Melbourne At A Glance : Day 3 & 4

Day 3 - September 13, 2013 - Melbourne

We arrived around midnight in Melbourne via Tiger Airways which was the most torturous 2 hours flight ever because the seat compartment gave us with no leg room at all! Booked the cheapest flight available online for only AUD140.90 return and hence, that explains the odd flying hours.

Luckily we've discussed earlier on our Melbourne plans because we were unable to contact our host, Aunty JC all day. Having no choice but to follow the original plan, we took the SkyBus down to the Southern Cross Station. We got the tickets from the counter on the spot for AUD 17 each, praying for the best.

Once we reached the Southern Cross Station, my dad received a call from an unknown number and we literally heard people singing "Hallelujah" when it's Aunty JC on the other line. She too was panicking and kept asking around if they've seen 3 Malaysians walking around haha We later found out that she mistakenly gave us her old mobile number and the wrong area code for her house number! *double face palm*

We were exhausted to the max, probably from all the drama, so we didn't do much on the first day in Melbourne. Woke up pretty late and lazed around in the Aunty JC's place, just chatting and catching up with her. She later dropped us off at the Westfield Southland Shopping Centre to do some shopping before calling it a day.

Dinner @ Intermezzo

Address : 2nd Floor, Westfield Southland Shopping Centre

We walked into the most packed restaurant and true enough, the food was great! We ordered the Salmon Pizza and Cabonara Spaghetti.  Sorry, no picture of the Spaghetti because we were too hungry that we gobbled it all down within minutes! :p

Day 4  - September 14, 2013 - Melbourne

Flinder's Street Station

After a good rest, we were all pumped up for an adventure around the city. Uncle Steven dropped us off at the Highett train station and we took the train all the way down to Flinder's Street Station. The station itself is magnificent and beautiful! Feels like we went back into time. See it to believe it! Just across from it is the famous St Paul's Cathedral and Federation Square.

 

"Let's meet under the clocks" is a famous saying for those who wants to meet here. A famous meeting point for the Melbourne peeps, I heard!

St Paul's Cathedral 

I always have a thing for Cathedrals as they are just so beautiful and I can't explain it, but each time you step into a Cathedral, there is just this sense of peace.This Cathedral has a gothic feel to it and the architecture is just stunning both inside and out!

Federation Square

There was a protest against McD when we were there and at first I thought it was organized by those hard-core vegetarians. After looking it up online, found out that they are asking McD abandon its plans to build a 24-hour restaurant and drive-thru in Tecoma, a small town east of Melbourne. Apparently, the proposed site is too close to a kindergarten and school, and kids as young as 5 would walk past “a giant advertisement for junk food” on a daily basis. Hmm...what an interesting protest, so interesting that I'm surprised that we didn't take pictures of THE Federation Square at all on our camera! -___- Luckily, I found our one and only picture of it from my phone! haha

Chinatown

There is a free city tram bringing you around the city but from the map, since everything look to be within walking distance, we decided to go by foot. We took a stroll along Chinatown and immediately felt at home because there's just so many Chinese there! On second thought, there are a lot of Chinese in Melbourne compared to the Gold Coast! Even the guy in one of the souveneir stalls comes from Malaysia! Small world indeed!

Wesley Uniting Church 

Came across this church when we lost our way trying to locate Melbourne Central but the gate was locked so we could only take pictures of the church building.

Melbourne Central

The Melbourne Central is famous for its Coops Shot Tower which was located right in the heart of the mall. It proudly stands at its original place, protected by the Glass Cone, designed in the 80s by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. Imagine seeing something so historic in the midst of everything so modern!

Decided not to shop around too long so after lunch at the food court, we made our way to the Queensland State Library which was another sight to behold. You have to see it to believe it!

Queensland State Library 

Oh no! What happened to the library?

Just joking! The library is still standing all mighty and strong. I fell in love with the library the minute I step into it, being the typical bookworm myself. Their library is huge and the architecture is just super awesome! Don't be surprise though as the library is packed with people unlike ours, which is deserted most of the time.

Can you spot Captain America behind me? haha

There are several art galleries in the library

They even have a chess room!

Harbour Town  @ Docklands

The cute City Circle Tram!

We then planned to hop on the city tram to the famous Queen Victoria Market but unfortunately it was already closed by the time we finish exploring the Queensland State Library. Make sure you all check the timing and plan out your day properly so you won't repeat the same mistake I did. Regretted not doing enough research for Melbourne :( I was focusing way too much time and energy on Gold Coast and Brisbane! Ended up we hop on the tram to Docklands to visit the Harbour Town Outlet to do some last minute shopping before it closes at 5pm!

Dinner @ KFC

Having KFC in Australia, like seriously? haha Don't laugh but we were really tired and hungry from all the walking around. KFC was the nearest food joint after we took the tram back to Flinder's Station and hence, in we go without second thought. Surprised to also learn that we have to pay extra for the sauce...Why, seriously why! We have it free flow over here in Malaysia!

We thought our chicken were badly burnt until we turn to see it's the same with the other tables as well! Other than their burnt chickens, they also have crazy supplies of fries unlike over here! 

After dinner, we took the train back to the Sandringham Station where Uncle Steven picked us up back home. What a fulfilling Day 4 indeed!

Look no further! Day 5 & 6 coming right up! Stay tuned! ;P

Gold Coast At A Glance : Day 1 & 2

Day 1 - September 11, 2013  

We reached Gold Coast Airport around 8.10pm Australian time, 2 hours ahead of our Malaysian time. Took the Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle which we've booked earlier for AUD 33 each for a return trip. An advantage of taking the shuttle is that you will be left directly outside the hotel, Chateau Beachside Resort which is located at Elkhorn Ave. Taking the public bus would obviously save you a fortune though!

Convenience vs. Money...which would you choose? ;)

Chateau Beachside Resort

Directions :

Take Bus #702 from the Airport to Surfer's (36 Mins). Walk 303m to Elkhorn Ave (3 Mins). Chateau Beachside Resort is at the end of Elkhorn Ave, facing the Esplanade.

Fare : AUD 5.84 / AUD 4.68 (Off-Peak)

ETA : 40 Mins

 That's our hotel behind!

Booked the hotel through booking.com for only AUD91 per night. It's clean, spacious and at night, we can fall asleep with a smile on our faces, listening to the waves outside. (Sighs, how I miss that feeling!)

 Our view from the hotel :)

Our first meal in Australia is none other than their famous Hungry Jacks at Centro Paradise, which is within walking distance from our hotel. People say you haven't been to Australia unless you've had their Hungry Jacks!

Day 2- September 12, 2013  

Breakfast @ Montmartre

We were way behind our original plan of waking up early as we were too tired. Ended up having some breakfast opposite our hotel before heading over to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Our time is short because we have to get to the airport to fly to Melbourne later that night. The Montmarte is a nice place to sit and have a drink but for breakfast, the price is really over the top especially after the convert!

 

 

After breakfast, we walked over to Centro Surfers Paradise again to get a local Australian Sim Card from Optus, as recommended by a 7-Eleven employee. Although 7-Eleven also sells the Sim Card, they do not help you to insert the Sim Card nor activate it, unlike in Optus. Do remember to bring along your passport to qualify for the Tourist Package that provides you with unlimited calls and data for AUD30 :) However do not take the word "unlimited" literally as 2 days before my trip ends, I received a SMS to top up as my credit is  less than AUD5 :(     

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Opening hours : 8am to 5pm (Daily except Christmas & ANZAC Day)

Directions : 

From Elkhorn Ave, walk 378m (6 Mins) to Ferny Ave at Cypress Avenue. Take Bus #700 to Currumbin. Walk 116m (2 Mins) to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Fare : AUD 5.13 / AUD 4.11

ETA : 51 Mins

Thanks to Groupon.au we managed to get the entrance tickets for only AUD20 instead of the full ticket price of AUD 49. It was a really good experience as there were many animals that we've never seen nor heard before including the tree kangaroos and Dingos! Not all the animals are in enclosure which makes the experience more meaningful as you can actually pet and interact with them.

I basically went crazy there because I'm an avid animal lover! I think we also missed seeing a lot due to the time constraint! Here's a full list of the animals in the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and these are the ones we met!

Koalas...Lucky to see this one awake! Most of them are always sleeping!

Wonder how can they be comfortable clinging on the tree and sleeping like that?

Kangaroos...and no, they do not box people! haha 

They look exactly like dogs but they're not. These are Dingos or some say a wolf in a dog's clothing. They also have great flexibility, one of it to rotate their wrist so that they can actually open a door knob! :o

Oh hello there, Mr Porcupine!

A Wombat! Don't be deceived by their cute looks though, it is capable of moving at speeds of nearly 40km per hour, which is fast enough to knock a man down!  They also have sharp teeth and claws! A good example of never judging a book by its cover! haha

Eagle...Trust me, the picture does not do justice! The eagle is humongous! haha

 A beautiful black-necked stork!

 Meet the Tree Kangaroo! Don't worry, I had no idea they existed before this trip too!

It's impossible to cover the entire park on foot so lucky for us, this cute miniature train is free for us to take around the different stops!

However, if you're not a reptile type of person, please be prepared to see monitor lizards in all sizes roaming everywhere. It literally made me feel as if I've walked into a haunted house as I don't know when one would suddenly jump out at me...:o There was once where I felt ambushed because there were 2 of them and I was in the middle! :o

Dad took a lot of pictures of it together with the different type of reptiles such as snakes and crocodiles  but I simply refuse to pollute our blog with them. Here is one of him with a fake snake which is the most decent one of all haha

From researching online, I already knew beforehand that a picture with the koala would cost us AUD20, which is equivalent to our entrance fees to the park. And yes, I did tell myself not to waste that money just for a picture. However, the temptation was just too strong and I ended up bringing home this! I always imagined the koalas to have really rough fur but surprisingly, they're super soft and it just clings onto you like a baby! *melts*

Would you just look at him! How can you say No to that!!

A little hint, do check out the Show Times at http://www.cws.org.au/getcloser/visitors_information/show_times/ so you can arrange your visit to coincide with the timing! :)

Also, if you have the time and love honey, remember to visit the Superbee Honeyworld which is just directly opposite the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. There's also a Surf Museum beside it, if you're interested!

Lunch @ Ben's Restaurant 

Address : Shop 187 Centro Surfers Paradise, Surfers Paradise, Queensland 4217

Back again to Centro for lunch as it's the nearest to our hotel before taking the shuttle back to the airport. This is unfortunately the only picture I took because we were so hungry, we chomp all the food down. This place is supposedly famous for its Fish & Chips but to us, there's not much to hoo-haa about. Maybe that's also why we forgot to take pictures of the food! haha

It costs about AUD10 onwards per plate and you can choose for your fish to be fried, steamed or grilled. The portion is big though so sharing is always caring! ;)  However, if you want some sauce to go with it, you have to actually buy them. They don't come together for free, even tomato and chilli sauce! -___-

Stay Tuned! Next up, it's Melbourne baby! :)