Melbourne to Wilsons Promontory National Park

Day 363

Our final day in Melbourne and time to give Polly a good clean out and reclaim all the stuff we had stored with Kimberley whilst we were in Tassie and try and fit it all back in the van. The roof was packed and repacked and we finally managed to squeeze everything back inside, wondering how we ever got it all in to start with. In the afternoon Kimberley cooked up a lovely pot of Pumpkin soup and we sit around, watching the football (Aussie rules again) and planning our onward journey.

A trip out in the evening to meet up with a couple of Carmen’s friends from her days in London. Janel and Adrian live in Box Hill and as luck would have it the bus from outside Kimberley’s house takes us all the way there. After an hour on the bus we finally arrive and are welcomed into their lovely house like old friends (I suppose Carmen is) and introduced to their two lively children Henry and Joe. The kids are duly put to bed and we sit down to a veritable feast (there’s nothing like home cooking) amid much catching up and tales of our travels. The evening passes all too quickly and before we know it it’s time to head home. Rather than brave the train journey into the city and then back out again, Adrian offers to drive us back to our Mentone and we are more than happy to accept and very grateful of the offer. Goodbyes are said and half an hour later we are climbing into our warm bed for the final time.

Day 364

Up nice and early and slightly nervous about getting back into the van after two weeks of luxury living (Thanks again Tom, Kate and Kimberley) and hoping Carmen’s ribs can handle clambering in and out of the van again. We say our goodbyes to Kimberley before she heads off for work and make ourselves ready for departure. Then we are off and head just a short drive out of Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsular where we head to the southernmost tip of the peninsular and Portsea for some lunch and a look around and afterwards call in at the very well-to-do town of Sorrento (Melbournites favourite holiday destination) before continuing back along the coast a bit to Rosebud and the foreshore camping area. The man at the campsite seems more than happy to see us and chats away for ages (and ages) before we tear ourselves away and set up in a great spot overlooking Port Philip bay. Head out for a short stroll along the narrow beach and look at the colourful beach huts before returning to the van and reacquainting ourselves with how everything works (didn’t take long).

Day 365

Day 365 and usually this would mean a year had passed but due to it being a leap year we have to wait until tomorrow so decide to pack up and leave Rosebud and head across the peninsular in search of wineries (and to start our anniversary celebrations). So we get Polly back into travel mode and take the scenic route up to Arthurs seat where we admire the views back along the peninsula and even get to have a sit in the famous seat (luckily Arthur wasn’t about).

Drop down the other side and continue on to Shoreham and another foreshore camp site but this one is completely deserted and we have to call the owners mobile to get a hidden key and let ourselves in! Find a nice little spot overlooking the beach again, set up for the night and jump straight on the bikes in search of wineries.

It does seem to be all uphill and what with the rib injury this makes for slow going and I try and egg Carmen on by telling her that at least it will be easy on the way home. Luckily it’s not too far and we find ourselves at Montalo vineyard and Olive grove and just in time as the weather has taken a bit of a turn and starts to rain. We take our time tasting and enjoy both the Pinot Noir (a speciality of the region) and the late picked Riesling desert wine and in between showers seize our chance to continue on just next door.

Tucks ridge is a small winery with an excellent selection and again as the rain comes down we savour each wine and have a good chat with the woman (Great museum release Pinot Noir).

Another short cycle ride away (uphill again) and we come to our third and final stop of the day at Red Hill estate. The man is refreshingly honest about the wines and again we enjoy the Pinot Noir and with fading light we get back on the bikes and free wheel all the way home (avoiding the rain this time).

Back at the campsite we call in to see Peter, the owner and after a chat about our travels he will not accept any money and lets us stay the night for free!

Day 366

After a night of wind and rain wake up to a sunny day and our 1 year anniversary! Neither of us can believe we have been travelling for a whole year and can recall with minute detail packing the van for the first time and pulling away from Bourke Street, crossing the Harbour Bridge and starting our short drive.

12 months mean it is time to have a KM’s update and with only a couple of weeks to go we are nearing our final tally.

We take our time packing up and as I am reversing out of our spot Polly rolls to a stop and sticks fast. I give it some revs but she won’t budge and so jump out only to find that the back wheels are spinning in the soft, wet mud and we are bogged!

Don't be a stick in the mud, get stuck in the mud!

Not for the first time on the trip I seem to remember saying “Bugger”.

We use some bits of wood under the wheels to try and get some traction but she just slips and slides and won’t move at all and the more we try the more she sticks fast.

Nothing else to do (and slightly red faced) we call the RACV and wait for their arrival which luckily doesn’t take too long and just as they arrive so doesPeter. Between them we are towed first out of the mud and then back onto the road (Happy anniversary!).

As we are leaving the campsite Peter tells us of a free camp at Maitland beach a couple of hours away (and assures us that the ground is hard there) and so we head along the coast, down a very good gravel road and arrive late in the afternoon.

As we pull into the campsite we are immediately greeted by a friendly fox who watches with interest as we set up and open a well-deserved (and much needed) bottle of wine.

Take a short stroll along the rocky beach and look in a few rock pools but it is cold and windy so return to the relative warmth of the van and settle in for the night.

Day 367

Our first priority this morning is fuel so we leave Maitland beach and head into the nearest town, Fish Creek. No petrol at Fish Creek and so thinking we may be calling the RAC out twice in two days we head off towards the next town (where we know there is petrol) Walkerville. We make it no problem (whew) and decide that we will fill up one of the emergency tanks after all (just to be on the safe side). A short drive away is Foster and as we are driving in we notice that the local rotary club were doing a sausage sizzle so we make our way over there and I end up having two free snags (always happy to support the locals) and after a brief stop in the tourist information we head down to Wilsons Promontory National Park and the town of Tidal River.

The campsite here has over 450 sites and so we were both expecting to be in caravanistan but as it turns out we were just about the only ones here and so pick a spot in acres of space and are greeted by a flock of Crimson rosellas as we are setting up.

It’s a nice afternoon and so we decide to go on a walk around the headland to squeaky beach, so called because the sand is made up of quartz and squeaks when you walk on it.

It’s a nice walk, first crossing over the Tidal River and then ascending up into the hills offering good views back to Norman beach. We then continue through the undergrowth and descend down to Squeaky beach where we decide to walk along the beach (squeaking as we went) to the giant boulders at the Northern end for an explore.

Once we (I) are done exploring it’s time to turn around and retrace our steps back to the deserted campsite, some dinner and bed.

Melbourne

Day 356

Up in the morning and the ribs are not really any better (Carmen’s not mine) and so we both enjoy a day of rest and relaxation pretty much in front of the tele helped along with a few more Endone tablets (again Carmen and not me) and enjoy a quiet night in with Tom and Kate.

Day 357

The ribs are feeling slightly easier today and so we head into the city for a gentle stroll around and stop off in one of the cool laneways near to Flinders Street station for a coffee and to watch the world go by for a bit. We are meeting Tom and Kate tonight and have all got tickets for the footy (Australian rules) and whilst we wait for Kate to finish work we find ourselves outside the James Squire brewhouse and so decide to nip in to pass some time (would be a shame not to).

Kate finishes work and we all head into China Town for a delicious dinner of dumplings at Shanghai dumplings in one of the little laneways in the city, they are delicious and we think about skipping the match and sitting there eating dumplings all night instead (well I did!).

We then jump on a tram up to Ethiad stadium, meet up with Tom and head in for the match. It’s a big game tonight, Carlton Vs St Kilda and Carmen, Tom and Kate are all Carlton fans (and therefore I am by association) and so we settle into our seats, complete with the obligatory pie and beer.

It’s a close match but Carlton fall behind in the final quarter and St Kilda pull away and so (along with most of the Carlton supporters) we leave before the final whistle and make our way back to the train and home our nice warm beds.

Day 358

Time to leave Tom and Kate’s house today and so we pack up and make the short drive from Oakleigh back to Mentone and Kimberley’s (Carmen’s cousin) flat.

Carmen’s ribs are still sore and so we spend the rest of the afternoon chatting and relaxing and after a delicious dinner decide to get an early night.

Day 359

Back into the city today and a stroll around Carlton and along Lygon Street, the ribs are feeling better but we still take it pretty easy. Stop at one of the many street cafes and enjoy a coffee whilst taking in the surroundings and walk back towards the city via the Melbourne museum and the Royal Exhibition building.

Back in the city we head to the Old Treasury Building and a rather dry and dull exhibition about the history of the building.

What I do think is good though is a visit downstairs to the old Gold depository and what looks (to me) like real gold bars beneath the floor.

Try as I might I can’t prize the floor up and so we have to leave empty handed and make our way back on the train to Mentone watching out for escaped rhino’s on skateboards along the way!

Day 360

Take the train into the city again and today we head for the Docklands area where we are just across the road form Ethiad stadium (where we watched the game the other night) and across the water from the Westgate Bridge (where we took our wrong turn on our way into Melbourne).

We come across a few interesting pieces of public art, a nice little installation by the Architecture department of Melbourne university and a few of the buildings have quite interesting façades but the whole area feels a bit dead and we are quite glad to leave.

Head back into the city to catch up with a former flatmate of ours, Cass in a cool city laneway bar for a few drinks. Cass lived with us in Redfern many moons ago and we spend the evening chatting, reliving old memories and telling her a few of our many travel tales.

Day 361

Pretty much a day of rest today, we make it down to the shops and back and head out in the evening to meet Tom and Kate for dumplings (more dumplings). The dumplings are delicious again and afterwards we return to Tom and Kate’s for a few drinks and get the bus home for an early night.

Day 362

Back into the city for the final time today and meet up with Kat (another former flatmate and observer of the rib incident last weekend) to have a look around Victoria markets.

The markets are huge and filled mainly with tat but we spend an enjoyable morning strolling around and afterwards retire to the ‘pony fish island’ bar on the footing of a bridge over the Yarra.

The bar is good but after a couple of pints we resist the temptation to follow the others out (the ribs are still hurting) and head home to Mentone instead for a quiet evening relaxing in front of the tele with Kimberley.

Devonport to Melbourne

Day 347

Our ferry back to the mainland is not until 7pm this evening so after a nice lie in we spend the day packing up the van and just as the sun is setting head down the road to the ferry terminal.

Wait in the queue of other vehicles waiting to board and after what seems like an age of creeping forwards finally make it on board and disappear below decks to park Polly up for her crossing.

Straight up to our ocean recliner seats and before long the lines have been cast off and with a loud ‘parp’ from the ships horn we are underway.

Wave our goodbyes to Devonport and Tassie and settle back in our seats to try and get some sleep, Carmen of course is out like a light but I am restless and after getting up for several laps of the ship I too manage to shut my eyes and drift off.

Day 348

Almost as soon as I have finally managed to get to sleep the lights all come on and there is an announcement telling us of our imminent arrival in Melbourne so we get up and head up on to the deck to watch the city slowly slide into view.

By 6am the ship has docked and we head back down to the lower levels of the ship to find Polly. She seems to have enjoyed the crossing and with an apparent spring in her step she starts first time and we snake our way through the bowels of the ship and re-join the road.

Tom is put on and guides us across Melbourne to our good friends from Sydney Tom and Kate’s house in Oakleigh. We feel a bit bad, arriving on their doorstep at 8am on a Saturday morning but we have pre-warned them of our early arrival and when they open the door they seem more than happy to see us and welcome us into their house.

After we have half bored them to death with tales of beautiful Tasmania we all head into Oakleigh and meet Toms dad for coffee in an area we have deemed ‘little Greece’. There is a huge Greek community in Oakleigh and every shop, café and take away seems to be filled with Greeks going about their business and is actually a bit of a culture shock to us after a month in Tasmania!  

Spend the afternoon back at the house dozing off in front of the tele and decide to retire for an early night when we can’t keep our eyes open any longer.

Day 349

Sunday and after a good lie in spend the day relaxing in front of the tele (it’s amazing how quickly we slipped back into it) watching the ‘footy’ (Australian rules) and generally not doing too much.

Tom and Kate cook us a lovely roast dinner in the evening and once again we retire for an early night to the comfort of a real bed in a real house.

Day 350                                       

Tom and Kate are up and off to work this morning and we decide to head into town for the first leg of our city tour. Jump on the bus and then a train right into the city and spend some time just wandering around taking it all in from the famous Federation square to the plethora of small laneways filled with coffee shops and cafes.

The centre of Melbourne is a great place to just walk around and after a few hours of strolling we cross the Yarra River, past the iconic arts centre and head into the National Gallery of Victoria to look at the international collection.

The gallery is well laid out and we happily spend a few hours looking around, ending up in the excellent shop.

Just outside the gallery and we jump on a tram to South Yarra where we have a stroll along Toorak Road and Chapel Street and have a browse through all of the cool shops.

Back at the station and as we will be doing a fair bit of travelling whilst we are here we decide to buy ourselves Miki cards (think Oyster card) which should make travelling around a bit easier (and a bit cheaper). I realise that I now have a wallet full of these travel cards covering all of the major cities in Australia (quite the traveller).

Day 351

Another day in the city today and so after a ride on a train and a bus we find ourselves outside Flinders Street station and decide to make the most of the warm and sunny weather and head off, over the Yarra again and towards the MCG.

Wander around the stadium and try to sneak in through an open door to get a look at the pitch but am caught by a security guard and quickly escorted back outside.

Another stroll around outside and our tour of Australian cricket grounds is complete. We walk back into the city and jump on the free circle line tram to do a lap (and have a sit down for a bit).

Back at Federation Square and we head into the second part of the National Gallery of Victoria to look at the Australian collection and again we find the building is logically laid out and easy to navigate around and spend the afternoon immersing ourselves in all things Australian.

Day 352

The usual bus and train rides this morning and we find ourselves wandering around in the suburbs of Fitzroy and Collingwood. Lots of cool cafés and some great vintage second hand shops and we happily spend the morning browsing our way through.

Next stop is Richmond and a place Carmen used to frequent years ago when she lived here and so we head back to her favourite restaurant (still open after all these years) and both order her usual, No.15 BBQ pork and wonton noodle soup which Carmen swears is as good as it ever was.

A stroll around Richmond in the afternoon after which we head back to Oakleigh for another delicious home cooked meal and our now daily fix of T.V.

Day 353

Another bright and sunny day and so we head to the coast at St Kilda. A lovely stroll along the pier gives you great views back to the city and a walk along the foreshore brings you out at Melbourne’s Luna Park which unfortunately is closed during the week.

Just behind Luna Park is Ackland Street and what have to be some of the best cake shops in Australia. We stroll along salivating and for once I am completely undecided on what to eat but after walking up and down several times I eventually settle on a vanilla slice (Carmen opts for a lemon tart) and we sit down with a couple of coffees to wash them down.

The cakes are devoured and I seriously consider going back for another but manage to control my temptation and instead we head back to the city on the tram and make our way back to our luxury accommodation.

Day 354

We have made plans to catch up with some old friends this afternoon and so spend the morning at home before heading back to Richmond in the afternoon. Our destination is the Bridge Hotel and so we get off the train at Richmond and start walking up the road. Half an hour later we are still walking and no sign of the pub yet so we decide to jump on a tram and complete the journey, which of course turns out to be 30 seconds down the road.

Finally arrive at the pub and settle down to wait for Tom, Kate, Kat, John and Vilka to arrive.

Everyone arrives and many drinks are drunk amid much laughter and catching up and we continue into the evening when we decide to head back to Vilka’s flat just up the road.

More drinks are drunk and all of a sudden Carmen is flying through the air and landing heavily on a table!

She has obviously done herself a mischief and it is decided that she needs to go to the hospital to be looked at (Ive been saying that for years).  After much waiting and eventually an x-ray it is revealed to be a fractured rib! As there is nothing that can really be done she is given a pain killing injection and sent home with a prescription for more painkillers.

Day 355

The morning after and feeling hungover I wake up wondering if it wasn’t all a bad dream…

Of course it wasn’t and Carmen is in a lot of pain and can hardly move at all today and so I am despatched down to the local shops to get the prescription. Endone is a narcotic analgesic and is pretty serious stuff but is just about the best painkiller you can get and as It’s only a short cycle ride  I am back in no time, the drugs are administered and it’s back to bed for the patient.

The day is spent taking painkillers and lying in bed resting (for Carmen) and sitting in front of the tele (for me) and we retire for an early night hoping that things will be a bit easier tomorrow.