Of Koalas & Kangaroos — Land Down Under
Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi
It was that time of the year again — a leisure trip with friends and family to an international destination I hadn’t explored yet. And which country to cross off my proverbial list than Australia, to meet my best friend, and where Anthony Bourdain had had a strong cultural acquaintance with Melbourne’s chow. My trip was coalescing neatly, when my parents suddenly announced they’d want to join me too, so off we went.
To firm up the itinerary, I had to pick three places to span ~ 2 weeks of tourism, to help buffer for travel days and avoid cramping too many places in one sitting. I chose Sydney given its accessibility to my friends and for its classical attractions. For the second spot, I chose Melbourne to savor the food scene and cafe-hop. As for my third, instead of going far off to the northeast coast to dive into the Great Barrier Reef, I chose Tasmania to intersperse my city-hobnobbing with stunning natural beauty, pristine wilderness and unique wildlife.
Matcha Cloud Lattes & Chili Oil Crab Omelet Brunches
First stop: Melbourne. Let me start by saying that I got obsessive about Matcha lattes this summer because well, it’s cool?! earthy, soothing and doesn’t have that bitter taste of coffee. The moment I reach Melbourne, I start hunting down cafes with the best Matcha Lattes. I didn’t have to look further than basically almost all the coffee shops in Melbourne CBD where we established our base for a few days. The two cafes that stand out are — Operator25 & Good Measure Cafe & Bar.
Operator25 around the corner of our hotel offered the best coffees and delectable brunches — Singapore Chili softshell Crab omelet, Scrambled Eggs with butter, Ube hotcakes, Matcha waffles, Yuzu smashed Avocado, Mango Almond chia pudding. The coffees ranged from Rum Raisin (my fav!), Pandan Matcha Cloud, Coffee Mandarin Cloud, Iced Bizcoffee, Panna Cotta misu. I was spoilt for choice.
The other cafe on top of my list, Good Measure Cafe, felt like a bougie and fashion-forward neighbourhood hang from Japan, crafting out brews such as Mont Blanc, Soy Matcha Latte; bakes such as Poached Orange Almond cake and noms such as Ramen Egg Salad, Sweet Potato roll, Crispy Chicken sando, Kimchi fries and more! I didn’t wanna leave.
All in all, the coffee culture in Australia is definitely pretty robust (no pun intended!). No wonder Melbourne is called the “coffee capital of the world” with its plethora of cafés and roasters.
Please don’t call me a Koala Bear
I also ended up taking the Great Ocean Road trip near Melbourne, which brought me face to face with some awe-inspiring oceanic scenery, but also random Koalas, those little round fur balls barely hanging off of giant Eucalyptus trees along the country roads. The tour driver kept reminding us that these animals are called Koalas, not Koala Bears(!), by playing this sarcastic children’s ballad. As for me, I quietly kept a lookout for those precarious Koalas, should they turn into actual bears!
Nasi Lemak and other Asian delicacies, Street Murals
We had only a handful of days in Melbourne, and there was much to cover. A few spots that stood out for actual food — Nasi Lemak, a Malaysian delicacy from Mamak, Mackeral fish dumplings from Shangdong Mama Mini, and Japanese comfort food (Salmon Saikyo Yaki Chazuke, Okonomiyaki Bun, Iced Blueberry Matcha) at the newly opened Kombu QVM.
Another show-stopping part of Melbourne were its many streets full of murals — ranging from paper stick-ons on random alley walls to full blown artworks along narrow streets.
Sydney Ferries & Surf Tides
With my Melbourne adventure over, I headed to Sydney to immerse myself in the city’s metropolitan life — investigate the grocery store snacks, observe handsome office goers on their daily commute, go gaga over tall tourist attractions and get lost in the city mire.
Sydney didn’t disappoint; in fact, I’m still in awe of its Parramatta River, along which Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House are situated. The river also serves as the most significant waterway in Sydney, ferrying office goers daily across its many headlands, peninsulas and bays — Darling Harbour, Kirribilli, Circular Quay and more.
Also, some of the best pictures with the backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and the Bridge can be captured from a ferry or from Mrs Macquarie’s chair near the Botanical Gardens and Luna Park.
Tasmania — Cleanest Air in the World!?
It was time for a brief break from Sydney as my parents joined me finally, and we waltzed off to Hobart, Tasmania, an inland state of Australia. After hearing from friends about Tasmania’s “jaw dropping” beauty, I knew we had to pay it a visit.
My jaw didn’t drop per say, but definitely gave me an insight into its rich and diverse community. We took a day-trip to Bruny island to explore its ancient paths and rugged coasts, but more so its local gourmet grub — fresh loaves, chocolates & fudges, cheeses, and the highlight of the show, freshly caught and shucked oysters.
And did I mention that we went on a walk inside a temperate rainforest trail, where the tour guide proudly pronounced — Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world! Alas, I wasn’t carrying any apparatus to bottle it up and sell it later on eBay, but I took some long deep breaths quietly.
‘Roos and other wildlife
The next day, we wanted to chill a bit and see the local wildlife, so off we went to the Bonorong wildlife sanctuary, that operates Tasmania’s largest 24/7 Wildlife Rescue Service. Ultimately, this “un-zoo” aims to get healthy animals back to the wild. We checked out some Wombats, Tasmanian Devils, Echidna, Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, Tawny Frogmouths, Emus, and last but not the least — Forester Kangaroos!
The ‘Roos were a docile free-roaming bunch across the wide-spread sloping landscape, almost inviting us to come near them, lazing around in the hot mid-afternoon sun, feeding and gently running across the land to whisper sweet nothings to their mates. These gentle giants also loved a good scratch on the chest. We tenderly scratched their backs and chests and also hand-fed them, which turned out to be such a soothing surreal experience.
Super fast Sails, Seals, Whales and Sea Sickness
Well, no visit to Australia is complete without venturing out into the Pacific Ocean. And since we had forgone the Great Barrier Reef this time around, we still wanted to witness some of the wild seas and marine life in the Pacific. So off we went for a cruise along the spectacular coastline between Port Arthur and Eaglehawk Neck in southern Tasmania. Gigantic vertical sea cliffs, rock formations, archways and deep-sea caves greeted us on a super bumpy ride, as the cruise literally bolted on the water.
We saw hundreds of seals loafing around on slick rock ledges, abundant sea birds such as albatross, diving sea eagles and peregrine falcons wheeling or nesting in their natural habitats. The captain of the vessel also made pit stops to showcase some migrating whales in a feeding frenzy. We saw some Orcas and Humpbacks jutting in and out of water, almost in slow motion with their trail of misty breaths behind them.
Trendy locals & surfers at the Bondi Beach
Back in Sydney, we wasted no time visiting Bondi Beach, particularly the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk and mingling with the boho locals and barefoot surfers. Bondi is definitely a crowd pleaser, for good reason. I was even more enthralled at the surrounding cliff-topped walkways meandering along cliffs, sandy beaches and some expansive blue ocean views. Then there’s the iconic Bondi Icebergs Pool, established in 1929 offering instagrammable opportunities and a challenge to swim the 50 meters long adult pool, running along the sea-cliff.
This massive saltwater pool is made even more iconic by the splashing of the waves from the nearby ocean. In fact, this is how the pool is filled with seawater. As you swim, you might even feel the wave hit you as you come up for air. This is part of the appeal of the iconic pool and is also responsible for its gorgeous blue-green hue.
IND vs. PAK at the Sydney Cricket Ground
To finish off our trip, we booked some tickets to a T20 Aus vs. Pak cricket match that was serendipitously in the books just a day before we were scheduled to leave. My Dad was excited and so were the thousand or more Pakistani-Aussie locals that showed up for the game, mostly waving the green flag to the chorus of “Pakistan Zindabad”. Australia won, and we exited the stadium brimming. We had a long trans-pacific journey to cover the next day.
Aussie Idiosyncrasies
Let me also take a moment here to reflect on some strange practices I noticed on this last frontier —
- Jetstar’s peculiar and obsessive luggage rules — It’s almost daylight robbery having to pay $75 AUD for 5kgs of excess carry-on luggage at the boarding gate. The Jetstar flight staff obsessively checks carry-on luggage at the boarding gate and doesn’t allow one to board if you don’t cough up the dough for that extra weight.
- Surcharges— You’ll be levied a surcharge (especially in the food & dining establishments), typically ranging from 10% to 15% on weekends, public holidays and especially if you use a credit card!
- 50 cents for a packet of condiment — did not expect to pay 50c for a packet of ketchup or condiments at fast food chains.
- Pay at the counter — After waiting at my table for a considerable time trying to catch the eye of a passing server, I finally realized I had to pay at the payment counter itself.
- No tipping culture — Since the food and beverage prices are considerable, and service charges are tagged onto the bill, no tipping culture is a valid respite for the locals and tourists alike.
- Independent coffee shops — With Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts or McDs in North America, it was a pleasant surprise to find a proliferation of independent coffee establishments — 95% of Australian cafes are independently owned establishments.
Specialty coffee is in demand in Australia, with numerous boutique cafes. To this day, international coffee chains such as Starbucks have very little market share in Australia, with Australia’s long established independent cafés existing along with homegrown franchises.
Onwards
The itinerary for my next excursion to Australia in the future might look like — Uluru (central), Great Barrier Reef (North East), and Adelaide/Perth/Brisbane, and potentially combined with a quick detour to New Zealand.
So until next time then! Hoo-roo!
