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| View of The Great Ocean Road from the Helicopter |
Day 6/7: Melbourne (Great Ocean Road Trip and Philip Island)
We already signed up for the tour before we went. We set off at around 7am (GMT+10). And the person is very nice to pick us up from our hotel. Coincidentally, there was another group of girls also going to the trip from the same hotel. And they happened to be S'poreans too. However, sometimes I do prefer everyone else is from everywhere else. HAHA. Well, the rest of the people are from other parts of the world. USA and Great Britain.
Ok, here's my talent. I fall asleep easily when I got on a tour bus. No matter where we are going. HAHA! (Ok fine, I can fall asleep anywhere -.-''') So I was awake very little on the road. But still managed to see some nice scenes and capture some nice pictures. Heh!
So it took us about 2hour from Melbourne city to our first stop. Not even to the main attraction of The Great Ocean Road yet, just at a pitstop for us to use the toilet, and get our lunch for later into the day. We had ice-cream too! :)
Anyhows, we got to The Great Ocean Road and we were the only ones who went for the helicopter ride. It was great, though expensive for the short ride. It's 75AUD for a 5-10min ride. But the view that we got to see was really fantastic! The whole stretch of The Great Ocean Road (Photo above), the 'Twelve' Apostles (less than 12 left), some of the other features from top and view from the sea, so you can't possibly see them without the helicopter taking you up and out. So great experience I say.
And then down to the Gibson Beach for some sand experience? Haha. It was definitely very cold. But I like the amazing Australian beaches having fine and beautiful sand which doesn't stick onto your skin like those in Sg. (I just discovered that the sand we brought back from Gold Coast in a Coca Cola bottle is still there in the living room display cupboard). Took some jump shot in front of a bit piece of the apostles. Haha! Very difficult to jump - clothes very thick and heavy.
Proceeded to next stop on the ocean road. To see other weathered rocks with special features. One of them is The heart-shaped arc - Loch Ard Gorge. There's a beautiful love story behind it. You will get to hear it when you go there. Haha!
Then to the rainforest walk. Quite a cool one. Some interesting plants. And we were kind of tricked to go up to the 'giant tree' which had already collapsed about 1.5years ago, we were only told when we got there after climbing all the stairs. But part of the trunk is still in the forest. Tour guide said the trunk actually reached the main road outside when it collapsed. And we already walked about 20min into the forest! That was how big the tree was supposed to be. And then the dangerous part came where there were no stairs. It was all slope and it was slightly slippery. Ya, almost slipped a few times. But what else but cool experience you get?
Then it was Koala time!!! Plus bird feeding. Unfortunately, the birds either didn't want the food in my hand, or didn't stop long enough for a photo to be taken. How sad. We spotted wildlife Koala before we reached the place too! So cute. HAHA. Spotted quite a few high up in the trees and seen some of them in action climbing. But got to say most of the time they are just cuddling up into a ball and sleeping, I mean how else could they have accumulated their 20-hour sleep everyday right?
Next stop was the Lorne Pier, trying our luck to see if there will be any whales coming to the water surface, they say there's a high chance because the sea was quite calm. We didn't spot any during the helicopter ride, and not at the pier too. And it was really cold I swear.
By that time it was already almost 5pm (GMT+10) and the sun is setting. So we set off to the farmhouse for dinner and the rest of the night.
Dinner was cooked by the tour guide himself. There was pasta, green curry rice, salad with bacon, and bbq lamb, beef patty, sausages. It was a nice meal. And then there was dessert time too! Ice-cream! HAHAHA! Another make-up for not having one the day before. :P
After dinner, we gotten ourselves outside to the campfire, to have some bbq marshmallow. Like all so natural, so good. So kind of chatted with the rest of the group, listened to some stories, get to know what students do in different country. But Horng and Via left us first because of the invasion of the dogs. The puppy was just being VERY active, running around and licking us everywhere. Even make a little scratch on my neck while trying to climb up to lick my face, tyvm. HAHA!
At the end of the day, we played a bit of monopoly deal after bathing while Horng totally drifted into her sleep and can't be bothered with us. Haha! It's like one of the days we slept the earliest? Because we weren't out shopping or watching something, there was nothing else to do and I guess everyone was tired too.
And yup, that ended the day!
The next day, got up at 7plus (GMT+10). Had breakfast prepared by the guide again. Seriously, love the breakky. It's totally like McMuffin?! Bacon and egg. Totally nice! And there was pancakes too! Woohoo! And then he challenged us to leave the place in 10min after breakky. One of the American lady volunteered to do all the dishes for us, which was really really kind!
We are bound for Philip Island for the day! And we met with some more rainbow on the road! :) We got to take a 45min ferry to the opposite coast, yea, with the vehicle on it as well. Love the sea and sky - so beautiful! I have a favourite photo here. Will share it below later. :)
First stop was a vineyard - Tuck's Ridge for wine tasting. Had quite a few from white to red. Not bad I say, but nope, we didn't buy any, except for a shiraz for the guide. :) Then it rained while we were trying to take some photos outdoor, so we left shortly for the next stop.
Then to the Maru Koala & Animal Park. It's named after a little girl and technically, she owns the place! Here, we get to feed the Kangas! (Okay, I was told that they are Wallabies afterwards). And they are so smart, they smell the food and doesn't go away until you feed them all you have. And even reach higher to get the food. So there's one which held on to my hand while eating from it. It's a bit painful but still bearable, just afraid that I would go away with its food? haha! And they are quite nice to touch, maybe cos they were in the rain. (Ya, it started to rain again, and then stopped again halfway through the feeding, so we were wet again.)
Saw other animals - Tasmania, Koalas, Emu, Dingoes, Horse, Sheep, Goat, Wombat, lots of peacocks and peahens, and parrots which talk. It says 'Hello' and laughs really hysterically. I totally don't know how they do it. The British guys were having a great time disturbing them though. Haha. But I say the place was really nice. :) Nah, no encounter for carrying a Koala. Probably have to pay a sum to do it. haha. And anyway, the wombat is really cute! :D
Then got to a Chocolate Factory and shop. Nope, didn't see chocolate in the making, didn't buy any chocolate as well although there was really a wide range.
Now, it's the highlight!! We are going to watch the penguins! But before that, went for some sight-seeing first. Saw the beach that the cute little penguins will be coming up. And then we were brought to the boardwalk which brings us to the edge of Philip Island. Walked till the end to take photos. And then!!! It started to rain really heavily the moment we started to walk back. Rain was practically hitting right on our faces. The wind was crazy, but we got to make it to the bus no matter what. By the time we got back, all wet and shivering like mad, face was numb like mad too. Worse, the other 3 girls were behind us, they just got there to take photos when we left. I think they were badly hit by the rain too. Luckily there was the heat pack. Craziness of the weather.
We have got to wait until after sun set for the penguins. So we got to walk around in the building first, and then made our way to the stands for the cute stuff. No photography was allowed, so no photos of those penguins. But we saw them up close anyhows, after they came out of the sea to find their way home. They are indeed navy blue and white, not black and white. It was REALLY COLD at the stand since it's just at the shore. But for the little penguins, I guess it's all worth it! They are really cute! :D How nice if I can bring 1 home. HAHA!
Then was dinner! Dinner was included in the package as well! :) But drinks are not. We asked for warm water, and it is chargeable, at 3.50AUD each cup plus taxes?! We almost fainted. It was just water with a piece of lemon. It was charged as a warm tea(?!). Pardon me but I do not understand. Pizza was fine. Didn't really eat a lot, had 3 pieces and I was done.
Then it was a 2-hour drive back into the city. Dropped the Americans and British at their respective venues before dropping us back at F1 Formula. Got hungry again, so Horng and I went down to get some cup noddles and ice-creams! HAHA!
Yup, End of the day!
Food
a. Ice-cream - Dooley's Icecream
I had Bailey's ice cream, not as rich in bailey's as the Anderson's one. I think the Anderson's one taste better. But I think it's good enough to curb the ice-cream crave. HAHA! Their recommended was water chestnut, but none of us ordered that after trying it, reason unknown.
b. Pies, Tarts and cookies
Gotten a steak pie while the other 3 had other stuff - sausage roll, chicken burger. Overall it's nice, but there was too much fillings I had to take some of them out before I could finish the pie. Or did I even finish it? Hmmm.... Had some shortbread too, it's nice! Via bought a custard tart, unfortunately, the crust and filling got separated somehow, got to use some tools (spoon from plane) to eat it. haha.
c. Fish & Chips
It was lunch for the 2nd day. Heard it's good over there. The guide, the other sg girls and the british guys also got it. Ling and I shared a 'basket for 2' and a burger while Horng and Via shared a 'platter for 2'. Platter has more stuff than basket. But we are good with the basket. The burger is nice! We totally couldn't finish the basket. Left with the chips. A LOT of chips. It is totally more than 2 person's share. In the end we still got to waste it because it was all cold and hard at the end of the day.
d. Pizza
As mentioned, dinner for 2nd day, totally can't remember the name of the shop. =x I remember taking a glance at the name before going in. Anyway there were quite a few pizzas ordered. Curry beef, ham and mushroom, Crockaroo (?!) - supposed to be crocodile meat and kangaroo meat I think, don't know if he was just kidding, Tandoori chicken, Seafood and 2 others I can't remember. HAHA! (I think I really have a bad memory)
e. Cup Noodles & Ice-cream
A pleasant surprise to find 满汉大餐 in the 7-eleven near our hotel. So I got it, but it's a freaking 6AUD. While the rest are just 3AUD. LOL! And the 2 of us made the decision to buy ice-creams for us and the rest as well. haha! I chose Big Choc Bikki Magnum, which is also a freaking 5AUD. So I got the most expensive cup noodles and most expensive ice cream out of the 4 of us. =.= But they are really nice!! What a sinful supper. =x
Photos to share
We already signed up for the tour before we went. We set off at around 7am (GMT+10). And the person is very nice to pick us up from our hotel. Coincidentally, there was another group of girls also going to the trip from the same hotel. And they happened to be S'poreans too. However, sometimes I do prefer everyone else is from everywhere else. HAHA. Well, the rest of the people are from other parts of the world. USA and Great Britain.
Ok, here's my talent. I fall asleep easily when I got on a tour bus. No matter where we are going. HAHA! (Ok fine, I can fall asleep anywhere -.-''') So I was awake very little on the road. But still managed to see some nice scenes and capture some nice pictures. Heh!
So it took us about 2hour from Melbourne city to our first stop. Not even to the main attraction of The Great Ocean Road yet, just at a pitstop for us to use the toilet, and get our lunch for later into the day. We had ice-cream too! :)
Anyhows, we got to The Great Ocean Road and we were the only ones who went for the helicopter ride. It was great, though expensive for the short ride. It's 75AUD for a 5-10min ride. But the view that we got to see was really fantastic! The whole stretch of The Great Ocean Road (Photo above), the 'Twelve' Apostles (less than 12 left), some of the other features from top and view from the sea, so you can't possibly see them without the helicopter taking you up and out. So great experience I say.
And then down to the Gibson Beach for some sand experience? Haha. It was definitely very cold. But I like the amazing Australian beaches having fine and beautiful sand which doesn't stick onto your skin like those in Sg. (I just discovered that the sand we brought back from Gold Coast in a Coca Cola bottle is still there in the living room display cupboard). Took some jump shot in front of a bit piece of the apostles. Haha! Very difficult to jump - clothes very thick and heavy.
Proceeded to next stop on the ocean road. To see other weathered rocks with special features. One of them is The heart-shaped arc - Loch Ard Gorge. There's a beautiful love story behind it. You will get to hear it when you go there. Haha!
Then to the rainforest walk. Quite a cool one. Some interesting plants. And we were kind of tricked to go up to the 'giant tree' which had already collapsed about 1.5years ago, we were only told when we got there after climbing all the stairs. But part of the trunk is still in the forest. Tour guide said the trunk actually reached the main road outside when it collapsed. And we already walked about 20min into the forest! That was how big the tree was supposed to be. And then the dangerous part came where there were no stairs. It was all slope and it was slightly slippery. Ya, almost slipped a few times. But what else but cool experience you get?
Then it was Koala time!!! Plus bird feeding. Unfortunately, the birds either didn't want the food in my hand, or didn't stop long enough for a photo to be taken. How sad. We spotted wildlife Koala before we reached the place too! So cute. HAHA. Spotted quite a few high up in the trees and seen some of them in action climbing. But got to say most of the time they are just cuddling up into a ball and sleeping, I mean how else could they have accumulated their 20-hour sleep everyday right?
Next stop was the Lorne Pier, trying our luck to see if there will be any whales coming to the water surface, they say there's a high chance because the sea was quite calm. We didn't spot any during the helicopter ride, and not at the pier too. And it was really cold I swear.
By that time it was already almost 5pm (GMT+10) and the sun is setting. So we set off to the farmhouse for dinner and the rest of the night.
Dinner was cooked by the tour guide himself. There was pasta, green curry rice, salad with bacon, and bbq lamb, beef patty, sausages. It was a nice meal. And then there was dessert time too! Ice-cream! HAHAHA! Another make-up for not having one the day before. :P
After dinner, we gotten ourselves outside to the campfire, to have some bbq marshmallow. Like all so natural, so good. So kind of chatted with the rest of the group, listened to some stories, get to know what students do in different country. But Horng and Via left us first because of the invasion of the dogs. The puppy was just being VERY active, running around and licking us everywhere. Even make a little scratch on my neck while trying to climb up to lick my face, tyvm. HAHA!
At the end of the day, we played a bit of monopoly deal after bathing while Horng totally drifted into her sleep and can't be bothered with us. Haha! It's like one of the days we slept the earliest? Because we weren't out shopping or watching something, there was nothing else to do and I guess everyone was tired too.
And yup, that ended the day!
The next day, got up at 7plus (GMT+10). Had breakfast prepared by the guide again. Seriously, love the breakky. It's totally like McMuffin?! Bacon and egg. Totally nice! And there was pancakes too! Woohoo! And then he challenged us to leave the place in 10min after breakky. One of the American lady volunteered to do all the dishes for us, which was really really kind!
We are bound for Philip Island for the day! And we met with some more rainbow on the road! :) We got to take a 45min ferry to the opposite coast, yea, with the vehicle on it as well. Love the sea and sky - so beautiful! I have a favourite photo here. Will share it below later. :)
First stop was a vineyard - Tuck's Ridge for wine tasting. Had quite a few from white to red. Not bad I say, but nope, we didn't buy any, except for a shiraz for the guide. :) Then it rained while we were trying to take some photos outdoor, so we left shortly for the next stop.
Then to the Maru Koala & Animal Park. It's named after a little girl and technically, she owns the place! Here, we get to feed the Kangas! (Okay, I was told that they are Wallabies afterwards). And they are so smart, they smell the food and doesn't go away until you feed them all you have. And even reach higher to get the food. So there's one which held on to my hand while eating from it. It's a bit painful but still bearable, just afraid that I would go away with its food? haha! And they are quite nice to touch, maybe cos they were in the rain. (Ya, it started to rain again, and then stopped again halfway through the feeding, so we were wet again.)
Saw other animals - Tasmania, Koalas, Emu, Dingoes, Horse, Sheep, Goat, Wombat, lots of peacocks and peahens, and parrots which talk. It says 'Hello' and laughs really hysterically. I totally don't know how they do it. The British guys were having a great time disturbing them though. Haha. But I say the place was really nice. :) Nah, no encounter for carrying a Koala. Probably have to pay a sum to do it. haha. And anyway, the wombat is really cute! :D
Then got to a Chocolate Factory and shop. Nope, didn't see chocolate in the making, didn't buy any chocolate as well although there was really a wide range.
Now, it's the highlight!! We are going to watch the penguins! But before that, went for some sight-seeing first. Saw the beach that the cute little penguins will be coming up. And then we were brought to the boardwalk which brings us to the edge of Philip Island. Walked till the end to take photos. And then!!! It started to rain really heavily the moment we started to walk back. Rain was practically hitting right on our faces. The wind was crazy, but we got to make it to the bus no matter what. By the time we got back, all wet and shivering like mad, face was numb like mad too. Worse, the other 3 girls were behind us, they just got there to take photos when we left. I think they were badly hit by the rain too. Luckily there was the heat pack. Craziness of the weather.
We have got to wait until after sun set for the penguins. So we got to walk around in the building first, and then made our way to the stands for the cute stuff. No photography was allowed, so no photos of those penguins. But we saw them up close anyhows, after they came out of the sea to find their way home. They are indeed navy blue and white, not black and white. It was REALLY COLD at the stand since it's just at the shore. But for the little penguins, I guess it's all worth it! They are really cute! :D How nice if I can bring 1 home. HAHA!
Then was dinner! Dinner was included in the package as well! :) But drinks are not. We asked for warm water, and it is chargeable, at 3.50AUD each cup plus taxes?! We almost fainted. It was just water with a piece of lemon. It was charged as a warm tea(?!). Pardon me but I do not understand. Pizza was fine. Didn't really eat a lot, had 3 pieces and I was done.
Then it was a 2-hour drive back into the city. Dropped the Americans and British at their respective venues before dropping us back at F1 Formula. Got hungry again, so Horng and I went down to get some cup noddles and ice-creams! HAHA!
Yup, End of the day!
Food
a. Ice-cream - Dooley's Icecream
I had Bailey's ice cream, not as rich in bailey's as the Anderson's one. I think the Anderson's one taste better. But I think it's good enough to curb the ice-cream crave. HAHA! Their recommended was water chestnut, but none of us ordered that after trying it, reason unknown.
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| me and my bailey's ice-cream. :) |
b. Pies, Tarts and cookies
Gotten a steak pie while the other 3 had other stuff - sausage roll, chicken burger. Overall it's nice, but there was too much fillings I had to take some of them out before I could finish the pie. Or did I even finish it? Hmmm.... Had some shortbread too, it's nice! Via bought a custard tart, unfortunately, the crust and filling got separated somehow, got to use some tools (spoon from plane) to eat it. haha.
c. Fish & Chips
It was lunch for the 2nd day. Heard it's good over there. The guide, the other sg girls and the british guys also got it. Ling and I shared a 'basket for 2' and a burger while Horng and Via shared a 'platter for 2'. Platter has more stuff than basket. But we are good with the basket. The burger is nice! We totally couldn't finish the basket. Left with the chips. A LOT of chips. It is totally more than 2 person's share. In the end we still got to waste it because it was all cold and hard at the end of the day.
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| Basket for 2 |
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| Chicken Burger |
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| Platter for 2 |
d. Pizza
As mentioned, dinner for 2nd day, totally can't remember the name of the shop. =x I remember taking a glance at the name before going in. Anyway there were quite a few pizzas ordered. Curry beef, ham and mushroom, Crockaroo (?!) - supposed to be crocodile meat and kangaroo meat I think, don't know if he was just kidding, Tandoori chicken, Seafood and 2 others I can't remember. HAHA! (I think I really have a bad memory)
e. Cup Noodles & Ice-cream
A pleasant surprise to find 满汉大餐 in the 7-eleven near our hotel. So I got it, but it's a freaking 6AUD. While the rest are just 3AUD. LOL! And the 2 of us made the decision to buy ice-creams for us and the rest as well. haha! I chose Big Choc Bikki Magnum, which is also a freaking 5AUD. So I got the most expensive cup noodles and most expensive ice cream out of the 4 of us. =.= But they are really nice!! What a sinful supper. =x
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| our ice creams! Top one is mine. :) |
Photos to share
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Seen a lot of rainbow but this is the only full one! Beautiful right!
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