Melbourne Laneways

   

It sounds silly but after 6 months we still hadn’t gone for Sunday Brunch in Melbourne! Papa Pedro, our lovely housemate treated us to a morning brunch followed by a walk around the cities lane ways and then coffee and cake. He really does spoil us. We chose this restaurant, Cafe Andiamo in Degraves St, for our Brunch!

We then went to Hosier Lane to see the updated Graffiti (I went before back in February, click here to see the old graffiti) Here are my favourites! 

    

Coffee and Cake after…

Also this weekend we returned the favour and treated Pedro to brunch, this time in St. Kilda as Paul is leaving Melbourne this week. We then wandered the market on the Esplanade. I don’t think you can ever go wrong eating out in Melbourne, its a foodie heaven!

We shall miss you Papa Pedro, thanks for adopting us and teaching us how to make Pebre and Sopaipilla!

 

Dolphin and Seals Adventure Tour

Over the long Easter we wanted to do something special. A couple of weekends ago we hired a car and went to Wilsons Prom and then Mornington Peninsula. As part of that trip we booked to swim with seals and dolphins but because on the day it was so windy the tour was cancelled. So we tried again, we booked knowing that it was likely to be cancelled as rain was due on the day and although all morning was spent touring Mornington Peninsula in the drizzle the sun came out for the boat trip.

A highlight of the rain was this rainbow taken from Murrays Lookout on Arthurs Seat.

The tour also stopped off in Portsea to see the famous “bathing boxes.” Considering it was raining and I have a beach hut at home that are much more funkily painted I wasn’t too impressed but the tour was worth it for the afternoon activities! (If you want to see bathing boxes in Melbourne go to Brighton Beach, they are so much better there!)

We booked our tour through Bunyip tours as it picked us up in Melbourne and saved us hiring a car for the day, but if you have your own car you can book through Moonraker themselves. The tour was $199 including snorkelling or $159 with just going on the boat and seeing the animals from there.

When we arrived in Sorrento (beautiful picturesque seaside town) we were given wetsuits, flippers and snorkels and climbed on the boat. In the morning they had also been out to Port Philip Bay and had a successful trip with the dolphins and seals and so we were told to hurry into our wetsuits incase the dolphins were nearby. After about 10 mins we came across a small pod of dolphins but they were really close to the shore and too far away for the boat to get near so we continued to Chinamans Hat – The stand on which there were lots of Australian fur seals.

  

The tide was pretty strong so the guys on the boat  put a rope out and we all slid off the boat into the water. We were told that usually the seals are quite inquisitive and playful but that day only a few jumped into the water to see who we were.

The next place we visited was Popes Eye marine park which is a horseshoe of rocks with lots of kelp and big fish around. In the water the wetsuit worked and kept us warm but because of the wind, inbetween each snorkel and getting back on the boat it was freezing cold so we had hot chocolates and Lamington cake.

Finally we were able to find a pod of dolphins that wanted to come near the boat. We all had to sit on the back steps of the boat and when the dolphins were close we were told to get in and follow the guides. The first time this happened I didn’t see a thing the dolphins were so fast! The second time I saw the dolphins very briefly playing underneath us and the final time I was able to swim alongside 2 dolphins with the guide. It was an incredible amazing experience and we so fortunate to get close to all the wild animals.

Dolphins near the shore (no photos up close as we were to busy swimming with them!)

The Boat

 

 

Upclose shot of the seals.

 

Neighbours Set Tour

Neighbours, Everybody needs good neighbours
With a little understanding
You can find the perfect blend
Neighbours…should be there for one another
That’s when good neighbours become good friends

I’m pretty sure most people have heard that theme tune and have memories of watching the Neighbours soap opera over the years. The tour was super cheesy and fabulous because we learnt lots of info about Neighbours that I would never need to have. But if you’ve clicked this blog then maybe you like neighbours and want to learn some useless facts also. The show has been running for 29 years this year and is broadcast to over 50 countries. Some famous people who have acted in Neighbours include Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Natalie Imbruglia and Delta Goodrem who all went on to have music careers. And Margot Robbie who is currently in Wolf of Wall Street.

Louise and I visited in the week and so did the Option A with Bunyip tours. This meant we toured the outside set and met a cast member. I was really hoping to meet someone who’d been in Neighbours a little while as since being in Thailand I haven’t caught up with the show! However we met “Georgia Brookes” played by Saskia Hampele and “Imogen Willis” played by Ariel Kaplan. Both were lovely ladies.

Our tour guide had swallowed Wikipedia and knew a lot of facts and was able to remind us where certain things had been filmed and showed us how they were able to film certain things. For example the studio building on the outside is also used as the school, the hospital and the gates to enter have been used as the jail also.

In Ramsay Street (in real life Pine Oak Court in Vermont South) – Outside Karl and Susans’ house.

I remember this one as the Scully house but now has Kyle and family living in it.

 

It was very cheesy and on the bus on the way back to the city we watched an episode also 😀

 

 

Wilsons Promontory

For a weekend away Paul, Louise, Ana, Hyashi and I rented out a car and went on a mini road trip to explore Wilsons Prom and the surrounding area. It is beautiful! Mountains and beaches including Squeaky beach! It rained most of the morning but when we arrived at squeaky beach the sun came out, after 3 hours in the car from Melbourne. As the name suggests the sand is so fine that when you walk it squeaks, according to google this is because the sand is rounded quartz. We entertained ourselves running around and listening to the sounds.

Also around the area we were able to see local wildlife. Below; an Echidna and a Kookaburra.

The next day we had booked a dolphin and seals tour together with a visit to the Peninsula Hot Springs. However due to windy weather the dolphin snorkel tour was cancelled so instead we just spent the day at the hot springs, so worth it on a cold day, it has lots of pools up a hill and the top one looks out over the scenery. (We eventually did the dolphin tour a few weeks later – click here to read about it .)