Cabramatta

And for serious Vietnamese cuisine, eat your way through the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta.

Foreign Places 2009

In 1994, Cabramatta made headlines as the scene of Australia's only political assassination when New South Wales state politician John Newman, a crusader against the district's gang crime, was gunned down one morning in his driveway in front of his fiancée.

Foreign Places 2009

Many settled in migrant-friendly Cabramatta ( "cabra" is an aboriginal name for a tasty freshwater grub; "matta" is a point of land).

Foreign Places 2009

As I end my own tour and make my way back to Cabramatta railway station, an old man plays a slow tune on his pipa,

Foreign Places 2009

Gourmet Safaris conducts walking culinary tours of Cabramatta www. gourmetsafaris.com.au

Foreign Places 2009

A sign on the road into the suburb reads "Cabramatta -- A Taste Of Asia," part of the local government's efforts to mine the area's tourist potential.

Foreign Places 2009

For a do-it-yourself taste of Cabramatta, start your day at Café Nho in Belvedere Arcade off John Street for one of Mr. Nguyen's caffeinated potions or an Asian-style fruit shake, taking your pick from ingredients such as avocado and durian, sour apple and strawberry, pennywort and basil seed.

Foreign Places 2009

The CityRail commuter network provides frequent rail services from the Wynyard, Town Hall and Central stations downtown to Cabramatta, about 30 kilometers southwest of downtown Sydney on the green south line.

Foreign Places 2009

Trip Planner To get the most out of Cabramatta, it's best to visit during the middle of the day (especially on weekends).

Foreign Places 2009

SYDNEY By Sam Holmes The brick bungalows along the streets in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta wouldn't look out of place in many of the city's neighborhoods -- except some are fronted by big statues of guardian lions.

Foreign Places 2009