Tesselaar Tulip Festival 2018

When I was a kid, my mum had a garden of anthuriums. They were nice but I just could not get why my mum liked them a lot. Now that I am older, I understand. There is something about flowers that make people appreciate them. Speaking about flowers, when I saw on Facebook about a Tulip festival and it interested me. My aunt originally planned for us to go but since plans have changed, I asked my friends to come with me instead. They agreed and off we went last October 14, 2018.

The town where the festival was at was Silvan. It is 40 km east of Melbourne and about an hour's drive from where we lived (avoiding tolls, of course!) We didn't buy the tickets online as I am not happy to pay for online surcharge. When we arrived, there were ample parking spaces and the queue for the ticket entrance was fast and efficient. Entrance fee was $28 per person. Separating the parking lot from the field of tulips was this green wall which commands a photo opportunity :P

When we came in, there were already hundreds of people inside appreciating the blooms. Fields of tulips were there in different colours. It was really a wonderful sight and the weather did not disappoint. 

This was certainly my first time to be in a tulip festival and it felt exciting. I particularly love the deep purple colored tulips as well as this sunset orange colored tulips. Just beautiful!

Of course, there were signs all around to remind visitors not to pick the tulips. There were staff who were quick to call out guests who cross the lines towards the flowers. I guess the patrons just needed to get a good photo as near as they could to these gorgeous blooms.

Aside from the flowers, the place also showcased sculptures from local artists. One of the many that caught our attention were these metallic flowers. It is for sale for $320 for a set of 3 flowers!

A scultpture that looked like an eggplant to me :)

As with any crowded place, people had to make sure that no photobombers are in their photo. This is especially true with me and my friends. To achieve this, we had to do creative poses like lying on the ground :P

There were food booths, a souvenir shop, lots of tables and chairs and a pick your own tulip in the venue. I did buy 2 tulips for $1.50 each to put into our dining table.

The experience was great and that day off was well spent! They posted that an upcoming flower festival would be happening on April 2019 and we might just be back! For now, I have ticked this off my bucket list. Thank you for reading and 'til my next blog :)

My 1st Royal Melbourne Show Experience

Last 22 September 2018, me and Joel went to Melbourne Showgrounds to have my first  Royal Melbourne Show Experience. It is a yearly event when Melbournians and especially kids can come to have fun on school holidays. Tickets were $40 at the door but we bought ours online the week before and it came down to $28! (Lovin' the savings there :P).

Opening time was 10am but since we had somewhere to go to,we arrived at 12nn. Parking was quite hard but there were still ample space and it cost $25 for whole day parking. A lot of people were coming out with their showbags in tow and it definitely made me more excited of what the the showbag pavilion could offer.

Upon entering, we saw pony rides to the left

and Kids Carnival on the right.

Just a few steps further is the The Farmhouse where kids lined up to either pat a chook or pat a pig.

Other activities were to plant a seedling and milk a cow or shear a sheep! There was also a livestock pavilion where hundreds of animals competed for blue ribbon glory. Sheeps, cattles, alpacas and clydesdales stayed here while waiting for their turn to show off their stuff.

There was also a Dogs Pavilion where dogs were kept before they were in a competition. A lot of dogs resting in and out of their cages were there. I was particularly amazed with this long haired dog. He is very pampered by the owner who was so proud to say he won a competition in Germany weeks before.

A lot of  food kiosks were on the way but there were also pavilions dedicated for more food options.

Further ahead is the Entertainment Precinct where Vicproud main stage was. We were able to see the last part of a live performance of a dance group.

 Later within the day, we sat down at the public stand where we can see the grounds were covered with thousands of people enjoying the free concert of Jimmy Barnes.

Another area we visited was the Herald Sun Arena. This is where we saw horses in action, jumping over different kinds of fences. We can also see the horse stables and horse warm-up area from here. In the evening, this place became the venue for monster truck and motocross stunt show and the spectacular nightly fireworks that concluded our night.

Of course, we didn't forget about the showbag. It had a whole pavilion dedicated for it. Kids and kids at heart went there and it was very crowded. A number of showbag options were displayed ranging from popular lollies to brands like Better Homes and Gardens, Roxy and Showpo. They were a bit expensive but there is something about showbags that make you feel happy! I was able to put my self control in play and just bought only one. And because I was too busy thinking what showbag to buy, I forgot to take photos (lol). But I did took a photo of the showbags of the past!

Another popular spot was the Thrill Seekers Carnival. Exciting rides and carnival games were situated here. We were satisfied just watching other people take on some crazy rides so we didn't bother to ride any.

To cap off the first day, there was an amazing show of fireworks!

It was an amazing day for me and we had a lot of fun at the show. Looking forward to another amazing one in 2019! Thanks for reading and 'til next blog!