Melbourne anyone??

Hi kk,
Yalor, Aus$ is stronger and stronger now. Just saw the conversion rate at internet and its S$1 to A$0.79!
Will we get the same rate when we change? Or the money changer rate will be lower than what we see in internet?
 


Hi Tryinghard,

I dunno about other money changers. For the one i frequent regularly, on their digital board i see rate 1.267. I was so upset! But i approached the counter and asked them to quote, they give me 1.255 which is better. Seem to be a bit off from internet which states 1.25, but not very big difference lor
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U can try asking a few money changers at the same time. Due to competition in the same area (i went to parkway parade and there are 5 money changers there) u may get a very good price from one of them. I heard chinatown is a good place to get ur money changed too. I always see long queue at one of the money changers there.
 
Hi Gals,

Heard from news that there is a serious heavy downpour in melbourne today. How's the situation like now? Everything's ok?
 
hi gals,

i hv changed to aus $, currency rate e best i got is 1.267.

btw heard that there are raining hail stones as big as golf balls, so scary esp i m leaving tmr. any latest updates fr those living in melbourne?
 
Hi Kite,

Me anxious to know the situation there too! But i saw the nite news and think the downpour has stopped. So i believe it is ok liao.
 
hi gals!

i m back from melbourne! really really miss the great ocean road. We dont really like the city (no offend) as we prefer sightseeing. We self drive to great ocean rd for 3days 2 nites, very fun. ok below is my summary of my trip.

Day 1 - fly to mel from sg.

Day 2 - reach mel at 8am very very cold abt 20degrees. took a cab to hotel, cant check it as check in time is 2pm. therefore we went to roam around. as flinder st. station n federation square is just opposite our hotel, we went there to buy maps n get alot of infos.

went myer, david jones n all the major shopping centre. myer got christmas display story, very cute u can see alot of ppl lining up to watch e cute animated show. Went to chinatown. lunch at Camy shanghai dumpling noodles, so-so only though very big bowl with ard 8 dumplings n cheap. after tat,

went to queen victoria market to buy sovernirs and nougats. bot the nougats at AU$25.90 the cheapest. bought a carton back (with 6 packets) at cheaper price. we took almost the afternoon to shop there. alot of cheap cheap stuffs like pasar malam.

evening very very cold too, walked to crown casino. wow crown casino very nice, got christmas shows n carolling, the lightings are very impressive. went there to hv dinner buffet at Sante, quite ex, per person AU$18.50 (excluding drinks, need to buy ur own drinks). food so-so only. after dinner, just outside crown casino, we watched the balls of fire, very impressive! it's oso great to take pics along yarra river and its magnicient night view! beautiful!

Day 3: day tour to yarra valley, heavlsville santury and dandedongs national park. alot of birds at dandedong park, very cute, they wil fly to ur head, shoulders, very fun. yarra valley - went there to hv lunch n wine tasting for free. santury - went there to see all e wildlife animals.
at nite, went to Mei Kong vietnamese noodle shop for dinner. THUMBS UP! very nice. we went back twice for dinner on Day 4. very big bowl n cheap too. Since mei kong is just ard e corner at myer, we strolled back to our hotel.

Day 4: took a train to richmond, went to Minh tan 2 for lunch, not nice n ex too n e ppl there very unfriendly, i tink they r from HK. anyway there are alot of factory outlets there, can do some shopping but stuffs quite ex. oh ya can go to Dimmy department store to shop, can get cheap stuffs n chocolate over there, very nice.

again, dinner went to Mei kong, Yummy!

Day 5: drove up to great ocean rd. went to torquay surf museum n the surf shops over there. basically all e shops there r quite ex except a few selling cheaper. nothing much over there. went to torquay surf beach, then to angelesea surf beach, spiltpoint light house, erskine and carisbrook waterfall (need to climb at least 5 to 10mins) and finally stopping at apollo bay for a nite. we hv fish n chip for dinner at 1 res, very freshed n nice! yummy.

Day 6: drove to marriner's lookout to view the aerial of apollo bay, very nice. need to climb up to the hill top. fantastic! then to Otway fly top tree walk, need to pay admission fee. nice walk at 30 to 45metres above ground, though abit scary if u afraid of heights. Next went to Cape Otway lighthse, need to pay admission too. Nothing much, i feel spiltpoint lighthse is better than cape otway lighthse.

then we proceed to gibbsons steps, 12 apostles, lorch ard gorge, blowhole, london bridge, bay of islands n etc. the thing tat we cant stand is the sun (very hot) and alot of houseflies, so irritating but the breathtaking view make me forget all tis. hehe

we stayed at warrnambool for a nite and went to flaghill museum to hv dinner at a posh res inside it and then later went to catch e shipwreck lasershow (all tis including in my tour package). the lasershow not worth, abit bo liao but since its come in our package, we just went for it.

day 7: home sweet home, fly bk to sg. cant bear leaving mel.

tat's all. any qs, feel free to ask me.
 
Hi kite,

ur honeymoon sounds so romantic and interesting.

May I know how much is ur tour package? Free and easy or with the tour?
And how much did u spend in all for 2 person..
Do u know when is the best time to visit melbourne?
Is driving easy over there, clear road signs, not easy to get lost?...
OOps. sorry for so many questions... but I really got excited when I read ur itenary!
 
Hi hoshi5,

eh this is not my honeymoon. its just a holiday trip with my FH. hehe next yr then honeymoon, hvnt decide where to go. but i really miss mel, how i wish i can b bk again, exploring grampians n other parts, hmm but wil definitely skip e city!

well, my package is free and easy. total costs for both of us abt $3.2k and the package is 7days5nites which includes car rental from Hertz, free day tour to yarra valley as i mentioned in Day3, oso includes free flagstaff hill museum, dinner n shipwreck lasershow at warnnambool.

we spent abt AU$1k there since last 2 weeks the aussie currency is getting stronger n stronger. last wk i heard is 1.3! the rate i changed was 1.267.

weather there is unpredictable. 1st two days, its was cool, 3rd to 5th day it was quite warm but cold at nite, last day when we drove back the car to melbourne airport, it was very very cold like 1st day so cold, abt 20 degrees if i m not wrong.

yes! dun worry, it so easy to drive n navigate ard with a detailed map. i read e map n gave directions to my FH n we didnt get lost at all. but perhaps try to avoid driving in e city. we only drove to great ocean rd.
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any more qs, feel free ask me. so when wil b u gg to Mel?
 
hi kite:
me had planned going mel on june 2004 for my honeymoon... which r the place i should not miss... will b joining tour cos i hates reading MAP....
 
hi bread,

r u a city or nature lover? for us, we prefer great ocean rd as there are alot of sightseeing.

b4 i went, i borrowed mel & victoria lonely planet books and highlight what r e places i wanted to go along great ocean rd and mel city.

i tink if possible, u shld go to yarra valley, philips island to view the pengiuns (we miss that cos day tour there very ex), 12 apostles, waterefalls, grampians n etc. i tink its based on individual preferences too. if u like spa n etc, its wil b e northen side of mel. for us we basically drove up to the western side of victoria.
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hi all,
reading all the comments about mel here, i already fallen for the city though haven't been there b4.

Will certainly go on jan'04, take free n' easy too.
We plan to do the tour by ourself to this places, won't drive but take public transportation, instead.
Anybody can help me about the direction (by any public transportation) to:
1. Puffing bill and yara valley
2. Sovereign Hill and Ballarat

For your opinions, which one offer better view: Sovereign Hill or Penguin Island?
 
hi gals,

oh ya i forget to add in. my Day3 day tour includes puffing billy too, the steam train, very fun. everyone on e road passby will wave to us, so friendly! lol
 
Hi kite,
Welcome back to spore! Glad you had lots and lots of fun!

By the way, i just arrived last night in spore too! HA haaa! 3 years of studying in melb is enough.. Pheeewww..

Mekong is a really nice place. Lots of movie stars go there to eat the yummy beef noodles! Did you try the rice paper rolls? These are good too! Now i'm missing melb food.. HAaaa..

So did you take lots of pics? Upload them and send us the links ok? I'm sure those 7 days were really really great!

So when are you flying there again?? HA haaa!
 
Hi Kite!

Guess u must have enjoyed ur trip very much!

Me too
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Back on Sunday. Miss the place
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Miss the weather most of all!
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I went to Warrook Farm and Philip Island Penguin parade and Koala Conservation Centre on free day. I have got a better deal by getting my own online pass in Singapore. The tour agent got a more expensive deal for those interested in Philip Island on Free day.

I enjoy great ocean road very very much!! Wow, the scenery of the 12 apostles is really great! Wonderful! I tell my hubby it is like heaven paradise! My hubby say he dun mind going there again.. hahaha... it can really make one relax the mind.

We kept within our spending budget so was really happy about it. The total tour package was $1500. And we changed AUD$800 but we still had AUD30 to bring back Singapore
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Hi Chloe,

I dunno about soverign Hill. I believe Soverign Hill and philip island offer totally different views. Philip Island is very very beautiful. U won't regret. The fairy penguins can really catch ur hearts! hahaha... U just feel like smuggling some back to Singapore and keep them as pets.. kekekee
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Hi bread,

I was totally on a tour package, hate reading maps too. hahaha... but we have to read some maps on our free roaming if there is. But not much to be done. Tour package i think so far still ok. At least u get to cover some major attractions without hassle and food is provided for
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Eating in australia is not cheap! Pretty comparable to singapore. We get our unprovided meals from coles express supermart. We took light meals like cheesecake, lagsane. We bought those stuff from the supermart and brought them back to hotel to enjoy
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Hi Butterfly,

Ya rite! melbourne food is great! I love the fish and chips i had on philip island and the coach driver even commented that fish and chips is not the best! Can imagine?
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Even the cheesecake bought at supermart can be so much better than those sold in singapore cafe restaurants. Yummy! Very rich in cheese. And their food is really cheesy which we enjoy a lot!
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Hi Kite,

U flew on Thurs and I flew on the following Tue rite, if i did not remember wrongly?

When we were there, weather was great! Except it was very icy cold at great ocean road due to the winds. But generally the city is ok. Philp island cold too cos the penguins only came to the shore at 845pm. So by then we are shivering.. hahaha.. but bearable compared to GOR winds. On the last day when we are coming back in the afternoon, weather getting warm. We did not have our sweaters on liao. Even some locals were walking with bare tops! They really can't tolerate warmth! hahaha...
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remember something aussie shop? I got my nougats there at special price of $24.90. I grabbed two packets from there. Things at the shop slightly more expensive than queen vic mkt, but more unique but it is still worth it if tourists are going for quality.

we went to queen vic mkt early sat morning and grabbed a lot of souvenirs from there. Actually i bought my souvenirs from everywhere, including shop at philip island for e.g.
 
Hiyee butterfly,

nice to hear from you again! wow u r back in SG. hows life in SG, do u feel any difference between mel & sg? i really miss mel since the day i came back. haha i hv snapped abt 300+ photos, lol. keep seeing my mel photos but hvnt organise yet lah. if got time, then i wil upload cos now start preparing for my wedding next yr.
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Yes we went Mei kong twice n ate the spring roll and the rice paper rolls, yummy, very nice leh. My FH ordered large bowl of noodles while me order medium one. hehe small bowl scare not enough. hehe.

so preparing for ur big day too? so when r u gg back again? me? no idea when gg bk, but really very tempted to go bk....really miss miss.

Hi KK,

glad u enjoyed ur trip. my trip was really enjoyable especially e self drive part along the spectacular great ocean rd, very fun driving ard and stopping n take photos where ever we liked. hehe even went climbed up just to see e waterfalls, though tiring but very worth it. hehe. me too bought all the souvenirs fr queen victoria market, we walked through all e stalls, haha best buys manz!

wish that my holiday is longer! urggh
 
Hi Kite!

Wow, so many photos! I only had around 108 photos.. hahaa.. that is even less than half of urs
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will post mine up probably tonite
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In queen vic mkt, there was this stall owner who was really friendly. And he kept on giving discounts on every item.. haha... he said until we totally blur... he can quote us prices like if buy 1, pay how much, if buy 2 pay how much, if buy 3 pay how much and if buy this, buy that got discount, etc etc etc... really cute guy
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He even handed us his namecard
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For me, i think 6 days is enough for me to stay in Melbourne, although i did not get to see many things. But perhaps may wish to go back again on another day, instead of continuing the 6 days. I am pretty glad i did not manage to extend my stay
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Come to think of it, if i can have more than 6 days, i would hop to another city like sydney to discover more
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Yah rite, me and hubby are already aiming to go back to aust again next dec. Perhaps going to Perth, Cairns or even back to melbourne!
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hi kk,

looking forward to see ur photos hehe. mine wil be later if i m more free ok.
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hmm i thought of thinking of gg to new zealand and/or tasmania for my honeymoon, anyway hvnt decide yet, stil got 1 yr to go.
 
Hi Kite,

Yah rite! I heard tasmania is another great place to visit in Australia! Nice scenery, with nice penguins too.. hahaha... we are simply crazy over those small birds now
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Btw, u can view my photos at http://photos.yahoo.com/kerenelu now. Photos not very well taken and most of them nature photos, not many pple photos. Hope u dun mind
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hi kk, your pics are very nice, esp the great ocean road ones.. blue blue skies and blue blue sea.. can tell it is hot..
 
hi
can i check.. thought its summer time in melbourne? so, could be veri hot. but from some of ur postings, it seems quite cold there.. can any one advise on the weather. i am going for honeymoon in mid jan. thks!
 
Hi Yve,

Oh, not hot at all. In fact the winds are icy cold.. haha.. some photos tend to be blurry cos there is something like haze.

Hi Gnny,

Weather is getting warmer in melbourne now. When we were there, temperature was around 20 deg maybe. Bearable cold and most of the time coolness. So it was really nice
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hi gnny,

on the 1st day we reached melbourne 5 dec, it was very cold i tink 20 or below degrees. everyone was wearing thick clothings.....woooo

2nd day in city oso cold but went up to dandenongs n yarra valley, it's hot! then when we arrived bk in city, it was so cold again.

then 3rd day in city bcoming warm n hot! sun was shining! hehe

4 to 6 days at great ocean rd was hot too! imagine i got SUNBURNT when catching all e rock formations. when i reach warnnambool, then i realised it haha cos i was wearing spaghettic!

last day when we drove bk to mel airport, it was drizzling little and very very cold again.

mel's weather is so unpredictable!!!
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hi kk and kite~
thks 4 ur info. it seems like weather is really unpredictable. so have to bring warm jackets as well as spaghetti....
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just wondering, are melb and syd a bit crowded around this time? we plan to go on 11-21 jan

Gnny, do u go by packaged tour or F and E?
 
hi gnny,

ok enjoy ur trip! u sure wil love this trip. free n easy, self drive?

hi chloe,

hmm probably quite crowded cos it's their holiday. their sch holiday started in mid dec til jan. though not sure which exact week does their holidays end. :p
 
gnny,
sounds we have the same plan. Hubby and I will go F&E too, get ticket from CB for 7d/5n twin city Mel-Syd, plan to extend longer though.
Where do u get the ticket? We buy for $1288/each.

We won't drive either, also will take public transport. Try only take tour (buy APT voucher) to GOR and Blue Mountain.

Wud u like to share your itinerary w/ me, my email is [email protected]
 
hi chloe
we are only staying at melbourne lor. but hor, no itinerary yet. hehe still going thro loney planet. but GOR is a must!
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ok, gnny, have fun planning yr trip. I also have been still searching thru it.
Have u bought the ticket already? Using which travel? and where will u stay in Mel?
 
hi gnny,

that time me also using lonely planet guide book, very useful, the places e guide recommeded very scenic n beautiful, must go. some i skipped it cos not much time even though we explore GOR 3days2nites.

in mel city, we stayed in ramada mel hotel, very convenient, just opp flinder st station n within e city in walking distance
 
wa, kite
u explore GOR 3 days 2 nites!!!

chloe
mine is a promotion from california fitness. so its around $2100 for 6 nites in marriott melbourne. booked air tix liao... cant rem the name of the travel agent, honey dunno wat...
 
Hi all,

thanks for the lovely comments on melbourne.

I'm planning to go there prob end June, F&E for abt 5 days or so.
Since Natas fair coming up, hope u gals can really give me ideas on what to look out for and which travel agent offers the best deal, etc.
We prefer mixture of nature and shopping.

kite: ur itenary is very good... can u give me more info on ur travel agency...etc..

Thanks!
 
Hi Hoshi,

Melbourne in June is very cold... make sure u got enough clothings...
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i went in August the last time and it was already very cold although its the end of winter...

Mount Buller is a must during winter... but not sure if there are already snow in june...

Great Ocean Road and Philips Island also a must...
(never went but heard from my friends who extended the trip)

i think 5 days is not enough if you wan to explore Melbourne... the journey to and fro already took up quite some time...

personally i feel that there are nothing much to shop in melbourne. wat they have there we also have in singapore...
 
Hi Hoshi,

Yah, i do agree with IceCherry. If u are going on free and easy, dun think 5 days enough for the trip. Me and my hubby went on a 6 days fully guided trip with everything well provided for and we already feel it a rush. Everyday was fully packed. Basically u need one day for GOR, one day for other places such as mornington peninsula, and another day for philip island. So can imagine how rush it will be if u are only going for a 5 days trip!

Yes, GOR and Philip Island are a must in the iti. U can also try sovereign Hill. Do try the puffing Billy. Heard it is great fun and we miss the chance to try
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Will do that on my second trip there
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hi icecherry,

must go to GOR. my FH and I went mel last yr dec for a 7 day trip and self drive. we spent 3 days driving along GOR and stayed at apollo bay and warnnambool during e 2 nites. really enjoyable n fun as we stopped as we drove and enjoyed e scenic. it's better if u self drive n go up to gor. And also dont miss the Grampians, it's really spectacular too. too bad i dont hv time to explore grampians.
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hope to go back to mel next time.
 
Hi Gals,

Can share with me where did u stay in melbourne?
Also, did u get the hotel urself or is it thru the tour package.... is the hotel far from the airport?

Dun think we will self drive coz we've never been to melbourne b4... ;p

Can u also share with me ur notes taken on melbourne...please... thanks so much.
U can email to [email protected]
 
Hi Hoshi

I stayed at Duxton Hotel. its just opposite Flinders Rail Station. got it thru package. its quite a distance from the airport but within walking distance to Victoria Market and Hard Rock Cafe. i think tour agencies will provide transfers to the hotel.
 
Hi Hoshi,

Same as IceCherry, we stayed at Duxton Hotel on our trip there
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The rooms are pretty small i would say and if u are going for good hotels, i dun think Duxton Hotel can really make its mark. But great view of Flintons Rail Station there and it draws big crowds in that area, so making that place lively and attractive
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It is very near to 7-11 outlets and Cool Express 24-hr supermart too. Very convenient
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Btw, u can get online passes for attractions as well as 2-way transfers between airport and hotel via the website. Can do this in Singapore before u leave for melbourne and everything will fall in place
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I booked my online pass to Philip Island and everything turned out fine
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Hi Hoshi,

i stayed in Ramada Melbourne hotel, it's near to Duxton hotel, just a lane away. got it thr a f&E package too. Btw Ramada and Duxton are very gd location in the sense that Flinder street station is just opposite both hotels. however, Ramada is even nearer to Federation square and flinder st. station. And right behind, it's those small cafes and all the way up to myer n david jones departmental stores, very convenient. At night we stroll there for dinner and back to our hotel.
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Hi IceCherry, kk & kite,

how do rate the cleanliness and safety level for the hotel that you stayed in? And how much did you apy? Thanks.
 
hi tobebride

to me, Duxton hotel is quite ok. clean and comfortable, though the room is rather small. i dun mind staying there the next time i go melbourne. according to the tour agency, its a 4 stars hotel.
 
Hi kk,

u mean that u can do the online booking from the hotel website or what?... *blur*...
I know that some hotels provide day tour to tourists attractions like phillip island, GOR... how? tat means, we book eg: 3days with the hotel, then take their package (2D) to GOR??
Sorry, I very lorsoh.... hehe....

Hi all,
So, it's recommended to take either Ramada or Duxton?... how much do they charge per night? any airport transfers provided? is it better to book directly thru them or thru sing travel agencies?
 
Hi Hoshi,

i think both hotels are fine. Melbourne is a nice and clean place so i think you needn't worry too much about the accommodation.
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as for the charges i am not too sure cos i went on a tour package. for my case, airport transfers are included.

why not u try their websites? i think u should be able to find out more... their rates and hotel pics... etc...

maybe u can take up a free and easy package with our local agencies and book tours to phillips island/mt buller/Great Ocean Road online (with Australia tour agencies)?

this way u can plan your own itinery and dun have to follow the tour agency's itinery, cos sometimes it can be very rushed and they take u to places u dun really want to go.
 


I tot f&e package with sing agency will only include airfare and accomodation?...
So, if I book with them, then I go research see which hotel in the package and find out whether they have tours issit?
Coz my friends told me tat usually hotels will have their own tours provided and if u go to places like phillip island/GOR, best to stay overnight.
Then in tat case, how many days shld I book for my F&E? What abt extension for the return flight?
 

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