Day 6 : Tasmania

Slept past midnight. Woke up at 3.00 a.m. We needed to head to the airport at 4.00 a.m. We had at plane to catch at 6.10 a.m. We were going to fly Jetstar to Hobart, Tasmania.

At Melbourne Airport, Tullamarine, we were dropped off at the Jetstar terminal. There, we checked in by ourselves at the kiosk, printed our own boarding passes and bag tags. Then we attached our tags to our bags and dropped them at the counter. That settled, we went into the departure hall. It was customary to get our bags scanned, so I guess I still had the terrorist in me when I was stopped. My bag pack was removed from the scanner and I was asked to go out of the hall.

A serious-looking customs officer, a lady probably in her 50's, felt the bottom of my bag pack.

"You have something in your bag, you need to take it out by yourself," the lady said sternly.

I was dumbfounded. I took out my bottle of water from my bag pack and waved it at her.

"No, she said. "It's sharp and about this long," she said, gesturing with her hands an object that might be about 20cm long.

Geez. Was there something in there that I did not know of? I emptied everything from my bag pack into a plastic tray, and out came my blue plastic comb, the weapon of mass destruction.

"Come along now, we'd put everything through and see," the lady said.

And I came out clean. Hmph!

We flew on Jetstar, Australia's very own budget airline. Airbus A321-231 flew us from Tullamarine, Melbourne to Hobart, Tasmania in an hour and fifteen minutes. I was asleep throughout most of the flight so to me, it was one smooth flight, I suppose.

When we landed, we collected our car, a Hyundai Elantra. It fitted the four of us and our bags snugly. Off we drove, with the guide of our GPS, in search of breakfast.

Rental car

McDonald's or Macca as the Aussies call it, was the easiest choice. I had the Barcelona Omelette.
In celebration of the forthcoming London Olympics 2012, Macca has included an Olympic-themed menu, where special items will be named after former Olympics host cities.

The Barcelona Omelette Meal

 What could go wrong with egg, bacon and cheese?

Anyway, I liked the breakfast treat. It has got a spicy chorizo omelette, bacon, cheese and a tangy tomato relish. Yum. Add that with a hot cup of latte, and I was sated and happy.

Our first destination was Mount Wellington. At 1270m, it is frequently covered in snow. That ought to prepare us about how cold this place was. That day, there was no snow, but there was ice covering the surface of the rocks.

As soon as I opened the car door and stepped outside, I felt the very strong wind gushing at me. It threatened to sweep me off my feet. I felt being pushed all the time. Really, I felt that I could fly anytime!

Well, I was wrapped up from my neck down, but my face was exposed and my ears turned red with cold. Brrrr ..... freezing ...

The panoramic view of Hobart from Mount Wellington

Another view
  We were pretty fortunate that the sky was clear and we could get quite a good view of Tasmania, for this place was often shrouded in the clouds and one could hardly see a thing.



 Ice on the rocks

We stayed outside for as long as we could endure and hurriedly ran for the car, and fired up the heater. Phew, we needed a good thaw.

The next destination was the Hobart Waterfront.

 

Beautiful waters 

Boats everywhere!

For lunch, I had an ice-cream. The Deep is located inside Mures Lower Deck. It sold 24 flavours of ice-cream.

A double scoop of ice-cream on a waffle cone, AUD$4.50

I had Stairway to Heaven and a Lemon Gelato on top. The lemon gelato tasted tart and was very refreshing. It zested me up in no time. On the other hand, Stairway to Heaven was indeed heavenly. It had condensed milk, caramel and chocolate flakes. I enjoyed the rich flavour and the chocolate bits in there. I made it a point to return the next day for another ice-cream!! For this was one of the bestest ice-cream that I have ever eaten!

We were supposed to drive out to Port Arthur but was advised against it for it would be closed by the time we got there. So we did a bit of re-planning of our schedule and headed out to Barilla Bay instead. We wanted to go for the oyster farm tour but unfortunately it was closed for winter.

Barilla Bay

 Lots of oyster shells lining the ground

After Barilla Bay, we headed to Cascade, a neighbourhood at the foot of Mount Wellington. There's a brewery there, the oldest in Tasmania. Also, we were not in time for the tour.

Cascade Brewery

So, we went to the Cascades Female Factory, historically a female convict reformation institution. It was in operation from 1828 to 1856. It is a World Heritage site.

The sign
The high sandstone walls were a grim reminder of its role as a female prison

A structure in Yard 1

It was kind of eerie to be there at dusk, though.

We had dinner at Mures Upper Deck. I think dinner deserved a separate post. Lol. So I'd talk about that later.

We put up in Hobart Accommodation and Hostel at Barrack Street. PW and I shared a room. It was a small room with a double decker bed. It was clean but it was also very cold as the small fin heater did not heat up the room well enough. Bathrooms and toilet were directly opposite, across the corridor for guests to share. But I was really happy for the free wi-fi! Yippee.

Day 5 : Scugnizzo

Scugnizzo means cheeky, naughty, cunning. We stumbled upon this Italian restaurant while walking back to our hotel. We were tired and cold and hungry, and so we went inside, hoping for a good warm meal of Italian pasta.

The interior of the restaurant was quite cosy, with the soft lighting, wooden furniture and the black and white photographs on the wall.

The tables were nicely set up
Snow-white linen, white porcelain plates, sparkling glasses and shiny cutlery

On the wall ..

An emblem? Cause it was part of the signboard outside too ...

We could not understand a word in the menu! But the waiter was friendly and helpful, and he clarified our queries patiently. He was a Brazilian who found Melbourne a more liveable place compared to his home country. 

While waiting for the main courses ... 

Bruschetta with mozarella ..... yum ...

 Bread with olive oil and butter

The olive oil was probably infused with herbs as it had a very refreshing, citrusy taste

 
The mains ...

Gnocchi al Rosmarino con Polpettine, AUD$26.00

Rosemary gnocchi with meatballs in a mozarella basil cream sauce with sundried tomatoes

This was the special of the day and it was not in the menu. I liked the meatballs and the rich cream sauce. 

Gnocchi alla Pizzaiola, AUD$26.00

 Saffron gnocchi with involtini of sardines and mussels in a Pizzaiola sauce, wrapped in speck

This dish is redolent of the rich and herby tomato sauce. We found it very flavourful, but my friend thought it was too meaty, with so much of bacon atop the pasta.

 

 Pappardelle di basilico alla Genovese, AUD$24.00

Basil pappardelle with traditional Campania beef ragù

 Well, the ragu was a wonderful combination of meat and vegetables.

 Scialatielli di Mare con Zucca, AUD$28.00

Buck wheat scialatielli with grilled scampi,roast pumpkin and cuttlefish with sage oil

I was absolutely happy with what I had ordered. The whold dish had a very delicate flavour, and to me, that enhanced the freshness of the seafood! The scialatielli was slightly hard for me, though I was sure it was al dente. The scampi was really heavenly - very sweet and tasty, and the generous cuttlefish slices were chewy. The pumpkin on the other hand, was really sweet as well. Overall, I enjoyed this pasta lots.

Later on, we found out that the chef hailed from Naples, Italy and it is through this restaurant that he wants to share the lovely food of Southern Italy. Scugnizzo is located on Little Bourke street. Here is the website.

Day 5 : The Great Ocean Road

We spent the whole day in the bus that day. The roads were winding, and the movements of the bus made many of us sick. Many times during the journey, I felt like I was going to throw up.

The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage.The highlight of the journey was of course, the Twelve Apostles, a series of limestone rock formations. But it was going to take a long time to reach there. So we set off from Federation Square at 8.00 a.m. The first stop was Anglesea.

Anglesea

We stopped at the small town centre. There were a few cafes and a supermarket, where we could grab coffee and a quick bite. I bought some chocolates at the supermarket. ;p

This was followed by a few other stops :- 

Urquhart Bluff

View from Urquhart Bluff

And followed by the Memorial Arch.

The Memorial Arch Information Plaque

Memorial Arch
Great Ocean Road was built by soldiers who returned from World War One. The entire road is a memorial, in fact, and it symbolises the sacrifice made by many during the war.

 
A tribute to the returning soldiers who built The Great Ocean Road

We reached Apollo Bay at about noon. Apollo Bay is a coastal town. Here we stopped for lunch. There were many eateries, and we decided to have our meal at George's Food Court. My friends chose to have fish and chips.

Fish & chips, AUD$9.00

 

Fish and chips

I did not think that I could stomach something greasy for fear that I would throw up in the bus later on. I merely nibbled on some chips. Instead, I chose to have an ice-cream

 

Streets Magnum Classic, AUD$4.00

Sweet and rich and milky. Totally decadent and I enjoyed the ice-cream lots!

After lunch, we continued our journey. Really, after lunch, I felt really nauseous, and thank goodness, PW gave me a pill which helped alleviated motion sickness. Otherwise, I would have been the only passenger in the bus who vomited!

Yeah, we had finally reached the Twelve Apostles.

The signboard

We had to walk along the boardwalk to the viewing platform.

There .... the limestone stacks formed by erosion. We were told that there were never twelve rocks, in the first place. But over time, they got eroded and fell. There are only 8 rocks standing at the moment. I enjoyed the spectacular view from here, but it was very windy and very cold at the time.

The other side of the viewing platform. We could walk till the very far end.

The next top was the Loch Ard Gorge. It was named after a ship, Loch Ard, which was wrecked nearby. Out of 54 passengers and crew, there were only 2 survivors.

Loch Ard Gorge

While we were walking, I snapped this photo of the vegetation at the surrounding area.

I thought it looked nice ;p

The final scenic stop was the London Bridge. This was situated near Port Campbell, and so named because it looked like its namesake in the UK.

London Bridge

We made a final stop at Port Campbell before making our way back to Melbourne.

Really, if I had time to spare, I would be taking a leisurely drive out here and stopping overnight at perhaps one of the many lodging houses available here. Then, I'd spend more time enjoying the view at the Twelve Apostles. Hmn, the tour was convenient. Just pay and go, but then, it was a real bore sitting in the bus for the entire day.

Day 4 : Phillip Island

Did you know that Phillip Island is home to Chris Hemworth? Well, I sure didn't know! Till now. Besides Chris Hemworth, it is also home to the smallest penguins in the world, aptly named the Little Penguins! And those cute little birds were what we headed out to see in the afternoon of our fourth day.

Phillip Island is about 90 minutes from Melbourne. On the way, we visited Warrook, a working cattle farm. There, we had the opportunity to feed wombats and kangaroos.

A kangaroo @ Warrook Farm

Visitors are free to feed the kangaroo here. You can even stroke and cuddle the kangaroo - if you dare. I didn't dare. Lol.

The next stop was at Phillip Island's Koala Conservaton Centre.

 Phillip Island Nature Parks

We spotted about six koalas perched high on eucalypt trees. They looked like fur balls from our position on the ground. All were sleeping except one which was busy chewing on the eucalypt leaves. These animals sleep 20 hours a day and feed for the next 4 hours. So I suppose, they are either eating or sleeping.

A feeding koala

At the Conservation Centre grounds were also wallabies. They roamed about freely.

A wallaby

Our final stop was at the Phillips Island Penguin Parade. Unfortunately no photos were allowed. We were supposed to stroll along elevated boardwalks to a special stand fronting the sea. There, we were supposed to sit and wait for the Little Penguins to come ashore.

No photography allowed ...

And so we sat, looking out to the sea, in winter and shivered as the cold strong wind blew at us. Hmn. It felt a little unwise, to pay a lot of money to sit out at the beach in winter to endure the cold. But as soon as the Little Penguins emerged from the sea, all discomfort was forgotten as we watched them totter to their burrows. So cute. We were told to stay for 20 minutes as that was the amount of time needed for the Little Penguins to reach their burrows, some locating directly beneath the boardwalk.

As my friend and I walked back to the Visitors' Centre, there were Little Penguins all around us on the beach beneath the boardwalk. They made really loud twittering sounds. Us, human beings, though, all squealed in delight watching the antics of the little furry birds. My friend PW and I tracked one Little Penguin right up to its burrow. It was really fun.

When we got back to Melbourne, it was already 8.30 p.m. We were cold and hungry so we walked into the first shop that caught our fancy. Your Thai, along Swanston Street. The waitress who took our order was a fellow Malaysian. She recommended us items off the menu. I decided to have a Seafood Tom Kha.

Seafood Tom Kha, AUD$13.50

I did not enjoy the Tom Kha because of the thick artificial-tasting coconut cream. I could tell that processed coconut cream was used and it had a very off-putting flavour for me. Seafood meant only 2 pieces of prawns, 2 slices of fish fillet and 2 pieces of mussels. My friends had Chiang Mai noodles and they too disliked them fervently.

Chiang Mai Noodles

We thought we'd make ourselves feel better by having dessert. We walked past this dessert shop called Dessert Story. The menu mounted on the glass looked interesting so we went in. Now this shop was packed with Asians! It seriously felt like being in Taiwan, rather than in Melbourne. Lol. Anyway, we had

It's a red bean soup with peanuts, sago pearls, and taro balls. We did not like it.

Mixed pudding with grass jelly and sago pearl

Hmn ... this one's rather ordinary ...

Hmn. After dinner and dessert, we SWORE OFF Asian food altogether!

Day 4 : Harbour Town

We decided not to have breakfast at the hotel that morning. Instead, we headed to McDonald's. I already knew that I wanted the Bacon and Egg McMuffin. Gawd, I really missed that! I had it all the time when I was studying in NZ.

Bacon & Egg McMuffin Meal, AUD$6.85

Served with a small cafe latte and a hash brown

Wow, just look at that bacon! Really, the combination of egg, bacon and cheese is just perfect. Yum. It was just as I had remembered it. I enjoyed my muffin lots and I could have a second one too if I wanted. Lol, but I should mind the waistline and not be greedy ............. Well, I did not usually like hash browns, but I did like McDonald's as it was crispy on the outside and yet soft and tasty inside. Yum.

After breakfast, we walked along Swanston Street again. It looked like Swanston was our favourite street. Lol. My friends did a bit of shopping for souvenirs and chocolates. Then, we headed to Flinders Street where we took a ride on the City Circle tram. Trams have been operating for more than 150 years in Melbourne!

The City Circle Tram, Tram no. 35
A historic W-7 class tram which is in full operation

It was a free ride. We took the tram to the Harbour Town Shopping Centre. 

We merely browsed among the shops till about noon. We did not really have much time as we had something else planned in the afternoon. Besides, everything seemed expensive, with the sky-high exchange rate.