Yes, my very first solo
trip! I boarded my flight to Sydney with mixed feelings; excited, nervous and with
a little bit of fear to be travelling alone in a foreign land for the very
first time and here I embark on my journey to the land of kangaroos and
koalas!!!
To stay connected with my folks in Singapore, upon my arrival at Sydney before heading to Melbourne, the very first item that I had purchased in
Australia is the Optus Prepaid Mobile Data Sim Card (cost AUD$30, valid for
30 days with 1.5Gb data) which is available in the Sydney Airport International T1 Arrivals near exits A.
First stop: Melbourne
I took a domestic flight
from Sydney to Melbourne on the very first day once I have arrived Sydney. To
take domestic flights from Sydney, I transferred from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2
via Airport Link train, which cost AUD$5.80 (one way). The journey takes approximately
two minutes and there are frequent services between 5am and midnight daily.
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| Check out the double-deck train in Sydney |
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| Waiting for flight to Melbourne |
After long flights from
Singapore to Sydney and then Sydney to Melbourne, I took airport bus (Skybus) from Melbourne (Tullamarine) airport to Melbourne city to meet up with
a friend who lives in Melbourne to catch up over a dinner before heading to my
accommodation. When greeted by a familiar face in an unfamiliar land for my
first day in Australia; somehow I felt relieved.
I have always wanted to
try out AirBnb. Hence, most of my accommodations for this solo trip were booked
through AirBnb except for a few. The AirBnb host at Melbourne was very friendly
and helpful; she even provided me with Melbourne city maps and travel guides
and where the bus stops and tram station are in her neighbourhood to get to the
places I wanted to go.
5 minutes walk from my AirBnb accommodation; beautiful boardwalk at Port Melbourne beach;
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| Port Melbourne Beach |
Melbourne is known for one
of the most liveable cities in the world. Indeed it lives up to its name as you
wander through the vibrant city streets, where you get to see historical
buildings to modern buildings. Try exploring the Union Lane, alleys filled with
colourful and impressive street art. You can easily explore the city and access
the shopping district such as Swanston and Bourke Street via their free city
trams, where you can hop on and off the tram around the city at no cost as long
as you are travelling within the city tram zone.
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| In the colourful world |
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| Union Lane street art |
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| Alleys at Union Lane filled with street art |
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| St Paul Cathedral |
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| Flinders Street Station |
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| Yarra River |
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| Looking up from ground floor at Melbourne Central |
One of my favourite places
in Melbourne for fresh food is the Queen Victoria Market. I enjoyed shopping
around the market for fresh food and Australia souvenirs. Do try bratwurst
and chai latte from the Bratwurst Shop and Co, which is at a very affordable
price when you are there; the bratwurst goes especially well with sauerkraut, mustard
and cheese. Do save some stomach space for the Burek and churros too. The only minus point is there are no seats available for you to eat
there, however, they do have some standing area for you to grab some quick
bites.
There are days when I felt like
cooking my breakfast or dinner after a long day out exploring instead of dining
out. Believe it or not, one of my next most frequent places in Australia is
their supermarkets Coles and Woolsworth, where I buy my greens, bacon, bread
and nuts.
How one can miss the
beautiful beaches when you are in Australia? I have explored some of the
Melbourne beaches such as the Brighton Beach to see the famous colourful bathing boxes and to the St Kilda Beach to catch a glimpse of the cute little penguins
heading back to their nest daily after sunset.
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| The colourful bathing boxes at Brighton Beach |
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| Yachts around Brighton Beach |
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| Caught a glimpse of the little penguins at St Kilda Beach; apologies for the poor quality photo as flashlights are harmful to the penguins' eyes |
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