Melbourne Menagerie VI: Hertz's NeverLost & The Penguin Parade
Early in the morning, bro-in-law and I took a brisk morning walk to Franklin Street to collect our Toyota Tarrago (that's Estima to us) from the people at Hertz. After they explained everything to us, we drove back to Flinders Lane to pick up the rest. The drive out to Phillip Island was quite pleasant in the large vehicle since my little nephew needed so much ka chang. And the GPS made things a lot easier and harder at the same time.
Heather/Susan: Bear left! Bear right! Make a sharp left turn! Traffic control! You have reached your destination
It was quite a challenge referring to the GPS, looking out for traffic and pedestrians and watching your speed. And so, I took on the job as navigator. Such a redundant job hor? Hehe. We arrived in about less than 2 hours with a short breakfast stop at a diner in Pelican Bay. The island is quite picturesque with Windows XP default wallpaper-like scenery. Sheep. Cows. Vineyards. The works. The photos that I took cannot begin to express what my eyes saw. On the island, our first stop was at the Panny's Chocolate Factory. Had to pay to see the chocolate sculptures, so we decided to give it a miss. Next was the Purple Hen Winery. The last of the grapes had been picked after Easter so all was left was the yellowing leaves. According to the staff, they would prune away the branches and by October, new grapes would be out again. After tasting their cabernet, merlot and chardonnay, I decided on a bottle of their 2007 Pinot Noir. Wine is so cheap in Australia....
Not satisfied with the koalas he saw at Healesville, my bro-in-law brought us to the Koala Conservation Centre. All in all, there were supposed to be 35 of 'em, but we saw only 8 (inclusive of the 2 giant fake ones at the entrance). Another disappointing wildlife escapade. Since we still had time to burn before the famous Penguin Parade, we took a detour to Pyramid Rock. It's just what its name implies--- a rock shaped like a pyramid. The cliffs around it were much more impressive. Loved it. The Penguin Parade started about 6:30pm. At the beach, we got to observe hundreds of cute little penguins coming in from the sea. They would waddle inland to their burrows. You know what? Penguins sound like gremlins. Unfortunately, photography and videography were not allowed, not that my Canon A95 would have managed any decent photos in the dark anyway.
The rangers at the Penguin Centre recommended us to have dinner at the nearby Taylor's Waterfront Restaurant. Fantastic service, but just slightly above average seafood. We ordered the lobster ravioli with lobster bisque (yumm!), salmon steak and a basket of fried seafood. After that, I drove back to Melbourne. Overnight parking rates in Melbourne are cutthroat in the CBD area, costing up to AUD50. All of us were tired, and we needed to conserve our energy for an even longer trip the next day-- The Great Ocean Road!
P.S.: Anything catch your eye in last collage? Spot 'em!
Heather/Susan: Bear left! Bear right! Make a sharp left turn! Traffic control! You have reached your destination
It was quite a challenge referring to the GPS, looking out for traffic and pedestrians and watching your speed. And so, I took on the job as navigator. Such a redundant job hor? Hehe. We arrived in about less than 2 hours with a short breakfast stop at a diner in Pelican Bay. The island is quite picturesque with Windows XP default wallpaper-like scenery. Sheep. Cows. Vineyards. The works. The photos that I took cannot begin to express what my eyes saw. On the island, our first stop was at the Panny's Chocolate Factory. Had to pay to see the chocolate sculptures, so we decided to give it a miss. Next was the Purple Hen Winery. The last of the grapes had been picked after Easter so all was left was the yellowing leaves. According to the staff, they would prune away the branches and by October, new grapes would be out again. After tasting their cabernet, merlot and chardonnay, I decided on a bottle of their 2007 Pinot Noir. Wine is so cheap in Australia....
Not satisfied with the koalas he saw at Healesville, my bro-in-law brought us to the Koala Conservation Centre. All in all, there were supposed to be 35 of 'em, but we saw only 8 (inclusive of the 2 giant fake ones at the entrance). Another disappointing wildlife escapade. Since we still had time to burn before the famous Penguin Parade, we took a detour to Pyramid Rock. It's just what its name implies--- a rock shaped like a pyramid. The cliffs around it were much more impressive. Loved it. The Penguin Parade started about 6:30pm. At the beach, we got to observe hundreds of cute little penguins coming in from the sea. They would waddle inland to their burrows. You know what? Penguins sound like gremlins. Unfortunately, photography and videography were not allowed, not that my Canon A95 would have managed any decent photos in the dark anyway.
The rangers at the Penguin Centre recommended us to have dinner at the nearby Taylor's Waterfront Restaurant. Fantastic service, but just slightly above average seafood. We ordered the lobster ravioli with lobster bisque (yumm!), salmon steak and a basket of fried seafood. After that, I drove back to Melbourne. Overnight parking rates in Melbourne are cutthroat in the CBD area, costing up to AUD50. All of us were tired, and we needed to conserve our energy for an even longer trip the next day-- The Great Ocean Road!
P.S.: Anything catch your eye in last collage? Spot 'em!
Comments
Philip Island IS the place where I enjoyed having the best ice cream .....with the antartic winds blowing! siao kan...u sld try it! ^_^
+Ant+
$4 for magnum and $5 for cornetto? Holy cow!!!
william is gay street :p
Not smell with the high winds blowing la. :P
I was busy sipping my caapucino, but it turned cold in minutes!
@Beng2:
LOL. I look like a minor.
@Famil:
Mahal kan? I didn't get to visit Gay St!