Morington Peninsula Hot Spring

Last weekend was the Queens birthday long weekend, sadly enough this was the last public holiday we will be having for a few months until November. So, of course I wanted to take advantage of this and what a better to do this than to go on a relaxing day trip. M and I decided to head down to the Mornington Peninsula as it is not a far drive from the CBD.

Morington Pennisula

One downside to winter, is the restriction of being able to do some activities which we could have in the warmer months such as strawberry picking at Sunny Ridge or taking a stroll at one of the Mornington beaches. However, one place which is perfect to visit in winter is the Morning Pennisula hot springs.

Hotsprings

Having visited the hot springs before, I knew that it is a very popular destination and the place can get quite crowded. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to find a long queue when we arrived. We were told that the springs was at its full capacity (apparently this is at 300 people) and were not allowed in without an advanced booking. We were advised that we could wait for people to leave but there was no guaranteed entry. Feeling disappointed and really wanting to be in the hot pools on a blistering cold winter's day, we decided to try our luck waiting.

Luckily, our wait was only around 20 minutes. My tip would be always book advance online (it is simple and quick to do), especially on weekends and public holidays.

Hand made soap

I did not take many photos of inside the hot springs given it was a public area and the inconvenience of bringing my phone. So, here are some photos which I sourced from their website.

Public bath area

Bath at night

The hotsprings its self is split into a public and private bath area. The public area is the more popular and affordable option. Admission price to the public bath depends on the time of day and week you visit. Friday to Monday is considered peak ($35) and non peak is Tuesday to Thursday ($30). If you are an early bird or want to try the twilight session (after 7pm), there is also discounted entry prices (usually around $10 - $15 cheaper). I would advise visiting during those non peak hours if you wanted to avoid the people traffic.

View from the Hill top bath

All the pools in the public baths are all outdoors varying in temperatures, ranging from a comfortable 36  degrees all the way to 42 degrees (if you can bear the heat). The springs are all natural with each pool filled with thermal mineral waters, which is supposedly good for you. The pools are cleverly designed in that it ascends up a hill with the hottest pool (42 degrees)- hill top pool on top and trust me, the view from there is unbelievable.. We spent the longest time up in this pool, admiring the amazing view before the heat become a little too unbearable.

Reflexology path

Turkish sauna

Besides from bathing, the Peninsula hot springs also have on offer different spa and pampering packages, which can always make a gift idea! There is also a cafe/ kiosk on site if you wanted to replenish your appetite after a long hard day of relaxation ;)

M and I both felt extremely relaxed and rejuvenated after spending the afternoon at the springs, just what we need for a pick me up before heading back to reality. Do pay the springs a visit next time you are around the area!

Miss Scribble

The Reading Room Cafe

Being a loyal brunch fan (who can never turn down a good weekend brunch session),  I was delighted when a friend told me about a cafe which has opened up not too far from me.

It is called The Reading Room Cafe and is unusually located in Victoria University Footscray campus. The cafe serves as a normal uni cafe for students  during the week and come the weekend, it is transformed into a brunch affair.

I actually ended up visiting this cafe twice in a row this weekend (out of coincidence, catching up with different friends). The cafe is slightly difficult to locate as it is hidden within the university itself, so make sure you use directions from the handy map on the cafe's website before heading down.

Outside seating area

The cafe is small and cosy in size, with an inside and outside seating area.  The decor is quite simple, but like most brunch places, it has its own quirks. They have cute little cases used to hold cutlery and napkins.

Cute cutlery holder

The menu is simple with a good variety of breakfast and lunch options to choose from. I found that the dishes are really reasonable priced compared to most brunch places. Most dishes are all less than $15. One other plus was the price of their coffee- all coffees are the same price! At $3.3, no extras are charged for non standard choices such as chai or mocha.

Mocha

Lattes: Original and Chai

I ordered the sweetcorn, pumpkin and coriander fritters dish (think this dish has become my favourite and one that I will not be easily sick of). The servings are generous, with 3 big fritters, poached eggs, avocado and tomato chutney. The fritters are light and fluffy, with a crisp coating which is not at all oily.

Fritter's Lane- $14.50

The other dish which my friend ordered was the BFG- brioche french toast, crispy bacon, candied Walnuts with Maple Syrup. Again, servings are very generous with 2 large slices of toast accompanied by slices of bacon. The toast was soaked well in sweet maple syrup and the texture of sweet candied walnuts was delightful and balanced the savoriness of the bacon. My friend, a lover of french toasts commented that she would have preferred the toast to be more crisp, but none the less she was still happy with the dish.

The BFG- $14.50

The service was friendly and waiters attentive and helpful, not hesitating to give us recommendations and specials of the day.

Opening promotion- 2 for 1 yay!

I'm glad to have discovered this local gem and will sure be back to visit again soon. Also, an interesting note to add is that the cafe also offers weekend high tea, reasonably priced at $25 for 2 people. Another reason for me to revisit! :)

Reading Room Cafe

8 Ballarat Rd Building P
Footscray, VIC 3011

Yum: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Value: 8/10



Scribble you later
Miss Scribble

USA

Hi everyone!

Apologies! I've been lazy and neglected blogging for awhile (I blame on Melbourne's winter blues). I actually have a backlog of photos on my phone which I am hoping to upload and blog about shortly (if I get lazy, then you will be seeing a lot more photos than commentary hehe).

Anyways, today's blog is about my recent exciting news! I'm going to the USA!! I'm extremely exciteeed!! M and I finally booked tickets on Friday night and we snatched up a pretty decent deal! Being a bit of a bargain hunter myself, I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a good deal to LA. Two recommended websites which I have been using to monitor flights and would like to share with you are:

www.travel.com.au 
and
skyscanner.com.au

Both these sites are easy to navigate, just select your desired destination and dates and it will list a range of flight options available (I find that it includes all the major airlines) clearly outlining travel periods, duration and price. It allows you to easily select which flight suits your needs and make comparsions of your options.
 
The deal that we booked was an Air NZ flight to LA from Melbourne for just over $1200 per person for the travel period of October 2012. We were really happy with this as not only is the price really reasonable, but the flight time is not excessive (there's nothing worse than being on a plane for 24 hours). Total duration of this flight is 18 hours, only 3 hours longer than the direct route from Melbourne- LA with Qantas (Qantas is the only carrier which flies direct to LA) but of course at a more hefty price tag of almost $2,000. Good saving don't you think?

So where are we visit in the US? Being a first time US visitor, of course we will be visiting all the major tourist cities. First stop will be LA, then off to San Fransisco (where we are lucky to have M's uncle to show us around).

Golden Gate Bridge- San Fran

Famous Hollywood Sign- LA

Vegas is obviously also another not to be missed destination. Next will be quite interesting- Tennessee.. It is definitely not a city that is considered a tourist hot spot but the reason why we will be there is to visit my uncle and he has reassured me that is an amazing national park near by .

Sin city- Vegas

The White House- Washington DC

Time Square- New York

 Washington and NY are our last stops. I cannot wait for NYC!! All the feedback I've heard of NYC is that it is truly an amazing city and I cannot wait to see the city that never sleeps for my self!

I would love to hear any suggestions you may have of places to go and see in these cities :)

Till next time, thanks for reading

Miss Scribble