Things you see everywhere in Australia

Hunter Valley

• vineyards
• Americans
• tourists
• happy people
• tourist trap

Newcastle

• uni students
• country town

Day 3 6/5/07 - Australia

Newcastle -> Sydney

Highlight

• Wow, the first holiday I haven't enjoyed for a long time. I'd forgotten why I don't go on holidays with my family...I swear when I have a family, I am not going to annoy them!
• After another restless night, with the front door alarm going off constantly and drunk uni students patrolling the halls, we set off for the Honeysuckle Markets, Newcastle's premier market. Well, put it this way, there were about 10 stalls that's about it, so we were able to buy some bread and veg and go home to have brekkie.
• On the way back, drove past some of the "sights" of Newcastle, the Red-Light District, and the Newcastle Steelworks.
• After our "lunch", it was time for the long drive home, watching a game of soccer, before finally arriving home.

Food

• Fosterton Farm Linseed sourdough ($4.80)
• Fosterton Farm corn sourdough ($4.80)
• Fosterton Farm farmhouse sourdough ($4.80)
• Fosterton Farm pumpkin, fetta and rice parcel ($3)
• Mayan Coffee cappuccino ($3.20)
• Bionnarie Dairy labna, duetto
• Hunter Valley Cheese Company gold washed rind cheese
• omelette with mushrooms

Day 2 5/5/07 - Australia

Newcastle -> Pokolbin -> Newcastle

Highlight

• Woke up really early because of the bird calls outside the dorm room, so we ended up having breakfast really early and leaving the house by 8:30am. As a result we got to the Hunter Valley around 9:30 am, so of course nothing was open yet.
• First stop was the Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Shop, which wasn't opened yet, so we had a wonder around the Pokolbin Chocolate & Jam Company General Store at the Pokobin Village Resort.
• Too impatient to wait, we went to the Hunter Valley Gardens Village (HVGV), where there is a beautiful church with stained glass windows overlooking the gardens (incidentally there was a wedding there too).
• There are plenty of shops around HVGV to poke around in, my favourites were The Waiters Friend, selling all manners of kitchen stuff, and of course The Hunter Valley Chocolate Company, where they craft some delicious chcolate, my favourite being the chilli chocolate. They didn't have the dark coffee beans we wanted, so the girl was kind enough to call their other shop and store some aside for us.
• We hadn't actually tasted any wine at this stage, so we thought it was time to give it a go.
• We started off at the Bluetongue Brewery, but since we had to pay to taste the beer, so we just had a look before moving on. You can go on brewery tours, but seeing we've been on tours before, we gave it a miss.
• Across the road was the Binnorie Dairy, it was very crowded, but the setting as beautiful, overlooking a lake and vineywards, so we didn't mind waiting around. When we finally did, we got to taste test the whole range of their cheese, duetto, marinated fetta, labna, mascapone. Their cheese offering was excellent, we were really pleased so bought up big.
• On the way there, we passed a really nice looking winery, set in the valley and they had a huge balcony, so we decided to use that as our first wine tasting stop. I am so glad we did. The Keith Tullochwine Winery was excellent, a small brewery that only makes a small collection of wines, on sale at the cellar store or at the Small Winemakers Centre, and restaurants only. The best thing about this place is the way you do tasting. You pick your spot on the spacious balcony or inside, and they bring you glasses and the wines one by one. They only produce 2 whites, three rds and a dessert wine only. The wines were of pretty good quality, and the service was excellent. Each wine was explained to you and you can relax with your tasting, reclining on the comfy couches. There are also newspaper and mags to read. We spent over an hour there and ended up joining their wine club as well as buying a dozen.
• We went back to the Smelly Cheese Shop but it was so crowded that we didn't stay there long. They have a whole range of their own cheeses as well as cheese from all around the world. If you're here on a quiet day it's well worth a wander, especially in their cheese room.
• The Hunter Valley Cheese Factory is located at McGuigan Cellars. We walked through the range of their cheese, including the marinated fetta, fresh herbed cheese, the smelly Gold Washed Rind, 2 goats cheese: the Branxton White Mould and Grape Vien Ashed Brie, a strong blue and a cheddar from Queensland. The marinated products were not as good as Binnorie Dairy, but we really enjoyed the washed rind. We also managed to pick up some excellent olive oil.
• Across the road for some lunch at the Australian Regional Food Store, but alas, the lunch menu was boring and unimaginative, not to mention expensive, so we made to with 2 mediocare coffees, before heading next door to the Small Winemakers Centre for more taste testing. Not only was the person rude and slow to us, but the wine was pretty ordinary. We left there in a hurry, plenty more cellar doors where they are more welcoming.
• Finally we made our way to the reason we went to the Hunter in the first place, the Meander on Marrowbone Road event as part of the Harvest Festival. Unfortunately it was a bit late in the day, and also because we'd drunk our weights worth in wine, we only managed to make it to 2 out of 5 wineries. Draytons Family Wines where they were offering a winery tour. But before that, we got to taste a few of their offerings, and picked up a dozen reds for the price of $4 each! The wineary tour was pretty informative, and covers the whole process - I've been to a few winery tours in my lifetime, and I actually never remember much of it...
• Our 2nd stop on Marrowbone Rd was to the McWilliams Mount Pleasant Estate, one of the oldest winery in the Hunter. They had a photo exhibition, showing wine making there in teh 50s, taken by famous photographer Max Dupain.
• Our last stop was to get our chocolates from the . I never realised why this was the last stop, as the girl mentioned the shop was just down the road. As it turned out, Slokky had "misinterpreted" and thought we had to go to the factory at Lovedale instead. So 20 minutes later, we found ourselves at the factory shop, where we watched two workers making chocolates. A few taste of fudge later, we came away with bags of chocolate treats.
• We wanted to go to Restaurant II, but it was booked out. So Slokky suggested Honeysuckle Wharf, the supposed Newcastle equivalent to King Street Wharf. Well, in terms of architecture, that's correct, but in terms of shops and people, there were like 1/4 of the people. Since we were with mum and dad, we didn't really get ot eat at where we wanted, so ended up at Twist Cafe Bar, which is not a highlight. Read about it in my review here.
• Got forced to go to Coles to buy soap, even though there were still heaps left, then got forced to eat "yam dessert", even though there is no sugar in it at all.
• As usual, Elaine refuses to sleep early and also refuses to keep the noise down when other people are sleeping, so had to stay awake even though I was really really tired.

Food

• baked beans, scrambled eggs and cheese on toast
• porriage with fruit and nuts
• Bliss Coffee Roaster cappuccino ($3.50)
• taste testing olive oils, jams, chutneys
• taste testing wines
• Australian Regional Food Store latte ($3.80)
• taste testing chocolate and fudge at Hunter Valley Chocolate Company
• mandarin
• Twist Cafe Bar dinner:
  • seared blue eye cod fillet in South Indian aubergine and potato curry topped with seared scallops and riata ($26)
  • pan fried yellow fin tuna served on sauteed kiper potato, asparagus and sundried tomatoes with wild roquette, basil oil and essence of balsamic ($26)
  • roased whole spatchcock with french lentils, currents, speck and merlot glaze ($24)
  • chargrilled bangalow pork cutlet with roasted parsnip and thyme mash, sauteed dbaby spinach and caramelised apple jus ($26)
  • seared atlantics salmon with beurre blanc, asparagus spear and potato rosti ($26)
• yam potatoes "dessert"
• peanut butter fudge

Day 1 4/5/07 - Australia

Sydney -> Newcastle

Highlight

• We started with dinner at Flemington's Saigon Pho, before taking the 2+ hour drive to Newcastle. The road was more crowded than I expected, but the road is nice enough.
• Elaine's campus dorm is very nice. The building is very new, the room is ver yspacious and there are some very beautiful BBQ area as well as a common room with a huge TV and Foxtel! Slokky might be spending more weeks here afterall

Food

• Saigon Pho dinner:
  • beef noodle soup ($7)
  • seafood combination in fried noodles ($9)
  • special fish with rice hot pot ($8.70)

Hunter Valley 2007

Simple Plan:
Oz

Expaneded Plan:
Sydney - Newcastle - Hunter - Newcastle - Sydney

Date:
4/5/07 - 6/5/07

Flying:
or not

Cost:
$$

100 Great Things To Do In Australia

001 Explore Kakadu’s little brother Litchfield
002 Be cast for eternity onto salty Lake Ballard
003 Swim with wild seals at Baird Bay
004 Go on holiday save 100 lives at Mapoon
005 Reach the oasis of Ormiston Gorge
006 Visit the other remarkable pebble Mount Augustus
007 Open a half-million-year-old treasure chest Naracoorte Caves
008 Visit one of the world’s oldest art galleries Carnarvon Gorge
009 Go swimming with tuna at Port Lincoln
010 Hear a great set of pipes at the Undara Lava Tubes
011 Walk to Art in Melbourne
012 Stay the night in a light on Montague Island
013 Lose yourself in the bluest lagoon at Fitzroy Reef
014 Call the birds in on towering Mount Gower
015 Take a vow of silence in New Norcia
016 Be among the first to paint the hills in outback SA
017 Celebrate Australian biodiversity at Australian Garden
018 Adrift on a Dead Sea at the Pool of Siloam
019 Rent your own island in the Mackerel Islands
020 Get dragged around with Sydney by Diva
021 Look! Up in the sky! It’s your round! Flying Pub Crawl
022 Bathe in convict history at the Bogey Hole
023 Live the life of a keeper on Gabo Island
024 See Sydney from a VERY different angle
025 Paddle under a convict prison in Fremantle
026 Play catch with sharks on the Undersea Explorer
027 Lose your blues at Greens Pool
028 Be a postman for a day on the Outback Mail Run
029 Take the longest sheer plunge down Wallaman Falls
030 Stay at Kangaroo’s lighthouse trinity
031 Dive into the world’s purest cleanest water Mount Gambier
032 See the world at 300m per second in a Mig Jet
033 Gain some extremely remote access at Garig Ganuk Barlu
034 Find food for your soul at Flames of the Forest
035 Stride among the city of Gnomes
036 Watch over Australia’s moodiest lake Blue Lake
037 The Sound of Music at Mount Scoria
038 See blind shrimps and a million stars at Cutta Cutta Caves
039 Fly to the ancient source of Australian art
040 Visit our most haunted house Monte Cristo Homestead
041 See the other side of the rainbow Rainbow Serpent Tour
042 Twitter with the Twitchers at Coffs Coast
043 Stroll along the seabed with Seawalker
044 Find a home among the Banksias
045 Bathe in a boiling outback lake at Dalhousie Springs
046 Spot some of Australia’s oldest graffiti on Chambers Pillar
047 Get on your soapbox Australian Billy Cart Champs
048 Travel in a clattering time machine the Afghan Express
049 Take tea with the Morning Tea Ladies on Tiwi Island
050 Go French for a hidden tourism gem French Island
051 Go to sea in a tinnie at the Beer Can Regatta
052 Hold your breath for the dive of the century Fish Rock Cave
053 Fly in raft out on the North Johnstone River
054 Run with white lions in Mogo Zoo
055 Win your wife’s weight in beer Wife Carrying Champs
056 Don’t fence me in at Cameron’s Corner
057 Watch spawning cuttlefish off Whyalla
058 Proclaim yourself King for the night Kings Plains Castle
059 Walk through untouched lands Kakadu Hawk Dreaming
060 Visit an outback slice of the ’50s at Bells Milk Bar
061 Imagine the land before maps on the Great North Road
062 Catch your own seafood platter at Black Point
063 Prepare to circle the wagons in Bendigo
064 Hop on Tasmania’s newest ride Piners and Miners Tour
065 Play polo in Banjo country at the Geebung Polo Match
066 Make your own wine at Penfolds
067 Tinker with Tilba Tilba’s trinkets
068 Walk among the dolomites in the Hastings Caves
069 Make like Moses at Burning Mountain
070 Go deep underground with Douggie’s Mine Tours
071 Boogie-woogie on rails in the Blues Train
072 Rent your own cave in the Upper Blue Mountains
073 Visit Australia’s unknown Grand Canyon Capertee Valley
074 Share your secrets with the Whispering Wall
075 Find your way among the roses at Ashcombe
076 Bomb the Perry Sandhills on the banks of the Murray
077 Have the perfect family day at Parsley Bay
078 Stumble across Beautiful Betsy
079 Crawl through a goldmine at Arltunga
080 See the giant water babies at Point Ann
081 Crawl through a convict tunnel in Clarence
082 Visit a country within a country Principality of Hutt River
083 Back your favourite cane toad on Magnetic Island
084 Twirl a brolly from a previous century Old Umbrella Shop
085 Delve into your immigrant past at the National Archives
086 Visit Hans Heysen’s home among the gumtrees
087 Spot Australia’s rarest mammal at Two Peoples Bay
088 Dive into surfing heartland’s Blue Pool
089 See the walls come alive at Kurri Kurri
090 See the world’s largest acrylic painting at Broken Hill
091 Sail the postman’s run up the Hawkesbury
092 Join the outback pest war against the Yellow Crazy Ants
093 Roll with the pumpkins at Goomeri
094 Wander through the scarecrows in the vineyard
095 Step through the looking glass National Art Glass Gallery
096 Get the best coffee in the galaxy at Tidbinbilla
097 Ride fly eat and learn on the Flying Camel Tour
098 Pay your respects to Tom Roberts’ Big Picture
099 Drink the world’s most expensive coffee
100 Set your spider senses tingling at Australia’s Venom Zoo

Day 1 24/4/07 - Australia

Sydney -> Hobart -> Sydney

Highlight

• Another close brush to the airport, I was stuck on the M5 for over 30 minutes, meaning my trip took 40 minutes longer than usual. Luckily the rain delayed all flights so I made it with about 5 minutes to spare.
• The flight was full of old people and young families, all on holidays to Tassie or going back to see family. This all adds to the atmosphere of a holiday. So even though this was a business trip, it’s Tassie, so it can’t help but feel like a holiday.
• Got a taxi without having to line up, and 10 minutes later we arrived in the city centre.
• A swift meeting with the GM and other heads of, and then we were off to lunch.
• Walked down to Salamanca Place, which looked very different without the market stalls and the crowd. It was very pleasant, with the beautiful sandstone buildings, antique and arts shop, and glorious restaurants all housed in the restored buildings.
• A pleasant walk to my favourite bakery in the whole world, Jackman & McRoss, and watched the world (or the Tassies) pass by. A beautiful way to appreciate Tassie.
• Stocked up on supplies and walked back down the whimsical Kelly’s Step back to the office.
• The workshops went well. Tasmanians are so much more relaxed.
• After finally securing a cab in the heart of the CBD, made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We enjoyed a glass of wine and enjoyed our Jackman & McRoss takeaway, before boarding the flight back.
• Ahh, Sydney, rain, wait for taxis, traffic…it’s good to be home.

Food

• Jackman & McRoss braised rabbit pie ($8.50)
• Jackman & McRoss quince tart ($6.50)

Tasmania 2007

Simple Plan:
Oz

Expaneded Plan:
Sydney - Hobart - Sydney

Date:
24/4/07

Flying:
Virgin

Cost:
$

Virgin Flight DJ 623

Time

This time we took off on time, but because of the rain in Sydney, we were delayed for 10 minutes on return, which was nothing, considering the Qantas flight to Melbourne was delayed 2 hours, and the long wait for a taxi afterwards and the traffic…

Rating - 4

Comfort

We were forced to stand on the tarmac for ages, it was freezing cold because people were very slow getting on the plane. This time the plane was full and I was sitting next in the middle next to my colleague and this tall man who drank lots of alcohol during the flight, so it wasn’t exactly comfortable. One of the reading lights didn’t work either so that didn’t help.

Rating - 2

Service

It must be mid-day fatigue, because the crew was pretty boring. They had their work cut out for them handling the request from alcoholic next door, and they handled it well, so well done to them.

Rating - 1

Allowance/Gifts

Yup, they had live to air TV again, but there was a problem so every couple of minutes the screen would blank out. Alcoholic actually bought the service for $6 (he should’ve checked that it actually worked first!), and then was complaining about it.

Rating - 2.5

Value

This was bought on a Fully Flexible Fare, for $349. Again, not paid for by me.

Rating - 4

Jumbo Points - 13.5

Info

Hobart - > Sydney
24 Apr 07, 17:00 - 18:50
Website

Virgin Flight DJ 618

Time

Because of the rain we actually took off half hour late, which was again fine by me because I was stuck in traffic and had to do another mad dash to the gate. Luckily Virgin has now implemented web check-in so I was able to walk straight to security, saving a lot of time. We didn’t arrive that much later though, only 15 mins, so we were still able to make our appointment.

Rating - 2.5

Comfort

I don’t think I really need to comment on this one any longer, having flown so many Virgin flights. This time we had a spare seat between us so it was much more comfy.

Rating - 4

Service

The crew were surprisingly low key. Usually they have some funny stories to tell, but I think because we took off late and they were in a rush, so they wanted to hurry and get everything done to meet their on time demand.

Rating - 3.5

Allowance/Gifts

This flight has the new “live TV” implemented, i.e. there is a screen on each seat where you get a choice of 30 channels. We were given free headphones and there is a review of the channels before take-off. I tried out a few channels, namely the news and the Lifestyle channels, and found it quite good. However, once we took off, you had to pay $6 for the service, which is ok of course. However, it meant that all the radio channels are disabled so you can’t actually listen to anything.

Rating - 3.5

Food

The usual stuff available, which I didn’t try.

Rating - 2.5

Value

This was bought on a Blue Saver, for $159. I didn’t have to pay for it anyway.

Rating - 4.5

Jumbo Points - 20.5

Info

Sydney -> Hobart
24 Apr 07, 8:55 - 10:45
Website

Rialto Hotel on Collins

Room

Our package was for a deluxe king room. The room was certainly bigger than normal. Situated on the 7th floor, which is the highest on that side of the hotel, and with a balcony overlooking the cafe area below, it is very impressive. It might be a bit freaky not to have natural light, but I was fine with that. I went out on that balcony often to observe people around.

We had a king bed that had the pillow thing going on. The bed as very comfy, the pillow a little soft but at least not floppy. The decor in the rest of the room I will describe as yellow. You couldn't really turn the lights up to brighten up the room. Gold glitz and dark wood paneling is the order of the day. There is a chair with a foot rest and a writing desk. The bathroom was quite spacious, with a marble-topped basin.

Rating - 4

Facilities

The mini-bar was kinda impressive. We had Foxtel (not that I cared) and a Playstation (ditto). All the usual suspects: huge rooftop pool, spa, sauna, gym, bar, business centre... The bathroom amenities were generous, and they had bathrobes (which we didn't use again) but no fluffy slippers.

The staff were very professional, both at reception, valet parking and at check-in. The check-in chick was a bit ditzy, thinking our breakfast wasn't included in the price. The bell-boy was nowhere to be seen when we needed him though. We didn't try out the famed concierge as we didn't even have enough time to do anything!

Rating - 4

Location

Right in the centre of town, actually, the ritzy part of town. It's close to transport and all the major attractions in the city. Too bad we didn't really make use of it.

Rating - 5

Food

We started with some good quality champagne, very sweet choc-dipped strawberries, and dark chocolate mint, so they were already in my good books. Anyone who provides a selection of fresh bread (go olive!) at breakfast gets my vote.

The food was above average for a hotel breakfast buffet, but of course doesn't beat a cafe. They have an egg station, offering up half set poached eggs, as well as your standard hot food fare. The bacon was very lean. The pancake still a bit rubbery.

My favourite, besides the bread, were the mix your own muesli and fruit compote. I also forced down a hot-cross bun because it was Easter.

Rating - 4.5

Value

Our one night package was $169 for a king sized room, champagne and strawberries on arrival and buffet breakfast for me. It as great value for a Easter holiday weekend right in the heart of the city. Valet parking was an extra $25.

Rating - 4

Snooze Points - 21.5

Info

495 Collins St
Melbourne
VIC 3000
Phone (03) 9620 9111
Website

Frog Gully Cottages

Room

There's a small kitchen, a large dining and living room, spacious outdoor deck, and 2 bedrooms, each with its own ensuite. Everything is tastefully decorated, more in the country style than that Mod look. I really like that there is a uniqueness in their decorations. Everything is frog themed, from the door mat to the toilet paper!The cottages are obviously quite new, some things even still have their tags on!

The double bed has electric blankets and fluffy doonas, but the mattress wasn't that comfortable and the pillow was floppy! This really let the cottage down in terms of rating.

Rating - 3

Facilities

This is supposed to be 4 star rated, and there is almost everything you need. The kitchen is not a full kitchen but all the basics are there, with everything being almost new. The gas BBQ on the deck is great too! They actually provide gloves for the kitchen and encourage recycling and composting.

There are heaters, electric blankets and fans, as well as DVDs, CD player, books, mags (all outdated unfortunately) and games. The bathrooms had some amenities and hair dryers. There is also a laundry should you be that way inclined.

Rating - 4

Location

Located on some beautiful wetlands, away from any life really, but close enough to a major town. Really the best of both worlds.

Rating - 4

Food

The breakfast provisions included: 4 strips of bacon, 4 eggs, 4 slices of bread, a selection of cereals and jams. Not as generous as other places we've been to, and not of the highest quality. In fact, the quantity is just right instead of being too generous. The milk they supplied had already passed its use by date though. Boring supply of tea and coffee, with 3 packets of Jarrah hot chocolate. They also gave us some chocolate frogs.

Rating - 3.5

Value

The cottages are priced at $160 for 2 at any time of year. At other times I would think they are a tad expensive, but at Easter, it's not bad.

Rating - 3

Snooze Points - 17.5

Info

Lot 2419
Rosedale Rd
Longford
VIC 3851
Phone (03) 5149 7242 or 0439 369 057
Website

Things you see everywhere in Australia

Melbourne

• toll roads
• trams
• live screens showing sport
• sport supporters
• rude drivers
• coffee shops
• beautiful sculptures on the street
• weird architecture

Gippsland

• SES coffee and tea service
• tourists, especially campers and caravans
• cows
• dairies
• wetlands
• forests

Things you see everywhere in Australia

Tasmania

• J Boggs
• Cascades
• pubs
• old couples or groups touring
• tourists
• farms
• cows
• sea
• road kill

Audi A3

Trip Summary

Melbourne -> Gippsland -> Melbourne

Drive

Quote "good handling, tendency to slightly under steer when pushed to the limits. The 6-speed gearbox is a dream. Steering a little twitchy for my preference"

Rating - 4

Comfort

It's a bit more squishy than the Focus, but it's roomy enough. There's not that much space in the backseat. I couldn't figure out how to adjust the headrest for a long time so was very uncomfortable. Otherwise, there is separate temperature control. Only complaint, slightly below average road noise reduction.

The cigarette lighter didn't work, or at least we couldn't figure out how it worked, so we couldn't charge our GPS.

Rating - 4

Service

Slow, we had to line up twice, once to register at the airport and another time to get the keys at the office. There was a scratch on the car so I went to report it at the office, at which they said not to worry about it. We then noticed the tank was only 3/4 full, so we had to go and report that again.

Rating - 1

Value

$330 for our 4 day sojourn. Not bad for Easter considering hiring a Hyundai would be only about $10 cheaper.

Rating - 3.5

Clean

Spotless... except for the scratches

Rating - 4.5

Zoom Points - 17

Info

Website

Qantas Flight QF 492

Time

Very good. Check-in is all electronic boarding pass, which you have to print out before you check your bags in, making the process much quicker. But it also means that you can't try to get switched to an earlier flight!

We left on time and arrived on time. The luggage did take awhile to come out even though the airport wasn't that busy.

Rating - 4

Comfort

Well, out of all the Australian airlines, Qantas has the oldest planes, the narrowest seats and the least leg room. This was another Boeing 737. The fabric on the seats were unattractive and worn, but at least they have the flaps on the side you can move to give you side support. There are a lot more TVs situated at a lot of points though so you can actually watch TV easily, even from the window seat.

Rating - 3

Service

The air hostesses are all old (so that's where the oldies go). They are very boring, never smile, but are very professional, in their announcement, in their delivery of food, in the showing you in and out of the aircraft. The counter service guy was ok too, and was helpful to a man who didn't know how to use the e-ticket machines.

Rating - 3.5

Allowance/Gifts

Instead of the 20kg bag allowance, we were actually allowed 32kg each, but each bag couldn't be heavier than 32kg, so we had to rejiggle our luggage to fit the requirements.

Rating - 3.5

Food

There was really not enough time for any food. We were given a packet of nuts and fruit and a drink. I decided to forgo the alcohol as I had had quite a share that day (hey, it WAS a wedding!). I asked for an apple juice, but to my surprise they actually gave me a mixed fruit juice, in the style of the nudie drinks. It was very nice actually. There are also some apples available, but really, all the food probably only costs about $2 all up.

Rating - 4

Value

Considering it was Easter and a flight on Virgin would cost $199, paying $214.39 for this was not too bad. Compared to the way we formally travel though, it's a rip off!

Rating - 3.5

Jumbo Points - 21.5

Info

Melbourne -> Sydney
9 Aug 06, 20:30 - 21:50
Website

Virgin Flight DJ 802

Time

The plane, to our relief, took off at 6:30 instead of 6:15 and arrived very close to the stated 1 hour and 7 minutes later, at 7:35, so was 10 minutes earlier than expected.

Rating - 5

Comfort

We flew in a Boeing 737, which is much squishshier than the Jetstar Airbus. Because of our check-in fun, I wasn't sitting next to Slokky (yeah!), but I ended up being squished between 2 old men (boo!). One was coughing and then snoring the whole time, at least the other one was ok. The seats are much narrower than Jetstar, but there's still enough legroom.

Rating - 3

Service

"Marky Mark" and his crew were a happy lot, especially for such an early hour. They got along very well and kept cracking those corny jokes about how good looking the crew were. The service was good and the announcements timely. Certainly better than Jetstar.

The check-in crew didn't really make us feel relaxed or calm when we checked-in, joining in the frenzy with us. At least they tried their best to get us on the plane I suppose?

Rating - 3.5

Allowance/Gifts

No freebies, not even headphones. I did take the in flight mag, which always has an interesting entrepreneurial article.

Rating - 2

Food

The usual options for purchase. We were too rush and too squished to enjoy our own food.

Rating - 1.5

Value

14,000 points plus $39 taxes

Rating - 1

Jumbo Points - 16

Info

Sydney -> Melbourne
6 Apr 07, 6:15 - 7:45
Website

Day 4 9/4/07 - Australia

Melbourne City -> North Balwyn -> South Yarra -> Melbourne City -> Sydney

Highlight

• Woke up nice and early for the buffet breakfast. We were so stuffed afterwards we took a walk around the city, to take advantage of the great location of the Rialto Hotel. We walked to Federation Square as this was not built the last time I was in Melbourne (2002). Whether it's ugly or not? I am leaning towards the not, because it's a great space in the city for the crowds to gather for community based event (i.e. watching sports).
• Traveled to St Bede's Church, North Balwyn, for a simple but touching wedding ceremony. Pink was chosen as the colour. It was a glorious sunny day in Melbourne, so they were very lucky.
• Had a brief wonder around the streets of South Yarra in our suit and heels. There wasn't much to look at as all the shops were closed, except for food stores.
• 9 Darling St was the setting for the reception. It was the best function centre I've been to. It doesn't have views, but it has a nice garden setting, a huge bar and waiting area, plush cushions decor, a decent sized dance floor. The best thing was the exceptional food. I was expecting the usual wedding hoo-ha, but the food was cooked nicely. We were served steak that was actually cooked medium! The dessert platter was to die for. The ceremony was simple - no dancing and no games, but the speeches were very touching.
• We had some time to kill before the flight back so took in the other new development around, Docklands. This reminds me of all the wharf area around Sydney, except better designed. Indeed, there are sculptures all around, the architecture impressed me, and the sense of space was great. Now if only Sydney had an area like that!
• We killed some more time by riding around the CBD on the city circle tram. The ride was spent talking to the conductor, who knew Sydney very well, than actually taking in the sites.
• The airport wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. Hadn't flown Qantas for awhile, but they are kind of boring, at least they have TV for you to watch, so the flight was over before you knew it, and another holiday comes to an end.

Food

• Rialto Hotel on Collins buffet breakfast:
  • selection of fruit
  • fruit bread
  • olive bread
  • hot cross bun
  • custard donut
  • fruit danish
  • cheese and cold cuts
  • coffee and tea
  • bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, tomato, hash brown, mushrooms
  • pancakes and poached eggs
  • make your own muesli station with poached fruit
• Wedding lunch at 9 Darling St:
  • oysters and prawns on fountain
  • appetizers - salmon skewers, risotto balls, filo parcels
  • Tasting plate: miniature crab claw with orange and ginger dressing, lime cured salmon and scallop in a half shell with wasabi and green pea puree
  • Char grilled eye fillet on white truffle oil mash served with cognac and peppercorn sauce
  • Baked trevally fillet with a Thai crust and a lime and coconut jam
  • Lemon tart, berries in a chocolate basket and cappuccino ice cream
• Qantas fresh juice - pineapple, orange, mango, passionfruit

Day 3 8/4/07 - Australia

Longford -> Tarra Bulga National Park -> Mirboo North ->Trafalgar -> Yarragon -> Trafalgar -> Warragul -> South Yarra -> Melbourne City

Highlight

• Having breakfast on the balcony while watching the sky change colour.
• watching birds and cows in the mist.
• Miners Lookout to observe the powerplant that generates over 90% of VIC's energy. The lookout was sponsored by the powerplant so it was immaculately update with beautiful decorations. You can see the coal mine and powerplant on one side and green farmland on the other.
• Tarra Bulga National Park, part of the Grand Ridge Road nature drive, was quite hard to reach. It involved driving through narrow, winding roads, sometimes unsealed. The park itself contained rainforests, a change from the temperate forests and wetlands we've been seeing. The air was cool, the floor covered with ferns.
• The highlight of the park was the Corrigan Suspension Bridge, part of the Wills Tracks. It wasn't as fun as the Bridge in Victoria Canada though.
• This was where our bunch of bad luck started. We decided to check out Blackwarry Tower, only to find out when we were nearly there that the road was for 4 wheel drive only. so we had to drive all the way back.
• Our next stop was the Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk. This was a pleasant walk through a rainforest gully and across trickling mountain streams. The highlight was supposed to be Cyathea Falls, but, because we were in teh middle of a drought, there was no water.
• The park was starting to fill with tourist at around this time (10:30), but when we tried to get out, we found our exit blocked by a fallen tree. No way to move forward, we had to take a detour (and because Slokky is crap we took a longer than necessary detour) on very narrow uncomfortable roads, adding an hour to our trip.
• Needless to say, after that drive, I wasn't interested in the dense forest and farmland scenery of Grand Ridge Road anymore.
• I was very glad when we reach Mirboo North, the home of the Grand Ridge Brewery. I really wanted one of their award-winning beer, but because we were delayed an hour and lunch was beckoning, I made do with a six-pack of takeaway beer ($25) instead.
• Had lunch at the Erinae Lavender garden's beautiful garden.
• Drove to Sunny Creek Organic Berries, only to find out that they weren't opened, even though people had called earlier and they had said they were opened. To compensate, we sample some of the apples and kiwi hanging from their trees instead.
• Yarragon Village is more one of the villages you expect on the tourist route. Filled with antique shops, and old fashioned lolly shop, lots of clothing and trinket store, not to mention enough cafes so you can have coffee at a different place each day for a week. Finally I picked up some fresh and rustic bread at the Yarragon Country Style bakery Bakery.
• Finally, at Yarragon's visitor centre, which also doubled as a gourmet food place, we were able to pick up a Gateway to Gippsland, Food & Wine Network brochure, which led us to Marshall Green Deer & Venison Farm
• The place was certainly hard to find, as someone had stolen their sign, so they had to put a red ribbon up. Once we were there, we were given a personal tour. First we were given some mitzu apples straight off the tree. While we were munching, we sharing the apples with the deers. Deers are quite shy animals, only 2 or 3 animals would eat out of your hand. We were told about the current mating season, as well as what the effects of the drought had been to farming.
• About 45 minutes later, we finally left, armed with some venison steaks (only $28/kg!), a quince jelly ($2), a handmade wool beanie ($6!), and a bag full of apples and quinces! She gave us recipe sheets, told us about her market sales and her other customers and her arts and crafts. We felt like we know just about everything! This has been another of those highlights that makes a trip so special.
• Well, after that, it was a bit too late to keep exploring. We stopped off at Warragul, but all the shops were closed, and the town itself wasn't that interesting, so we joined the traffic crawl back to Melbourne.
• Dinner at France Soir, classic French in style, but somehow so Melbourne.
• Relaxing in the roof top spa and plunging into the freezing cold swimming pool, just to say that we used the facilities at Rialto Hotel on Collins.
• Forcing down some complimentary choc-dipped strawberries as we were really full from dinner.
• Plucking out all of Slokky's chin hair (152!) because he forgot his shaver.

Food

• Mi Goreng BBQ chicken noodle
• Vaalia vanilla blueberry and mango passionfruit yoghurt
• sweet seed mustard tuna with linseed bread
• Goulburn Valley diced peaches
• Cadbury Eden
• potato bread ($2.70)
• mitzu apple
• France Soir dinner:
• Chocolate dipped strawberries.
• Mint chocolate.

Day 2 7/4/07 - Australia

Longford -> Sale -> Golden Beach -> Loch Sport -> The Lakes National Park -> Loch Sport -> Sale ->Rosedale -> Sale -> Longford

Highlight

• Enjoying breakfast on the deck with expansive views of the Latrobe River wetlands.
• Drove through "wetlands" to reach Golden Beach, part of the Ninety Mile Beach stretch. This is virtually miles and miles of dead straight beach. The weather wasn't the best so people weren't out in force.
• There was a "market" at Golden Beach, consisting about 3 stalls of people selling their junk, and by junk I mean junk.
• Loch Sport is very popular with the boating, sailing and fishing set, we drove through the town on the way to The Lakes National Park.
• The Lakes NP is basically one huge dirt track, we went for a walk on the Lake Reeves Nature Trail, where we observed several habitats and dead trees. It was a path less taken as the trail was totally overgrown. The lookout had extensive vies of Lake Reeve and the Gippsland Lakes system.
• Drove to the Jetty at Point Wilson, passing a few swamps on the way. We watched swamps of jellyfish floating around in the water. What surprised me were there were heaps of people actually swimming there...
• I wanted to eat at the jetty, but Slokky was against the idea, so we went and checked out the Loch Sport local bakery, decided what was left of the day wasn't worth eating. Slokky wanted to eat at Sale, so we drove especially to the Centre Bakery, because they had advertised all over the tourist brochures, and was extremely disappointed. All the choices we wanted weren't available, and because I was extremely hungry (it was after 2pm) at this point, and we drove there especially, we had to order. I should have not listened to Slokky and had the tuna sandwiches at an earlier time instead.
• Rosedale is a lovely little town with some pretty colonial buildings. We came though, for food (what else). The Tarra Valley Food store sells pickles, jams, chutney, sauces and relishes. The owner, George Sharp, makes everything on the premises and grow some of the fruit and veg as well. They have won a stack of awards, and everything we tasted was very yummy. More importantly, everything was cheap as chips. Even buying the raw ingredients must cost more than that. The sauces were $3 for a small and $5 for large. These prices are even cheaper than buying it at the supermarket. What's more, we actually had a 25% discount voucher as well!
• Tried to buy some local lamb and beef at the butcher but, forgetting that this was a country town, all the shops were closed by 1pm! So we had to contend with the local IGA, for some lamb cutlets and flatheads.
• Visited the fame Port of Sale, but couldn't see what was so special about it, just some grass and water.
• Another highlight was supposed to be the Sale Powder Magazine, a building built in 1865-65 to store gunpowder supplies. I think we've seen way too many heritage buildings to appreciate this little hut.
• More to our taste was the Sale Common State Game Reserve, where we went for a walk to the Long Waterhole and lookout. This is supposed to be a habitat for birds, but all we could see were a few ducks.
• Last stop was the Historic Swing Bridge. Built in 1883 and one of the first swing bridges built.
• Fired up the barbie and ate our Gippsland fare while watching the sun set.
• Played 2 player 500 (not as interesting as 4 player but better than snap any day) while indulging in chocolates and cheese.
• Giggled at all the newly weds who signed the Frog Gully guest books. Thanks for telling us about your honeymoon night!

Food

• bacon, fried egg, tomato with homemade bread
• banana
• vegetable pastie ($2.90)
• Mexican pie ($3.20)
• iced coffee ($3.90)
• taste testing pickles, jams, chutney, sauces and relishes at Tarra valley Foods
• BBQ flatheads with lemon and pepper ($7)
• BBQ lamb cutlets with pepper and hot sweet chilli dip
• baby mesclun blend salad ($1.79) with Maffra mature cheddar and lemon juice
• lemon tea with honey
• jarrah hot chocolate
• Cadbury Eden
• Maffra matured cheddar