Melbourne: Puffing Billy, Wine and Wildlife

Three days in Melbourne goes by quickly, especially when you pack it full of sightseeing and day tours. Since we had so much fun with Gray Line Tours on the Great Ocean Road Adventure, we signed up for another with the other Captain and his wife because we wanted to see some Aussie animals.

Day 3: Puffing Billy, Wine and Wildlife Adventure:

Sherbrooke Forest - we stopped here for another Aussie style breakfast snack and Bush Billy tea. Since we tried the treats the day before, we opted to feed the birds instead of ourselves this time. When the food tray came out, dozens of Crimson Rosellas and King Parrots flocked our way. They were obviously very comfortable around people. We also took a trail walk through the forest and stopped into Grant's on Sherbrooke, a cafe and store, where I picked up a beautiful scarf (because it was still really cold in Melbourne!). 

Puffing Billy steam train - One big highlight on this day trip was a ride on the historic steam train through the Mountain Ash forest of the Blue Dandenong Ranges on part of the original track used during the early 1900s rural development. After a landslide blocked the track in 1953, the line was closed but preserved by public interest. Eventually new track was laid to bypass the landslide and part of the line opened as a tourist attraction. Most of the men working the line are volunteers. mrC made friends with one of the conductors who rode in our car and narrated the journey. 

Louise Ferguson Winery lunch - another highlight of the trip was our lunch stop at a local winery located in the Yarra Valley. In addition to a delicious meal of Prime Aged Charolais Beef cooked on a turning spit in an open fireplace, there was wine tasting in the "cellar." After lunch we strolled around the vineyard, that even in the winter time was picturesque.

Yarra Valley Chocolatier - It was a short drive for a post-lunch sweet feast of chocolate and ice cream. We watched European Chocolatiers at work and browsed display after display of premium chocolate while delighting in spoonful samples.  

Healesville Sanctuary - the final stop of the day was a visit to see Australian wildlife. The sanctuary (much like a zoo), is home to over 200 animals in a natural bushland setting. We were given an exclusive VIP tour by an expert guide. We came face to face with koalas (but no, we did not get to hold or touch them), walked through paddocks of wallabies and kangaroos (almost got to touch one), and got up close and personal while feeding emus! We also learned a lot about Australian birds during the "Spirits of the Sky" demonstration, observed the underwater habits of the platypus, watched Tasmanian Devils, and tons more. 

Come back to see what we did in Sydney, our next stop on our Australian adventure.

Previous posts:

Melbourne: Exploring the City
Melbourne: Great Ocean Road Adventure

Melbourne: Exploring the City

Visiting Australia has been on my bucket list since I was a kid and I read a book about a group saving koala bears from bush fires. When mrC was tagged with a two week trip, we quickly figured out how I could meet him for part of it.

We did so many amazing things that I'll be sharing my Australian experience in multiple posts.

After arriving in Melbourne on a red-eye from Hong Kong and resting a bit at the hotel, mrC and I set out to explore.

Day 1: Sightseeing 

Degraves Street - this is one of Melbourne's best laneways featuring charming shops and cafes. It was like walking into a postcard scene and it was only a block or so away from the hotel. We popped into a tiny cafe to grab "long black" coffees to-go and then roamed the street checking out all the goodies.

Visitor Shuttle - a shuttle which allows visitors to easily hop on/off at various spots around the city. A two day pass was only $10AUD. mrC and I used the shuttle to explored as much of Melbourne as we could despite some chilly and sometimes rainy weather. We did a little pre-planning using the Melbourne website and knew which of the 13 stops we wanted to hop off and explore. Each bus offered free wifi and live audio commentary along the route. 

Queen Victoria Market - we strolled the stalls of this large open market looking for delicious produce and quirky souvenirs. It was fun to see the local items (boomerangs, Merino wool products, indigenous artwork) mixed among the usual touristy tees and trinkets. We walked away with some winter wear. Melbourne was experiencing one of its coldest winter days.

Harbour Town - we were excited to check out the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel. It was as much fun as the Osaka Ferris wheel and bigger. We had great views of Melbourne while listening to a recorded narrative that described what we could see.

Southbank - we headed to the Eureka Tower for more stunning views of the city. Skydeck 88 is the highest public vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere.  

South wharf promenade - with the water on one side and a line of restaurants on the other we walked until we found gluten free pizza at World Restaurant and Bar. We'd been fasting all day and we never get gf pizza in China! It was an easy walk across the river and through the underground pedestrian walkway back to the hotel on Flinders Street.

It was an amazing first day exploring the city.

More Australia posts are coming soon!

Ever been to Melbourne?