2 WEEK AUSTRALIA TRIP ITINERARY: MELBOURNE - GOLDCOAST - SYDNEY

I just got back from what I would describe as “ONE OF THE BEST TRIPS EVER!” and if you follow me on Instagram or Snapchat: yep it’s AUSTRALIA!

I have so many things that I want to write and share to you but give me more time as looking at the amount of pictures that I took already scared me enough (56 Gigabytes), and I think I might need 5-6 days to sort out the pictures and edit them! Wish me luck!

Now as the first post of my Australia post series, I am sharing you the full itinerary of my trip! Spent almost two weeks in Australia and managed to make my way to Melbourne, Gold Coast and Sydney (the order). I couldn’t describe how happy I was and my pictures can’t even do the judgement of how beautiful the places I went, well they say you have to experience yourself to believe your eyes!

I hope this itinerary can give you some kind of enlightment when planning your trip to Australia! Enjoy reading! This post is going to be pretty long and heavy on photos but you're gonna love them I promise.

14 FEBRUARY

Happy Valentine’s Day (red eye flight to Melbourne) – I flew with Qantas Airlines

15 FEBRUARY

7 AM: Arriving in Sydney and transfer to another flight to Melbourne
8:30 AM: Flight to Melbourne
10 AM: Arriving in Melbourne International Airport and transfer to Yarra Valley.
It took approximately 45 minutes-1 hour drive to reach Yarra Valley, depending on the traffic.
If you have more time in Melbourne, a visit to Yarra Valley is something worth considering, especially for chocolate, dairy and wine enthusiasts, and oh, greens! Beautiful hill views will pamper your eyes while on the road.
11 AM: Arriving in Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Cream
Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Cream is a popular joint located in Yarra Valley, and highly known for their exquisite chocolate and ice cream creations. Went here for a brief visit for a pre-booked ice cream tasting session. AUD 20 to sample the whole 20 flavors is surely damn worth it! They roll some of the flavors at certain times, but more on that on another post.
12 PM: Lunch at Rochford Wines
One of the must visit restaurants in Yarra Valley. The menu here is dominated with French-Western cuisine, all came in beautiful presentation and of course, delicate flavors on every bite. The quail dish was a bliss!

2:30 PM: Visiting Rayner’s Orchard

Rayner’s Orchard is a fruit farm and field owned by Len Rayner. The farm has grown to be popular among locals and tourists, making it one of the must visit tourist destinations in Yarra Valley and Victoria. I highly suggest going to Rayner’s Orchard for its experience, the owner himself, Len, guided us along the way and he was such a good tour leader. The fruits grown in his farm are hideous in the most amazing way, you can find a lot of varieties of nectarine, peach and stone fruits, they are mostly sweet and very fresh, we literally ate it off the branch! Ok I spill so much I might not need to write another post for Rayner’s alone LOL!

4 PM: Return to Melbourne

6 PM: Arriving and checking in at the hotel, I stayed at Crown Promenade for two nights.

The view from my room

7:30 PM: Dinner at Jinda Thai
1-7 Ferguson St, Abbotsford VIC 3067, Australia

This has been on my list forever, I didn’t get the chance to come to Jinda Thai on my first visit to Melbourne last year, and in no way I am not coming this time. Really impressed with the quality of their food, the seasoning was just spot on and very “Thai” just how I wanted it. Anyway it’s a very busy restaurant and even on Monday nights, and reservation is required!

16 FEBRUARY

7:30 AM: Breakfast at St. Ali
12-18 Yarra Pl, South Melbourne VIC 3205, Australia

9 AM-12 PM: Queenie’s Tram to Queen Victoria Market Tour
513 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Andrew Prior is the founder of Queenie’s Food Tours and this friendly guy was a former contestant of the famous cooking competition show: Masterchef Australia. As one of the most famous tours in Melbourne, phone or online bookings are required to grab a spot here. We had a three-hour session with Andrew touring the city a bit with trams, as well as touring the iconic Queen Victoria Market.

Menya Restaurant

1, Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, La Trobe St & Swanston Streets, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

2 PM-4 PM: Chocoholics Tour

The tour started at Koko Black’s Royal Arcade outlet where we met the tour guide here, and this time we had a 2-hour walking tour to explore Melbourne’s top chocolate tours such as Koko Black, Haigh’s, Lindt and some more. The tour was fun and to be completely honest, I really love our tour guide that day, she was very fun, friendly and just awesome. She knows exactly what she’s doing and had good knowledge about the history and products they’re having. I seriously would recommend Chocoholics Tours to everyone, especially if you’re a virgin to Melbourne.

4 PM: Return to hotel

6 PM: Dinner at GAZI
2 Exhibition St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

GAZI is a restaurant owned by George Calombaris, a popular Greek chef and one of the members of Masterchef Australia judge panels. I’ve been to GAZI twice and both visits are equally impressive, I fell hard for the design of the restaurants with countless pots hanging on the ceiling, and their selections of fine Greek food.

17 FEBRUARY

GOODBYE MELBOURNE!

10 AM: Flight to Goldcoast

12:30 PM: Arriving in Goldcoast and proceed to have lunch at Currumbin Vikings Surf Live Saving Club
741 Pacific Parade, Currumbin QLD 4223, Australia

2 PM: Transfer to Surfer’s Paradise

2:30 PM: SKYPOINT CLIMB -> MUST DO IN GOLDCOAST
3/3003 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217, Australia

4:30 PM: Back to hotel to freshen up – staying at Grand Chancellor

The view from my room

5 PM: Transfer to Miami Marketta

6:30 PM: Arriving at Miami Marketta for a quick drink and nibble!
23 Hillcrest Parade, Miami QLD 4221, Australia

7:30 PM: Dinner reservation at Kiyomi Japanese Restaurant – Jupiters Hotel Broadbeach Goldcoast
Casino Drive, Broadbeach Island, Broadbeach QLD 4218, Australia
Had a delicious Japanese degustation dinner! 10 courses for AUD140 and worth it!

18 FEBRUARY

8:30 AM: Proceed to Mt. Tamborine

It took approximately 1,5 hours drive from Surfers Paradise to Mt. Tamborine.

10 AM: Arrive at Gallery Walk

Here you can check out local stores and cafes, have cheese tasting at Witches Chase Cheese. I was craving for ice cream really bad that day, so when I was walking around the Gallery Walk, I spot a small ice cream counter selling gluten free ice cream. AUD 8 for two ginormous scoops! The ice cream was a tad sweet but overall very pleasant!

11 AM: Arrive at Tamborine Cooking School
For me, the best thing about joining a cooking class is to get to eat your own cooking! I occassionally cook at home, but this time just felt a little fancier and the menu happened to be a little different than the ones I cook at home. I wanna do a longer post about this, so I try to chill with the description to keep you excited.

1 PM: Finished from Tamborine Cooking School, proceed to Cedar Creek Estate Vineyard and Tamborine Mountain Distillery

The owner, Michael was one of my most favorite human beings. EVER. PERIOD! He’s such a character, and he sells amazing liquor as well!

3 PM: Freshen up – back to hotel

6 PM: Going to Broadbeach for drinks, lightbites and dinner.

19 FEBRUARY

7:30 AM: Breakfast at Paddock Bakery
Hibiscus Haven, Miami QLD 4220, Australia

Goldcoast’s cafe scene is not as happening as Sydney and Melbourne, that’s for sure, that’s why finding Paddock Bakery is such a bliss for me! The place was just so pretty and cozy, I found the beautiful thing about travelling to Australia, especially if you love to eat is simple. I enjoy sitting outside (Al Fresco) while having good time and good healthy food, and just spend a couple of hours of me time. I really hope we can do that in Jakarta #weatherissue

8:45 AM: Finish breakfast and depart for Catcha Crab Tour

9:15 AM: 3 hour Catcha Crab Tour, including seafood lunch

Delicious and fresh oysters FTW!

12 PM: Quick stop at Coolangatta for a quick vitamin sea recharge

1:30 PM: GOODBYE GOLDCOAST

3 PM: Flight to Sydney

6 PM: Arriving in Sydney, check in to Amora Jamisson Hotel Sydney (we’re talking about a gorgeous hotel in Sydney’s CBD)

The view from my room

7 PM: Dinner at Chinatown, went to Arisun because we’re missing Asian food a little too much!

20 FEBRUARY

8:30 AM: Eveleigh Weekend Market/Carriageworks
245 Wilson St, Eveleigh NSW 2015, Australia

Sydney weekend market, the right place to go if you love fresh and organic produces!

9 AM: Breakfast at Barmuda
283 Australia St, Newtown NSW 2042, Australia

10 AM: Arriving in Newtown for Street Art Tour with Culture Scouts

1 PM: Cow and The Moon
181 Enmore Rd, Enmore NSW 2042, Australia
They won THE BEST gelato in the world! It IS my favorite gelato in Sydney! Try their Affogato and Pistachio!

1:30 PM: Black Star Pastry
277 Australia St, Newtown NSW 2042, Australia
A visit to Black Star Pastry is a must to have the most famous cake in the entire Sydney: Watermelon Rose cake!

2 PM: Coffee cupping at Mecca Espresso in Ultimo
67 King St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

3 PM: Chippendale, Spice Alley and around (KOI Dessert Bar, Anita Gelato)

KOI Dessert Bar by Arnold & Reynold Poernomo
42-44 Kensington St, Chippendale NSW 2008, Australia

Anita Gelato
Ground Floor, Central Park, 28 Broadway, Chippendale NSW 2006, Australia
If Cow and The Moon is my favorite gelato, then Anita is the yogurt champ! Unlimited toppings and cookieman sauce SAY WHAT!

6 PM: Dinner at Nick’s Seafood Restaurant at Darling Harbour

The Promenade/Cockle Bay Wharf, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

21 FEBRUARY

9 AM: Breakfast at Speedos Cafe at North Bondi
2/126 Ramsgate Ave, North Bondi NSW 2026, Australia

10 AM: Initially wanted to tour Bondi, but it was raining extremely hard so we cancelled and went to a shopping center instead.

12 PM: Proceed to Watson’s Bay enjoying the cliff view

1 PM: Lunch at Watson’s Bay Beach Club
1 Military Rd, Watsons Bay NSW 2030, Australia

3 PM: Back to city with Ferry

3:30 PM: Aqua S
27/501 George St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
This is one of the most happening soft serve in Australia at the moment. They roll the flavor at certain times and on my visit they had three available flavors: grape, seasalt and cafe latte. Tried them all and FELL HARD! So good! I think it’s the matter of Australian milk as the texture of the ice cream is uber smooth and creamy.

4 PM: Grocery shopping at Woolsworth CBD, then back to hotel

7 PM: Dinner at LuMi Bar and Dining

56 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont NSW 2009, Australia

One of the most memorable dinner! Another round of degustation dinner and starting from the Amuse Bouche to the dessert! Top notch!

22 FEBRUARY

9 AM: Breakfast at The Grounds of Alexandria
7A, 2 Huntley St, Alexandria NSW 2015, Australia

The Grounds of Alexandria holds the reputation for being one of the prettiest, most good looking cafes in the entire Sydney, it’s so spacious that it almost feels like a playground, and they even have their own little farm! Say hi to Kevin Bacons for me yeah!

12 PM: Touring the Surry Hills - Bourke Street Bakery
633 Bourke St, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia
Bourke Street Bakery is a legendary bakery and patisserie located at the Surry Hills area. Their Ginger Creme Brulle Tart is not to miss!

6 PM: Dinner at Doo Dee Paidang

9, 37 Ultimo Rd, Haymarket NSW 2000, Australia
How can I get over Doo Dee? Perfectly there when I missed Asian food so much (happens when I had consecutively Western cuisine), their best selling noddle soup is EXTREMELY HOT the burning sensation stayed a while on my palate, the kind owner even gave us shaved ice complimentary to reduce the pain (I am exaggerating but she did gave us the ice dessert), but most importantly: Doo Dee Paidang is absolutely delicious. MANDATORY!

23-26 FEBRUARY

stopped the itinerary and went with wherever our instinct took us.

Some of the restaurants and coffee shops that we went to during these days:

689 Korean BBQ
Haymarket

Artificer Coffee
547 Bourke St, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia
Artificer is claimed by many as one of the best coffee shops in Sydney. I had as much soycaps as I can have among the trip and Artificer’s was indeed one of the best. Their blend could create this perfect creaminess that I was aiming for. Hate to say this, but their coffee is yum!

Brewtown Newtown
6-8 O'Connell St, Newtown NSW 2042, Australia

Brewtown is a popular cafe and coffee shop located not too far from Campos, I believe most people came here for their good coffees or simply for their table made perfect for flatlays.

Campos Coffee

193 Missenden Rd, Newtown NSW 2042, Australia

Campos is by far still my heart’s numero uno!

Chanoma CBD

1/501 George St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

Cho Cho San
73 Macleay St, Potts Point NSW 2011, Australia

Devon on Danks
2 Danks St, Waterloo NSW 2017, Australia

Devon on Danks is highly famous for their truffle soft serve with fries, and indeed it was DA BOMB! The vanilla soft serve infused with generous amount truffle oil really had that right creaminess and unique flavor (they did put different ingredients in but I couldn’t seem to find out)

Gelato Messina
389 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia
Gelato Messina is a popular Australian gelato chain and they have several outlets spread around Sydney. On my visit last year, I managed to have a lot of their gelatos, but this time I only had theirs once and went to the small outlet in Surry Hills. Their Blood Orange sorbet is still my favorite!

Good Times Ice Cream
As this post is written, the ice cream shop just turn 2 weeks, so it’s very berry new! It's located in Potts Point neighborhood.

Harry's Espresso Bar
2/136 Wairoa Ave, Bondi Beach NSW 2026, Australia
Beautiful food and coffee they’re having here! Must visit when you’re in Bondi

Orto Trading Co
38 Waterloo Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia

We heard they made fantastic burgers here so we gave it a try, well that I beg to differ, not that they’re not nice, but I’ve had nicer ones. I really thought that they specialized in burgers, but turns out Instagram fooled me, it was actually a cafe serving burgers. However, their scotch egg is fabulous!

Petal Met Sugar
68 Sir John Young Cres, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011, Australia
Must go here, their cakes are very good even though a little pricey, and oh, it's a florist and cake shop in a same venue, indeed petal met sugar.

Activities:

Bondi Beach

Coogee Beach

Circular Quay to see Sydney Opera House
A photo here and my visit to Sydney is socially acceptable.

La Perouse Beach

Queen Victoria Building
455 George St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Queen Victoria Building or QVB is a high end shopping center located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.

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