Chevron Towers Surfers Paradise Gold Coast Australia

I took my family to Gold Coast and stayed at Chevron Towers located at Surfers Paradise for 3 nights. It cost me close to AUD80 for a 8 seater Tarago Taxi (Toyota Estima) from the  airport to Chevron Towers.

Boy was I surprised that the 2 bedroom apartment was huge and comfortable and best of all I had sea view :) We stayed at Tower 1 and from the Lobby we could access to the shopping centre and many other stores/shops along Surfers Paradise. 

My wife booked the 2 bedroom apartment through agoda.com and the price per night is like half of what I paid for the smaller 2 bedroom at Katz Apartment in Melbourne.

KPop in Melbourne and Sydney Australia - Where To Get Them

While walking around Melbourne CBD, I came across a shop selling Korean KPop DVDs and other related stuff. And was I pleasantly surprised that the shop had my eldest daughter favorite Korean Boy Band 2PM albums on sale.

I immediately took photos of the albums with the cheap Android Huawei X3 smart phone I got at Vodafone and emailed them my daughter who was attending class back in Malaysia. I am sure she  will be happy to note that she can get 2PM albums when she attends University in Melbourne next year.

The shop is located at Bourke Street opposite Target nearer to Russell Street.

Free Visa and MasterCard Debit Cards From Australia Banks

An article by GenX published 

at Melbourne Victoria Australia www.melbournevicaustralia.blogspot.com

Please do not reprint or republish in part or in any form.

I was in Melbourne Australia for about 3 weeks in total and this gave me the opportunity to go get FREE Visa and MasterCard Debit Cards from Australia banks. You see, unlike in Malaysia where non premier Debit Cards can be issued on the spot with pre-printed card numbers, in Australia the debit card number and your name are the embossed type like credit cards and usually need several days for the card to be ready for collection or sent to your mailing address.

Of course, I needed an Australia address too, which was not a problem as I have relatives staying right smack in Melbourne Central Business District where I can just walk to his apartment from my hotel :)

So what do I meant by FREE Visa and MasterCard Debit Cards from Australia Banks?

Most banks in Australia have a account to cater for day to day use which they term as Transaction Account which allows you to deposit and withdraw cash, use to pay bills online, transfer funds online, a debit card for face to face or online purchases and even cheque book. However, most banks charge a monthly fees and only waive it with certain conditions like monthly deposit of AUD2K or maintain a certain fixed monthly balance in the account. The good news is that there are few banks that do issue you FREE Visa or MasterCard Debit Card for FREE and you won't be charge a single sen penalty even if your account balance is ZERO. 

I am pleased to share with you the few truly good Australian banks that are not out to suck your hard earn money (not really applicable to my case since I have no income in Australia, haha).

Melbourne Clean Affordable Hotel Accommodation Single Person or Family of Four

My eldest son and I flew into Melbourne, Victoria, Australia sometime in the 2nd week of May 2012. However, my son had to leave for the United States after a few days stay as he had to report for his summer internship job. It was winter time in Australia and summer in USA. The rest of my family (my wife and 3 kids) would only join me in the early part of June 2012. So, I was alone in cold and sometimes rainy Melbourne for about 10 days.
 

Before I flew into Melbourne, I checked agoda.com for hotel prices and it would cost me a small fortune staying in a typical 3 star hotel for about 3 weeks. What I noted was that there were boarding type hotels where several people would share a room making the cost for a night pretty cheap.

Melbourne Aquarium - An Experience Not To Be Missed

 

In my article titled Melbourne Central Business District - Getting Around, I mentioned the locations of Melbourne Tourist Centres where you can obtain free maps and also seek directions to your destination. And there is one attraction that every visitor to Melbourne should visit, i.e. Melbourne Aquarium, located in Melbourne CBD itself at the junction of Flinders Street and King Street.

Below is a photo of the Melbourne Aquarium taken from SouthBank.

And from inside the Melbourne Aquarium you do get a good view of Southgate and Southbank.

Melbourne Coffee and Food is Freaking Good

I was in Melbourne for close to 3 weeks and had the opportunity to savour what Melbourne has to offer in terms of food. Well, I am pleased to inform you that you won't have any problems finding the right food because Melbourne offers you all kinds of great tasting food from all over the world.

If you need to put on weight, Melbourne is the place to be :) I definitely put on a few pounds while I was in Melbourne. I tell you, the coffee in Melbourne is really good; I guess this is because the milk there is fresh. And below is how coffee is served in Melbourne :)

Coffee serve at St Ali South Melbourne

The first place I dined in upon reaching Melbourne was at Stalactites, a Greek restaurant. I ordered the chicken souvlaki wrap with pita bread and the serving was huge for my standards. I asked for a knife and cut it into half and shared it with my cousin. My son on the other hand could finish one by himself. Anyway, the food tasted not too bad.

Melbourne Central Business District Australia - Getting Around

An article by GenX published 

at Melbourne Victoria Australia www.melbournevicaustralia.blogspot.com

Please do not reprint or republish in part or in any form.

Good day mate, in this post I will be listing out what I think you will need to get around Melbourne Central Business District (CBD).

Upon arriving at Melbourne airport, you can take a taxi to your hotel at Melbourne Central Business District for about AUD60. And if you are traveling in a party of more than 4 people, not a problem as there are taxi vans too, and it would be much cheaper than taking 2 taxis.

The first thing is to get a map upon arrival.You can get one at your hotel or at information centres. You can get a free tourist booklet shown below which comes with a map of Melbourne CBD.