Archive for June, 2014



Don’t drag me to that debate on which is lovelier, more vibrant, more fun between Sydney and Melbourne. Our tour guide in Melbourne started that and don’t ask me why. What’s the fuzz? Both are in Australia, and they’re BOTH lovely. We had our own brand of adventure in both and this piece is a summary of the blogs I’ve posted on Melbourne. Feel free to click on the links (tap the coloured headings) for more details. Share, repost, if you like.

 

 

 

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The Great Ocean Road

 

 

1. THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD

 

 

We booked online via Wildlife Tours. A GroupOn voucher discounted an Au$130-150 tour to only Au$88 for a daytrip starting at 7:30 am, back same day at 9:30pm. Now, before you start saying it’s butt-numbing, do browse through these first 3 blogs. Much adventures in a single day. Def worth every cent and minute of your time! Never mind that it took all of 14 hours. The itinerary is so well-planned with lovely reststops and breaks. Trust me, you’d wish it was longer!

 

 

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2. LONDON BRIDGE NO MORE

 

 

Urban legend or not, I like the story. Or should I say gossip? Now, how many couples would go through an experience like that? Imagine being rescued and airlifted from one of those craggy stone formations because the connecting “bridge” collapsed? Go ahead, click on the link (tap the heading “London Bridge No More) for details.

 

 

Kookaburra

Kookaburra

 

 

3.  MAIT’s RAINFOREST WALK

 

 

Sandwiched among the many beach and oceanview pitstops is this rainforest walk and another site to “meet and greet” koalas and some kookaburra and other colorful birds. Perhaps even a kangaroo or two, if it’s your lucky day. Didn’t think much of this at the outset, but now I say it’s the finest way to stretch those atrophied muscles and breathe in some fresh air on a longgggg day.

 

 

 

Cheapest Hop O n, Hop Off Shuttle. Ever!

Cheapest Hop O n, Hop Off Shuttle. Ever!

 

 

4.   MELBOURNE ON A HOP ON, HOP OFF BUS

Can you beat Au$5 for a 90 minute tour on a shuttle bus around Melbourne’s city sights? There’s a long list that will keep you forever hopping off. You can buy your tickets from machines in designated bus stops or you can drop by the Melbourne Visitor Center for a brochure and that Au$5 ticket!

 

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5.  SHRINE OF REMEMBRANCE:  Lest  We Forget!

This is one of the hop-off sites of the red shuttle bus.  You can save it for last once you get on the bus in front of the Visitor Information Center and Saint Paul Cathedral.  A fitting memorial to the gallant men and women who sacrificed limbs and lives in the name of peace.  We visited just a day before ANZAC DAY so we witnessed a lot of preparations for next day’s dawn service.

ENJOY MELBOURNE!

 

 

 

 


I’ve seen the Three Sisters in Echo Point more than 3x. The first time, it was all fogged out. The 2nd time, I missed the 3rd sister. After that, all 3 regularly made a show to a point that I nearly grew tired of it. But it’s a mandatory destination if one were bringing first-time visitors. So when there was a chance for another visit, we made sure we checked out the other lookouts.  Armed with the ever-reliable GPS, we searched for other non-touristy gorges and trails.

 

 

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Three Sisters. Echo Point. Blue Mountains.

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Start of. Trek. Take your pick. Be Brave.

So the next time we went, we checked out other lookout points and “attempted” a few walks. There were choices. Like treks to Govetts Leap, Bridal Veil Falls, Evan’s Lookout, Braeside Walk, Grose Valley Walks, Grand Canyon Tracks, Pope’s Glen, Pulpit’s Rock, Horseshoe Falls, etc. We met some looking all perked up for 2 hour walks. Others we found taking the easy route: DRIVE towards the lookout points. We made a quick, easy and smart (?) decision. We drove. 🙂

 

 

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More walks. More lookout points.

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Govetts Leap. No crowds!

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We tried. Got as far as the stream. Then we backed up!

I’m not sure the tourist buses get here. Most such buses we found in Echo Point. But if you’re driving , trust your GPS to bring you here. There are signs so even geographically-challenged idiots like us got here. Beat the crowds, have a different take of the Blue Mountains. Explore. Good luck!

 

 

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Will you? Many choices. (blue Mountains)

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Why walk when you can drive to Govetts Leap?

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At least we didn’t get lost.

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Evans Lookout. Under the tourist radar.


We had a free morning in Melbourne. Done with the Great Ocean Road, we planned on visiting the Shrine of Remembrance a day before ANZAC Day. We weren’t in the mood for visiting vineyards today as we were simply exhausted after yesterday’s long drive. And the city tram is forever hanging with tourists and locals. So what’s best to do without tiring one’s self?

 

 

Flinders Train Station

Flinders Train Station

 

 

The iconic Flinders Station.

The iconic Flinders Station.

 

 

Found this hop on, hop off  shuttle bus going around major tourist sites within the city. Tempting to hop off the bus to do retail therapy at a major factory outlet or to browse around the many souvenir and food stalls in Queen Victoria Market. Cost: $5 all day, children under 10 are free. So why pay more? This is too good to be true.

 

 

Shrine of Remembrance. A Memorial to ANZAC heroes.

Shrine of Remembrance. A Memorial to ANZAC heroes.

 

 

Coffee and Doughnuts To Go!

Coffee and Doughnuts To Go!

 

 

The Au$5 tickets are available from Best of Souvenirs in the Melbourne Visitor Centre at Federation Square or from ticket machines located at each stop. The Visitor Center in Fed Square is just right across the St. Paul Cathedral where the red shuttle bus stops to pick up tourists.

 

 

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Melbourne Visitor Center in Federation Square.

 

 

Culled from their website is this itinerary which lists 13 stops over a 90 minute journey complete with onboard commentary.

 

Stop 1 Arts precinct

Step off here for plays, pictures and performances.

Arts Centre Melbourne
NGV International
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA)
Malthouse Theatre
Melbourne Recital Centre
Southbank Theatre

 

Stop 2 Federation Square

Step off here for visitor services, culture and art.

Melbourne Visitor Centre
Federation Square
Ian Potter Centre, NGV Australia, Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)
Birrarung Marr and William Barrack Bridge
Federation Bells
Flinders Street Station
St Paul’s Cathedral
Hosier Lane

 

Stop 3 Sports precinct

Step off here for stadiums, legends and gardens.

Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
National Sports Museum (in the MCG)
Melbourne, Olympic and AAMI parks
Fitzroy Gardens, Cooks’ Cottage, Fairies Tree, Model Tudor Village and historic Conservatory.
* Note that this stop is not in service on MCG event days.

 

Stop 4 Chinatown precinct

Step off here for shopping, theatre and a Chinese dragon.

Her Majesty’s, Princess, Regent, Athenaeum and Comedy theatres
Chinatown
Collins Street, Greek precinct
State Library of Victoria, Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne’s GPO, Melbourne Central, QV Melbourne

 

Stop 5 Melbourne Museum and Carlton Gardens

Step off here for culture, cinema and city gaol.

Melbourne Museum
IMAX Theatre
Royal Exhibition Building
Carlton Gardens
Old Melbourne Gaol and City Watch House

 

Stop 6 Lygon Street precinct

Step off here for La Dolce Vita and La Mama.

Lygon Street lifestyle
La Mama and Carlton Courthouse theatres
Piazza Italia
Museo Italiano Cultural Centre

 

Stop 7 University of Melbourne

Step off here for museums, music and modern art.

University of Melbourne
Ian Potter Museum of Art
Grainger Museum

 

Stop 8 Queen Victoria Market

Step off here for the market, museum and mint.

Queen Victoria Market
Melbourne Zoo
Flemington Racecourse
Arts House and Errol Street
Hellenic Museum

 

Stop 9 Harbour Town, Docklands

Step off here for shopping, skating and sailing.

Harbour Town
Medibank Icehouse
NewQuay
Tourism Lounge

 

Stop 10 Etihad Stadium and Victoria Harbour

Step off here for arts, parks and sporting events.

Victoria Harbour
Yarra’s Edge
Etihad Stadium
Docklands Park
Fox Classic Car Museum

 

Stop 11 William Street

Step off here for culture, courts and coastal wonders.

Immigration Museum
Koorie Heritage Trust Cultural Centre
Legal precinct
ANZ Banking Museum
Enterprise Wharf
Melbourne Aquarium

Stop 12 Southbank and Yarra River

Step off here for the skydeck, shops and ships.

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
South Wharf Promenade
Crown Entertainment Complex
Southgate
Eureka Skydeck 88
Polly Woodside

 

Stop 13 The Shrine and Royal Botanic Gardens

Step off here for music, a memorial and meandering gardens.

Shrine of Remembrance
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden
Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Government House
La Trobe’s Cottage


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It’s Autumn in Berry, Shoalhaven.

We took off early for a family weekend in a holiday home by the lake. Not easy with 6 grandchildren of 2 teenagers and 4 under 10. Chaos cuts across almost everything that involved the 6. Who sits beside whom? Who shares a pie or a platter of scones with clotted cream and jam? Which gelato flavors to order?  Where to park? Where and what to eat? Who else hasn’t peed before the next long drive? 

 

 

 

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A very interesting one-story hotel in Berry.

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Where to have a brekkie in Berry? So many choices.

 

 

First Pitstop identified. The heritage town of Berry in the Shoalhaven region along the South Coast is just slightly over an hour’s drive south of the state capital of Sydney. It is a small town, but packed with many historic buildings as well as a number of curio shops with arts, antiques and crafts. Very charming.

 

 

 

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The main street in Berry is lined with historic buildings, interesting curio shops, many arts and crafts stalls.

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On this store is a big sign that says “POTTERING AROUND IS THE PERFECT PASTIME”. Only in Berry, Shoalhaven!

 

 

Population is only a couple of thousand. The few we met who manned the curio shops didn’t seem to mind our little ones sneaking in and out of stalls, pushing chairs here and there to get closer to a favorite cousin, or to slurp from someone elses’s milk shake. An elderly couple even approached us while enjoying our brekkie, just to say how delighted they were with our little one who took off his hat to fill it up with water from a drinking fountain! (That could only be Xion)

 

 

 

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Cousins!

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The kids loved the scones and devonshire tea from Gourmet on Broughton Cafe. Berry, NSW.

 

 

Earlier on, we debated on whether to try the famous doughnuts of Berry or stick to our fav scones and tea. The nearby gelato and available parking clinched the decision to go for scones. Not a bad thing at all. GOURMET ON BROUGHTON CAFE had enough tables to sit all of us, with the Berry Museum, Berry Memorial and a couple more historic buildings just a few meters away.

 

 

 

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Before long, the little ones easily found their way to the nearby gelato. We also just needed to cross the street to check out the arts and crafts stalls. Many interesting stores here. And the vibe is very “Berry” relaxed. It was so refreshing to be chatting with so many cheerful strangers!

 

 

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We were all packed inside our cars and well on our way when we passed the doughnut shop. Hmmmm. Maybe next time 🙂

 

 

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