lakes entrance in the gippsland

i first heard of 'lake entrance' when a returning student from melbourne was talking about some of the places she had visited during her university vacations. apparently, she liked the place very much. i had wondered why a lake would have a entrance when it was supposed to be a body of water surrounded by land. now, after visiting the place, i have a better idea of how the name was derived.

lakes entrance is a man-made channel - which is dredged regulary - that links the bass strait and the tasman sea to a number of lakes in the gippsland. the three main lakes are king lake, victoria lake and wellington lake. this part of victoria seems more popular with the locals than with the tourists. overseas tourists will rather go to phillip island, which is also in the same area, the gippsland, to watch the fairy penguins.

the cunninghame arm bridge (in the above picture) is a footbridge that takes you from the town of lakes entrance to the 90-mile beach. the actual length of the beach is slightly more than 90 miles (144km).





lakes entrance is popular with the locals because of its milder climate - it is warmer in winter and cooler in summer. the place is also known as the 'seafood capital' of victoria because of the many fishing trawlers operating in that area. you could go out in a hired boat to catch your own fish or you could buy the catch from the fishermen. with the abundance of fresh seafood, it is no surprise that there are a number of seafood restaurants in lakes entrance. we ate at one such restaurant.




we were looking forward to seeing some of the 50 bottlenose dolphins frolicking in the waters of the lakes but we did not spot any because of the rain. the rain was to dampen our spirit somewhat because we could not go cruising or fishing. however, we did see some birds like the pelicans, swans and lots of cormorants at the lake (king lake).

we stayed in this rented house on a hillock that overlooks the lake. it is indeed a wonderful getaway - quiet surroundings and good view of the scenic lake. i think we paid aud$275/night, shared out among 3 families, it came up slightly more than $91/night per family.

since we did not go fishing or cruising, we did some land tours, visiting the nicholson river winery and a brewery, where we had lunch. we had wanted to visit the buchan fairy cave but changed our mind because of the changeable weather.

eating 4 peking ducks at one sitting

in singapore and in most other countries, when you order peking duck, you will normally order one to be shared by all the diners at the table. not so in the case of this restaurant in boxhill, melbourne, australia. you are advised to order one duck for every 2 or 3 persons at each table. last sunday, there were 9 of us, so we pre-booked 4 ducks for the party. yes, you need to order the ducks one day in advance. i was told that there was one instance when a group of 14 ordered 3 ducks. the owner of the restaurant felt so slighted that he told them not to eat at his restaurant again.

the name of the restaurant is simon's peiking duck. it is named after the owner and chef, simon lay, who goes around serving the duck and chatting with customers. on that sunday when we were there, all the tables in the restaurants were filled but he still found time to exchange a few words with us at our table. he also instructed us on how to fold the pancake to hold the duck's skin and meat.

instructions on folding the thin pancake: spread one spoon of sauce, place one piece of cucumber and one piece of spring onion; fold up at 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. you can also do the 6 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 9 o'clock and get the same result.

on a notice-board outside the restaurant, you can find information on how the duck is prepared. stuff ginger, shallots, aniseed and 5-spice powder in its belly, sew it up using a long needle and pump air into it, between the body and the skin to separate them.

next, it is plunged into boiling water to shrink the skin. then it goes into a wok rolling with vinegar, maltose and soy and oyster sauces - this is the glaze that gives the skin its shine and flavour. the duck is then hung (up) for 6 hours to dry before roasting.

studley park boathouse, melbourne

in the winter of 2009 when i visited melbourne, my friend chris took me to one of the parks that adjoins the yarra river. i blogged about the warrandyte suburb here. there are quite a number of parks and parklands that are located along the length of the yarra river. the smaller parks have unsealed paths while the larger parks have sealed pathways suitable for walking as well as cycling. australians are fond of taking their dogs for a walk at the park. at most parks, dogs have to be leashed.




we did not go to walk the dogs. we went to the yarra bend park, near which the studley park boathouse is located, for a picnic. ida had gone to the park the day before, on australia day, and the scene she described was so vastly different. the day before, every corner of the park was taken up by australians celebrating their national day in their traditional way - a picnic and bbq in the park.


the studley park boathouse is the oldest operating boathouse in the state of victoria. it enjoys a nice location, at the bend of the yarra river. it has a restaurant and an indoor/outdoor cafe. row boats, kayaks and canoes are available for hire. the rate for the row boat is about $20 for half an hour. we did not row boats; instead, we fed the ducks and other birds on the bank and in the river.



you can sit at a picnic table and spend a quiet time by the bank of the river. although the sun was out, there was a cool breeze blowing. others were just happy to lie on the grass and be close to nature. now i understand why the australians love the outdoors.




this is the kane's bridge that spans the yarra river. the bridge originally built in 1929 was washed away by the 1934 floods. it was rebuilt in 1935. cyclists were advised to dismount and push the bike across the bridge. of the two cyclists i met, one dutifully got down and pushed his bike while the other cyclist just continued cycling across the bridge.

ang koo kueh in melbourne

when my elder daughter was expecting her first child, she had told me that she would like to have ang koo kueh and red eggs for her child's full moon celebration. i thought it would be a piece of cake because i had successfully made ang koo kueh at home in singapore. what i failed to reckon with was that not all asian things are readily available in melbourne. i hunted for the ang koo kueh mould in a number of asian enclaves like clayton, glen waverley and richmond in melbourne but could not find one. i even enlisted the help of my younger daughter, who is also here in melbourne, to try and get me one.

the other thing i had not considered was the cost of some of the requirements for making ang koo kueh. back in singapore i do not remember having to buy banana leaves to use as the base for placing the kueh. even if i had to buy, it would not cost more than a dollar. over here, unless you are in the state of queensland, banana trees are non-existent. so they have to be brought in from queensland or imported from some tropical countries. the packet of banana leaves, cut and folded, cost aus$7.50.



the first lot of ang koo kueh i made was the typical, round and flat type. somebody who saw them commented that they were not appropriate for a boy. we decided to make something more representative of a boy. my mother used to make ang koo kueh of this shape - the hokkien call it 'ang ee' and it did not require a mould. you can also buy this type of ang koo kueh, which is made for special occasions, from the confectioneries and some stalls at the market or food centre.




we made a total of about forty ang koo kueh, with two types of filling. the ones which appear darker (third photograph) were filled with peanut. the filling for the other lot was tau sar (mung bean). the peanut version was more popular with the guests. to make the dough, i used sweet potato and glutinous rice flour.

collecting lala at venus bay

you do not always have to pay to pick or collect food in melbourne. the other day, 12 of ian's friends drove 160km to venus bay to collect the lala shellfish, which is called pipi by the local people. they came back with about 24 litres of the shellfish. venus bay is about 2 hours' drive from melbourne, heading south-east along the south gippsland highway.

a current recreational fishing licence is required by people taking or attempting to take pipis. you can apply for it on the spot, from a machine. each person is permitted to collect no more than 2 litres of pipi in the shell or half a litre without shells. harvesters have to use only their hands and feet. no form of digging implement is to be used. the pipis collected should be for personal use or consumption. some anglers use the pipi as bait.

owing to the increased levels of harvesting by recreational pipi collectors in the venus bay area, it was necessary to put in place a reduced limit. it used to be 5 litres until 2009; now, it is down to 2 litres per person.

i was told that in the past, some people would go as a group in a van and they would end up loading the van with as many as 5000 pipis or 100 litres (20 x 5l) of pipis.

lala (pipi) can be cooked in a number of ways. you can stir fry it with ginger and garlic or fry it with chilli and tomato sauce. ian's friends prepared it in a simple way - by making ginger soup.

it is advisable to soak the lala in water for sometime (say, about 15 minutes) before cooking them or you may end up eating some sediments (sand). this is especially so if you have collected the lala yourself from the surf beach.

this reminds me of the time - i think it was in the early 70s - when i visited my friend in penang and he took me to batu ferringhi beach to dig for 'siput' on the beach. i wonder if there are still 'siput' to be harvested.

picking cherries at the farm

summer is cherry picking time and hordes of people descend upon the cherry farms at the mornington peninsula to experience the thrill and joy of picking and eating the ripe fruit off the trees. in temperate countries in the northern hemisphere, cherries ripen in june and july whereas in australia, the fruiting season is the months of november and december.

although i have taken friends and relatives to these cherry farms, i have not been inside one to pick the fruit. maybe it is because i have had enough of picking 'buah cherry' (jamaican cherry)when i was a boy. another reason could be that i am not particularly fond of cherries, sweet or sour. the third reason is the cost of picking.


different farms have different policies with regard to eating the fruit as you pick. some farms have no restriction on the amount consumed while you are on the farm while others advise that "you may taste some but it does not mean that you eat all you can". however, it is also not possible for the owner to deploy workers to check that this ruling is strictly adhered to.



for entry into the enclosed farm, most farms charge adults $10 and children, $5. the rate they charge for the amount you pick and take out depends on the prevailing market rate. at this particular farm, it was $12.90/kilo. before going to the farm to pick cherries, we had bought some at the market for $9.50/kilo. most of the cherry farms are open 7 days a week but there are some that are open for picking only on weekends.



upon payment of the entry fee you are given a pail with a plastic bag. i do not think there is a time limit. you then follow the signs to the trees which are available for picking. if the cherries are high up on the tree and beyond your reach, there are ladders around which you may use. you have to be quite gentle with cherries because they bruise easily.

what you are actually paying is for the novelty experience of picking your own cherries. you will not be likely to recoup your $10 by trying to eat as much as you can while in the process of picking the cherries. still, it makes for a good family outing in summer. anyway, children below 10 years of age are not charged any entry fee.

here are some tips on cherry picking: go to the farm early, before the crowd appears; don't wear a new shirt to go cherry picking because your shirt may get stained; look for heavy, firm cherries with a shiny skin and fresh stem; you should pick one cherry at a time and not pull down a whole bunch; pick those that are dark red or mahogany in colour - the darker the colour, the sweeter the cherry; and if you want the cherry to stay fresh longer, leave the stem intact.

fitzroy gardens in melbourne city

victoria is called the garden state, not for nothing; there are so many parks and gardens within the central business district of melbourne itself. besides the royal botanic gardens, there are, among others, the treasury and fitzroy gardens, king's domain, alexandra gardens, queen victoria gardens, flagstaff gardens and the royal park. i visited fitzroy gardens recently.

the most notable feature of fitzroy gardens is the wonderful trees that line the many pathways. in the above picture, you see an avenue of majestic trees lining one of the pathways in the gardens.

fitroy gardens are of historical, aesthetic, architectural, scientific and social significance to the state of victoria.

i had wondered why many of the trees in fitzroy gardens have this protective cover around part of its trunk. i was to learn later that it is to protect the bark from attack by possums. i looked around but did not see any possum. i was told that the possums normally appear after dark. some people do go at night to see and feed the possums.



the conservatory is open every day from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. there are five different displays each year. it is used by tourists, school students and families and anyone who wants to capture a moment of floral beauty.




the captain cook's cottage, originally in britain, was bought by a prominent melbournian and presented to the people of the state of victoria. in 1933, it was dismantled and shipped to melbourne in 253 packing cases. a site in fitzroy gardens, with large european trees, was selected to complement the cottage. you have to pay a small fee to see the inside of the cottage.




there is a small ornamental lake in this part of the gardens. actually, this part of the gardens is called the treasury gardens. if you go to larger parks, like albert park, you will come across hundreds of ducks, black swans, white swans and other kinds of birds.

the other attractions in fitzroy gardens include the fairies tree - a favourite with children, the tudor village and the sinclair's cottage.

benalla - one street town

in north east victoria

on tuesday, i visited two of the towns affected by the floods in the first week of september 2010. of the two, i much prefer benalla to shepparton. both are located in north eastern victoria. the two towns are 60km apart. the lake (above picture) of the rural city of benalla was created in 1973 by damming the broken river. during the recent flood, the water level in the lake reached up to the top of the supports.

a friend who accompanied us on the trip, a singapore-born permanent resident, described benalla as 'a one street town where you cannot get lost'. in spite of its smallness when compared to shepparton, the fifth largest city in the state of victoria, benalla has got more than you can imagine.

benalla, which has the status of a rural city, has plenty of colours. the sky is clear and blue and the sunset is fiery red. it also has the title of 'the rose city' but because the rose plants in the rose garden were not in bloom, i did not take any picture. even the sunrise is equally brilliant.

this strikingly modernist building is the benalla art gallery. it is located in the botanical gardens (is it not botanic gardens?), near the town's famous rose garden. it has a cafe that overlooks the lake. many visitors like to come here to sip coffee or wine or have lunch while enjoying the unique and beautiful setting.





ths ceramic mural also found by the side of the lake has been called 'the largest community artwork in australia". according to the tourist brochure 'the sculptural piece was inspired by the works of spanish architect antonio gaudi and was created by the local community with the assistance of some of australia's best potters'.

this unique archway leads to a carpark and an indian restaurant. you do not see many 'black hair' in benalla. looking through the telephone directory, i could not find a single chinese or asian name. however, there are two chinese restaurants in this town with a population of 9000. according to my daughter, if the food is popular with the locals (meaning, australians), then it means it will not suit the chinese.

it is a quiet town, good for a short stay. when i went on my morning walk at 6.30 a.m., there was hardly anyone on the road. the night before, after having had our dinner at a local hotel, we found the whole street deserted at 9.00 p.m.

places we visited in melbourne

for three of them in this group of nine, this was their first visit to melbourne and out of these three, one of them is an australian permanent resident. one thing that was borne out during this trip was that when you are older, enjoying the company of your travelling companions was more important than taking in all the sights. at swanston street, the men were content to just sit outside a cafe enjoying a cup of long black while the women went shopping at davy jones. melbourne in early spring still retains the chill of winter, with temperature hovering around 13 degrees celcius.



from our service apartments at william street, we walked the 800m to queen victoria market. market days are 5 days a week, except for mondays and wednesdays. on most days, the market opens at 6.00 a.m. however, on sundays, it starts a bit later, at 9.00 a.m. although i have been to 'vic mart' several times, every visit is filled with a sense of anticipation: expectation of something new or something interesting. nevertheless, i will always look out for the iconic doughtnut van, which has been around for more than 50 years. the doughnut which cost 80cts during my last visit, now costs a dollar each.



a few of my friends, not members of this group, who have been to melbourne had complained about the long and winding trip to view the 12 apostles along the great ocean road. actually, if you want to see features like arches, stacks and stumps, you do not have to travel so far away from melbourne. at the sea, off portsea, in the mornington peninsula you can see these wonders of nature.

"The scenery at London Bridge was fantastic. White-foam waves throwing at the coastlines to form coastal features like outcrop of rocks along the coast. It was chilly cold at London Bridge....." as reported by the secretary for the trip

sorrento is about one and a half hours away from melbourne city. i have always enjoyed sorrento because of its italian name and our wonderful stay at hotel sorrento on our first visit to the peninsula. sorrento is described as a largely upper class seaside resort area but it is also a quiet seaside township in the off-peak months of the year. sorrento is the place where you can take the vehicular ferry to queenscliff. we had dinner at an italian restaurant in sorrento.

the t'gallant winery was also on our itinerary. the group did not show much interest in the vineyard as there was nothing much to see because the grapes had all been harvested. we, however, enjoyed the lunch of wood-fired pizzas at the winery. we had a bottle of wine to go with the food and only one person in the group bought a bottle of wine. from the winery, we moved on to the sunnyridge strawberry farm which is more popular during the strawberry picking season, between november and april.

i had told my group that we would miss out on strawberry and cherry pickings. we also would miss the tulip festival which does not start till 16 september.

we also drove to murray's lookout point at arthurs seat which afforded visitors panoramic breathtaking views of the mornington peninsula and beyond. on a clear day, you could even see the city skyline from the various lookout points at arthurs seat.

at the dandies, where we had lunch at miss marples, the ladies in the group bought souvenirs and cards. one of the men bought a wooden mandarin duck.

balestier walking group in melbourne

the idea of a trip to melbourne was first mooted about two years ago. the balestier walkies, as we called yourselves, have been walking together on a regular basis for about four years. when we first started out, it was a monthly affair. as the group members grew older and closer, it has become a meeting on a weekly basis. the 16-strong group comprises mainly former teachers and students of balestier hill secondary school. owing to work and family commitments, not everyone in the group could go on this first overseas outing. 8 members of the 16-member group have children who are studying or have studied in melbourne.




based on the pictures, it would appear that it was more a gastronomical adventure than a sight-seeing or walking tour. anyway, we did not have the luxury of a leisurely tour. the group had 5 days only in melbourne. we stayed two nights at rye in the mornington peninsula and two nights in the city. in the city, we stayed at the quest service apartments on william street, for which we paid aud$115 per room per night. at rye, we stayed in a 6-room holiday house belonging to my daughter's pastor.

we had rented a 8-seater kia grand carnival to accommodate all the 8 of us but at the last minute, we had a pleasant surprise. steven, an australian permanent resident and a former balestierian, flew in from sydney to join the group. we rented another car, a holden berlina, to carry the baggage and to ensure that we abided by the strict australian traffic laws. from the airport, we drove to springvale, a vietnamese enclave, where we had lunch at a chinese restaurant.

my elder daughter, who works in melbourne, joined us for a meal at miss marples, up in the dendenong mountains on the third day of the group's stay in melbourne.


we had italian food on the two days when we were at the mornington peninsula, once at sorrento and the other time, at t'gallant, a winery in the red hill area of the mornington peninsula. when we in the city, we decided to go for yam cha at the very popular shark's fin house at little bourke street in melbourne's chinatown. we had to call up one of our fellow walkers in singapore for the name of the chinese restaurant. he had been a frequent visitor to melbourne but he could not make the trip this time.

one of the best meals we had in melbourne was the lunch we had in the open, overlooking the vineyard, at a winery in the mornington peninsula. we had the house wine (juliet pinot noir) to go with the three types of wood-fired pizzas, hot roasted potatoes, sausages, salad and ciabatta bread. there are food, wine and song at la baracca kitchen at t'gallant. on weekends, the place is always packed.



on our first night in the city, we had buffet dinner at kitchen workshop, one of the many restaurants at the crown entertainment complex. we were joined by audrey, the daughter of william, another member of our group. we had visited audrey's place earlier and she led 5 members of the group to take the free city circle tram to somewhere near the casino. the rest of us went in the 8-seater to the casino.

on the second and final night of the group's stay in melbourne city, we had dinner at oriental spoon, a korean restaurant on la'trobbe street. this restaurant is apparently very popular with the asian students from the nearby melbourne university. it was audrey, a melbourne university student, who made the recommendation.

this was how one of the members felt about the trip:

"I had a really wonderful time on this short trip. We were reminiscing the good old days, the laughs and how even after 35 years+ we are like the kids we were in Balestier Hill. I know many people around me are amazed how I still keep in touch with schoolmates and TEACHERS???? but they will never understand how we have become and continue to become the best of friends regardless of classmates or teachers. Now, if those who were in Melbourne might know I bought a piggy bank (after our meals at Ms Marples) with these words engraved on its stomach: OLD FRIENDS ARE THE BEST!"

how do you interpret this sign?

this afternoon, i travelled to one of the suburbs in melbourne and, as i came to the end of a path, i spotted this unusual sign. it is unusual because i do not think that such a sign exists in singapore.

what do you think is the message behind (or below) this sign?

could it be...

a fork in the road?

paths merging ahead?

divided lane ahead?

watch out for tree roots!?

scroll down to see the words below the sign

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superheroes at federation square

yesterday, i was at melbourne's federation square - just across from flinders station - when they established the guinness world record for the most number of people wearing superhero costumes in one place at one time. altogether, 1245 dressed up as comic -not comical - characters registered with the organiser. the previous record, set in london one week ago, was 1091.

there was nothing comical about it. everyone was there to have a good time. humans were not the only entrants, a number of dogs also got into the act. there were also superbabies who came in their prams.



father and son, mother and daughter, father and daughter, and mother and son combinations as superhero duo were quite common.


there were also whole families of superheroes. one family had superman as dad, batgirl as mom and the child was dressed up as spiderman or rather, spiderboy. the most popular character was superman, followed by batman, robin and spiderman.

they came in all shapes, sizes and ages. these people really live up to the saying: there is a child in everyone of us. i find that the australians are game to try and do things when it comes to letting their hair down. in s'pore, i envisage that this is unlikely to take place; imagine your neighbour coming down from his hdb flat, wearing this costume, getting into his car in it and driving himself to the venue (of the gathering). no singapore adult would want to be caught dead in this act.


it was an event that attracted a lot of shutterbugs. many of those togged in superhero costumes were also going around armed with a camera to capture other dressed-up people.