Day 9: Victoria, Australia – Bidding her farewell..

It has been a crazy 9 days of travelling, sight-seeing, eating & exploring of the beautiful region of Victoria, Australia.
This has been an amazing trip beyond my own expectations; for though I had the itinerary a week beforehand, it goes without saying that seeing it on the itinerary & actually experiencing it is a totally different story all together.

I’m truly blessed to have had this experience. Even more so since this is my virginal trip to Aussie. I’ve got a personal guide, I travelled in comfort & I have all & any information I may need at the tips of my fingers via carefully selected brochures & a walking encyclopedia named Reiner Aderhold, who was an absolutely God-sent.

Yes, admittedly I was exhausted at the end of each day; but looking back at it all, I guess this was simply because the Melbourne’s South East Touring Triangle of Yarra Valley & The Dandenong Ranges, Philip Islands & the Mornington Peninsular has so, so much to offer her visitors, and our 9 days barely unearthed half of her charm & secrets.

The last quarter of 2010 was a windwhirl of intense pain & emotional breakdown for me. On the contrary, the 1st 2 months of 2011 has been astounding, with many sudden opportunities & self -discovery.
I couldn’t have asked for more, & now only seek to continue this path of being simply happy, with focus on my career, and appreciating the true friends that I have discovered; especially those who has stuck by me as I battled one of the lowest point of my life.

As I sat here in my hotel room on my last night in Melbourne, Victoria, I’m composing this short post as I pack; put together with some pictures; all in memory of my amazing experience so far.

The Melbourne architecture & culture has been an amazing eye-opening experience. Melbourne, and the areas within the region of Victoria is mesmerizingly beautiful.

Below: View from the 88th floor of the Eureka Skydeck.

The buildings here are very well preserved, and each is different from the other, with its own story to tell.

Melbourne is known for its art & culture. Even the streets are not spared!

Even the public transportation here is “art”; perfectly maintained & looking picturesque.

My journey through the South East Touring Triangle of Yarra Valley & The Dandenong Ranges, Philip Islands & the Mornington Peninsular introduced me to a whole new culinary escapade.

I walked vineyards, had educated tours of the winery & drank way too much wine! 😉

I had dinner on the Colonial Tram Restaurant.

I played hard too; in exciting, once in a lifetime activities.

I was at farms & conservation centres; and discovered a lot of nature & animals; as well as seen some that simply were not possible if I’m in any other country.

I had my fun & sun too! 😉

I loved the fruit orchard & strawberry farm, where I tasted the most naturally sweet apricots, prunes, plums & berries.

Melbourne pubs & bars has amazing vibe & great drinks!!
We were arranged to meet Michelle Matthews of Deck of Secrets, which is a travel guidebook that comes in a deck of 52 cards. She took us for a bar tour around Melbourne city & I was bowled over by the after-work culture here. Rooftop cinemas, open air bars & alley-lanes pubs were among our discoveries of the night.

While Michelle Matthews showed us the night life, Fiona Sweetman, our “Hidden Secrets” guide educated us on the coffee culture of Melbourne. She was our companion for a beautiful morning walk around Melbourne city. We scoured the city lanes & alleys for the most captivating, quaint & best of Melbourne coffee culture & cafes.

As expected, detailed posts on each of these adventures to come.. over the next few weeks to months! 😉

So Aussie, don’t worry mate, I’ll see you again!

All pictures are: