Cooling Down in Israel

On a road trip tour of Israel with perfect strangers, Ben and his travel buddies stopped by the beach one day for a short break from driving. Plunging into the turquoise waters, they enjoyed swimming and relaxing as the waves crashed upon them. However, it was all very short lived. The waves brought dozens of jellyfish with them and almost everyone in the party got stung. Though thankfully the jellyfish were not poisonous, the stings burnt and felt incredibly itchy and uncomfortable. To cope, members of the group had to pee on each other to soothe the discomfort. (Talk about a bonding experience eh?)

Ben of Smart Destinations

Blue Mountain Lemons

We had met a few weeks previously during a camping trip to the Blue Mountains – a group of international travellers from various points around the globe all in Australia for a year to work and travel our way around the country. One member of our party, Marcus, had left Sydney for Melbourne and had decided to buy a car and drive from Melbourne to Adelaide via The Great Ocean Road. Excited for this adventure with new friends, myself and my friend Marita flew from Sydney to Melbourne to meet up with Marcus and our friend Tom flew down from Perth, especially for the trip. Pumped, excited, and stocked up on supplies, we piled into the car…. Only to find that it wouldn’t even start. It transpired that Marcus had gotten the car at a cheap price from another traveller who had since left the country, and he hadn’t even thought to give it a test drive before long road trip! After two weeks, a lot of repairs, and far too much money for an old mess of a car, it was finally ready to take us!

Melissa of High Heels & a Backpack

Ur-ine Trouble!

Felicity was travelling through Argentina by tour bus when nature called and she urgently needed the bathroom. She promptly got up and dashed to the bathroom, only to find a note on the door that said: “urine only”. The situation was urgent…. This number 2 wasn’t waiting for anybody! Felicity had to go ahead and use the bus bathroom anyway, much to the annoyance of the driver who stopped the bus, walked to the bathroom and banged on the door, yelling to her that the bathroom was only for urine, much to the amusement of the rest of the passengers onboard.

Felicity of Thinking Nomads

If there is anything to be learned from these experiences, it’s to check that your car works before planning a trip, avoid jellyfish and accept that when you gotta go, you gotta go. Embarrassing road trip stories are cringeworthy at the time, but will ultimately become a memorable part of your travel experience. Have you any embarrassing tales to share? Share them on our Facebook page.

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By Jo Jonkman

We will tell you 5 reasons why Melbourne should be your next family trip and is ticking all those boxes.

1. Melbourne offers a lot of (almost) FREE things to do with your family.

There are a lot of lovely city parks, gardens, and beaches where you can relax, picnic and play around without spending a cent. One of my favourites is wandering along the sea front promenade of St Kilda to take in the views or watch the fishermen and kite surfers practicing their skills. Why not check out our separate blog on this: Free Things to do in Melbourne with kids

2. Melbourne is heaven if you and your family are fine tasters.

Have a stroll around Melbourne’s many markets and taste all sorts of international cuisine or have a coffee at one of Melbourne’s many kid-friendly coffee shops with playgrounds, where the kids can play while you can enjoy your latte. Or trigger your taste buds while wine tasting and taking in the stunning views of one of the great vineyards close to Melbourne. Food in Melbourne is top notch and for a fun little excursion why not visit some of the Melbourne food trucks?  Kids can run around and parents can sit on the grass with a glass of wine.

3. Melbourne is the place to be to if your kids love animals (and which kid doesn’t?)

A trip to Phillip Island to see the famous penguin parade is a must do when you are in Melbourne, but if time is short did you know you can also spot the world’s smallest penguins sitting on the rocks in the lovely suburb of St Kilda?

For more ocean animals you can go to the Melbourne Sea Life Aquarium (www.melbourneaquarium.com.au) which is home to over 10,000 creatures, or to the Melbourne Zoo to discover all sorts of exotic animals from all over the world. If you want to introduce your children to real farm animals and also feed, cuddle and milk them, then the Collingwood Children’s Farm is a great experience.

If you want to get up close to Australian native animals, you should go on a tour along the Great Ocean Road to spot koala’s, kangaroos or one of many Australian indigenous birds.

3. Melbourne’s history

Learn, discover and play at the Melbourne Museum. Take the Historical City Circle Tram to explore Melbourne City and check out Melbourne’s famous icon; the Flinders Street Station, which is Australia’s oldest train station. Maybe take a guided tour to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat: www.sovereignhill.com.au

We just love Melbourne and Australian history.

4. Melbourne family fun

Melbourne is an amazing family friendly city with lots of great events and activities going on all year-long. There are also numerous great playgrounds in and around Melbourne, with adventure playgrounds being absolutely the most fun for every age. Or head over to the Melbourne’s seaside playground of St Kilda, which is renowned for great sandy beaches, great restaurants, and cafes, and of course Luna Park, which offers a range of attractions for all ages. If you like to learn and discover new things, then the Science Works museum is the best place to go.

5. From Melbourne City to stunning nature

Only an hour out of Melbourne you find the magnificent Dandenong Ranges, where you can take the Puffing Billy train over its mountain track through the forest. Or take a tour along Great Ocean Road and visit the world-famous twelve apostles. There are so many family holiday photo ideas here.

And there is, even more, to discover in Melbourne! For further info try www.visitmelbourne.com

Get in touch via I Heart Melbourne Tour’s website, Facebook page or email (info@iheartmelbournetours.com.au) to create your next amazing family holiday.

Jo is a mum, wife, owner of her own website www.woodyworldpacker.com and freelancer in photography, writing, travel consultancy, marketing and social media. Originally from the Netherlands, she calls Australia home. Jo travelled over 50 countries and has a mission to visit every country on the planet together with her family. Learn more about her and her work at her Website www.woodyworldpacker.com.

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When you visit a new city you could be forgiven for being a little bit worried about how you’re going to get around. You want to take in all that the city has to offer, but you’re just not sure how to best get exploring. When faced with a myriad of transport options, and minimal knowledge of where you are heading, you will undoubtedly be confused and overwhelmed.

Melbourne is thankfully very easy to get around with a number of transport options to choose from, each of which is fairly self-explanatory. However, if you do get stuck, something that sets Melbourne apart from the rest is the friendliness of its inhabitants (it is the world’s most liveable city after all so what’s not to smile about?!). You just need to ask someone to help you out and they would be all too happy to oblige.

So how exactly do you get around Melbourne?

Trains, trams and buses

Melbourne is best known for its characterful tram network. You can take in the city sights on the charming City Circle (#35) tram, hopping on and hopping off as much as you like along its circular route. It can take you a whole day to work your way around the city circle if you make the most of each of the stops.

However, make note that the #35 tram is no longer the only free ride around the city. Recently all Melbourne trams operating within the CBD area became a complimentary service for those travelling within the Free Tram Zone (check out the map before you travel so you don’t get stung). Many of the main city attractions are within this zone so you can save your pennies for a famous Melbourne latte or vino. If you do need to venture outside of this zone, to suburbs such as Port Melbourne and St Kilda and beyond, then you will need to be familiar with Melbourne’s Myki system (which we describe below). You’ll need a Myki to travel on Melbourne’s trains, trams and buses. Don’t risk going even one stop outside of the Free Tram Zone without a ‘touched-on’ Myki though as the inspectors will be sure to be waiting for you! The best website to check out before you travel is Plan Your Journey, or you can download the ‘PTV’ app to help map out your public transport journey. Victoria’s V-line network will also help to take you further afield if you perhaps fancy a day out in the country side. 

Myki

If you’ve ever visited London then you will be familiar with the Oyster card system, which is basically a pre-paid card allowing you get around the city, using the Underground system in particular. Well, consider the Myki, the Oyster down under (well in Melbourne at least!).

You simply buy a card from a registered outlet, top it up, and away you go. You need to ‘touch on and off’ whenever you get on or off a tram, train or bus, which registers your fare and checks validity of your pass. This is a great way to get around without having to search for cash all the time when using public transport. You just need to be organised and buy your Myki in advance.

Uber

Unless you have been living under a big old rock, you’ve no doubt heard about the emergence of the taxi network’s public enemy number one, Uber. Using simply a smartphone to order your ride without exchanging any cash, Uber has made it all too easy and convenient to move around Melbourne. Originating in the USA, Uber has really gained popularity in Australia for the reasons just mentioned. Basically all you need to do it download the ‘Uber’ app, register and request your ride. Uber drivers are notoriously prompt so you can have a ride within minutes. Simple!

Taxis

Of course, an old faithful way of getting from A to B is the humble taxi. You will find taxis aplenty round the city. Most of Melbourne’s taxis are yellow but you may also find a silver or white taxi floating around. Taxis are always marked as such and driver accreditation should be displayed on the dashboard. If the vehicle doesn’t look like your typical taxi that you see in the movies then chances are that it is not legit. Don’t risk it. Again, just ask a local if the ride you are planning to take is legitimate.

Hire a car

Of course you could hire a car if you want full control over how you experience Melbourne. However, with a really reliable, low cost, and easy to use public transport system, there really is no need to worry yourself with driving. It also comes with the hassle of having to learn the road rules and risk having to make a ‘hook turn’ (a tourist driver’s worst nightmare!). If you still fancy your own ride around the city and beyond then we can always help you with a tour 😉

– Lauren and James

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No doubt when you think about the Great Ocean Road your mind would immediately go to the breathtaking views, the beautiful cliff tops, the narrow windy road and of course, the stunning Southern Ocean. This is understandable as it is these aspects that make this ocean road great. But there is so much more to be discovered in this region of Victoria. The beauty and charm extend inland. In this blog, tour guide Michaela Box-Dougherty shares with you ‘the other side of the road’…

“Not all those who wander, are lost” – J.R.R Tolkien.

This quote is one that really resinates with me. You see, I’m an explorer. Sure, maybe not in the league of Matthew Flinders or Christopher Columbus, but I find no greater joy than exploring new places and getting off the beaten track. I’m always encouraging people to explore the places that aren’t on the ‘top five’ and discover ‘the other side of the road’.

Californian Redwoods

Taking in the beauty of these trees would hands down be on the top of my favourite things to do. Planted in 1939 as a test to see how they would adapt to our climate, these beautiful Redwoods now stand over 60 meters tall. From the outside these trees look like any normal tree. It isn’t until you walk deeper into the forest that you understand their true magnificence. They tower above and act like a canopy, resulting in very little sunlight hitting the area. The thick blanket of red leaves which lay on the forest floor make it seem as though you’ve stepped into another universe. The Redwoods are hidden down an old logging road in Beech Forest, which make them one of the Otway’s best-kept secrets.

Californian Redwoods are located on Binns Road, approximately 10 minute from the small town of Beech Forest.

Hopetoun Falls

Just a short drive from the Californian Redwoods, you will discover the beauty of Hopetoun Falls in the Otway’s forest. This is the waterfall that you’ll often see on postcards. Its beautiful, rectangular shape plunges 30 meters down into the Aire River. Hopetoun Falls lays in one of the wettest areas in Victoria, which will guarantee a lot of water. The large ferns that surround the walk down to the Falls make it appear as though it’s magical. The 198 steps down (and then back up!) is truly worth it for the beautiful photo opportunities.

Californian Redwoods are located on Binns Road, approximately 10 minute from the small town of Beech Forest.

Melba Gully

This is one of the most majestic and enchanting places in the Otway’s. Named after Dame Nellie Melba, this beautiful rainforest walk follows a loop and takes approximately 40 minutes to complete. The towering ferns, Myrtle Beech and Blackwood trees dominant the area and provide a beautiful canopy. Small rivers and cascades follow the walk, and there are many small information boards giving much information about the flora, fauna and history. Wait until after dark to visit to try your chances at spotting some glow worms! Because of its wet and cool-temperate climate, this is one of the best places to try and spot the endangered Otway Black Snail.

Melba Gully is located just off the Great Ocean Road, in Crowes on Melba Gully Road (ample signage).

Crowes Buffer Stop

Located just five minutes from Melba Gully lays Crowes Buffer stop. It is the case that in the early to mid 1900’s the Otway’s played a very important role in supplying timber to not only Victoria, but also the rest of Australia. With the wealth of beautiful, healthy, tall trees, the Otway’s became the pivot of Australia’s timber industry. The Crowes Buffer Stop indicates the last station on the famous railway system, the Beechy Line. It was this system that transported timber from the depths of the Otway’s to nearby Colac. The original station sign is still there, as well as small portion of the original railway tracks. The community has also set up a small board which displays many old newspaper articles and mid last century photos of the place.

Crowes Buffer Stop lays just off the Great Ocean Road, in the town of Crowes, off Melba Gully Road (ample signage).

Enjoy exploring the other side of the road!

🙂 Michaela

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Having undertaken a number of beach side adventures with our little man, here are our top tips: for going to the beach with kids

• A standard item on the baby change table is a staple in any good beach bag… baby powder that is. It will help remove the beach holiday nemesis, sand.
• To beat sand at its own game, pack your gear in a mesh bag.
• Take a clean, unused nappy to hide your valuables when you are in the water. I dare say there are few would be thieves out there that would be willing to take what appeared to be a “wrapped up parcel” (parents, you know what I mean!)
• Bring along coins for umbrella hire at any good beach. The sun is strong in Australia so get some relief when you are out of the water.
• Along those lines, do not forget to slip, slop, slap. Slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen and slap on a hat.
• Take along a bucket and spade for fun in the sun, and also as a practical item to wash down sand and muck in the absence of any showers at your beach destination.
• Pack a big bottle of water and snacks to save you packing up all of the gear for drink and meal breaks
• Take along a picnic rug or wooden/bamboo mat to put underneath your towel to put some distance between you and the sand.
• If you have a little one with you then it is sensible to bring along a muslim wrap or light sheet if they have a little nap to provide them with even more protection from harmful rays.
• And finally, build in some time for naps for all of the family because sun and surf combined has “snooze” written all over it.

Enjoy your sun filled adventure!

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