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β€œKia Surprised Me with a Trip to Melbourne!”

15 Feb 2019

Melbourne had been on my travel bucket list since I can remember. I'd heard so much about this vibrant city from friends and always longed to experience it myself. When I was chosen as the winner of the Kia Lucky Drive to Australia, I picked my mom to come on this adventure with me. This all-expenses-paid, amazingly planned itinerary was more than I could ask for, and here's what went down...under!

Itinerary:
2019, Melbourne, Australia

Day 1
23 Jan - Exploring the City

Upon arrival at Melbourne Airport, my mom and I were greeted with an official Kia car that took us to our hotel.

We proceeded to the official Kia booth located at the hotel lobby for registration and had a short briefing for the whole trip. Our room was on the 24th floor with an amazing bird's- eye view of Melbourne Park!

After settling down, we headed to level 2 and had some delicious lunch at Collin Streets. We had steamed Patagonian toothfish and barbecued chicken "Issan Style" as our main course, with a side of pork and prawn wontons, freshly shucked oysters and crispy chicken roll. Yummm.

After the hearty lunch, we went for a walk to explore Melbourne, since it was our "Free and Easy" day. We visited Flinders Street Railway Station, an iconic landmark in Melbourne city rich with history.

What's touring Melbourne city without some shopping right? DFO South Wharf is well-known for outlet shopping, where we spent a few hours indulging in discounted branded items.

After shopping, we made our way back to the hotel to meet a relative. We went for dinner at a famous Cantonese restaurant called Pacific Seafood B.B.Q restaurant on Victoria Street. Simply one of the best meals I've ever had!

For dessert, we went to Swan Street at Richmond Victoria for some wonderful ice cream at Gelato Messina. They use only the finest ingredients with everything made from scratch.

They are also known to experiment with new and exciting flavours. The founders had a vision to set the benchmark for gelato in Australia, and judging from their multiple outlets and crowd, they seem to have met their goal.

Day 2
24 Jan - Ballarat Wildlife Park and Sovereign Hill

I was particularly excited for Day 2. Ballarat Wildlife Park and Sovereign Hill was on the itinerary and I couldn't wait! We started the day bright and early with decadent pastries at the hotel. I kept going back to the counter for more!

After breakfast, it was time to set off for our day trip. We took a photo with our amazing bus captain and tour guide of the day, who not only took us places safely but also made an effort to share some history of Melbourne with us.

After a two-hour drive, we finally arrived at Ballarat Wildlife Park!

This was our first encounter with kangaroos and koalas so that was the highlight of our visit here.

We reluctantly left the cute animals of Ballarat Wildlife Park and headed over to Sovereign Hill. The first order of business at Sovereign Hill was... to take a big group shot with all the other winners from around the world!

Sovereign Hill is an open-air museum that commemorates gold mining in the 1850s. Definitely learned quite a bit of history here about the gold rush era, when gold was first discovered in Ballarat.

After going back to the past for the afternoon, we were ready to make our way back to the hotel. As my mom and I chose the "Free and Easy" option for Day 2 and 3, we decided to go for a walk and (more!) shopping and eating around Melbourne City centre.

I have to say that one of my favourite things about Melbourne is the food. After dropping off our purchases, we made full use of our dining credits and dug in to a fancy seafood dinner.

We were so full we had to walk it off around our hotel!

Day 3
25 Jan – Meeting the Legends

The next day was also an action-packed one. It was the day of the Australian Open Men's Singles Semi-finals and we were so lucky to be able to catch the match between Novak Djokovic and Lucas Pouille live.

We arrived at Melbourne Park around 5PM, where we even got to meet tennis legend Pat Cash!

Another surprise meet-and-greet with another legend, Lleyton Hewitt!

Day 4
26 Jan – Time to Return Home

Our last day came too soon and it was really hard to say goodbye to this beautiful city. We checked out of the hotel at 11am and did some last minute shopping at Queen Victoria Market.

Durians in Melbourne? Hmmm… never thought I'd see that!

We also visited the State Victoria Library which looked so grand and rich in heritage.

We bid our final goodbyes to the city and thanked the Kia team for a truly unforgettable trip before hopping into our Kia car to the airport. Till next time Melbourne! I'll definitely be back.

chaticon3x
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