Breakfast at La Trobe Dining Room is included with our stay. Buffet breakfast selection was not extensive, but was very well done. Different types of eggs were presented in small pans.

After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and drove to the main entrance of the park. As we have returned our room keys, we could not enter through the back entrance anymore. Our family of 5 set off first as DSis was not ready yet.

Sovereign Hill, Ballarat

There was a queue at the entrance of the park waiting for it to open. A few minutes before it was due to open, a service staff appeared and directed those with tickets to the right and those without tickets to the left. We had tickets and so when the park opened. We were directed into the park immediately. We headed immediately to the Gold Mine Tour at the back of the park. We exchanged our vouchers for the first tour of the day which was Journey Through the Labyrinth of Gold. It is about the everyday dangers of 19th century gold mining, how Ballarat’s miners lived and worked as they blasted and dug out the rich gold-bearing layers of quartz rocks and the various technologies and methods which they used in their work. The tour also included a ride on the mine train. It was an enjoyable and informative tour. All 3 kids enjoyed it.

There are 3 tours altogether. The other 2 are The Secret Chambers, which is a ghostly story of the adventures and mishaps of 2 Chinese miners and Trapped, which is about being trapped during a mining accident. Incidentally, DSis and gang went for trapped and were really disappointed. DSis said that DBIL and DN was expecting more excitement like a theme back ride but what they got was loud sounds and light effects, ie another Sound and Light show! Hahaha.

As there was time before our Gold Time Tour started, we went back to the Photographic studio to book for photo session. We were told that they can only take us in around 3pm. We were surprised and asked how could that be since we were the first few into the park. We were told that they take reservations over the phone. This was not told to us by the reception at the hotel when we checked in or when we made our package booking. We wanted to leave the park by 3 pm so such a late session definitely would not work. So in the end, they agreed to slot in a session for us for just after our Gold Mine Tour. So my advise is to prebook if you want your photos taken. But we probably would not have done this if it was not a freebie included in our package.

After our photographic session, we went to do some gold panning at the creek. DD was dying to do it and her bros agreed to humour her. The three of them with the assistance of one of the staff members searched really had for their gold. I think they found a speck! Hahaha

We wondered around the park, explored the shops and watched some performances. The whole place was well themed with actors and actresses acting as if they were of the mining era and going about their daily lives.

There was an enactment of an auction which was used to tell the story of how women had little say in their lives and could be sold by their husbands. There was also a gun salute display by actors acting as the cops of yesteryears.

As the weather was extremely hot that day, we went into New York Bakery for a sit down lunch to get away from the heat. I normally hav every little appetite when the weather is hot. So i went for the Miner’s Hot Flask which is their daily soup which happened to be a tomato’s based vegetable soup that day (A$14.50). The rest had 2 fish and chips (A$24.90), a grilled chicken (A$24.90) and a Colonial Pot Pie (A$24.90). All these we washed down with a glass of beer for DH (A$5/70) and a jug of coke (A$14) for us.

We wondered a little more after lunch, watch the gun salute display and decided to leave because the heat was getting unbearable.

After leaving the park, we went to the Gold Museum opposite since entry was included in our tickets. But nothing in the small museum interest us, so we decided to head for our hotel in Collin street in the city.

Treasury on Collins, Melbourne

It was a long drive into Melbourne City and traffic was very bad along the way. Our first encounter with a traffic jam on this trip. The trip which was suppose to take about 1.5hrs took about 2hrs instead.

Treasury on Collins is located in a heritage building within the heart of Melbourne’s City Centre. This apartment hotel does not have its own parking, but can arrange parking at Flinders Street carpark for a fee. At the entrance of the hotel, there is a few parking lots for temporary parking. DH dropped me and the 3 kids and our bags and waited for me while I picked up the parking code from the hotel. The car park was about 5 mins walk away. Then he went to park the car while I handled the check in.

A few days prior to arrival, I had received an email from the hotel asking if we wanted to upgrade to a King 2 Bedroom Apartment for an additional A$50 per day. We had booked the Queen 2 Bedroom. We didn’t think it was necessary and furthermore I was telling DH that perhaps they are overbooked in the Queen and will have to give us the King anyway. As it is my suspicion was right and they upgraded us to King 2 Bedroom Apartment for free! DSis was not so lucky and she had the Queen. We paid A$466 per night for a 2 BR apartment and an additional A$28 per day for the parking. This room rate included free daily breakfast and snacks and non-alcoholic drink at the mezzanine floor throughout the day.

Our apartment was spacious and beautiful. There were 2 bathrooms, one with a bath and the other with a shower. The provided Molton Brown toiletries which was sheer luxury! There was also a washer and dryer in the apartment. Our extra rollaway bed was set up in the living room. The kitchenette was functional and we could have done some simple cooking if we wanted. DSis’s Apartment was smaller in size, but had basically the same amenities as ours.

The location of Treasury on Collins is very convenient. It is within walking distance to the restaurants at along Hardware Lane and also within walking distance to shops. But we did not go out for dinner with DSis and family that night. Instead we met up with a friend who had migrated to Melbourne and had dinner at his home with his family.

Oh, and WiFi here was great! The best we had on this trip!

Next up: Day 14- Melbourne

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self Drive, 2017 – Day 13 (Sovereign Hill) appeared first on Mums Travels.

Day 15 (28 Dec 2017) : Melbourne

This is our last day in Melbourne before we fly back tomorrow. We start our morning with a complimentary breakfast at Treasury on Collins. They served simple continental breakfast which pretty decent considering that it was complimentary. Our favourite is the self service make-your-own pancake. It was fun watching the machine make your pancake!

Shopping @ Queen Victoria Market

After breakfast, we took the free tram to the Queen Victoria Market. I had heard so much about this market and was really looking forward to doing some souvenir shopping.

The market had different sections for food, meat, fruits and souvenirs. We headed first to the souvenirs section. The souvenirs were relatively cheap and so DS2 picked up some stuff for his friends. We also bought some retro posters that were printed on metal plates. DD bought a T-shirt. The stuff were ok but really not very extensive or exceptional. it was just like a cheap goods market. I was somewhat disappointed. I was hoping to find local handicrafts. There were only one or two stalls with that. Salamanca Market in Hobart beats this hands down.

We did not linger long. Before we left, we bought some cherries to bring home. I paid A$35 for 2kgs which I thought was reasonable as these were pretty big.

Lunch @ Cafe Segovia, Block Arcade, Melbourne

We got off at the tram stop right in front of the Block Arcade. We looked around the shops along the street and went in in search of a place for lunch. There were many small cafes around and we ended up at Cafe Segovia. Only my parents were with us as DSis had split up with us at QVM.

We weren’t very hungry and so decided to order some food to share. Among us we had the Chorizo Linguini, Seafood Linguini, mussels and the Korean Fried Chicken. We liked the fried chicken so much that we ordered a second serving. The fried chicken came with a sweet chili sauce and was yummy. We were all missing chili by now.

Together with our drinks of ice coffee, ice chocolate, ice latte, a cocktail, 2 coke and a juice, the total cane came up to A$146.

Shopping @ Block Arcade & Meyers

After lunch we did more shopping around Block Arcade and Myers.

Block Arcade is an interesting Arcade with interesting little shops. We bought some artisan chocolates there.

Then we went over to Myers where the men and boys bought some Calvin Klein T-shirts which were on sale.

DMum and DDad were quite tired after this and decided to go back to the hotel to rest. The 5 of us drop our stuff back at the hotel and took the tram to the Docklands. DSis and family had already went ahead of us.

Afternoon of 3D Fun @ ArtVo, Docklands

At the Docklands, we headed to ArtVo, the 3D art gallery. This is a really good 3D art gallery. The larger than life murals creates the illusion that you have come face to face with wild animals, scale rocky crevasses and surf the ultimate pipelines.

The gallery is split into many different zones, eg underwater, jungle, Egyptian, famous sights (eg Sydney Opera House, Taj Mahal, Venice etc) and much more.

We spend several hours here taking many many fun photos. We have been to many of such galleries and find that this one is really good. There are many unique murals here which were very realistic compared to some others.

It can get quite crowded so patience is needed. Definitely well worth a visit for families. Posing for those photos was fun. We left around 5plus and there was little time to shop as the shops around there close at 6pm. The boys only had time to pick up some discounted PlayStation games. We then took the tram back to the hotel to meet our parents.

Dinner @ Grill Steak Seafood

That evening we headed to Grill Steak Seafood, at Hardware Lane, which was just a short walk from our hotel, for dinner. Our family of 5 decided to share some oysters and 2 platters. We had half a dozen of the Oyster Kilpatrick (A$18), another half dozen of raw oysters (A$15), the Surf & Turf platter for 2 (A$99.50) and the Mixed Grill Platter for 2 (A$99).

The mixed grill platter came with a Potterhouse steak, pork ribs, lamb cutlets, chicken, chorizo, chips and mixed salad. The Surf & Turf platter came with King prawns, barramundi fillet, Sicilian style mussels, calamari, porterhouse steak, lamb cutlets, marinated chicken, chips and mixed salad. Both platters were huge and could definitely feed more than 2 persons each. My sis and parents all didn’t think we could finish the platters, but the hungry meat monsters among us proved them wrong and cleared out those plates easily. It was a very enjoyable meal and was a great finale for our 15 days trip.

The next day, we had a lazy start before heading to the airport to catch our mid day flight home, ending our 15 days Tasmania & Melbourne road trip!

Overall, it was an enjoyable and pleasant trip with lots of quality family time. But frankly, the scenery while nice did not “wow” us. The 5 of us agreed that in terms of scenery, South Island NZ was more impressive compared to Tasmania. I know I may be receiving daggers for saying this, but that’s our honest opinion. But it was still a nice trip and we definitely enjoyed Port Arthur, the Penguin tour and the minor activities, eg Tasmazia, Jetboating. And the Tasmanian Devils were cute!

Next up: Siem Reap Photographic Journey, 2018

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self Drive, 2017 – Day 14 (Melbourne) (Last Day) appeared first on Mums Travels.

Bay of Fires @ Binalong Bay

We stayed only one night at Bicheno by the Bay. After check out this morning, we headed towards Binalong Bay. The drive from Bicheno to Bay of Fires in Binalong Bay was about 1hr 40mins.

Famous for its crystal-clear waters, white sandy beaches and orange lichen-covered granite boulders, the Bay of Fires is one of Tasmania’s most popular conservation reserves. The area contains rocky gullies, with many small secluded beaches and inlets to explore. Binalong Bay is the area’s main beach – a beautiful stretch of white sand and clear water for swimming, snorkelling, surfing or simply relaxing. We were not there to snorkel or surf, just for photos and to appreciate the beauty of the area. The colour of the sea was amazing!

The GPS is not exactly accurate for this site and depending on whether you input Bay of Fires or Bay of Fires Conservation Area, may lead you to different points along the coast. At one stage we ended at a dead end with nothing in sight. If you input the Gardens, there is an option to take you to the middle of the road. All these are not exactly ideal. So here is what I can advise:

The southern section of The Bay of Fires is in the Conservation Area, situated along a 13 km stretch of coast between Binalong Bay and The Gardens. Access to the southern section of the Bay of Fires is via the Binalong Bay Road (C850 ) out of St Helen’s. Take the turnoff on the left into the C848 at the sign – “The Gardens – 13Kms” This is a sealed road. The road terminates at private land at “The Gardens”.

DSis’s car and ours ended in different places and we actually could see each other across the bay on different outcrops…hahaha. In the end we realized that we were at different ends and could walk to each other between the 2 points. It was an easy walk.

We spend some time hanging around the various rocks and gullies, basically fooling around.

Lunch @ Mohr & Smith, St Helens

It was about lunch time and we decided to go to St Helens. I consulted my “G” secretary and found several places. We decided on Mohr & Smith and called to check if they had a table for 10 before we headed there.

Mohr & Smith is a contemporary restaurant and setting was simple and beautiful. It was relatively quiet when we arrived.

The menu was interesting with an Asian fusion twist. I specially enjoyed with Japanese pancake with roasted pork belly that I had. I was almost missing Asian food by this time of the trip and the roasted pork belly (A$20) was excellent. It was crispy and juicy. Almost like how we do Chinese roast pork belly. DH, DS1 & 2 and DD are boring and all went for the beef burger (A$16). But they were all praises for their burgers too.

For drinks, DH & I had an ice coffee (A$7) each, DD had a caramel milkshake (A$6) and the 2 boys had a coke (A$3) each. The straws which came with the cokes were made of steel! And DD’s milkshake came in a huge metal container. Really cool! Our ice coffee was the most ordinary :(.

Overall a good meal in a very pleasant setting. But when I try to check it’s website to try to provide a link when I am writing this post, it seems that the restaurant has closed….what a pity!

Brief shopping stop @ Tasmania Honey Company

The drive from St Helens to Sheffield where we will be spending the night is about 3hours. We cannot find anything interesting to look see along the way. So we decided to do a shopping stop at the Tasmanian Honey Company in Perth which is 2 hours from St Helens and 1 hour from Sheffield. We were hoping to make this a toilet break as well, but unfortunately found out that the shop did not have a toilet for us to use. Instead we were directed to a gas station nearby.

The shop was not big, but had an interesting array of different flavoured honey. We especially like their Manuka honey drops which Dmum, and DSis and I, all bought. If you want to buy honey, this is a good place to buy it if you are nearby. We found these honey sold at Launceston airport when we were leaving flying to Melbourne and found that it was at least double the price of what we paid here.

Our 2-Bedroom Apartment @ Sheffield Motor Inn

We finally arrived at Sheffield Motor Inn. We had booked a 2 BR apartment (A$225) for my family, a double room (A$125) for my parents and a triple room (A$140) for DSis’s family. All came with kitchenette.

What I like about our apartment was that they had proper beds for 5 and 2 bathrooms! The 2 bathrooms were much welcomed after having to share 1.5 bathroom among the 10 of us the night before at Bicheno by the Bay. As for the bedding configuration, one bedroom had 2 single beds and the other had a queen and a single bed. Like most motels, they provided milk. We had 4 small packets.

There was a coin service laundry available so we used that too that evening. Wash was A$3/A$4 (sorry, can’t remember the exact amount now) per load. Dryer was A$1 for 15 mins.

Wifi here was very unstable, so don’t depend on it.

Overall a decent basic motel that has all that you want (except WiFi) at a reasonable price.

Dinner @ Basilico, Sheffield

We decided to have dinner at Basilico as it was only next to Sheffield Motor Inn. Basilico was a casual Italian restaurant that just opened a few months ago, but the few reviews I saw on TripAdvisor were positive. When I called to make my reservations, they said that for groups of 8 and more, they offer a set meal at A$25 per pax. As we were 8 adults and 2 kids (since DD and DN are both under 12) they said that they will only charge for the 8 adults and the 2 girls can share our meal. Their sets were done family style, ie we share some pizzas and pastas. We thought it was very reasonable and so accepted their suggestion. We left it to them to decide what to prepare for us as we had no dietary restrictions.

We were served the following:

1. Tomato and basil pasta

2. Beef cheek pasta (ragu)

3. Rocket and apple salad

4. Margarita pizza

5. Salami pizza

6. Rocket & parma ham pizza

After our meal, they asked if we were game for another pizza and we definitely were! So they served us a dessert pizza – Nutella Pizza. It was so good. We all loved it!

For A$200 (excluding drinks) for 10 of us, it was very reasonable. Most importantly, food was good! I’d highly recommend eating here. It’s really value for money!

Next up : Day 8 – Cradle Mountain

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self Drive, 2017: Day 7 (Bicheno- Binalong Bay – Sheffield) appeared first on Mums Travels.

Eaglehawk Neck

This morning we checked out after breakfast. On the way out of Port Arthur, we went by Eaglehawk Neck and stopped by Dog Line for a photostop. Eaglehawk Neck is a narrow strip on the Tasman Peninsula. This narrow strip is the only way out of Port Arthur and so when Port Arthur was still a convict settlement, a line of ferocious dogs were lined along this narrow strip to prevent escapes. Today, a statue of a dog marks this place.

After this we went to check out the Tesselated Pavement, another must see sight on the Tasman Peninsula. Unfortunately, the tide has come in and the tessellated pavement was not as clearly visible as when it would have been at low tide. Nonetheless, we could still see through the water the wonderful work of Mother Nature in creating the tessellation on this beach.

Our last stop before we finally bid farewell to this area was a pit stop at the Tasman National Park Lookout for a view of Pirate’s Bay. Somehow, I did not think the view was great. It definitely did not take my breadth away. Disappointed.

Lunch @ Colonial Tea House & Gift Shop

It was a long drive to Bicheno. We had planned a few stops along the way. Our lunch stop was Colonial Tea House & Gift Shop in Triabunna which was about 1 1/2 hours from Port Arthur Villas and 1 hour from our next stop, Freycinet Marine Farm. It has good reviews on the internet so we decided to have our lunch there.

The cafe was really pretty with lots of colonial times ornaments decorating the shop. There was even an organ and the elderly lady serving us decided to play some music for us. It was lovely! We arrived around 12 noon and they were able to accommodate us at a room with a huge table for 10.

DS2 needed to use the toilet and when he opened the toilet door, he gave an exclamation! We all went over to see what happened, and were all dumbfounded to find a beautiful bathroom complete with a bathtub!

DH and DS2 both decided to have a small lasagna each (A$14.95) They liked it. But I thought the portion was too small for them, but they said it was ok. DD and I had a Shepherd’s Pie (A$18.95) each and it was delicious! The lamb was so tender and was not gamey at all! DS1 decided to have the special of the day which was curried scallops and rice (A$25). He said it was lovely too. Good for someone who miss rice!

For drinks, we had a flat white (A$4.80), 2 soft drinks (A$4), an earl grey (A$4) and an ice coffee (A$6.50).

Overall, we had a good meal in a pleasant environment. I definitely do recommend stopping by here for a meal if you are traveling this way.

Photo-stop @ Spiky Bridge

After lunch, on the way to Freycinet Marine Farm, we made a slight detour to the Spiky Bridge in Swansea.

This bridge was built by convicts in 1843 from field stones laid without mortar or cement and the parapet features field stones laid vertically, giving the bridge a spiky appearance. Up till today, no one knows the reason why it has been built this way. It was an interesting bridge that pops out of the landscape and was worth a brief 5 min photo stop if you are heading this way. Never seen anything like it.

Freycinet Marine Farm

Our purpose of visiting this farm was for the oysters. Freycinet Marine Farm is an oyster farm which also operates a restaurant selling its own produce and fresh local seafood from local suppliers and farms. We had booked a oyster farm tour which comes with free tasting of half a dozen oysters and half a dozen of mussels per pax. The tour cost A$55 per person. The GPS took us to the restaurant. We had paid a deposit so we just made the balance payment at the restaurant and they then directed us to the farm.

It was a further 5mins drive to the farm where we were greeted warmly on arrival. We were given an introduction to the farm and explained how oyster farming is done. We were pretty disappointed with the tour. It was basically just one guy giving a 10 min speech and showing some samples.

After the 10min “show and tell” we had our oyster and mussels tasting. There were definitely more than half a dozen of oysters and mussels for each of us. We had requested for some cooked oysters before hand , so they actually made some oysters poached in ginger and soy for us. Normally they only served raw oysters. The mussels were steamed in lemon. The oysters and mussels were delicious!

We were still not satisfied after this tasting, so we went back to the restaurant for more. The restaurant kitchen closes at 4.30pm. We were there around 4pm and some of the stuff were already sold out. We had wanted a whole baked lobster (A$88), but the guy in front of us bargained with the counter to sell him half at A$44. So in the end when it came to our turn, there was only half left. We added A$10 for a sea urchin and butter sauce for our lobster and it was delicious. We also had a serving of sea urchin (A$15) and a serving of scallops (A$15).

Other items on the menu were :

• Dozen/Half Dozen raw oyster A$22/12
• Dozen/Half Dozen Oyster Klipatrick A$25/15
• Dozen/Half Dozen oysters Poached in ginger and soy $24/14
• Smoked salmon & Brie A$25
• Smoked Salmon A$15
• Mussels steamed in lemon A$20 per bowl
• Mussels In tomato chili sauce A$24 per bowl

Looking at the menu, the farm tour may not be necessary, and we may have better off just eating at the restaurant. For A$55 per pax, we could each have eaten a dozen each of oysters and mussels which would have been much more satisfying.

We noticed that there were a lot of China tourists at the restaurant. They were brought there in coaches. We understand from the guy doing the tour for us that they are very popular with the China tourists and so they are extremely busy during China national holidays. So do take note. We were lucky that when we got to the restaurant, the tour buses were about to leave. Otherwise, we may not have been able to get ourselves a table.

Full and satisfied, we made our way to Bicheno.

Bicheno Blowhole

Just 2 mins before we reach our accommodations at Bicheno by the Bay is the Bicheno Blowhole. We spent awhile here fooling around the rocks and taking photos. Bicheno Blowhole was definitely must better than the Blowhole in Port Arthur. This one was bigger (at least compared to what we saw at the Blowhole in Port Arthur) and sprouts very regularly when we were there.

Four Bedroom Villa @ Bicheno by the Bay

We had booked a 4-bedroom villa which could accommodate all 10 of us at Bicheno by the Bay. Besides the living and dining room and kitchen, there are 2 bedrooms and a bathroom cum toilet on the ground floor. One bedroom had a double bed and the other had a bunk bed for 3, a double on the lower deck and a single on the upper deck. The villa’s sole bathroom is on the ground floor. The shower is together with the toilet, and washing machine.

The upper floor has 2 more bedrooms and a toilet. One bedroom had 3 single beds and the other had a double and a single bed. But the single in this bedroom was not made up as we had only booked for 10pax. Each of the bedroom on the upper floor had a sink and vanity. Thus even though there is only one shower on the ground floor it was not that bad. In the morning, our family of 5 who took the upper floor could wash up in our bedrooms and use the toilet on the upper floor. While my parents and sister’s family used the ground floor bathroom. It was only when we wanted to shower at night that it was a little more inconvenient. But for one night stay, it was ok.

We used the washing machine here. Although they did not provide a dryer, there was a clothes line outside the villa and they provided pegs. So we just hung up our laundry.

The villa was not air-conditioned, but it was ok as weather was cool and really air conditioning was not needed. We paid A$520 for one night stay in this villa.

Just a point to note if you decide to stay here – they do not provide shampoo, only soap. We were ok because I had expected that it may happen with some motels, so I had brought some shampoo and shower foam. As it turns out, all our accommodations provided shower foam, bar soap and shampoo and even conditioner. But of course some were of not very good quality and we were glad we had brought some travel size packs of our own. Bicheno is the only one that only provided bar soap.

Dinner @ Pasini’s

We had made a reservations for dinner at 7pm at Pasini’s as it is right next to the Bicheno Penguin Tour’s office where we were suppose to gather for our penguin tour that night. It is also just 3mins drive from where we were staying. The restaurant is very busy as many people eat here before they go on their Penguin tour. So it is advisable to make prior reservations especially for big groups.

We arrived at 7pm and were seated immediately. This is an Italian restaurant which gets good reviews. My family and my parents decided to share some appetizers and mains as we were all not too hungry after all the seafood that afternoon. For appetizers, we had the cold cut platter (A$25) and calamari (A$18), DD and DS1 shared an additional seafood chowder (A$15).

For mains, we shared a large pizza (A$26) and 2 pasta, a penne carbonara (A$24) and a seafood fettuccini (A$29). For drinks, we had 4 cokes (A$5), a beer (A$10) and an earl grey ($6)

After dinner, DD had a brownie (A$5) and Ddad and I each have a rocky road (A$5). I love my rocky road. It was basically marshmallows and nuts coated with chocolate. So sinful but so good!

Total bill for the 7 of us was A$189. Food was pretty good but service is a little slow as they are very busy. Those attending the Penguin tour are advised to inform them so that they can get you out on time for your tour. Definitely make a reservation if you want to eat here before your tour.

Bicheno Penguin Tour

Doing this tour is the reason why we made a stop at Bicheno. The penguins here are the little blue penguins or fairy penguins. They are the smallest species of penguins in the world and grow to an average height of 33cm only, the length of a ruler.

Online bookings can only be done max 7 days in advance. Any earlier, and you will need to call them on the phone and pay in advance. As there are 10 of us, we decided to play it safe, so I called them much earlier to book the tour. When I called, the first tour of the night at 9pm was already full, so I booked us on the 9.10pm tour. It cost A$35 for adults and A$15 for children.

No photography is allowed on this tour. But they will provide digital copies of photos of the penguins to all participants. So my photos below are courtesy of Bicheno Penguin Tour.

The penguins were really cute and we could see them arriving from the sea and moving towards the beach and coming up to their nests where their partners and young ones were waiting. There were no physical barriers between us and the penguins and a few came right up to us. We all had to stand very still so as not to scare or hurt them.

Seeing the penguins here was very different from seeing them on Philip Island (from what I remember of my visit more than 20 years ago). Although there were fewer penguins here, the experience was much more personal. There were also fewer visitors here and we could go right up to their nest to see them. Comparing all the penguin tours that we have done over the years so far in Australia (Philip Island and this) and NZ (Dunedin), we rate this as the best!

This is definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Thoroughly enjoyed by all young and old. Highly recommended for everyone visiting Tasmania!

Next up: Day 7 – Bicheno – Binalong Bay – Sheffield

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self Drive, 2017: Day 6 (Port Arthur – Bicheno) appeared first on Mums Travels.

Breakfast @ Simon’s Waterfront, Warrnambool

This morning, we had made reservations for breakfast at Simon’s Waterfront, just 5 mins drive from Deep Blue Hotel & Hot Springs. As its name suggest, Simon’s Waterfront is a waterfront restaurant located by the beach and serves breakfast and lunch everyday and dinner on some days of the week only.

We were the first guests that morning and the restaurant has a casual and contemporary chic deco. Its large expanse of floor to ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of the ocean.

The breakfast menu was varied and was a wonderful treat after all the simple homemade breakfasts we had so far. DD decided to have a breakfast pizza (A$17), while DH, DS2 and I had the Egg Benedict (A$17). I like poach eggs and it is difficult to make at home. So whenever I have breakfast at a restaurant, I go for poach eggs. DS1 had a Southern Ocean (A$21.50) which is poach eggs with smoked Salmon as opposed to ham that comes with our Egg Benedict. For drinks, we had 2 orange juice (A$4.50), mocha (A$5), earl grey (A$5.50) and Flat White (A$5).

It was a very enjoyable breakfast. Food was good and the environment was great. Definitely beats eating buffet breakfast in the hotel (although the hotel buffet would have been cheaper)

Bay of Islands, Great Ocean Road

After breakfast, we drove southwards. Today, the plan is to go down the Great Ocean Road and stop sightsee along the way to The Twelve Apostles at Port Campbell National Park, before heading to Ballarat where we will be spending the night.

As it was early and those traveling from Melbourne city doing day tours still have a while before arriving, we arrived at a relatively quiet Bay of Islands. Walking along the board walk to the viewing platform was hassle free and there so no crowd to jostle with us. We were thus able to quietly take in the almost haunting landscape created by the rock stacks that tower from the ocean.

A few minutes after we drove off from the car park of Bay of Islands, we saw a sign pointing to a stop for Bay of Martyrs. We did not plan to visit it originally and had wanted to go directly to the Grotto. But since we saw the sign, we decided to stop and check it out. But really there was not much to see. Nothing special at this site. So we did not linger and headed off as planned for the Grotto.

The Grotto, Great Ocean Road

The Grotto is down the path a few minutes from its car park. There is a short flight of stairs down to the viewing platform below. It is not a difficult climb down. There are railings and it is not steep. It is definitely not to be missed. The view that greeted us when we reached the viewing platform was amazing. Wow! Was my reaction when I got there. It was really beautiful view of the sea beyond the cave.

We did not see any large tour buses here. It was just as well as the viewing platform was small and it would have been horrendous if there were big tour groups. DH and I had been on a day tour of Great Ocean Road from Melbourne some 23 years ago, but the tour never got us so far north.

London Bridge, Great Ocean Road

Moving further South, we come to London Bridge. This is a natural arch that originally formed a natural double span bridge but the section closer to the shore collapsed in 1990. So now, this is also called London Arch.

The Arch, Great Ocean Road

Next we came to the Arch. It is a perfectly formed Arch by the coast with strong waves crashing against it.

Port Campbell National Park (Loch Ard Gorge)

We then drove pass the town of Port Campbell, entered Port Campbell National Park and headed towards Loch Ard Gorge. The carpark at Loch Ard Gorge was very full and we had to wait for a few minutes for someone to leave to take their parking lot. There were also tour buses around. It was definitely more crowded than the sights that we visited earlier that morning.

Standing on top of the cliff looking out at the first viewing platform of Loch Ard Gorge after we walk up from the car park, brought us to Tom and Eva Lookout. Here we were greeted by sheer cliffs towering over a narrow opening out to sea. There were constant rough waves were crashing against the rocks.

Moving further on to a second lookout brought us to the Razorback. This narrow and long limestone stack that stands in the cove is also constantly being subjected to the force of the waves of the Southern Ocean. You can see clearly the layers and patterns of the rocks on the stack. Amazing!

It was time for lunch and after consulting our “G” secretary, we decided to back track to Port Campbell town for lunch as it seems to have more choices.

Lunch @ Grassroots Deli Cafe, Port Campbell

We decided to check out Grassroots Deli Cafe after consulting TripAdvisor. When we arrived at Grassroots Deli Cafe, it was close to 1pm. We managed to get a table for 5 of us. DSis and gang in the other car was still on their way as DBIL was taking his time with the photos. We were told that the wait for food was about 45mins and that as it was Boxing Day, there is a 10% Holiday Surcharge on the total bill. We figured it’s going to be the same everywhere around town, so we decided to accept the wait and surcharge and eat there. It was a really hot day so staying out of the midday sun was much welcomed.

We were served our drinks while we waited for our food. The 3 guys had ice peach tea (A$5), DD had an ice chocolate (A$6) and I went for a beetroot and carrot juice (A$7). Teh cold drinks were much welcomed after a morning in the sun. I actually ordered a second drink, an ice-coffee (A$6) again after my meal!

After the 45mins wait (yes, it did take that long), our food finally arrived. The weather was so hot that I did not have much appetite, so I had just ordered the daily soup with sourdough bread (A$10). It was actually a curry flavoured cream soup which i thought was pretty good. DD was also still full from her heavy breakfast pizza and so decide to just have the calamari (A$18). She liked it a lot. DS1 and 2 decided on the boring burgers (A$18). DH had the chicken salad (A$18). He said the chicken was marinated in spice, Indian style. He did not really like it.

Overall the meal was ok. I’m the food was somewhat Asian (Indian) fusion style. So it may not really be for everyone. Btw DSis and gang arrived some 20mins after us and their wait was still 45mins too. The wait did not get shorter after the lunch crowd dwindled. I guess it was holiday season so they may not have been fully staffed.

Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell National Park

After lunch, we headed off to the famous Twelve Apostles. We were greeted by a long line of vehicles as we approach this famous sight and cars were already parked along the road starting almost five hundred meters from the visitors center car park. It was busy busy busy. We took our chances and went forward instead and got a space some two hundred meters from the visitors center carpark. This is really a world of difference from what I remember of our visit some 23 year back. There was no visitor center then and just a few coach parked along the road near the viewing platform. Now there are tons of visitors and there is a proper visitor centre and a well build board way going out far to the edge of the cliff and with viewing platforms from several vintage point. It was really very very crowded. Many tour buses bringing crowds of tourists and all jostling for a photo of this famous landscape.

I can’t find the 12 stacks. I recall previously we could count around 10 or 11. Now maybe around 8 only. The sea is constantly changing the landscape and makes one wonder if 50 years down the road, the Twelve Apostles at Great Ocean Road will only be something one reads about in a geography textbook and will not be able to see anymore.

DS2 hates it here. There were just too many people and it was really very unpleasant and we cannot really take time to appreciate the landscape in front of us.

Gibson Steps, Port Campbell National Park

From the viewing platform furthest out at the Twelve Apostles, one can see the Gibson Steps on the opposite side. But to go down to the lush beach, one needs to leave the Twelve Apostles visitor center and drive a few minutes down to another carpark.

Over time, the string force of the waves from the ocean have sculpted and honed the steps into a spectacular natural wonder, completed by the two jutting rock stacks that languish in the ocean nearby. These are known as Gog and Magog, and can be seen from the viewing platform at the top of the steps.

Beach access at Gibson Steps is via an 86 step staircase down the cliff face. It was very windy when we arrived and so only DH went down to the beach.

This was our last stop before we headed off to Ballarat. If you arrive Port Campbell National Park from the south and move northwards like most day tours from Melbourne, this should be your first stop.

Sovereign Hill Hotel, Ballarat

We were staying a night at the Sovereign Hill Hotel and Ballarat as DSis had suggested that we watch the Sovereign Hill Sound and Light Show, Blood of the Southern Cross. We had booked a package which included a one night stay at Sovereign Hill Hotel, tickets to the Sound and Light Show, entry to Sovereign Hill with inclusion of the Gold Mine Tour, dinner and breakfast and a complimentary period photo at Sovereign Hill. The package for 4 adults and 1 child was A$897. We took 2 packages. Normally each package should be for 2 adults and 2 kids. I had called Sovereign Hill directly and arranged the package for 4 adults and 1 child. It was a good deal considering all the inclusion. So don’t just book what is available on its website. A phone call and explaining your situation and requirement could make a difference.

When I made the booking, I was told that they will give me a room which comes with a separate attached room which will have bed that can accommodate all 5 of us. When we went into our room, we discovered that each of our room could accommodate up to 10 people! There is a queen bed and bunk bed in the main room, and in the attached room, there were another 3 bunk beds! Wow! We were assigned the wheel chair accessible room so the bathroom was pretty bare to accommodate wheel chair. I don’t like such rooms as it is impossible to keep the bathroom dry. But for one night, we made do. DSis had the room with the normal bathroom.

The compound of the Sovereign Hill Hotel is next to the park and has a side gate which can open to the park. Assess to the side gate is with the room key. That evening, we used the side guide to assess the park after closing to get to the Sound and Light Show. We have an included dinner with the show within the park.

Dinner @ New York Bakery, Sovereign Hill

It was great to walk into a quite and empty park after the daytime crowd has left. We were able to take many photos with no one else in the background. We were told by the hotel reception that dinner will be at the Charlie Napier Hotel. But when we went there, we were told that venue had been changed to the New York Bakery.

There is no choice of meal. For the 8 adults meal, we were served 4 beef rib with marshed sweet potatoes and 4 chicken with marshed potatoes. For the kid’s meal, they served chicken schnitzel and chips. I sealed my mrs with DD and had the chicken nuggets. The meal was generally ok. Drinks were not included and we got ourselves some soft drinks at the bar.

The kids dessert was brownie and for adults, it was a toffee pudding. I did not fancy either and DD ate both her brownie and my pudding! That girl can really eat!

Blood of the Southern Cross, the Sovereign Hill Sound & Light Show

After dinner we proceeded to the theatre for the show. We did not know what to expect. Only thing we knew was that the show was about the riot that took place in Sovereign Hill involving the miners.

The show was really not what we expected. It was basically a show with no actors. But using lights and sounds to depict the story. You first watch it at the theatre than you are brought outdoors into the park via a tram where it continues. You need to concentrate hard to follow the story. I was so tired from a day out in the sun, I fell asleep. DS2 said that he thought is was pretty good. He liked the sound effects and lighting. But frankly it requires too much concentration. Definitely not for me. DH says that it is really a cheap production since actors would cost too much! Haha.

Would I recommend this, definitely no!

Next up: Day 13 – Sovereign Hill

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self Drive, 2017: Day 12 (Great Ocean Road) appeared first on Mums Travels.

Cradle Mountain

We had originally planned to spend the morning exploring Sheffield town which is well known for its murals, then visit Tasmazia to explore its mazes before driving up Cradle Mountain that afternoon. However, the weatherman was forecasting light showers this morning and early afternoon today and whole day of rain tomorrow. So we decided to switch our itinerary around and drive up to Cradle Mountain today. If the weatherman was to be believed, we will at least have a relatively clearer afternoon today compared to full day of rain tomorrow, and a visit to Cradle Mountain definitely is better with less rain.

The drive from Sheffield Motor Inn to Cradle Mountain Visitor Center was about 1 hour. We headed to the visitor center first to get our National Park Pass. There were various types of tickets available. The service staff at the Visitor Center was very helpful and advised us that for 8 adults and 2 children, the cheapest option was for us to get a National Park Car Pass for A$60. That covers up to 8 pax. Then we can buy 2 one day child ticket at S$8.50 each for the 2 children. These passes will cover the shuttle to Dove Lake. So we got that and headed to Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge where we will be spending the night.

But as it was still early, we were not able to check in, as expected. They advised that since we had our own cars, we should leave our luggages in our cars as we will be able to drive directly to our cabins later on.

I had originally made reservations for dinner at Highland Restaurant for 10 of us at 7pm. But as we were expecting the rain to clear only in the late afternoon, we expected that we will be late coming back from Dove Lake. Unfortunately, the restaurant was full and if we wanted to push our reservation back, they could only accommodate us at 8.30pm. We decided to just take it and have a late dinner that night.

Enchanted Nature Walk

All logistics settled, we put on light raincoats and windbreakers and headed out to do the Enchanted Nature Walk which starts just outside Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge. This was an easy 20min walk along proper foot path. We had a brief break from the drizzle that had been going on for the whole morning. That left rain drops an the plants and spiderwebs, creating interesting photographic opportunity.

Pencil Pine Falls Walk

After we completed the Enchanted Nature Walk, we took a second trail nearby, the Pencil Pine Falls Walk. A fully constructed board walk guides you to the waterfall.

It was a pretty waterfall, but was not big. We continued along the path which took us to Kynvet Falls just a further 10 mins up the track. Here we got a different waterfall view – a view from the top.

These two waterfalls were nice but did not have the wow factor. DSis said that it was because we had seen the majestic waterfalls in Iceland, so all others pale in comparison. Maybe she is right.

Shopping @ Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge Shop

We doubled back and exit the Pencil Pines Falls Walk near the Lodge Shop. We couldn’t resist a little shopping so went into the shop.

I bought DD a T-shirt. When making payment, I was told that not only do they charge service fee for use of credit card for the room payment, they charge it for all payments including at restaurants and at the shop. The service fee was 1.1% for MasterCard, 1.25% for visa and 3% for Amex. The only credit card that you can use and not have to pay a service charge is China Union Pay! I can really kick myself for not bringing my Union Pay Card. I should have learned from my Sept Tokyo Trip that the Chinese dollar is really powerful and the Union Pay Card has its privileges!

Lunch @ Tavern Bar & Bistro, Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge

It was lunch time by now and we went back to the Lodge to get some food. We went to Tavern Bar & Bistro, the casual restaurant at Peppers. Here, we placed our orders and paid at the counter, then the food was served to us at our table.

DS1 and I both decided to have the Schnitzel (A$29). DS2 and DH both had the Fish & Chips (A$29). DD decides to have the beef pasta (A$25). I like my Schnitzel, DS2 was happy with his fish and chips, by DD said the beef pasta was ok only. Soft drinks were at A$4 each. Mother and children all decided to have the Sarsaparilla. DH went for Ginger beer (A$5.50). Yes not real beer but ginger beer. So rare for him.

After lunch, we sat at the lounge area to wait for our rooms to be ready. Official check in was at 2pm. But when we checked with them around 1.45pm, our rooms were ready. The lounge area was very cozy and comfortable and had free WiFi. It was the only place in the whole resort that you could have WiFi. Mobile data around the resort and in our rooms was only available on the Telstra network. So again, only DS1 had mobile data. The rest of us were on Optus network and so had no data connection.

Spa Family Cabin, Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge

We booked our accommodation at Peppers 9 mths in advance in March 2017 as we wanted the family cabins and there weren’t many of those. I thought it should be early enough but was I wrong! When I called, they had only 2 Spa Family Cabins left! I would have preferred the Pencil Pine Family Cabins which were cheaper and seemed more cosy based on the photos, but those were fully booked. We paid A$779 for one traditional spa cabin for 4 adults and 1 child. This came with breakfast. Yes, it was very expensive. But then you have little other choice in Cradle Mountain.

We drove right up to our cabin. After you enter the cabin at the foyer, this was a separate small “kitchenette” area where you can find the fridge, sink, cups, saucers, kettle and coffee and tea sachets.

You enter a second door before coming to the main lounge. The main lounge area had a queen bed and an additional rollaway bed. There was a wood fire place in the lounge which was cool for us Singaporeans coming from a tropical climate. There were 2 lounge chairs by the fire place and a dining table. There was also a balcony which looked into the forested area. The 2 other single beds were in a separate bedroom. Overall deco was pretty plain. May even be described as drab.

Since this was a spa cabin, as expected, there was a jacuzzi bath in the bathroom. Bathroom was in fact very big.

For A$779, it was a real rip off if you base it on cabin quality. In my opinion, the cabin was really in desperate need for a refurb. So I suppose one was paying for location as it was located right inside the National Park. When you are a monopoly you dictate the price.

Devil’s @ Cradle

We settled our stuff in the cabin and headed out to Devil’s @ Cradle which was just located a few mins drive from the Lodge. Devil’s @ Cradle is a sanctuary for Tasmanian Devils and carries out a captive breeding program for Tasmania Devils and Quolls. One can wonder through the sanctuary at leisure or join one of the tours. Their keepers tour takes place 3 times a day at 10.30am, 1pm and 3pm. Each tour takes about 45mins. We went for the 3pm tour. Entrance fee was $18 for adults and $10 for children (5-15). There are family tickets available. There is no extra charge for taking part in the Keepers tour.

We arrived about 15mins before 3pm, so we wondered around the sanctuary on our own while waiting for the tour to start. The Devils here were must more active and healthy looking than the ones who saw at Bonorong. Those at Bonorong were mostly sleeping or hiding. Here we see the devils running around, scavenging and interacting. We saw 2 Devils “quarreling”, but the keeper said that they were just interacting. And boy, was their interaction loud! Now I understand Disney had some element of accuracy in their portrayal of the interaction style of the Tasmanian Devil! Hahaha!

The Keepers tour starts with a brief video about the Devils followed by a walk around the sanctuary with the keeper who provided a wealth of information on the Devils as well as the quolls which they had onsite. The sanctuary was not big and the 45mins tour was pretty detailed.

I am so glad that we decide to visit Devils @ Cradle. We definitely had a must better experience here with the Devils compared to Bonorong. It helps that there were much much less visitors here. Also coming here means that DS1 who had not arrived when we visited Bonorong gets to see the Devils too. Bonorong was good for those who want to interact with kangaroos and see the koalas too. If it is just to see Tasmanian Devils, you are better off coming here.

Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain

We left Devils @ Cradle and drove back to the Visitors Center. By now the sky was clearing. The visitor center staff had advised that we were better off taking the shuttle bus to Dove Lake from the visitor center instead of from The Lodge as the bus may not have enough seats left for all 10 of us by the time it gets to the Lodge.

Cradle mountain itself is a jagged, dolerite peak. Its name, supposedly, is derived from the mountain’s resemblance to a miner’s cradle. This most dramatic vista of Cradle Mountain can be seen at Dove Lake. In fact, one can already see this view from the carpark of the Dove Lake.

There were several walks that one can take along the shore of the Lake. But as we came to Dove Lake in the late afternoon (we arrived close to 5pm) and the last shuttle bus leaving Dove Lake was at 7.30pm, we only walked to the boat house, a famous site for taking the iconic photos of Cradle Mountain and did not take the longer walks.

Dove Lake was beautiful and we were lucky to catch a break in the clouds for a short while. The wild weather of the Tasmanian highlands often shrouds the mountain in cloud and the day we went it was raining earlier in the day, so we were so glad that the weatherman’s prediction that day was fairly accurate.

All of us left Dove Lake around 6.30pm, except DBIL who stayed on to take more photos.

Dinner @ Highland Restaurant, Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge

By the time we went to the Highland Restaurant at 8.30pm for our dinner, the restaurant was no longer very busy. The advantage of eating late was that food was served relatively fast as everyone wants to go home! There was no long wait for our food.

We were served a complimentary appetizer of tuna tartare. DH and I decided to have the trout (A$38). It was fresh and good. DS1 and DS2 has the ribeye steak (A$46). My boys love steak and will always go for it, especially DS1. They were satisfied with their steak. DD had the lamb (A$45). Since coming on this trip, DD had fallen in love with lamb. We also order some greens (A$9).

Overall meal was quite good but it was very expensive. They had a captive market here, so it was expected.

Next up: Day 9 – Cradle Mountain to Sheffield to Launceston

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self Drive, 2017 : Day 8 (Cradle Mountain) appeared first on Mums Travels.

After checking out of St Ives, our first stop this morning was the summit of Mt Wellington. It was very windy and cold when we got to the observation station. Inside the station, there were telescopes for those interested in having a closer look at the surroundings. It was also a good place to seek refuge when it got too cold and windy outdoors.

The summit of Mt Wellington provided a good view of Hobart and its surroundings. There were clear walking trails and viewing decks for visitors.

While walking along the walking tracks, I caught a view of a lone photographer which I thought was an interesting picture.

We did not linger for long because we were all too cold. So we descended Mt Wellington after a short visit and went to Tas Live Abalone.

Visit to Tas Live Abalone Pty Ltd:

This is an abalone factory which provides visitors with basic information on abalone harvesting and tasting.

We paid A$5 each for a short video and introduction. Then we were given 2 abalone tasting. One eaten like sashimi and one cooked abalone.

They were also selling their products. They offered green lip and black lip abalone in vacuum packs. We bought some for our planned dinner at Port Arthur and also some to bring home for our Chinese New Year celebration coming up soon. I paid a total of A$286 for 2 green lip abalone and 5 black lip abalone.

Honestly the A$5 tour and tasting was not necessary. You don’t get anything meaningful out of the “tour”. This is more a shop to buy abalone which is considers a delicacy by ethnic Chinese. When we were there, many Asian tourists just turned up to buy the abalone. BTW we had to guard our tasting treats as some customers who did not pay for the tasting wanted to share ours!

Lunch @ Velvet Cafe, Sorell

The plan was to go to Sorell after lunch where we had planned a Pick Your Own fruits activity. So we decided to head directly to Sorell to find a place for lunch. Again, I consulted TripAdvisor and decided on Velvet Cafe. I called them and managed to make a reservation for a table for 10. It would have been nice to sit outdoors but unfortunately the outdoor tables were small and they could only accommodate us indoors.

At Velvet Cafe, you place your orders and pay at the counter and they will serve you your food. Among my own family of 5, we had 2 steak sandwiches, 1 beef burger, 2 fish & chips. 3 coke, 1 ice chocolate and 1 ice coffee. Total cost was A$99. There was an additional A$0.50 charge for the single serve pack of ketchup that I wanted with my fries. The steak sandwich was huge and came with egg, bacon,, carrots, vegetables and a serving of fries. The burger had similar ingredients, except it came with a burger bun and beef patty. They were delicious. Only complain was that DS1 asked for his steak sandwich without cheese but it still came with cheese. We did not send it back and DS1 just lived with it.

We browsed at the gift shop next to the cafe after lunch and DD bought a necklace. The pendent was made with chip offs ceramics so it was quite cute.

Fruit picking @ Sorell Fruit Farm

After lunch we went to Sorell Fruit Farm for our fruit picking. Sorell Fruit Farm is not a commercial farm. It is a tourist destination catering to Pick Your Own fruits experience for tourists. Therefore they have a variety of fruits and berries in their farm that are available for picking almost throughout the year. Cost was A$20 for adults and A$10 for children aged 7-15. Children from 4-6 pay A$5. Each person is given a box to fill their fruits. Adults get a big box, children 7-15 get a smaller one and those 4-6 get a mini one. If your kids want a big box, you can always pay an adult price. But really not necessary because you will be hard press to finish all the fruits the family pick!

When we were there, the pink cherries, strawberries, silvanberries and tyeberries were ready for picking. The strawberries were almost all gone as we went after lunch. We had to patiently look under the leaves for the fruit and DS2 actually found a snake! It is normally more advisable to visit in the morning so that the fruits that are ready for picking that day are still plentiful.

We were advised to pick the cherries, strawberries, silvanberries and tyeberries in that order so that the more fragile berries are not squashed by the heavy cherries. I must say that the silvanberries here are really sweet if you pick those really dark and ripe ones like those in my box in the photo below. Those we get in supermarkets in Singapore are all so sour! I have picked quite a lot of silvanberries as I thought that they will look good on the Pavlova that I have planned to “make” for dinner that evening. More on that later!

Stay @ Port Arthur Villa

We left Sorell Fruit Farm and went directly to Port Arthur Villas where we will be staying for 2 nights. We arrived around 4plus. We had booked 2 large 2-bedrooms apartments which can accommodate 5 pax each. Each apartment cost A$220 per night.

The property is spacious with the apartments all lined on one side and a common BBQ and playground area in the centre. We were able to park our cars in front of our villa so it was really convenient. Each apartment was provided with some single serve milk capsules for our tea and coffee. They also provided 2 bottles of drinking water as the tap water in Port Arthur, while safe to drink has a brownish tint which some guests may not be comfortable with. Additional bottled water can be bought from them for A$2 each. We boiled the tap water for our hot drinks and cooking but bought additional bottled water from the supermarket for drinking.

The apartment was very comfortable for the 5 of us. One bedroom had a queen size bed and the other had a bunk bed and a single bed. There was a small 2-seater sofa and armchair in the living area. Dining table can comfortably accommodate 6. Kitchen was well equipped with utensils enough for 6 persons. Cutleries, pots and pans were clean. There was a dishwasher and they provided dish washing detergent. No washing machine in the apartment but there is a coin operated washer and dryer in the common laundry room. It cost A$2 each for a load of wash and a load of drying. They provide free laundry detergent too which is very considerate. But we had brought our own.

The negative here is the WiFi and mobile data connection. Each WiFi password can connect one device only. They had given us 2 passwords per villa for the 2 days stay so each of us could only connect 2 devices to the WiFi network and the data usage is limited to 256MB each which is very little. It was very inconvenient especially since there is no network service from Optus here. There was only Telstra network and only DS1 was on Telstra. The rest of us were on Optus.

The property manager was very friendly and helpful. We had arranged with them to use the BBQ pit that evening. The property had 2 BBQ pits. There was no extra charge to use the BBQ pits. They were also able to help us arrange food for our BBQ. For A$15 per BBQ pack, we were provided with 1 Steak, 2 sausages, 1 risole, onion, tomato, bread, bbq sauce, tomato ketchup and butter. We ordered 7 packs. We had bought additional potatoes, salad and marshmallows from the supermarket in Hobart. We did not eat the bread and kept the loaf that they provided for breakfast. They even helped us start up the BBQ pit.

DSis prepared the baked potatoes and salad. She also marinated the beef with olive oil and the rosemary she picked from Sorell Fruit Farm. DH was the BBQ chef that evening.

I was in charge of dessert that evening. I bought a pack of marshmallows and we BBQed them! We love BBQ marshmallows….yum yum!

But the main dessert that night was Pavlova. I found ready made Pavlova base in Coles when we went grocery shopping in Hobart, and thought that it’ll be great with the berries that we were going to pick today. In the end, it was the right decision to buy the pavlova base. Granted that I had to handle the fragile meringue in the process of transporting it all the way from Hobart, but it was worth it. We picked so many berries at Sorell Fruit Farm that we would have gotten sick of eating the cherries and berries. The Pavlova added some variety to our dessert. It was really easy to put together and was delicious. All I needed to do was add whipped cream and the cherries, strawberries and silvanberries to the pavlova base. It was loved by everyone!

Overall it was an enjoyable and relaxing evening. There were not many eating out options at Port Arthur and so having a BBQ was a great idea. It was also much cheaper than eating at a restaurant, and was lots of fun too!

Next Up : Day 5 – Port Arthur

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self- Drive 2017 – Day 4 (Hobart – Port Arthur) appeared first on Mums Travels.

Bay of Fires @ Binalong Bay

We stayed only one night at Bicheno by the Bay. After check out this morning, we headed towards Binalong Bay. The drive from Bicheno to Bay of Fires in Binalong Bay was about 1hr 40mins.

Famous for its crystal-clear waters, white sandy beaches and orange lichen-covered granite boulders, the Bay of Fires is one of Tasmania’s most popular conservation reserves. The area contains rocky gullies, with many small secluded beaches and inlets to explore. Binalong Bay is the area’s main beach – a beautiful stretch of white sand and clear water for swimming, snorkelling, surfing or simply relaxing. We were not there to snorkel or surf, just for photos and to appreciate the beauty of the area. The colour of the sea was amazing!

The GPS is not exactly accurate for this site and depending on whether you input Bay of Fires or Bay of Fires Conservation Area, may lead you to different points along the coast. At one stage we ended at a dead end with nothing in sight. If you input the Gardens, there is an option to take you to the middle of the road. All these are not exactly ideal. So here is what I can advise:

The southern section of The Bay of Fires is in the Conservation Area, situated along a 13 km stretch of coast between Binalong Bay and The Gardens. Access to the southern section of the Bay of Fires is via the Binalong Bay Road (C850 ) out of St Helen’s. Take the turnoff on the left into the C848 at the sign – “The Gardens – 13Kms” This is a sealed road. The road terminates at private land at “The Gardens”.

DSis’s car and ours ended in different places and we actually could see each other across the bay on different outcrops…hahaha. In the end we realized that we were at different ends and could walk to each other between the 2 points. It was an easy walk.

We spend some time hanging around the various rocks and gullies, basically fooling around.

Lunch @ Mohr & Smith, St Helens

It was about lunch time and we decided to go to St Helens. I consulted my “G” secretary and found several places. We decided on Mohr & Smith and called to check if they had a table for 10 before we headed there.

Mohr & Smith is a contemporary restaurant and setting was simple and beautiful. It was relatively quiet when we arrived.

The menu was interesting with an Asian fusion twist. I specially enjoyed with Japanese pancake with roasted pork belly that I had. I was almost missing Asian food by this time of the trip and the roasted pork belly (A$20) was excellent. It was crispy and juicy. Almost like how we do Chinese roast pork belly. DH, DS1 & 2 and DD are boring and all went for the beef burger (A$16). But they were all praises for their burgers too.

For drinks, DH & I had an ice coffee (A$7) each, DD had a caramel milkshake (A$6) and the 2 boys had a coke (A$3) each. The straws which came with the cokes were made of steel! And DD’s milkshake came in a huge metal container. Really cool! Our ice coffee was the most ordinary :(.

Overall a good meal in a very pleasant setting. But when I try to check it’s website to try to provide a link when I am writing this post, it seems that the restaurant has closed….what a pity!

Brief shopping stop @ Tasmania Honey Company

The drive from St Helens to Sheffield where we will be spending the night is about 3hours. We cannot find anything interesting to look see along the way. So we decided to do a shopping stop at the Tasmanian Honey Company in Perth which is 2 hours from St Helens and 1 hour from Sheffield. We were hoping to make this a toilet break as well, but unfortunately found out that the shop did not have a toilet for us to use. Instead we were directed to a gas station nearby.

The shop was not big, but had an interesting array of different flavoured honey. We especially like their Manuka honey drops which Dmum, and DSis and I, all bought. If you want to buy honey, this is a good place to buy it if you are nearby. We found these honey sold at Launceston airport when we were leaving flying to Melbourne and found that it was at least double the price of what we paid here.

Our 2-Bedroom Apartment @ Sheffield Motor Inn

We finally arrived at Sheffield Motor Inn. We had booked a 2 BR apartment (A$225) for my family, a double room (A$125) for my parents and a triple room (A$140) for DSis’s family. All came with kitchenette.

What I like about our apartment was that they had proper beds for 5 and 2 bathrooms! The 2 bathrooms were much welcomed after having to share 1.5 bathroom among the 10 of us the night before at Bicheno by the Bay. As for the bedding configuration, one bedroom had 2 single beds and the other had a queen and a single bed. Like most motels, they provided milk. We had 4 small packets.

There was a coin service laundry available so we used that too that evening. Wash was A$3/A$4 (sorry, can’t remember the exact amount now) per load. Dryer was A$1 for 15 mins.

Wifi here was very unstable, so don’t depend on it.

Overall a decent basic motel that has all that you want (except WiFi) at a reasonable price.

Dinner @ Basilico, Sheffield

We decided to have dinner at Basilico as it was only next to Sheffield Motor Inn. Basilico was a casual Italian restaurant that just opened a few months ago, but the few reviews I saw on TripAdvisor were positive. When I called to make my reservations, they said that for groups of 8 and more, they offer a set meal at A$25 per pax. As we were 8 adults and 2 kids (since DD and DN are both under 12) they said that they will only charge for the 8 adults and the 2 girls can share our meal. Their sets were done family style, ie we share some pizzas and pastas. We thought it was very reasonable and so accepted their suggestion. We left it to them to decide what to prepare for us as we had no dietary restrictions.

We were served the following:

1. Tomato and basil pasta

2. Beef cheek pasta (ragu)

3. Rocket and apple salad

4. Margarita pizza

5. Salami pizza

6. Rocket & parma ham pizza

After our meal, they asked if we were game for another pizza and we definitely were! So they served us a dessert pizza – Nutella Pizza. It was so good. We all loved it!

For A$200 (excluding drinks) for 10 of us, it was very reasonable. Most importantly, food was good! I’d highly recommend eating here. It’s really value for money!

Next up : Day 8 – Cradle Mountain

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self Drive, 2017: Day 7 (Bicheno- Binalong Bay – Sheffield) appeared first on Mums Travels.

This morning, I made pancakes for breakfast. Together with the strawberries we picked yesterday, we had pancakes with whipped creamed and strawberries. It was a much welcomed change after 3 days of sandwiches.

Exploring the coastal landscape at Eaglehawk Neck

Port Arthur Historic Site only opens at 10am. So we decided to head out to Eaglehawk Neck to check out the Blowhole, Tasman Arch and Devil’s Kitchen. Both are supposed to be must sees of the Tasman Peninsula.

It was a 20mins drive from Port Arthur’s Villa to the Devil’s Kitchen carpark. We pass the Tasman Arch first and decided to stop make our first stop there. Tasmans Arch is a tall natural bridge in the sea cliffs and Devils Kitchen is a deep trench without an arch that has also been carved out by the Tasman Sea.

Both attractions are near each other and each can be viewed from a lookout minutes from their respective carparks.

We were actually quite disappointed with Devil’s Kitchen. We couldn’t figure out what we were suppose to see! Then DS1 took out this mobile phone and consulted his reliable “G” secretary. So it seems that this feature gets its name from the cauldron of foaming fury, normally seen at water level from the viewing platform, where the swells of the ocean crash into the base of the tall cliff. Unfortunately it seems that most days when the sea is calm, this cannot be observed. So we were there when it was too calm to see anything and so we had to use our imagination!

We left Devil’s Kitchen and went to the Blowhole. Depending on the ocean swell, the Blowhole is also supposed to be an awesome sight. Unfortunately I think we came on a wrong day. This Blowhole has since become a joke in our family. We went to Bicheno a few days later and all of us agreed that the Bicheno Blowhole was much better.

Visit to Port Arthur Historic Site

Disappointed with our morning, we went back to Port Arthur Villa to park our car and walked to the back entrance of Port Arthur Historic Site. Port Arthur Villa provided us with key to the back gate of Port Arthur Historic Site, so that we do not need to drive a big round to the main entrance of the site. It can be difficult to find a parking lot at the main entrance, so being able to enter through the back entrance was a plus. The walk from Port Arthur Villa to this entrance was just a few minutes. But from this gate it was at least a 10mins walk to the main entrance and visitor center.

We headed first to the visitors’ center to collect our pre-booked tickets and also our tickets for the Ghost Tour that evening. Adult ticket is A$39, Child ticket is A$17 and Family ticket is A$99. The Ghost tour cost A$26.50 per pax.

As we were too late for the free included walking introductory tour at 10.30am, we booked ourselves on the 12.30pm tour. In the meantime, we went on the cruise. The cruise is actually a means to transport those taking the additional Isles of the Dead Cemetery tour to the island, but those not going on the tour can just take the cruise to sightsee too. It was really nothing much, but does give you a nice view of Port Arthur from the water.

After the short cruise, we decided to explore the Government Gardens. These gardens were provided the wives and children of the free people at Port Arthur a place to wander and relax away from the prisons during its time. The garden was pretty.

After that we decided to go for a quick early lunch as the tour will take 40mins. The restaurants at Port Arthur was still under renovation and only the cafeteria was open. The cafeteria had both a quick bite casual counter as well as a hot food counter. We decided to go for the hot food.

I decided to have the kids nuggets and chips (A$7). It was just the right portion for me. The chips serving was very generous. DS1 & 2 decided to have the fish and chips (A$16.90). DH had a small ham & pineapple pizza (A$14.90) and DD had the soup & roll (A$10). Food was ok. It was the only place for lunch when we were there.

There was a big group for the 12.30pm walking tour so we were split into 2 groups. We were brought to the Penitentiary, the Hospital and told stories and history of Port Arthur. It was informative and gave us a good idea of what we were seeing.

After the tour, we wondered around on our own to explore the compound in greater detail while my parents decided to take a break in the cafeteria. We went to the Separate Prison which was used to punish prisons who committed offense by isolating them in absolute solitude. It was unbelievable to see how they are allowed outdoors in separate small compound, attend church in separate individual cubicles etc. it was sheer mental torture, worse than physical torture!

Next to the Separate Prison was a small museum showcasing life in Port Arthur when it was a convict settlement. It was very informative.

The Commander’s House was such a stark contrast to the prison. But I suppose the Commander was “king” of Port Arthur at that time.

After we were done, we walked back to Port Arthur Villas through the back gate. Along the way, we came to the Convict Church. It was a non-consecrated church and so had served all the different Christian denominations.

Overall, we enjoyed our visit to Port Arthur. It was very interesting and informative. Definitely a must visit when visiting Tasmania.

Checking out Remarkable Cave

The property manager had told DH about Remarkable Cave, which was just a short drive up the road that we were at, during one of their conversations. So DH wanted to check it out. DS1 and DD wanted to laze in the apartment to play the Nintendo Switch that they brought on this trip. So only DH, DS2 and I set out to check out this cave.

We found it in no time. There were roads signs so we didn’t even need to use our GPS. From the carpark we needed to walk a short distance and down some steps to the bottom to see the cave. It was worth it! Looking through, beyond the cave we can see the cliff and sea. It was beautiful. If you use a little imagination, we will also notice that the cave is almost in the shape of Tasmania!

After the photo stop. We drove back to Port Arthur Villa, stopping along the way to take some photos of the sea gulls on the beach.

Dinner @ Port Arthur Villas

We decided to cook ourselves simple dinner that evening as we were going for the Ghost Tour. We had brought instant noodles with us and decided to have abalone instant noodles with the abalone we bought from TAS Live Abalone. No problem bringing instant noodles from Singapore so long as you declare it at the customs. In fact, they did not ask further questions and just let us through.

The Property Manager also came by with a pleasant surprise treat for us – homemade strawberry custard tarts! They were delicious! We had bought salted caramel magnum ice- cream from the convenience store, so that was our dessert too!

Port Arthur Ghost Tour

After dinner, we decided to drive to the main entrance of Port Arthur Historic Site instead of walking there as the meeting point was at the entrance and we did not fancy walking back to our apartment is the dark. By the time we arrived, the carpark was relatively empty as day visitors had left. We parked very close to the entrance.

This walking tour starts after sunset and last about 90mins. You walk in the dark with a few in the group holding lanterns to light the path. My parents did not join us on this tour. It was more a fun kind of scary tour for our kids. There were several tours per night. Ours was at 9.15pm and we were supposed to be there at least 15 mins earlier.

The Ghost Tour was interesting and at one stage was a little frightening. Don’t expect Universal Studios Halloween Night kind of scary. For this tour, we were brought to the Church, inside the Parson’s house, the Junior Doctor’s house, the Senior Doctor’a house and the Separate Prison. It was more like the guide telling stories of ghost sightings in these various locations. Our guide was an excellent story teller and that was what created the atmosphere for the whole tour.

The only part of Port Arthur that we saw which we were not able to see during the day was the basement of the Senior Doctor’s house.

I had thought the tour was ok only. Somehow I was expecting to see more “haunted” places. But our kids enjoyed it. So the tour was a fun end to their day at Port Arthur Historic Site.

Next up : Day 6 – Port Arthur to Bicheno

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self-Drive, 2017 – Day 5 (Port Arthur) appeared first on Mums Travels.

Breakfast at La Trobe Dining Room is included with our stay. Buffet breakfast selection was not extensive, but was very well done. Different types of eggs were presented in small pans.

After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and drove to the main entrance of the park. As we have returned our room keys, we could not enter through the back entrance anymore. Our family of 5 set off first as DSis was not ready yet.

Sovereign Hill, Ballarat

There was a queue at the entrance of the park waiting for it to open. A few minutes before it was due to open, a service staff appeared and directed those with tickets to the right and those without tickets to the left. We had tickets and so when the park opened. We were directed into the park immediately. We headed immediately to the Gold Mine Tour at the back of the park. We exchanged our vouchers for the first tour of the day which was Journey Through the Labyrinth of Gold. It is about the everyday dangers of 19th century gold mining, how Ballarat’s miners lived and worked as they blasted and dug out the rich gold-bearing layers of quartz rocks and the various technologies and methods which they used in their work. The tour also included a ride on the mine train. It was an enjoyable and informative tour. All 3 kids enjoyed it.

There are 3 tours altogether. The other 2 are The Secret Chambers, which is a ghostly story of the adventures and mishaps of 2 Chinese miners and Trapped, which is about being trapped during a mining accident. Incidentally, DSis and gang went for trapped and were really disappointed. DSis said that DBIL and DN was expecting more excitement like a theme back ride but what they got was loud sounds and light effects, ie another Sound and Light show! Hahaha.

As there was time before our Gold Time Tour started, we went back to the Photographic studio to book for photo session. We were told that they can only take us in around 3pm. We were surprised and asked how could that be since we were the first few into the park. We were told that they take reservations over the phone. This was not told to us by the reception at the hotel when we checked in or when we made our package booking. We wanted to leave the park by 3 pm so such a late session definitely would not work. So in the end, they agreed to slot in a session for us for just after our Gold Mine Tour. So my advise is to prebook if you want your photos taken. But we probably would not have done this if it was not a freebie included in our package.

After our photographic session, we went to do some gold panning at the creek. DD was dying to do it and her bros agreed to humour her. The three of them with the assistance of one of the staff members searched really had for their gold. I think they found a speck! Hahaha

We wondered around the park, explored the shops and watched some performances. The whole place was well themed with actors and actresses acting as if they were of the mining era and going about their daily lives.

There was an enactment of an auction which was used to tell the story of how women had little say in their lives and could be sold by their husbands. There was also a gun salute display by actors acting as the cops of yesteryears.

As the weather was extremely hot that day, we went into New York Bakery for a sit down lunch to get away from the heat. I normally hav every little appetite when the weather is hot. So i went for the Miner’s Hot Flask which is their daily soup which happened to be a tomato’s based vegetable soup that day (A$14.50). The rest had 2 fish and chips (A$24.90), a grilled chicken (A$24.90) and a Colonial Pot Pie (A$24.90). All these we washed down with a glass of beer for DH (A$5/70) and a jug of coke (A$14) for us.

We wondered a little more after lunch, watch the gun salute display and decided to leave because the heat was getting unbearable.

After leaving the park, we went to the Gold Museum opposite since entry was included in our tickets. But nothing in the small museum interest us, so we decided to head for our hotel in Collin street in the city.

Treasury on Collins, Melbourne

It was a long drive into Melbourne City and traffic was very bad along the way. Our first encounter with a traffic jam on this trip. The trip which was suppose to take about 1.5hrs took about 2hrs instead.

Treasury on Collins is located in a heritage building within the heart of Melbourne’s City Centre. This apartment hotel does not have its own parking, but can arrange parking at Flinders Street carpark for a fee. At the entrance of the hotel, there is a few parking lots for temporary parking. DH dropped me and the 3 kids and our bags and waited for me while I picked up the parking code from the hotel. The car park was about 5 mins walk away. Then he went to park the car while I handled the check in.

A few days prior to arrival, I had received an email from the hotel asking if we wanted to upgrade to a King 2 Bedroom Apartment for an additional A$50 per day. We had booked the Queen 2 Bedroom. We didn’t think it was necessary and furthermore I was telling DH that perhaps they are overbooked in the Queen and will have to give us the King anyway. As it is my suspicion was right and they upgraded us to King 2 Bedroom Apartment for free! DSis was not so lucky and she had the Queen. We paid A$466 per night for a 2 BR apartment and an additional A$28 per day for the parking. This room rate included free daily breakfast and snacks and non-alcoholic drink at the mezzanine floor throughout the day.

Our apartment was spacious and beautiful. There were 2 bathrooms, one with a bath and the other with a shower. The provided Molton Brown toiletries which was sheer luxury! There was also a washer and dryer in the apartment. Our extra rollaway bed was set up in the living room. The kitchenette was functional and we could have done some simple cooking if we wanted. DSis’s Apartment was smaller in size, but had basically the same amenities as ours.

The location of Treasury on Collins is very convenient. It is within walking distance to the restaurants at along Hardware Lane and also within walking distance to shops. But we did not go out for dinner with DSis and family that night. Instead we met up with a friend who had migrated to Melbourne and had dinner at his home with his family.

Oh, and WiFi here was great! The best we had on this trip!

Next up: Day 14- Melbourne

The post 15 Days Tasmania & Melbourne Self Drive, 2017 – Day 13 (Sovereign Hill) appeared first on Mums Travels.