Day 5: 2nd June 2007, Saturday

*Accompanied photos to text in bold below

Bright morning. Foggy night.

Did the washing this morning. Went out to have lunch after that but first headed out for a walk around Traralgon for a walk with Aunt K’s cousin Susan. Lunched at a place called ‘Cargo’ across the road from the Traralgon Post Office. Mum and I shared a big bowl of chicken pasta. Aunt K’s other cousin, Jane, brought her mum along for lunch. After that, all of us traveled out to Cowwar Art Space for a bit of tea and sight-seeing. One of the artists who is also the curator, lives there. There was an old piano which I practiced on. It seriously needed tuning!!! By the time we left, it was already 5p.m. Jane and her mum left first because her mum had to be back at the nursing home where she lives. The three of us went to a picnic place near a lake before making a turn back as Aunt K wanted to show us the damage done by the fires in the area some time ago. We sent Susan home first. It was already 5.25p.m by the time we got ‘home’. Had an almost quick dinner of toast (for the adults) and leftover chicken macroni for me before heading out to the 7p.m Sunset Mass. Met Mrs. P there and then, after mass, we went to her place for some tea and chat. Got back at only 11p.m. Gosh! I am tired.

Traralgon Post Office

A park near the post office

As the sign says, “Cowwar Art Space”

The exhibition building

aMrie and the Sculture

That antique piano that “seriously needed tuning”

The artist and curator Clive Murray-White

Day 4: 1st June 2007, Friday

Sunny day.

10.15a.m. We will be heading out to the next town, Traralgon, to get some maps and stuff; preparing for our trip to Brisbane, Queensland. Gold Coast! Here we come … Next week! :p

2.47p.m. Just got back from Traralgon a few minutes ago. Bought quite a few pieces of cotton blouses for myself and Mum. Aunt K should be at her hairdresser’s now. Mum’s now sorting throught our new clothes. Later! 

Day 3: 31st May 2007, Thursday

A very lazy day. Nothing interesting. Went out to the shops while Aunt K was at the clinic’s for a jab of flu vaccine.

Day 2: 30th May 2008, Wednesday

11.30am. I slept so much yesterday. I once again fell asleep at about a quarter to nine, this time with my head firmly on a pillow and the body on a bed, snuggled in the warmth of the coverlette and blanket. It was only at 7 odd in the morning that I got up. Good for me! We had a little dicussion about our roadtrip while I was helping Mum to wrap up some shawls (for giving away) after breakfast. Looks like there will be a change of plans for the original roadtrip. Instead of covering the whole state of Victoria, as was my original intention, we might just end up in Queensland, staying with Mrs. P’s other daughter, Emily. One week up, two weeks there and another week down. 4 weeks + this week = 5 weeks. Another 1 week left. What to do with the last week? Hmmm…

2.10p.m. Just finished watching the Miss Universe competition. And the winner is … Miss Japan! Amazing… The poor girl was so shocked when they announced that the 1st runner-up was Miss Brazil (Japan and Brazil were left standing). Surprised. But she’s really tall for a Japanese. Going out to the town.

7.30p.m. After dinner. We had fried rice and Campbell’s mushroom soup with fresh mushrooms bought yesterday. We went to a couple of supermarkets for grocery-shopping, and went away for several more. Lol!

Day 1: 29th May 2007, Tuesday

5.49a.m. Tullamarine Melbourne International Airport.

 

a view of Melbourne’s nightlights from high above

 

Pink cotton candy clouds over the Hilton hotel opp. Tullamarine

Sitting at the arrival hall waiting for Aunt Kathy to come pick us up. Customs and quarrentine checks were cleared very quickly. Maybe it was because Mum and I were law-abiding Singaporean citizens. But before that, waiting for the luggage at the carousel was long, even though we did dilly-dallied i.e. went to the toilet for a quick wash of the face and brush of the teeth, before heading to the customs. Yawnz. Tired out as I didn’t sleep much. Spent most of the time on the flight watching films. I think I will probably fall asleep in the car.

6.16p.m. Morwell.

I did fall asleep in the car. Aunt Kathy was accompanied by her elderly neighbour, Vi. We all left the airport at about 8.15a.m and went to the nearby McDonald’s for some breakfast. We then made our way to Morwell, stopping only twice; once at a pottery where I was too sleepy to get out of the car with the others. Thus, I was left alone in there and promptly when back to sleep. The second stop was at the car retailer’s where Aunt Kathy bought her new set of wheels. The problem was the missing seatbelt latch. It was only solved when the car-dealer removed the back seat by a bit and found the lost latch there. We were then truly on our way to Morwell with me safely strapped down by the seatbelt.

So, I am now sitting on the bed, writing while waiting for Mum to finish her evening bath. Dinner had already been cooked. Just waiting.

Last Day 10: 15th October 2006, Sunday

Cloudy.

Awoke at 7:15a.m to get ready for the 8:30a.m mass where Fr. Jude introduced us to the congregation again. Aunt Kathy attended mass too but she sat at the back, leading to Fr. Jude remarking that all good Catholics seat at the back. -.-” After that, we went to a nearby shopping centre for a last-minute shopping spree where Mum bought for me 2 pairs of bermudas; 1 black and 1 kaki as my Christmas presents. That meant that I couldn’t touch them till Christmas. Proceeded to Coles and bought other groceries/food that we wanted to bring back home with us. By the time we left there and got back to the parish house, which was already 11:15a.m, we were rushing to pack our bags, not that we didn’t pack them the previous evening. Mrs P’s grandson, Sean, and his girlfriend Prue stopped by the place. Sean had lunch with us before very nicely showing us the fastest route to the airport by car. He drove ahead of us, leading the way onto the Princess (Princes’?) Freeway before exiting and waving goodbye. Before you knew it, 20mins had quickly passed and we were already at the airport where we took afew more photos, this time it was with Aunt Kathy and then it was time to really say ‘goodbye’ and walk to the customs area.

 Saying ‘goodbye’. From left to right: Mum, Aunt Kathy and the author.

 MAS flight from K.L to Singapore

As usual, airport food tasted horrible. The smell of it was enough to put me off. Managed to sleep abit on the 7-hours flight to K.L. Touched down and was walking around KLIA before heading to the K.L-Sin. flight gate. 45mins later, it was Home Sweet Home.

End.

(next: Victoria, Australia 28 May – 13 July 2007)

Day 9: 14th October 2006, Saturday

ROADTRIP – DAY 5 END OF ROADTRIP

Cloudy.

We attended the morning mass where Fr. Jude introduced us to the small congregation present. After that, which was 20mins later, he kindly drove us to the local train station where we caught the city-bound train.

In the City. Queen Victoria Market.

It was about 1/2hr ride so, by the time we reached there, it was already approaching 11am. We headed straight for the Queen Victoria Market by taking a tram there.

Signage at the side of the market, along Queen St.

 

The facade of the market facing Victoria St.

 

 

 

 

The Queen Victoria Market is a huge market, somewhat alike to Geylang Seri Wet Market but bigger, neater and definitely drier. We spent quite a bit of time there, browsing the products on sale, especially in the clothes and souvenirs section, but not much of the fresh produce and delicatessen sections. I spent alot of money today, getting souvenirs and nougats, and on top of it, the train ticket cost $9.70 for the whole day.

We had lunch seated in a back alley of the market, eating a slice of pizza each as we all had no idea what to eat. Sian… And I bet Juls would like it. -.-” We took a tram and stopped somewhere near David Jones, where we went to look at the yummy cakes and sweets in their food section. Did I mention that David Jones is like our Marks and Spencer? We then hopped onto another tram and went up the road as Mum wanted to visit what she thought was a church, as we saw the spires of a building, which we later found out to be the old Melbourne Goal, where Ned Kelly was hanged. Shivers…

The State Parliament House

 

 

 

I have no idea where this is but I just realized that the palm tree is right in the middle of the photo. Waha!

 

 

St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral. Opposite Flinders Street Station.

The dome of Flinders Street station.

Going back to Hoppers at the wrong platform.

We took the train back to Hoppers but not without another adventrue. Someone saw the platform number for the Werribee line to be on platform 10. So we waited there for almost 1/2hr. Enough of the waiting for we suspected something was amiss as we where the only few people on the platform, we went back into the main building where we saw on the screen the correct platform number for the Weribee line. We then went down to a very crowded platform 5 and waited for another 10mins. The train ride back took longer than the city-bound trip. When we finally arrived at Hoppers Crossing Station, it was already 5mins to 6, and Fr. Jude had to do mass at 6. So how was he going to pick us up as planned? Well, he did not and we found our own way back by taking a very empty bus. As Godma said, “Our own personalised bus.” The driver of Service #436 was very nice to stop at a little junction that turned out onto Derrimut Rd. We got off there and had a short walk to the church. How lonely. And so thus, for this trip, we travelled in a car, a vehicular ferry, a train, a tram and an aeroplane. All we had left was a helicoptor ride.

Day 8: 13th October 2006, Friday

ROADTRIP – DAY 4

Sunny with cold winds.

Was up at 6.45am. Gasp!!! Yeah. That early and the time back home was 4.45am. Well, I was quite “zombie-fied” at such an hour. Had a cold breakfast of crumpets, toast and tea due to my lateness. By the time it was eight in the morning, we were already hitting the road for The 12 Apostles.

Stop 1 – Loch Ard Gorge.

We got there at about 9.20am. Spent half hour there taking photos, learning some geography and history at the same time.

Loch Ard Gorge. Makes me wonder how the coast of Australia really looked like thousands of years ago.

 

The power of the waves… Erosion.

Stop 2 – Port Campbell.

After Loch Ard Gorge, we headed further east to Port Campbell for our morning tea.

Stop 3 – The 12 Apostles.

We had to return the same way we came as Aunt Kathy missed the sign for The 12 Apostles. She said that after so many years, she could not regconised the place. Well, it was evident the local state government quite recently pumped mone to spruce up Victoria’s famous tourist attraction, with the likes of a proper graveled car and coach parking area, an underground pass to cross to the coast from the vehicle parking lot, and a visitors’ centre-like place housing toilets. Anyway, we spent more time there taking photos and getting ourselves frozen by both the chilly coastal winds and approaching mists.

The sign says it all.

 

No longer 12… Just about 8 or 9 left standing.

Stacks and stumps. Where are the arches? Gone with the wind, and sea.

Stop 4 – Geelong.

We had tunch down at a beach in Geelong. Stayed for a short while, just to stretch our legs. By the way, after the coastal winds, I was asleep for most of the way enroute to Geelong. Yoohoo!!! Mr Humphryes!!! Where are you??? LOL.

Stop 5 – Hoppers Crossing

From Geelong, we went on to Werribee which is another town that is located very near to Melbourne City. We were there looking for a plae to stay till sunday morning but ended up visiting another of Mum’s friends, Mrs. P’s son, who happens to be a Catholic priest. Fr. Jude,of St. James the Apostle at Hoppers Crossing, was a very friendly man, the male version of his sister, Lou. Looked like it really did run in the family. Anyway, we had a nice time sitting there around the main dining table, having tea and cakes. Mum, Aunt Kathy and Fr. Jude were trading stories, while Godma and I were successfully picking the pieces of their very interesting tales in order to understand what happened. He then drove us to visit a group of youths, the New Evangelical Team (NET), who were in the area helping his parish. After a short while talking to these youths who had already decided on dedicating their youth to God in this form of evangelising, he drove us around looking for a motel or some place where we could stay. When we finally found one, there was not a vacancy left! Fr. Jude then realised that he could actually let us stay with him at the parish rectory since he was the only one there! Viola! Done. So, all 4 of us were staying in a parish rectory which was one of the things I had done for the first time. Amazing. Anyway, Fr. Jude had to meet the same group of NET youths for dinner, thus, leaving us alone. We then drove out to the supermarket to get some food before having dinner at Fasta Pasta, a slightly pricy version of our Pasta Mania.

Yawn…

Day 7: 12th October, 2006, Thursday.

ROADTRIP – DAY 3

Hot, sunny and windy.

Stop 1 – Anglesea Golf Link

We were on the Great Ocean Road from Barwon Heads and saw many wonderful views of the coast. We tried getting a glimse of the kangaroos at the Anglesea Golf Link but to no avail. Those natives were probably asleep or hopping around elsewhere. By the way, I was feeling sick. Most likely due to the heat in the car.

Stop 2 – Some Caravan Park

After that, we went on and saw koalas sleeping in the trees at a caravan park. It was fun yet fustrating spotting those bears but they were worth it.
Welcome to I-have-no-idea-what-is-the-name-of-this-place Caravan Park. Let’s play the Spot the Koala Game!!! Yayyyyy…!!!

Ahhh… There is that elusive koala… This is not a very pretty sight…

Found one nearer to the ground. Sleeping away while hugging his/her tree. And this is also one of my favourite photos. Hee.

Stop 3 – At a road near a famous lighthouse.
Yup. Some lighthouse as seen from the side of a road.

 

 

Stop 4 – The ‘Seafarers’ Motel

We got ourselves a place to stay for the night by the time it was noon. It was a nice “little” place just along the Great Ocean Road, with a view facing the ocean. The highway separated the motel and the ocean. Deja vu, anyone? Price: AUD150/night for 4 persons. Worth it.

Stop 5 – A little town further up the highway from the motel.

We went in to town for lunch, which was quite expensive, probably because it was a tourist place. LOL! How ironic. I, too, was a tourist there. Blah.

Stop 6 – Marriners Falls.

Because of the very few signs leading to Marriners Falls, we asked a lady who was with her children at the picnic spot there for help. She told us to go further up the road, which we did. We got to the carpark and trekked the rest of the way. Yes! We trekked 3.4km there and back. And I was wearing my flip-flops. It took us half hour to get to the waterfalls, which was quite a small one yet old and lovely. The place was serenely quiet. The kind of peaceful that made you want to shut up and absorb the quietness. The water was cold and clear. The return walk took about 20mins, 10 minuets faster than the going to. On the way back, we literally experienced two distinctly different zones. One second we were in the oh-so-nice coolness of the forest, the next second we back in the heat of the day. What a change! It was as if Nature was telling us, “Alright. Enough of the coolness and the quietness for you. Back to your civilization!”
Welcome to Marriners Falls. Please get your footwear off as we prepare for a waddle in the wa… Oh! They are alreadying so.

 

Ahhh… Another of my fave photos. One of calmness and peace. Nature in progress. Looks like a scene from Jurassic Park.

The water falls… rapidly.

Another photo reminding us there is such a place call Nature that is not in the City.

Stop 7 – The same town we were in earlier on.

We went grocery shopping after that.

Final stop for the day – The ‘Seafarers’ Motel

Mum and Godma are now preparting dinner and I want to go down to the beach. Did I mention that it is just across the road?

A very blurry photo of the town we were at in the afternoon. The waves crashing onto the shore can be made out through the quickly setting of the sun. Part of the tail-light from a passing vehicle can be seen. Taken from the veranda of our motel room.

Day 6: 11th October 2006, Wednesday.

ROAD TRIP – DAY 2.

Sunny and windy. 29 deg. celcius.

1st stop – Just across the road…

The motel that we stayed for the night.

Mum and Godma sitting on the verandah just outside our double-double-bed room. Aunt Kathy’s humble Honda to the left of the photo.

It so happens that the motel is situated just across a road/highway from the sea.

Welcome to Kilcunda East.

A sight like this is very common. What? The bridge? Oh… I was talking about how the sea/ocean is separated from the inland creek by a sand dune. As for the bridge, it is very old.

Look at those waves!!! Woosh…!!! Surf’s up, mate!

2nd stop – Somewhere in the Mornington Peninsular. Had lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

3rd stop – On the way to Sorrento. Some beach in some place which is famous for Spider, a drink, not the eight-legged one. School kids would come down to this beach after school to play, or sun bath, with or without their school uniforms on.

Beach boxes at some beach on our way to Sorrento. Damn colourful and picturesque. This is one of my favourite photos taken on this trip.

4th stop – At the ferry pier.

Ahh… The vehicular ferry that took us from Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsular to Queenscliff, which is on the other side of the bay.

Sun set taken on the ferry’s top deck. That explains the unequal-ness between sky, sea and the horizon.

5th and final stop – Barwon Heads. A few more kilometres from Queenscliff where we found lodging for the night. A refurnished penthouse with a bathtub-spa thing. Unfortunately, I was too lazy to try it out, but the adults did. Price: AUD165/night.

Just by looking at this photo, anyone can tell that there’s quite a lot of space on this level. Nice… 2 twin-bed bedrooms. A separate toilet and bathroom. Large common area, comprising the dinning area and kitchen.

Lights out!