Hopetoun Falls is located just five kilometres east of Beech Forest in Victoria, Australia. We visited it on our road trip to Apollo Bay and was a very easy walk from Apollo Road. The falls have a large set of well-built and maintained stairs that lead down to the foot of the waterfall. Above is a photo of what you see from the top!

As you walk down to the foot of the falls, you are greeted with such a serene, calm atmosphere. It was spectacular! Nature at its best.

Below are photos of what was behind me. Isn’t it beautiful!

It’s amazing at how much of its natural characteristics have been preserved. We spent quite a bit of time here just soaking up the serenity. See the video below to see what it was like!

Hopetoun Falls

(The Otways, Victoria, Australia)

On the way back, we came across a wild echidna! So cute! Watch the video below to see the cute little one waddle. :)

Wild Echidna

There’s nothing better than a good Aussie road trip down the Great Ocean Road to Apollo Bay (well, a quick 3 hour drive from Melbourne). Apollo Bay is a popular holiday destination for locals and tourists alike. It offers both swimming and surf beaches, a large boat harbour and marina for fishing and a good selection of restaurants and cafes at the town centre.

We visited Apollo Bay one lovely summer weekend and rented out a modern beach house featured a large deck with a barbeque and awesome views of the ocean. What’s an Aussie summer without a good ol’ Aussie barbie! Here’s photos of our vacation home, it was quite beautiful.

Perfect for having breakfast and dinner with an ocean view!

The loungeeee area.

Dining and living area

Kitchen and dining area

Here’s me taking photos of the house!

Here are the boys playing cricket, using the garbage bin as wickets hahaha.

And then a cow came to visit us!

And then a cute little mouse!

Apollo Bay Beach

Really beautiful dunes

Gorgeous rocks at Apollo Bay Beach

Such a beautiful day!

Here’s me at Apollo Bay pretending to call out for SOS.. Hahaha. What a ridiculous idea.

We then drove up to Marriners Lookout and was amazed by the spectacular views!

We just couldn’t get enough.

Graeme, Hao, Sammy and Calvin

Tara, Sheena and Sammy

Here’s the whole group: Jon, Harry, Chris, Calvin, Shauna, Graeme, Hao, Tara, Sammy and Sheena

The Great Aussie Market: Vic Market

The Queen Victoria Market (also known as ‘Vic Market’) is the southern hemisphere’s most largest open-air market and offers a variety of fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry and seafood, gourmet and deli foods as well as specialty delicacies. On Sundays, a much wider range of merchant items is available and is almost alike a modern Arabian Nights bazaar. The Queen Victoria Market is a major tourist destination and was named after Queen Victoria who ruled the British Empire, from 1837 to 1901 and the market is now an historic landmark for Melbourne as the building dates back to more than 120 years ago.

Locals often visit QV Market mainly because of the vast variety and abundant availability of beautiful fresh seafood.

I love this section of the market – bakeries full of fresh breads and pastries, pastas, cheeses, and more! Oh my.

Feta & Spinach and Beef & Onion

Quiches and Home Made Pies… Ooooh lorrddd.

But best of all.. MACARONS AND CAKES!

Where do you go to get fresh coffee beans and tea leaves? QV Market!

Fresh pastas, ready to cook.

Honey, dried fruits and nuts!

Fresh fruit market. This place is hugeeeeee.

Did I say… FRESH!!

It also has a large non-food related market, selling a diverse range of clothing, shoes, jewellery and handmade art and crafts.

What I love most about this place is the availability of unique Australian items and souvenirs for vistors (and locals like me!) all round. Can you ever have enough koala and kangaroo plushes?

Too cute!

Did you ever want to grab yourself a the famous Aussie bush tucket hat? You can take the opportunity to pick one up right here.. For cheap too!

The market was also once known as a a thriving underground pirated goods centre however there was a massive crackdown in 1997 and the market cleaned up its reputation.. But you still find some pretty strange coloured (with odd Brand Labels with unusual fonts) here. It’s “UGG”, really? You sure?

And why of course, I just had to buy one of these. AUSTRALIA!

Vic Market: Trading hours and Location

The Queen Victoria Market trading hours are 6am to 2pm on Tuesday and Thursday; 6am to 6pm (with the general merchandise section closing at 4pm) on Friday; 6am to 3pm on Saturday; and 9am to 4pm on Sunday. The market is closed on Monday and Wednesday, and on Good Friday, Anzac Day, Melbourne Cup Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

I am so so so ridiculously tired of people asking me if you can ski in Australia. OF COURSE YOU CAN SKI IN AUSTRALIA. It’s like me asking a Canadian if you can swim in Canada. Australia may have a warmer client, but we do have the four seasons! It does snow! You might have to drive higher up the mountain, but you can get decent snow and decent snow resorts and runs. I met some Canadians down in the land of Oz who loved skiing in Australia!

Alpine Resorts in Victoria, Australia

In Victoria alone, there are SEVEN alpine resorts: Mt Buller, Hotham, Mt Baw Baw, Lake Mountain, Mt Stirling and Falls Creek. In the late winter of 2008, my friends and I whipped on over to Falls Creek for the weekend. Now when I say whipped on over – I mean a cruisy four hour drive (350 kilometres) from the heart of Melbourne – but it was sure worth it.

Falls Creek: 1,780 Metres High

Falls Creek is known to have better runs than the very popular (and often very packed) Mt Buller. The Falls Creek resort lies between an altitude of 1,210 and 1,830 metres, with the highest lifted point at 1,780 metres high. It also has a wide range of runs for beginner/intermediate skiers and snowboarders alike, but best for proficient skiers as it has the wide open vistas and rolling hills unique to the High Plains in Victoria. This is great because it is much less crowded and there are very short chair lift queues even on the busiest of weekends.

When we went in mid September (late winter in Australia), we didn’t have the greatest conditions with fresh powdery snow which was a little bit of a bummer but the snow was much better conditions than I got when I went skiing in a late Canadian winter (was too icy). Also, the skies are clear and blue with no wind. It was so beautiful to sit and absorb the atmosphere.

You can also cross country ski, go tobogganning, snow tubing and there are many bars/cafes to hang out at. And if you’ve done all that, you can sit in your resort hot tubs and relax or just stare out into the beautiful mountain ranges.

Gorgeous, ain’t it? Now you need not wait for summertime in Australia to head on over – you can go in the winter and test out the runs yourself.

For more information:

Official Falls Creek Website: http://www.fallscreek.com.au/

About the Kokoka Track Memorial Walk (1000 Steps)

I’ve been wanting to do the 1000 Steps for a long time as it’s known to be a great fitness walk, with a steep-incline for the entire 1000 Steps but I also wanted to experience the same sense of exhaustion that was felt by the Australian soldiers in the battle against Japan during World War II in Papua New Guinea. The original Kokoda Trail is by far more intense spanning for a length of 96 kilometres and is a popular hike which takes between four and twelve days, depending on fitness (keep note that some people have died to complete this track). I recently saw the Documentary “Kokoda” and had a much deeper sense of appreciation for the soldiers who fought for our peace and freedom.

The 1000 Steps is a good alternative, especially since it’s not far from where I live at all in Ferntree Gully, Melbourne and only takes 1-2 hours for the whole circuit. At the top, you’ll be rewarded with a plaque which depicts the lives of those who fought and died on the trail during the Kokoda campaign in 1942. But you don’t have to wait until you get to the top to be rewarded – you’ll see beautiful tree ferns, manna gum and blackwood towards the top of the hill and the cool freshness from the high altitude of the Dandenong Ranges. The air is so clean & crisp!

On the way down, my legs were all jelly and wobbly because my knees was struggling with the continual steep decline, but I definitely felt fantastic afterwards and would definitely do it again!

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About Sunnyridge Strawberry Farm at Mornington Peninsula

I’ve been wanting to visit Sunnyridge Strawberry Farm for a few years now but haven’t had the chance. I can’t believe I haven’t been here because I’ve lived in Victoria all my life and it’s so close by to travel to. Mornington Peninsula is just a beautiful place to visit for tourists and locals all around, and everything about Sunnyridge just sounds appealing. You can pick your own fresh strawberries, eat strawberry desserts, purchase strawberry jams and chocolates, or best yet – taste strawberry wines and liqueurs. There are hundreds of strawberry varieties and you can find even the most premium and sweetest strawberries here.

U-Pick was closed when we visited Sunnyridge, but we picked up a box of these gorgeous premium strawberries! They were so delicious. So fresh and flavourful.

Going to Mornington Peninsula is often a magical playground for wine lovers, who go to each and every winery tasting all the wines available. But for those who aren’t a fan of alcohol, it can be very boring. Sunnyridge is great because they offer a very refreshing Sparkling Strawberry Wine that is non-alcoholic for just $10. So good!

Here are the selection of fruit wines and liqueurs available to taste test. We tried them all! There is an apple cider, strawberry & apple cider, a sparkling strawberry wine, a sparkling strawberry & grape wine, strawberry port, cherry port, strawberry liqueur and a strawberry and cream liqueur. You can check out the wines at Rebello Wines and order online as well. We purchased the Charlotte 100% Strawberry Sparkling wine and the strawberry & apple cider. They were so flavourful and refreshing. The Charlotte has won the Best Sparkling in Show at the 2009 a& 2010 Australian Fruit Wine Awards.

We also picked up some strawberry jams. Nom nom nom.

This was my favourite part, because I love cheesecake and this was a gorgeous smooth strawberry cheesecake. It wasn’t too sweet either and had such a smooth fluffy consistency. Probably one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had!

This is my mum & I’s favourite dish – devonshire tea! Two fresh scones served with jam & cream, with tea.

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Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm
244 Shands Road, Main Ridge 3928
Victoria, Australia
Melway Reference 190 E12

It is approximately 75 minutes from Melbourne if you take the Monash Freeway, Eastlink, Moorooduc Hwy and Mornington Peninsula Freeway.

The last time I tried to visit Sunnyridge, it was closed during the week as I visited it not during the strawberry season. The strawberry season runs from November to April and Sunnyridge is open daily during 9am-5pm. But you can still visit Sunnyridge during the non-strawberry season on the weekends between the hours of 11am-4pm. This place is hugely popular – when we visited, there was so many people even on a Monday. It’s a must visit if you come to Melbourne!

About the Crown Casino Chinese New Year Festival at Southbank, Melbourne

Each year, Crown Casino holds a festival in celebration of Chinese New Year. I’ve been to the festival once before and enjoyed it so we went back again this year.

Southbank is filled with bright red hanging Chinese lanterns, hawker (street) stalls and hungry hungry people. There is also light entertainment with traditional Chinese dances and the most-loved lion dance. I love all the street food and the colourful dances!

Holding a festival for Chinese New Year at Crown Casino is perfect – since Asians love casinos and they all flock to this event. I don’t normally like Asian festivals because they’re overcrowded and dirty, but Crown Casino always makes sure that their events are classy and well organised.

 Chinese New Year Festival 2011 at Crown Casino Photos

Here’s me with Denny and my mum on Southbank.

I especially enjoy visiting the Crown Atrium (where the hotel is) to see what decorations they have in store.

Back in September 2007, when James came to visit me in Australia we decided to go horse riding at Mornington Peninsula. It was such a beautiful day, it seemed absolutely perfect for this type of activity!

Gunnamatta Trail Rides offers various ride options, 1 hour, half day, full day, night rides, etc. We opted for the two hour bush-beach ride. We were lucky because there weren’t any other people in our group – just the two of us! It was lovely.

I must say that horse riding is hard work! It’s so incredibly bouncy and such a good work out for your legs! You need good balance and tough leg muscles to really feel confident on the back of a horse. My horse’s name was Arlie. He was so lovely to ride.

Here’s some photos of us at St. Andrew’s beach. Can you tell it was an absolute gorgeous day? It was!

Ever since then, I’ve been longing to get back onto a horse! I took a couple of lessons since that day which taught me the importance of a good core and how it helps with your balance. Whilst on my trip in Australia in February 2010, I believed it was a must to go back to Gunnamatta since I loved it so much!

Here’s photos from that day. Chris accompanied me while Hao could not make it :( Oh well, next time!

Ever since my brother and I visited America, we’ve had a huge craving for good ol’ American burgers. Juicy, fatty, delicious burgers that is. We’ve been lingering for the taste of a good burger til we return to the States. I recently discovered that there is an American owned diner in Prahan, not far from the City of Melbourne, called Misty’s diner! We were so delighted that all the people that worked there still have their American accent! Hehehe.

Here’s the sign welcoming you to go in – Best American Style Burgers, Chili Fries, All Day Breakfast - how can anybody resist?!?!

This is the interior of the diner. Love the booths, the jukebox and the American car plates!

Here’s Peter and Hao patiently waiting for our food.

How good do these burgers look with chili fries!

Here’s Peter with his meal.

Here’s Hao’s burger!

And here’s Hao with his burger!

All of us at the booth! :) Good times. Haha.

Misty's Diner Restaurant Review
Food
Atmosphere
Service
Value

Overall
Good food at decent prices but love the great service. The people were lovely!

Just a short distance away from the City of Melbourne, is St Kilda which is located on the bayside and home to Melbourne’s most famous beach. While it has been long known to be home of druggies and prostitutes, they’ve been pushed out of the area and is now alive with new apartments, restaurants, cafes, and a new image.

Places to visit in St Kilda include: