My Australia Travels: Melbourne, Great Barrier Reef and Sydney. Passage 1 nguptatravelscrapbook.blogspot.com

Blog number 32  23/06/2021

The UK has delayed the complete opening of Lockdown previously scheduled for 21/6/2021 to 19/07/2021.

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My Australian TRavels:Melbourne,Great Barrier Reef and Sydney Passage 1

Australia introduction

The Iconic Sydney Opera House

Australia is massive, matching in size with the USA but only with a current population of around 25 million. Australia is the driest, flattest, hottest, infertile and climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents. Yet, it abounds with life in numbers unaccounted. The cities, in contrast, consist of the younger generation with exuding energy, with most cities founded as late as in the mid-nineteenth century.  Australia has become a coastal region country, with the most population living within twenty Km of the ocean.

Australia is very much an outdoors country with a laid back lifestyle. The sunny climate also contributes to this outdoor living with a thriving beach culture ( celebrating Xmas on the beach) and the backyard's bright barbies( barbecue). It is challenging to develop an itinerary suiting individual budget, the number of days in hand, and visiting family members, if any. A very famous and fundamental principle to follow is Reef- Rock-Harbour package covering Australia's must-sees.  We safely omitted the Rock, a vast, overpowering monolith of Ayres Rock( Uluru). Instead, we formed our itinerary of just under three weeks of travelling covering the famous southeastern arc extending from Queensland to Adelaide, including The Great Barrier Reef, Sydney, and Melbourne.

Australian Outbacks

The coastal regions have fantastic opportunities for water and land-based activities. It's possible to swim with dolphins in Perth, a thrilling experience, or on the other side of the country at the Great Barrier Reef; there are chances to go snorkelling to explore the underwater miracle of the coral formations and to see hundreds of exotic fish, large and small. Drivers will want to explore the Great Ocean Road, in the south of Victoria state, which winds its way along the coast, offering stunning views of the ocean with a new vista around every corner.

The Great Ocean Drive

Back in December 2013, when my close friend working as an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in Port Augusta,  near Adelaide, announced her daughter's wedding to take place in Melbourne, my husband and myself grabbed the opportunity to attend the wedding along with visiting some parts of Australia with two in one option. I had travelled to various parts of the world till then but never had a keen desire to connect to this part of the world. Although, many of my work colleagues here in the UK had visited Australia as an exercise to visit their long based and extended families at least once. As I did not have any relatives residing in Australia, that option was a valid excuse for not visiting the country. However, the migration scenes of people from the Indian Subcontinent were rapidly changing by 2013, with two of my extended family members have moved to Melbourne and Brisbane. 

Melbourne coffee

While on the long haul flight to Melbourne, over from London, via Shanghai ( East China Airways), I tried to catch up with the history of Australian politics in the latter part of the 20th and early part of the 21st century. I tried to remember the name of the Australian PM and realised that the Capital of Australia was not Sydney. It is Canberra. While booking my tickets to Melbourne and return from Sydney,  I realised that I would lose two virtual days before reaching Melbourne with the heaviest of the jet leg syndrome. Relief was to know that these lost days are gained back on the return flight back to the UK.

Anglesey Golf Course, Near Melbourne

So far, people in the West had not paid that much attention to Australia; it is far off and mostly empty, its place in the world economy is peripheral. It is stable, peaceful till later when it too got engulfed by terrorism. But still, it didn't have any significant political upheaval and has remained the most popular commonwealth country. Australia is the world's sixth-largest country and the world's largest island. The first continent conquered the sea and is the only nation that began as a prison for British convicts. It is home to the most giant living thing on earth, The Great Barrier reef, and of the most famous and striking monolith, Ayers Rock or the aboriginal name of Uluru. 

St Kilda, Melbourne

The people are incredibly cheerful, extroverted and humorous. I came across many working colleagues, especially the nurses while working in Saudi Arabia and the UK, as an obstetrician and Gynecologist, making lifelong friends due to their extreme openness and generous nature. They have a society that is flourishing, well ordered and naturally impartial.

Mysteries of Australia

For most people, Australian history starts from 1770 CE when Lieutenant James Cook arrived at Botany Bay in his ship named HMS Endeavour. So the Australian story starts from here. Not that no European had set foot in Australia before. Lt Cook ( Englishman) confirmed Australia when he touched the South-East corner of Australia and followed the coast 1800 miles north to Cape York. He described it as an inverted nation ( or upside-down nation), with seasons back to front. He described the kangaroos as creatures who didn't walk or run but bounced across the landscape. But in fact, Australia is old, as far back as nearly 60 million years ago. It has been silent geologically, allowing it to preserve many of the oldest things ever-present on earth, the most ancient fossils and rocks, river beds, mountains and wildlife. Along with these were Aborigines, who had no clear racial or linguistic relationship to their neighbours. I gathered from my research that Aborigines invented and mastered ocean-going craft approx 30,000 years ago, but then the people and their craftsmanship got lost in the evolutionary process.

Melbourne's skyscrapers

In-Line with the British desire to occupy territories as legal colonies, Captain Philip arrived in Australia in 1787 with about 1500 British men to set up a little colony along the east coast of Australia, a virtually unknown place. Generally, the term of posting here was for seven years with few ever returning to the homeland; passage to Australia in time became a life sentence. As a result, Britain started sending the culprits and convicts to Australia on a one-way journey across continents, taking nearly a year, covering more than 15,000 miles of seas. 

Among the many small and exciting mysteries of Australia in its early days is where the different names come from? It was Captain Cook, who called the Eastern Coast New South Wales; why? 

Likewise, Sydney is a curious name. Captain Philip wanted to use Sydney only to name a cove. He wanted to call the town Albion, but the name never took off. Captain Philip discovered the worlds most beautiful Harbour of Sydney, where Circular Quay now stands and started a new city on 26th Jan 1788, the day marked as Australia Day.

Having described a little about the history of Australia, the following part of my blog describes our travel experiences, mainly of Melbourne and Sydney.

Melbourne, a smart city

Central Business District of Melbourne

Melbourne now makes a list as one of my favourite cities in the world. I would describe Melbourne as fun, vibrant and lively.  It is the capital city of Victoria and Australia's second-largest city. We expected a lot out of this place, a melting pot where people from all around the world come to live, bringing along with them their food, culture, and language. Melbourne is one of the most diverse cities in the world when it comes to food. You name it, and it is here; English-Irish pubs, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Afghani, Mongolian, Morrocan and the list is never-ending. While walking thru the city eavesdropping on conversations, we could hear different languages all within one city block. We had five days on hand to spend in and around Melbourne, including a return road trip along The Great Ocean Drive, to see the highlights and to know the city a little. 

Childish Rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney:

Melbourne is a city with few sights but with a rich lifestyle. The rivalry between the two cities is in every sphere, from business to the literati scenes, to cricket leading to arts and cultural scenes. Melbourne is the most European city amongst all the Australian cities, with superb gardens and parks with skyscrapers in the central business district. 

Around Melbourne in St Kilda

This European influence was most evident when we were there in mid-December 2013, as trams rattled past warm cafes, book shops when people dressed up with more layers to keep the chill off. The immigrant blend has transformed this city into a foodie mecca. Where tucking into a different cuisine each night is the norm with many visitors.

Coffee in Melbourne

I am a coffee freak and would love to sample coffees where ever I travel. I used to appreciate Italian coffee the most( still do), but not till I tasted coffee in Melbourne. In the morning, I would walk out of my hotel to occupy a seat in a coffee restaurant for coffee sampling while enjoying the decor and setup of the restaurant, reading a local newspaper from a part of the world I knew almost nothing about, and waiting for my hubby to join me in for alfresco breakfast. I must say here that reading a newspaper from beginning to end in a new country is incredible, especially going thru the coloured section to see what's fashionable, what's new for the kitchen, and what I may get in real estate if I had the spare money!. I did not know that there are occasional coffee chain restaurants like Starbucks, Cafe Nero or Costa. Every coffee place had its own identity and character. 

The coffee restaurant themes were varied, like train platform and stations, airport lounges, Italian pasta houses, African coffee milling stations, various sustainable worldly coffee projects, etc. Cappuccinos here are visual artwork reluctant to be disturbed by sipping the coffee from the cup. Along with coffee, the breakfasts consisted of healthy muesli choices, seeded multigrain slices of bread freshly made toasts served with a selection of homemade jams and marmalades, avocados on toasts, or eggs' choices. We often visit a local Australian breakfast place famously named Bondi beach, here in Esher, UK, obviously very popular with migrant Australians serving similar menu. 

Self-drive in a rented car was a blessing in disguise, exposing ourselves to most of the central and busy Melbourne, studded with boutique restaurants, hotels, shops, and backpackers everywhere. 

World-famous Victorian market in Melbourne

Melbourne city scenes

Some famous city sites were views of the finest Victorian buildings, town halls, St Paul's Cathedral, Flinder's street train station, The city baths, The state library, and the North and South shores of Yarra River. Brunswick Street is one of the liveliest streets with shops full of artefacts, books, and weird tourist objects. When browsing around in the Victoria Market, we felt victorious clutching a deal for two stuffed Australian animals, namely Kangaroo and Koala, for our little grandsons.  

Melbourne Cricket Club grounds is a mecca for all cricket fans; we were no different; I had to religiously take a stopover here to take a few pictures as momentoes. 

Melbourne Cricket Grounds

The Great Ocean Drive

Island Bay

The journey from Melbourne to Adelaide is paved with fantastic food and wine, stunning scenery and incredible wildlife along the Great Ocean Drive. It is considered one of the world's most beautiful road trips.  We drove out of Melbourne to follow M8 ( The Western Highway), visiting boutique townships one way and returning to Melbourne, taking the Great Ocean Road. Firstly we reached  Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, internationally famous for its gateway( The Avenue of honour), the last remaining Avenue of Elm trees, planted in August 1918, to honour the men lost in WW1. Each tree had an affixed name on its trunk on a metal plate. For more than a century, fruits and vegetable vendors have lined this avenue to sell locally grown products. For Melbournians, it is a drive down weekend activity and tradition to pick up the choicest of fresh produce from the local orchards of peaches, nectarines, cherries, strawberries and various species of apples, including The Golden Delicious, Pink Lady and Granny Smiths etc. 

We then drove to Ballarat, a township famous with boosted development by the discovery of gold here. While passing through Ballarat, we saw the famous The Ghan Express train at a railway crossing, which originates from Melbourne and reaches Alice Springs via Adelaide and Port Augusta.  Ballarat's former prosperity due to the gold rush reflected in the impressive Victorian-era buildings. 

Koalas on Ash trees, Enroute to The Grampian National Park

We passed through another famous township named Ararat, appreciating the Victorian countryside arriving at Grampian National Park. I met an Australian lady here in the coffee shop who was about to take her lifetime trip to the UK and wanted to go thru the whole travel plans with me! Why not? I obliged her, well I had all the time in the world for her. The most biodiverse area is famous for long bush walks, Aboriginal culture/ art, and legends. It has impressive vegetation and forests of Ash trees, Gum Trees, Eucalyptus, and Tea trees. This region has over 200 species of birds, a few of which we saw, including green parrots, white cockatoos and kiwi birds. We enjoyed the views of Mackenzie falls, The Pinnacle and Jaws of death in the form of rock formations.  

Writing travel journal

We spent some time in the Grampian National park with possums, emus, wombats, wallabies and koalas, in a  part of the Aboriginal landscape. Halls Gap( strange name) is a small town where we stayed for an overnight stretch and managed to get a takeaway pizza from an outlet that was still open after 6 PM, but as we returned to our hotel, guess what we came across? A big restaurant named Spirits of Punjab! Oh No, we missed it. 

Spirit of Punjab In Halls Gap

The next day, we headed for The Great Ocean Drive to reach Cape Otway National Park at Apolo Bay, making our drive-thru the glorious mountain views and dense forests. But as we headed towards the coast, a dramatic change of scenery consisting of the vast and vast open plains of golden farmland with wheat crops came into vistas. The landscape gave us a glimpse into the sheer size, magnitude and diversity of this incredible country. This area of extensive rustic land was dotted with occasional homestead, dairy farms and sheep stations. We must have come across at least 5000 cattle and the same number of sheep, some of which were laden with their heavy coat while others appeared freshly shaven. 

The Pinnacle rock formation

The road finally took us to Warrnambool, a bustling town marking the beginning of the Great Ocean Drive back to Melbourne. The battered fish with potato cakes in a restaurant here was sublime and delicious. I must say that during this two days drive, we came across a few kangaroos and koalas, but we were yet to reach to watch these favourites in masses further on. The Great Ocean Drive has curlicue bends, cuts through rainforests, skirts empty golden sandy beaches and traces wind-whipped coastline along staggering limestone cliffs. 

The famous Twelve Apostles rocks 

As we drove along this route, we passed thru many lookout spots, all signposted, including Logans beach for Whale watching, Peterborough, Port Campbell National Park, Childers Cove, Loch Ard Gorge and the famous sea sculptures, The Twelve Apostles. 

A lonely Koala on the way to Otway National Park

We finally reached Otway National Park, near Apollo Bay, where we spotted two koalas hanging on the white trunk of Ash tree, such a cute animal. Staying overnight in an outreach hotel named Chris's Beacon Point and enjoying breakfast at its treetop restaurant the following day, we drove along the remaining section of The Great Ocean Drive to reach Anglesey to watch hundreds of resident Kangaroos at its golf course. These kangaroos were all tagged as a local zoological society is involved in the researches on kangaroos. 

Wedding in Yarra valley Vineyards

Set in The Stones Of The Yarra Valley:

After a late lunch, we finally took to the highway to reach Boxhill in Melbourne to participate for the next two days in the wedding hosted at a venue named Stones of The Yarra Valley. Yarra Valley wine region, the most famous of the wine regions in Australia, is about an hour's drive from Central Melbourne. 

As we drove all decked up to attend my dear friend's daughter's wedding in Yarra Valley, we came across tall mountain Ash trees, along with impressive vegetable gardens in the quaint villages along the way. The Yarra, a broad swath bounded by curvaceous hills, has nearly 100 wineries and is historically known for the best Cabernet Sauvignon,  Pinot, Chardonnay and Sparkling wines. Vinod and I are dressed up in Indian attires to join in the wedding celebrations in this picture.

The beautiful wedding venue at Stones of Yarra Valley

It was a beautiful warm day, with a splendid setup for a perfect wedding that took place outdoors with the exchange of wedding vows. The delicious hors d'oeuvre with equally spectacular wines, and cocktails were the order of the day when we took our turns to congratulate the newlyweds. My friend informed me that this wedding venue had been a recent Australian Master Chef programme venue. The food, wines, champagne, entertainment, and dancing at the wedding were magnificent, and the newly wedded couple looked most beautiful and so much in love with each other!

I would describe the recent and vital changes in the demographics of Australia in line with increased Indian immigration, along with my travel memoirs of travelling to the Great Barrier reef and Sydney.

I wrote in great details in my travel journals during Australia travelling consisting of nearly 55 pages!. A showcase of some pages is enclosed here. Please feel free to contact me via contact form or thru blogs' web link for your most welcomed comments etc. Many thanks for browsing thru my blogs.