Melbourne CBD

Spending time in Melbourne in summer is definitely one of the things that I will never do again for the rest of my life. I thought that growing up and living in the tropical, I could handle the summer sun in Melbourne, but it was way out. I felt like a grilled human when walking under the afternoon sun and the hot air did not do me the favor at all. However, this did not happen everyday throughout summer because the day before, I still need my jumper to move around Melbourne. And to add the flavour, I got horrible sun-burn and my skin colour became horribly uneven. But I blame myself for the sunburn because I don't fancy putting on sun-block.

The scorching heat and intense sun ray did not get me remain still and quite in the hostel room. It was time to walk the plan made the night before, taking advantage from the free tram ride around Melbourne centre. All attractions can be reached by riding the free tram ride but do no expect it to be a very comfortable ride, especially in summer. Air conditioner is not available in the free city trams. I did hear complains from visitors, tourists and travellers alike about not installing air-conditioner in the tram. And I guess they forget that free service does not guarantee the comforts and peace of mind. 

 I started the morning by buying some souvenirs at Queen Victoria Market. I think other countries should have this kind of place where it is really easy for the travellers and tourists to buy knick-knacks with various choices and reasonable prices. QVM consists of several areas and not merely a single building. For example, the souvenirs are sold outside of the main building where it is more like a roofed open area.

All sorts of souvenirs (Australians or non-Australian made) are sold here and as usual, I have tough time to choose the right souvenirs to buy because on spot decision making and arithmetic don't really go together. And it is definitely do not together when you shop at the end of the trip where remaining notes and coins do not allow us to simply pick and pay.

Main building of Queen Victoria market

 Once done with the money spending, I walked to the other side of Elizabeth Streer to catch the free city-tram. It did not take too long to board the tram as the tram is available at 10-15 minutes frequency. As advised and suggested by many travellers, it is better to remain on the tram until it completed the circle and while riding the tram, one should study the map and decide on the attractions one wished to have a look. Actually, there are many attractions in Melbourne City itself but it depends on one's choices as well. Personally, I will put the UNESCO World Heritage sites as priority number one, second would be beautiful and bizarre-looking buildings, and third would be the historical places.

There is one World Heritage listed building which is the Royal Exhibition building which is in Carlton. I did not have intention to enter the building (because I don't want to pay anything today) so looking the building from the outside is good enough. It was cloudy and the sun was hiding so I did not get the picture that I want. I have seen a nice photo of this building taken under a clear blue sky.

Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton (tram stop: Nicholson St/Victoria Pde)

After the Royal Exhibition building, I boarded the tram to the next stop which brought me to the centre of Melbourne. There are several buildings such as the Princes Theatre, a cathedral, a synagogue, government buildings and garden/parks. Walking can be tiring and irritating especially under the heat. But it might be a very relaxing walk if the air is much cooler.

A synagogue which I don't know its name.

It looks like a glorious cathedral, or maybe a church. It is really old

Princes Theatre.

 I took the tram again, and walked for 200 m to get to Fitzroy garden. Near the garden, there is cottage which was a home to the infamous captain Cook. It is just a small cottage but the location makes it a good place to see. I was here exactly at noon where the sun ray and heat was at his peek. I could not move around but sheltered under a big shady tree for around 1 hour. I did not feel insecure at all when having a quick nap here. However, my head started to ache and I know I must get back to the hostel immediately. This might be the sign of dehydration and I remembered that I did not eat anything since morning.

So I walked at a quick pace (trying hard to avoid the sun ray) to the tram stop and in less then 30 minutes, I reached Elizabeth st. I bought my lunch and had it in the hostel. It was terribly hot in the hostel as there was no air-conditioner and the wall fan did not seem to help at all.

When the heat was reduced and the sun light was no longer eye-straining, I decided to get to the other side of Melbourne centre, where the Flinders Station and Federation square are located. There were many people at the Federation Square, watching the big screen as the famous tennis championship (the PGA they said) took place in Melbourne.

Flinders Station

A church opposite the Federation Square

After sunset and when there are more people on the street, I started to make my way back to the hostel. Seriously it was nearer than I thought and I didn't have to get on the tram. Got myself a set of Fillet-o-Fish from McD and walked slowly heading to Melbourne International Backpackers. 

The next morning, I got up early, had early breakfast and boarded the Sky-shuttle (Transfer service) booked earlier to Southern Cross station, and from there, I boarded the Sky-bus to Tullamarine airport. Sayonara Melbourne!!

Melbourne - Phillip Island Day Trip

Today was another great day trip from Melbourne which I can never forget in my whole life. Getting the chance to see the penguins and indulging myself in the beautiful places such as Churchill Island and The Nobbies were worth the whole day spent. I booked this tour with Melbourne Australia Tours ages ago and another interesting matter was the owner of the company, Mr. Colin May, became our tour guide and driver. It was really awesome to meet someone who knew a lot about Malaysia, and it seemed that we shared the same idea on the current issues, politics and attitudes. Seriously, for Muslims out there, if you feel like spending a few dollars more for hospitality, fun and leisure, and visit among the beautiful places on earth, Melbourne Australia Tours is your best option. The tours are very cheap compared to other tour operators and all tours cover all important and must visit attractions, as far as I concern.

Sherbrooke Forest

As early as 9.30 pm, I was picked up at the backpackers hostel and since there was not many visitors, we made our way to the Dandenongs for the Sherbrooke Forest. This is actually a picnic ground and there is a small park where one can feed the cockatoos and crimson rosellas, hundreds of them. The cockatoos do really know how torture our ears with their loud noise. They nibbled on the grains and seem very tThere is a small cafe and a souvenir shop. After having fun with the cocks, I looked for something to be brought home at the souvenir shop. 

Crimson rosella

Noisy and annoying cockatoos.

Puffing Billy Train @ Belgrave

We headed to Belgrave where the infamous Australia's Puffing Billy railway is still in used. The steam locomotives are used to transport tourists and visitors alike to Gembrook on its original mountain track. I did not ride the train though I have a thing for trains but sometimes cost does matter too..ihikkss!! But it was good enough to see the steam locomotives. The fares of the train ride can be found here -----> Puffing Billy Train Fares.

At Belgrave station, there is a shop selling lots of souvenirs, drinks and snacks but the prices are like..phewwww....really expensive. But I am positive that some amount from the sales of those items will be used to fund the maintenance and conservation of Puffing Billy Railway, on top of the train ride fares. I thought of getting a fridge magnet for myself but everyone was moving back to the coach so quickly, so felt that I should not make them wait. For our group, three sisters went for the train ride, and the rest headed to Gembrook for morning tea and explored the small town while waiting for the train to arrive.

Maru Koala Park

Next stop was Maru Koala Park. I believe this was the place where I got to feed the Koala and got closer to Koala. It is smaller in size compared to other Australian wildlife park I have visited. It is cool to spend some time here, otherwise we may have nothing much to do at Churchill Island later.

Churchill Island

This place is awesome and cool for kids who want to learn and explore more about farm activities. Visitors will get chances to hand feed the sheeps and horses, cow milking and watch the performances by the iron-smith, sheep shearing and several others.

But for me, I really enjoyed the tranquil scenery and sometimes I felt like it was escaping to the old time. It was awesome to spend time here, though I was alone most of the time, when the other trip members had their own activities around the island. I thought I could relax, sat under a tree and doze off for couple of minutes but that was not achievable. What I did was to get myself a vanilla milk shake, took lots of own pictures and chased the the black-faced sheeps.

I have no idea how long we have spent our time here but spending too long here would be boring especially being alone.

Around 2.30 pm, we headed to The Nobbies, which is another lovely place to visit.

The arrogant black-faced/black-headed sheeps

The Nobbies

This is a very interesting place for those who really love the black rocks, the gushing waves, the cliffs and of course, the penguins and seals. I have no words to describe how amazing this place. There are so many places where every visitor, photography enthusiast especially, will give lots of shots here. It is pretty challenging to take good pictures here given the angle of the sunlight and the mists from the waves sloshing on the rocks that alter the setting for each photo taken. But I guess this is a good time to experiment the depth of field and shutter-speed, as well as the ISO. 

While playing with my camera, I saw couple of visitors peeking through the wooden walkway and later I found out they saw a Little Penguin. Without wasting anymore time, I joined those visitors and tried to get several shots of the penguin. Thank god I have a zoom-lense which enabled me to get a clear picture of the penguin. This has really made my day to the fullest.

Little Penguin

Little Penguin's shelter

Black rocks that give a contrasting colour to the landscape

When the sun was about to set, we made a move to Penguin Parade to see the little penguins returning to the shore after a long battle for food in the sea. Photographies and videotapings are strictly prohibited here. I understand that camera-flash may disturb the exhausted penguins but photographing without flash should be OK. But whatever it is, the authority here definitely wants to preserve this area before the penguins disappear forever.

Melbourne - Great Ocean Road Trip

Great Ocean Road day tour

Woke up very early today because I could hardly wait for the trip I have been wanting to join for a long time. It was really chilly so I got myself a cup of cappuccino to warm up myself. At 7.30, the tour guide cum driver from Autopia Tours picked me up at the backpackers. There were around 15 passengers on this trip and took some time to pick them up from other accommodations within Melbourne CBD. We travelled on a 20-seater coach which was just fine.

At around 10.30, it was supposed to be time to have our morning tea at the Bells Beach, a place where some people would say this place was a surfing Mecca. But I was a little disappointed when the guide told us Bells Beach was inaccessible at that time. So we had our morning tea at a small park before the Bells beach, somewhere in Torquay. We took the chance to stretch our legs and took several pictures though the was nothing interest me at all. The landscape heading to the memorial arch started to change gradually. There were small size house scattered on the hills along the road and I guess the sea view from these houses must be amazing. I tried to get several pictures of the beautiful landscape from the moving coach but it was almost impossible. Seriously, it was a long journey and at one part, I was almost got me nausea. But that was the later part of the trip.

G.O.R Memorial Arch, Torquay

The ride was resumed and we passed through a very scenic route. I have seen many beautiful sceneries along the coast (Phuket, Da Nang, Bali etc) but here in G.O.R, it was something different. We have the green and yellow, golden hills on our right, whilst the beautiful blue water on our left. After 30 minutes or so, we finally arrived the G.O.R memorial arch. I guess that every person visiting Great Ocean Road must have a picture here, or else it will meaningless. 

G.O.R has a very long history and construction of this road started at the 1919, after WW1. This also means that G.O.R is a memorial, in fact, the largest war memorial in the world dedicated to those who dies in WW1. For simple version of G.O.R history, it is best to refer to Wikipedia -----> Great Ocean Road

This is the memorial arch I'm talking about

Great Ocean Road checked!!

Some short description on the G.O.R history

Koala Cove

After getting several pictures at this memorial arch, we made our was to Koala Cove. But to reach there, we passed through an extremely winding cliff-top road which could make someone puke if they are not used travelling in a long, winding road. I was almost got head ache but I tried to close my eyes and relaxed.

After 45 minutes, we reached Koala Cove. Koala Cove is a holiday park where campervans and caravans can be parked here with some fees. Here, all visitors will be able to see koala living in the wild, and not in captivity. When we got there, there were 3 or 4 of them on the gum trees. One of them was still awake (and munching the eucalyptus leaves ad shoots), while the rest was sleeping in funny positions.

Sleepy head

Sleeping beauty?

Haha...our presence obviously did not interest it

Munching the eucalyptus leaves

Apollo Bay

After visiting Koala Cove and spend time with the cute koalas, we headed to Apollo Bay for lunch. It was another 30 minutes winding ride but the scenery was getting more interesting. Apollo Bay is one of the most expensive town among other towns within Great Ocean Road. It is a large town and having various facilities and amenities sufficient for the needs of the tourists. Souvenirs sold here were expensive but there were many choices one can choose to bring home.

We had a big sandwich for lunch, with choices of egg, salad or chicken, and I took the egg sandwich. Lunch was prepared by the tour operator so I did not need to worry about finding 'edible' food and managed to save some money in my pocket too. I'd rather spend the money for fridge magnets and souvenirs.

After lunch, I still have 20 minutes before returning to the coach so I went to the beach to check out the views. Actually I was a little doubtful to get to the beach. Water reflects UV ray even greater and I could hardly tolerate the heat. But it was worth spending couple of minutes as the views there were pretty too. The beach was clean and the sand was super fine. Should have put on my sandal though. Walking on a sandy surface in a sneakers was not very pleasant at all especially to those who have sensitive skin. And by the way, I was glad that this beach was not a 'nudist beach'...ahakkss!! 

Apollo Bay..lovely but I would definitely get my skin totally dark and horrible.

Otway National Park

After lunch, we left Apollo Bay, heading to Otway National Park where we did a short walk in a loop in the rainforest. It was just refreshing and I loved, loved and loved it so much. The air was clean, and cooling too. I guess it is a temperate rainforest having different vegetations compared to tropical rainforest.

There were several huge trees with hollow barks used to be a temporary containment for prisoners upon transporting them to Melbourne (or somewhere else, I forgot). It was an impossible escape once being locked up in the hollow bark. The pines were also different from what we have here and scattered throughout the forest floor.

This was a really nice stop which at least refreshed our almost aching head due to the twists and turns while riding the coach. In less than 30 minutes walk, we headed to the main attraction of the day, Port Campbell National Park.

Port Campbell National Park

Within Port Campbell National Park, there are several main attractions which should not be missed. These include the Twelve Apostles, Razorback rock, Shipwreck Coast and the London Bridge. There are more interesting views but it was not enough to see all in a day. Hiring a campervan is definitely a good choice to see G.O.R much closer.

Twelve Apostles

Being the second most photographed icon after Sydney Opera House, Twelve Apostles indeed has an amazing, beautiful, gorgeous view. I consider myself lucky as the weather was superb with the clear blue-sky with the strong sunshine. I just could not believe, even until today, that I have finally fulfilled one of my travelling wishes. Praise be to Him!! 

All vehicles must parked at a designated parking area before a very short walk to the viewing platform. If anyone needs the quench the thirst in the extreme summer heat, there is a small shop selling ice creams, drinks and light snacks. There is no souvenir shop so one can get several souvenirs somewhere else e.g. Apollo Bay, Colac or Torquay.

Further away

The Magnificent Twelve Apostles

With some editing

Though it was like burning hot, I tried my best to ignore the 'suffocation' and enjoyed the beautiful view. But one thing that troubled me a bit was the photography part. I had hard time to get the pictures that I wanted because the angle of the sun was not at at its best. And I could not get good pictures of myself with the Twelve Apostles behind until I met a Nikon SLR lady user. This is the not-so-nice thing when travelling alone and no tripod.

I was here and I'm happy to be here

After hundreds of snapshots at the Twelve Apostles viewing platform, I walked to the other viewing platform where the sceneries there were amazing too. The combination of shrubs, cliffs, white wave and blue sea did give an overall perfectness of the day.

The cliffs, the bushes and the waves

View of the Shipwreck Coast

If anyone asked me how would I rate Port Campbell National Park, I would say that this place should be nominated and gazetted as UNESCO World Heritage site. Some people would question what was so great about seeing rocks and islets, however it was not about the rocks and islets, but it was  about the overall views that are being displayed right in front of our eyes.

Loch Ard Gorge

Just a couple of kilometers from Twelve Apostles, we visited another attraction that lies within the Shipwreck Coast, the Loch Ard Gorge and Razorback Rocks. Among other naturally made structures include the blowholes, island arches and offshore stacks. 

Walking to the viewing platforms was really an eye-soothing thing to do. It was like walking in the bushland with all the various shrubs and grasses, and with the shining sun that made the environment more fascinating.

Buttongrass

The path heading to the viewing platform at Loch Ard Gorge

Another view of the path

One of the steep, rocky walls forming the gorge

This lovely place is named after the one of the many shipwrecks, Loch Ard, a Scottish ship which accidentally struck a huge reef and sank. Two people survived, a passenger and a crew while the other 47 perished. According the our tour guide, there were many ships sank along the coast due to the geographical aspect of the coast and of course in the 1800's, those ships did not have sophisticated navigation system. There were no sufficient light houses, or even if there were lighthouses, the ship navigators could not locate those lighthouses in horrible storm. 

Razorback Rock

This is another place worth checking out for its outstanding rock for formation as a result of complex natural weathering. It was really weird how could it be possible to have a rock structure with different colour layers and at some points, it has smooth surface whilst the other areas were rough and bizarre. There was a simple written and graphical description about this formation in general. The details must be looked up in proper science book, or have a geologist sit with you and he would be able to tell from A to Z.

Blowholes, emerald water, the Razorback and the cliffs

Looking at water down there was so mind-calming. It was super transparent and the bottom was clear, just like looking through a glass, which would be perfect for diving. But I was not sure about the underwater current. And there was no waves, or surges, that normally freaked me out. Some people love to look at those crazy waves and white surge, but not me. I do love the seas and beaches but I am totally feel a little unease whenever hearing very strong waves banging the rocks or the sea edge.

This is the general description about this rock

Smooth and rough

Do I detect a natural human sculpture here?

Crystal clear emerald-blue water

Besides looking and observing these non-living items, I figured out a small berry tree (I thought it was a berry because it has small fruits just like a berry). But these berries were biconcave in shape, rather than rounded like the cranberries. Did not dare to try these berries though.

Berries?

I headed to the other viewing platform to see the Island Archways. Another difficult time to get nice pictures here because of the shadow and lighting, but finally I ignored it and enjoyed the view.

The remaining of the collapsed Island Archway, now known as Tom & Eva.

Very nice for swimming, but not for me me, especially in summer time.Sunburnt guaranteed.

London Arch or London Bridge


Next, and last attraction of the day was the London Arch, or also known as London Bridge. London Bridge was a double-span bridge but the other half collapsed in 1990. Perhaps it has given up fighting the nature, with all the erosion, weathering and all other factors known.

The half London Bridge

In some ways, I feel so glad that I managed to see these beautiful places as what I have heard and read from the internet, the limestone pillars, and other structures are facing progressive degeneration from time to time. The Twelve Apostles for example, there should be 12 pillars but on 8 pillars remain. The pillars are said to lost 2 cm of its height each year and that was a really disappointing. They are becoming more and more fragile. Unless the human race can do something to minimize or to stop this, this can be the end of the amazing attraction in Great Ocean Road. Unfortunately, human just cannot overcome the power of nature.

It was time to leave Port Campbell National Park, and our guide drove us to Colac. It was supposed to be our dinner stop but most of the people in the coach were not interested with Colac. I was a little upset about this but there was nothing much I could do. We just had toilet stop at Colac and returned to Melbourne. I arrived the MIB at around 8.30 pm. It was a long day, but a very good day.