for a cuppa and something to eat. I was pleasantly suprised to find that the coffee they serve is from Coffee Basics in Castlemaine (a favourite of mine!).

They had a few salads available on the menu which looked good, my partner actually had the quinoa one and enjoyed it.

The atmosphere is light, bright and spacious but also relaxed and friendly. They were busy when I went there with a lot of the tables filled, however we were able to get a seat and order our coffees and food rather quickly.

The tiny teddy biscuit in the coffee was a cute touch!

Cakewalk specialises in baking custom designed cakes for any special occasion. There are also cupcakes available to purchase takeaway or to enjoy in store with a tea or coffee. What an amazing selection of cupcakes! Passionfruit, Carrot, Sticky Date, Rocky Road, and more - I had the lemon meringue one and it was delicious and so fresh with a lemon butter filling and a mini meringue on top.

Friendly staff, cheap prices, good central location, will definitely return.

Approximate cost: $3.50

I ate here on my recent holiday to the Gold Coast as I had some other friends that recommended it. I wasn't disappointed. The pancakes were delicious but they got a bit sickly towards the end of the meal and I couldn't finish my serve of strawberry pancakes!

Probably the only downside to our dining experience was the slow staff - I'm not sure if they were having a bad day or if they were just understaffed. They were friendly enough but it felt like we had to try to get the waiter's attention rather than them coming around to check on us.

Approximate cost: $10

I am usually hesitant about buffet restaurants as the quality of the foods seems to be only so-so . . . . Waves restaurant is an exception. There were many different dishes that were freshly prepared like lots of seafood, stir-frys, roasts and other hot meals, there were several desserts and a chocolate fountain that was impressive!

The waitressing staff and chefs were friendly, and the food quality was better than average for a buffet.

Approximate cost: $55