Our flight was at 1am midnight to 8.40am the next day and it was meant for us to sleep through the night and wake up to start the day in Melbourne fresh.
Except for the fact that the lack of leg space made my legs so numb that I couldn't sleep after all π
The first thing on the agenda was for me to get my prepaid data SIM card. Was so overjoyed when I finally could get connected and my aunts couldn't understand my excitement bahahah
Checked into our service apartment at Aura which was super comfy and had the prettiest view. So happy that the weather was sunny and cold at the same time!!
St Paul's Cathedral (super grand and beautiful stained glass)
And last but not least, rode on a horse carriage for the first time!! So fun!!
Check out my mop fringe hahah
Fringe doesn't like the wind π
Walking became so enjoyable :)
And necessary to burn all the calories from eating and eating and eating.
But unfortunately there was no time to lose and we quickly headed out to travel!
We were located at the CBD of Melbourne so it was really accessible to many tourist attractions.
Visited Flinders Street Station
And last but not least, rode on a horse carriage for the first time!! So fun!!Check out the beautiful Sophie and Dollie! Me and my aunts were super awkward because people were trying to take photos of the horses as we rode along, but we ended up photo bombing all the shots lol.
Day 2: Great Ocean Road Tour
We hopped on the coach at 8am to start our journey!
Visited many attractions on the way like the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, Ship Wreck Walk, the Arch, and Bay of Matyrs. Having a coach is really stress free because we only need to follow instructions of what to do and when to come back π
Walking down all the trails was a very good exercise, got a leg cramp in the middle of the night LOL
At this point I'm regretting only bringing 1 outer wear. All the photos look the same π
Our very awesome and humourous driver was our guide for 12 hours!! Can't imagine how he drove a bus for that long. We were lucky to see a kangaroo in the middle of the road of the way back. Everyone was sleeping and the guide said "wallaby!" and all of us literally sprung up hahha. Too bad it immediately hopped away so I didn't snap a photo.
Day 3: Melbourne City Tram & Philip Island (Penguin Parade)
We found a very budget conscious way to travel the whole city of Melbourne, that is, to take the free city tram!!
The best part is that the tram makes a complete loop in 48 mins, so we can get a glimpse of the city of Melbourne and come back to our apartment's tram stop! Convenient to live in the CBD.
We then went for a lunch mass (Catholic Church service) at St Patrick's Cathedral. It was so amazing to hear the organ echoing throughout the whole cathedral, somehow my church doesn't have the same effect! π It was just so grand and soothing at the same time. No wonder JW says it's an amazing feeling for her choir to sing at cathedrals overseas.
Next was a half day tour at Phillip Island to see the Penguins coming back from their day of hunting into their burrows on the shore, when the sun sets and they can hide from their predators! Was looking forward to it so much!!
We reached early and after getting down the bus, we faced a huge sea breeze.
We then moved to the grand stand right in front of the shore.
Unfortunately photography is prohibited when the sun sets to prevent the Penguins from getting blinded by flash. TT Though it was really too dark to get good shots haha
Thank God for providing good weather. We had to wait for the Penguins for around 1 hour in the freezing cold. Can't imagine how miserable we would be if it rained!
When the Penguins did come up, they were sooo cute!! They were tiny and waddled around so cutely!!! Definitely a nice and memorable moment.
We could go on the board walk which are boards right above the Penguins' burrows and see them from real close!!! The waddling made everyone squeal!
Haha but this 1 hour experience took 4 hours of traveling time π
π
I guess it can remain as a once in a lifetime experience.
Day 4: Queen Victoria's Street
Breakfast at Kettle Black.
Look at the amazing HOTCAKE! So well decorated haha. It was 2cm thick and very dense. Best breakfast of the trip!
Took the free tram to Queen Vic's!
This market was huge and was selling meats, seafood, vegetables, cheeses, nuts, honey and souvenirs. It felt like a grocery shopping trip.π
π
At least I settled some souvenir shopping!
Day 5: Puffing Billy Railway & Yarra Valley's Wineries
Puffing Billy is a century old steam train and my first time taking one!! It was really cool because we could hang our legs off the railings and get super close to nature. Some of the brave tourists precariously held out their iPhones to take selfies.
Finally reached Yarra Valley for the winery! First off, we got to experience bird feeding! It was quite scary because the cockatoos has really sharp claws and scratched quite a bit! But very interactive and fun!!!
Me cringing and thinking, please please please don't bite my fingers.
Next up, the wineries!
My aim for the day was to get an appreciation of wines since work is starting soon!
Before we set off to the wineries, lunch was served and there was already red wine provided! And from the lunch wine I was already feeling light headed π° *fail*
The variety we tried were mainly (from my non-sober mind) Pinot Gris, Caberet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cider made out of different formulations from 3 different wineries (Rochford Wines, Dominique Portet, Yering Station)
Day 6: National Victoria Gallery & Warren Glen Nursery
Immersed in a free arts experience at the NGV! Lots of paintings and exhibitions to look at!
Then we met up with the aunts' previous priest Father Bob who drove us to Warren Glen Nursery! The carefully and artistically cultivated flowers were so gorgeous! Also the weather was so awesome!
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And before we know it, 6 days of holiday is over!! So thankful for the aunts for bringing me on a long awaited grad trip before work starts.... In a week.
