The land down under
AUSTRALIA
October 2023
by Seer Oon Hor
SYDNEY
A city where beaches are never too far away
Discover a world of vibrant diversity and a melting pot of cultures in modern Australia. With its rich multicultural fabric, this vast nation offers an exceptional experience like no other. Immerse yourself in the captivating blend of traditions, languages, and flavours that make up the Australian lifestyle.
Our journey to the Land Down Under started in the young modern vibrant city of Sydney. Our location of choice to stay was Central Business District (CBD). Its central location made travelling within the city very convenient. The city is well laid and many places are connected via light rail within the city or train for outside the city. Alternatively, you can easily walk to most places within the city, which we always find is best to explore new places.
When the people say about the great lifestyle in Australia, they are not kidding. People are active and the country has so much to offer given the good weather overall. Most beaches are beautiful despite a few of them are more crowded than the others. Having said that, if you are a people person, busier beaches, such as Bondi, are more lively.
The spectacular Blue Mountain is world’s away from the city yet only a couple of hours away by train. It is a great place for a city escape into the nature. We started in Katoomba and took an easy hike through the mountains towards Leura bypassing popular spot such as the Three Sisters. The sun was rather intense that day. There are many lookout points for you to catch a breath or soak in the spectacular panoramic view.
Nearer to the city, we explored an easy trail from Spit to Manly. We took a bus to Spit aiming to start our trail. However, we were confronted by six-lane motorway which we had to cross. We must have stopped at the wrong bus stop. Fortunately there was a stop-start traffic which we carefully crossed. The trail was partly shady, which was good because the sun was intense. We saw a few lizards but nothing which could kill us. The beaches nearer to Manly were gorgeous and serene. They were quiet, sand was golden and water was clear. The houses along the sea front were simply amazing. At the end of our trail, we took a ferry back to Circular Quay. Crossing under The Harbour Bridge gave us a different perspective of this landmark. A boat ride always feels special on our holiday.
Within the city, there are so many places to explore. The first area we explored was The Rocks where we got a view of Sydney’s two landmarks, The Harbour Bridge and The Opera House. We were pleasantly surprised by the laser show as part of 50th anniversary celebration of The Opera House. We also visited Queen Victoria Building, commonly known as QVB, and The Strand Arcade. They are shopping malls but our visit was primarily for their heritage architecture. The mosaic floors at the entrances were simple yet beautiful, old yet well kept despite the foot traffic. Internally, there were Victorian-style ironmongery and railing. Stained glass at QVB entrance was quite attractive but less refined than those in European churches.
In our time in Sydney, we experienced the Harbour Bridge on foot, in a bus, on a train and under it by boat!
We visited the famous Sydney Fish Market, Botanical Garden and many museums such as The Art Gallery, Sydney Museum and the Maritime Museum.
VICTORIA
Exploring The Great Ocean Road, The Twelve Apostles, Port Fairy, Grampians National Park.
Our next leg was a road trip along the Great Ocean Road. As the name suggests, it is a road by the beautiful Aussie coastline. Oh my god, what a piece of tarmac. Everywhere we drove and stopped has an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean.
We landed in Melbourne and picked up our rental car provided by Bargain Car Rental which was pleasant experience in comparison to other car rental services we had in Europe. We stopped at Bells Beach where it was quiet with a few surfers enjoying the waves. We also visited Split Point Lighthouse and then spent a night in Lorne. An evening stroll by the beach before a burger dinner was a delight.
The next morning, we went for a ‘koala hunt’ near Kafe Koala General Store at Kennett River. This was our first time seeing koalas in the wild and of course we got rather excited because they are simply overload of cuteness. Lunch was a simple affair at Apollo Bay Fishermen’s Co-Operative.
Later in the afternoon, we headed towards The Twelve Apostles. The wind was rather strong but it did not deter us from appreciating the limestone stacks. There were probably twelve of them but old ones will eventually collapse and new ones are continuously being formed by natural force of waves of the Pacific Ocean.
Our last stop for the day was the quaint Port Fairy. We stayed in Clonmara where cottages were cute and well-equipped. We would certainly stayed longer if we had more time. The coffee and brunch at Bank St + Co was amazing. Cobbs Bakery was okay but for coffee lovers, I would recommend just walk across the road to Bank St + Co.
After Port Fairy, we explored Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve, where we saw various Aussie wildlife such as emus, echidnas and of course the cute koalas, again. We just could not get over their cuteness.
Following that, we went back on the road to Grampians National Park. We centred ourselves at Halls Gap for its central location, so that we can see as much as possible in the short time available. The view from Halls Gap Motel was amazing. We overlooked a mountain and a creek with large flocks of yellow-crusted cockatoos hanging around. We were surprised by a mob of kangaroos grazing on our way to dinner before we ended our day with a sunset view at Reed Lookout.
With a beautiful setting like this, we could not skip the sunrise either. I must say the sunrise was just as beautiful as the sunset. Due to its geography, we watched sunrise at Baroka Lookout. Oh boy, it did not disappoint. The colours were vibrant and slight fog in the foreground added drama to the scene. We had to wake up early around 6am for this but it was so worth it.
As we came back to our motel, we were greeted by steam from the cold creek as it was hit by the risen sun. To our surprise, there was a family of kangaroos just grazing around the grassy area. Furthermore, there was a joey in the pouch! Later in the morning, we hiked up the peak of Grampians National Park. We ended our experience in Grampians National Park by setting off towards Melbourne. We had a pitstop at Ballarat which has a history of gold mining in the 1850s.
MELBOURNE
The coffee central
Melbourne was the second and last major city we explored in Australia. Our experience in the city was rather different to ours in Sydney. It felt bigger and places to visits were further apart. It has free tram services in the city centre which makes travelling from one end of the city to the other easier. We observed more street arts, so much so that Hosier Lane was covered in street art while many restaurants still open until late. Coffee was literally everywhere and it is certainly a coffee connoisseur heaven.
We took an evening stroll along Yarra River where there were endless high end restaurants and hotels. As we walked past Flinders Street Station on our way back to our hotel, one cannot help but be captivated by the beautiful architecture of Flinders Street Station at night. The intricately carved details adorning its grand facade were highlighted by the warm glow emanating from within. The elegant arches and the rows of arched windows pays homage to the Victorian-era design that has withstood the test of time.
One of the places we enjoyed most was the Queen Victoria Market. You can literally find anything you need here, from clothes to toys, from local produce to cured meat and cheeses and from eggs to American doughnuts. We also joined the queue at the popular LUNE, which was recommended by a relative and just to see what it was all about. For those who are not familiar, LUNE is a luxury bakery famous for its croissant of various shapes and flavours. We queued for at least 45 minutes. Was it worth it? For an experience, yes. For the food, I would say you can spend a fraction of the time for 90% of the quality. Nonetheless, it was about how memorable the experience was and how Intragrammable it was in the age of social media. We explored Fed Square area for museums and sightseeing the rest of the afternoon. One particular museum which stood out was ACMI. It is a museum of photography, camera, videography and how we progressed to the era of gaming and NFTs.
We also had a nice stroll around Royal Botanic Garden Victoria before a long-overdue catch up with friends and a late lunch at Chin Chin, an Asian -inspired tapas restaurant in the city followed by cakes at Brunetti.
As ACMI was so interesting and as we did not have much time to enjoy it yesterday, we spent more time there on our last day in Australia before heading to the airport by bus.
THE PLATE
Sampling international cuisine in Australia
Fish at The Rocks
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Pit Stop, Lorne
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LUNE
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The Bunker Cafe
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Besuto
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Salted Egg, Quincy Hotel
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Thai Pohtong
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The Forge Pizzeria
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La Renaissance Patisserie
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The Place, Fullerton
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Bank St & Co
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Banana Blossom
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Paramount Coffee Project
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Ho Jiak
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Brother Baba Budan
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Emperor's Cream Puff
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Dragon Pastry
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The Harbour Fish Shop
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pidapippó
•
Brunetti
•
Harry's Cafe de Wheel
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Fish at The Rocks • Pit Stop, Lorne • LUNE • The Bunker Cafe • Besuto • Salted Egg, Quincy Hotel • Thai Pohtong • The Forge Pizzeria • La Renaissance Patisserie • The Place, Fullerton • Bank St & Co • Banana Blossom • Paramount Coffee Project • Ho Jiak • Brother Baba Budan • Emperor's Cream Puff • Dragon Pastry • The Harbour Fish Shop • pidapippó • Brunetti • Harry's Cafe de Wheel •
From the sparkling beaches of Sydney to bustling streets of Melbourne, this was only a snippet of the Australian lifestyle. We thoroughly enjoyed what Australia had to offer in its natural environment, such as its national parks.
The cities are a microcosm of global culture. We stroll through vibrant neighbourhoods resonating with the aromas of authentic cuisines from all corners of the globe. We indulged in mouthwatering delicacies from local kangaroo steak to Japanese omakase, and we savoured the taste of gelatos and cakes.
Yet, a journey through Australia goes beyond its cosmopolitan cities. We ventured into the enchanting National Parks and witnessed ancient Aboriginal cultures that had thrived for thousands of years. We gained profound insights into the world's oldest living civilisation as we explored sacred sites, masterful rock art, and read about stories and histories that had shaped this land.
Australia, a land of boundless possibilities and a haven for those seeking a truly unique experience. We embarked on a journey that had broaden our horizons and left an indelible mark on our memories.
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