Melbourne – Healesville
Alright, let’s get these wheels in motion! I’ve had the luxury of a comfortable place to stay for five weeks now, but I’m itching to get moving. Waiting around for my NSW teaching registration is agonising, so even though this is only for the long weekend, I’m excited to be going somewhere new. I feel like without the NSW registration, there’s no point in heading up there since I can’t work, so for the last few weeks I have, unfortunately, felt a little bit stuck. But, what’s really exciting is that I only have one more week in Melbourne before I head off to my next stop in Lake’s Entrance.
One step at a time though. My friend Fel and I have had a mini long weekend plan in the works for weeks, hoping to escape the city and chill out together. It took us a while, but after deciding that the Great Ocean Road would likely be packed, we landed on a weekend in Healesville. Given that the weather was likely to be in the high 30s though, chilling out seemed like an unlikely fantasy.
On Saturday morning we had the slowest of starts with a coffee and brunch in Moorabbin, and lazed about with a swim at the beach. We were in no rush to head off, knowing that where we were headed, there would be no way to cool off. By 1:30 we’d finally started moving, headed north for Healesville.
The drive made me think of back home – in Tassie when you leave the city, within 20 minutes you’re in the wilderness. But here in Melbourne, such a sprawling place, we still felt like we were in the city even after driving for an hour. When the buildings slowly started to make place for ferns and gums, and the road snaked in that familiar fashion, we knew we were getting close to our destination.
Toolangi State Reserve campsite.
The campsite that we pulled up at was more beautiful than I’d let myself hope; a vast open field, surrounded by towering trees which provided very welcome shade. Fel sussed out the toilets and gave them her thumb up of approval (flushing! What a luxury!), and we sat down for a coconut water and a read before driving to Four Pillars Distillery. We both said that we wanted to go to Healesville because it was nice and close, and because anywhere by the beach would be too busy but... in reality… we knew we both wanted to go for the gin.
Together we tried a negroni gin, yuzu gin, and a bloody shiraz mocktail. Needless to say, we both avoided the “winner winner” cocktail with olive oil gin, pickles and chicken salt. Like a savoury dinner but in drink form? Reminds me of Willy Wonka’s three-course dinner gum.
Back at camp, and being a totally fire ban day, Fel whipped up a delicious mango and avocado salsa to go in a falafel wrap. It turned out to be one of the best dishes I’ve had in the van so far, so I swiftly added the recipe to my collection.
- 1 mango
- 2 small avocados
- 1 red onion
- lime juice
- salt and pepper
- (I think it would also be delicious with some fresh chilli and mint or coriander!)
- Serve with corn chips or in a falafel wrap.
That evening, we played bananagrams and read. Because the weather refused to cool down, we set up the flyscreen and slept with the door open for a breeze. I was also amazed at all the stars in the sky - it was such a clear night and we were really lucky to be in a space where the sky was so open for us.
Bananagrams by torch light.
The following morning, after a breakfast of champions (ice coffee and milo cereal), we packed up and explored some murals painted on water tanks, and wandered around the town of Healesville, poking our noses into knick-knack stores and bookshops.
The afternoon was lazy, filled with custard buns and leftover salsa in the park, before driving to a blueberry winery for a tasting. This was a really beautiful place to stop in, with a friendly staff member who kindly told me (with a very small eye roll) that the blueberry cider made in Tassie simply can’t be real cider at all because it doesn’t use apples or pears. He’s convinced they call it cider only to get cheaper tax benefits - sounds about right to be honest! From there, we headed back to Melbourne via the beach to play around doing handstands in the shallows.
By Monday, with the heat still not letting up, it was time to head back to the peninsula. Before I could even empty the bins from the van, dad was already asking if I wanted to go for a surf with him, so we grabbed the boards and drove to Little Noosa.
Dad at Little Noosa.
The swell was gentle and lots of kids were playing around in the white wash, or getting a push to catch a wave. I haven’t been on a surfboard in a very long time, and I’d borrowed dad’s wobbly old short board, so I knew I wouldn’t be out there for long. I surprised myself though by catching the first wave that I went for, and then promptly lived up to my expectations when I didn’t get any more.
I expect the rest of this week will go quickly, and I also expect that I’ll have a lot more to say soon. In the next few days alone I’m going to see a musical, heading to a music festival, attending a slam poetry event, and working. At the start of this entry I said I wanted to get the wheels in motion. Well, that they are!
