Melbourne certainly serves up its share of culinary and cultural delights. We had a sampling when we did a walking tour called the Hidden Secrets Art and Design Tour (www.hiddensecretstours.com).
The two-hour walk, conducted by the founder Fiona Sweetman, gave a glimpse into how the city had given space for graffiti to flourish as a street art. Art gallery visits were also supposed to be in the itinerary but they were not open yet when we embarked on our early morning tour.
We also had a look at the coffee culture of the city’s denizens. The tour normally ends, with coffee but we had to rush off for lunch. A pity, because the cafés looked very enticing.
A short walk across to the Southbank along the Yarra River (which has some of the best views of the city skyline from ground level) saw us at our lunch spot, Left Bank (www.leftbankmelbourne.com.au), which is owned by the Emirates Group. It was a set meal, and one of the best lunches I’ve ever had. If you should ever find yourself in this city and have no need to stretch your Aussie dollars, then please try and get a reservation here. It’s worth the trouble.
For some reason, our organisers seemed to think that Malaysians overseas craved Malaysian and Asian food, so dinner that night was at a Thai restaurant called Sawasdee. Run by the Malaysian-born Francis Lim, the restaurant serves food tweaked more for Western taste-buds.
It was an early morning wake-up call the next day as we rushed off to a Melburnian institution, the Queen Victoria Market (www.qvm.com.au). It’s been operating since 1978 and serves the locals’ daily needs. It’s also the place to pick up souvenirs. The market operates from 6am to 3pm but is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays.
A tip, if you’re interested: Go around 8am because that’s when most of the vendors are already in and all set up.
Our next stop was Sovereign Hill (www.sovereignhill.com.au) in Ballarat, more than an hour’s drive from Melbourne. Meeting us there was the affable Ben, a Bluey (that’s an Aussie term for redheads). He shepherded us in our walkabout.
Sovereign Hill is a recreation of the settlement of Ballarat during its first 10 years following the discovery of gold in 1851, from the buildings (a few are original) to the costumes the staff wear. There’s much here to keep one occupied, like the pouring of gold, going down a mine, playing a game of bowling (a very different version, mind you), having your meals in an old diner and panning for gold.
Yes, there are remnants still to be found in the streams, and you can actually get some flecks. Just be careful you don’t get gold fever.
They also have theme tours and overnight stays where you dress up in period costumes. But the real fun is seeing people re-enact scenes from yesteryear and staying very much in character. There’s a treasure trove of acting talent to be mined here.
That night back in Melbourne, dinner was at Little Malaysia, and aptly enough, the keyword here is “little”.
Our next destination was Phillip Island. First we drove through the beautiful Dandenong Ranges and on to the beautiful Yarra Valley. Our first stop was the Warratina Lavender Farm (www.warratinalavender.com.au), a family business run by Annemarie and Peter Manders.
Annmarie herself took us through how she and her staff harvest the lavender to make products from food to cosmetics to household goods. Fascinating! They also have a tea room where they serve delightful lavender scones and honey. The best time to visit is from November to January before harvesting. That’s when you can see a vista of wonderful shades of purple with the lavenders in full bloom.
After that came the fruit feast at Rayners’ Stonefruit Orchard (www.raynerstonefruit.com.au). Normally, the fruit-tasting tour lasts an hour, but as we were running late yet again, we had to rush things. Owner Len Rayner took us on his multi-seater tractor, stopping here and there for us to taste the delectable variety of peach, nectarine, apricot and plums and all the hybrids found in his farm.
They, too, have cafés and loads of products on sale. The orchard is a highly recommended stop between November and April.
At Phillip Island, it was a quick pizza and pasta dinner at Isola Di Capri owned by the Fumagali family who has run the establishment for 35 years. I truly felt like a stuffed koala by the time dinner was done.
The next day proved memorable as we visited the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory (www.phillipislandchocolatefactory.com.au) run by the Malaysian-born L. Kondanapanny and his family. He prefers to be called Panny, the name he markets his chocolates under.
It’s a famous brand here, and the chocolates are certainly some of the best I have ever tasted. A tour of the factory (you need to pay for this, though) to see how the chocolates are made is also part of the experience. It’s filled with interactive experiences and is as delightful as the chocolates.
There’s a café, and Panny went out of his way to prepare a nasi lemak lunch for us. It was heavenly!
The pièce de résistance came on our last night in Melbourne, when we had dinner in the famous Colonial Tramcar Restaurant (www.tramrestaurant.com.au). You dine in an old-style tram as it passes through some of Melbourne’s famous landmarks including the trendy St Kilda.
We had no complaints about the food and the bubbly. The star of the evening, though, was undoubtedly head waiter, Spanish John. He proved to be a rapier wit and was very adept at taking the mickey out of the diners — so much so that sometimes I failed to look out to appreciate the scenery.
