Melbourne Conference Trip 4th May – 12th May
I must say that on the whole, my Melbourne trip was a pleasant working trip. Despite so many heavyweights in the group (8 VPs and 7 HODs!), we had an interesting mix of characters amongst us. The many jokes we shared amongst ourselves made the long bus journeys more enjoyable and work more bearable.
The weather in Melbourne in May was cool, as it was the beginning of winter, with temperatures between 11 to 17 degrees Celsius. Fortunately, it rained sparingly while we were there, so our journey and moods weren’t affected by it. Just like any other Western country, most of Melbourne’s shops close at 6pm, so there wasn’t really much shopping to do. However, we had the opportunity to visit the Victoria Market on the 1st day and I bought AUD$20 worth of fruits. As Australia is famous for its agricultural products, fruits were in abundance there. (Apple, orange, mandarin orange, grapes, banana, rock melon, honeydew, pineapple, lemon, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, pear, persimmon) Even the apples were named for their variety! (Green - Granny Smith, Pink – Pink Lady, Red – Royal Gala)
The food there is not so fantastic where variety is concerned, as breakfast is usually muffins, baked beans, scrambled eggs, French toast. Australians tend to have a light and healthy lunch of cold sandwiches and crepes. Dinner is either a plain or expensive affair, depending on choice. One can either settle for the usual Western fair of fast food/Fish & Chips or other flavours. If not for the Chinese, Muslim, Vietnamese and Indian restaurants in the vicinity of our hotel, our tastes buds would have been tortured beyond redemption. Another thing worth noting is Australians prefer their cakes SWEET, quite unbearable even for one who possesses a sweet tooth. Even the foreign restaurants cook their meals with higher salt content to suit the Australians’ taste buds (which leaves me to wonder why have bland lunch but rich flavoured dinner?)
Our first recreational trip was to see the Twelve Apostles (十二圣徒岩) along the Great Ocean Road (大洋路). They are part of the coastal landforms created out of the constant erosion of the Victorian coastline. In fact, they are usually featured on many advertisements showcasing natural landscapes. Due to the extent of erosion, only 7 out of the original 12 rocks are left standing today. I strongly recommend those who haven’t seen them to go before all 12 are gone for good. It’s a pity we couldn’t stay over there to catch the sunset and sunrise, which must be awesome. I guess the calendars I bought will suffice.
Philip Island is cold. The main purpose of travelling for 3 hrs in our bus to the island is to catch a glimpse of the penguins returning nightly to their nest after fishing the whole day. Upon reaching the island, you can feel the strong gales of cold wind coming from the Antarctic, and since penguins don’t return till the sun has set, we had to time our visit well so that we don’t have to suffer the chilling wind but still get to see the penguins. The species found on Philip Island smaller than those you usually see on documentaries, but the whole affair was an experience nonetheless. Other than the cold, the only thing that marred our image of Philip Island was a lack of social grace from other foreign visitors. Many a times while we are silently following the penguins back to their nests, one can hear many LOUD conversations in Mandarin and sometimes Indian Languages. Fortunately, no Singlish was overheard, otherwise Singaporeans will be blacklisted by another fair city for its ungracious behaviour.
The weather in Melbourne in May was cool, as it was the beginning of winter, with temperatures between 11 to 17 degrees Celsius. Fortunately, it rained sparingly while we were there, so our journey and moods weren’t affected by it. Just like any other Western country, most of Melbourne’s shops close at 6pm, so there wasn’t really much shopping to do. However, we had the opportunity to visit the Victoria Market on the 1st day and I bought AUD$20 worth of fruits. As Australia is famous for its agricultural products, fruits were in abundance there. (Apple, orange, mandarin orange, grapes, banana, rock melon, honeydew, pineapple, lemon, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, pear, persimmon) Even the apples were named for their variety! (Green - Granny Smith, Pink – Pink Lady, Red – Royal Gala)
The food there is not so fantastic where variety is concerned, as breakfast is usually muffins, baked beans, scrambled eggs, French toast. Australians tend to have a light and healthy lunch of cold sandwiches and crepes. Dinner is either a plain or expensive affair, depending on choice. One can either settle for the usual Western fair of fast food/Fish & Chips or other flavours. If not for the Chinese, Muslim, Vietnamese and Indian restaurants in the vicinity of our hotel, our tastes buds would have been tortured beyond redemption. Another thing worth noting is Australians prefer their cakes SWEET, quite unbearable even for one who possesses a sweet tooth. Even the foreign restaurants cook their meals with higher salt content to suit the Australians’ taste buds (which leaves me to wonder why have bland lunch but rich flavoured dinner?)
Our first recreational trip was to see the Twelve Apostles (十二圣徒岩) along the Great Ocean Road (大洋路). They are part of the coastal landforms created out of the constant erosion of the Victorian coastline. In fact, they are usually featured on many advertisements showcasing natural landscapes. Due to the extent of erosion, only 7 out of the original 12 rocks are left standing today. I strongly recommend those who haven’t seen them to go before all 12 are gone for good. It’s a pity we couldn’t stay over there to catch the sunset and sunrise, which must be awesome. I guess the calendars I bought will suffice.
Philip Island is cold. The main purpose of travelling for 3 hrs in our bus to the island is to catch a glimpse of the penguins returning nightly to their nest after fishing the whole day. Upon reaching the island, you can feel the strong gales of cold wind coming from the Antarctic, and since penguins don’t return till the sun has set, we had to time our visit well so that we don’t have to suffer the chilling wind but still get to see the penguins. The species found on Philip Island smaller than those you usually see on documentaries, but the whole affair was an experience nonetheless. Other than the cold, the only thing that marred our image of Philip Island was a lack of social grace from other foreign visitors. Many a times while we are silently following the penguins back to their nests, one can hear many LOUD conversations in Mandarin and sometimes Indian Languages. Fortunately, no Singlish was overheard, otherwise Singaporeans will be blacklisted by another fair city for its ungracious behaviour.
posted by Simbul at 10:38 pm
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