SGS

Easter Day Out!  James and I planned a whopper of a trip: it was to be a surprise trip around the bay for our respective partners.

5:30am I was wide awake, despite having only 3 hours sleep!

6:30am At Steph’s house, picked her up and drove towards James’ house.

7:10am Having picked James and Lee Mei up, we headed for Checkpoint #1: Geelong.

7:15am But first, we added some petrol into the car and inflated the tyres.  There was some rude guy in a 4WD who beeped us as we took our time putting the air into the tyres.  Happy Easter to him too!  My dear Steph reached over and beeped him back!  Now we’re on our way!

8:30am Not much traffic meant that we were ahead of schedule.  We had a Maccas breakfast in Geelong, followed by coffee in some café.  We took some pictures beside the bay.

10:00am Leaving Geelong behind we travelled further south.  A 30 minute journey to…

10:45am …Checkpoint #2: Point Lonsdale!  Here stands a small lighthouse which stands at the entrance to Port Philip Bay.  A booking made two weeks ago guaranteed a spot in the 30-minute tours up the lighthouse.  Only 8 people could fit in the narrow space at any one time, so there were some walk-ins joining us on our tour.

12:00pm After taking a stroll down to the nearby pier, we headed towards our next destination.  However, due to some ample time, we briefly stopped by at Point Lonsdale Town where there was a market bustling with activity.

12:40pm And now we’re on our way to Checkpoint #3: Queenscliff.

12:45pm Arriving at Queenscliff, we paid the fare to travel by ferry: $74 for 4 adult tickets and the car!

1:00pm The ferry departed shortly afterwards.  Steph and I stood at the back of the ferry. A fantastic view of The Rip, the front beaches of the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas, and of course the ferry’s wake.

2:00pm The next stop was Checkpoint #4: Rye.  We ordered some fish and chips and dined on the beach.  Beautiful weather – and even more perfect: there were NO FLIES!!!

3:30pm And away we go on another trip, cutting through towards the ocean side of Mornington.  Part of the road was unsealed, but nevertheless James and Lee Mei the sleepy couple managed to catch a few winks.

3:50pm Checkpoint #5: Ashcombe Maze, Shoreham.  Using some vouchers, we had half-price admissions ($6.50) to the maze gardens.  Two hedge mazes, rose mazes, lavender and rock gardens abound the 25 acre property.  A very happy Stephberry snuggles up to me: “I’m so, so, so spoilt!  Thank you so much!”

5:30pm Closing time now!  We took off, heading back towards civilisation!

7:30pm We arrived at James’ house!  I was yawning non-stop for the final 15 minutes of the trip.  For some reason the tiredness has caught up with me.  I was surprised I lasted so long after having not much sleep.  We had a quick nap.  (Or at least I did – the others were playing SuDoKu).

8:00pm Dinner time!  Checkpoint #6: Korean Garden Restaurant, Clayton was picked by the girls.  Yum!  We couldn’t finish all the food we ordered though!

10:00pm Home time.  I dropped Steph at her place on the way.  Mission accomplished!  TongTong’s super happy! ^_^

Click the panoramic pic below for more photos:

Click here for the planning route and info!