Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne or Sydney?

[behyx]

There is a seafood restaurant in the Crown Casino shopping centre which you ought to visit.

The last time i was there, I queued for quite some time. Then when i'm inside, i still have to wait for an outdoor seat - to see the fire thingy by the river at 8 or 9pm i think..
Interior deco is very nice and often crowded with a lot of people.. Their seafood is very very good.. Tried some oyster, and they were very fresh. But be prepared to pay a hefty bill! Hehehe...

 

[bwilly]

dun mind I bump in.
I booked tixs to fly Brisbane on 4th march.
plan to do some exploring after the theme park visiting. (wives of me n cousin insist)
where to get the other flight? book here or go there then book? kind of risky, since
we need to book our accomodation here properly.

or should I do some driving from Brisbane to Cairns or Sydney?
we got two drivers inclusive of myself, can do rotation driving if need to be.

Any farm stay nearaby? Rent a cottage on the mountain side or something. Wake up n take sunrise.

 

[boroangel]

Since we are at the topic of Melbourne, what will the weather be like during the 2nd/3rd week of July? Should be winter but is the weather really bad at that time of the year? We have no choice but to go during that period as my bro is having his convo so we are touring straight after that...

We should be going on the friday of the 2nd week and coming back on the sunday of the 3rd week of July (9 days).His convo is held in Brisbane but I dont think theres much in Brisbane in terms of landscapes and we might just spend 1 night at Gold Coast.Initial plan to to spend only 2 or 3 days in brisbane and then take the domestic flight to Melbourne (skipping Sydney) or Sydney and then drive down from Sydney.

Would love to spend more time in Melbourne but depending on when his convo is held on the 3rd week...if its right in the middle of the week, we would only have prob just 4 days in Melbourne.....and Tasmania is like ruled out due to time contraints...

 

[Watcher]

Now that is really bad news:cry:

All because of inconsiderate people taking photos with flash on the poor penguin! ;(

 

[Watcher]

There is a seafood restaurant in the Crown Casino shopping centre which you ought to visit.

The last time i was there, I queued for quite some time. Then when i'm inside, i still have to wait for an outdoor seat - to see the fire thingy by the river at 8 or 9pm i think..
Interior deco is very nice and often crowded with a lot of people.. Their seafood is very very good.. Tried some oyster, and they were very fresh. But be prepared to pay a hefty bill! Hehehe...

The food there isn't really cheap though some are very good quality. The fire thing is from sunset till midnight IIRC. The gas bill is really high (like 1 mil a month or something like that) :sweat: .

For oysters, you can get better price at other places that are very good. I highly recommend DiMattinas on Lygon St for seafood. Not the cheapest restaurant around but cheaper compared to SG, fresher and larger servings... I've got a buddy that still smack his lips when I mention the Marlin (fish) steak he had more than 7 years ago

 

[Watcher]

Since we are at the topic of Melbourne, what will the weather be like during the 2nd/3rd week of July? Should be winter but is the weather really bad at that time of the year? We have no choice but to go during that period as my bro is having his convo so we are touring straight after that...

We should be going on the friday of the 2nd week and coming back on the sunday of the 3rd week of July (9 days).His convo is held in Brisbane but I dont think theres much in Brisbane in terms of landscapes and we might just spend 1 night at Gold Coast.Initial plan to to spend only 2 or 3 days in brisbane and then take the domestic flight to Melbourne (skipping Sydney) or Sydney and then drive down from Sydney.

Would love to spend more time in Melbourne but depending on when his convo is held on the 3rd week...if its right in the middle of the week, we would only have prob just 4 days in Melbourne.....and Tasmania is like ruled out due to time contraints...

Cold and usually wet. You can go skiing instead...

 

[boroangel]

Cold and usually wet. You can go skiing instead...

Ah the snow resorts...thats a good idea if we can spend more time there...could do a 2 days 1 night...must go check out the prices etc...any recommendations?

By the way...I remember reading certain posts (cant remember where) where even the local drivers say that the roads around the Great Ocean Road are winding and dangerous......is it really that bad especially in wet weather...cos I am considering joining our pool of more experienced drivers(bro, uncle) but I havent driven for 5 years...;p

 

[behyx]

The food there isn't really cheap though some are very good quality. The fire thing is from sunset till midnight IIRC. The gas bill is really high (like 1 mil a month or something like that) :sweat: .

For oysters, you can get better price at other places that are very good. I highly recommend DiMattinas on Lygon St for seafood. Not the cheapest restaurant around but cheaper compared to SG, fresher and larger servings... I've got a buddy that still smack his lips when I mention the Marlin (fish) steak he had more than 7 years ago

Lovely! Will try it out the next time i'm going there.

Do also try the Gelato shop at Lygon street, plenty of flavors of ice cream to choose from, i was dumbfolded when i forced myself to choose only 3 out of the hundreds of flavors there!

And there is a pizza shop just opposite Melbourne Uni.. that serves really great pizza for very affordable prices.. A friend and i shared a really huge one for S$10 thereabout. Homely and cosy place. If u can't find it, there's a very small bookshop just beside it (don't know if it's still there)

 

[Alpc]

dun mind I bump in.
I booked tixs to fly Brisbane on 4th march.
plan to do some exploring after the theme park visiting. (wives of me n cousin insist)
where to get the other flight? book here or go there then book? kind of risky, since
we need to book our accomodation here properly.

or should I do some driving from Brisbane to Cairns or Sydney?
we got two drivers inclusive of myself, can do rotation driving if need to be.

Any farm stay nearaby? Rent a cottage on the mountain side or something. Wake up n take sunrise.

Usually better to book now.... Actually... If you dun mind the amt... They do have internal flights hourly to different cities... so you still can book it there and then... Just your accomodations could be an issue at times...

Er... You can drive... But then 14-16 hrs to Sydney from Brisbane... Cairns is nearer, I think... Depends on your timing and how much driving you want to do... But are you then flying back from Brisbane?!?!? If so, do consider the driving back timing as well....

Farm stay??? Brisbane or Sydney?? There is some farm stay in Brisbane but since I have not tried it, I cannot give you the details... I am certain there are some... Mountainside... Er, try Tamborine Mountain in between Brisbane and Gold Coast... I am sure there are some cottages there, as for rental of it... well, I cannot say - check the internet for farm stay...

 

[Alpc]

Lygon st... Hmm.... Where's my Melbourne map?!?!?! Need to check where it is... I will be there again end of the month... Just before Grand Prix... Not sure if Commonwealth games has started/finished... Oh... Carlton... Hmmm... Looks like a 20 mins walk from Park Hyatt... Will keep this in mind, since my colleague could be driving...

 

[Watcher]

Ah the snow resorts...thats a good idea if we can spend more time there...could do a 2 days 1 night...must go check out the prices etc...any recommendations?

Nothing signficant. Stay below the mountain overnight and drive up (about 40 mins) in the morning. Mount Buller is closer than Hotham though, about 3 hours from the city.

By the way...I remember reading certain posts (cant remember where) where even the local drivers say that the roads around the Great Ocean Road are winding and dangerous......is it really that bad especially in wet weather...cos I am considering joining our pool of more experienced drivers(bro, uncle) but I havent driven for 5 years...;p

It is winding and has tight corners. I was in a car who drives better in AU than in SG :sweatsm:

 

[Watcher]

Lygon st... Hmm.... Where's my Melbourne map?!?!?! Need to check where it is... I will be there again end of the month... Just before Grand Prix... Not sure if Commonwealth games has started/finished... Oh... Carlton... Hmmm... Looks like a 20 mins walk from Park Hyatt... Will keep this in mind, since my colleague could be driving...

Wahhhh Park Hyatt! 6 star hotel siah!!!!

20 mins walk is nice! At the end of the month is quite ok to walk in shirt and jeans. In winter, I remembered that one restaurant even had an open wood fire place :lovegrin: very nice

 

[swiftdragon]

The weather in Melb is quite bad in winter. U get 3 seasons in a day - be prepared. Last year, the weather was particularly bad in melb and it even snowed really near the city on one day.

 

[Alpc]

Work trip... So company pay lor... Got good rates for that hotel... We were wondering if the company got shares in that hotel...

 

[behyx]

Lygon st... Hmm.... Where's my Melbourne map?!?!?! Need to check where it is... I will be there again end of the month... Just before Grand Prix... Not sure if Commonwealth games has started/finished... Oh... Carlton... Hmmm... Looks like a 20 mins walk from Park Hyatt... Will keep this in mind, since my colleague could be driving...

Lygon street is the 'little italy' of melbourne. You should see a lot of pizza restaurants there

 

[Tetrode]

Ah the snow resorts...thats a good idea if we can spend more time there...could do a 2 days 1 night...must go check out the prices etc...any recommendations?

By the way...I remember reading certain posts (cant remember where) where even the local drivers say that the roads around the Great Ocean Road are winding and dangerous......is it really that bad especially in wet weather...cos I am considering joining our pool of more experienced drivers(bro, uncle) but I havent driven for 5 years...;p

Yes, many a Sgrean (esp overseas students) have had accidents (a few fatalities) while driving on the GO road. Sgreans are just not experienced enough, too impatient or just plain reckless. Many think that they can drive like Shuie but some end up like Senna - dead! Normally the victims are young 20 something hormone overloaded pretentious punks.

Driving in Sg on immaculate roads doesn't equipt one sufficiently with the requisite skills for driving on country,unsealed roads and long stretches of highway. Having said that - sometimes the problem is with other drivers on the road.

So If you planning to drive during the holiday break, take it easy. Don't rush. Keep to the speed limit and exercise extreme caution. About 60-100 ppl get killed on Australian roads every holiday break (4 - 6 week period).

Oh Btw, if you are planning on hiring a car, avoid companies like Europcar, Red Spot, Avis. They all have this scam running where they will charge you for repair on nicks to the paint caused by stones or debris (which is unavoidable esp if you are driving interstate). Instead of the cost of the hire being $50 a day or whatever hire fee, you get slugged with the AUD$1000 repair excess for a couple of insignificant paint chips. There was a case in WA where a rental car company was investigated for such practices. These companies normally target overseas visitors because they know that they won't bother contesting the charge after they have returned to their country of origin. The worse experience I had was with Europcar. Avoid them like the plague. Their customer service sucks.

Stick with Hertz or Thrifty. I haven't had problems with them yet. Remember to check and mark out every paint chip, dent and scratch (and some that are not there) you see onto the inspection sheet anyway just to be safe. If anything crops up later, you are covered.

 

[Jemapela]

All because of inconsiderate people taking photos with flash on the poor penguin! ;(

On the topic of penguins, in 2001, a baby penguin was treated for depression after it was found wandering Melbourne city streets.

Still topic of animals, you won't find stray cats in Melbourne (maybe impossible) but you could appear very attractive to the hordes of white seagulls and grey pigeons if you were to sit down and eat outdoors.

 

[Jemapela]

The weather in Melb is quite bad in winter. U get 3 seasons in a day - be prepared. Last year, the weather was particularly bad in melb and it even snowed really near the city on one day.

Actually, it's more often and correctly said that Melbourne has "4 seasons in 1 day".

On 9th Feb this year, the day alternated with heavy rain and bright sun a few times throughout the afternoon.

Yes, last winter was 1 of the coldest in Melbourne's history. While no snow fell on the city CBD (it tends to be warmer in the city than in the outer suburbs), some far-out suburbs at sea-level had snow fall that even "blanketed" (as described in the news) some beaches.

For the benefit of those who don't know, Victoria state (where Melbourne is the capital city) has regular snowfall in winter in the alpine regions. These regions are popular for skiiing. However, at sea-level, snowfall is very unlikely.

 

[Jemapela]

The fire thing is from sunset till midnight IIRC. The gas bill is really high (like 1 mil a month or something like that) :sweat: .

Wow! So high? Hmm... what about the flame that burns 24/7/365 at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance?

For oysters, you can get better price at other places that are very good. I highly recommend DiMattinas on Lygon St for seafood. Not the cheapest restaurant around but cheaper compared to SG, fresher and larger servings... I've got a buddy that still smack his lips when I mention the Marlin (fish) steak he had more than 7 years ago

If anyone is a raw oyster fan, just head down to Queen Victoria Market (on the days when it's open) to buy fresh raw oysters. I used to live a spit's distance away from the market, and have consumed a good share of this delicacy (sold by dozens for about $7.50).

On some occasions, they may not be very fresh because the stall may have kept them in their fridge over the days when they are closed. Otherwise, if you do get them fresh, they are really so fresh that you can eat them without any lemon juice.

Factly, if you ever need to squeeze lemon on raw oysters to "kill the smell", it means your oysters have already started decomposing. Very fresh oysters have absolutely no smell except smelling like the ocean and tasting like the ocean.

 

[Jemapela]

Don't think I'll rent a car, 'cos intend to experience their public transport such as tram and train, maybe not taxi if too expensive.

Just to inform you that recently Melbourne has been cracking down VERY HARD on fare evasion (people who ride public transport without a proper/valid ticket). Occasionally, ticket inspectors have been accused of using hard-handed moves to "arrest" suspected fare-evaders.

Instead of risking a $150 fine for a violation, I would strongly recommend that you get advice from ticketing staff at any of the city's train stations.