And Then We Went On Tour: Adelaide

And Then We Went On Tour: Adelaide

 View from Melbourne Airport's departure lounge

We try to pace ourselves in all the different cities we stay in; apart from seeing friends and visiting places of interest, we like to have a chance to catch up on some rest, and perhaps just pootle around on a leisurely drive to see the scenery, or enjoy an afternoon kip!

I knew I would miss my newspapers, so I took a couple of copies of my favourite "rags" with me: reading a few articles each day, making the news (even stale news!) last! I eked out solving all the crosswords - quick, cryptic, and general knowledge; I like being able to exercise the old brain on a regular basis.

After leaving Melbourne, it was a short flight to Adelaide: a smooth and easy hour and a half that flew(!) by!  Whilst in the air, we were served some nice food, accompanied by a choice of wine. Well, I don't drink anyway, but we refused ours, explaining, "No, we're fine thank you; we're hiring a car as soon as we land in Adelaide, so we won't have anything to drink." A short while later, the steward came back and handed Wendy and me two unopened bottles each, with the smiling comment: "Thank you for being such responsible drivers!" That was such a nice thought; and Wendy does enjoy a glass of wine, when it's safe to do so.

Once landed in Adelaide, and with bags reclaimed from the carousel, we found the car rental office, collected the car, and were soon underway into town. Driving to the next Apartment Hotel was no problem, but this was where we hit a hitch.

The Reception was in the main hotel, and we went there to check in. We already knew the apartment was in another building - this was fine; there was also no lift, and we'd have to climb a flight of stairs to reach it - also fine, we can manage one flight! However, when we drove round to the apartment block, the reality was somewhat different; it was absolutely not what we had expected. 

Maybe all the other places we've enjoyed staying in have spoiled us. Yes, it was a two bedroomed apartment; but it was tiny, and with two massive Chesterfield-style sofas crammed into a small lounge area, just getting in through the front door was quite a squeeze, leaving no room for comfort for the occupants. There was no dining table, just a low coffee table, and of the two bedrooms, one had only a rudimentary wardrobe, already filled up with a hoover, ironing board and other bits and pieces - and no rail to hang our dresses on! - whilst the second bedroom had no wardrobe at all. The kitchen was awful; the dishwasher still held remnants of a dishwasher tablet not fully dissolved stuck inside. Wendy, who knows about these things, reckoned the lower arm of the machine was broken, so it would not work properly anyway. The washing machine was suspect as well. 

Finally, the "one flight of stairs" was actually in two sections with metal treads, and clearly a fire escape, as there was no other way out of the apartment. 

Reader: We rejected it! The Receptionist at the Hotel was terribly apologetic; it was not her fault, and we really felt for her, but we were not prepared to accept something so clearly below standard. Maybe this apartment would suit backpackers, who just wanted somewhere to stow their bags before heading off somewhere else, but that definitely wasn't us.

Wendy swiftly looked up another apartment; it was one which she had considered earlier, but had decided against, because there was no 24-hour reception facility. We now realised we could manage without that and would learn how to check-in on line. The apartment was still available, and within a couple of minutes, we had secured it and were on our way. 

 

Melbourne Airport, And Meeting A Member Of The Chiefs Rugby Team!

 

Melbourne Airport, And Meeting A Member Of The Chiefs Rugby Team!

Checking in at Melbourne airport for our flight to Adelaide, we were struck by how many very handsome, well-built young chaps were milling around in the departure lounge! I got chatting to one of them; they were all members of the professional Gallagher Chiefs Rugby Team from New Zealand. Based in Hamilton, the Chiefs were founded in 1996 and were touring Australia, playing matches at various venues. I'm more of a cricketing lady, but it was interesting to learn how the players had fared during their tour; I could even be persuaded to attend a match or two! Wendy and I wished them well.

The Puffing Billy

The Puffing Billy

An hour's drive from Melbourne takes you to the home of the Puffing Billy train service, that starts at Belvedere Station.

There is a variety of different services available, of varying lengths, and Wendy and I opted for a trip that would last for an afternoon, taking us from Belvedere to Lakeside and back.

 

Unfortunately, a steam loco wasn't available for our journey:  

so we were diesel-hauled there and back; but we did see one of the other engines in steam pulling away from the station, with some intrepid passengers sitting on the window sills, their legs dangling out into thin air!

  Crossing over one of the trestle bridges on the line

 

 Wendy enjoying the journey! 

The view from the Station Restaurant at Lakeside. We had booked an afternoon tea, which was delicious, and really set us up for the rest of the afternoon.   

Site of the 1953 landslide, that covered the original track

Oh, to have a letter to post back home, to tell of a great day out!

And Then We Went On Tour: Melbourne

And Then We Went On Tour: Melbourne

After the sad business and investigations concerning Uncle John were all concluded, Wendy and I then felt free and happy to make the most of our grand tour of Australia: seeing dear friends we hadn't met up with for years (some for as long as 23 years!) and a couple of people we had only been in touch with through phone calls, letters and e-mails. We were looking forward to meeting them face to face at last.

We made the most of the rest of our stay in Brisbane, visiting Mount Kuthar; it's not far from Brisbane, and is not all that high! but it does enjoy extensive views over the city. On another day, we drove to Ipswich (no, not all the way back to Suffolk in England!), to visit the Queensland Railway Workshops - a very impressive facility, with a wonderful model railway layout to boot. Obviously built with love and care, we appreciated the intricate timetabling and the many different areas of Queensland featured over such a large area; we wished we had a couple of days more to take it all in, but at least Wendy and I had a fine taste of what was on offer. 

After Brisbane, we had booked a Quantas flight to Melbourne; as usual, Wendy reserved a beautiful apartment for us, and hired a car - she would not want us to be without our own wheels for long!

Wendy is so well-organised on these trips. As soon as we check in to an apartment, Wendy is straight into making sure everything is clean, ship-shape and (an old Royal Navy term) "Bristol Fashion" for us. First off, she puts the dishwasher on for a full cycle, before loading it with all the crockery and cutlery and setting it on for another full wash; as she says, you can never be sure how fastidious the previous occupants have been! 

 Our Tyrian 2-bedroomed apartment 

The view from the balcony of our apartment

Whilst the dishwasher goes through its programme, we boil out the kettle several times, and put the washing machine on for a pre-wash; then we set off in the car to find a branch of either Coles and Woolworths supermarket, to stock up with supplies! Woolworths in Australia is not the same incarnation of Woolworths that we used to have in the UK - the British version was not a supermarket, and Australia's has everything we need and like, and we do love the food available there.

Wendy is especially fond of the Chocolate Eclairs you can buy; the English varieties in Tesco or Sainsbury's tend to be mere shadows of the ones in Oz. The Woolworth's version is especially good: gorgeous, long plump fingers of choux pastry, filled with a copious amount of proper cream, and covered with lashings of delicious chocolate. They come in packs of two, and we were not stingy with the numbers of eclairs to which we treated ourselves! (See - I have not ended the sentence with a preposition...)

The first full day of our stay in Melbourne was spent riding the Puffing Billy train. The Station is a good hour's run from the city, and we enjoyed an afternoon riding from Belverdere to Lakeside and  back.

The following day, we had the pleasure of seeing the lovely couple we met on our first visit to Brisbane, back in 2001. At that time, they were running apartments called Greenslopes, and our friendship has lasted and developed over all the ensuing years; it was wonderful to have the chance to see them again at last.

They now live in Wangaratta, but they drove down to Melbourne, also booking an apartment in the Tyrian Hotel. As we find so often happens with lovely friends whom we haven't seen for a long while, after a few minutes, it felt as though the intervening years had simply slipped by, and it had been no time at all since we last met; we picked up again exactly where we left off. Slightly older (well, maybe quite a bit older!), we're still the same people, still happy and enthusiastic, and with great memories to reminisce about, and new experiences to relate.

Melbourne at night, and the Infinity Pool on the roof of the Tyrian Apartments

Roof-top view of Melbourne at night

We didn't have very much time to explore Melbourne: that will have to wait for another day, and another visit, but we did drive into the Central Business District, which is a bustling metropolis, and maybe one day we'll also be able to visit other places of historical interest that lie further afield, especially Wangaratta, which has its own Ned Kelly Touring Route. This treasure trove of Australian history takes you back in time to the late 1800s, when Ned and his gang were running amok through the Victorian High Country.  

The Kelly Gang’s legacy was formed over two years between 1878 and 1880, but the Route in question spans all the way from Melbourne to southern New South Wales; places to discover along the way, are the Old Melbourne Gaol, Victoria Police Museum, Stringybark Creek, and Beveridge – Ned’s first home – among many other points of interest. 

We don't know when "next time" will be, but these things remain on our "to-do" list.