I love the Dandenong Ranges, which is only 30 minutes' drive from the part of Melbourne I live in. There are so many incredible gardens, fantastic restaurants/cafes and a wide variety of activities to do up there. You can also get some incredible views of Melbourne.
Another favourite spot is Mornington Peninsula, which has a wide range of activities including hot springs, amazing beaches, sculpture gardens, vintage trains, gondolas, unique gardens and incredible restaurants/cafes.
The Mornington Peninsula is also an incredible food production area and there are wineries, berry farms, cheesemakers, sweet/lolly producers and olive oil producers. It is a foodie's paradise.
How is the city living with Covid-19 now? Are there still any restrictions or have things returned to normal?
Things have mostly returned to normal. You do have to wear masks when indoors and there are some capacity limits for some businesses. You also must isolate if you are a close Covid contact or test positive.
Have you travelled anywhere nationally or internationally since the pandemic hit?
Because of Australia's federal border closures and Australian state border closure, we chose to explore Victoria, the state Melbourne is in. We would travel during long weekends and public holidays in the latter part of 2020 and throughout 2021.
We concentrated on visiting Gippsland which is one of the regional areas closest to Melbourne and have stayed in several coastal towns including Loch Sport, Corinella, Phillip Island and Inverloch.
Loch Sport is definitely a highlight as it is a quiet coastal town. It is the one place in Australia where you're guaranteed to see a kangaroo in the wild. It also has a lake which is great for families and a surf beach for those who are a bit more adventurous. We also have family living in Loch Sport and it was great to catch up with them.
Another highlight was the penguin parade on Phillip Island. We got an incredible view of the penguins arriving home in the evening. There is a variety of seating options and we opted for the underground viewing area that put us at eye level of the penguins.
We also spent a weekend in Melbourne visiting the tourist attractions we hadn't seen previously. A highlight was definitely the Melbourne Museum where we saw dinosaur bones and the megafauna. We also got to see the taxidermied body of Phar Lap.
Are there any destinations you're dreaming of visiting now?
Definitely a visit home to New Zealand. The last time I was there was in 2017 so I'm due another visit to catch up with everyone.
Are there any similarities between Melbourne and New Zealand?
Prior to Melbourne, I lived in Wellington and there are a lot of similarities between the two cities, particularly the obsession with good coffee. Both Melbourne and Wellington are cosmopolitan centres with a lot of cultural and sporting activities.
Do you miss anything about New Zealand?
After not seeing them for close to three years I'd have to say, my friends and family members. The physical isolation from your New Zealand-based friends and family members has possibly been the toughest part of the pandemic living away from New Zealand.
What advice would you give New Zealanders who still cannot travel internationally?
Take the opportunity to explore New Zealand and visit parts you haven't visited before.
Are you a Kiwi living overseas? Or know someone who is? Be a part of our next column by emailing travel@nzherald.co.nz with Life After Lockdown in the subject line.
