Australia 2019 Day 8 - Melbourne

Today we had the best part of a day with us, so we decided to spend it at the Melbourne Museum. It was really interesting seeing all the nature exhibits. Unfortunately we didn't have the whole day, so we didn't get to see the whole museum. After that we checked out and headed for the airport to fly back to Singapore. And that concludes our midyear family trip. What a blast!

Australia 2019 Day 7 - Melbourne

Today we woke up early and checked out early in order to start the long drive back to Melbourne (almost 4hrs). The drive was quite arduous especially near the city when the traffic jams were quite bad. Upon reaching Melbourne city, we checked into The Westin and returned our trusty car. Then we walked around town for quite a bit. It was cool and relaxing, and a good way to get back to the urban lifestyle. Was missing local food a lot by this time. We popped by Fitzroy Gardens, which was beautiful because of all the autumn leaves.

Australia 2019 Day 6 - Halls Gap, Grampians National Park

So today we were wondering what we'd do, and actually for a moment regretting opting to spend two nights up here in the mountains where the place was really so ulu and in pitch darkness all the time. Then the morning came, and we decided we'll climb a mountain. Obviously we were close to the peak already so the climb wasn't as difficult. We decided to take on The Pinnacle. The climb was about 3hrs and we started off by losing our way for some weird reason, only to find the beaten path once more and continuing our ascent. The kids were really troopers and we went through the Silent Street, which I termed the 'Ambush Alley', just a narrow pathway between the seams of over-towering rock formations on both sides. Quite amazing. When we reached the peak, it was euphoric and amazing. I felt such a sense of achievement and so did the kids. After safely hiking our way down, we went to the small little town of Halls Gap to have a pizza lunch, then it was again off to several shorter hikes before the sun set. Starting with McKenzie Falls, a beautiful waterfall, to The Balcony (Reed Lookout), and finally Boroka Lookout. By the time we were done, it was nightfall and we went back to our favourite dinner restaurant for dinner and beers. It was the best day of this trip for me.

Australia 2019 Day 5 - Great Ocean Road, Grampians National Park

Today was a tale of two halves. The morning and afternoon was spent exploring the Great Ocean Road (GOR) and all that it was famous for. The late afternoon onwards was the long drive (3hrs) to Grampians National Park, which I have no photos to show for.

Starting from Apollo Bay, we set off towards the famous Twelve Apostles, starting with a visit to the Cape Otway LightStation first thing in the morning. It was a very beautiful lighthouse and very scenic by the coast. I think it was also the only day where rain significantly hampered our views of the scenery, although still manageable. Anyway, we managed to catch all the key highlights, with short photo stops all along the GOR, including rock formations:
- Twelve Apostles
- Loch Ard Gorge
- Razorback
- London Bridge
- The Grotto
- Bay Of Islands
After the Bay Of Islands, we headed to Halls Gap, Grampians National Park. Arrived at our motel in pitch darkness.

Australia 2019 Day 4 - Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay

So today we began by visiting the Nobbies at the end of Phillip Island, which faced the Antarctic Sea. It was beautiful. Then our long drive onwards to the Great Ocean Road. It was very long because we had to drive from Phillip Island, back to Melbourne city, and then onward to the Great Ocean Road. Tiring, but with tons of beautiful scenery. We stopped along the way when we came across interesting stops along the windy road, and then we finally checked into our Best Western Motel in Apollo Bay. We had Apollo Bay's most famous fish and chips that night.