Jan 13, 2016

My holiday by Michelle Douglas




I’m channelling my primary school years in the above title. Did you have to do that—write a story about what you did in the summer holidays?

This year Mr Douglas and I road-tripped to Melbourne (from Newcastle in NSW) for Christmas, and I’ve found myself meditating on a multitude of miscellaneous musings ever since. In no particular order…



#1: According to Google Maps, to get from my suburb in Newcastle to North Croydon in Melbourne the distance is 1,012kms and takes 10 h 23 mins. This started me wondering what the equivalent would be in other parts of the world? In England, Dover to Inverness (in Scotland) is 1054km and takes 10 h 52 mins. The trip from Paris to Florence is 1,152km and would take 11 h 9 mins. New York City to Chicago is 1270km and would take 11 h 52 mins.

Road trip anyone? :-)

We had a kilometre after kilometre of this…


…and in case you ever need to know. A large round hay bale like one of these will cost you roughly $85 (in Yarra Glen in December).

#2: We had an overnight stop at the tiny town of Glenrowan. This is Ned Kelly country. Ned Kelly being, of course, Australia’s most celebrated bushranger. We checked out the sites of Ned’s last stand and then ambled to the pub for dinner. However, Tuesdays happens to be “10 Dishes For $10” night. This basically meant we met all of Glenrowan. :) What I really loved about the town, though, was that the corner shop had a notice from the Fire Brigade asking that those who wanted a Santa visit on Christmas Eve to jot their address down on the form below. How cute is that?


# 3: Christmas Day, and the days leading up to it, were HOT in Melbourne. The nights, however, were cold. When we jumped in the car on Christmas afternoon at about 4 pm, the temp was 38.5'C (ugh!). The next morning when we jumped in the car at about 10am it was 13.5'C! So that’s what they mean when they say Melbourne gets three different seasons in a day, huh?

#4: Little children featured in our Christmas. I thought they were 10, 4 and 2. When we arrived I discovered they were 8, 3 and 1 (oops). I was worried about how I might entertain them. The eight year old ignored me completely—Lego, apparently, is far more interesting than an adult. I spent over an hour with the three-year-old counting her brand new glittery hair clips as she placed them in her brand new ballerina jewel box, and then tipping them out and starting over. And it’s amazing how much fun a one-year-old can have when you throw a blanket over their head, and then catch them as they run. It’s also amazing how long they can keep it up! ;-)

 # 5: Staying in a quirky hotel is an excellent experience. We were upgraded to the Windsor Suite because, well, Christmas. :-)



We had a spa bath as big as a pool! I could very easily make a Christmas night spa an annual event. ;-)




So tell me, do you like venturing forth on a road trip or is it your idea of hell? Maybe you have a fun holiday story or two to share with us? Whatever you did over the Christmas break, I hope it was fun and fabulous.


14 comments:

  1. Hi Michelle

    That sounds like such a fun trip hubby and I have done the Melbourne road trip a couple of times over the years and we have also done the road trip up to Brisbane a few times and now that one of our daughters lives in Wagga Wagga we have done that one a few times and very likely to do it often LOL that one is a 6 hour trip not stop overs. I love road trips so much to see stop when you want lots of fun and talking time (because I can't read in a travelling car) our next big road trip fingers crossed will be to RWA in Adelaide and the last time we did that one was for our honeymoon nearly 39 years ago although this time we will go through Wagga to visit then onto Adelaide should be fun :)

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. I'm with you, Helen -- road trips are fun (as long as you're not in a rush). I bet you'll have a fabulous time on your Adelaide road trip, especially with the stopover in Wagga to visit your daughter. Me and Mr Douglas are yet to do either Adelaide or Brisbane, but I expect both will feature in our future. :-)

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  2. Oooh, loved sticky-beaking at your holiday pics, Michelle! Thanks :-)
    I think roadtrips very much depend on who you are taking themn with! Your partner or good friends = fun. With kids??? No so much fun.
    Are we there yet. Are we there yet. Are we there yet....

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    1. Oh, dear lord -- DEFINITELY no children allowed on my road trips, Amy! ;-) Only adults who appreciate the slower pace, a bag of snakes and a packet of Scotch Finger biscuits. ;-)

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  3. Definitely no kids. I love road trips, especially the random ones where it's a bit of fun choosing which way to turn at an intersection. We've had some amazing trips in Australia and are currently thinking about another one for this year.

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    1. Oh, that'll be fun if you get a chance, Sue. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. And hopefully you'll have lots of time for some lovely random ambling while you're here. :-)

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  4. Michelle, it sounds like a memorable trip and so much fun. No recent tripping for us but I've got a yen for a road trip some time soon. Either somewhere we haven't been in years or somewhere new. I love the feeling of exploring something new or at least newish!

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    1. I know what you mean, Annie! There's so much to explore right here on our own doorsteps, isn't there? I hope you get a chance to satisfy your yen soon. :-)

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  5. Sounds like a fabulous trip! Oh the joys of Melbourne weather - always carry sunnies and umbrella and a scarf at all times haha.

    We're planning to do a road trip or two this year! I love driving around and looking at all the scenery that often gets missed :)

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    1. We had a lot of fun, Stef. :-) But I'm hearing you on the Melbourne weather. ;-)

      We'll look forward to hearing about YOUR road trips! Living the dream as you are in Canada, it must be amazing to travel around in such a different landscape. I hope you're enjoying every minute of the experience.

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  6. It sounds like an awesome trip, Michelle! I love going on road trips- pottering through new territory, seeing the quirkiness of a place. I'd love to do some in Australia- there's sooooo much to see and sooooo many miles to cover!!!

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    1. Oh, that's funny, Louisa, because Mr Douglas and I were just talking about how much fun it'd be to do a road trip through New Zealand. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we both find the time to fit in a leisurely road trip or two in the near future and discover much quirkiness to gladden our souls. :-)

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