My father passed away when I was three, so my mother became the family’s sole breadwinner. She single-handedly raised my two younger brothers and me, and we lived a frugal life.
Travelling was definitely an extravagant luxury to us back then, but we were still content.
I started earning a decent living in 2014, but I seldom travelled overseas for holidays. Instead, I kept on working harder to save more money. My days off were mainly spent staying home to recharge.
But after Covid-19 – and after getting married in 2023 – things changed. I have learned to slow down my pace and take more time off work. Together with my wife, I plan to travel overseas at least once a year now. In fact, one of our first trips was to the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, in 2024.
We spent one week there in November, which was spring time. The flowers were already in full bloom in the city’s many gardens, but we wanted to see more so we visited the Royal Botanic Gardens.
We were surrounded by colourful flowers like camellias and roses, shady palm trees, spiny cacti and more. It was a quiet and relaxing place for a stroll and even made us stop and, figuratively and literally, smell the roses.
In the heart of Melbourne’s central business district (CBD), we joined a walking tour at the famous Hosier Lane near Flinders Street Station, admiring the street art featuring a dizzying array of colours, artistic characters and unique shapes. These were created by local and international artists.
We even got to see a few street artists at work, unleashing their imagination and creativity on a wall with bottles of aerosol paints.
My wife and I checked out the State Library Victoria, the oldest public library in Australia, and one of the first free public libraries in the world. We admired its magnificent interiors, especially the La Trobe Reading Room with its majestic octagonal domed ceiling.
On a different day, we signed up for a tour of Brighton Beach, Puffing Billy and Phillip Island. Our first stop during this tour was Brighton Beach where we saw a few of the rainbow- coloured “Brighton Bathing Boxes”, which were owned by nearby residents to use as changing rooms.
According to the tour guide, each box can cost up to A$340,000 (RM1mil)! He added that the beach suburb is one of the wealthiest areas in Melbourne.
The second stop was Puffing Bully Railway where we took the old steam train from Menzies Creek to Belgrave. It is the world’s oldest surviving steam locomotive, and it chugged through the Dandenong Ranges with black sooty smoke billowing out of its funnel due to the burning of coal.
We dangled our legs over the side of the open carriage while Puffing Billy the train was trundling through temperate rainforests and peaceful valleys. We utterly enjoyed the serene view throughout the 25-minute journey.
The last but most memorable part of the tour was our visit to Phillip Island, a renowned Victorian nature sanctuary for seals, koalas and birds.
We went to The Nobbies in the evening, taking a stroll along the winding boardwalks to soak up the picturesque coastal views amid strong cold winds and colonies of seagulls, terns and geese.
Atop the rugged cliff, I experienced complete peace of mind just watching the vast blue ocean sweeping the coastline.
The island is also famed for its nightly Penguin Parade, where the Little Penguins emerge from the sea and return to the shore at sunset. Despite the bone-chilling cold winds, it melted our hearts to see them waddling clumsily towards their own burrows.
Sovereign Hill in Ballarat was another highlight. It took us around 90 minutes to travel from the Southern Cross Metro Station to reach Ballarat. Sovereign Hill is a living museum that presents the story of the town during the gold rush. Gold was discovered here in 1851, triggering the greatest alluvial rush the world has ever known.
In a wide, open area we spent about five hours watching shows on gold production, and then went on a mine tour.
I like Melbourne for its breathtaking nature and laidback lifestyle. Visiting the place made me realise the world is vast and vibrant, but that life is short and unpredictable so I should stop living a monotonous life and see more of the world.
So, where should my next destination be?
The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.
