Boxing Day Test match quickie and Great Ocean Road Trip

Pushka · Dec 26, 2017

Currently here:

Waiting for flight to Melb.
Left the cat looking like this:

Tomorrow we have tickets to members reserve on level 4 Row A so I think no hats will bother us and we are in the shade. Dress standards apply though.

Thursday we hire a (gold plated judging by the price) car from Europcar located right next to our Melb home for a three night drive back to Adelaide. Car parked at Adelaide airport as that’s where we drop off. Two nights Lorne and one night in knee deep Coonawarra vineyards. Home by NYE. Short but sweet. Gonna be hot though.

Pushka · Dec 27, 2017

Flight not memorable and neither were the food offerings but I did partake of the complimentary wine and which I promptly spilled whilst watching a couple take over the aisle. Karma got me back.

Arrived to a deserted Melb airport. Only two or three flights leaving later than 7pm. Shops all shut. A small wait for taxis then a very quick trip up the freeway but still cost us $74! Loadings I guess. People just leaving DFO Boxing Day sales. Had been bedlam I guess.

Not much to unpack except all the frozen food I’d packed for MrP when he stays here for work. Then off to get the ultra cheap but excellent pizzas from Holloywood Pizzas under the Richmond Railway station a 2 minute walk away. We’d seen many police and urban eats delivery people over the last few months and we now why. Really good pizzas.

Took them back to our balcony to eat while listening to the Barmy Army still being Barmy Army chanting at 9.30pm. Endless energy.

Woke this am to a warm and breezy Melbourne. We will set off for our five minute walk to MCG at 9.45 for a 10.30 start.

docjames · Dec 28, 2017

Keenly awaiting pics from GOR.

Pushka · Dec 28, 2017

docjames said:
Keenly awaiting pics from GOR.

On our way now. In a traffic jam outside Torquay. Surf flat at Bells.

Great seats at the cricket.

Views from within the MCC

Pushka · Dec 28, 2017

Argh.

Pushka · Dec 28, 2017

Made it to Torquay. Super busy. Nice river area.

On the Great Ocean Road. Stationary. Note to self and others. Don’t come here during Christmas. We have not moved for 5 minutes.

See those white dots in the distance?

Cars. So far 45 minutes. Distance 5 k’s.

Pushka · Dec 28, 2017

Finally made it. We are staying at Mantra in Lorne. Excellent location on the beach. Room is large and small balcony. Rooms a bit dated and I guess expensive for the quality but bed is large and comfy, linens and towels nice. Just got delivered a nice cold bottle of Sav Banc. I have no idea why but it’s excellent.

Pushka · Dec 28, 2017

View from our small balcony towards outdoor bar.

Not the room to be in if you want some sleep on NYE

Yep. That’s the air cond. But a change has come through so we turned it off.

And some washing being done apparently.

love_the_life · Dec 28, 2017

Pushka said:
Finally made it. We are staying at Mantra in Lorne. Excellent location on the beach. Room is large and small balcony. Rooms a bit dated and I guess expensive for the quality but bed is large and comfy, linens and towels nice. Just got delivered a nice cold bottle of Sav Banc. I have no idea why but it’s excellent.

I think the last time I was in Lorne was for a laptop education conference back in about 2000 or so. We were at the coughberland and the overflow from the conference used the Mantra (or whatever it was called then). Seem to remember it was a bit of a junket.

Pushka · Dec 28, 2017

love_the_life said:
I think the last time I was in Lorne was for a laptop education conference back in about 2000 or so. We were at the coughberland and the overflow from the conference used the Mantra (or whatever it was called then). Seem to remember it was a bit of a junket.

This place?

love_the_life · Dec 28, 2017

Pushka said:
This place?
View attachment 113491

Think so, though may have been called something different then. I think it used to be an orange colour i those days. Hopefully the traffic will thin out as you continue to drive west. An ex work colleague was driving down there this week as well. I'm not sure he will cope well with the traffic and delays!

Pushka · Dec 28, 2017

Thank goodness for pre snack twisties and freebie wine. This was our main meal of flathead fillets @$22 a pop. Fries were extra. Each piece was maybe 2 inches (10 cms?) long.

docjames · Dec 29, 2017

Pushka said:
Made it to Torquay. Super busy. Nice river area.
View attachment 113476

View attachment 113478

.

I think you'll find that's actually Anglesea (not Torquay).

And the roundabout there is notorious for delays on peak days.

Pushka · Dec 29, 2017

The rain meant we ended our day of beaching in Apollo Bay very early. In fact the only time we got out of the car was to go to the bakery and get some food and then a toilet break. So am downloading photos I took on the camera to the iPad for posting here. First some pictures of the cricket. And stopped just before Marsh was bowled. Of course.

Pushka · Dec 29, 2017

And the crowd. We had seen these guys in the local fish shop the night before.

The Richies. It was so hot and they were in the sun the whole time but they kept on their gear the whole time and played and sang Advance Australia Fair better than any of the professional performances.

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This camera crew was right next to us.

Pushka · Dec 29, 2017

For those wondering, this is the view from our apartment balcony on Punt road and our view straight out. Epworth Hospital.

Pushka · Dec 29, 2017

And now today’s photos. We left early after the forecast said it might rain this afternoon. Ha. They can (or think they can) forecast climate change in 200 years time but can’t even forecast the weather. It was drizzling by 9.30 and at 2.30 was getting rather wet. Anyway some photos. Traffic heavy but not as jammed as yesterday.