(May 11, Colombo, SriLanka Guardian) Most Sri Lankans have heard of Melbourne – usually because they have had the opportunity of watching on TV a cricket match at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds, the Australian Open tennis tournament at the Rod Laver arena or perhaps the last Commonwealth Games which were staged in Melbourne in 2006. Many of us in this country have friends or family there – studying at one of Melbourne’s well known universities or migrated there as part of that vast Sri Lankan diaspora which left this land in search of pastures new and gravitated to the city that (except for Colombo) has more people of Sri Lankan origin than any other city in the world.
But not many of us have heard of Victoria, the Australian state of which Melbourne is the capital. Situated in the southeast corner of Australia, the state of Victoria is about three times the size of Sri Lanka – and a tourist destination that is certainly worth visiting in its own right. Ancient rainforests, secluded beaches, picturesque country towns, farms and wineries just a couple of hours drive out of Melbourne – all these are sights that one who has the good fortune to get to Melbourne would do well to take time off to visit.
One can take a day trip out of
the capital to the Spa Country to the north, where towns with quaint names like Hepburn Springs boast of warm mineral waters. Or one can do a drive along the Great Ocean Road – a scenic route that follows the spectacular coastline from Torquay to Warrnambool – and marvel from the elevated cliff road at the dramatic view of fierce waves crashing on to the rugged rocks below while sapphire blue waters stretch out towards the horizon as far as one can see.
Of course, there is nothing like a lazy Sunday spent with a group of friends touring Victoria’s many wineries. The state has 22 distinct wine regions with over 350 wineries, many of which encourage tasting at the cellar door and dining at the winery restaurant. To the east of capital lies the Yarra Valley with its delightful vista of vine covered landscapes, while a drive to the wineries of the Mornington Penninsula to the south provides pretty views of the coast and Port Phillip Bay.
There are towns like Ballarat and Bendigo that flourished during Victoria’s Gold rush days. At Ballarat’s Sovereign Hill a township has been re-created just as it used to be in the late 19th century, where you can take a step back in time to see folk dressed in the typical clothes of that era, horse drawn carriages and even functioning sweetshops, furniture makers and candle-makers! Then there is Phillip Island, just 90 minutes drive from Melbourne, where the daily Penguin Parade is a major attraction. Each evening, hundreds of Fairy Penguins (the world’s smallest species of penguins) return to the island after a day out in the ocean and waddle up the beach to their nesting places on the island – certainly a sight not to be missed.
In addition to the stunning scenery and the fragrant smell of eucalyptus (Australia’s traditional "Gum Trees"), there are rural towns all over Victoria which offer a laid back relaxing atmosphere and typical Aussie country hospitality - places like Benalla at the foot of Victoria’s mountain country, towns along the Murray river like Echuca with its famous paddle steamers or Mildura which produces 95% of Australia’s dried fruits and quaint villages in the Dandenong Ranges with names like Olinda, Sassafras and Kinglake where you can spend a pleasant morning picking fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries at a berry farm. Victoria even has a little town Baddaginie and another place called Dimboola - although I have not been able to ascertain whether these places had a Sri Lankan connection.
Having been there several times and enjoyed the many attractions around Melbourne, I thought I would utilise today’s column to talk about these Victorian destinations which not many Sri Lankans know about.
Victoria’s secrets, after all, are too good to keep to myself.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
Post a Comment