Spottiswoode Hotel, Spotswood

 

Work isn't just about money, Mr. Wallace. It's about dignity.
(Mr Ball to Mr Wallace in the movie Spotswood (The Efficiency Expert in the US))                   

 

Have you seen the Australian movie Spotswood?  It is one of my favourite movies, and is named after a suburb in Melbourne.  Spotswood is the location of the fictitious Balls, a moccasin factory owned by the benevolent Mr Ball, who is privately selling off  his assets to keep the factory afloat for his less than diligent workforce.  The workers seem to spend more time on tea breaks and slot car racing than actually making moccasins, so it is not surprising that the factory is going broke.  Mr Ball brings in Mr Wallace (Anthony Hopkins), an efficiency expert, to try and find a way to stem the losses from the factory.  Mr Wallace learns from Mr Ball that there is much more to life than profit, which I think is a terrific message. 

 

Carey (played by the magnificent Ben Mendelsohn), is the main character and one of the factory workers, who is tasked with helping Mr Wallace review the workings of the factory.  He fruitlessly pursues the romantic attentions of Mr Ball's daughter (played by Rebecca Rigg, who is married to the gorgeous Simon Baker in real life), while being blinkered to the affection right before him of Wendy (played by the talented Toni Collette).  One of my favourite scenes in the movie is right at the end, when Carey and Wendy sit overlooking Port Philip Bay, while Donovan's fabulous 60s ballad Catch the Wind plays through the credits. 

 

Just before Christmas, Tim and I went to Spotswood for lunch at The Spottiswoode Hotel.  The Spottiswoode Hotel is conveniently located just across the road from the railway station, so the easiest way to get there is to catch a Werribee line train and get off at Spotswood.  There is a lovely old fashioned fireplace in the hotel dining room, which is perfect to warm body and soul on the many chilly days in Melbourne.

 

 

A glass of wine or beer doesn't hurt either:

 

We went to The Spottiswoode Hotel on a Sunday so that we could partake of the Spottiswoode Hotel's Sunday lunch special - roast meat with vegetables and gravy for $10 .  Bargain!

 

The serve is very generous, so you won't leave hungry.

 

Afterwards, we went for a walk around Spotswood to burn off some of our lunch and make room for dessert.  We chose the Candied Bakery, on the same road as The Spottiswoode Hotel, for cake and coffee.  Candied Bakery styles itself as "An Aussie bakery with an American twist and European influence." In other words, it has two bob each way.

 

Candied Bakery has an amazing selection of pies, cakes, tarts and biscuits. My personal favourites are the jam filled lamingtons and the custard filled doughnuts.  However, on this occasion, because it was nearly Christmas, we each ordered a fruit mince pie:

 

The lovely, buttery pastry shell of the pie gave way to a generous amount of spicy, fruity filling:

If you haven't been to Spotswood, it is well worth the trip.  They also have a Science Museum for the young and young at heart, and a walk along the footpath near the bay is a very pleasant way to spend some time. 

The Spottiswoode Hotel
62 Hudsons Rd
Spotswood VIC 3015

Ph: (03) 9391 1330

Candied Bakery
81A Hudsons Rd
Spotswood VIC 3015

Ph: (03) 9391 1335