I went to Geelong with my friend yesterday by train. It wasn't raining. It was a bit cold though, but there were bursts of sunshine throughout the day. We had a great time yesterday and I met my budget of $50 and under. The train trip with the return trip costed me around $13.40. Mind you this is on a full fare ticket. It also included free zone 1 and 2 travel throughout Melbourne. The trip to Geelong from Melbourne takes about 1 hour by train, but there are also buses from other country towns that service Geelong. We can also drive to Geelong for the same amount of time, but neither of us had a car.
1) The Beaches and Scenic Stuff
After we got off the train we went to the Eastern beach and saw some of the scenic stuff. There were so many cute bollards there. There were also lots and lots of fishing boats as well. If you really like seafood, then you should visit Geelong. There was a boat that sells fresh mussels and plates of seafood paella for $10, but I already made a booking elsewhere for lunch. Maybe next time though. There is also a Cunningham Pier where people can go fishing.
We went walking along the beaches; they were nicely laid out and there were some beachside cafes and houses across the road from the beach. I loved seeing the sea and maybe next summer I will come back here for a holiday. It brought back a few fond memories of my childhood with my parents in Melbourne, holidaying in Geelong.
Later on in the day we saw lots and lots of banners advertising the Geelong Football team. In Melbourne during the winter there are a lot of football games, most of which are played at Etihad Stadium or in MCG stadium. If you have a chance you should see the matches. On the train back there were a lot of Geelong supporters.
2) Lunch at Groove train
After the beach and the scenic walk we decided to head to the Groove train. I had made a booking, based on my high expectations and people's good reviews. I was very disappointed. I liked the big space and the friendliness of the staff and the eggplant chips ($13). The pizza ($10 special) was really bad; cold, soggy, too much cheese and not enough varieties of vegetables, nothing to rave about here. Oh yeah, the waitress forgot my tea bag and I had to ask her. I shouldn't have to do that.
3) Shopping at Westfield
Westfield has many small shops and is a big shopping complex. All the department stores here are really small. Even Sanity and Borders are small, compared to the ones in the city. Borders was having a massive sale, because they are closing down their Geelong store in four days time, but there was nothing that I really needed.
There is a small Coles in Westfield as well as Priceline and a big Chemist warehouse. Here also has a small Hairhouse Warehouse with not much in it.
We also went window shopping in Market Square but we found it to be really boring.
4) Afternoon tea at the Chocolate Room
The Chocolate Room is just a short walk away from the Market Square and the railway station. This store specializes in chocolates and teas, but they also sell lunch. They also sell chocolate items as well as the suckao cup that I saw at Max Brenners in the city. But this one is red, a colour that I normally like. The decor and ambience here is really warm and they even have writing on the wall. They also have tasting plates ($8.50 per plate) and fondue for $9 per person and you get to choose what you want with it. The ones at Max brenners don't have much variety. Here we had a triple chocolate mousse ($6.50), a green tea ($3.30 per mug) and a cappuccino (I think that it was also the same price as the green tea). Here was much better than the lunch we had at the Groove train.
The chocolate mousse came with fresh cream and was rich in texture and was very filling. I loved the little chocolate swirl. I also loved that the cream was fresh and not like one of those ones that you get out of a can. This mousse is a little bit better than the one at Max brenners and doesn't cost as much. Their one is $10 for a small circle.
The lady there was really friendly and she took one picture for us.
So if you have time you should come and visit Geelong. You should budget around $50-$100 for a day stay and $500-$1000 for a week stay. There is a car rental place near the station, about a minutes walk from it. There are several apartments across the road from the beaches, but I don't know how much it is to stay per night. People in Geelong are really friendly and are willing to help you out. There are several maps around the cbd, should you ever get lost.
Note on the Groove train in Melbourne Central and here: They are both the same quality of food and service and Big Fil from Eat and be merry visited the one in Melbourne Central and hated it.
1) The Beaches and Scenic Stuff
After we got off the train we went to the Eastern beach and saw some of the scenic stuff. There were so many cute bollards there. There were also lots and lots of fishing boats as well. If you really like seafood, then you should visit Geelong. There was a boat that sells fresh mussels and plates of seafood paella for $10, but I already made a booking elsewhere for lunch. Maybe next time though. There is also a Cunningham Pier where people can go fishing.
The Groove train where they forgot my tea bag
Look how bad this pizza looks
These eggplant chips were great
The chocolate mousse
The tea (this time my tea bag was remembered)!
We went walking along the beaches; they were nicely laid out and there were some beachside cafes and houses across the road from the beach. I loved seeing the sea and maybe next summer I will come back here for a holiday. It brought back a few fond memories of my childhood with my parents in Melbourne, holidaying in Geelong.
Later on in the day we saw lots and lots of banners advertising the Geelong Football team. In Melbourne during the winter there are a lot of football games, most of which are played at Etihad Stadium or in MCG stadium. If you have a chance you should see the matches. On the train back there were a lot of Geelong supporters.
2) Lunch at Groove train
After the beach and the scenic walk we decided to head to the Groove train. I had made a booking, based on my high expectations and people's good reviews. I was very disappointed. I liked the big space and the friendliness of the staff and the eggplant chips ($13). The pizza ($10 special) was really bad; cold, soggy, too much cheese and not enough varieties of vegetables, nothing to rave about here. Oh yeah, the waitress forgot my tea bag and I had to ask her. I shouldn't have to do that.
3) Shopping at Westfield
Westfield has many small shops and is a big shopping complex. All the department stores here are really small. Even Sanity and Borders are small, compared to the ones in the city. Borders was having a massive sale, because they are closing down their Geelong store in four days time, but there was nothing that I really needed.
There is a small Coles in Westfield as well as Priceline and a big Chemist warehouse. Here also has a small Hairhouse Warehouse with not much in it.
We also went window shopping in Market Square but we found it to be really boring.
4) Afternoon tea at the Chocolate Room
The Chocolate Room is just a short walk away from the Market Square and the railway station. This store specializes in chocolates and teas, but they also sell lunch. They also sell chocolate items as well as the suckao cup that I saw at Max Brenners in the city. But this one is red, a colour that I normally like. The decor and ambience here is really warm and they even have writing on the wall. They also have tasting plates ($8.50 per plate) and fondue for $9 per person and you get to choose what you want with it. The ones at Max brenners don't have much variety. Here we had a triple chocolate mousse ($6.50), a green tea ($3.30 per mug) and a cappuccino (I think that it was also the same price as the green tea). Here was much better than the lunch we had at the Groove train.
The chocolate mousse came with fresh cream and was rich in texture and was very filling. I loved the little chocolate swirl. I also loved that the cream was fresh and not like one of those ones that you get out of a can. This mousse is a little bit better than the one at Max brenners and doesn't cost as much. Their one is $10 for a small circle.
The lady there was really friendly and she took one picture for us.
So if you have time you should come and visit Geelong. You should budget around $50-$100 for a day stay and $500-$1000 for a week stay. There is a car rental place near the station, about a minutes walk from it. There are several apartments across the road from the beaches, but I don't know how much it is to stay per night. People in Geelong are really friendly and are willing to help you out. There are several maps around the cbd, should you ever get lost.
Note on the Groove train in Melbourne Central and here: They are both the same quality of food and service and Big Fil from Eat and be merry visited the one in Melbourne Central and hated it.
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