From my bedroom window, if I stand on tippy-toes and cock my head, I have a fabulous view out to Mount Dandenong. Whilst not a big mountain, it is the highest point close to Melbourne’s CBD and I am right at the foothills making it very accessible to some favourite spots and all within a 15 minute drive! How lucky are we?

In the short fifteen minute drive from our home, the road weaves up the side of the mountain, past tree ferns, towering mountain ash gum trees, through the small mountain villages of Sassafras and Olinda to the summit. From here, there is a spectacular view eastwards over the eastern suburbs of Melbourne to the city centre which is clearly marked by the towering skyscrapers but is totally peaceful and far removed from the chaos of city life.

Throughout the Dandenongs there are some well-known landmarks that are frequented by both national and international visitors. The most well-known being the historic steam train ‘Puffing Billy‘. The journey carries its passengers along a 24km stretch of track from Belgrave to Gembrook through forests and over the famous wooden trestle bridge built in 1899.

Another well-know location is the ‘William Ricketts Sanctuary‘. A four-acre property purchased by sculptor William Ricketts during the 1930s ended up expanding by the 1960s when the Victorian Government purchased the adjoining properties. William Ricketts remained on the property and continued to produce his Australian sculptures that can be enjoyed throughout the outdoor gallery, until his death in 1993 when he was 94 years of age.

There are also many less-known and well hidden treasures dotted through the hills. One of my favourites for that true velvet escape experience is the ‘Alfred Nicholas Gardens‘. Set on a steep slope opposite Sherbrooke Forest is a magnificent garden of rhododendrons, camelias, azaleas and other exotics dwarfed by the surrounding mountain ash eucalypts.

Taking the path that meanders down the hill through the garden, you arrive to a small, secluded lake with small walkway bridges and families of ducks. At the end of the lake is a little, wooden boat shed framed by the garden and mirrored by its reflection in the lake. It’s an image that could be straight from a fairytale book. It’s not unusual to have this secluded spot all to yourself!

This post was originally written for Velvet Escape.

A List of Places We Enjoyed in the Gippsland Region

Boxing Day is the day the Christmas tree comes down, the house is tidied and bags are packed for us to head off the following day on our annual summer vacation. This year we drove 3.5 hours east of Melbourne and based ourselves at a tiny town called Nicholson. Nicholson has the push-pin marked on the map below. This was our base for the following week to explore the region. So I have now compiled a list of the 7 places we visited and most enjoyed.

1. Buchan Caves

Buchan Caves

From Nicholson we drove north through rolling hills dotted with farms, followed by National forests before arriving at Buchan Caves. There are two main chambers being the Royal and Fairy Caves. We took a 45 mins walking tour through the magical wonderland of the Fairy Cave. Frank Moon discovered the Fairy Cave during 1907 which was opened to the public later that year. The Royal Cave was discovered in 1910 by Frederick Wilson and after an entrance tunnel was excavated, it was opened to visitors in 1913. The Caves Reserve was set out and planted mostly in the late 1930s. The stalactites, stalagmites, helictite, shawls and twinkling of water droplets make for a wonderful display from a different world.

2. Marlo

From Buchan Caves we drove south through the logging town of Orbost to the coastal town of Marlo. At Marlo the great Snowy River meets the sea and is a popular place for boating and fishing in both the river and estuaries. The historic Marlo pub is a great spot to grab a drink and admire the river and sea views.

3. Nicholson River Winery

This lovely family owned winery was just down the road from where we were holidaying and I surprised myself by only stopping in there the once! After enjoying the tastings, we pulled up some chairs in the garden with a glass of the NR Chardonnay and enjoyed the views over the Nicholson River.

Leaving Metung!

4. Metung

Metung is a delightful town attracting many city dwellers to own holiday homes in the area. The town has two focal points being the water ways of the lakes, and the village green. A number of cafes and restaurants cater well for the visitors making it a trendy destination! From Metung we enjoyed an afternoon cruise on the water to Lakes Entrance. The return trip took nearly 3 hours and we were spoilt with a complimentary glass of wine and nibbles. I did notice it also attracted a number of international visitors also. It was a very pleasant afternoon!

5. Paynesville

Another coastal town we visited was Paynesville and is a little larger than Metung so it had more in way of services and shops. There were a number of jetties for all the boating and water activities. A car and pedestrian ferry took people across to Raymond Island which only has a small population of no more than 500 people. I’m not sure if this population are permanent residents or holiday makers in their holiday homes!

6. Nyerimilang Heritage Park

Nyerimilang Heritage Park

Nyerimilang Heritage Park is on the shores of the Gippsland Lakes and has divine views of waterways, islands and the ocean beyond. The land was first owned by Mr A Murray in 1884 and he later transferred it to Frank Stuart of Melbourne who built a home as a base for fishing and shooting holidays at the Gippsland Lakes. During the early 1930s, his son Frank Jnr extended the house, developed the surrounding gardens and lived in style at Nyerimilang complete with housemaids and a gardener. A display featuring the history of Nyerimilang and the natural resources and history of the Gippsland Lakes is on display in the homestead and is extremely interesting.

7. Narkoojee Winery

Yes, we are wine lovers and on the way home from our week away (and my digital-detox) we stopped at one of our favourite wineries. Not that we’d been there before but we do enjoy their wine and all the more reason to detour off the Highway for a visit. Narkoojee produces two of my favourite Chardonnay’s, the Lily Grace and Reserve. Narkoojee is located just north of Traralgon at Glengarry.

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Gippsland, Victoria

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Where is Auckland?

Auckland, New Zealand

Renowned as the city of sails, Auckland shows itself to be among the biggest tourist attractions in all of the two beautiful islands of New Zealand. Maybe this is because of its exotic area islands and beaches or its breathtaking forests and glass like seas. It could also be because of the attractions, entertainment, and restaurants that cater to the visitor. Auckland possesses a large quantity of things for visitors to see and do. You will find adventurous and outside activities, nightlife, and even shopping. No matter what your age is, you will find many things to occupy you in the amazing city of Auckland.

The first thing that you will need in your Auckland visit is some flights to Auckland. As the largest city in New Zealand with plenty of outdoor activities, indoor shopping, and dining opportunities, you can count on major flights to Auckland from many destinations. From Washington D.C., American Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada, Continental Airlines, and US Airways all provide cheap flights to Auckland. Qantas and Air New Zealand fly from New York City. From London, a number of full service and discount carriers also make Auckland flights. These include Air China, Thai Airways, Emirates Air, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, United Airways, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, and the budget airline bmi.

Once you are in Auckland, you will find that there are plenty of things to do to fill your time. History lovers will want to go see the Auckland Museum. It contains historic New Zealand’s priceless treasures. It is located in the beautiful Auckland public reserve.

There is the most famous landmark of Auckland for to see, the Sky Tower. This icon rises 328 meters over the skyline of Auckland. You will find bungy jumping activities here, and a few good restaurants located inside the tower itself. Below it is the Sky City Casino with still more attractions.

If you love the sea, then you will want to visit Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic and Underwater World. This aquarium that showcases literally thousands of sea creatures and fish has more than two million liters of water. There is also an Antarctic display found here with penguins living in ice and snow.

For all of you outdoors lovers, the Auckland Zoo is an attraction that is worth your time. The zoo is beautifully landscaped and makes for a wonderful outside walk. Here there is an enormous gathering of both rare and unusual animals, like the kiwi, zebra, lion, and giraffe.

Beach lovers will want to go walk along Mission Bay Beach. This stretch of sand is visited by both tourists and locals alike. The best time to see it is early evening or late afternoon.

The most famous place for shopping in Auckland is Victoria Park Market. At over a hundred years old, this is a must see market building for you shoppers. In it you will find market stalls and many shops offering art, fashion, crafts, and many other items. There are also nice restaurants from which you can choose.

Frommer’s New Zealand

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One Great Reason to Visit Auckland

One great reason to visit this travel destination is to marvel at the view over the City of Sails from the impressive Sky Tower.

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Where is Scandrett Bay?

Morning view of Scandrett Bay

Scandrett Bay is just one of the tranquil beaches located on the Maharangi Peninsula, approximately 1 ½ hours north-east of central Auckland. It’s a perfect spot to relax and unwind if you want to do a day trip from Auckland, or there are three traditional kiwi baches that can be rented if you want a longer break.

There used to be baches (or cribs as they call them in the South Island) all along the Scandrett’s Bay shoreline. The Scandrett family whom the bay is named after, gave permission for a number of sites to be leased and at least 11 baches were built between 1950 and 1970.

Now just three remain and are owned by the Auckland Regional Council (ARC). New Zealanders love to have holidays by the beach so the baches are usually booked solid over the Christmas period but they are usually readily available outside of this period.

Graham Bach

Graham Bach, the middle one, where my family and I stayed for two nights recently, can sleep up to eight people. It’s literally right on the water’s edge, so the beach is your front yard. While we there we saw an Orca whale and its baby swimming not too far from shore and also a stingray which swum right past us in the clear shallows. Apart from some kayaking, and swimming, we also did a walk up over the headland. There are quite a few decent treks you can do that start from Scandrett Bay.

Kayaking

If you like historic places and cultural heritage, at the end of the headland is a Maori Pa site and the Scandrett Family homestead is open to the public. There is also a virtually intact collection of farm buildings dating from the late 19th century.

Scandrett Bay is a public beach but at night a gate closes off the entrance so you have the beach to yourselves. This, and the fact that it is a little off the beaten track, means that Scandrett Bay is not as overrun by people as perhaps some of the other beaches in the area and much of it’s natural beauty is still intact.

A guest post by New Zealand travel writer, Angela Pearse.

Lonely Planet New Zealand

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One Great Reason to Visit

One great reason to visit this travel destination is to experience staying in authentic NZ bach right on the beach, a perfect way to relax and unwind with family and friends.

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