Day 1 of our Australian road trip: Sydney to Melbourne.
Road trip; a road trip means different things to different people. For some I’m sure it means long hours stuck in a car, wasting precious time which could otherwise be spent relaxing at the destination. However, for me, there is nothing like the freedom of the open road. There is no need to stress about catching trains, planes or buses. There is no need to arrive early, wait around endlessly for your transport to arrive, or be singled out for security searches, which if you remember our trip to America, was pretty much a constant occurrence for us at any airport. In a car, you can stop when you want, eat when and what you want, and travel as far as you want. Most importantly, you can determine who gets in; that mother with the crying baby, the stinky bloke or the dodgy terrorist looking dude, doesn’t get in, but they invariably will always be sitting near you on any flight. Sure a road trip may take longer, but then again, isn’t travel, about the journey not the destination?
Road trip; a road trip means different things to different people. For some I’m sure it means long hours stuck in a car, wasting precious time which could otherwise be spent relaxing at the destination. However, for me, there is nothing like the freedom of the open road. There is no need to stress about catching trains, planes or buses. There is no need to arrive early, wait around endlessly for your transport to arrive, or be singled out for security searches, which if you remember our trip to America, was pretty much a constant occurrence for us at any airport. In a car, you can stop when you want, eat when and what you want, and travel as far as you want. Most importantly, you can determine who gets in; that mother with the crying baby, the stinky bloke or the dodgy terrorist looking dude, doesn’t get in, but they invariably will always be sitting near you on any flight. Sure a road trip may take longer, but then again, isn’t travel, about the journey not the destination?
5am: It’s still dark when we left our apartment for the first leg of our Australian outback adventure. 5.15am Louise is asleep.
8am: Yass Service Centre- a bacon and egg roll and coffee from McDonalds. 8.15am Louise is asleep again.
1030am Holbrook. Morrison’s Café. 1045am: I’m asleep – fortunately Louise is driving.
3pm: We arrive in Melbourne. I can say without hesitation that the drive to Melbourne on the Hume Highway is definitely easier than the trip up that goat track called the Pacific Hwy to Queensland. I can also say that Melbourne is colder, greyer, and more sophisticated than Queensland - they all appear to wear shoes, not thongs.
8am: Yass Service Centre- a bacon and egg roll and coffee from McDonalds. 8.15am Louise is asleep again.
1030am Holbrook. Morrison’s Café. 1045am: I’m asleep – fortunately Louise is driving.
3pm: We arrive in Melbourne. I can say without hesitation that the drive to Melbourne on the Hume Highway is definitely easier than the trip up that goat track called the Pacific Hwy to Queensland. I can also say that Melbourne is colder, greyer, and more sophisticated than Queensland - they all appear to wear shoes, not thongs.
For the next three nights we will be staying at the Mantra on the Park at 333 Exhibition Street, which overlooks Carlton gardens.
It’s a five minute walk to the famous Lygon Street, Carlton, for some authentic Italian food at La Spaghetteria 132-136 Lygon St, Carlton. We are off to a good start when Louise asks our young Indian waitress a question about the menu.
“Do you have Boscaiola?”
Without hesitation she replied “No, we only have spaghetti, tortellini, penne, and ravioli.”
“Um…. Bosciolla is a type of sauce.” Louise said.
Too funny - but the food was good, reasonably priced; they even provided complimentary champagne. But no, they don’t have Spagetti Boscaiola.
“Do you have Boscaiola?”
Without hesitation she replied “No, we only have spaghetti, tortellini, penne, and ravioli.”
“Um…. Bosciolla is a type of sauce.” Louise said.
Too funny - but the food was good, reasonably priced; they even provided complimentary champagne. But no, they don’t have Spagetti Boscaiola.
