Fun

*note, some of this is a bit tongue in cheek but I do have a lot of affection for the place*

1. The people

Are just insanely welcoming. Smiley, happy, relaxed and friendly. Also absurdly hot. Why are you so hot people of Melbourne??? But hate them because they run. Like seriously- I’ve never seen so many people out running in the morning. Why are you making me feel bad about staying in bed?

That time those two super-friendly Melbournian lovelies took me on a birthday tour of Melb (I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22…)

2. Lucas Papaw treatment

The Aussie’s answer to Vaseline only far more effective/superior. It sorts dry lips in an instant, and is also a topical ointment application for boils, burns, chaffing, cuts, cracked skin, bites, nappy rash and more. As is the case with wine, the Aussies tend to keep the best for themselves and it is less accessible (though not impossible to purchase) outside of Australia.

3. And in the same vain… the wine

People doubt this, but I actually never used to be a fan of wine. Now I am. Maybe it helps that my Aussie relatives like a drink or two. But definitely the wine is all round lovelier here than anywhere else I’ve ever been (especially red hill from the Mornington Peninsula- sorry France).

4. The Tram Network

With your little Myki, getting around Melbourne via tram is fairly easy. Trams, by and large, are regular and stops are readily located. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely easier to pick up than the London underground. Plus, the overground network in Melbourne is not at all bad either.

5. The beaches

Rosebud, Safety Beach, even St Kilda… beaches in and around Melbourne and Victoria are lovely, a novelty to Brits like me. Though they can get busy, they are treated, by and large, respectively- retaining their beauty and natural state.

Safety Beach ❤

6. Aboriginal heritage and general Aussie history

Some Aussies joke about what they perceive to be a lack of culture in their country (not my view). However, whilst Australian history is very much entangled with European history (especially with the mass incoming immigration the country saw from Europe in the 20^th Century), there is history. For more information on immigration, see the Immigration Museum in Melbourne- near Flinders Street Station. Better still, the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Culture Centre is absolutely amazing and really opens your eyes to customs, norms and the trials and tribulations the aboriginals have experienced previously. Be sure to check out the Shrine of Remembrance as well, which provides relevant knowledge about the role of Australia in the war and the main event (Gallipoli) that underlies Anzac Day (the day of remembrance there).

An exhibition at the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Culture Centre

7. The Grid System

For a girl who still relies on Google maps an unhealthy amount, Melbourne being built on the hoddle grid (named after the designer) is an absolute blessing. If you get lost, just walk down any side road and you’ll get to the parallel main road that you need eventually.

8. Lord of the Fries

I hate most fast food (bar Domino’s UK and Chinese/Indian takeaways). McDonalds, Burger King, KFC… they don’t float my boat. But there are two reasons why I love Lord of the Fries. First, the name has the literary nerd inside of me rubbing her hands with glee. And second, the chips with garlic mayo are SO DAMN GOOD.

9. Aussie slang (not just relevant to Melbourne)

Just the little things really. Like calling a six-pack of beer a slab. And Bogan is definitely weirdly more endearing than chav. But interestingly on the topic, you can’t compare the rough parts of Melbourne to the rough parts of London. The rough parts of London are far far worse. Maybe it’s just the sunshine that does those parts of Melbourne favours. But in my opinion, everyone there (regardless of wealth) seems to just have a better quality of life.

10. The climate

I don’t really know if this made me love or hate Melbourne. But it resonates with British weather. The temperature in Melbourne is insanely variable- it is more temperamental than a girl with PMT. And pretty much everyone I met over there warned me about Melbourne being “four seasons in one day”. One minute it can be 29 degrees Celsius and sunshine and the next it has dropped to 20 degrees Celsius and windy (*grabs leather jacket*). But even 20 by UK standards is warm. So actually, I really loved the weather in Melbourne (though I did struggle during the periods where it hit the 30s) 😀

As much as we’ve pretended to be cultural during travel (and some days, managed to succeed), occasionally you need to just be a big kid and have fun. When my travel companion suggested OceanPark Hong Kong, I wasn’t overwhelmingly excited. It had been a while since I’d been to a theme park, and I reasoned that it would not be particular different to UK theme parks like Thorpe Park or Alton Towers.

I was wrong.

We had an absolute blast.

Because OceanPark finds a rare balance between accommodating to all ages, wowing with beautiful animals and giving an equal amount of attention and input to all the themed areas of the park.

And- most momentous at all- this is the place I broke a 13 year ban on eating McDonald’s and ordered McDonald’s chips as sustenance (vegetarian in Hong Kong, since they are cooked in vegetable oil) . To be fair- since all the food outlets in the park are fast food places, it is the lesser of all evils. Better the consumerism devil you know than the one you don’t.

To get to OceanPark, we took the MTR (train network) to Admirality station and then took the Citybus (Route 629) direct to the attraction. Upon arrival, it was an overcast, grey day- not cold, but not warm without the presence of the sun. In spite of that, the park is awash with colour- both outside (the grass dolphins on the left) and upon entering the main square or centre-point of the park itself, called Aqua City (the photo on the right).

Note that these fountains are present and on automation throughout the day within the park and at night, are lit up in different colours to create a beautiful spectacle.

The fountains lit up at night

We started our day by venturing towards the Aquarium, an attraction in Aqua City. It is laid out beautifully, with sound effects, coloured lighting in some parts and placards with facts about the marine creatures shown. Here, we saw an array of sealife including ribboned pipefish and stingrays (amongst other things).

We were in the Aquarium for maybe half an hour/forty minutes. To leave, you pass through a visitor shop (as is common of many themed attractions) and whilst we had fun putting on ridiculous cuddly shark and penguin hats, there was nothing that we felt was justifiable to spend money on.

Over the next few hours, we got to see Pandas and Alligators in the Amazing Asian Animals section of the park (I took a particular liking to An An the panda) and watched a wonderful seal show (for Psychology enthusiasts among us, that was a fairly overt display of conditioning).

Hi An An Chilled out panda

I also enjoyed seeing these little fellows

A photo from the seal show

We caught the final 15 minutes of a spectacular dolphin show, whereby dolphins were woven into a heroic story. The atmosphere was created by cinematic screens and sound effects. The crowd was enthralled and so were we. Dolphins are undeniably beautiful and talented animals and it was unfortunate that we couldn’t see the show in full.

Around about this point, it was nearing lunchtime. After my travel companion said a quick hello to an old friend:

We decided to head to the other section of the part (accessible by train or cable car) since there were more food outlets there. We queued for the cable car- the station of which is built in a section of the park made to look like Hong Kong during it’s British colonisation.

Apologies to those with vertigo for this photo (including my travel companion, who- as always, was amazing and dealt with this):

We had to wait a while, but finally arrived at the other side of the park and into Marine World. Presented with ample choice of pizza, McDonalds, hot dogs, chicken and the like, we both had McDonalds for lunch. I just settled for chips, whilst my friend ordered a more filling amount of food. Happiness came in the form of the ice cream stall nearby, allowing a chocolate Magnum to complete an incredibly healthy and balanced meal.

Next, we attempted some arcade games- with my friend picking up a few stuffed toys on a frisbee like game and basketball. I failed miserably until the launch the frog onto a lilypad game- the first time in my life I’ve won anything from this kind of arcade stall.

The arcade stalls

I was kind of chuffed to win my new friend…

Over the course of the afternoon, we went on a range of rides. Particular favourites of mine were the swings and the rapids, which left us in fits of laughter.

Swings > rollercoaster (controversial) Photographing others during their rapids torment

We ended our time at the park in the Polar Adventure section, where we got to meet some adorable penguins and see an Arctic fox.

We left to queues of people waiting for the bus. But it didn’t matter, because we had a lot of fun that day. The kind of carefree silliness that you need to invite back into your life sometimes. My second stint in Hong Kong was going just as well as the first time round and better yet, there was still more to experience…

Livi lives Asia and Australia

Livi lives Asia and Australia

Time to explore… Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, China and Australia

10 Reasons to Love Melbourne

Seeing Pandas, being big kids and getting soaked at OceanPark! (Stint 2 in Hong Kong)