November 7th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Flea Market at Camberwell
5th October 2008, Sunday
Curly, being a fan of antiques, loves the flea market in Camberwell. Sometimes, if you are lucky you would get pretty good deals here. They sell just anything here, from small ear rings to things as big as sofa or arm chair! To get to Camberwell, you need to take a train ride from Flinder’s. If not mistaken, the flea market is only open on Sundays and till 12 pm only. I didn’t get anything but Curly and ML got themselves really nice brooches.
We walked about here for an hour before going to Sofia’s for an Italian brunch. We ordered risotto, garden salad (HUGE portion!) and pizza. Try ordering pizza without anchovies. They are very, very salty! Too salty for our taste! We ta pao-ed back some leftovers as all portions are too huge by Asian standard!
We went to Federation Square after that to check out some tour packages since we decided not to drive. We were greeted by a huge crowd, all looking upwards to this man who juggled torches of fire while balancing on a tight rope, held by some members of the crowd. In Federation Square, there were many talented people coming up with tricks to entertain the ever engaging crowd for a small token of appreciation. They usually would be welcomed with a warm round of applause from the cheerful and laid back crowd.
At the travel advisory center, situated at the lower ground of Federation Square, we waited quite awhile to get our bookings, not because there were many people at the counter waiting, but the volunteers were overly patient, answering one question after another! Perhaps you can try to take a number first before deciding what tour packages to take!
We decided to go with AAT Kings to Great Ocean Road, Penguin Islands, Puffing Billy, Cattle Farm and Yarra Valley and Wineries. We paid only AUD314 for the entire 3 days package. All packages come with a light breakfast of scones and coffee and you get a free half day city tour too. If you want to include lunch, you need to pay the difference of probably AUD30 per day.
We hop off the tourist shuttle bus at Alexandra Gardens to check out the statues and Shrine of Remembrance. It was a day when there was daylight saving, so we turned out clock one hour ahead. At 6 pm, the sunlight was still as bright as it is in the morning and yet, the air is still cold and nice. I love it.
So, we walked about Alexandra Garden to watch people jogging by, took pictures of blooms of springs, birds and lovers. You can see a lot of people lying on the grass to sun bathe. It was indeed a splendid day to walk about Melbourne!
We ended the day with a bowl of delicious beef pho in Mekong along Swanston Street. This shop is quite well known among the locals and tourists alike. Pictures of Hong Kong stars were plastered everywhere, having their meals here – Jackie Chan, Samo Hung, just to name a few. The beef pho is good though but not something that I would miss. For AUD9.80 per bowl, probably cheap by Australian standard. To me, it’s a little too pricey. I still crave for the stir fried lemongrass beef in Bong Sen, KLCC!