Good day all,

My last visit to Melbourne indeed at autumn. So the weather is really cold, and almost everyday is rain. At Indonesia, even it's a huge rain you still find some people playing with the rain, but when in Melbourne, I didn't see anyone try to play with the rain, it's cold.

One day, my boyfriend asked me to have a short date at the place which is not too far from home. Called Cranbourne Royal Botanical Garden, around 15-30 minutes to get there.

NARSIS is a MUST

Royal Botanical Garden is a garden that have lots of plants inside. It open from 9am until 5pm. And to enter this garden, you don't have to pay, yes it's free entrance.

So, what will you do in Australia Garden?

Here's some tips to enter this garden:

• Don't litter 

• Walked at the path that provided 

• Don't feed any animals inside the garden

• If you want to ride with your bike, use the bike path

• You can't bring your pet

• You can't take all the plants inside the garden

• There's a field for you who want to play with the ball

The Red Garden

We also can find a small gardens, which predict will be the future garden. We also can play at their artificial river, called Rockpool Waterway. You are free play inside this river as long as you keep at the place where the flag is.

Rockpool Waterway

This garden is so kids friendly, kids can find playground too to play with here.

Let's play the sliding

yes we have to go trough these branches

There is the slide, right in the edge

ready for sliiiiiide...

if you have an art soul, you also can pouring your arts at one place. They provide the chalk too.

You can have your art soul pour in here

If you enter deeper, you can see a big lake. And you can find lots of animal around it too. Once again, we are forbid to feed the animals here.

Clean lake

Black swan swimming at the lake

Animal in here is a wild animal, so sometimes we will see a sign that remind us to be careful to the wild animal that crossing. We found a wild wallaby when we went home.

Lost wallaby, hehehe...

So if you are at Cranbourne, don't forget to come into this place. You can check at their website HERE

Here it is, my story about the Cranbourne Botanical Garden.
Feel free to comment and ask...

Hello all,

Do you know what is the most exiting moment with your relation is? Meeting his family. I know that he was married before, and from it he have two wonderful kid. His first daughter now 20 years old (more less), and his little naughty but lovely boy is 17 years old this year. I am so thrilled to see them. Apparently, his kids are wonderful. You know, when you are having no experience of marriage and child, and suddenly you have a boyfriend whose children already grown up. Luckily all is well. They welcomed me...

After getting know with his children, I step into another level, getting to know his parents. And those day is happened.

One day in Melbourne, my boyfriend's parents wants to meet me, and they asked us to visited Healesville Sanctuary. Maybe because my boyfriend said I love going to the zoo. Yes, Healesville Sanctuary is a big ranch.
Places at Healesville, a few km from Yarra Valley, this is the place where you can find Australian animal. So you will not find elephant, or giraffe or lion here. Instead, we will find Australian exotic animal here, kangaroo, wallaby, emu, koala, etc.

Hi Mr.Roo

The entry ticket is quit expensive, around AUD32.50. But it is worth it for you who urge to see Australian animal. Very big until sometimes we have to stop at the middle of the way for resting.
Want to know about kangaroo? This Australoian animal in here have a huge cage and we can enter inisde, as long as still at the path. Because if we enter the wrong paths, this animal will consider us as threat, they can kick you. All the staff also really informative.

Emu,the can't fly bird

Before, we passed the emu cage. My boyfriend said Emu was able to fly, but since he is really snob, so God curse him can't fly anymore. I'm thinking the legend from Indonesia also have the same story.

At the kangaroo cage, I saw some kangaroos carying their baby at their pockets. Too bad, the kangaroos trying to hide its baby, so it's difficult for us to see it.

I am over 250 (ssshh it's a secret ;p)

Beside the Australian animals, we also can find lots of old trees. They put a board at the tree that show us their age. The eldest trees ages over 250 years old.

When you step into the bird cage, you have to be really careful, because they have lot of small birds everywhere. Sometimes near our feet. but don't worry because you will find lots of board to remind you to walk really careful, so you will not step at the birds.

It was so pity I can't see the Tazmanian Devil. The Devil it self was slept and hide inside its place. It is so hard to see him hiding inside.\

Don't you miss the bird show. This show was the coolest animal show. It show us a hunting bird from Australia. Not only one bird, but lots of them.
If you want to know about Healesville Sanctuary, or want to buy the ticket online, you can check at their website HERE.

the cute wallaby

Anyway, my boyfriend's parents are a good person. His mom really informative, and his dad is loving and caring person. I already love them. Unfortunately we can't spend longer time with them, because they have to come back to their town before dark. It tooks them 3 hours to coming back home. Oh yes, I already miss them.

I am love this family

Oh, did I mention that my boyfriend also took his daughter? She and her boyfriend took us to the Yarra Chocolatier.

Placed near the wine valley, this place is a chocolate factory which also sells lots of chocolate varians. You can also find a free chocolate to taste too. Free entry, so you don't have to worry to pay it. You just only pay the chocolate you bought inside.

The chocolate is 1 metre

This is what i bought

One heavy chocolate, maybe if i add 4 more kilos i will have my chocolate barbel

Maybe because it is weekend, so this place is soooo full. Only have one building, and when we entered, they gave us lots of chocolates with lots of shapes.Oh, and also souvenirs. We bought a small package consist of 6 pieces of chocolate with different fillings.

very neat parking lot

All the things that you want to know about this factory is provide in this link

At the end of the day, the fourth of us having a dinner at Westfield Fountain Gate Shopping Mall. The restaurant called San Churro Chocolatier. Like the name, it gave us churo with lots of different dipping. chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, you choose.

the menu

this is what we order, churos with banana and straberry, plus capuccino, delizzzzz

Not only curos and chocolate, but they also sells lots of snacks too. You can check at their website HERE.

This place also good and fit for you who love coffee and churo. So, if you go to Fountain Gate Shopping Mall, don't forget to visit this place.

Having fun with family is also fun. Tips for you who want to meet your partner's parents, especially westerner partner: Just be yourself, they will respect you as the way you are. The rest, just go and having fun with them.

see you in another post...

Good day all,

Autumn at Melbourne this time means lots of rain. Not a huge one like in Indonesia. The rain was not a problem, but the wind... it was soooo cold. The water became as cold as ice, and it was really good to have warm bath. Since every houses in Australia already installed with heater, it so easy to get the warm water, didn't need to boild a water first to get a warm water bath, like in Indonesia.

Because of rain almost everyday, to started the travelling was a little bit hard. Since we have to adjusted with the weather everyday. When in Indonesia, anytime you can go, depend on your intention only.

Melbourne weather at autumn, very windy

When I browsed the placed that I want to visit around Melbourne, I was so interest with place called "William Ricket Sanctuary". It placed on Dandenong hill. Not at the top, but around it. Seems it will be really cold when it is rain around that area. But, since I already at Aussie, so why not, cold didn't stop us to go there.

Pathway at William Rickkett's Sanctuary

part of the Victoria Park, Dandenong, William Ricket's Sanctuary is a park that showed you lots of sclupture from clay that placed together with nature. This makes this place different from other clay's museum. And also, it place is outdoor, and become one with nature make this place one of the different tourism attraction here.

Another pathway with clay statue

Why the name is William Rickett's Sanctuary? Because it was a home for Mr. William Rickett it self. Who is he? You can read his story here.

What the interest point of this place? Of course the art of Mr Willian. He mad clay and put it to be one with nature, a tree trunks, rocks, etc. Here were he stayed and did all his amazing art works.


Beside enjoying the breeze of this place, we also showed how he made his art. Some of his art placed inside a small houses around. We also able saw his life from video that played everytime we entered one of the house.

Lots of his art was a form of his protest about how the indigenous people of Australia couldn't get their own place in Australia, didn't get the same change in Australia, etc. (Seems familiar). So, walking around this place, and admired the art, not only thing we could do, we also learn something from Australian history.

The interesting part of this place was everywhere you go around, you will found his art, everywhere. Looks like not one of the corner missed from his art.


I think this place is worth to visit, especially if you are an art lover. It also a nice place to visit if you want to looking something different to visit. Not too far from the city, and beside this place, you could visit another places too.

Since this place is also a tourism place, we could do lunch outdoor too, like we did. Mt, Dandenong it self giving you lots of park for you to enjoy and rest. We also decided to have a lunch near the Ollinda fall.

If you forget to bring your lunch box, you can buy your lunch at some shops around this place. Since that what we forget, we stopped at Dandenong Bakery and bought some breads for lunch, and of course a hot cappuccino that fit the cold weather.

buying lunch at Mt. Dandenong Bakery

Completed menu behind us, you choose

Off to Ollinda fall then...

Once we arrived at the Olinda picnic ground, we welcomed by the fresh air. My boyfriend said we could see Kookabura around. He said the bird will come when you lure them with food. But no one came, maybe because the weather was too cold.

Lunch Time!!!!!

Enaknya piknik di sana itu, masih asri banget, nggak ada sampah berseraakan di mana-mana. Ada plang yang dipasang kalau bawa makanan,sampahnya dibawa pulang. Bagusnya, warganya patuh loh, mereka bener-bener bawa pulang sampah bekas piknik mereka. Picnic ground di Ollinda Fall memang bersih banget, sampah sih ada, tapi sampah alam, bukan sampah bawaan manusia. Keren banget ya.

My chicken sandwich... nom nom nom

We choose this place because this place near to the Olinda waterfall. So after finishing our lunch, we went to Olinda fall. To enter this waterfall, we pay nothing a.k.a free.

My boyfriend said it's dirty, but i guess nature dirty will be ok... rather than human makes it dirty

The waterfall it self is not as high as the waterfall that I ever seen before, but the nature was superb. This can be the alternative for enjoying the real nature. Calm nature and only the sound of the waterfall and the wild animal, it was wonderful. It also really save, because they give you a handrail to hold on.

Pathway to Ollinda Fall

You can choose two different ways to get near the waterfall. Want the closest and easy, or the far and steep way. Since we already there, we tried both of it. LOL.

Which One You Choose? Why not both #stronggirl

If you want to know the complete story of this waterfall, you can come and read my boyfriend's blog (oh yes he also blogging) HERE. He made the story of the waterfall first, so rather than re-write it in here, you can come to his blog. LOL.


That's my story travelling around Melbourne, wait for another post about my travelling in this Land Down Under. Cheers... :)

Don't forget subscribe and comment too... I am not bite :p