Life Down Under (Part 10): Chasing Animals, Oakleigh (Little Greece), Springvale (Little Saigon), and Queen Elizabeth II's Passing

- August 30-September 14 2022, Tuesday to Wednesday.

- Coming back to Melbourne from a memorable journey to Sydney, I felt the need to slow down a bit (apart from the need to get work done.) Still sad from leaving people behind in Sydney (and not being able to meet others), I went to the last day of the Winter Night Market in Queen Victoria Market on Wednesday to cheer up a bit.

- In the spirit of taking things slow and seeing the calmer side of Melbourne, that Friday I decided to visit the Collingwood Children's Farm as recommended by a friend. The farm has existed in some form in the 1800s, though its current incarnation was only established in 1979. I took an Uber from my place because I was too lazy to commute. By public transportation, one can take a 200 or 207 bus from Lonsdale Street. If not, one can also ride the train (Epping or Hurtsbridge line) to Victoria Park Station, walk east along Johnston Street, turn right at Clare Street, then left at St. Heliers Street.

I love this place.

- The farm has some small animals roaming around, and larger ones enclosed in spacious areas surrounded by fences. The farm allows visitors to pet some tamer animals. I loved petting the sheep because they really were fluffy. One sheep that was running bumped into me and I could swear a pillow just ran past me! Their wool was a little rough though, like dreadlocks!

A fat chicken....a chonken????

Pregnant goats.

Sheep!!

A big horse.

Yes I am.

Especially when hungry!!

Instead of seeing pigs in the pen, I aw this peacock hiding.

The pigs were out in the back.

Angus beef.

- I also enjoyed following the peacock around - from a safe distance. It did not open its tail like I would have wanted it to do, but I was instead able to have a photo of a peacock flying! I think that's a rarer sight than an opened-tail peacock.    

Carefully following a peacock.

I love their colors.

Duck. Duck. Goose. Peacock.

An elegant creature. Oh, and a peacock too.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

The photo I never thought I wanted, but apparently I needed.

- Another friend recommended that I visit the Abbotsford Convent, which is right beside the farm. The convent was built in the 1800s but eventually stopped operating due to unjust living conditions. Eventually its buildings were converted to an arts and education hub, a music school, and restaurants.

The old church.

Today, artworks line the convent halls.

Buildings turned into restaurants.

- I didn't spend much time in the former convent as there was not much to see. It was a nice short visit though. I grabbed an Uber not long after, and had a slow afternoon before deciding to meet up with my friend Karin. She invited me to have dinner with other Filipino friends. It was just what I needed.

With Liang, Joseph, Karin, and June.

- The following day I had a stroll at the Docklands, just because I needed some air. It felt different from my usual adventure-filled weekends. I bought new pants from Uniqlo and had to get them altered, and so I had to go back to the Docklands for two more consecutive days - as much as I loved the Docklands, I did not want to see it for a while after going there for three days straight.

"Moon prism powerrrr, make up!!" - trying my Sailor Senshi transformation with Wang Shugang's "Meeting 1" at the Docklands. It represents the cultural diversity of Melbourne.  

Don't worry, these statues are made of bronze.

- The next days would be spent hiding in my condo unit to get some actual work done. I also had to do a presentation on Friday the 9th of September. After my presentation, I had time to roam the CBD again like I never did. It was nice to see the city again after days of not going out. While I was having a small celebration of my own, I realized that the flags on buildings were flown half-mast as Queen Elizabeth II passed away in the morning.

 

This H&M Building in Bourke Street, which used to be the Melbourne General Post Office, has the Australian flag flying half mast today to mourn for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

- To cap off my two weeks of zen, I decided to have a quick visit at the Nepal Festival at Federation Square on Saturday the 10th. It was a day filled with dancing and singing, Nepalese food, and souvenirs. I didn't stay long since the program took the whole day. I had fun seeing everyone in their elaborate and ornate costumes! They were celebrating the Indrajatra, which celebrates the Hindu god Indra. The Indrajatra also celebrates the "Kumari," or the living goddess. If you're not familiar with the Kumari, she's a pre-pubescent child that is said to have been possessed by the goddess Taleju. Taleju looks for another host once the girl starts menstruating. (Think of it as a young and female Dalai Lama, or like the element-bending Avatar.)

Parade of the "Kumari."

She's not the real Kumari, as the real Kumari may never leave the temple in Nepal except during Indrajatra. A Kumari also doesn't walk during the parade, she is either carried by a parent, or seated on a palanquin/platform during the parade. This cheerful girl makes a nice Kumari substitute though.

Blow that horn!

A replica of the Swayambhunath Stupa. I remember visiting this in Nepal a decade ago.

Buddha.

It was really just a day of fun and music for the Nepalese community!

- I decided that Saturday would be perfectly spent at Springvale (Pakenham or Cranbourne line to Springvale station), which has a concentration of Vietnamese people, like a "Little Saigon." This is because September 10 coincides with this year's Mid-Autumn Festival. It is a festival that is celebrated by the Vietnamese and the Chinese (like me), as well as the Koreans and the Japanese. Springvale has plenty of Vietnamese retail stores, authentic Vietnamese restaurants, and the two-story Springvale Shopping Centre as the centerpiece of Little Saigon. They're all located just outside the train station! By the way, there are also some Cambodians in the area, so some establishments might have Khmer writing on them.

Springvale Shopping Centre.

Springvale's welcome arch.

Springvale Shopping Centre, again.

Ordered a medium-sized bowl (but looks like a large!) of beef pho at Pho Hung Vuong. It's one of Springvale's sought after pho places! It's located along Balmoral Avenue, just behind Springvale Shopping Centre.

- Around 3 kilometers away from the center of Little Saigon are the Wat Khmer (Khmer Buddhist Temple), and the Hoa Nghiem Buddhist Temple. They're conveniently placed right beside each other. They're quite far to visit on foot (unless you're that much of a walker), so I just took an Uber from the center to Wat Khmer. Albeit small, the temple did remind me of the more modern temples that I visited in Cambodia in 2019 (see here).

Apsara carvings by the gate.

Stairs to the prayer hall.

Hoa Nghiem from Wat Khmer.

The hall wasn't open so I took this photo from outside the window.

My take on the apsara pose.

- The Hoa Nghiem Temple next door is a lot larger since the temple also has a school in its premises. I just wasn't able to join the Mid-Autumn festivities because the events started late.

Hoa Nghiem Buddhist Temple.

As usual, the wind blew my tripod to the ground.

Prayer hall.

Wat Khmer from Hoa Nghiem.

Reclining Buddha.

Giant standing Buddha at the pagoda.

- That night my colleague Andrew and I had dinner at our colleague Anthony's place. He and his wife Claudia prepared an amazing dinner for us! The top off the night, the moon would occasionally show itself to me on the way home despite the cloudy sky. The moon was big, round, and bright, as expected. (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!) 

Full moon.

- Continuing my oh-so cultural weekend, I thought of visiting Oakleigh the following day. Oakleigh (Pakenham or Cranbourne train to Oakleigh station) is where "Little Greece" would be. The Greek community here is a lot larger than the Greek Precinct in Lonsdale Street in Melbourne CBD. By the way, Melbourne the biggest Greek population in Australia!

Eaton Mall.

A recommended pastry shop/restaurant - Nikos! There are other Greek bakeries and pastry stores around the area though. 

I had pastitsia (Greek macaroni) and iced mocha.

An eclair, because why not?

This is a shopping arcade called Monastiraki. It has shops that sell clothes and slightly expensive
Greek souvenirs. Monastiraki is named after a shopping area in Athens.

- The main place to see Greek stores and restaurants would be Eaton Mall, which is just a minute's walk from Oakleigh station. Be sure to look at the streets near Eaton Mall, such as Chester Street and Drummond Street. There are other interesting historical landmarks in the area.

Oakleigh Pioneer Memorial, a cemetery opened in the 1800s. The graves here are really old too! You can see this at Atherton Road corner Drummond Street.

St. David's Uniting - Parish of Balkara (Drummond Street.)

This one is actually inside the church next to St. David's, called the Archangel Michael & St. Anthony's Coptic Orthodox Church. Not sure if I've ever been inside a Coptic church before (Drummond Street).

Coptic Church facade.

This souvenir store, I think, sells more reasonably-priced items compared to the stores in Eaton Mall's Monastiraki. This store is located along Chester Street.

- That afternoon I met up with my friend Aimee, her husband Kenny, and her son Forest. They live in a suburb near Oakleigh, so it was convenient to meet. She was kind enough to cook a sumptuous lunch even though we only agreed to meet the night before. After lunch, Aimee took me and Forest to the Scotchmans Creek Trail for a walk. The trail looked nice, I felt like fairies and other magical creatures could happily prance in the area.

No I do not have a family of my own yet - and no, Forest is not my son. HAHA.

I sense the magical aura of this creek.

Am still waiting for the fairies and nymphs.

Aimee, Kenny, and Forest, and me!

- The days after my trip to Oakleigh were filled with chores and work, but I was happy that I had the chance to explore the other pockets of Melbourne! I felt motivated in finishing my to-do list in anticipation of my next adventure! BUT....little did I know that my week was about to get more interesting! Just take a look at the photo below!

I WAS JUST CROSSING THE STREET AND A WILD TWOSETVIOLIN (well, just Brett anyway) APPEARED. I AM A HAPPY BOY!! (Also, that's Ibo, TwoSet's alleged tone-deaf friend.)

- Well, for real this time, on to my next Aussie adventure!