In this last of my series of posts on Melbourne, we ventured into the forested highlands of the Blue Dandenongs, which is located close to the picturesque Yarra Valley wine areas. Breathtaking scenery awaited us at practically every corner which we turned. This, coupled with the pure and invigorating mountain air, made the drive to the hilly region totally worth it.
There is something about trees, mountains, rivers and wide open spaces which attracts me. Living in a space-constrained environment here in sunny Singapore, we relish the opportunity to run wild and free across acres and acres of lush countryside. I certainly made a mental note that this will not be the last time in which we will visit Australia.
Our first stop was at the Mount Dandenong Arboretum. An arboretum is a botanical garden containing primarily woody plants and trees.
Here you can see miles and miles of trees of different species, co-existing happily in a relatively un-scathed environment. Ahhh.... the dream of ex-botanists like myself!
Ethan and Tina striking a pose for the camera. Err.... sorry about the finger pointing!
Our journeys took us further into a nearby forested area which had strong winds blowing against a clear, blue mid day sky. It brought a sense of peace and serenity to us.
Father and son looking deliriously happy in the forest, on top of a tree trunk.
We next drove to a nearby observatory and park which was very popular with the locals too. Apparently it was Father's Day in Australia.
A shot of the observatory cum restaurant high atop the hilly region.
Here's a touristic shot of Ethan and myself at the observation point. You can see all the way to Melbourne City from here.
Beautiful flowers adorned the Sky High park along its various slopes.
Here's a shot of Ethan attempting to "roll down the hills". We saw a few Australian kids doing this and decided to urge Ethan to follow suit. Ordinarily, most Singaporean parents would never do this
Next we drove down the hills to the nearby Silvan Reservoir. Lots of families were having fun barbecuing and enjoying the outdoors.
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped by a nursery which had lots of beautiful flowers in varied hues and shades greeting us.
"Roses are red, and Violas are yellow." We were pleasantly surprised when Ethan told us that this flower was called a Viola. Apparently, he learnt it in school.Labels: Blue Dandenongs, Holiday, lifestyle, melbourne