Australian Getaways

Day 20-22: Nozawa Onsen -> Tokyo (Haneda airport)—> KL -> home

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Mel

So full transparency I stuffed up the dates here. I don’t know how, I think I was looking at the wrong calendar. Don’t book flights when tired people. Anyway what should have happened is we should have caught the 6hr shuttle from NO to Haneda airport in Tokyo, then left 7hrs later at midnight that night. Buuuuut I booked the flight for midnight the next night! Oops. So we stayed a night at Villa Fontaine Grand Hotel at Haneda airport because of that mistake. Room cost was $220 AUD a night.

We came into Nozawa initially on the Shinkansen plus a local bus liner option. We decided to take the Tokyo/Haneda airport direct bus shuttle (run by nagano shuttles) on the way out for a few reasons:

  • Give it a go for the future, particularly if next year I end up doing that part on my own and B stays on to ski an extra week or two in a less “villgey” place
  • It goes straight to the airport which is really convenient if you have large luggage like skis which are not fun on a Shinkansen
  • Cost is similar – it’s about $20 AUD more per person for the shuttle bus vs Shinkansen plus a local bus

While this did take a bit longer than train + bus, I think it was the better option. No changing trains, no rushing to be first in line and no stressing about if tickets will work or having to use apps etc. Be warned though, it is a 6hr trek with three bathroom/leg stretching stops so bring snacks. And the seats are squishy.

The hotel at the Haneda airport is landside (Villa fontaine grand) and is actually really nice and relaxing. The grand part of the hotel (vs the premier side) is also really well priced. Even if we didn’t stay overnight again, I would definitely pay for a short visit to that one as. Also it’s a bloody huge hotel and the corridors were a bit creepy.

I would 100% recommend a visit to the hot springs on the roof when travelling. Tattoo friendly, glorious views and strong jets for my back = one of the best ones we have ever visited. $22 AUD if you’re a guest at the hotel grand side of. $45 AUD to just rock up.. It was a nice way to spend a final night/day before an 8hr overnight flight + 7hr stop over + a 5hr afternoon flight through KL….i even got to watch the sunset behind Mt Fuji from my onsen on the roof! Photo courtesy of trip advisor since you can’t take photos in an Onsen…nakie and all.

We also discovered that under the hotel is the Haneda Airport Garden and it has some amazing food! We had Okonomiyaki for dinner and then “authentic” tonkatsu ramen for lunch the next day. Much better than airside airport food and reasonably priced…so about double what you pay on the street which is what I would expect in an airport precinct.

We had paid for a second night at the hotel since our flight wasn’t until midnight. We checked out at 9pm, walked to the airport and checked in within 15 mins. The line to check in had over 100 people in so that’s a big +1 to Air Asias premium boarding package! I really wanted a flatbed for the 8hr leg but it wasn’t doable.as it was a connecting flight on a different plane – I did try a last minute bid again but no luck. We spent 2 hrs in the sky lounge which is pay per use and soft drinks only. It was busy but for $12 AUD it was still better than the terminal. They also have another pay per use lounge which was $44 and a bit bigger, including food and showers. The hotel room and snacks negated the need of that one this time.

We landed in KL at 7am local time and went straight to samasama KLIA airside transit hotel. Another $120 well spent for a 5.5 hr sleep in a normal bed and a glorious shower while staying airside. We then had one more leg of 5.5hrs to fly on to Perth. Again, I paid for the premium upgrade so we boarded first, B gets extra legroom and we get priority luggage removal off the plane (in theory). The lining up process was an absolute disaster because 90% of the people on the plane were from a culture that doesn’t really get the concept of lining up….so that upgrade for early boarding was well worth it!

We departed an hour late so landed around Perth local time and were out and on the shuttle bus very quick with nothing to declare. There was a customs line but a very nice officer saw my sunflower lanyard and obvious discomfort and let us bump through in front of others. What a champ. We parked at the airport due to Bs giant skis (nightmare in a taxi) and were home and in bed by 10pm.

HOME! ahhhh my glorious bed.

The trips both ways were long due to the stop overs (5-6 hrs to KL, stop overs ranged from 7-13 hrs, then 8-8.5rs to Haneda) but I don’t know if I could do the 11 hrs direct. Not to mention being able to pay for add ons like more hand luggage, priority boating etc is an absolute godsend. I know it would be quicker and less stressful with transiting if we went direct, and it’s only an extra couple of hours but that’s a horror prospect with herniated discs….even with a special cushion, very (very!) good meds and kind cabin crew it would be hard for me. I suffered miserably on the second 8hr overnight flight particularly. I could maybe do it coming home when I know if a nerve gets trapped at least I’m heading home vs away on a trip.

We have put in an accomodation rebook request for Jan 2027 at Nozawa onsen again! So B and I both loved it enough to return. Hence the flight musings above.

Looking forward to seeing my fur babies tomorrow.

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Days 12-13: Nozawa Onsen (stamp trail book continued, ski thoughts and more food options)

Posted on January 30, 2026 by Mel

Day 12 was pretty relaxed for me as it snowed a lot in the village so my outside wandering were brief. B also had a lesson with nozawa ski school and was really positive about the experience. Not cheap but definitely worth it from his point of view to help correct a few bad habits he’s started up with since it’s been 6 years since he last did the snow thing…and the teacher gave him some secret stamp book hints for me! So I’m a fan lol. If anyone has found these posts and is reading about the secret stamp trail locations, the bonus ones she gave us to keep an eye out for in Jan 2026 were:

  • Corona pop up bar near hikage gondola
  • The ski museum
  • The one outside the tourist office (I got that one on day 1)
  • One just down from the Nagasaki gondola
  • We found another one on our random wanders at the Nozawa grand hotel!

You know if they are secret ones because they don’t have a number in the bottom right corner.

We went to the local food court for dinner which has some info included here https://www.nozawaholidays.com/news/nozawas-new-night-food-market/

Totally acknowledge it was easy and convenient but the food quality wasn’t great. I can see the attraction as you don’t have to line up or get turned away as all the restaurants are tiny and full. This place seats 100 people and has been here since 2019 when their overseas tourist numbers took off and it certainly meets a town need.

On Day 13 I enjoyed my daily outdoor onsen at Furasoto no yu before a steamed bun for lunch (i got the pork which was $5 AUD).

I attempted to continue my tourist stamp journey today using the tips from Bs ski instructor yesterday but I am definitely struggling to get over 20 as so many are now buried in snow!! I eventually found one that was partly under cover so I am now up to 16. I’m trying to get to 20 so I can choose between two prizes.

B had a very snowy day today up on the mountain as well. I was whinging in the village about my stamps being impacted by snow but it was a lot snowier further up!

Before dinner, B came with me to try and find 4 more stamps to get me to 20! We found 3 at Onsens and then couldn’t find one on the map….but luckily found a surprise secret one at Nozawa grand hotel! Which was amazing as it means I hit 20! So sometime next week I’ll go collect my prize. He was a good egg wandering around in the freezing cold with me.

Tonight is a Friday and it is buuuuusy in the village! Everywhere is completely booked out so we decided to take the “we didn’t get the memo about booking a week ahead for weekends” approach and show up early to a place that doesn’t take bookings. We lined up for Okonomiyaki at Aketibai for dinner which is on the other side of Nozawa Onsen. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese teppanyaki savory pancake dish consisting of a flour batter and other ingredients cooked on a teppan (flat griddle). Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings include okonomiyaki sauce (made with Worcestershire sauce), aonori (dried seaweed flakes), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), and the suoer tasty triple stripe of Japanese mayonnaise. It’s mostly found in Osaka regions.

The place we went to had a line half an hour before he opened and we were second in it. If you miss the first seating of around 15 people, you wait 90 mins in the cold for the next seating.

It was delicious! Not sure it was 90 mins outside in freezing cold and snow level delicious….but it was definitely arriving 20 mins before opening and queuing up level of delicious (oishii desu!). The mother and son team do a great job with very limited resources and the price of $10-$14 AUD each made it well worth the walk.

Also, B just keeps sending me more adorable dog photos from up on the mountains. I wish I was as cool as these dogs.

Categories: Australian Getaways, Japan Snow Trip | Leave a comment

Pemberton / Karri Valley 3 night trip

Posted on January 11, 2026 by Mel

We recently did a 3 night stay at a lake view chalet at RAC Karri Valley resort. We had a 3 bed / sleeps 8 cabin for $490 a night and it was definitely a lovely view! the layout of 2 QBs, 2 singles and a bunk mostly worked out for us once we got through initial teen/tween dramas about who got the bottom bunk and could turn it into a fort lol.

On day 1 we checked in at 3pm and did some exploring around the waterfront plus our youngest tween holidayer had an awesome time swimming and jumping off the pontoon. We had dinner at the lakeside restaurant on site and while the food was really good…you were definitely paying a “location tax” for the pricing! The view from the table was beautiful however.

Day 2 we headed off as a group of 5 to ride the Pemberton tram! This was fully booked out a few days ahead so I was glad I had been organised and precooked. The trip out had some excellent commentary and then we wandered around the cascades for a little while before returning back on the tram. I definitely recommend this for tourists!

We headed to the Pemberton hotel for lunch afterwards (average….very average) then back for some more swimming, relaxing and tacos for dinner before movie night in the cabin. We stopped in at southern river chocolate factory on the way back to the resort….yum.

Day 3 we stayed at the resort all day and did the 3.2km loop walk up to Beedelup falls. It was a really pretty walk although steep in some parts and I had to stop a few times.

Some of us (not me) then went canoeing on the lake which was apparently great fun and a recommended activity for next time. Dinner was at the lakeside restaurant again (easy and no cooking) followed by games night. Team “Gen X” won!

Home time the next day! A lovely short stay in a beautiful region.

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Hamelin Bay Dec 2025 

Posted on December 21, 2025 by Mel

We came down on our own just for 4 nights this year Dec 18-22nd and stayed in a smaller “beach” cabin. It sleeps 5 allegedly but you would want to be a very snug and friendly 5! We think it was great for 2 adults and although it was a 3 min walk to the beach instead of 1 min we enjoyed the price drop. We would not have wanted to stay here with Jess and 2 teens….I think we would have come home with some very grumpy holiday participants in a cabin that small. This one is cheaper than the ocean cabin but also smaller, located more centrally within the park and has no included BBQ or oven. So trade offs for the cost. 

This year we spent most of our time at the cabin or wandering around a local beach enjoying the disconnect – no wifi and no phone reception.

It was a good time to have a break from the news feed and algorithms full of terror, fake news and awful imagery. I definitely needed it. Aside from reading/drinking, we also visited part of the cape to cape track and walked the section along the cliffs over Conto’s Beach (contos cliffs) but gave up before we got 3.5kms down to Bobs Hollow/grotto. I couldn’t hack it in the heat and 7kms return was a decent trek. I was happy with our 2km effort. 

We did go out and about on one day! Mostly so I could check my email for approval to travel from the Japanese government (confirmed!) in mid January. On our day trip we visited:

Swings and roundabouts – pizza is average but they do really quick and efficient service. They were also jam packed with people but it didn’t feel busy. I liked their sparkling (B liked their ginger beer on tap) and I got to pat people’s doggos because they are dog friendly. 

Gabriels chocolates – we always visit here because it’s just so freaking tasty! As always the chocolate is amazing. So much better than that tourist trap other place….which we went to next since it’s 2km up the road. They also have baby lambs and two beautiful kelpies I got to pat. 

Margaret river chocolate factory – it’s such a tourist trap but dammit they make tasty treats. We bought some Xmas presents and some chocolate covered pretzels here. 

Then we headed back to Hamelin Bay and another 2 days of quiet time. This is our 5th year visiting and 4th year consecutively staying here after finally besting their phone ballot (that was the year I found out once you call someone 200 times on an iPhone it STOPS COUNTING) to get a cabin with dates in Dec or Jan. Will we be back next year? We have decided not to renew at this stage. It’s lovely and quiet but at $250-$350 a night it’s hard not to compare it to a villa with a private pool in Sanur, Bali for under $200 a night….also you can never get dates when we actually want them which is Dec 26-Jan 1st as it’s been booked out by the same people for 15 years. 

So a couple more sunsets and pats of “Stingy” and home we went.

We are heading to Karri Valley with Jess and the kids for a few nights in Jan for something different. The cabin there is the same price as the ocean cabin for 5 at Hamelin Bay but MUCH bigger so hopefully less chance of teen/tween fights and Aunty Mel needing to hide in the bushes for quiet time lol. 

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Rottnest Island!

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Mel

Peak period on Wadjemup (Rottnest island) is Dec – Feb so we initially had no chance at accomodation…but by going on a Thursday night, the day after school started I snagged a unit for 1 night at Geordie Bay.

We caught the 8am Rottnest express ferry from Northport (the best departure point if you have a car) and also added our own bikes on for $20 each. I wore a scopolamine patch and had no nausea at all

The trip is 30 mins direct but took a bit longer for us as we went via the B sheds for another pick up. It all works very smoothly with BYO bike and they load/unload it for you. As my bike is an ebike the battery mist be removable and carried as hand luggage…and the bike mist weigh under 22kgs.

When we arrived we started off on our 26km ride around the entire island. We saw some beautiful beaches.

We also saw one of the NZ fur seals waving at everyone in the water! After a brief lunch break we rode back to the settlement and collected our unit keys. We stayed at Geordie Bay with a beautiful ocean view.

For dinner we walked 1.5kms from Geordie Bay to Pinky’s. The food was very underwhelming (especially for the bonkers pricing) but there were lots of quokkas around…even baby ones.

We walked back and watched the sunset from our balcony with some cheese and snacks from the IGA near our unit.

Checkout is 9am on the island so we were up fairly early. We returned the keys then rode up to the Oliver Hill Gunnery.

We declined the paid tour and instead decided to go back down the hill for a swim at The Basin. Just as we were about to get in the chopper started hovering over and the shark siren went off…apparently there was a 3.5m Tiger shark just offshore. After awhile we were allowed in again. I stayed close to sure because it got very deep, very fast. It was quite rough in the water…I do miss the calm ocean bays in Thailand.

We saw soooo many cute quokkas! It was Joey season as well…babies!

Having not been to Rottnest for a long time (25+ years) I think staying overnight was worth it. No rush back to the ferry and it meant we were there for dusk when lots of quokkas come out to play. One night would definitely be sufficient if you make sure your days are longer on either side.

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Annual Hamelin Bay Trip day 4-7! 2024/25 Xmas visit

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Mel

Day 4-7 saw Jess and the kiddos arrive on a TransWA bus at the Karridale Bus Stop. We had some beach time (pretty) and then a BBQ for dinner with a game of cards against humanity – family edition.

For Day 5 we had booked and planned an adventure day with Mr Pick Me Up and they collected us from Hamelin Bay – something a lot of the bus and tour companies won’t do as it is too far down from the winery region. They also worked with us to tailor a teen/kid friendly itinerary which included:

– 10.30am – Pick Up (driver – Sam)

– 11am – Walsh & sons winery + Lenton Brae winery

– 1pm – Cheeky Monkey (lunch) kids can play in the huge playground / outdoor games and they have good wifi….lol

-1:45 – gracetown viewpoint

– 2.15 to 3pm – Passell Estate (winery but also a possum sanctuary! POSSUMS!)

– 3.15pm -Scoops Farm (icecream + farm animals)

– 4.30pm – drop off back at Hamelin bay

Day 6 was surprise Early Christmas! The elves – who obviously followed us down south for the trip – were sneaky and set it all up the night before as a surprise for both kids. We spent the day at the cabin and beach visiting with our stingray friends, reading (me) and eating snacks. Christmas dinner was tacos and we invited friends staying in the cabin next door so it was a dinner for 9…with enough Christmas crackers for all!

Day 7 saw Jess and the kids heading off for a night in Augusta with family. Gotta admit that naps were had as we celebrated a return to kid free life haha. We enjoyed some beach time under our excellent cool cabana.

We had dinner with our cabin neighbour friends and watched our last lovely Hamelin Bay sunset. This was our third year and while we have held over our dates again we aren’t sure if we can return as school finishes much later in the year for the next few years….we will see what happens when the date change fight opens up in April!

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Annual Hamelin Bay trip Days 1-3! Xmas 2024/25

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Mel

Day 1-3 was the no kids part of our third annual trip! Stingrays, beach, books, movies, sunsets and relaxation. We are staying in Ocean Cabin 2 (Lov Spring) this time.

We visited Glenarty Wines on Day 2 which is about 13kms from Hamelin Bay Holiday Park. They follow a farm to table approach with 80% of what they serve coming from their own property. We were lucky enough to come on a quiet day which meant even without a booking we were able to choose the five course set menu with wine pairings. It was all good but the highlights were definitely the lamb and the frozen meringue dessert. We also bought a bottle of Fume Blanc as it was delicious!

I also read real books (versus ebooks) for the first time in years….mostly because these are only published in Canada so the only way to get the series was physical copies from Canadian Amazon.

On day 3 we drove up to Gnarabup Beach and had breakfast at the White Elephant Cafe. Last time we tried this was peak holiday season and cars were parked for kilometres up the road…this time was less busy. The cafe was very average and unable to cope with the number of people so prepare for slow service. From there we headed to Ellens Brook Homestead and the alleged Meekadarribee Falls waterfall at the end of a 1.3km return walk. The walk was lovely but the waterfall doesn’t exist in summer.

We had much better luck with the unofficial Kevill Road Waterfall. We followed Google maps roadside pin for this one and they have put in some gravel roadside car parking so people can safely pull over.

We then dropped into Gabriel’s Chocolates at their new location which is much closer to Margaret River town (yay) and included an adorable kelpie puppy who needed all the pats.

Another lovely Hamelin Bay sunset (in the biting cold wind!).

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A very short Brisbane visit!

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Mel

I enjoyed a short 3 day trip to Brisbane this week for the eastern states launch of the book I wrote a chapter in! 

I booked last minute accomodation in South Brisbane (the West End) as that’s where the book launch venue was. I stayed at West End Central Apartments which was….interesting. It was cheap and quiet but also felt slightly murder-y at times haha. Very old appliances, building and lifts but it worked for this stay and I would stay again when comparing the price to local hotels. Plus I did get to pat a hallway cat every day.

The wifi was decent during the dsay (important for me as I was still running lectures + studying) although fell over a bit in the evening. There were supermarkets and heaps of food places within a few minutes walk.

Across the road from my hotel, I discovered Soak Bath House – what a fantastic idea! Here’s the link: https://soakbathhouse.com.au/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAACOVI7NFXggRDvpbLEIDzNK8z8eOV&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7Py4BhCbARIsAMMx-_IJeZIsWkluBMt5zKAFNdEzmSTTuw4na06HYyIxBggIi-qcaEi5n_caAjfbEALw_wcB  and I visited on 2 days! It was great for my back and I had my headphones on and listened to podcasts. 

The book launch was at Covent Garden, which was a smaller venue than the Perth one but it was absolutely beautiful. I had some help with hair and makeup from a local lady and felt very pretty.

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Gold Coast, Australia: Day 3-4 Ripleys believe it or not, Movie World

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Mel

Day 3

Following our draculas evening adventures we started day 3 with a sleep in. Then icecream for breakfast. We walked down the main stretch of Surfers and saw some very interesting characters.

From there we headed to the Gold Coast institution of Ripleys believe it or not – we chose to do the mirror maze and the museum. The mirror maze was trippy! And I struggled haha.

The museum was super interesting and a lot bigger than it was when I came here 20 years ago. B had never been before and found it interesting. The newer art section was cool!

We walked back along the beach and then had an afternoon rest. 6 weeks of travel is catching up with me and I’m starting to feel very run down with a sore throat. The sunset on the beach as we walked 5 mins back into Surfers Paradise central area to have laksa at Yum Cha Noodle Haus was beautiful.

Day 4

Movie World today! The website says the gates open at 9:30am but as we learnt on Saturday that’s a bit of a fib and it’s actually 10am. We also had a lot of trouble working out how to get there and back. Movie world is a 30min drive out of surfers but it’s a multi train / bus trip on public transport. The con-X-tion shuttles are the same price as an Uber and you’re locked into specific times. So we decided to Uber which was $40 there and $53 return.

Sadly, movie world was a bit of a disappointment. Nearly all the adults rides were closed with only the hyper coaster, super man roller coaster and batman jet drop thing operating. We went on both rollercoasters.

We also waited all day for the Wild West ride to open (it’s opening soon everyone, we promise x 57 times) but no luck. We got in at 10am and honestly we could have left at midday easily….like I said – disappointing. If I had known it would be so bad I would have also done dreamworld on the same day.

Dinner was at Montezuma’s Mexican around the corner from the hotel which was average. The $10 margaritas were good though.

Home time tomorrow! I am so ready for my own bed after almost 6 weeks of travelling. And to see my fur babies.

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Gold Coast, Australia: Day 1-2 at SeaWorld and Draculas

Posted on July 27, 2024 by Mel

I travelled to regional Queensland for a conference last week and managed to arrange it so I had a few days in between when my flight got into Brisbane and when the next one left. B flew over to meet me on Friday afternoon for a Gold Coast long weekend.

We are staying at BreakFree Longbeach in surfers paradise which has an amazing view. It’s very noisy due to construction opposite though.

The drive from Brisbane airport to the Gold Coast was hell. I didn’t believe people when they told me how much worse it is at the moment…I should have listened. Almost 3hrs and it was all stop / start with brakes being constantly slammed on. We used Con-X-ion Shuttles so at least we were not driving! I am not looking forward to the return trip on Tuesday.

I was utterly exhausted on arrival after 5 days of a conference and in a crappy motel room so I basically went to bed with some icecream. B went out to catch up with his cousin who lives here.

Day 2 was a busy day! We started with Sea World! It was really not busy at all which was amazing for a Saturday. We didn’t queue for longer than 6 mins at anything.

While it wasn’t busy, we rode Leviathan which is a huge wooden rollercoaster. They have other rides and rollercoasters but unfortunately most of them were closed.

We went to multiple animal shows including the sea lions and the dolphins!

But the highlight of the day was doing a behind the scenes tour of polar bear shores! No phones allowed so no photos of that part but I stood a metre away from a 500kg polar bear. Amazing. The bear in these photos is Mishka and I also met her – she weighs 300kg.

We got back to the hotel around 4pm for a nap before dinner, drinks and a show at Draculas. It’s changed a bit from 20 years ago! The “ghost train” is definitely not as good now but probably a whole lot safer. We also agree that they have lost a lot of the characterisation that made the wait staff so much fun. They were just staff in weird makeup…no character identities.

We had VIP seats so got to enter first, ride the ghost train and then drink in the bar. It had amazing decorations.

We were the. Taken to our seats. I was glad we booked VIP as the lower level tables had one side facing the stage but the other side with their back to it. Not sure how that is meant to work! Our tables were like stadium seating. The food was average. Not terrible, not great. Drinks were yummy and prices were around $20 a cocktail.

The show was great. I love aerial performers and this show had silks, a double performance on nets and a male aerial artist. The lady leading the whole thing had an amazing voice as well.

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