Australia Trip - Part 2 Melbourne

Alright let me continue with the second part of my Australia trip! After Brisbane I went to Melbourne. Took a 2 hour flight to Melbourne from Brisbane. Candy and I took the same flight (with Jetstar) while Jesslyn took Qantas as it is part of her code-share booking. Both of our flights are supposed to fly at 10 AM but sadly... My flight was delayed for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Sorry and thank you Jesslyn for waiting for us in Melbourne. While waiting for our flights Candy and I got some breakfast at the airport.

 Melbourne!

We landed at 2:30-ish I think. After grabbing our luggage, we went to our car rental place in which we took a shuttle bus provided by the company. After a few administrative stuff and car inspection, we were off for our Melbourne adventure weeeee! Our first destination was to get lunch in the city. Wanted to dine in this cafe called Journeyman, famous for its coffee. But to our disappointment it was closing at 4 and we arrived at 3:30 so... Yes. We decided to have fish and chips at the opposite of the shop.

 Apart from the huge portion size, the fish and chip is good!

The fish and chips were great! Although we feel the portion size was a bit huge. And the potato wedges are salty (even for me hahaha). After lunch we went to Brighton Beach to catch the sunset! It was a few minutes before the sunset so the colour of the sky was very pretty. Took lots of sunset photos there :)

 Brighton Beach Bath Houses!

Brighton beach is famous for its colourful bath houses. Although it's a bit difficult to take nice photos of it, cause there's a lot of people hogging the houses for selfies and photos haha. I did take some decent shots thankfully. I think the place will look lovely during the day with blue skies. But no worries, the sunset sky adds life to the houses too! And oh it was so cold over there brrr.

 Sunset silhouette. Thanks Candy! :P

We headed to check into our hotel after that. Our hotel was Quality Suites Beaumount, located in Kew. I must say the hotel is really cool. We have free parking and the interior is modern and nice too. And I must say that the location is rather strategic. After dropping our luggage we went to Woolsworth (they call it Woolies!) and Coles which are Aussie supermarkets. Did some shopping for breakfast and Yoghourt. Oh my goodness I fell in love with Australian Supermarkets really. They're so big and complete! I wish there's one in my hometown haha. Oh and I was shopping for Tim-Tams to bring back home too :P I bought so many Tim-tams that I received stares from other people haha.

We were quite hungry after that, so we decided to go for supper. We passed by this street called Victoria street which is lined with lots of Vietnamese eateries. So we decided to go for one. All of us had phos but we didn't know that the portion was so huge! Well I was rather hungry that night so I finished mine but I was feeling so bloated after that haha. Lesson learned from this: Always check for portion size before ordering haha. Apart from the size, the food was great though! :)

 Welcome to The Great Ocean Road!

(This is located en route to Apollo Bay though haha)

Headed back to the hotel as we had to wake up early the next day for Great Ocean Road (GOR)! Okay so GOR is this long stretch of road (240 KM) South of Melbourne that offers scenic views and lots of small towns along the way. We decided to go for this route: Melbourne - Torquay - Apollo Bay - Port Campbel - Warnambool. However there was a long jam in the morning on our way to Torquay which cost us time loss. So we skipped Warnambool in the end.

We started our drive at 7:15 AM from Melbourne. On our way to Torquay, there were three accidents that occurred on the highway. One involved 5 cars colliding with one another, the second one was a car that stopped working, and the last one was an overturned truck I think. The 3rd one was so bad that the whole stretch of highway had to be closed, and we had to go through an exit, and then enter the highway again. We reached Torquay at 10:30 in the end. And we had breakfast! Pretty yummy one.

 Spit Point Lighthouse

From Torquay we continued driving onward Apollo Bay. En route there we stopped at a few roadside stops for photos. Cause trust me the scenery is so beautiful. We also stopped by Spit Point Lighthouse. A pretty lighthouse with a beautiful seaside location filled with greeneries. And then we continued onwards Apollo Bay. We wanted to stop for lunch but we found a nice cafe selling a selection of delicious-sounding crepes so we decided to stop for crepes! And yes it was as delicious as what's written on the menu. And then onwards to Port Campbell! Where the 12 Apostles is located.

 Taken En Route Port Campbell. Amazing eh.

En route to Port Campbell we stopped by this lookout for photos and I think it is the most beautiful photo I took along the road that we stopped by. We took a group photo too :D

When we reached Port Campbell, the sky was dark and cloudy. And then shortly after, it rained! We were afraid that we couldn't take the helicopter ride viewing the 12 Apostles. But thankfully we can still do it. And also we were lucky enough to meet this Chinese guy, who was bringing a group tour, and who somehow managed to get us discount for the ride! Although our ride was shortened to 10 minutes. But nevertheless it was good enough haha so thank you uncle!

 Life is short - ride a helicopter

I think the helicopter ride is a great way to view the 12 Apostles and its surrounding. Especially in that rainy weather. To be able to see them entirely is so awesome. Kinda sad to think that there are only 6 of them remaining. And they might all disappear as time goes by thanks to nature. So yes I'm glad we managed to see it before they are gone forever haha. After the ride we wanted to see them again from the lookout. But the rain never stop and we just stopped at this spot to take some photos. Because the wind was such a killer! Candy was saying that there was a coastal wind warning. No wonder, cause the wind was really strong and cold. I couldn't wait to get back inside the car! Haha.

 Lucky Timing!

From the 12 Apostles we went to another site called the Arch. It was made beautiful thanks to the beautiful sunset when we reached the location! The sky turned golden and the cliffs and The Arch itself turned gold as well. So beautiful. From The Arch we went to the London Bridge. Which has fallen down in 1990 haha. It's kinda scary to think that all of these sites are slowly corroding away due to seawater. Well I'm glad to have seen them! :)

 The two of them are supposed to be linked but... It fell.

As the day gets darker, we went to the town of Port Campbell to have dinner. Thank you very much Jesslyn for the treat! I had Moroccan lamb with cous cous and it was so good. After dinner we started our long drive back to Melbourne. Although it was a pretty long drive back (2 hours plus), it felt pretty short. Maybe because we were just happily chatting inside the car along the journey. But I have to say a huge huge thank you to Jesslyn for taking the wheels for this drive along the GOR. 辛苦你了!

 Queen Vic Market!

After getting knocked out at the hotel, we woke up early the next morning, which is my last day in Melbourne :( It was so sad thinking about it because I feel that I haven't spent enough time in this city! Hah. But anyway we headed over to Queen Victoria Market for breakfast and to walk around. I was also doing some last minute shopping. I had a delicious lamb borek, which is kind of a lamb pie, and also a chorizo hotdog. I seriously think I need to spend more time here. I seriously need to return to Melbourne again one day! From Queen  Vic's, Jess and Candy sent me to the airport :(

Melbourne is such a vibrant and lively city. After spending hours in this city, I understand why it is the most liveable city in the world. There's so much food options here, people are friendly, and it's such a vibrant and colourful city! I seriously wish I can spend more time exploring the city but well, my sis' engagement was on Sunday so I had to go home on Saturday. I promise to return to Melbourne one day. It's really such a great city. And I haven't tried the recommended food that my friend gave me.

 Yay us :D

My journey in Melbourne wouldn't be so awesome without 2 of my wonderful traveling companions! Thank you very much Jesslyn and Candy for being such wonderful traveling companions. I will never forget the GOR drive. And our dearest GPS who always asks us for a U-turn haha. Thank you Jesslyn for taking the wheels during our journey. I learned a lot from you, and thank you for your driving tips! I can't wait to have a nice roadtrip one day, with me on the wheels haha. And thank you also Candy for being a wonderful host in Brisbane, and for letting me crash your house for one night haha. I hope we can travel together one day again! Maybe our trip back to Duolun? :P

Alright that's all for this great Australian adventure! My dream finally comes true, to visit the land down under. Now I'm left with 3 more continents to set my feet on! I think Australia is a beautiful country. I definitely need to travel to the other cities like Sydney and Perth. And definitely, Melbourne once again.

Australia Trip - Part 1 Brisbane

Right! As promised here is my blog post for my trip to the land down under. Just a quick info, I went to Australia on the 19th of July (Sunday), but only reaching Brisbane on the 20th in the morning. I left for Melbourne on the morning of 23rd, and went back to Jakarta on the 25th. It was rather a short trip and I wish I could spend longer days there but oh well. No worries, hope to return one day!

I reached Brisbane at 9:30 AM and went to take a train to Fortitude Valley station to meet Vithya and Candy! It was sooooo good to meet them again. It felt like a long time (err 6 months haha) since I last both met them. I went to drop my luggage and stuff at Candy's place first. We Uber-ed from Valley to her place (it was my first uber experience!) and dropped my stuff there. I spent my first night at Vithya's place as we were going to Gold Coast on the next day. So I just took whatever I needed.

 My pot of Chai!

We then headed for lunch at Gunshop cafe at West End. We accompanied Yisheng to drop her car at a repair shop first, and then we Uber-ed again to West End. We met Yiyin there as well! So great to see her as well. I haven't met her in 1.5 years. The food at Gunshop was awesome. I had Fish and Chips and I feel that their fish was very fresh. I had a pot of Chai Latte as well which was lovely.

 Brisbane River

Yisheng left with her friend while the rest of us went to Southbank for a walk. We were walking along the Brisbane river. And then we went to the city to walk around as well. I asked them if we can go to a CD shop first as I had a list of CDs to get mwahaha. I got all of them! Weeee. From the city we Uber-ed again to Vithya's place as we're cooking dinner. But we went to Indooropolly mall first to get the ingredients. And booze haha. And oh my goodness I fell in love with Aussie's supermarket!

 Walking towards the city

We went to Vithya's place to cook dinner. We helped prepare the ingredients while Vithya did the cooking (she's the chef for the night! :P). It was a great dinner of curry I must say. Although yes, I know, I need to stop it with the salt haha. Thank you very much to the three of them for celebrating our three birthdays (Yiyin, Candy and mine) after dinner with an awesome carrot cake and wine. And thank you for the card and to Vithya for the book as well. I haven't drank in 7 months and I was the first to get knocked out. Sorry! :P Candy and Yiyin went home after that. That's all for day 1!

 Thanks for the dinner!

The next morning Vithya and I were headed to Gold Coast. We took a train from Indooroopolly to Roma Street, and then from Roma Street to Nerang, which is in Gold Coast. It was a long train ride but it was made enjoyable thanks to the conversation we had! It was cloudy in Brisbane but thankfully it was sunny and blue in Gold Coast. Our first stop was Surfers Paradise. It's such a pretty beach. And cause it was winter, the beach was rather empty too. The blue skies and medium waves made the whole beach look pretty. And the sun made the whole place warm too (thankfully).

 Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast

After Surfers Paradise we wanted to go to Curumbin National Park but we were afraid that it will be too late by the time we reached there. So we went to Burleigh National Park instead. It was a nice park with a nice hike as well. I love the trees there! They look beautiful and the whole park is very serene. Okay something funny happened here.

 Album cover photo opportunity haha

Vithya and I were hiking when we came across this part of the park where we can see the ocean in between the trees. So we were spending some time taking photos there, thinking that there would not be any lookout that faces the ocean. But after 15 steps, there was actually a lookout! Hahaha. Spammed lots of photos there because the view was amazing. So worth the hike, totally.

View from Burleigh National Park! So worth the climb

We made our way back to Surfers Paradise and stopped by a nice Indian vegan restaurant called Govinda. Where we encountered a guy who ate a mountain-pile of rice hah. Pretty awesome deal. $11 for a single serve of whatever you want, without any limit to portion size. We went back to Nerang and took another long trip back to Brisbane. It was 9:15 PM when we reached Roma Street. 

Since it was pretty late, I decided to spend another night at Vithya's place. I had a nice chat with Vithya's house owner, Jill, over tea and cakes again. Jill is such a lovely person really. And she has such a lovely and beautiful house. Reflective of her personality I guess? Thank you very much to Vithya for letting me stay in your place for 2 nights. And to Jill for allowing Vithya to let me stay in her house I guess haha. Oh and I will miss your cats too! They're really cute and very active heh.

The next morning Vithya and I went to meet Yiyin and King George Square Station, where Candy and Jesslyn went to pick us up there. We were headed for Eumandi Market! Up in Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane. It was about 1.5 hours drive there. So glad to see Jesslyn again!

 Exploring Eumandi Market

I really love the atmosphere in Eumandi market. It is relaxing, chill and  just a feel-good vibe place really haha. Everyone is so relaxed there. We went to get brunch first. I had an awesome vegan burger, where the patty is made from brown rice. So good. After that we walked around to see if there are nice things we can buy. I bought a nice shirt from there, and also I found Himalayan sea salt! I've been wanting to get it and so I bought a bottle of crystals with grinder.

 Wine tasting!

From Eumandi we went to visit the ginger factory. Bought some ginger goodies from there to bring home. Then to the nut factory (which is kinda expensive) and then to a coffee roaster beside it. Before heading to Brisbane, we went for wine tasting. Although it wasn't really such a pleasant experience.... Heh. Ask me to find out more. We drove back to Brisbane cause Jess, Candy and I were doing the story bridge climb! Vithya and Yiyin waited for us at a nearby bar-restaurant. Sorry to keep you waiting!

 Us at Story Bridge Climb! Isn't the lights so pretty

The story bridge climb was such an exhilarating experience! The view on top was so beautiful, seeing the pretty night lights and tall buildings of the CBD area. The climb up was alright, it was when we started climbing down that I was feeling super scared haha. Cause you see the cars passing you by, beneath your legs. And the stairs are made out of metal railings so you can see what's beneath you. So yes, pretty heart-pumping. But nevertheless it was an awesome experience. And seriously the views are amazing. Too bad we can't bring our cameras there. I understand why.

After the climb we went to Sunny Banks for dinner. Decided to go with Korean! I had a nice kimchi soup and it was awesome. Cause it was pretty cold outside and I just want to eat something warm haha. After dinner we went to send Vithya and Yiyin home. Felt really sad saying my goodbyes to them. Cause I really don't know when I will see them again :( After reaching Candy's place I did a lot of packing. And we also checked in online for our flight to Melbourne the next day.

Although I spend really little time in Brisbane, walking around the city makes me fall in love with it. It reminds me a lot, somehow, of Chicago. People are friendly there, and they seem pretty relaxed. Actually Australians seem like pretty relaxed people haha.

 Reunited and it feels so good!

Thanks for everything guys! :)

Anyway I just want to thank Vithya, Candy and Yiyin for being such an awesome host to me in Brisbane! Thank you Vithya for letting me stay in your place, and for the awesome curry dinner (and the book!). And for the short but really awesome trip to Gold Coast. A place we both never been before! Mwahaha. Thank you Candy for letting me stay in your place for that one night as well. And for letting us use your car while we were in Brisbane. I definitely had a great time reuniting with all of you in Brisbane. Although I really wish I can spend more time with all of you there :(

Alright this is end of part one! Continuing to part 2 - Melbourne! :)