22-31 Aug 2011 - Tita Irene's Visit - Melbourne Day Trips

Monday 22 August.  Mon rang me around lunch time saying that Tita I will be coming over for a week.  Oops.. we're already booked to watch Rock of Ages on Sunday.   I had to call 'Bunso' immediately to ask if there's still available seat next to us.  Good thing, there's one more available. 


The challenge was, she's already been to Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, been to snow at Mt Buller, and Phillip Island.  With our current workload and school holiday coming, interstate trip was also impossible...  Where else could we take her.


Well, it's not too bad after all... it's mostly food trip and a bit of nature.


On her first night, we had dinner at Grande Vorno Bistro.  One of our fave resto along Warrigal Road, Ashburton...  woodfire pizza, risotto and pasta.. yum!

On Wednesday, 24 August, we took her to the largest drive-in theatre in Australia, at the Lunar Drive-in, South Gippsland Highway Dandenong.  We thought that the place was something different.  It was her first time to watch a movie at the comfort of her blanket inside the car...  

though not sure if she was satisfied with the ending of the movie - Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  We're solved with burgers, sausage and chips for dinner.

After the movie, 'had a dessert at the newly opened 'Pancake Parlour Restaurant'  along Warrigal Road, close to Chaddy.

Thursday, 25 August, was Costco time.  Tita Irene and Justin met at Flinders St station.  Justin gave Tita I a tour around cityloop up to Parliament station where they were supposed to meet me... I was in the meeting and so Justin took Tita I at Myers along Bourke St, where I met them later on.  We hopped on a city circle tram going to Docklands.. and there at Costco, we did a bit of shopping of household stuffs plus some lollies and chocs for Tita I.  Later on, we drove to Hogs Breath-Warrigal and had steak for dinner.

Friday, 26 August.   Ramon and I took a day off from work.  After sending Justin to school, we had a quick  breakfast and start the day tour...





Maroondah Reservoir Dam and Park, Healesville.  It is a small reservoir that supplies water to Melbourne Victoria.  The 'English syle' garden, spectacular views of the mountains and reservoir from the dam wall pathway,  the native bush and spillway are just some of the good things about this place.

 

Skyhigh Mount Dandenong.  On top of Mount Dandenong with stunning views of the Greater Melbourne.  Also featuring the most-photographed Giant's Chair.  We walked around, then had lunch at the Skyhigh Bistro and Restaurant.   





Toorongo Falls Reserve at Noojee, Gippsland.  We crossed the bridge over the Toorongo River...  then kept on wandering, bush-walking up hill along the circuit walking track that leads to the  viewing platform of Toorongo Falls.  Had been there three times and we wouldn't mind coming back again.  The falls was such a beauty.   After taking a few photos, we followed the track... going to Ampitheatre Falls.

Noojee is just a few kilometers away from Baw Baw Alpine Village.  We did attempt to go there but later decided to back out after seeing a sign that a chain is required at all times.  We didn't have one at the car at that time.  We headed home and stopped at Neerim for another photo of Tita I, overlooking one of the 'Victoria's Black Saturday's impacted places. 

(Thanks to Tito Lorenz for taking Justin to swimming and looking after him until we arrived).  We picked them up at the Chocolate Factory, then drove to Chaddy to wait for Tita Jac.  Justin impressed Tita I and gave her a tour towards the Northeast wing of Chaddy, where LV, Prada, Gucci, etc can be found.  It was a long Friday.  The tour ended after a sumptuous dinner at the The Grand Tofu at The Glen with D'Robles.

Saturday, 27 August.  Justin's piano lesson in the morning and AMEB Piano exam in the afternoon...  After this, we didn't waste a minute while the sun was still up.

Brighton Beach.  In the upmarket suburb of Brighton are the famous and very colourful beach huts/sheds.  We walked and took a few photos.

Frankston Beach.  Justin was already a bit grumpy, so, we had an early dinner at Sofia's Restaurant at Frankston Beach.  It was a beautiful evening.

Sunday, 28 August.  We (with Tita I) went to Sunday mass, then met with D'Robles.  Sunday! It's party time! Yeah!  At the city, had a quick lunch at Maccas.. then walked down to Comedy Theatre where we watched 'The Rock of Ages'.  I hope the show didn't completely corrupt Justin's mind!        

Not completely satisfied with 'The Rock of Ages', it was 'Dance till you Drop' at Kish-Kish's Birthday Party.  I guessed, there was this other side of Mon, that Tita I discovered.  Likewise, we didn't know that Tita I was really good in line dancing. 

Monday, 29 August. We watched Justin playing piano at the assembly.  Meantime, Tita I decided to stay until Wednesday.  She and Justin went for a bike ride after school and had fun playing WII - Mario and Just Dance.

Tuesday, 30 August.  Tita I went to the city all by herself.  I think it was an adventure for her... She stopped at Flinders Station, walked her way, 'supposed to be' to Mon's office, but found herself back to Flinder's station again after a few minutes of walking.  Mon came to the rescue and just picked her up.   D'Robles and D'Pontillases joined us for dinner at home to meet Tita I. 

Wednesday, 31 August. It was Tita I's last night at Beacon.  We had 'All You Can Eat' dinner at Kitchen's Workshop, Southbank.  Then, enjoy the night walking along the Crown Metropol and the southern bank of the Yarra River. 

Photos:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2227118910394.124363.1020438581

11-Jul-2011 Gateway to Outback New South Wales

Getting around Wentworth, the gateway to the Outback New South Wales and nearby towns... 

Orange World at Buronga NSW. 

We took a 10:30 am train tour around a big orchard with different varieties of citrus fruits and avocados.  We were greeted by a friendly host, Mario who gave us a complimentary orange juice and mandarins.  And just before the start of the tour, we were welcomed by a beautiful country music rendered by Bryan, the train driver.   

Saw 2 types of cumquats, a citrus fruit called Buddha’s hand (they’re like chilly but actually citrus fruit, tastes bitter according to Brian), valencia oranges, pomelos, tangelos, limes and many others.  According to them, there were around 30 varieties... couldn't remember all of them.

At Wentworth, NSW - 

Two Rivers Ski Reserve.  In here was a bridge to the small island where you can stand at the confluence of the Darling and Murray River.  We walked a bit but came back immediately to the car,  the place was very bushy, scared to encounter a snake along the way.

<- Murray River

                      Darling River ->

Junction Park.   Where the rivers meet.... The confluence of the 2 mighty rivers can be best viewed from the observation tower located at the park.  Darling River is Australia's longest river.   It starts in Queensland SE and NSW, flows 2740km and ends/joins the Murray River at Wentworth.  Murray River, the great dividing range, acts as a natural border between Victoria and New South Wales and flows around 2530 km.  

Lock 10 and Weir.   Completed in 1929 to regulate the level of water of Murray River for irrigation

Perry Sandhills.  A natural wonder of Wentworth, good for toboganning up and down the sand dunes. 

Justin enjoyed this place the most.  It reminded us of our Desert Safari tour at Dubai. 

It's winter so no need to worry about the burning sun.  Another thing that caught our attention were the wild plants around the area bearing small water melons. 

Woodsies Gem Shop at Mildura.  The place provides a demo for cutting, grinding and polishing of gemstones.  We're late and missed this part when we got there.  It has an outstanding display of gemstones -- jewellery and giftware in different colours.  While Justin was out enjoying the Garden Crazy Maze, we looked around and managed to buy a pair of green-brownish heavy bookends and a small vase made from solid stones, to replace the decors  broken late last year in our bathroom downstairs when Justin's friends had a gathering in the house. 

It was 5pm and time to head home.  We arrived just before 11pm at Melbourne where we had an order of Cantonese rice stick noodle and Spicy Chicken Chop to take home. 

More photos:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2134931887187.123473.1062778089

09-10 Jul 2011 Outback New South Wales

Term 2 school break... I worked from home for a week and took 2 days off to have some 'us'  time with Mon & Justin.

Checked the availability of hotels/motels somewhere at Mildura / Wentworth.  It's not so bad going without pre-booked accommodations.

09-Jul.  We packed our bags, took a quick shower, filled up the petrol and off we go - drove along Calder Highway.   Since we passed Charlton, noticed that we had been driving for a few hours without a sight of even Maccas or KFC or any other fast foods.  Haven't had lunch yet, lucky we had biscuits and grapes in the car.  

Redcliffs. 

After long hours of driving, we stopped over at Redcliffs to fill up the patrol again.  Then dropped by to take a photo of Big Lizzie, an old, enormous machinery used to clear vast expanses of land at the Redcliffs Soldier Settlement.  It was purchased by a Big Lizzie Commitee, restored and now becomes a monument at Redcliffs Barclay Square along Calder Highway.

We took our chances that there might be a place open to get some food to eat around the area... it was already nearly 4pm and we didn't have a decent meal yet.   Alas! Found a BBQ chicken  and Fish n Chips take-away.   Not very satisfying but good enough to fill our hungry stomachs.

Just a few minutes drive after Redcliffs,  Justin felt disappointed seeing Maccas at Mildura.  Drove further and checked-in at a motel somewhere at Wentworth.   Our trip was supposed to be just a night getaway but later decided to extend it.  Thinking of staying on the same motel but changed our mind the moment we took a shower.   Mon said.. "Mas malakas pa ang ihi ko sa shower na'to."  LOL.



Abbotford Bridge



10-Jul.  Left Wentworth, drove to Abbortsford Bridge over the Murray River, then to Calder Highway going to Mildura. 

Along the way, we stopped by a "Honesty" fruit shop to see what they got in there.  It was a good price, $5 for a 10kg-pack of oranges.  But thought that it might not be a good idea to buy then as it would be hard having the fruits in and out of Sunraysia Region if we are travelling.  Thought of buying one before we got home.



We stopped over again and parked opposite the Top of the State Merbein Entrance sign.   Merbein is the northermost part of Victoria.

Reached Mildura and had breakfast at Centro foodcourt... then drove to the outback of New South Wales.

Lake Mungo National Park.

Felt a bit scared being alone on the road along the Fletcher's Lake Road on  the way to MungoNP.   Phone - no service.  Alone on the road and we couldn't see anything but 360deg-view of a flat empty land... not even a single tree in sight.   

We were relieved to see a company on the road along Wentworth-Pooncarie Road and seeing trees and vineyards once in a while.  Scared of being lost :-).

We reached the Top Hut Road intersection from Wentworth -Pooncarie Road, where we had to drive more than 60 kilometers on unsealed road to the Mungo NP's Visitors Centre.

  

At the end of Top Hut Rd is the entrance to Mungo National Park. 










On the way to the Walls,
we saw more emus... really cool!  

  

We stopped to take a photo...  and were amazed when we saw two roaming wild emus.  It's not as if we haven't seen emus before... but seeing emus outside the zoo, in the wild was simply awesome.    Mon kept on telling us to get in the car for one of the emus, headin' to our direction, might run after us.  Cool!

We stopped at Zanci Buildings site then went to the Visitors Centre.  The self guided tour was closed but the Walls of China was open.

Mungo - Walls of China.


Overlooking Mungo Walls of China

Ahead was an exellent view of the lunette Walls of China.  We were on the bed of Lake Mungo, dried up thousands of years ago.  From the brochures, they named the different layers in the erroded pinnacles of the Walls:

• Gol Gol Unit - pink soils at the base of the lunette 
• Upper and Lower Mungo Units - brownish cream and white sands formed when the lakes were full.
• Arumpo/Zanci Units - grey clays which cap the residual pinnacles.

  

 

 

We walked a bit and took a few photos then left.  Driving back to Mildura was quite OK... Not too bad as we already knew what to expect.  We even stopped and took a shot of Fletchers Lake along the way.  

Mildura Wharf

At Mildura, we went to buy a take-away meal at KFC then drove to Mildura Wharf.

It was a quick meal before headin' to Sacred Heart Parish along 11th Street to attend a 5pm-Sunday mass. 

It was not peak season and we didn't have a hard time finding a place to stay for a night. The day trip ended with a meal at a Chinese Retaurant close to the motel.

More Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2134768403100.123468.1062778089

25-Jun-2011 Our Fishing Trip at Buxton Trout and Salmon Farm (VIC, Australia)

25^th June 2011. We went fishing with our family friends.  My mum didn’t go so it was up to me to do this blog.  Me and my dad went to Tito Dennis’ house.  There was a misunderstanding, as Tito Dennis was already at Tito Lorenz’s house – waiting.  We drove to Tito Lorenz and Tita Jac’s house. There were also some other people who went fishing with us, Tito Larry with Trina and Sabel, Denise, and Uncle Stewart, Tito Lorenz’s colleague.  We did a little bit of chatting while waiting for all the people who will go fishing with us. Then, we were finally off!

The fishing pond was in a quiet place called Buxton Trout and Salmon, close to Marysville . It took us about two and a half hours to get there.

We finally arrived! When we reached the counter, we had to choose a fishing rod from a shelf. The counter lady gave us bait for the fish and told us that if we catch a fish we have to go to the counter so the lady could clean the fish up, weigh and pay for it.

There were only two types of yummy fish to eat. They were rainbow trout and salmon. 

After we chose our rods, we saw each pond had a sign of saying what fish there were. We all spread out into different ponds. Me and my dad went fishing in an awfully quiet pond with no fish. Later on,  me and my dad joined Tito Lorenz and Stewart in another fishing pond.

 

My Dad caught the first fish. Then Tito Lorenz and Stewart after. I was now really desperate to catch a fish. I then managed to catch a fish after my dad put his fish in the bucket. Once I lifted the fish out of the water, it was wiggling a lot trying to escape. I caught a small rainbow trout.

There was a part which I really hated to do and that was taking out the hook. I just wanted to pull the hook out of its mouth but my dad didn’t let me. I had to touch the squirming fish full of blood while my dad just took the hook out of its mouth for me. When I touched the scales of the fish, it was all sticky with fish oil.  

All of us managed to catch at least two fishes each except Tita Jac as she was cooking the fishes for our lunch. We did have to wait quite a while till the fish was cooked. She put onion, lemon and she also stuffed the fish with tomato. She wrapped the fish in foil and put them on a grill.

Once she finished cooking, we got the table ready and sat down to get ready for the food. The trout looked so yummy when Tita Jac put it in the table. The meat looked kind of like salmon meat because it was orange just like salmon. The trout was so yummy. We also had chicken from Nandos Restaurant and rice to go with it.

To make everything fair, we let Tita Jac catch a fish. This time, she caught one from a salmon pond. It was so heavy. The counter lady said the salmon was just over 1kg. One of our family friends wanted to catch another two fish for themselves. They caught a salmon as well and a rainbow trout. The disgusting part was that it was pregnant and once they put it in the bucket, fish eggs (roe) came leaking out of the fish.

It was nearly 5:00pm, so that meant the ponds were nearly closed and it was time for us to leave. While Tita Jac and one of our family friends were paying, I saw what damage the Victoria Black Saturday bushfires did in 2009.  They had to carry out 40 tonnes of dead rotten fish and buried it.

It was time to leave.  Everyone decided to go to our house for dinner. Tita Joy, Tita Bheng and her mum, Lola Thelma joined us.  We played different Nintendo Wii games like racing and Just Dance.

For dinner we had teriyaki trout and salmon caught from the pond cooked by my mum. I had enough of fish for the day so I just had pasta with home cooked tuna white sauce,  also cooked by my mum.

After that, we watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince movie.

It was already past midnight when the gathering ended.   It was a good experience… my first fishing adventure.

JR

(Photos : http://www.facebook.com/mobileprotection#!/media/set/?set=a.1845771306566.2096128.1309143858)