Coming back from a weekend away in Daylesford, Spa Country in Victoria; we realised that the Australian travel stories were backlogged and the Oceania tab on the CultureStamps website was seriously neglected. So as 'resident tourists', we have a duty to our homeland to promote the best bits and scenic sights sought out on weekend getaways. And the New Year's holiday period of 2016 provided an excuse for a holiday - even though we had been in Melbourne for just 10 days. An opportunity arose when our friends Basti and Neelu came to visit and we headed west to the Barossa winery region and began our adoration for Adelaide. Setting the scene: Melbourne during the New Year's period is typically very hot, dry and the city centre is bustling with people seeking out prime real-estate for the fireworks and count-down. Tourists (although the bigger pyrotechnic displays in Sydney attract the majority) and locals head into the areas bordering the Yarra and public transport is packed with merry (drunk) folk. It is precisely for that reason that we decided to book a hotel room in the city instead of trying to squish our way home to the suburbs.
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| Grand Hotel - a former railway office building |
Booking a hotel room in your 'home' city provides you with the advantage of knowing where the most convenient tram stop is or where you won't get ripped off with touristy meals - problems faced whenever travelling in a new country. However, playing a 'resident tourist in Melbourne' is not cheap and therefore you tend to expect a lot from the hotel room that looks more bare than your own bedroom just 15km away in the suburbs.
We chose the Grand Hotel on Spencer Street, because it was stately in appearance and within stumbling distance from the bars in South Wharf where we expected to watch the New Year celebrations. The hotel is also heritage listed and the former headquarters of the Railway Authority, with the tall ceilings in our rooms hinting at the previous life as an office.
Conscious that many restaurants would have escalated prices for New Years, we visited David Jones Food Hall and bought our own bubbly, cured meat and cheese. Beef jerky (as a tribute to the good times from South Africa) was also part of the shopping bag, but due to a mix-up accidentally went out in the rubbish before anyone noticed.
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| Celebrating New Years Eve with entrees |
Welcome 2016
Over the past five years, we had been lucky to experience the bringing in of the new year in a variety of locations - London (2012), Brussels (2013), Madeira (2014) and Miami (2015). So adding Melbourne to the mix was more about the resolutions to be made and the friends that we were sharing the night with.
Scanning the available space in South Wharf, we settled on the pier opposite the World Trade Centre and watched the firework display light up the Melbourne skyline. From there, we walked to the Munich Brauhaus for the first beers of the new year.
Great Ocean Road
When entertaining visitors in Victoria, there are a number of must-do places to tick off the list. Ranked up there with watching penguins on Phillip Island; is a drive down the Great Ocean Road - one of the world's most scenic coastal drives.
Taking the drive on New Year's Day was strategic - in hope that most families would be already on the coast or day-trippers 'too hung over' for an early start. Driving via the in-land route also saved us time in reaching Port Campbell.
When we left Melbourne, the temperature was rising to a 30 degree day. When we reached the coast, it was cold, threatening rain and the Southern Ocean wind was enough to make our visitors doubt that they were visiting in Summer - and yes, we had forgotten to pack proper jackets.
Warrnambool
To break up the drive to South Australia, we stopped over at night in the township of Warrnambool. We stayed at the Quality Suites Deep Blue hotel that offered on-site hot springs and where we had visited in 2008.
Warrnambool was packed with families on their summer holiday. Not a lot was on in terms of entertainment around town and we may have just eaten at the hotel restaurant for dinner.
The next morning, we headed to Adelaide, diverting through the town of Port MacDonnell, the self-proclaimed "Australia's Southern Rock Lobster Capital". And that is what we bought at a fish shop. $100 worth of cooked lobster that was eaten in the carpark using hands and chasing away determined seagulls.
Taste the Barossa Wine Tour
No trip to South Australia would be complete with a wine tour. We made a booking with Taste the Barossa, and a shuttle bus picked us up promptly from the hotel (Crowne Plaza) before whisking us away to four wineries, including Peter Lehmann for a tasty Weighbridge platter, Langmeil winery and Chateau Yaldara.
Another included stop-off was the Whispering Wall - a 9 storey high concave structure part of Barossa Reservoir. The name comes from the fact that a whisper on one end can be clearly heard 140 metres away.
Adelaide - CBD
A short wander around the Adelaide city centre wrapped up our trip to South Australia. The iconic pig statues in Rundle St Mall were a bit of fun and perhaps a pointer to the fresh produce available in the state.
We have since fallen in love with South Australia's foodie experiences and have visited Adelaide on two further trips for more wine - once to McLaren Vale wineries and the other to Clare Valley - and likely many more trips to come.
Scanning the available space in South Wharf, we settled on the pier opposite the World Trade Centre and watched the firework display light up the Melbourne skyline. From there, we walked to the Munich Brauhaus for the first beers of the new year.
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| Hello from Docklands, Melbourne |
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| The view down the river near Crown Casino |
When entertaining visitors in Victoria, there are a number of must-do places to tick off the list. Ranked up there with watching penguins on Phillip Island; is a drive down the Great Ocean Road - one of the world's most scenic coastal drives.
Taking the drive on New Year's Day was strategic - in hope that most families would be already on the coast or day-trippers 'too hung over' for an early start. Driving via the in-land route also saved us time in reaching Port Campbell.
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| The scenic beauty of the Great Ocean Road |
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| Twelve Apostles - minus the ones that had disappeared due to erosion |
When we left Melbourne, the temperature was rising to a 30 degree day. When we reached the coast, it was cold, threatening rain and the Southern Ocean wind was enough to make our visitors doubt that they were visiting in Summer - and yes, we had forgotten to pack proper jackets.
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| Smile - we are freezing |
Warrnambool
To break up the drive to South Australia, we stopped over at night in the township of Warrnambool. We stayed at the Quality Suites Deep Blue hotel that offered on-site hot springs and where we had visited in 2008.
Warrnambool was packed with families on their summer holiday. Not a lot was on in terms of entertainment around town and we may have just eaten at the hotel restaurant for dinner.
 |
| View from our hotel room |
No trip to South Australia would be complete with a wine tour. We made a booking with Taste the Barossa, and a shuttle bus picked us up promptly from the hotel (Crowne Plaza) before whisking us away to four wineries, including Peter Lehmann for a tasty Weighbridge platter, Langmeil winery and Chateau Yaldara.
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| Chateau Yaldara |
The tour also included a trip to the Barossa Pioneer Memorial to see views of the vineyards.
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| Just whisper... |
A short wander around the Adelaide city centre wrapped up our trip to South Australia. The iconic pig statues in Rundle St Mall were a bit of fun and perhaps a pointer to the fresh produce available in the state.
We have since fallen in love with South Australia's foodie experiences and have visited Adelaide on two further trips for more wine - once to McLaren Vale wineries and the other to Clare Valley - and likely many more trips to come.
Next blog post:
More trips in Australia
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