Friday, September 14, 2012

Melbourne Treasure hunt !

  I woke up to the news that I had  won the ....its your time to visit Melbourne now contest by IndiBlogger !
 I had to leave within a weak for that promised trip to Melbourne and the culmination of the entire activity would be a 'Treasure hunt ',- their e mail mentioned.Only after I completed the entire hunt solving all the clues en route,will I be eligible for the grand prize they said. Treasure hunt in Melbourne ?

As my flight landed at the Melbourne airport ,I was whisked away by the organisers and  dropped over to my hotel room with an envelope which had the first clue.I had an hour to freshen up and join them in the hunt .

Clue 1-  Hang on a deck for an edgy experience in the sky .

We drove up to the Yarra river in Melbourne .To have discovered something as beautiful as this was nothing short of  a Eureka moment for me.
Located on top of the tower by the same name,the Skydeck 88 opened up  a breathtaking view of Melbourne city below. All this from a cube that hangs outside the tower to offer an unrestricted view.
                                                                               

A beautiful earthen pot caught my attention and I knew in an instant that my second clue will be found exactly there.I was absolutely right!

Clue-2 Get arts,craft fun and  frolic ,be one with the crowd as you get fed on this square !


To my eyes it seemed as if  the whole city had gathered there in the night.Myriad hues under the night sky,the square had come alive. There was no dearth of activities at the Federation Square. As soon as I entered the arena,I was welcomed and taken on to a guided tour on foot and then we cycled for some distance . The late night wanted me to call it a day and that is what I did before a Tai chi master smilingly handed me a Rose with the next clue.

Clue-3 It is filled with hot air, the kind that makes you fly !

As soon as I cracked the clue,I lost my sleep and waited for the crack of dawn. The excitement was palpable in my whole being ,the heart and pulse merely conveyed the symptoms as palpitations. A one hour long vegetarian ,Champagne breakfast tour had been booked for me. I was soon in heaven,  literally ! Yarra valley and its vineyards below ,vast expanse of green against a burst of orange in the sky...this definitely goes down as most memorable one hour of my life. Later,hidden in the bread box,I found the next clue..

Clue -4 Now you hop,off you go....find me around when you are done.Pay me not in cash or kind ,I drive you around  my Melbourne dear!


The hop on hop off  shuttle is the most convenient and fun way to tour and indulge in the attractions of the city. I skipped a few stations I had already had the pleasure of seeing and lingered on at few other ones. 
  • Stop 1 Arts Precinct
  • Stop 2 Federation Square
  • Stop 3 Sports Precinct
  • Stop 4 Chinatown Precinct and Theatres District
  • Stop 5 Melbourne Museum and Carlton Gardens
  • Stop 6 Lygon Street Precinct
  • Stop 7 University of Melbourne
  • Stop 8 Queen Victoria Market
  • Stop 9 Waterfront City, Docklands
  • Stop 10 Docklands Stadium and Victoria Harbour
  • Stop 11 William Street
  • Stop 12 Southbank and Yarra River
  • Stop 13 The Shrine and Royal Botanic Gardens

A tiring day came to an end but not before I picked the next clue from my last stop at the William street.

Clue -5  Swim with singing dolls..they dance to your tunes and swim alongside you.

                                                      
  Next day was dedicated to swimming with Dolphins and seals and many more water sporting activities. I spent the evening in a spa ,relaxing and listening to music. 
Treasure hunt successfully completed ,I bagged the grand prize of an all expense paid visit to the Great Barrier Reaf ! It could not get better than this for sure..!

I loved and lived Melbourne...its your time to visit Melbourne now !! 

This post is my entry to the  its your time to visit Melbourne now by Indiblogger in collaboration with  visit Melbourne       



16 comments:

  1. Awesome and innovative post. Really well written.

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  2. we've posted a similar idea. Goodluck to both of us!

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    1. Read yours and commented there :)Yes,Good luck to both of us!

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  3. Amazing stuff. The treasure hunt idea was amazing. Actually I was planning to do the very same. So the moment I saw the title, I came over without even knowing it was your blog.

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    1. Go for it TF !I kind of rushed it in an hour thinking 14th was the deadline.It was after the submission that I saw that the date is 18th of sept.If you do it ,you will have super clues I am sure ..

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  4. Well written and travel is so you :). Wish you luck!

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    1. Hey Rachna,that feels nice to hear it from you.Thank you :)

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  5. Make way, Melbourne! Here she comes!

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    1. Thank you for reading USP.I just wanted the attractive pen drive :)

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  6. Sharmila that was a lovely wish list and wishing your dreams come true:)Best wishes for the contest!

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  7. Loved reading it. The inclusion of clues made it very interesting and engrossing, unlike the regular travelogues. I hope the dream comes true and my best wishes for the contest.:)

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