Holey Moley Golf Club

Sunday the 23rd of April 2017

As a late birthday celebration for Dave, we went into the city to check out the recently opened Holey Moley Golf Club. We met up with a friend who joined us for a course.

This place is an indoor golf course and has 3 different golf courses, each consisting of 9 holes. 2 of the courses are on the 2nd floor, while 1 is on the ground floor. Each floor also has a bar to purchase cocktails and some bar food. The menu can be found on the website.

It was difficult to get any decent photos due to the dark setting.

We didn't get offered a choice of which course we wanted to do. We were sent upstairs to the Front 9 course. I don't know if this was because they were crowded and to disperse the crowd over the 3 courses, we weren't offered a selection. The course we did was crowded and we had to wait at every hole and people were waiting behind us. The other courses did not appear to be as busy. If we go back, we would request 1 of the other 2 courses so as not to repeat.

Dave won (typical), our friend came second and Alison was lucky last as always.

At the end of our 9 hole course, we partook in a cocktail at the bar. It was called the Sugar Caddy and it lived up to it's name...Allie was in heaven with the sugary deliciousness.

We then checked out the other 2 courses to see if we would be interested in going back to do these. Dave got a couple of photo opportunities with the downstairs course.


Holey Moley also have a photo booth with their logo on pics. A nice way to commemorate Dave's birthday celebration. There were options to pick a photographer who then talks to you to direct you in photos. It was difficult to hear him and all our photos look the same. I have not posted photo booth images due to friend attending and doing with us. Exact change is required for the photo booth. It also has a card reader but it didn't want to take Allie's card.

PRICING

2 Rounds of Mini-Golf                 $33.00 

Cocktail                                       $16.00
Photo Booth                                  $7.00
TOTAL                                        $56.00

www.holeymoley.com.au

Top Fun

Sunday the 2nd of April 2017

Today we made the trip to Rosebud, to go to Top Fun Mini-Golf and partake in the 2 courses of mini-golf they have. Originally we were going to go next weekend and follow up with a movie at the Dromana Drive-In, but Dave's work schedule put a dint in this plan, so we decided to just go mini-golfing this weekend instead.


We started with the indoor course, which seemed to lack an overall theme. It had animals, a ferris wheel, a light house, a sesame street character and other random objects. Allie got a few out of bounds penalties on this course (as per usual), so even with the help of numerous hole-in-ones she couldn't seal her first victory.


We then went to the outdoor course, which had a pirate theme. This course was more enjoyable than the last, but beware of the water hazards! Allie made a few splashes and had to retrieve her ball from the water while Dave (the ever supportive boyfriend) stood by and laughed. Dave achieved his second win of the day.

Top Fun has 2 mini-golf courses to choose from, indoor and outdoor, as well as 10 pin bowling and some arcade games. They also have picnic tables on-site so you can stop for a break or a quick snack. We would recommend going to the website and printing off a voucher for buy 1, get 1 free (link to website below). The voucher conditions do state voucher has to be a hard copy and digital will not suffice. We purchased 2 rounds each and saved a few dollars.

PRICING

2 Rounds of Mini-Golf*                $32.00 
TOTAL                                        $32.00

*using voucher mentioned above

www.topfungames.com.au

Sovereign Hill

Sunday the 26^th Of March 2017

Today we decided to go to Sovereign Hill. Allie had never been and Dave wanted an excuse to go so he could buy the handmade lollies.

We debated whether we should spend the extra money and do the VIP pass or just purchase the normal tickets. We ended up opting for normal tickets as we didn’t feel the VIP pass suited our needs. VIP offers a return ticket valid for the next 12 months, the Labyrinth Gold Mine Tour, unlimited carriage rides, Touch of Gold Experience and the photo experience (note: this is only a portrait pic and doesn’t show the whole outfit, you need to purchase as optional extra to obtain this).

We were advised by the ticket seller to go and sign up for the photos straight away as this is likely to sell out. We arrived an hour after opening and managed to get a 2pm slot.

We then proceeded to the Gold Mine Tour building to purchase our tickets. There were 3 tours to choose from and all go for approx. 40 minutes. The tour options are Labyrinth of Gold, Trapped and Secret Chamber. Allie didn’t have a particular preference but knew Dave would lean towards Trapped (as it seemed like the scarier option), he did. Trapped tells the story of the 1882 Creswick Mine Disaster where 27 miners were trapped by an underground flood. Creswick is about a 30 minute drive from Sovereign Hill.

We then went on the coach ride which is a nice relaxing journey past the buildings and a quaint way to travel like they did in the olden days. Note: if you are willing to wait for next ride and are first in line you can opt to ride up front next to the driver.

Dave and Allie tried to play an old table game "Bagatelle". As with most games Dave won after 1 round as Allie forfeited.

Dave also purchased Allie a candle for candle dipping, where she made a 5 colour candle from dipping into 3 different pots. You can choose either a rough candle (as shown) or smooth.

We ended up stopping at the United States Bar prior to our scheduled photo shoot. Dave got a Ginger Beer and Allie got a cocktail that was named Bullet to the Head.

The photo shoot was nice and quick. Our photo shoot package was for 2 people and came with 2x 8x10” shots. You also have costume options to choose from. We believe there were 4 options to choose from but we can only remember 3. The female options are: Lady, Bar Girl, Gypsy and ??. The male options are: Minister, Gentleman, Soldier and ?? . Allie chose bar girl and Dave went for gentlemen. After your photos are taken you are given the option of having photos printed in Sepia or Black and White. We opted for sepia. We then got told we can come back in 90 minutes and our photo would be ready to collect.

At this point Dave was getting hungry so we went to the Sovereign Hill Café to eat. This place is a modern restaurant and does take you out of the theming but with Dave’s allergies it was our quick and safest bet. We each got a bucket of fries that we quickly devoured.

We then went into the shops and browsed. We ended up each purchasing Wanted posters (different options available) and the separately sold hangers to attach them to. The Lollies come in all different sizes starting from around $4.00 for a small jar upwards. We spent around $10 here but could have easily spent more.

Sovereign Hill offers numerous demonstrations throughout the day, including Black Smith, Confectionery Making and the Gold Pour. Out of all of these, the Gold Pour was the most entertaining to watch. Our demonstrator was personable, friendly and hilarious to the audience.

Following the Gold Pour, Dave decided he wanted to discover gold of his own so off to the gold panning area. Dave panned for gold but only discovered Fool's Gold in the end. No Eureka!! Moment to be had by us. Dave purchased a vial to keep his Fool's Gold in and to have a cheap little memory.

Allie also did some shopping and brought a Cameo Locket necklace for $34.99 (that she plans to put our vintage portrait above in) and a Ladies etiquette book for $24.99 (separate blog entry will be created with a few of the gems listed).

We then headed over to the Gold Museum, this was a letdown after all the fun we had at Sovereign Hill. It was nice seeing some gold nuggets and the old machinery but again a letdown in comparison to the interactive Sovereign Hill.

We also didn’t go see the Blood on the Southern Cross sound and light show as an additional charge and with work the next day and still needing to drive home, it didn’t seem feasible.

All in all, we spent roughly 6 hours at Sovereign Hill and less than an hour at the Gold Museum.

PRICING

Adult Ticket                 $54.00
Concession Ticket     $43.20
Photos Shoot              $68.00
Gold Mine Tour          $15.00
Carriage Ride             $11.00
Candle Dipping            $3.00
Bagatelle                     $1.00 for 3 games
United States Bar      $15.00
Lunch                          $10.00
Wanted Posters          $30.00
Lollies                          $10.00 varies
Gold Panning Vial       $1.00
Allie's Purchases       $60.00
TOTAL                      $321.20

www.sovereignhill.com.au

Boneo Maze and Mini Golf

Sunday the 12^th of March 2017

Today we decided we wanted to hit up some mini golf, neither of us had done in years so we were going in rusty. After a quick google search, we decided to make a day trip out to Boneo for the maze and minigolf. Allie had never done a maze before so was looking forward to the prospect.

We decided to do the mini-golf course first. The course consisted of 18 holes which contained rock obstacles. The scores were pretty much even until the 18^th hole when Allie had a spout of bad luck and lost to Dave by 3 strokes.

We then sat down on a bench for a break and drank some water we had brought from home. We would recommend doing this to follow travellers to stay hydrated as there is not much shade…also bring sunscreen which we forgot to do. Allie has the tan to prove it.

We walked over to the activities area to have a look. We didn’t sign up for any of the activities. If you and your family are interested in these, they are $5.00 each and consist of paddle boats, trampolines and a rock climbing wall (only available on select days, so be sure to check out the website link below).

I see you in the maze

We then took the path to the Hedge Maze. It looked in major need of some vegetation as it seemed someone got a bit too keen with the pruners as you could see through the maze into the different walkways. There were also a few scattered sculptures through out the maze. In the centre of the maze is a lookout to see the greenery surrounding the area.

We then continued on the path to the Wetlands. Along the way we saw birds and caterpillars and some bees. Along the route, there were also lantern sculptures visible for a special night time event (another select days thing, so be sure to research if you want to see at night time).

On one of the paths in the Wetlands you veer off into a park area that is full of giant games to be played. A few of the games were Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Checkers and Hookey. In the same area, you will also find a kids size hedge maze and a wooden maze with oversized tunnels to crawl through.

At the end of our time here, we sat down in the café to cool down with a water and Dave purchased a small overpriced icy pole that was roughly $4.00. The options were overpriced and due to Dave's food allergies we drove to Rosebud for a walk on the beach and had a late lunch.

All in all, a good way to spend a few hours and it doesn’t break the budget. It would be a great place for a picnic and a fun way to spend a summers evening on a good night.

Adult:              $18.00

Concession:   $16.00

Icy-Pole:         $4.00 roughly

Total:             $38.00

http://www.boneomazeandminigolf.com.au/