I've been back from my trip for about three and a half weeks now but things have only just gotten quiet enough for me write again.
24/9/16 - Landed in Melbourne (7.25pm)
Mum and I flew from Perth on Virgin and it was a relatively short flight. I spent most of it editing my Seoul vlog (of my trip with Ben) and eating this really delicious ham and cheese bagel. My dad arrived a day before we did so he picked us up at the airport with my sister.
We went to get dinner at the Crown food court after leaving our luggages at our hotel/ apartment. It was really expensive we only ordered 3 dishes but it was over $50 gosh. It was drizzling that night so we headed back to our apartment after dinner and made plans for the next day.
25/9/16 - Sunday: Queen Vic Market, Rose Street Artist Market & State Library of Victoria
Day 2(?) was spent indulging in local scenes. It was fun seeing the similarities between Queen Victoria Market and our very own Fremantle Market. We had a quick breakfast there and took some pictures.
Our next stop was this artsy market that I really wanted to visit - the Rose Street Artist Market. We spent a good amount of time here. They had artwork, candles, soaps, clothing, pretty much anything you might need. It is probably my favourite little market ever.
We then went back to the city to grab lunch and surprise surprise, we ate at a Taiwanese Restaurant. I also let my dad experience catching Pokemon for the first time which was pretty funny. After filling our tummies we headed to the State Library to look at the architecture. As huge fans of Running Man, we all wanted to see the place they were in when they visited Melbourne. The actual place didn't disappoint at all. It was really majestic and oh so beautiful.
The rest of the day was spent getting to know the city and places we definitely want to come back for on a different day. I managed to try the N2 Extreme Gelato that night and it was heavenly! I forgot what flavour it was but it was really really yum.
26/9/2016 - Southbank Promenade, Brighton Bathing Boxes & DFO Southwharf
The weather forecast for today was showers in the late afternoon so we decided to make the most of the clear skies in the morning and planned to head to the Eureka Skydeck. It was on my to-visit list but we didn't end up going up even though we were right at the door step. We forgot that it was the school holidays and the queue was really long even though it was only 11am at that time. So we decided to give it a miss, but managed to snap some really nice shots by the river.
Then we were off to Brighton to check out the bathing boxes. It took us quite awhile to find it but we did in the end and it was really cute and colourful! Even though my sister has been in Melbourne all of this year but she hasn't gotten the chance to check them out so it was the first time for all of us.
After spending about half an hour here, my family got some soft serves and hotdogs at a food van before we headed off to DFO Southwharf for (lots of) shopping! I didn't take any pictures there but we spent a good 3 or 4 hours there and I only came out of it with a t-shirt from cotton on that the 4 of us decided to get as a family tee. My sister though, she got the most out of this shopping trip. We then headed back to our apartment and rested up for the evening.
27/9/2016 - The Great Ocean Road
Instead of starting at Torquay (where the actual Great Ocean Road starts), dad and I planned a route that started at Lorne instead. It was only a day trip for us, so we couldn't drive along the actual coastal highway for the whole trip. On our way to Lorne we stopped by Anglesea, which was really just a toilet break but I'm glad we did. We grabbed gelato and coffee from an Italian who only moved to Australia 6 months earlier. He got us to take a selfie together and even rang a bell for his first Singaporean customers. It was a pretty good start to our day.
Then we continued onto Lorne (our original first stop). It was another hour and a half before we got there from Anglesea and it started to drizzle. We went to the Tourist Information Centre to see what we could get up to but most things were outdoors, as you would expect, so we quickly asked for a good place for lunch and spent our time at Lorne just eating fish and chips. The rain got heavier so we were stuck for a bit and didn't get to do anything in that picturesque town. We then continued on our way to the Twelve Apostles! It was a 2-hour drive and there were so many tourists when we arrived so we knew we were at the right place.
Funny story though, my family decided to wear matching denim jackets that day and this korean guy who was also wearing a denim jacket wanted to take a photo with us haha which we complied of course. We then walked towards the viewing deck and there it was - this natural wonder. I can't remember the last time I was this blown away by something so majestic but it literally took my breath away. The wind was so strong but I just stood there taking in the experience. We got some great shots there but I was so glad we didn't snap and leave. Instead we took around an hour to sit and admire the beauty that was right in front of us. I felt really free being so close to the ocean and truly immersed myself in everything there.
We then had a 3 hour drive back to Melbourne city and quickly grabbed dinner before heading back to our apartment. It was good fun, spending half of the day in the car but not something I would do often.
28/9/2016 - Melbourne City
This was one of my favourite days, after all I am a city girl. We started off the day by walking from our Southbank apartment all the way to 12 Katherine Place for some morning bagels (they weren't as good as I hoped they would be sadly).
Dad was under the weather so he rested and it was only mum, sis and I for the morning. After breakfast we walked along Flinders Street to see the famous Flinders Street station. It was so busy with so many people either being tourists like us or rushing about their day. I really like Melbourne city with all its heritage and breathtaking architecture. It's so unique.
Next, we headed to Hosier Lane, where the graffiti is ever changing. Layers upon layers of artistry and we were lucky enough to see one artist in the midst of his work. He was painting a Red Indian and I wish we could've seen him finish his work but he was only getting started when we arrived. There were heaps of people but we still managed to get some good shots there.
We walked to Bourke Street Mall and started our shopping spree (hehe). Our first stop was the extremely grand and huge H&M store. I was blown away by the interior it was so Victorian (hurhur) and we spent a good 2 hours in here but I left with only one item which was a pair of mom jeans that I have been looking for. After we got our stuff, my dad got to the city and we went to have lunch at Lygon Street which was a half an hour walk away. In our state of hunger, it took forever to get there but lunch was really good. Sadly, the service was really bad; one thing I learnt about Melbourne's customer service is that they really aren't very welcoming or friendly. What a vast difference from Perth's. But anyway, the food was amazing we ordered the biggest Chicken Parmesan ever as well as a Spaghetti Bolognese and some baked broccoli.
The walk back to the city felt shorter and we quickly got to QV for some ice cream! I finally got to try Aqua S and it definitely didn't disappoint. I've been wanting to try it for the longest time and apparently the flavours change every two weeks so when I was there I tried Sea Salt and Blood Orange. It was a really good combination and together with the fairy floss it was heavenly.
We spent the rest of our day shopping and I bought some cruelty-free makeup from this shop called MINA. I honestly feel that using cruelty-free makeup is so important and it made me happy to see that brands are dedicated to ensuring their products were not tested on animals.
29/9/2016 - Chadstone
Our second last day in Melbourne! Today we headed to my sister's dorm and uni campus to have a quick look. Nothing too exciting in the morning but after our visit there we headed to a cafe we found online called Baba Sus. It was hard finding fusion cuisine in a cafe setting but this one served the best fusion food I've ever had in Australia. We ordered 3 meals to share and though it was a tad pricy, the quality and presentation made up for it.
After lunch we headed to Chadstone for more shopping. It was a shopping centre my sister frequented and we spent a good amount of time there as well. We found out about this Tourist Passport thing where you can get a book of discounts if you're a tourist. So we went to get that and I only made use of one coupon which was to get a free eyebrow session at Shu Uemura. My brows were getting pretty wild and needed a little bit of maintenance so it was the perfect timing for that. We also used one coupon for Pressed Juice - I was really anticipating trying the flavours but none of them suited my tastebuds so we only ended up getting one bottle for my sister.
That evening we had dinner with my parents' long time friend at a chinese restaurant and the food was sooooooooooo good. I can't get the taste of their lobster noodles out of my head *drools*. It was a 3-hour dinner because of the number of dishes that kept coming. By the end of it we all felt filled to the brim.
30/9/2016 - Back to Perth!
We dropped my sis back at her dorms the night before and headed to the airport first thing in the morning. My dad was flying back to Singapore and mum and I were headed back to Perth. It was relatively uneventful at the airport but I was really fulfilled after the week we spent in Melbourne.
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