Melbourne

It was a long awaited holiday - we booked the tickets in June and I was really looking forward to my first trip in 2 years and excited (perhaps anxious at times) that it was Julianne's first holiday overseas!!  Melbourne was a first for me.  I've covered most of the cities in Australia and Melbourne remains the one major Australian city I've yet to step foot on.   

Well being her 1st overseas trip, I really didn't quite know what to pack (or not pack) along with us.  I started packing for her 3 weeks before the trip.  All that time, Julianne saw the suitcase in her room filling up - I bet she was wondering in that little brain of hers what was going on.  It probably all made sense when we got into the apartment and unpacked all her stuff! 

There were a few things I was rather anxious about: how she would take to her first flight, her sleep routine and environment and fear that she'll fall sick while we were there.  I had no doubt that she'll actually enjoy being in a different place since our daughter loves exploring anything and everything that is new plus we had my parents and younger sis with us so she was still amongst familiar faces.  In the end, she proved to be a champion traveller I was really proud of her.  She slept throughout all but the first and last 30 minute of our 7 hour flight to Melbourne, she slept so well in the nights - even better than she does back home, adjusted well to having just 1 nap a day and ate so well on the trip - enjoying the different types of breads (which she LOVES) and polishing up her porridge which warmed her tummy in the cool (sometimes cold) weather.  Of course having my parents and sister with us made all the difference - with extra pair of hands to entertain her or help with preparing her meals.  We usually travel as a family anyways, so this trip wasn't going to be any different - you bet Julianne loved all that attention she got from everyone having all of us with her 24/7 the entire week.

Travelling with Julianne meant that our itinerary had to take into consideration making time for her afternoon naps - since she is one baby who won't fall asleep in her pram while allowing you to shop around.  I was prepared for her to skip her morning naps which was something she already started doing on some days since she turned one so thankfully that didn't turn her into a cranky monster.  Despite spending 2-3 hours each afternoon back in the apartment I think we got a fair bit of the city covered.  And lazing around the apartment wasn't a bad thing.  We scored an upgrade at our service apartment on the Southbank and so found ourselves with a unit that had a nice big but cosy hall with comfy couch to laze on, a huge kitchen for mum to pot around and enough space for the little one to explore like it was a big playground!  Perhaps the only one thing I wished we did on this trip was taking the Great Ocean Road drive to see the Twelve Apostles.  We did rent a car - a huge 8 seater Kia Family Mover which was really comfy for everyone (so much so that Dad thinks our next car should be a car like this so that we can all move around in one car) but the GOR was a good 4 hours drive so making that a day trip would just be too tiring for the husband who took charge of the wheels and on Julianne.  And since it was Julianne first trip, I didn't really want to stress her (or myself) with a side trip.   Well, it's just reason to come back and the next time, we'll throw in Phillip Island to check out the cute penguins lined up in a row as well! 

Here are some highlights of our trip and some of my favourite photos from what was a truly an enjoyable break!   

A photo of Juless' first flight.  I had intentionally choosen a red-eye flight in the hope that she'll sleep it through and I'm so glad she did just that.  She was fussy for a few minutes while we were taxi-ing preparing for take off but the minute we took off, I nursed her and she fell right into slumber for the next 6 hours in her bassinet.  

On her first flight

  

We got really comfortable at the Quay West Suites which was to be our home for the next 1 week.  For some reason, we usually stay in service apartments for our trips to Australia so that we can prepare our own breakkie, stock the fridge up with snacks and drinks.  And since I had to prepare meals for Jules, it was all the more reason to stay in an apartment.    

Home away from home

The institutional Queen Victoria Market.  It's somewhat like the markets in Fremantle over in Perth but here, they carry fresh seafood and meats as well.  Don't recall the Fremantle markets having a fresh food section.  On our first visit there, we picked up a fresh cooked lobster and some cooked tiger prawns for lunch! It was soooo good, Dad and the hubs went back again over the weekend and picked up the same items (except this time the lobster was almost twice the size of what we got the first time round).  It was easily one of the best meal we had right in the comforts of the apartment - plus mum cooked up some of her famous butter rice with leftover ham that we had in the fridge! Oohhh, I'm drooling just thinking about that lunch.  Julianne also met Santa for the first time at the market and we also sank our teeth into some freshly fried american donuts from a donut van! 

At the Queen Victoria Market

Markets!! I heart open air markets where you find fresh produce and little yummy treats like freshly baked scones and delicious melt-in-your mouth vanilla bean butter biscuits.  And because markets like these in Australia tend to open only on selected Saturdays or Sundays of the month, we were likely to be there over the 3rd Saturday of the month to visit the Gasworks Saturday market where we picked up some homemade jams, pistacho nuts and fresh vegetables which I used to prepare Jule's soup stock.  We also chanced upon a small indoor flea market while out at the supermarket on Saturday evening where I picked up some handmade clothes for Jules and Sophie.  

To Market to Market

Yarra Valley was on our list of places to visit more for the husband and Daddy than any of us.  It was also for us to take a drive and get away from the city.  I had the long day out planned out - packed Jule's milk in our fridge-to-go for her afternoon milk feed and brought my breastpump along knowing that we won't going to get home before my next scheduled pump.  But what do you know, I brilliantly left the battery pack in the apartment.  And even if there was a power socket at the vineyard where we were planning to have lunch, I would need an international adaptor.  So with lots of prayer we (a) managed to find a travel adaptor at the strip-mall we drove past and (b) found that the handicapped toilet at the restaurant actually had a power socket in there where I could pump.  Really by God's grace.  So back to Yarra Valley.  We ended up only visiting one vineyard partly cos we kinda got lost on route to the Valley and so didn't have much time to go vineyard-hopping.  But we did have a really yummy lunch and wine at the Innocent By Stander with time to spare for the little quaint shops in the town on Healesville before taking a slow drive back to the city where all of us (including Jules) fell asleep in the car.  

Yarra Valley

Catching up with Dad's old friend - Uncle Albert who migrated to Australia many years ago.    We had our fill our wagyu beef with him at a Japanese restuarant on our 2nd night in Melbourne and then met up with him again at his home the day before we left.  That was also probably the highlight of the trip for Jules where she got up close with Mocha, the cocker-spaniel.  I'm embarrassed to say I spent the time in the garden staying in the corner close to the house just in case the dog came pounding on me while my fearless daughter was standing there right next to the dog feeding him his chew toy and stroking his well-groomed fur.  Jules loves dogs.  She goes for walks with grandpa everyday only because she wants to see the doggies at the park.  She also recognises our house by the doggie plague with our house number at our gate.  So you can imagine just how thrilled she was when she actually got to touch the dog.  She almost went slightly hysterical.

Julianne meets Mocha

Introducing Julianne to the sea the waves and the sand.  We don't head to our local beaches very often.  Partly because I'm not a fan of the sea and also because our beaches here are sadly so littered, they're not the best places to bring the little one.  The beaches overseas are just so much more pleasant to be at.  We headed to the St Kilda's beach one morning where Jules took in the sound of the waves, smell from the sea water and the strong sea breeze blowing into her face! I think she found it quite quite an experience.  We would have stayed longer but it got rather cold (crazy considering it's summer in Australia) for everyone so we literally ran to our car to hide from the cold.  I really would love to bring her to beaches more often if only we had cleaner ones here. 

St Kilda's Beach

The one too many good meals we had on the trip.  This is what you expect when you travel with my dad or with any Koh for that matter.  Every night was a good meal - lest for the Chinese takeaway we had in the apartment after our Yarra Valley drive when we decided to just stay in and chill having driven the entire day.  I'll rate the wagyu sushi we had at the Taxi Dining Room as probably the single best thing I ate on the trip.  That piping hot jam donut at the Victoria Market comes a close 3rd after our lobster lunch.  Oh and what turned out expectantly good was also the hot spicy bowl of soupy pho that Uncle Albert brought us to.  That was our last dinner in Melbourne which probably also explains why it was so good cos I think we were all starting to get withdrawal symptoms from chilli and hot soup - just can't run away from our Asian blood.  

Food glorious food

And that wraps up our Melbourne holiday!! It was a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing holiday!  Just the other day, my sis and I were talking about how we miss the place, chilling and relaxing in the apartment and bringing Jules out twice a day - a routine we got so used to while there.  Well that's why it's called a holiday - something special to look forward to.  We do hope to bring Jules on another trip or two next year - possibly Bali and Hongkong - we'll see how those plans pans out.  

Till the next holiday then!