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Published: December 6th 2017
Great Ocean Road
Just a wefie at The Twelve Apostles. I’ve known Trixie since 1992. Like me, she holds an honors degree in Geography from the National University of Singapore. She graduated a few years before I did. We met through my professor and hit it off right away. We both ended up in Singapore Airlines in the 1990s, although our careers and lifepaths have deviated since. Our friendship spans Singapore, London, Manchester, Oxford, Bangkok, Adelaide, and now Melbourne. Photo credit: T. Tan.I am on the road again after a quick break in Singapore. This time, I am back in Australia, my second-to-last stop on this extension of the Midlife Crisis Flashpacking Trip. When I decided to extend my travels, I contacted my friend Trixie, thinking she might want to make a trip we had discussed in the past - driving from Darwin to Adelaide. She nixed it because it would be too hot and expensive. She counterproposed meeting me in Melbourne and driving the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide. I agreed readily.
Getting to Melbourne
I had just about 30,000 miles left in my United Airlines account (I accumulate miles on AAmerican nowadays), so I locked in a one-way Singapore-Bangkok-Melbourne business class redemption on Thai Airways days before United upped partner redemptions between Asia and Australia. This redemption is a steal and I am so glad I managed do this trip and my last trip in August for so few miles. I had to overnight in Bangkok, but that wasn’t a problem; I don’t need half an excuse to go to Thailand.
I flew to Bangkok on Tuesday November 28th and took a shuttle to my prebooked hotel near
Thai Airways
I worked at Don Muang Airport in the 1990s. I was consistently impressed with the quality of the meals that came out of Thai Airways’ kitchen there. Whenever possible, I try to eat the local cuisine when I fly and I am rarely disappointed when I do so. Suvarnabhumi Airport. After checking in, I wandered out for dinner at a noodle stand, and then I found a good Thai massage nearby. The one hour massage was painful but it was exactly what I needed. This massage therapist was very engaging and professional (it does help that I speak some Thai) and a damn sight better than
the body shamer I had in Luang Prabang, and it only cost THB250 (a little over USD8). After the massage, I crossed the klong near my hotel intending to explore a nearby temple, but I aborted my exploration because it was dark and the temple dogs were barking at me. I slept well that night and then dragged myself out of bed for my 6am shuttle to the airport.
My flight from Bangkok to Melbourne was long but pleasant. I landed a little late at 9.30pm. When I turned on my phone, I saw a message from Trixie saying that she had already sorted out the car and she will meet me in the arrivals hall. Once through immigration and customs, I found her and we made our way to the parking lot to get the car. Tullamarine Airport is some distance from the city, but we found
Melbourne
Trains atop a building in Collingwood. According to a passerby, the architect designed the trains into the building and one of them is used for restaurant seating. our way to our hotel without too many mishaps. After checking in, we made our way to Butcher’s Diner for a late dinner. I was quite impressed to see that Melbourne‘s streets were not empty at 11pm on a weekday.
Exploring Melbourne
We spent our day in Melbourne wandering around a couple of edgy neighborhoods. First stop was Collingwood. We had breakfast in a Japanese inspired restaurant named Cibi located in a restored warehouse, and then we wandered around the neighborhood. The highlight was a set of trains atop a building. A passerby told us that the architect designed the building with the trains, and that one of them is used for restaurant seating. I also really liked a mural depicting a kangaroo‘s anatomy.
Our next stop was another nearby suburb located in the City of Yarra. Here, we walked past what appeared to be a public housing project, and we explored the community gardens and library near there. We also explored some more shops. Compared to housing projects I’ve seen elsewhere (apart from Singapore, where public housing is the norm and in a class of its own), this housing project appeared to be bright, cheerful, and with
Melbourne
Collingwood. Cool mural of a kangaroo’s anatomy. a good amount of open space with pleasant playgrounds. There was a signboard with flags, presumably celebrating the diversity of the residents; I doubt you’d see that in England. I also liked seeing all the rainbow flags all over the area celebrating the impending passage of same-sex marriage legislation.
Our last suburb stop was St. Kilda where we ate lunch (a yummy grilled barramundi, salad, and chips) and had a coffee, and we also looked at the beach briefly. After that, we returned to the CBD to indulge in an
onsen that Trixie had found online. As we were early for our
onsen appointment, we wandered around Chinatown a little. At the
onsen, I had a pleasant hour with the male section all to myself. Compared to Japan, this wasn’t the best (it was really a
sento and not an
onsen, and it only had one pool)
but it did the trick. We explored a park in the CBD after the
onsen. After that, we met my Junior College (equivalent of college prep) classmate for dinner at a tapas restaurant. I hadn’t seen her in 30 years so this was a special treat.
Overall, I liked Melbourne. It
Melbourne
I was fascinated by the hook turns. Because of the trams, cars cannot line up in the middle of the street to turn right. So, they have to line up on the left directly in front of oncoming cars, and then make a quick right turn as soon as the right turn signal turns green. reminded me of San Francisco in terms of atmosphere and vibe, but without the homelessness and pockets of overt poverty. The traffic was a little bit much though. I was especially fascinated by the hook turns. Because of the trams, cars are not allowed to wait in the middle of the street to turn right. Instead, they must wait in a specially marked lane on the left, and then make a quick right turn as soon as the lights change.
On To Adelaide
I would have liked to explore Melbourne a bit more, but, unfortunately, Southeast Australia’s biggest storm in a decade was headed eastwards to Victoria after dumping a lot of rain on South Australia. We decided to beat a quick retreat westwards and hopefully encounter only a fraction of the worst of the storm. We set out from Melbourne after the rush hour. Our first stop was Yarraville, where we had breakfast. After that, we headed towards Geelong and then to the coast. Along the way, we stopped for ice cream and then at a chocolate factory which appeared to have opened only recently. A sign outside promised oompa loompas, but I was severely disappointed to
Great Ocean Road
Split Point Lighthouse. see ordinary workers in brown uniforms making the magic chocolate. Overall, this shop was a tourist trap.
We hit the coastline proper not long after. The rain came in spurts and there were brief periods of heavy rain, but overall it wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed the long and winding coastline. I was amused to see signs reminding drivers that Australia drives on the left. There were also road signs in Chinese. We stopped at Split Point Lighthouse, and then in Lorne for scones and tea. Yum. We reached Apollo Bay, our overnight stop, around 3pm. As the rain wasn’t bad (it was cold and windy though) we walked around town and shared two dinners - fried snapper and chips at one shop and then mussels and sourdough bread in another restaurant, followed by ice cream. I did not dare try the vegemite ice cream on offer there.
The next day was a long driving day with over 400km to cover. Leaving Apollo Bay, we headed along the coast to Port Campbell, the site of the iconic Twelve Apostles. Well, the Twelve Apostles were pretty spectacular, but the highlight was seeing a wallaby in the bushes. After
Great Ocean Road
The Twelve Apostles leaving Port Campbell, we headed inland for a long slog to our stopover for that night. Along the way, we passed the South Australia border and we stopped at Mount Gambier, which is famous for its limestone sinkholes. We explored one sinkhole that had been turned into a garden. After that, we drove some more, through occasional patches of rain, and then turned back to the coast to get to Robe, our destination for that evening.
At Robe, we checked into a holiday park where Trixie had booked a cabin. Surrounded by woods, the cabin was quiet and very pleasant. The holiday park also had a friendly kitty named Batman. We ventured into town and saw the sights, including some beautiful coastline, a ruin of an old prison, and a landing site where Chinese laborers bound for Victoria landed and then
walked to Victoria to avoid a 50 pound landing fee. We then ate dinner at a local pub. The pub grub was great - we had crayfish cerviche and salt and pepper squid. After dinner, we retired to the cabin where we ate cheese while Trixie was glued to the Ashes Test on television. I can see myself
Robe
Meet Hugo, resident kitty of Mahalia Coffee. Hugo has used up several of his lives. He has been bitten twice by snakes and he barely survived the first bite. He now stays near home. returning to Robe and spending a couple of days exploring the coastal trails.
On our last day on the road, we ate breakfast at Mahalia Coffee. There, we played with Hugo the kitty. After breakfast, we first drove to Kingston SE to look at a silly giant lobster statue and then we turned inland hoping to check out vineyards in Padthaway, but, unfortunately, they were closed as it was Sunday. We headed towards Keith, where we had pies for lunch, and then on to Adelaide. We got to Adelaide in the mid-afternoon and were reunited with Trixie’s husband Charles and their pups Milo and Millie. After returning the rental car at Adelaide Airport, we had Vietnamese Chinese food before coming back to Trixie’s home to watch more cricket.
Adelaide
I stayed two whole days in Adelaide. Apart from hanging out and eating with my friends, my fourth foray to Adelaide marked another new first for me - my first cricket match. My visit happened to coincide with the Ashes Test between Australia and England, so I joined Trixie, Charles and their friend Lisa to watch the third day match at the Adelaide Oval. I knew next
Ashes Test Match
Trixie, Charles, Me, Lisa. Photo credit: T. Tan. to nothing about cricket. Much to Trixie’s chagrin, my first observation watching the Ashes on television while we were on the Great Ocean Road was that the Australians wore tighter trousers than the British. I was in for a crash course on bowling, batting, wickets, and everything else in between. I approached this event as a cultural experience, much like how I approched watching baseball at the Dodgers Stadium, college football when I was at UCLA, soccer at Manchester United, rugby union at Sale Rugby Club in Manchester, etc. I rooted for England, my former home. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed watching cricket. The pacing of the game was consistent, the crowd was very congenial, and parts of the play were actually quite exciting, especially towards the end of the evening with England batting. The end of play that day was a little abrupt, though; the players just walked off the field when their run was completed. I also developed a new sports crush. Haha. The icing on the cake was getting to watch aircraft after aircraft descend into Adelaide Airport as I observed the match.
Apart from cricket, I also spent a pleasant few hours with my
Ashes Test Match
Australia bowling, England batting. friend Ryan at Norton Summit in the hills above Adelaide, and I visited the South Australia Museum and the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. The museum had an impressive Pacific Islands collection, and an educational exhibit in aboriginal culture. The Botanic Garden was a pleasant place to enjoy a cool summer afternoon.
I have always enjoyed Adelaide, especially the good food and good company. Sometimes I wonder if I should have emigrated to Australia instead of the US. The quality of life appears to be so good there.
Much gratitude to Trixie for making this trip happen, and for driving us safely all the way. Many thanks also to Charles and to Ryan for their company and hospitality. It’s always a pleasure to come to Adelaide.
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Did you bring the rain with you?
I was thinking of you when Victoria and Tasmania got lashed with a whole summer's worth of rain in one day! Glad you escaped it by heading west. I like the sound of Robe, and will have to check it out when we are next in that part of the country. Did your Australian friends giggle when you said you were 'rooting' for the English team? Means something totally different in Aussie slang... (but then again your friends probably don't have a juvenile sense of humour like me) :)