Cosy Melbourne Dates and August Reset
In all my years in Melbourne, I have yet to come across a person who enjoys the icy Melbourne winter. Last year, we were both taken out by some virus for all of July and August, and this July has shaped up to be the same.
We both caught something a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve spent the better part of a week and a half in bed with a fever and a severe cough. The fever has thankfully calmed down, but the cough is still lingering and keeping me up most of the night. Good ol’ winter!
Illness is just a part of life, and I’ve experienced my fair share of it. Nowadays, I just let myself feel the frustration that comes with it. All of our travel plans for July went out the window, and we were seemingly stuck at home for most of the month (which can be nice in its own way).
Before we fell ill though, we did manage a cute day out in Geelong (which was freezing and windy, and likely where we picked up the virus, but a great road trip day nonetheless).
Geelong and Surrounds Day Trip
Stop 1: Hanaya Fusion
You might not know this about Geelong, but there are plenty of Japanese gems scattered throughout. In what looks like an old milk bar is Hanaya Fusion, a cosy and intimate café with loads of great food and drink options.
As a matcha addict, I had to try the matcha. I did find it a little bitter for my taste (it was quite dark green), but I’m keen to return and try an iced version. We also spied the food others were enjoying, and it looked and smelled absolutely amazing.
We’ll definitely be back!
Stop 2: Dog Rocks Reserve, Batesford
Not too far from Geelong is Dog Rocks Reserve, a historic area dotted with granite boulders that resemble lying dogs. The landscape and views here are simply stunning, and you can almost imagine you are in Ireland.
The rocks were so fun to explore, with some of them even looking like they had faces. It was so windy when we visited, which almost spoiled the moment, but it was all worth it to explore this magical area.
Stop 4: National Wool Museum
This might sound super boring, but it is actually such a wholesome spot. Best of all, we are both Deakin students, so we were able to enjoy free entry (total win for us as we are on a very tight budget at the moment).
Geelong has a rich history tied to the wool industry, and it was genuinely fascinating to learn all about it. The museum also features rotating art exhibitions, which added a creative layer to the visit. One of the highlights for us was a beautifully recreated vintage kitchen and dining room. It even included a period radio playing music from the era, creating a warm and nostalgic atmosphere.
In memory of my Pa, who used to tell me stories about how he and my Nan would dance to Glenn Miller, we had a little dance ourselves. It was such a lovely and unexpected moment that made the experience even more meaningful.
I am not sure how much the entry fee usually is but I would still recommend it. The blend of history, culture, and personal stories made this stop one of the most memorable parts of the day.
Stop 5: Sober Ramen
Keeping with the Japanese theme for the day, we visited Sober Ramen in Torquay for dinner. We shared the curry udon, and the flavours were absolutely delicious. While we both felt the dish could have used a bit more protein, it still inspired us to try making our own curry udon noodles at home. Such a fantastic combination—comforting, hearty, and full of rich flavour.
Stop 6: Spa
We were hoping to visit About Time in Torquay, a new bathhouse I’d heard great things about. But on this occasion, they were fully booked. Instead, Google directed us to Sublime Health Club, which listed a sauna and spa. It sounded like a decent second option until we arrived and realised it was just someone’s house!
We walked down a dark, muddy driveway, unsure if we were even in the right place. Eventually, we spotted a small sign confirming we were. We poked our heads into a back room, were greeted by someone, and paid $30 to use their spa. So, there we were: sitting in someone’s backyard, in the spa, getting rained on (yes, you’re probably right—that’s how we ended up getting sick!).
Despite the backyard setting, we had a surprisingly enjoyable time. A friendly local joined us in the spa and we had a lovely chat. And just as we were sitting there, I looked up and saw a meteor streak across the sky. It was a funny and awkward experience, but one we won’t forget.
Stop 7: Chaiverse Geelong
This is one of our favourite lesser-known spots to share with anyone who will listen. If you’re not familiar with chai, the simplest way to explain it is tea infused with spices. Chai is an essential part of Indian culture, much like jasmine tea is in Vietnamese traditions. Every family has their own recipe, so it’s rare to find two places that make it exactly the same.
Everyone has their favourite way to enjoy chai. For us, we like to be punched in the face with flavour. The more aromatic and bold, the better. Not to mention, we love a strong caffeine hit, especially before a long night drive back to Melbourne. Chaiverse in Geelong is an Indian hub tucked inside an old converted warehouse. Open quite late into the night, it is located down a cosy alleyway, giving it a secret and special feel. While there is often a bit of a wait, the chai never misses.
On this visit, we tried the Clove Chai and the Sulaimani chai. The latter is a non-milk blend made with lemon and spices, and it was so full of flavour that my mouth is watering just thinking about it. For the number of times we’ve been here, it’s surprising that we’ve never tried the food. It is definitely on our list.
I know I shouldn’t have to say this, but I will. This is a safe space for the Indian community, so please don’t go if you can’t be respectful. We are incredibly lucky to enjoy such rich cultural experiences here in Melbourne and Victoria. It might not be the kind of service or atmosphere you’re used to, but if you show up with an open heart and an open mind, you may be gifted with flavours and experiences you’ve never encountered before.
August Financial Reset
Like so many others, we have felt the pinch over the last couple of years, and our financial situation looks drastically different to what it was before lockdowns hit. I currently run an engineering business with my partner and work as a sole trader in digital marketing. I am also pursuing a master’s degree in nutrition and plan to establish a nutrition business.
Melbourne Plugged In has always been a bit of a hobby for us to share our love for local travel, but I am starting to wonder if I need to put more effort into monetising this area.
As I mentioned earlier, I had to take some time off due to illness, and as a sole trader, this meant I wasn’t able to pay myself. Now, I feel quite on the back foot, and I want to implement a financial reset plan for the rest of July and August so I can feel empowered again and not like I am constantly drowning.
Financial Goals
If you love Canva like I do, you can access this template HERE
1. Cover my shortfall
The first thing I need to do is cover the shortfall from when I was off sick — currently sitting at around $2,000. I’ll aim to cover this through side hustles like selling items on eBay and Marketplace, doing surveys, and can recycling.
2. Pay myself a wage each week
When you work for yourself, paying yourself a wage is so important. My goal for the rest of July and August is to pay myself $800 a week. I’ll reassess at the end of August to see if I’m in a position to increase this.
3. Increase income streams (especially passive)
Paying myself consistently means increasing income streams. One of those streams is our engineering business, so I’ll stick to the marketing plan to attract new clients. I also want to create a digital product for the business.
Next, I’ll be monetising Melbourne Plugged In by including affiliate links in this newsletter and launching my first Melbourne Guide for sale (it’s almost finished — I think you’re going to love it!). I also want to start my nutrition business and gradually step away from social media management and digital marketing.
4. Clear up the nigglies
A bunch of rogue expenses are driving me up the wall: overdue body corp fees, a huge winter electricity bill, overdue mortgage payment, car service, rego coming up, a payday advance, and accounting costs for the year. I want to list these all out with amounts and start knocking them off one by one.
5. Side hustles for splurge spending
Right now, if we want to buy anything extra, it comes out of our bills and we scramble to put it back later. Instead, I want to do side hustles to give myself some guilt-free spending money. I don’t mind DoorDash — though the app can be frustrating (happy to do a full side hustle review later!).
Survey sites I’ve found useful so far:
· Influence (you record yourself giving video answers)
· HeyCash
· Surveyz
· Eureka
Surveys can be boring and burnout is real, so I just do a few a day to offset spending.
6. Book a hotel once a week
This might sound counterintuitive on a tight budget, but hear me out — I want to get out of the house once a week to work uninterrupted. A weekly staycation would be cheaper than an office space, and I don’t have to furnish or maintain it! I’ll see how I go, but this could be a win.
7. Get our apartment rented and push back the mortgage
We bought a small apartment a few years back and have had great renters. Unfortunately, the rental income doesn’t cover all the costs. Our agent is currently finding new tenants, but in the meantime, we’re covering everything ourselves. Plus, the first couple of months still won’t be covered once new tenants move in due to management fees and gas/electric checks.
I’ll be speaking to the bank to see if we can push back our mortgage for a couple of months so we can catch our breath.
8. Sell my car
A bit embarrassing, but I hate my car. I bought a Skoda with high hopes, but it’s uncomfortable to drive and mostly just sits in the shed. I’m negotiating with the finance company to reduce the payout amount so I can sell it and cover the loan. Fingers crossed! We’re hoping to buy a work van next, and I’ll start using the business EV as my daily car.
9. Get tax sorted
Ugh, I’m exhausted just thinking about this. We have ASIC fees, a BAS to lodge, two personal returns, a trust return, and a company return. It’s expensive and time-consuming, but thankfully, we have a fantastic accountant.
I also need to chat with a broker about what our income needs to look like to get financing for our future home. Our accountant has focused on reducing our taxable income (which has helped financially), but that also makes our income look too low to banks. So this year, we’ll get a larger tax bill, but it should help position us better for home finance in future.
10. Have savings again
We spent the last of our savings recently, and I’ve felt so exposed since. I want to rebuild our savings to $600 in August.
11. Save for our next time off
I want to calculate how much it’ll cost to take another week off work and start setting that money aside now.
Study Goals
Catch up on studies! I’m currently in Week 4, but I’ve got three weeks of content to catch up on after being sick.
Organisation Goals
I’d love to clear out all my inboxes, ASANA boards, and Google Drive accounts.
By the end of the month, I also want to be completely caught up with tax and reconciliation.
Independence / Friends
This topic probably deserves a whole blog post of its own, but I never imagined just how hard it would be to keep up with friendships in my 30s.
Most weekends are spent travelling, weekdays are for work, and many of my friends aren’t free in the evenings, which makes things tricky.
That said, while I know it doesn’t always come naturally, I want to make a real effort to get out of the house and do things independently, without my partner. I truly believe it’s important for a healthy relationship.
So, for August, my goal is to catch up with at least one friend on my own and take myself on at least one self-date.
Hobbies
I’ve found that hobbies tend to be the first thing to fall by the wayside when finances are tight and life feels like it’s all about ticking off to-do lists.
A little fun fact about me: I’m an avid Dramione fan fiction reader and writer, but I haven’t been doing much of either lately.
So, for August, I’m setting a gentle goal to read at least one new fan fic and write one new chapter of my own.
Travel Goals
I’m a little hesitant to make travel goals this month because every time I do, something else tends to get in the way.
That said, we’ve had the Pink Lake in Dimboola on our list for a while, along with the country town of Bright and the Buchan Caves.
We’ve visited quite a few hot springs on our travels, but still haven’t made it to Hepburn Springs (which I believe reopens on August 7th) or Metung Hot Springs.
We’d love to see snow this year, though I’m a bit nervous about my cough. We might just do a short drive up to Mount Donna Buang instead of going all out with a full snow trip.
And lastly, I haven’t been back to my hometown of Maryborough in far too long, so it would be lovely to plan a visit down that way sometime soon.
Home Goals
We’ve lived in our rental for nearly ten years now, and while it’s such a safe place in an area we love, it’s started to feel a bit stale.
I’ve put a lot of effort into decorating and doing renter-friendly hacks to make it more comfortable and exciting.
This month, I’d love to hang new curtains in the dining room and build a table to go over the cat litter trays and bowls. I also want to come up with a proper storage solution for our vacuum and mop — they’re always awkwardly in the way, and it would be nice to give them a home of their own.
Health Goals
I don’t have too much to report here, except that I’m focusing on getting back into my coaching.
I’ve worked with a weight-loss and health coach for the past year and a half, but since I was unwell, I haven’t been keeping up with my daily checklist. That includes 12,000 steps a day, three workouts a week, daily stretching, 1.5 litres of water, and sending a daily check-in to my coach.
This has been such a hard expense to justify during this time, but the reward is worth it tenfold. I feel the best I’ve felt in literally years. So, my simple goal for the rest of July and August is to ease back into the swing of things.
Oh — actually, I also want to clear out my sauna and start using it again. Right now, it’s full of cobwebs!
Relationship Goals
Frank and I have been in a relationship for over 15 years, and one of the keys to our success is remembering to work on the relationship and not become complacent.
As an ADHD and autism couple, communication is something we tend to struggle with. It has been a huge challenge for us this year, especially with so many changes and financial stressors. So, it only made sense to me to create some goals in this area too.
Goal 1: Continue using the Paired app
One thing we’ve found success with this year is a couples app called Paired. It sends us little questions and quizzes each day to reflect on our relationship and communication.
It’s low effort but has had a huge positive impact. It lets us show each other that we’re still willing to show up, even in this small daily way.
Goal 2: Find our next couple’s game
Outside of travel, gaming together is our next biggest passion and something that keeps our spark alive.
The last game we played together and adored was It Takes Two on the Switch. I honestly think every couple needs to play this game. The creators have released another title, but sadly, it can only be played on Switch 2, and we’re not quite ready to upgrade.
We also just finished another version of Overcooked, which is so much fun. We’ll probably look for a different version of that until we can save up for the Switch 2.
Goal 3: Break the Friday night curse
Sorry if I’m getting too Jada and Will on you all and oversharing, but we tend to fight most Friday nights.
I’m not sure if it’s because it’s the end of the week, and that feeling creeps in that we haven’t done enough, mixed with general tiredness. But for whatever reason, Friday night has become our most common argument time.
I’m considering simply taking myself to the movies each Friday in an attempt to break the cycle, even if I’m exhausted.
Goal 4: Book in couple’s counselling
I’ve found a counselling service that specialises in ADHD and autism couples. The only issue is the price — it’s quite expensive and requires an upfront payment of $300 for the first session.
I know we probably won’t regret spending that money in the long run, but it’s hard to justify right now when things already feel so tight.
Goal 5: Watch a new Studio Ghibli movie each week
I buy a lot of DVDs from op shops, and recently I picked up Princess Mononoke. We adored it.
To be honest, I used to think Studio Ghibli films were just for hipsters — something people said they enjoyed to sound cool. But I was so wrong.
Princess Mononoke immediately became one of my favourite films of all time. Since then, I’ve deep-dived into the world of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki. There’s so much to learn, and he is one of the most fascinating artists I’ve come across.
The other night we watched Castle in the Sky. It wasn’t my favourite, but it was so fun to see the beginnings of his style and the development of the motifs he’s known for. You can also totally see where other creators have drawn inspiration.
So starting this week and into August, it’s my goal to watch one new Studio Ghibli movie each week.
A Wholesome Day Out in Melbourne
As I have mentioned a couple of times, I’ve been quite unwell this July and have struggled to leave the house, even though my soul has been dying for adventures. Instead of big travel days, we did a couple of wholesome days out in the city and always had such a good time. Here’s our itinerary for our last day out in the CBD.
Stop 1: Tram Museum
I’ve had this spot on my list for a while, and when I found out they had an open weekend with free entry, I had to jump on the opportunity.
On the way into the city, we stopped at the Tram Museum in Hawthorn. It was such a wholesome little visit.
I will say it was packed with screaming kids and parents dutifully snapping thousands of photos of said kids, but if you can navigate through that, it’s genuinely interesting. It was so fun to walk through the different iterations of trams that Melbourne has used over the years.
If you're looking for a quieter experience, visiting on a weekday (if they’re open) might be a bit calmer.
Stop 2: Parking
Here’s a little tip for you: we almost always park at QV. They offer a flat rate of $17 on the weekends, so when we visited the city last Sunday, it was a no-brainer to park there. Especially because I didn’t want to spend too much time in the cold due to my niggly cough.
Stop 3: Miyama Melbourne
From QV, we walked across to Melbourne Central to one of our favourite Japanese-inspired cafés called Miyama Melbourne. We recently enjoyed a wagashi experience and realised their matcha is delicious. I don’t think it tasted the same this time as during our wagashi experience, but it was still so creamy and yum.
Something I’ve noticed when visiting a lot of cafés lately is that they charge a fee for paying with card. I have read the government is going to ban this in 2026, but until then, I am saving myself quite a few dollars each week by paying with cash. On this occasion, I even got a further 5% discount for paying with cash! This is a bit of a hard habit to get back into since I haven’t carried cash for years, but it pays off. It all adds up, right?
Stop 4: B. Lucky and Sons
Location featured is Time Zone Knox
Located on the top floor of Melbourne Central is B. Lucky and Sons, an arcade and game bar. We love visiting because it’s one of the few places in Melbourne that has one of our favourite rhythm games, Maimai DX.
Arcades that feature rhythm games in Melbourne tend to be quite popular, and we sometimes find them a little intimidating. If you’ve ever seen the pros play, you’ll know they go hard.
Since we’re just beginners and still a bit nervous about lining up, we love B. Lucky because we often find free machines, which means we can practise with a bit of space and without a crowd building behind us.
We also walked past the Hello Kitty café in Melbourne Central. It was a little crammed in, but looked super cute nonetheless.
Stop 5: Hanbaobao, Russell Street
I can’t believe I did this, but I dragged Frank to Chinatown because I thought there was a matcha pop-up happening. Turns out, it was in Chinatown UK. What a dill.
Instead, we ended up at Hanbaobao on Russell Street, a small store that specialises in hand-rolled Chinese burgers. When I first moved to Melbourne, it was a requirement at my school to learn Mandarin (not keeping up with it is one of my biggest regrets), but a few words and phrases have stuck with me over the years. Hanbaobao, which quite literally means hamburger, is one of them.
My partner has heard me say this so many times over the years, so when he realised the name of the store, his eyes lit up with recognition — “HANBAOBAO.” So in we went.
We have to say, the place was trashed. There was no clear system for calling out orders (in fact, ours sat on the counter for a while before we realised it was ready). But all the chaos was part of the fun.
The meals were extremely affordable, so we’ll be back to try more combinations. We shared the Bae combo, which included their Signature Fragrant Spicy Chicken Burger, chips, and lemon Coke.
The burger had the soft, sweet taste of a milk bun, though I do wish it had a bit more spice. The chips tasted like fish and chips and came in packaging that looked like a little cigarette packet. I don’t know why I love lemon Coke so much, but it’s something we make at home all the time. It just gives that extra bit of flavour I’ve grown to love.
We will be back to try the pineapple burger and chicken wings. Yum!
I hope you enjoyed this long-form written format. I love in-depth newsletters, and I hope this one has inspired you to visit some places in Melbourne and its surrounds that you’ve never visited before, or to create your own little reset for August.
Sending good vibes your way!
Peregrine xo
