Australia: "Home" for the Holidays
Jan 9th, 2017, 12:51 AM
#81
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,171
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bokhara2, it is called Cradle Country Adventures. It is owned by a couple named Laura and Ray Becker. We went out with a guide named David, a former police officer in Western Australia and a horse enthusiast for 57 years.
Report update: We just came back to our room and saw our first pademelon sitting right outside our balcony. Now our wildlife sightings are complete.
Report update: We just came back to our room and saw our first pademelon sitting right outside our balcony. Now our wildlife sightings are complete.
Jan 10th, 2017, 03:44 AM
#82
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,171
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
After 9 most spectacular days in Tasmania, it was time to say a temporary goodbye to the island state as we departed Cradle Mountain Lodge at 7:00 AM for Devonport Airport for our 9:50 AM flight to Melbourne. The Qantas flight over the Bass Strait was quick and the service was good. We were in Melbourne and at our hotel, the Langham on Southbank, before noon.
Upon entering the city we were surprised by how much more Melbourne has developed since our prior visit to the city 10 years ago. In addition to all the new buildings we also saw several construction cranes across the central business district; we had not noticed this many cranes in any city other than Dubai.
We started our visit to Melbourne this afternoon with good lunch at Il Pom, an Italian restaurant, and a couple hours at the Ian Potter Centre: National Gallery of Victoria, both located at Federation Square. The gallery has the largest collection of Australian art in the country. We enjoyed it very much.
In addition to time at Federation Square we spent a couple of hours in the late afternoon exploring the lanes, alleyways, and arcades across the central business district, following the City of Melbourne's suggested itinerary: http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/vis...cadesLanes.pdf. I was impressed with the amount of life in the nooks and crannies found all over downtown. It was pure joy just wandering about, checking out some of the shops, enjoying a coffee at one of the cafes, and absorbing the atmosphere all around us. The walk gave me an appreciate for Melbourne that I did not quite have during my first visit here. There seems to be a sophistication, charm, and hipness to the place that I did not quite absorb 10 years ago.
We capped our evening with a delicious Cantonese dinner at Flower Drum in Chinatown. It was so good that we may pay a second visit there before we leave on Sunday.
More exploration of Melbourne to come tomorrow.
Upon entering the city we were surprised by how much more Melbourne has developed since our prior visit to the city 10 years ago. In addition to all the new buildings we also saw several construction cranes across the central business district; we had not noticed this many cranes in any city other than Dubai.
We started our visit to Melbourne this afternoon with good lunch at Il Pom, an Italian restaurant, and a couple hours at the Ian Potter Centre: National Gallery of Victoria, both located at Federation Square. The gallery has the largest collection of Australian art in the country. We enjoyed it very much.
In addition to time at Federation Square we spent a couple of hours in the late afternoon exploring the lanes, alleyways, and arcades across the central business district, following the City of Melbourne's suggested itinerary: http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/vis...cadesLanes.pdf. I was impressed with the amount of life in the nooks and crannies found all over downtown. It was pure joy just wandering about, checking out some of the shops, enjoying a coffee at one of the cafes, and absorbing the atmosphere all around us. The walk gave me an appreciate for Melbourne that I did not quite have during my first visit here. There seems to be a sophistication, charm, and hipness to the place that I did not quite absorb 10 years ago.
We capped our evening with a delicious Cantonese dinner at Flower Drum in Chinatown. It was so good that we may pay a second visit there before we leave on Sunday.
More exploration of Melbourne to come tomorrow.
Jan 10th, 2017, 01:29 PM
#83
Melbourne has a unique way of capitalising on its many laneways & unexpected small spaces. Today might be a good one to explore the bars & cafes along Flinders Walk. Between the railway line & the Yarra river, near Flinders Street Railway station.
I imagine you would notice a big difference in 10 years & not just in the skyline. Some of the things you're appreciating may have been there last time, but if you're anything like me, it took me a few visits to find a lot of the little gems.
Flower Drum is terrific. Other places you might like - Cumulus, Vue du Monde,
Fratelli Fresh (ground floor of the Alfred building in Alfred Place); Th Cut Steakhouse ( upstairs from FFresh) Higher Ground (650 Little Collins st); or The Hellenic Hotel (23 Ferguson st Williamstown)
Rooftop bars probably weren't such a thing when you were in Melbourne last :
Here's a few
Rooftop at QT -133 Russell street
Siglo - level 2, 161 Spring street
Transit Rooftop Bar - level 2, Transport Hotel, Federation Square
Have fun in one of my favourite cities.
I imagine you would notice a big difference in 10 years & not just in the skyline. Some of the things you're appreciating may have been there last time, but if you're anything like me, it took me a few visits to find a lot of the little gems.
Flower Drum is terrific. Other places you might like - Cumulus, Vue du Monde,
Fratelli Fresh (ground floor of the Alfred building in Alfred Place); Th Cut Steakhouse ( upstairs from FFresh) Higher Ground (650 Little Collins st); or The Hellenic Hotel (23 Ferguson st Williamstown)
Rooftop bars probably weren't such a thing when you were in Melbourne last :
Here's a few
Rooftop at QT -133 Russell street
Siglo - level 2, 161 Spring street
Transit Rooftop Bar - level 2, Transport Hotel, Federation Square
Have fun in one of my favourite cities.
Jan 11th, 2017, 02:45 AM
#84
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,171
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bokhara2, thank you for all the dining and cocktail recommendations. We enjoyed a divine lunch at Cumulus today; will try to check out a couple of others while we are in town. And you are absolutely right about Melbourne's hidden gems; the more that I explore, the more I like the city. In many ways, Melbourne reminds me of Chicago - in a positive way.
Exploring Melbourne on Land and on Water
We spent the morning and early afternoon further exploring Melbourne on foot. We relied on the Insight Guide to Exploring Melbourne for most of the walking routes, with some information supplemented by the city's website. We mostly walked on and around Collins Street, Bourke Street, and Swanston Street. We admired buildings old and new, browsed shop windows, sipped coffee, and enjoyed a great lunch at Cumulus. We also poked our head into the City Museum, housed in the former Treasury building, for a peek at the gold vault chambers. In addition we visited the Chinese Museum in nearby Chinatown; the exhibits were of very good quality and much like the Chinatown Heritage Center in Singapore.
From Swanston Street we made our way to Southbank, where we participated in a 2-hour river cruise. I found the section in the city interesting and very enjoyable, although I thought the ride out to Williamstown and back was boring when we did not have time to hop off and wander around.
Back on land we went back to our rooms for a quick refresher before ending our evening on Southbank people watching and the buildings all around us lit up.
We have one more day in Melbourne proper tomorrow. Our intention is to visit Queen Victoria Market, stroll one of its gardens, and perhaps see the Shrine of Remembrance. We also have dinner reservations for Attica in the evening.
Exploring Melbourne on Land and on Water
We spent the morning and early afternoon further exploring Melbourne on foot. We relied on the Insight Guide to Exploring Melbourne for most of the walking routes, with some information supplemented by the city's website. We mostly walked on and around Collins Street, Bourke Street, and Swanston Street. We admired buildings old and new, browsed shop windows, sipped coffee, and enjoyed a great lunch at Cumulus. We also poked our head into the City Museum, housed in the former Treasury building, for a peek at the gold vault chambers. In addition we visited the Chinese Museum in nearby Chinatown; the exhibits were of very good quality and much like the Chinatown Heritage Center in Singapore.
From Swanston Street we made our way to Southbank, where we participated in a 2-hour river cruise. I found the section in the city interesting and very enjoyable, although I thought the ride out to Williamstown and back was boring when we did not have time to hop off and wander around.
Back on land we went back to our rooms for a quick refresher before ending our evening on Southbank people watching and the buildings all around us lit up.
We have one more day in Melbourne proper tomorrow. Our intention is to visit Queen Victoria Market, stroll one of its gardens, and perhaps see the Shrine of Remembrance. We also have dinner reservations for Attica in the evening.
Jan 12th, 2017, 01:10 PM
#87
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,171
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Marg, thank you for your suggestion. I will keep it in mind for our next visit. Too much to see and do and so little time.
Northie, it would have been great to meet you and your fellow Australians here. Perhaps next time. We are already planning to come back.
Food, History, and Gardens: Melbourne Outside the CBD
Our day began with an aimless wander through the Queen Victoria Market, browsing its seafood, meat, and produce stalls and doing some general shopping for cheap souvenirs. We also ate breakfast at the market's food court and purchased some fruit, nuts, cheeses, and cured meats for an afternoon picnic.
From the Market we headed east on Victoria Street to the Old Melbourne Gaol. We toured the facility and participated in a mock arrest and jailing at the Watch House next door. The architecture at the old jail is strikingly similar to Kilmainham Jail in Dublin, or at least I thought (I forgot to ask and have not had the chance to look up the linkage yet).
From the jail we made our way to Carlton Gardens by way of a monument devoted to the 8-hour workday movement, the Trades Hall, and a couple of residential streets lined with pretty homes laced with wrought iron balconies. We admired the Royal Exhibition Building before calling at the fantastic Melbourne Museum. The museum has fantastic exhibits about the history of Australia's aboriginal peoples and their intertwined past with European colonists as well as about the city of Melbourne. We also wandered through the Forest Gallery; I have not seen a live forest inside a museum anywhere. We spent about 2.5 hours here and could have easily added more time although 2.5 hours is about all the attention span I can manage in any one place.
After our museum visit we headed back out to Carlton Gardens for some fresh air. We also enjoyed the food we bought from Queen Victoria Market this morning before continuing on to St. Patrick's Cathedral for a quick look. Just a block away from the Cathedral is Fitzroy Gardens, where we ambled. We visited Captain Cook's replica cottage in the park as well as the Conservatory before returning to our hotel.
Dinner tonight was at Attica, a world-renown restaurant and one of Australia's leading. We attempted to make our reservations about 2 months in advance, only to be waitlisted. Imagine our joy when the restaurant contacted us about 3 weeks ago to let us know that space was available for us. With excitement and high anticipation we made our way from Flinders Street Station to Attica via metro, which was a short 15-minutes away.
Attica's menu changes constantly. The chef invents new dishes on a regular basis, experiments and tweaks them, and then put them on a menu; something may be offered to diner just for a week or perhaps it may run for 12 months. Our dinner began with a series of appetizers, with our favorites being a Tasmanian beef that tasted almost like jerky, carrots with an egg and tarragon dip, smashed avocado on toast, and a blood pudding tart (homage to the English settlers). Even the Vegemite pie was better than any Vegemite we had, and I am one who dislikes the thing. Our journey through food continued with a broth made with 30 different types of herbs and flowers. Main dishes included kangaroo with berries, a most delicious pumpkin dish, crayfish, and delightful lamb (tribute to Waltzing Matilda). Our dessert experience began with a walk through the kitchen to the backyard garden, and included a spider (for us Americans, think a take on root beer float), apples and lemons, and a chocolate dish served in a bowl shaped like an emu egg placed in a nest of chives. We opted for a pairing of juices with our meal; my favorites were ones that included apple, cucumber, licorice, lychee, and hibiscus. It was a dining experience to truly remember.
With this concludes our time in Melbourne proper. Places we did not have time for on this trip include the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Shrine of Remembrance, St. Kilda, South Yarra, more markets, etc. We are still in the city for 2 more nights but have day trips to the Yarra Valley and the Great Ocean Road planned.
Northie, it would have been great to meet you and your fellow Australians here. Perhaps next time. We are already planning to come back.
Food, History, and Gardens: Melbourne Outside the CBD
Our day began with an aimless wander through the Queen Victoria Market, browsing its seafood, meat, and produce stalls and doing some general shopping for cheap souvenirs. We also ate breakfast at the market's food court and purchased some fruit, nuts, cheeses, and cured meats for an afternoon picnic.
From the Market we headed east on Victoria Street to the Old Melbourne Gaol. We toured the facility and participated in a mock arrest and jailing at the Watch House next door. The architecture at the old jail is strikingly similar to Kilmainham Jail in Dublin, or at least I thought (I forgot to ask and have not had the chance to look up the linkage yet).
From the jail we made our way to Carlton Gardens by way of a monument devoted to the 8-hour workday movement, the Trades Hall, and a couple of residential streets lined with pretty homes laced with wrought iron balconies. We admired the Royal Exhibition Building before calling at the fantastic Melbourne Museum. The museum has fantastic exhibits about the history of Australia's aboriginal peoples and their intertwined past with European colonists as well as about the city of Melbourne. We also wandered through the Forest Gallery; I have not seen a live forest inside a museum anywhere. We spent about 2.5 hours here and could have easily added more time although 2.5 hours is about all the attention span I can manage in any one place.
After our museum visit we headed back out to Carlton Gardens for some fresh air. We also enjoyed the food we bought from Queen Victoria Market this morning before continuing on to St. Patrick's Cathedral for a quick look. Just a block away from the Cathedral is Fitzroy Gardens, where we ambled. We visited Captain Cook's replica cottage in the park as well as the Conservatory before returning to our hotel.
Dinner tonight was at Attica, a world-renown restaurant and one of Australia's leading. We attempted to make our reservations about 2 months in advance, only to be waitlisted. Imagine our joy when the restaurant contacted us about 3 weeks ago to let us know that space was available for us. With excitement and high anticipation we made our way from Flinders Street Station to Attica via metro, which was a short 15-minutes away.
Attica's menu changes constantly. The chef invents new dishes on a regular basis, experiments and tweaks them, and then put them on a menu; something may be offered to diner just for a week or perhaps it may run for 12 months. Our dinner began with a series of appetizers, with our favorites being a Tasmanian beef that tasted almost like jerky, carrots with an egg and tarragon dip, smashed avocado on toast, and a blood pudding tart (homage to the English settlers). Even the Vegemite pie was better than any Vegemite we had, and I am one who dislikes the thing. Our journey through food continued with a broth made with 30 different types of herbs and flowers. Main dishes included kangaroo with berries, a most delicious pumpkin dish, crayfish, and delightful lamb (tribute to Waltzing Matilda). Our dessert experience began with a walk through the kitchen to the backyard garden, and included a spider (for us Americans, think a take on root beer float), apples and lemons, and a chocolate dish served in a bowl shaped like an emu egg placed in a nest of chives. We opted for a pairing of juices with our meal; my favorites were ones that included apple, cucumber, licorice, lychee, and hibiscus. It was a dining experience to truly remember.
With this concludes our time in Melbourne proper. Places we did not have time for on this trip include the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Shrine of Remembrance, St. Kilda, South Yarra, more markets, etc. We are still in the city for 2 more nights but have day trips to the Yarra Valley and the Great Ocean Road planned.
Jan 12th, 2017, 05:45 PM
#90
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,171
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bokhara2, you're welcome. I enjoy it as much as it creates sort of an archive of our travels for me. I add the details, unvarnished, hoping it will be useful to other Fodorites. I know I get a lot from other detailed reports.
Yestravel, it was quite the experience indeed. The only other place we've had a similar experience is Astrid y Gaston in Lima.
Yestravel, it was quite the experience indeed. The only other place we've had a similar experience is Astrid y Gaston in Lima.
Jan 13th, 2017, 01:55 AM
#91
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,171
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wine, Wine, and More Wine
Today we left the beautiful city of Melbourne for some rest and relaxation in the countryside. We took a day trip to the Yarra Valley, one of the oldest wine regions of Australia. Our day was filled with gorgeous food and wine and lovely scenery.
For our excursion to the Yarra Valley we employed the services of Vinetrekkers, a boutique tour operator. We were picked up at our hotel just before 9:00 AM and headed out into ththe Valley. We were at our first winery, Coldspring Hills, just before 11. We tasted 12 different types of wine, from chardonnays and pinots gris to Cabernet Sauvignon. Next we headed next door to Medhurst Winery, where we tasted a delicious Shiraz as well as an amazing dessert wine, the Frances. We also stopped at Chandon for a taste of its sparking wine and wandered about the grounds a bit.
Lunch was served at Yering Station, the oldest winery located in the Yarra Valley. The food was perfect and paired with wine. We also enjoyed a wine tasting afterwards.
From Yeting we have it to De Bertoli, which is the last largest winery in the region. The wines here were great as well, although my favorite would have to be the awarding-winning Noble One dessert wine.
After our tasting at De Bertoli, it was time to return to the city for refreshment and dinner at Fratelli Fresh (thank you for your recommendation, Bokhara2).
Today we left the beautiful city of Melbourne for some rest and relaxation in the countryside. We took a day trip to the Yarra Valley, one of the oldest wine regions of Australia. Our day was filled with gorgeous food and wine and lovely scenery.
For our excursion to the Yarra Valley we employed the services of Vinetrekkers, a boutique tour operator. We were picked up at our hotel just before 9:00 AM and headed out into ththe Valley. We were at our first winery, Coldspring Hills, just before 11. We tasted 12 different types of wine, from chardonnays and pinots gris to Cabernet Sauvignon. Next we headed next door to Medhurst Winery, where we tasted a delicious Shiraz as well as an amazing dessert wine, the Frances. We also stopped at Chandon for a taste of its sparking wine and wandered about the grounds a bit.
Lunch was served at Yering Station, the oldest winery located in the Yarra Valley. The food was perfect and paired with wine. We also enjoyed a wine tasting afterwards.
From Yeting we have it to De Bertoli, which is the last largest winery in the region. The wines here were great as well, although my favorite would have to be the awarding-winning Noble One dessert wine.
After our tasting at De Bertoli, it was time to return to the city for refreshment and dinner at Fratelli Fresh (thank you for your recommendation, Bokhara2).
Jan 13th, 2017, 02:08 PM
#94
Again some great ideas for us. Honestly tripplaner your great TR couldn't have come at a better time. I recently started focusing in on exactly what we might do on our time in Hong Kong & Australia.
FromDC - count me in. Do you all know about the DC GTG at the end of April? think about joining us. May FromDC not be fine dining but will be a fun time.
http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...pril-28-30.cfm
FromDC - count me in. Do you all know about the DC GTG at the end of April? think about joining us. May FromDC not be fine dining but will be a fun time.
http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...pril-28-30.cfm
Jan 14th, 2017, 04:45 AM
#95
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,171
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yestravel, I am glad that my report has been useful to you. I am happy to offer any other advice or suggestion that you may like. I will check out your link about the GTG when I get back home.
Great but Could be Greater
The Great Ocean Road (GOR) is a coastal road that runs southwest of Melbourne for about 250 kilometers (150 miles) from Torquay west to Allansford. Ranked among the world's most beautiful coastal drives, GOR is known all over the world for its Twelve Apostles, 7-10 limestone formations carved by wind, rain, and ocean. Most visitors to GOR and the Twelve Apostles day trip from Melbourne and we did so as well.
We visited GOR 10 years ago on a prior trip to Melbourne and Australia. At the time, being in the middle of winter, we had heavy winds, rain, and sleet, which made the natural wonders harder to appreciate. We also participated in a big-bus group tour, which limited our time at Port Campbell National Park, where the rock formations are located.
On this return visit we crossed our fingers for better weather and opted for a smaller group tour to hopefully maximize our time. There are several tour operators that operate the tour and we decided to go with Melbourne Coastal Touring, as we were attracted by the opportunity to get out of the vehicle more...or so we anticipated based upon the email conversations with the company prior to making our decision.
The day started with a pickup from our hotel by our tour guide Shane at 7:00 AM. We made our rounds to the other hotels and were on the road out of the city by 7:50 AM. We arrived in Anglesea just before 9:00 AM for a morning cup of tea. From there we continued onto Teddy's Lookout and a couple other spots for a closer look at the coastal throughway.
We then continued on to Apollo Bay for lunch at La Bimba Restaurant. The food was good but nowhere near enough. There were 12 of us including our guide but the company only ordered food for 6, at best 8. Still hungry and a bit disappointed, we sucked it up and stopped thinking about it. Great Otway National Park was next on the agenda. We enjoyed a nice walk in the rainforest before arriving at Port Campbell National Park.
Three stops were made at the park: Gog and Magog, Loch Ard Gorge, and the Twelve Apostles itself. Shane parked the vehicle at a car park along the Great Ocean Walk and we were able to arrive at Gog and Magog by foot, having some precious views of the formations all to ourselves. We walked to the formations and down to Gibson Steps for a closer look. This was our second visit and we were as wide-eyed in awe as our first visit. The beauty is just unexplainable. I could set my eyes on these rocks all day and not be bored. But the actions - of the surf and the ocean - is nonstop; just staring at the waters crash against the rocks is therapeutic.
Too bad we did not have all the time in the world. We continued to Loch Ard Gorge passing the lookout for the Twelve Apostles. The lookout points at Loch Ard were even more spectacular than at Gog and Magog, just as we remembered it. We walked to see the Razorback and several other smaller limestone formations before descending a series of steps to the gorge itself. At the site are also two beautiful limestone grottoes also carved by Mother Nature. Simply stunning!
Our last stop was at the Apostles themselves. Here we had the option to go on a helicopter ride, but possibly at the expense of walking along the boardwalks itself. We chose to go on the helicopter ride, with the expectation that we would be able to walk along the lookout points as well, even if very quickly. This was not to be. We waited a bit for our turn at the helicopter as there were 4 of us and we had to wait until 2 more people showed up. Eventually it was our turn and we had a chance to see some of what we had surveyed on the ground and more from the air. We were unable to go up to the air on our last visit as the weather was not suitable for it, so we appreciated being able to do so this time.
To our disappointment when we were back on ground our guide and vehicle were waiting for us and we would not have the opportunity to appreciate the site on the ground. Don't get me wrong; I understand the need to keep a schedule for the benefit of the larger group when on tour. We just felt a bit cheated as additional time and care were afforded to others and an extra 15-20 minutes could not be made available to us. One of the visitors coming along with us hurt her leg, which meant she needed additional time along the trails and Shane went out of his way to help her. It was not the visitor's fault for hurting herself and she deserved getting the most out of the tour as everyone else. And kudos to Shane for showing the care and attention that he did. Our only beef was that if it took her more time, an attempt should have been made to give us a full opportunity to enjoy the Apostles given that it ate into our time, as long as the rest of the group would be okay getting back a little late. An ask was not made for us; thus following the helicopter ride it was straight to the bus on the way back to Melbourne. I also know that our guide has long days and did not need to drag it out any more.
In addition to the skimpy lunch and time management, we did not have very much luck with spotting koalas in the wild. We did see a couple at our stop at the caravan park at Kenneth River, but I am unsure that it was the best place to spot koalas. On our big-bus tour 10 years ago we saw countless koalas in the forest stop we made. Koalas, like all animals in the wild, do their own thing and their behaviors are unpredictable, I get it. I just did not feel comfortable walking through a caravan park looking at the tents and subjecting the inhabitants to our invasion of privacy, especially when there are other places to spot koalas. Even if we had seen none, we would have understood.
While the tour (the guide as well as the itinerary) is important, its only job is to only facilitate what we were seeing and facilitate he did. It also helped that the scenery along GOR and Port Campbell cannot be tapped. How could anyone not enjoy the place?
The weather we received today was temperamental all along GOR. It rained on and off all day, but luckily all the rain events occurred when we were in the vehicle. We experienced none of the bad weather during our time at the actual sites. It was windy at some places at times, but it did not detract from our experience. In terms of weather we could not ask for better.
A good tour brings a destination to life, and a bad one does not. Shane, our guide, definitely receive flying colors; he was knowledgeable, professional, and respectful.
Would we use Melbourne Coastal Touring again? Likely not. The problems mounted even before we stepped onto the vehicle. Melbourne Coastal Touring apparently sold our seats to others, and we did not know about it until the afternoon before. Luckily there was still space available.
What would we do if we were to do it over? Ideally we would stay along GOR for a couple of nights and give ourselves a full day to explore Port Campbell National Park on foot before and after all the daytrippers. If we would do another day tour, having already ridden the coastal highway, we would opt for one that operates straight from Melbourne to Port Campbell park to give us more time at the blockbuster sight and enjoy it, although I am unsure if any tour operator even provides what I proposed.
We capped our day - and our trip - off with dinner at Pure South, which specializes in the freshest foods from Tasmania. On the menu are several items from King Island, including King Island beef. A couple of us ordered King Island beef filet while the other two ordered a blue-eyed cod. The food was divine; both dishes were among the better that we've tasked elsewhere. Unfortunately the service at Pure South was terrible. We waited about 30 minutes for our entrees (appetizers) and then another 90-plus for dinner. By the time the food arrived at our table we were exhausted.
It is now just past midnight here in Melbourne and our Australian adventure is coming to an end. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow we make our way back to the United States. I hope you've enjoyed coming along; I will be back within the next day or two at the most to recap our trip and share some thoughts and impressions about our time in our second home.
Great but Could be Greater
The Great Ocean Road (GOR) is a coastal road that runs southwest of Melbourne for about 250 kilometers (150 miles) from Torquay west to Allansford. Ranked among the world's most beautiful coastal drives, GOR is known all over the world for its Twelve Apostles, 7-10 limestone formations carved by wind, rain, and ocean. Most visitors to GOR and the Twelve Apostles day trip from Melbourne and we did so as well.
We visited GOR 10 years ago on a prior trip to Melbourne and Australia. At the time, being in the middle of winter, we had heavy winds, rain, and sleet, which made the natural wonders harder to appreciate. We also participated in a big-bus group tour, which limited our time at Port Campbell National Park, where the rock formations are located.
On this return visit we crossed our fingers for better weather and opted for a smaller group tour to hopefully maximize our time. There are several tour operators that operate the tour and we decided to go with Melbourne Coastal Touring, as we were attracted by the opportunity to get out of the vehicle more...or so we anticipated based upon the email conversations with the company prior to making our decision.
The day started with a pickup from our hotel by our tour guide Shane at 7:00 AM. We made our rounds to the other hotels and were on the road out of the city by 7:50 AM. We arrived in Anglesea just before 9:00 AM for a morning cup of tea. From there we continued onto Teddy's Lookout and a couple other spots for a closer look at the coastal throughway.
We then continued on to Apollo Bay for lunch at La Bimba Restaurant. The food was good but nowhere near enough. There were 12 of us including our guide but the company only ordered food for 6, at best 8. Still hungry and a bit disappointed, we sucked it up and stopped thinking about it. Great Otway National Park was next on the agenda. We enjoyed a nice walk in the rainforest before arriving at Port Campbell National Park.
Three stops were made at the park: Gog and Magog, Loch Ard Gorge, and the Twelve Apostles itself. Shane parked the vehicle at a car park along the Great Ocean Walk and we were able to arrive at Gog and Magog by foot, having some precious views of the formations all to ourselves. We walked to the formations and down to Gibson Steps for a closer look. This was our second visit and we were as wide-eyed in awe as our first visit. The beauty is just unexplainable. I could set my eyes on these rocks all day and not be bored. But the actions - of the surf and the ocean - is nonstop; just staring at the waters crash against the rocks is therapeutic.
Too bad we did not have all the time in the world. We continued to Loch Ard Gorge passing the lookout for the Twelve Apostles. The lookout points at Loch Ard were even more spectacular than at Gog and Magog, just as we remembered it. We walked to see the Razorback and several other smaller limestone formations before descending a series of steps to the gorge itself. At the site are also two beautiful limestone grottoes also carved by Mother Nature. Simply stunning!
Our last stop was at the Apostles themselves. Here we had the option to go on a helicopter ride, but possibly at the expense of walking along the boardwalks itself. We chose to go on the helicopter ride, with the expectation that we would be able to walk along the lookout points as well, even if very quickly. This was not to be. We waited a bit for our turn at the helicopter as there were 4 of us and we had to wait until 2 more people showed up. Eventually it was our turn and we had a chance to see some of what we had surveyed on the ground and more from the air. We were unable to go up to the air on our last visit as the weather was not suitable for it, so we appreciated being able to do so this time.
To our disappointment when we were back on ground our guide and vehicle were waiting for us and we would not have the opportunity to appreciate the site on the ground. Don't get me wrong; I understand the need to keep a schedule for the benefit of the larger group when on tour. We just felt a bit cheated as additional time and care were afforded to others and an extra 15-20 minutes could not be made available to us. One of the visitors coming along with us hurt her leg, which meant she needed additional time along the trails and Shane went out of his way to help her. It was not the visitor's fault for hurting herself and she deserved getting the most out of the tour as everyone else. And kudos to Shane for showing the care and attention that he did. Our only beef was that if it took her more time, an attempt should have been made to give us a full opportunity to enjoy the Apostles given that it ate into our time, as long as the rest of the group would be okay getting back a little late. An ask was not made for us; thus following the helicopter ride it was straight to the bus on the way back to Melbourne. I also know that our guide has long days and did not need to drag it out any more.
In addition to the skimpy lunch and time management, we did not have very much luck with spotting koalas in the wild. We did see a couple at our stop at the caravan park at Kenneth River, but I am unsure that it was the best place to spot koalas. On our big-bus tour 10 years ago we saw countless koalas in the forest stop we made. Koalas, like all animals in the wild, do their own thing and their behaviors are unpredictable, I get it. I just did not feel comfortable walking through a caravan park looking at the tents and subjecting the inhabitants to our invasion of privacy, especially when there are other places to spot koalas. Even if we had seen none, we would have understood.
While the tour (the guide as well as the itinerary) is important, its only job is to only facilitate what we were seeing and facilitate he did. It also helped that the scenery along GOR and Port Campbell cannot be tapped. How could anyone not enjoy the place?
The weather we received today was temperamental all along GOR. It rained on and off all day, but luckily all the rain events occurred when we were in the vehicle. We experienced none of the bad weather during our time at the actual sites. It was windy at some places at times, but it did not detract from our experience. In terms of weather we could not ask for better.
A good tour brings a destination to life, and a bad one does not. Shane, our guide, definitely receive flying colors; he was knowledgeable, professional, and respectful.
Would we use Melbourne Coastal Touring again? Likely not. The problems mounted even before we stepped onto the vehicle. Melbourne Coastal Touring apparently sold our seats to others, and we did not know about it until the afternoon before. Luckily there was still space available.
What would we do if we were to do it over? Ideally we would stay along GOR for a couple of nights and give ourselves a full day to explore Port Campbell National Park on foot before and after all the daytrippers. If we would do another day tour, having already ridden the coastal highway, we would opt for one that operates straight from Melbourne to Port Campbell park to give us more time at the blockbuster sight and enjoy it, although I am unsure if any tour operator even provides what I proposed.
We capped our day - and our trip - off with dinner at Pure South, which specializes in the freshest foods from Tasmania. On the menu are several items from King Island, including King Island beef. A couple of us ordered King Island beef filet while the other two ordered a blue-eyed cod. The food was divine; both dishes were among the better that we've tasked elsewhere. Unfortunately the service at Pure South was terrible. We waited about 30 minutes for our entrees (appetizers) and then another 90-plus for dinner. By the time the food arrived at our table we were exhausted.
It is now just past midnight here in Melbourne and our Australian adventure is coming to an end. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow we make our way back to the United States. I hope you've enjoyed coming along; I will be back within the next day or two at the most to recap our trip and share some thoughts and impressions about our time in our second home.
Jan 14th, 2017, 05:37 AM
#96
Fabulous report! Sorry your tour to the GOR wasn't the best. The info you provided on the tour was helpful. We'll be driving ourselves and spending several days on the GOR. It sounds like I should be taking a rain jacket for this trip.
Safe travels.
Safe travels.
Jan 14th, 2017, 10:10 AM
#97
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,171
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yestravel, with several days you will be able to enjoy GOR at a leisurely pace and it will be worth it. Also note that there is the Great Ocean Walk you can do if you are up for it. It requires several days but you can pick sections to do a day walk or even just an hour or two. Hope you get some nice days, but given that there is nothing separating it and Antarctica be prepared for rain and wind as well.
Jan 14th, 2017, 10:17 AM
#98
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,257
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sounds like mostly a great Cradle Mountain experience. We are still trying to decide whether to do west or east Tasmania in our five nights there.
So, what of fire damage at Cradle Mountain. Doesn't sound like it was much of a deterrent.
So, what of fire damage at Cradle Mountain. Doesn't sound like it was much of a deterrent.
Jan 14th, 2017, 10:56 AM
#100
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,171
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Closing Thoughts
Australia. Once again Australia has been everything we anticipated and so much more. We enjoyed many, many highlights - and a few lowlights (the highlights vastly outnumbered them) - on this trip, and with an itinerary 21 nights long we could not have asked for more. Here are some of our fondest memories from our travels this time in no particular order:
1. Spending New Year's Eve at the Sydney Opera House
2. Doing the Harbour Bridge Climb on Christmas Day
3. Meeting our adoptive koala son at Featherdale Wildlife Park
4. "Doing" the Great Ocean Road and visiting Port Campbell National Park
5. Hiking Cradle Mountain
6. Getting a closer look and gaining a better appreciation for Melbourne
7. Exploring Melbourne's many lanes and alleyways
8. Enjoying the spectacular food from the many restaurants across Australia, especially Attica and Golden Century, and participating in the Taste of Tasmania
9. Interacting with the locals (and some fellow tourists) everywhere we went
10. Sailing Sydney Harbour
11. Visiting MONA
12. The Tasman Peninsula
13. Port Arthur
14. Seeing the great Huon pines by land and by sea
15. Blue Mountains National Park
16. Manly and Bondi beaches and North and South Heads
17. Viewing the Christmas display at St. Mary's Cathedral
18. Wall in the Wilderness
19. Getting pampered at the Sir Stamford and Langham Hotels
20. Strolling among Melbourne's numerous parks and gardens
21. Queen Victoria Market
22. Enjoying a cup of coffee at a Melbourne cafe and watching passers by
23. Shopping for opals and Aboriginal handicrafts
24. The fine weather (rain only impacted our travels on two short occasions)
25. Sharing our experiences with all of you (thanks to you who helped enhance our travels and made it even better)
As we make our way out of Melbourne (I am writing this sitting in a taxi headed for the airport) and leave Australia once more, we are happy and sad at the same time. Happy because of all the new memories made among the four of us and the people and places we met along the way and leaving with the knowledge that the country we care so deeply about continues to grow and thrive. At the same time we are sad that Australia and we have to part ways once more, and that always brings a tear to my eye (Australia does it to me every time and no place else does); we already miss the place. As we say "see you later, mate" to beloved Australia, we look forward to the day when we will arrive upon her shores once more.
Thank you again for following along. I find myself very fortunate to be able to share a piece of our journey together with you.
Australia. Once again Australia has been everything we anticipated and so much more. We enjoyed many, many highlights - and a few lowlights (the highlights vastly outnumbered them) - on this trip, and with an itinerary 21 nights long we could not have asked for more. Here are some of our fondest memories from our travels this time in no particular order:
1. Spending New Year's Eve at the Sydney Opera House
2. Doing the Harbour Bridge Climb on Christmas Day
3. Meeting our adoptive koala son at Featherdale Wildlife Park
4. "Doing" the Great Ocean Road and visiting Port Campbell National Park
5. Hiking Cradle Mountain
6. Getting a closer look and gaining a better appreciation for Melbourne
7. Exploring Melbourne's many lanes and alleyways
8. Enjoying the spectacular food from the many restaurants across Australia, especially Attica and Golden Century, and participating in the Taste of Tasmania
9. Interacting with the locals (and some fellow tourists) everywhere we went
10. Sailing Sydney Harbour
11. Visiting MONA
12. The Tasman Peninsula
13. Port Arthur
14. Seeing the great Huon pines by land and by sea
15. Blue Mountains National Park
16. Manly and Bondi beaches and North and South Heads
17. Viewing the Christmas display at St. Mary's Cathedral
18. Wall in the Wilderness
19. Getting pampered at the Sir Stamford and Langham Hotels
20. Strolling among Melbourne's numerous parks and gardens
21. Queen Victoria Market
22. Enjoying a cup of coffee at a Melbourne cafe and watching passers by
23. Shopping for opals and Aboriginal handicrafts
24. The fine weather (rain only impacted our travels on two short occasions)
25. Sharing our experiences with all of you (thanks to you who helped enhance our travels and made it even better)
As we make our way out of Melbourne (I am writing this sitting in a taxi headed for the airport) and leave Australia once more, we are happy and sad at the same time. Happy because of all the new memories made among the four of us and the people and places we met along the way and leaving with the knowledge that the country we care so deeply about continues to grow and thrive. At the same time we are sad that Australia and we have to part ways once more, and that always brings a tear to my eye (Australia does it to me every time and no place else does); we already miss the place. As we say "see you later, mate" to beloved Australia, we look forward to the day when we will arrive upon her shores once more.
Thank you again for following along. I find myself very fortunate to be able to share a piece of our journey together with you.
