7 May 2019
After visiting the Shrine of Remembrance, we had just about two hours to explore Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. We had an appointment to visit some relatives who live in the suburb later in the day.
Entering the garden through the Observatory Gate, we went to take a peek at the Jardin Tan cafe, located near the entrance. This French-Vietnamese eatery is opened by Shannon Bennett, whom we knew from the MasterChef Australia show. Somehow, the food displayed at the cafe did not appeal to us at that moment.
What impressed us instead was the sight of the Cockscomb Coral Tree which originated from South America. The rough texture of the tree’s bark and the fine foliage that grew out of numerous thin antenna-like stems was quite unusual.
Cockscomb Coral Tree near the Observatory Gate.
We followed the signs for the Australian Forest Walk and really enjoyed the sights of the trees and greenery, lit by the warm autumn sunshine.
We arrived at the Guilfoyle’s Volcano in the south-east corner of the gardens. This is not a real volcano but instead a water reservoir with a pond showcasing water plants in the “crater”.
A timber boardwalk winds around up and down the cone to the crater of the “volcano”. Cactuses and other arid climate plants lined the timber boardwalk. These plants were quite fascinating for me.
Loads of golden barrel cactus that looks like the eggs of the Alien Queen from the movie Aliens.
This view of cactus flowers made me think of a space rocket taking off into space.
Timber boardwalk around the crater of the “volcano”.
Melbourne’s city skyline could be seen at the top of Guilfoyle’s Volcano.
We headed north, towards the Ornamental Lake where we were hoping to have a simple lunch by the lake and rest our feet. Indeed, there was The Terrace cafe. We ordered chicken wraps and a pot of tea.
I regretted not bringing a picnic lunch as the lakeside would be ideal for a picnic under the gorgeous autumn sun. Many people were doing just that!
We left the Botanic Garden via the route we came, via the Shrine of Remembrance.
We took the tram back to Flinders Street Station where we had to take a local train to Williams Landing, where our relatives are living.
Prior to taking the train, we made a detour to the Lune Croissanterie’s branch in the CBD to buy what is reputed to be the best croissants in Melbourne for afternoon tea with my relatives.
Lune’s croissants were not cheap but I enjoyed every bite of the soft buttery traditional French croissant with crispy and flaky crust. Yum.
It was nice to visit relatives in a faraway land. We spent the rest of the afternoon chit chatting about life in Melbourne versus back home.
We ended Day 2 of our trip with a delicious dinner of Chicken Biryani cooked by my aunt. And a swift car ride back to our apartment in Melbourne, thanks to our cousin-in-law.
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