14 Nov 2022 - Day 1: (Adelaide) Check-In to The Retreat West Beach Parks

Our accommodation for the first two nights in Adelaide was at The Retreat at West Beach Parks.  It is nestled in the sand dunes and just a short drive from the Adelaide CBD.  We booked a Salt­bush Shacks (for­mer­ly Hol­i­day Unit).

This self-contained shack features a spacious open plan living and dining and overlooks the natural environment of the Retreat. The only quirky part of this shack is that access to the bathroom is through the second bedroom

Now let's look at what The Retreat at West Beach Parks has to offer to its guests.

The Retreat offers a broad range of facilities for every age group, including a tennis court, barbecues, jumping pillow, playground, go-kart hire and free Wi-Fi.

The aquatic facility is available for all guests to enjoy — with a gorgeous pool, two water slides, poolside cabanas and super comfy sun loungers to keep guests of all ages entertained.

There is also an Arcade Room and of course......

....a Gym.

We were able to access to the beach using our guest's card.  As it's very windy and cold, we did not stay outdoor for too long.

Before calling it a day, we drove to a nearby Supermart, Drakes, to buy some snacks and drinks in preparation for the upcoming road trip.  As most of the food outlets and shops were closing soon, we "dabao" our dinner, a seafood platter and a sandwich, back to our accommodation.

By the time we reached our accommodation, the sun was about to set.

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14 Nov 2022 - Day 1: (Adelaide) Adelaide Botanic Garden

A short drive from Adelaide Oval, we reached Adelaide Botanic Garden.  Opened in 1857, Adelaide Botanic Garden and adjacent Botanic Park are both a tranquil oasis, vibrant cultural precinct and busy centre of botanical learning and research.  This 51-hectare (130-acre) public garden is situated at the north-east corner of the Adelaide city centre.

There are several gates to enter into the garden and entered via the Gingko Gate.

There are several sections in the Botanic Garden showcasing different botanical collections.  From Gingko Gate, we first arrived at the Garden of Health.  This iconic health and wellbeing demonstration garden displays plants used to heal and promote wellbeing in western and non-western culture.

Next, we came to the Cactus and Succulent Garden.  Here we can discover how plants from the Americas and Africa have evolved to deal with their harsh environments and the similarities between them.

Below is the Palm (or Tropical) House.  It is a Victorian-era glasshouse which was imported from Bremen, Germany in 1875.  It was opened in 1877 and was restored in 1995 and 2018.  It is the second-oldest glasshouse in Australia, and the only known one of German manufacture from that period left in the world, all others having been destroyed during World War II.

We then visited the Amazon Waterlily Pavilion.

The original pond dates to 1868 and is still the central feature.

This garden is simply too huge for us to cover it completely within the time that we planned to spend here.  Based on the garden map, I think we only managed to cover 20-30% of the garden.  We slowly walked back towards Gingko Gate via the SA Water Mediterranean Garden as well as Murdoch Avenue.

Following was some of the birds that we came across during our short visit to Adelaide Botanic Garden.

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14 Nov 2022 - Day 1: (Adelaide) Adelaide Oval

Our next stop is the iconic Adelaide Oval.  It is a sports ground in Adelaide, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, rugby union, soccer, tennis among other sports as well as regularly being used to hold concerts.

The Adelaide Oval Visitor Centre is free for the public to access during business hours. There are several displays on offer, including a timeline of Adelaide Oval’s history and a 3D model of the stadium.  Other than that, we were not allowed to wander around and walk into the stadium.  However, it's ok to take pictures of the stadium from the back of the seats.

Adelaide Oval has been described by some as "one of the most picturesque Test cricket grounds in Australia, if not the world".  The venue is also being seen as "the most perfect piece of modern architecture because it's a thoroughly contemporary stadium with all the character that it's had in the past"

Residing right at the Adelaide Oval is the Oval Hotel.  This is the first time we come across a stadium with a hotel "attached"

When we saw the supporting pillars below the hotel building, we were wondering if the pillars can really support the building.  Haha......

From Adelaide Oval, we crossed the road and had a nice view of River Torrens.  Across the river is Elder Park.

There is a River Torrens Footbridge whereby pedestrians can walk across to the other side of the river to places such as the Adelaide Convention Centre.

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14 Nov 2022 - Day 1: (Adelaide) Exploring Adelaide City Centre

After we landed at Adelaide Airport, we immediately tried to look for either Telstra or Optus shop to buy their mobile data prepaid sim card.  However, we could not find one and an airport staff advised us to buy it at one of the nearby supermarkets such as Woolworths or Coles.  As such we quickly walked over to the Hertz office, which is across a road from the passenger terminal, to collect our rented car.  The moment we stepped out of the passenger terminal, we were "stunned" by the chilling weather.  It was unexpectedly cold, and we started getting a bit worried that we did not prepare enough cold clothing for this trip.  After collecting our car, we first drove to a nearby Coles as suggested by the airport staff and we managed to get an Optus data sim card which was on discount at AUD10 for 40GB.  As we were still too early to check-in to our accommodation, we decided to drive into Adelaide city to start our exploration and also to have our lunch.

We randomly drove into one car park and after getting out of the building, we saw Adelaide Chinatown just across the road. 

We went over to take a look and after walking one round, we decided to have our lunch at a restaurant called Dumpling King.

Next to Chinatown is Adelaide Central Market.  Established in 1869, Central Market is a thriving hub of food and culture.

We continued to walk around the city centre and along the way, we passed by many interesting building and cathedrals.

Following is St. Francis Xavier's Catholic Cathedral which resides right at the centre of Adelaide CBD.

Below is a nice little church called Flinders Street Baptist Church.

As the city parking is not cheap, we did not spend too much time exploring the city on foot.  We then drove to North Adelaide to visit the Adelaide Oval and Botanic Garden as planned.  Along the way, we passed by Haigh's Chocolates Adelaide Arcade (below) which I did read about during my trip planning.

After parking our car at North Adelaide, St Peter's Cathedral was right in front of us.  This Neo-Gothic Anglican Cathedral building is a landmark in the city of Adelaide, an important part of the city’s heritage. It has been operating since 1878 with notable stained glass & sculptures.

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13 Nov 2022 - 13 Days Self Drive Itinerary from Adelaide to Melbourne

We embarked on our year end overseas trip today.  It's going to be another self-drive road trip in Australia, starting from Adelaide and ending at Melbourne.  We reached the airport at about 9:30pm and our flight is at 11:40pm.  This year's theme for the decoration at Changi Airport is Avatar. 

We were given a choice on board whether to be served a meal after takeoff and before landing.  Most of the passengers (including us) preferred to be served before landing.

I had originally planned for this itinerary for our year-end holiday in 2019 but at that time, there was a massive bushfire happening in South Australia and Victoria.  As such, we changed our destination then to Dubai.  I was told that we can now still see some of the damages done by that bushfire three years ago.  The drive from Adelaide to Melbourne using the inland route actually only requires about 8+ hours (no stopping).  However, we intend to take it slow and enjoy all the beautiful sceneries along the way, especially along Great Ocean Road.  13 days may seem long but frankly speaking, it's not enough as there are simply too many awesome stops throughout the road trip.  Below is the itinerary for your reference.

Day 1: Exploring Adelaide City Centre, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Botanic Garden, Check in to The Retreat West Beach Parks

Day 2: Westfield Marion, Mount Lofty Summit, Littlehampton Twin Tunnels, Beerenberg Family Farm, Hahndorf Town, Windy Point, The Sugarloaf @ Hallett Cove Conservation Park, Brighton Jetty, Marion Shopping Town

Day 3: Port Noarlunga Jetty, Port Willunga Beach Caves, Sealink Ferry to Kangaroo Island (Penneshaw), Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, Brown Beach, Prospect Hill, Check in to Kangaroo Island Cabins, Kangaroo Island Fresh Seafood, Exploring Kingscote Town, George's Castle, Salt Lake

Day 4: Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery, Raptor Domain, Seal Bay, Vivonne Bay Beach, Drive to Flinders Chase National Park, Bunker Hill Lookout, Cape Du Couedic Lighthouse, Admirals Arch, Weirs Lookout, Remarkable Rocks, Milky Way

Day 5: Sealink Ferry back to Cape Jervis, Exploring Victor Harbor Town, Goolwa Beach, Meningie Pink Lake, Check in to Lake Albert Motel, Dinner at Freshies Cafe & Bar, Amazing Cockatoos and Rainbow, Beautiful Pelicans and Sunset

Day 6: Replica of an Oil Rig, Chinaman's Well, The Big Lobster @ Kingston, Robe Obelisk, Robe Old Gaol Ruins, Lunch at Union Cafe @ Robe, Beacon Hill Lookout Tower, Woakwine Range Wind Farm Tourist Drive, Check in to Mount Gambier International, Umpherston Sinkhole, Blue Lake, Valley Lake Conservation Park, Valley Lake and Centenary Tower, First McDonalds Meal of the trip

Day 7: Drive to The Grampians, Mt Sturgeon, Brambuk the National Park & Cultural Centre, Check in to Pinnacle Holiday Lodge (Halls Gap), Boroka Lookout, Reed Lookout, The Balconies, Broken Falls and MacKenzie Falls, Dinner at Spirit of Punjab

Day 8: Bunjil Shelter, Blue Moon Alpacas, Seppelt Wines (Underground Tour), Sister Rocks, Hungry Jack Baconator for lunch, The Giant Koala, Lake Bellfield, Halls Gap Town

Day 9: Driving to Great Ocean Road, Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs, The Grotto, London Bridge, Lunch at Port Campbell, Port Campbell Suspension Bridge, The Bakers Oven, Loch Ard Gorge, Tom and Eva Lookout, The Razorback, The Twelve Apostles, Gibson Steps, Check in to Otway Coastal Villas, Princetown at a Glance, Princetown Wetlands Boardwalk

Day 10: Castle Cove Lookout, Cape Otway Lightstation, Maits Rest Rainforest Walk, Explore and Lunch at Apollo Bay, Marriners Lookout, Lorne Visitor Centre, Swing Bridge & Splitters Grave, Memorial Arch at Eastern View, Split Point Lookout, Point Addis Beach Boardwalk, Torquay Sundial, Check in to Parkside Motel Geelong, Belmont Village Shopping Centre

Day 11: Sovereign Hill @ Ballarat, Gold Mine Tour (Sovereign Hill), Old Fashioned Games (Sovereign Hill), Musket Firing Demonstration (Sovereign Hill), Gold Pour Demonstration (Sovereign Hill), Red Hill Mine Tour (Sovereign Hill), Gold Panning (Sovereign Hill), Black Hill, Dinner at Pancake Kitchen (Ballarat), Check in to Kryal Castle

Day 12: Another look around Kryal Castle, Ballarat Wildlife Park, Lunch at McDonalds (Ballarat), Organ Pipes National Park, Check in to Quality Hotel Taylors Lakes, Night Shopping and Dinner at Watergardens Shopping Centre

Day 13: Flying home from Melbourne Airport

4 Nov 2022 - Watching JJ20 Concert

We were at National Stadium this evening to watch JJ Lin Concert.  The last time we went for a singer concert was probably 20 years ago.

This was also my first time stepping into the "new" National Stadium.

We looked around us and saw mainly all youngsters.  Not many were our generation but what the heck, we are young at heart!!!! I was singing along throughout the entire concert! :-P

Once the lighting started to dim down, everyone became very excited and started screaming.

It’s been three years since JJ Lin held a world tour. As such, he made sure to have a grand homecoming on the first of his two-night concert at the National Stadium today.

It was a sold-out crowd and among the audiences include our minister Ong Ye Kung.

The entire concert lasted more than 3 hours.  By the time the concert ended, many people were rushing to the MRT station to catch the last train.

4 Nov 2022 - Outstanding Award for Green Science

Both Jerlene and Javier went back to their respective schools to collect their report books today.  Javier's result was quite excellent, and he also received an outstanding award for green science for being the top 10 students in the entire cohort.

As for Jerlene, she did not do well in certain subjects and will have to work harder next year for her "O" level.  She'll need to be more discipline in her study, and I'll probably have to spend more time going through her weaker topics with her.  If she's willing to work hard, I'm sure she can achieve much better results.  I am 100% confident with her capabilities.  She just needs more self-confidence and discipline.  Jia You, Jerlene!