Travelogue: Newcastle-Melbourne | Australia (Part 1)

DESTINATION : Newcastle-Melbourne

Travel period : 18-24.04.2017

MAS A380.

de long awaited vacation (=

food servings that kept us busy.

travel duration took approximately 8 hours from KLIA to Melbourne Tullamarine Airport.

flying Jetstar from Melbourne Airport to Newcastle took about 1.5 hours.

we started our driving holiday when we first stepped in de north of Sydney, Newcastle. 2 cars were rented through Hertz online (cars pick up from airport) and they went pretty well. good cars where one has add-on child seat (with additional charges), overall no problems. no issue with Malaysian Driving License either but please ensure you hold de latest version with English language (not de laminated card). and oooh, people actually drive according to de speed limit but sometimes just too slow.

PART 1: NEWCASTLE

1. University of Newcastle, Australia.

a stroll through de university reminded me that I've actually had my own graduation in Glasgow 10 years ago. and how time flies, things change. anyway, it seems to be a peaceful environment to study in here despite having mosquitoes which mainly hunt at late evenings.

sister. graduation. nutrition and dietetics. family.

lil sister growing up!

congratulations and please take care of my diet in de future XD

2. Jesmond Executive Villa | Newcastle Rd.

this place deserved a plus point for its location. car parking is available but limited. sad to be an executive here we stayed in a 2-bedroom apartment and thought de word " executive" kinda misleading because de room cleanliness was under par. just remember to bring your toiletries (not provided) and hairdryer. 

*photo above courtesy of Hoong Tat.

beautiful morning at Jesmond Executive Villa.

make sure you're gear up with UV protectors as de rays can be a silent killer here. for those who enjoy Burger King, Hungry Jack is just opposite de road.

3. Black Circle Café | Alma Road, New Lambton.

official day in Newy began this way - a classic straight forward menu for breakfast and coffee!

#1 Savoury French Toast $14.50 ---recommended

w/ double rasher bacon and maple syrup, savoury but tasted kinda sweet. but I rate this de best of all who can resist crispy bacon.

from bottom and clockwise:

#2 Hamburger and Chips $15.00

#3 Sweet French Toast $14.50 - w/ berry compote, ricotta, and pistachio crumbs.
#4 Flat White $3.80

de sweet french toast should be one of de best according to online reviews but somehow de ricotta gave a peculiar texture and didn't really taste good. oh dear.

happy boy with his burger. 

Vietking | Darby St.

unlike most eateries on Darby St, Vietking hides behind wrought iron gates and I bet I could easily walk past this place. nevertheless, since we came in a large group, this place managed to fit a family of 10 comfortably. many Vietnamese dishes were made for sharing but food was nothing special for us we can find better Vietnamese food back home. 

parking on street was relatively easy to find. please check signs for maximum duration you're allowed to park your car. for example, 1P indicates 1 hour, 2P indicates 2 hours. 

4. Kinn Thai | Westfield Kotara Park Avenue.

if you google "Kinn" it means eat in Thai. located at de rooftop with other restaurants, Kinn Thai stood out as it was a busy place with heavy crowds. judging based on de crowd size I believe Australian have more acceptance towards Asian food.

clockwise from top left:
#1 Chilli Jam Cripsy Soft Shell Crab $23 ---recommended

#2 Pork Ribs $24

#3 Tomyum Prawn $12

#4 Whole Fresh Coconut $6

#5 Seared scallop (2pcs) $8

#6 Kinn duck pancake (2pcs) $10

#7 Chicken Green Curry (choice of beef available) $15 ---recommended

compared to de previous dinner in Vietking, I think everyone prefers Kinn Thai. green curry was a bomb to go perfectly with white rice. 


5. Newcastle Memorial Walk | The Hill.

this place is absolutely stunning and should not be missed when you visit Newy. scenic walk with coastal and ocean views, de stairs give extra workout, I think I can just spend de rest of my days here!

best of Newcastle: night view of memorial walk.

de Newcastle Memorial Walk was constructed to commemorate de centenary of ANZAC. it is something similar to Tugu Negara back home. too bad we arrived this place passed sunset. well, always de best for later? (=


click here for Travelogue (Part 2): Newcastle-Melbourne | Australia. 

PS. for Malaysians who attempt online ETA before travel to Australia but did not manage to get approval (easy,.. this is random selected if you reassure yourself clean), please refer this link for further instructions if you happen to be de one in million lucky person like I do. this may help to save up some time when nobody is picking up de phone during office hour you don't know what to do about and you find de automated attendant system repeatedly asking you to read de information in de official website is useless as I find de official website does not give clear instructions on what to do for unsuccessful online ETA. 

END