Thursday, April 09, 2009
Tour time
Day 9
Now our second tour was Phillip Island Penguins with Andy. We were last on the bus so Lou got to sit at the front where she enjoyed chatting with Andy. Our first stop was the Moonlit Wildlife Park where we feed wallabies and a kangaroo. Feeding a wallaby is not like feeding a horse. Horses are indescriminant and if you don't lie your hand flat it may take your fingers. Wallabies are gentle, just lightly brushing your hand with their whiskers as they eat. Some of the Wallabies were quite timid but the first one I feed came up to me, bold as anything and dug in. The younger ones were less cautious than their parents. Next up was a sub standard winery. Nick made comments about "buying a bottle and using it to run your car" and "have a little taste, throw up then continue with the tour". We thought he was joking, after our first sip we realised he wasn't. On Phillip Island we saw Woolamai surf beach and the Nobbies (across the harbour). Of course the stars of the day were the Penguins. It is very organised. There are boardwalks, grand stands and flood lights for the hundreds of people who come to watch each night. After half an hour of anticipation we watched a few small groups come up the beach. Moving up to the boardwalks you couple watch them waddle up through the dunes to their burrows. We walked along beside a pair on our way back to the visitors center. It was nice to see Melbourne by night on the way home.
Day 8
Today was our first tour, the Yarra Valley wine tour with Nick (our guide). We stopped at four wineries; Yerring Station, lunch at Rochford Wines, Yerring Farm (boutique winery, cute) and Domaine Chandon (Moet and Chandon winery, one of four in the world). We had a nice group of people consisting of a Welsh and an Irish Woman, 3 Brits and an older American couple. We all were entertained by the American woman who seemed to want to film everything with her video camera and ask a constant stream of questions (many of which she would not have had to answer if she was listening to the guide). They were constantly complaining about how the could not take any duty free liquor home because of the border restrictions in the US. So pretty typical Americans. The Yarra Valley was one of the areas affected by the Victoria bush fires earlier this year. I was expecting to see burnt trees along the way but there were none. The people working in the wineries told us how the smoke was like pea soup and it is absorbed by the leaves of the grape vines and taints the fruit. Upon return we went for a drink with our tour mates at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow. While we were having a good old chat we were interrupted three times by comedians trying to get us to go to their shows. These were obviously not the sell out acts of the comedy festival.
Day 7
Mon's apartment is close to the Botanical Gardens so we headed up there to see the war memorial. The WWI memorial is very impressive with marble columns etc. The main area has a central stone set into the ground with the inscription 'Greater Love Hath No Man'. On 11am on 11 November (Armistice Day)there is a ceremony and a ray of light passes over the word 'Love'. Pretty moving. There is a smaller memorial for WWII with an eternal flame. After a nice lunch at Peko peko we trammed back to our hostel and did some washing!
Day 6
Today was a bit wet so we weren't sure whether or not to go to the Melbourne Garden and Flower Show as planned. In the end I persuaded Mon and Chelle to come with me as I hoped it would be similar to the fabulous Chelsea Flower show in London. It was pretty good but not as impressive as the exhibits were smaller and not so beautiful and extravagant. Joe didn't partake in the garden and flower appreciation and went shopping instead. He bought a nice pair of Tiger shoes. Our shopping philosophy so far has been to look for items that we couldn't get at home. We are finding the prices pretty expensive...I'd hoped for end of summer sales but no such luck. Mon and I cooked up a delicious roast lamb dinner in the evening which we and her flatmates enjoyed. It was nice to hang out in a home for the weekend and chat with her nice flatties.
Now our second tour was Phillip Island Penguins with Andy. We were last on the bus so Lou got to sit at the front where she enjoyed chatting with Andy. Our first stop was the Moonlit Wildlife Park where we feed wallabies and a kangaroo. Feeding a wallaby is not like feeding a horse. Horses are indescriminant and if you don't lie your hand flat it may take your fingers. Wallabies are gentle, just lightly brushing your hand with their whiskers as they eat. Some of the Wallabies were quite timid but the first one I feed came up to me, bold as anything and dug in. The younger ones were less cautious than their parents. Next up was a sub standard winery. Nick made comments about "buying a bottle and using it to run your car" and "have a little taste, throw up then continue with the tour". We thought he was joking, after our first sip we realised he wasn't. On Phillip Island we saw Woolamai surf beach and the Nobbies (across the harbour). Of course the stars of the day were the Penguins. It is very organised. There are boardwalks, grand stands and flood lights for the hundreds of people who come to watch each night. After half an hour of anticipation we watched a few small groups come up the beach. Moving up to the boardwalks you couple watch them waddle up through the dunes to their burrows. We walked along beside a pair on our way back to the visitors center. It was nice to see Melbourne by night on the way home.
Day 8
Today was our first tour, the Yarra Valley wine tour with Nick (our guide). We stopped at four wineries; Yerring Station, lunch at Rochford Wines, Yerring Farm (boutique winery, cute) and Domaine Chandon (Moet and Chandon winery, one of four in the world). We had a nice group of people consisting of a Welsh and an Irish Woman, 3 Brits and an older American couple. We all were entertained by the American woman who seemed to want to film everything with her video camera and ask a constant stream of questions (many of which she would not have had to answer if she was listening to the guide). They were constantly complaining about how the could not take any duty free liquor home because of the border restrictions in the US. So pretty typical Americans. The Yarra Valley was one of the areas affected by the Victoria bush fires earlier this year. I was expecting to see burnt trees along the way but there were none. The people working in the wineries told us how the smoke was like pea soup and it is absorbed by the leaves of the grape vines and taints the fruit. Upon return we went for a drink with our tour mates at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow. While we were having a good old chat we were interrupted three times by comedians trying to get us to go to their shows. These were obviously not the sell out acts of the comedy festival.
Day 7
Mon's apartment is close to the Botanical Gardens so we headed up there to see the war memorial. The WWI memorial is very impressive with marble columns etc. The main area has a central stone set into the ground with the inscription 'Greater Love Hath No Man'. On 11am on 11 November (Armistice Day)there is a ceremony and a ray of light passes over the word 'Love'. Pretty moving. There is a smaller memorial for WWII with an eternal flame. After a nice lunch at Peko peko we trammed back to our hostel and did some washing!
Day 6
Today was a bit wet so we weren't sure whether or not to go to the Melbourne Garden and Flower Show as planned. In the end I persuaded Mon and Chelle to come with me as I hoped it would be similar to the fabulous Chelsea Flower show in London. It was pretty good but not as impressive as the exhibits were smaller and not so beautiful and extravagant. Joe didn't partake in the garden and flower appreciation and went shopping instead. He bought a nice pair of Tiger shoes. Our shopping philosophy so far has been to look for items that we couldn't get at home. We are finding the prices pretty expensive...I'd hoped for end of summer sales but no such luck. Mon and I cooked up a delicious roast lamb dinner in the evening which we and her flatmates enjoyed. It was nice to hang out in a home for the weekend and chat with her nice flatties.
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