Melbourne to mountains
I was so happy to be back in Melbourne this month after three long years. It always feels like home and never disappoints.
It was great to be back in the big smoke!
Hosier Lane
I joined Rita on her work trip and the trip was full – literally – of lots of wining and dining, from a Parisian dinner at Entrecôte in Prahran and Italian at Connie’s Diner in the CBD, to breakfast in Richmond at Laikon Deli, lunch along the Yarra at Arbory Bar, a visit to Gelato Messina and everything in between.
Dinner at Entrecôte
Entrecôte – Aged duck breast with pomme Anna and radicchio, and the famous steak and frites.
Connie’s Italian Diner – tagliolini cacio e pepe, penne all norma, zucchini fries and old fashioned pizza. I prefer a more traditional style.
Breakfast at Laikon Deli, very much an Italian delicatessen.
Laikon Deli – Prosciutto, mozzarella and tomato… my favourite combo!
A much needed healthy bowl brunch at Assembly Ground in Essendon
Seafood chowder at Arbory Bar
What’s always most special about Melbourne are my family connections. It was so nice catching up with all my first cousins who now call the city home, as well as extended cousins and family who have always lived there. I also met my cousin’s baby boy who is super cute and reminded me of my nephew as a baby, and got to see my 93-year-old great aunt again.
Always happy catching up with family!
And it wouldn’t be a Melbourne trip without a spot of footy and shopping. We watched West Coast vs Richmond at the G which was a more interesting game than we thought it would be. And I spent my last day searching for some new boots and jeans with my cousin.
West Coast v Richmond at MCG
Footy with my cousins
Aside from Melbourne, we hired a car and spent the weekend learning to snowboard in Mt Buller. We based ourselves in Mansfield, two and a half hours drive from Melbourne, which was a lot easier with a hire car and not having to worry about manoeuvring a snowy mountain. Transfers conveniently run between Mansfield and Mt Buller through the day, taking approximately 50 minutes and setting you back $90 return.
Mt Buller Village
We purchased a First Time group lesson and Lift Pass for the two days. After taking part in the first group lesson we realised we weren’t going to advance much in a group setting so booked ourselves a one-hour private lesson which was the best decision and something I would opt for in future instead.
Ready for our first slope
After our private lesson we managed to get off the chair lift without crashing, could get ourselves up from the ground and made it down to the bottom of the Baldy slope. We were feeling much more confident for day two.
The next day was much busier as it was a Saturday and the start of school holidays. Would recommend avoiding if you can. We started with our two-hour group lesson on Baldy which was a bit of a waste of time again but at least we eased into the day. It was also much icier this day as there was no snow overnight and it was a sunny day.
After lunch one of Rita’s friends recommended we try a different slope so we made our way to the Burnt Hut slope instead, also a Green beginner slope, which was much quieter and powdery. We tackled it a few times – it was great! I was definitely much happier with my snowboarding abilities than my skiing abilities on my previous Japan trip.
Hanging out at Burnt Hut
Snow buddies successfully making it down the slope without crashing into each other!
The Saturday definitely had more of a party vibe with DJs playing at bars and travellers in real holiday mode. It definitely made me want to book an extended international snow trip again!
Buller sunsets
Mansfield was a convenient little town to base ourselves with plenty of dining options from pubs to great Thai and convenient breakfast cafes. We enjoyed the comfortable bed and good night sleeps we got here. We definitely came away with tired bodies.
I was so happy we decided to add the side snow trip into our Melbourne itinerary, it was that little taste of overseas we needed.
Until next time…
LWL xxx