Overnight trip to Hepburn Springs - Me driving!

Nah this time it is not a Vline or public transport trip because believe it or not, WE ARE DRIVING! 

If you know me or somehow know me, you probably should know this. Or if you don't know, well, now you know:

Disclaimer: I am not a good driver.  

I am sorry, bro sis mum and dad, I am fully aware that I am that black sheep that taints the whole family reputation 😔 (I am not kidding, my whole family are so good in their driving that they have no problem driving in Malaysia which is an absolute nightmare for me LOL) To be honest, it is not like I can't drive at all but well, I have fears in parking. AHH PARKING. And how to drive when you don't know how to park? 

I need to practise. 

Sigh. Anyway for this trip, instead of relying on public transport, we are driving like the first time ever! I mean we did drive when our parents were around, but yes, it was only when our parents were around because they can always help us out. First time ever, we are by ourselves, husband and wife, in the driving and front passenger seats. The thought of that really gives me shivers though. Both of us have not driven for the past 1.5 years since end of 2019. And we challenged ourselves to rent a car, and drove for 1.5 hours to this spa town named Hepburn Springs.

Me confidently driving on the road? From the look only, you have no idea how much shiver I felt deep inside. I am like 200% focus. HAHAHA. Btw, I can't understand how some can drive with just one hand! I need two hands to feel safe LOL. And my both hands are so firmly placed on that steering wheel that you cannot even tempt me to let go one of them with chocolate. I will hold on to them like holding on to my dear life😂

 Hepburn Springs here we come!

So I picked up our rented car and we were on our way! The car was booked under my name because I really wanted to have some practice on my driving. Though thinking back, it is not the smartest idea since it is my birthday trip so my husband should drive right. Oh man, wasted opportunity. HAHA. But to be fair, he did help out in some driving too since he was added as an additional driver. I drove the first big half of the trip to our first stop, Daylesford Cider Company! This place was so stunning from the outside. It is a cellar door that sells homemade cider. I am actually hoping to see some real apples though but did not see any.

Nice weather and nice house (like Hobbits!)

I always have soft spot for such blue sky 💗 Not to mention the perfect 20 degree weather which is chilly but not too cold and it is okay to not have jacket on all the time.

Look what I have! 

YES, 7 different type of ciders. I forgot all their distinct flavour by now but I remembered it was really quite unique. After this, that is why yours truly can no longer drive on the road. I am a happy passenger after this so husband drove to hotel yayyy😆

The Accommodation

We stayed in this hotel named Pepper Mineral Springs Hotel. The hotel was quite highly rated in Booking.com but I chose this mainly because of the walking distance to the town area (which means no need to drive out to have dinner) and also having its own mineral spring in hotel facility. In Hepburn Springs, you can really go to very nice cottage or AirBnB so you can really be very very close to the nature enjoying the outback feel. But to me, I realize I am pretty much a city rat (maybe half-grown city rat) because while I do enjoy regional travel to explore the nature and the town, I don't like it to be totally out of WiFi and convenience. So in the end, I chose somewhere that fits that criteria - still somewhere in the town with enough convenience, but at the end of the busy area 😏 So if you are similar in travel style, let's go to a girl trip next time! 🙌

 Things we do in Hepburn Springs

Of course is to book a session in the mineral springs! It is natural and it has plenty of health benefits. This area is pretty famous with natural mineral spring but we are happy to go with the one in the hotel since it was also quite highly rated too and we got 20% percent discount as an in-house guest! 

I can't show you how it looks like inside because we are not allowed to bring any phones. The mineral spring itself is named as RETREAT as it has a few different pools (both hot and cold), sauna, steam room, infrared room and also a room with just a view outside. The hotel provided the bathrobe and we booked an hour session. Price wise, it was 60pp though we paid around 48 after the discount. I actually think it is quite worth it. I feel my whole body so relaxed after soaking myself for 30 minutes and we just went around to try the sauna, steam and infrared room, while making teas and enjoying the view . 

What a life. I wish everyday is my birthday. Y'all get what I mean?

We went out for dinner and a walk in Hepburn Springs. Granted, small town so not a lot to see but I love it. The air felt fresher, there isn't many cars and I just like to walk around and notice all the green trees with the nice sky backdrop. But well, just for a few days trip I don't mind but I can't stay for a long term (My city rat nature will scream that I want to have Bubble tea, chinese food, movies, and more and more sushi lol)

The next day after we checked out, we also drove to the nearby town, Daylesford. This is also a very well-known town for the spa and mineral spring but it has a lot more to offer. Not just a one long main road, but well, it is much more happening with a lot more restaurants and a lot more things to see. 

It has lake.

It has book store.

It has community garden (MAN, free one leh)

It has antique store.

And the best, it has this pastry shop!! We never really enjoy pies, but we go to this bakery to buy pies TWICE. It was just this good. Apparently it won some awards in some pie contests too so well, good choice! I don't really enjoy pies in Australia, but something about this store's pie is just different and make me come back for more HAHA

Drive back to City

We took a detour actually to visit our friends since we had a car. (Win liao lo, rented a car then MUST fully utilise it 😂) Anyway, this might be a tip for some. Here in Aussie, they don't consider renting in hourly rate, so it does not matter if you return the car earlier since it is considered a daily rate. In our cases, we rented the car from Tuesday 11am to Thursday 11am and it is the same cost as renting it from Tuesday 11am to Wednesday 3pm (already counted two days). So, of course we fully utilize it to Thursday morning but we just need to find a place to park our car overnight. 

Well, so how was my driving if you ask? Pretty stable I would say, most of the times following the speed limit so ever strictly (or sometimes a bit slow har until big truck can also overtake me on the highway HAHAHA) but well, thank God we survived. I did practice my parking a few times, and while I freak out some times, I realize all my parking space are quite spacious and I have enough spaces to maneuver around. So, all in all, 

Susan survived in her first drive in 2021!

And more to come hopefully HAHA. 

My thoughts this time round will be quite a simple one, even it is like 20 days after my birthday already (but I celebrate one month la don't like that), I wish for all my family and friends will be safe and healthy this season, and I really wish I can get to see you face-to-face soon. And my prayer is that while this season is especially challenging, may all of us find the faith, hope and love that will help us go through this season so that we know we are not alone. If you ever need a listening ear, I will always be there 💓

Wait, a treat for my reader as usual. Wondering what my husband gives me for my 30th birthday?

More spa apparently HAHA but for feet la LOL

 ~ Loves, Susan