I’ve been dying to travel to somewhere I’ve never been, but I didn’t really have a travel buddy and 2 weeks seemed a bit short for Europe/US/Africa. Was thinking about traveling NZ alone, but then Fi told me she was planning on coming to Australia for a holiday, so we made plans for an Aussie adventure :)
First stop: Melbourne.
# Day 1
Picked them up from the airport, had lunch at Mr Burch, then off to Philip Island we went. Visited the Koala Conservation Centre, where we almost got peed on by a koala up in the trees. Hung out on the beach at Cowe, where we fended off seagulls as we had our fish & chips. Then ended the evening at the Penguin Parade, where we braved the massive winds and the cold to catch those cute little happy feet in action.
# Day 2
The next day, we roamed the streets of the city. Walked along the Yarra, had baguettes & waffles at Waffle On, took the city tram up to Queen Victoria Market, had Bratwurst sausages, admired the graffiti along Union Lane, and stopped for a drink at Brunetti. Brought them to Springvale to have Pho for dinner.
Second stop: Sydney.
# Day 1
We headed straight to our accommodation (YHA Sydney Harbour) after landing at the airport. The place was new, clean, and had a roof terrace where you could enjoy a view like this:
Paid $47/night/person for a 4-bed dorm with private bathroom. On the first night there were only the 3 of us in the room, but there was someone else on the other 2 nights. Didn’t really bother us much given that we got back at 10-11pm and all we did was shower/sleep. Only bad points I can think of are that it’s a little inconvenient as it’s not right in the city centre, and it’s a 5-10min walk from the train station with a couple of stairs to climb. Still, I would highly recommend this place!
Anyway, we checked-in and went to get lunch. Picked at random The Rocks Cafe. Liked the ambience, and the food was good too :D
Started drizzling/pouring after that, which kinda dampened our mood :( But we still headed to the Opera House as planned.
Afterwards Pek went for capoeira, while Fi and I walked around Darling Harbour having our girls’ night out. We took the ferry back to Circular Quay and attempted some night shots along the way. By the way, we bought the MyMulti3 ticket, which costs $57 for a week of unlimited trains/bus/ferries/tram – gives you heaps of options/freedom regarding public transport!
# Day 2
Skydive the beach at Wollongong. Jumped out of a plane at 14,000 feet! Need I say more :)
Had lunch at Diggies Cafe. We were absolutely famished after the jump!
Hang-gliding was the next activity on our list but unfortunately the winds did not permit. Headed back to the city and had ramen at Gumshara, which was highly recommended by a few friends. We felt the soup was a bit too thick and salty :( But the egg was awesome, it’s a must-add!
Walked around Darling Harbour again, thankfully this time it wasn’t raining!
Got some yummy desserts from Adriano Zumbo at The Star, and we sat at the ferry pier in Pyrmont Bay eating whilst waiting for our ferry. Yes, the ferry had become our means of transport and not just a touristy thing, haha.
To be continued!
