May Madness in Melbourne

Horseback riding in Mornington Peninsula

What did we do this past May you ask? Well, we ventured out of Melbourne and took a look at what the state of Victoria has to offer. We did first check out the Melbourne aquarium and instantly fell in love with the King Penguins, which very much replicate the movie Happy Feet with their playful attitude and adorable waddle. We could have spent the whole day watching them, but we thought we should see what other interesting creatures awaited us. There were massive stingrays, sharks and tropical fish from all over the Australian waters. Another thing that we’ve always wanted to do was horse riding (because where else would you ride a horse that you would have to specify horse ’back’ riding?) on the beach! We drove down to the Mornington Peninsula and with the waves crashing in and us trotting down the beach in the surf, it was a beautiful day to be out riding. We however did a lot more trotting that we’re normally used to when doing a simple trail ride, so needless to say we were feeling pretty sore for the next few days. We were fortunate enough to see Cat Empire on their 10th anniversary show at the Prince of Wales in St Kilda (amazing Aussie band worth checking out if they come to a city near you).

The following weekend was a day trip to Lorne with a couple of Aussie friends and a new Canadian friend. The drive was about two hours west of Melbourne and right on the water. With the waves crashing in while you drive around the bend is breathtaking and for a moment you want to jump in for a swim, then you realize that you’re wearing a jacket, toque, gloves, and Uggs and you think that looking at it is just as good. Even though we were layered up, there were still about 50 people surfing in the water, crazy I tell ya. Two days later we headed up to the Eureka Skydeck to see the observatory level. I have to say it’s nothing like the CN Tower, but it was nice to see the view of Melbourne at night.

Theresa and I decided to hire a car again and check out the Lululemon outlet where we got a few deals and will be going back for more a few times before coming home. As we had a late skype date with the girls from home, we were not able to do the shopping on Bridge Road, but headed straight to the hot springs in Mornington for a nice relaxing and warm evening. I guess that was the idea for several others as every pool was packed. It was still nice to hop from one spa to the next and the hottest one of 42 degrees was lovely. You could only stay in it for a few minutes, but it was fabulous. As winter was dawning on us, we needed some warmer clothes so it was time to pick up a few things from Chadstone Shopping Centre.

The last weekend in May was a jammed packed weekend. First it was after work drinks which ended up turning into an Oktoberfest celebration. We were walking down one of Melbourne’s famous alleyways and came across a German Hofbrauhaus where the beers are served by the litre and polka music with boys sporting leader-hosen outfits doing their traditional thigh-slapping dance. It was a ton of fun and we even got to do the chicken dance, how could it not be a good night?

The following day was a drive to Bendigo to visit with Brian and Cathy Brennan, who are friends of Mike. We first stopped by the Bendigo Pottery Gallery to see Cathy’s Salt and Pepper gallery where all her work is displayed for viewing and purchase. There were so many amazing paintings, hand made scarves, and unique jewelry pieces that we couldn’t leave without picking up a few things. We later enjoyed a lovely Thai dinner at an old post office where we had excellent conversation and shared in some laughs. Brian and Cathy later brought us to the Shamrock hotel where Princess Diana and Prince Charles visited when they came to Australia many years ago. Sunday involved visits to Australia’s largest timber church and looking inside the first gothic church made in the twentieth century in the Southern Hemisphere. It was quite the sight and with it being on the top of the hill, you can see it from very far away. Following a bit of sight seeing, we drove to the Hepburn Springs in Daylesford for an afternoon of tea and Devonshire cream and lounging in the Sanctuary pools. One pool even had lounge chairs with jets underneath them; it was very heavenly. I was so relaxed; I even had a quick nap in one of the lounge chairs looking out to the woods. This is how everyone should spend their Sunday afternoons. Stay tuned for our next entry when we tour around the land of the Tasmania devil.

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