Hey, what’s up?

After my very short Brisbane trip, I headed to Melbourne for four days! Go check out my previous post if you want to see some nice photos of Straddie. I’ll hopefully be uploading them to my Picfair soon as well.

This time, I’ll be sharing everything I got up to in Melbourne.

It was winter in Melbourne and, coming from Darwin, I seriously underestimated the weather. I arrived wearing nothing more than a loose linen shirt, thinking I’d be fine.

I was not fine.

The moment I stepped outside the airport, Melbourne reminded me that winter is actually a thing. First mission of the trip? Buy a proper jacket before I turned into a human popsicle.

Day 1

The main reason for this trip was actually to renew my passport. Since I landed in the afternoon, I only had enough time to head to the Malaysian Consulate near the CBD and sort that out.

New passport secured.

Time to start collecting immigration stamps again like Pokémon cards.

That was pretty much my first day. Afterwards, I checked into Sakura Apartment, right next to Southern Cross Station. Honestly, it was a great apartment and definitely worth the price.

Before we get into the trip, here’s the important stuff.

Halal food

• Bowtiful Halal Lanzhou
• Jom
• Roti Bar
• D’Penyetz & D’Cendol Chinatown
• Pepper Lunch
• Master Lanzhou Noodle Bar

Bubble tea

• Xing Fu Tang
• Cha Tra Mue
• Jian Cha

Day 2 – Great Ocean Road

I booked a Great Ocean Road tour through GetYourGuide.

I purposely paid a little extra for a smaller van because spending twelve hours trapped on a tour bus with forty strangers sounded like the beginning of a Netflix documentary.

The trip was absolutely worth it.

We visited the Twelve Apostles (which should probably be renamed the Seven Survivors by now), Razorback and several other stunning viewpoints.

Standing on those cliffs listening to the waves crash below was honestly unreal.

At one point I just stood there thinking…

“Imagine dropping your phone from here.”

Because apparently that’s where my brain goes instead of appreciating nature.

We also stopped at a wildlife park where I finally got to meet koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, emus and even an albino wallaby.

The wallabies were surprisingly gentle.

The emu, however, clearly woke up and chose violence.

It grabbed the food.

It pecked my fingers.

Refused to elaborate.

Left.

10/10 would not negotiate with an emu again.

Day 3 – Dandenong Ranges

Day three was hiking day.

I caught the train to Upper Ferntree Gully before tackling the famous 1000 Steps.

Whoever built those steps definitely hated knees.

After that I basically YOLO’d my way towards Burkes Lookout using Google Maps.

Big mistake.

Google Maps kept telling me to walk alongside busy roads.

Mate…

I’m here for trees, not traffic.

The higher I climbed, the foggier it became. I only saw one other hiker the entire time.

It was peaceful.

It was quiet.

It was also the perfect setting for every horror movie ever made.

Eventually I reached Burkes Lookout.

The reward?

Clouds.

Just… clouds.

Nature basically looked at me and said,

“Come back next time.”

Fair enough.

I Ubered back down because my thighs had already clocked off for the day.

Back in the city I grabbed a very late lunch before heading to the State Library.

Beautiful building.

Sadly, the upstairs viewing area was closed, so I couldn’t get the iconic view of the reading hall.

Instead, I bought a postcard of it.

It cost way more than a piece of cardboard should.

Day 4

On my final day, I explored around the city.

I headed to Brighton Beach for another attempt at photographing the Melbourne skyline.

Melbourne weather had other plans.

Fog.

Again.

At this point I was convinced the CBD only exists on clear days and Photoshop.

The beach itself was beautiful though.

Crystal-clear water, barely any waves and surprisingly peaceful.

I also visited the Shrine of Remembrance, mainly because I liked the atmosphere around it.

If I’d had more time, I definitely would’ve gone inside.

Along the way I passed the National Gallery and saw the giant yellow polka-dot octopus.

Did I go inside?

Absolutely not.

Consistency is important.

I then prayed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, spent some time relaxing there and, naturally, ended up buying souvenirs because apparently I enjoy making my luggage heavier.

On the bus back to the airport, I finally managed to capture the Melbourne skyline.

Ironically, the best photo I took was through a dirty bus window while the bus was bouncing around.

I’d spent ages adjusting my camera settings, only to give up and switch back to Auto.

Sometimes the camera just knows better.

I landed back in Darwin at 1 a.m.

Sadly…

I had work later that same day.

A few days later I came down with a nasty cold.

Coincidence?

Probably.

Am I blaming Melbourne anyway?

Absolutely.

I’m writing this while flying to Adelaide—for the second time this year—so another travel post is already on the way.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next adventure!