My parents flew over into Melbourne from Malaysia last month. They were here for my graduation ceremony which was held in September. They landed in the morning and we took the
Starbus shuttle to our budget accommodation called the
Space Hotel. The hotel is located on 380 Russell Street in the CBD itself.
The hotel itself was pretty impressive. I paid a total of AUD $139 per night for a queen bed and 2 single bunk beds with my own ensuite bathroom. The so called 'hotel' also has quite a number of facilities such as their own theater room, lounge area, mini arcade room, gym area as well as quite a number of computers for guests to go online with. The 'hotel' also had a pretty big kitchen area for guests to cook stuff. But the downside to this place is that half the facilities don't actually work. The whole mini arcade room had game machines that are all spoilt. Their gym area was appalling with non-functional equipment that might pose a serious safety hazard to guests. The lounge area was pretty bare. And the worst part was that the hotel rooms only had heaters and not air-conditioners. Fortunately for me, I was staying during the start of Spring. So it was still pretty cooling when I was there.
I took my parents to Port Melbourne for fish and chips on the first day and then down to the Crown Casino at night to watch the fire display along the river bank. The Casino actually built a number a 'chimneys' along the bank that emits a huge flame at night. If I'm not mistaken, this fire display starts at 9pm and lasts for around 5 minutes every night and is displayed every hour until midnight.
OZ Doner & Chicken Kebab or also known as Flemington Kebab
18 Racecourse Road, Flemington, Melbourne
A friend of mine recommended this kebab when I was in Melbourne. It's situated quite a bit out of town but it's easily accessible by tram (15-20 minutes ride). The kebab was pretty good although it is just a little bit pricier than the food you can get in the city. You do get quite a big kebab for the price you pay. This place opens from 6pm until the wee hours in the morning (hardly anyone is open at those hours) and is quite popular among uni students.
The following day, we went to the
Carlton Brewery in Abbotsford for a brewery tour and some beer tasting. It was a pretty informative session and we got a chance to sample four different types of beer each. Entrance was AUD $12 per person as I bought a coupon from a group buying website prior to their arrival.
In the afternoon, we headed to the Prahran markets just a couple of streets down from where we were for lunch. It's no where as big as the Queen Victoria market but I guess it's still somewhere to have a look around. After that, we headed to the Queen Victoria market and walked around the city's CBD.
Lunch at Prahran. Had some fancy stuff. Crispy skin fish with grilled vegetables.
The usual steak
Seafood Risotto
We caught the early morning Greyhound bus to Canberra early the next morning at 7am. The journey was a killer. It took us about 9 hours plus just to reach Canberra because the bus had to make various stops along the various towns along the way. Over the next two days, we stayed in Canberra and didn't really do much.
Floriade, the flower festival in Canberra. Photo was taken from a ferris wheel. Lots of different combination of flowers of various colours/designs at the festival itself.
I also went to Jervis Bay for two nights at Hyamms beach. Apparently this beach has the whitest sand in the world as certified by the Guinness Book of Records. I guess they were right. The sand was indeed really white. Only managed to take a short dip in the sea once because the water was freezingly cold. The weather during the trip wasn't exactly ideal either.
The whitest sand in the world.
We came back to Canberra the day before my graduation. And my graduation ceremony took up the whole afternoon the following day. My parents managed to sneak in a short drive around Canberra's northern and southern suburbs in the morning before my ceremony itself.
I was also nominated as a Student Representative and had to go on stage to deliver a speech.
The following day, we headed up to Sydney via Greyhound again. The only reason why I chose Greyhound was because all my flights that I booked via Tiger Airlines were cancelled when the airlines got grounded. Subsequently, they then decided to stop servicing the Canberra route as they deem the route as unprofitable. What a shame.
We stayed in another budget accommodation in Sydney; the
Formula 1 Hotel which was located in Kings Cross. This hotel was slightly cheaper for the same type of room but way crappier. The F1 Hotel in Kings Cross was a really old one and they didn't really have any other facilities apart from a tiny kitchen. The next time I head up to Sydney, I'll definitely be booking a different place to stay.
The iconic Coca-Cola signboard synonymous with Kings Cross.
At Sydney, we did all sorts of touristy things. We took pictures at the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, popped by the Sydney Fish Market to take some photos and had brunch there, caught the train and a ferry to Manly beach, shopped around Paddy's Market in Chinatown and walked along George Street to experience the culture.
The Opera House (above) and Harbour Bridge (below)
Half a lobster, some chips, calamari rings and oysters.
After Sydney, it was back to Canberra for another night and then back to Melbourne to catch their flight.
We took the scenic Pacific Drive route back to Canberra on the way back from Sydney.
We also stopped over at the Kiama blowhole to have a look and take some pictures.
Overall, I think I might have crammed a little bit too much within the two weeks that they were here. The next time they come over, I'm just going to leave them in Canberra to do nothing for two whole weeks.
That's pretty much it for now.
Take care!
