I woke up exceptionally early today to join a day tour of the Mornington Peninsula. Took the free city tram to the tour operator and started my journey on a mini bus south of Melbourne. The grey weather threatened to ruin my ideal journey, but this is Melbourne: one minute it could be stormy, the next it would be sunshine and balmy. And true to its form, I arrived at my first destination with clear blue skies!
The Mornington Hot Spring is an off-beat destination for tourists. This was essentially the only hotspring I know in Australia and it was set on the rolling hills of the countryside. There were so many different pools of varying temperatures I could not find sufficient time to complete the entire course!
The first stop had to be the most popular one atop the hill. It was a small pool that could only contain around 10-15 pax and was directly under the bright Aussie sun rays! But the views were fantastic! You get the entire 360 degrees panoramic view of the rolling hills (with chilly winds to boot). There was always a queue there waiting to enter the pool and you often hear whimpers of shivering noises from the very patient 'queuers'.
I worked my way down, pool by pool, each with its own unique attractiveness. Most were shaded and all were calming. I made acquaintances with some locals and we were having the greatest time there!
Time flew by really quickly, and 3 hours were up! Our shuttle came and took us for lunch at the Pig and Whistle Tavern, a rustic restaurant set beside a vineyard. I had calamari for lunch together with a crisp glass of Moscato.
After lunch, we walked out into the sun for some wine tasting of the Bayview Estate. 2 whites and 2 reds, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Shiraz and Pinky Noir. However, none suited my palate. Still, it was nice drinking wine under the shade of a big tree, in the countryside with bright sunshine and blooming floras.
We were allowed to wonder into the vineyard afterwards for some pictures before departing for Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm.
It was a back breaking 20 minutes of trying to find the best berries in the field before I gave up and shopped at the in-house store. Didn't get anymore strawberries (I had to leave all those plucked in my room due to excessive amount of fruits!). But I did get some mini fruit jams for friends, as well as 2 bottles of cheap Manuka Honey! Boy, am I gonna have a heavy luggage to bring home now!
After the strawberry farm, it was off to a whimsical garden for the rest of the day at the Enchanted Adventure Garden. Nothing much there but just to see well manicured plants.
It was then a drive along the scenic coastal road by the bay, heading back to Melbourne city.
After a quick refreshing at my apartment, I rushed out to meet Tania again for dinner, this time at the nearby Noodles Market. Absolutely no idea why the name (as it didn't sell Ang noodles), but it has an assortment of global cuisines. I had Filipino BBQ and Chinese pork belly bun out in the cold winter's night, chatting with Tania like good ole friends.
We walked next to Chinatown for supper, although it was not fantastic. We bade farewell for the night as I walked my way back to my apartment for the night (as well as packing my luggage)
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