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Published: June 22nd 2009
G'day! How's sunny England?! Melbourne was a bit of a shock to the system. There I was thinking 'it's Australia, it can't get that cold', going out in just a t-shirt and hoody and later returning to the hostel to grab my jacket, hat and gloves! Apparently they had just been hit by a particularly cold spell plus the on and off rain made matters worse. Melbourne is a great city though, despite lacking the major sites that Sydney may hold it has a very livable feel to it and is extremely multicultural. We found you can eat any food you like (too many Thai restaurants though!), though as with Sydney an 'Australian' restaurant we could not find! What do they have I suppose, only having European settlement over the last 200 years? Will have to search down somewhere that's sells kangaroo I suppose but it's not easy. Additionally we read they have a traditional dish known as 'pie floaters' (pie covered in mushy peas and tomato sauce) but we've asked many Australians and they seem clueless to this even existing!
Anyway having walked around the CBD (and for the first time on our whole trip succumbed to a Mcdonald's
style 'Hungry Jacks'!) we arrived at Flinder's Street where we checked out the tourist information. Fortunately we'd arrived in Melbourne on the right day as Monday night was Neighbours night and Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) would be there performing with his band! Non-Neighbours fans (er, that's probably quite a lot of you) may gloss over this part but also maybe try an appreciate that growing up watching neighbours puts a warm glow in your heart and although fans are usually fully aware the show lacks any artful depth, its perfect world of resounding blue skys, beautiful people and resounding happiness is a great getaway from the hassles of reality. It's something we would call 'kitsch'! If you think that sad then maybe you're pretty miserable yourself?! After getting the neighbours bus (which shows classic episodes as you travel!) from the hostel, we were taken to a 'Tradional British Pub' in St. Kilda (a coastal suburb of Melbourne). Like the weather wasn't enough to remind us of home! Unfortunately it wasn't as cheap as your average British pub (even more than the Vine!) though with the average pint working out at nearly 4 quid! This was the second shock after coming
from Thailand, that everything is so expensive, with many things (often food and drink) costing more than at home. Anyway after chatting with another of couple of backpackers and ordering some traditonal english grub, three neighbours stars came out to meet and have photos with their many fans. The highlight being Karl Kennedy (a neighbours legend!) who was extremely friendly and charismatic. After a quiz and a few audience singing and dancing competitions his band 'Waiting Room' performed. However, firstly not with Karl but with special guest Paul Robinson! Non-neighbours fans, Karl Kennedy and Paul Robinson are probably second only to Harold Bishop for sheer stardom! Paul performed a mixture of classic rock reminding us of a slightly older Robbie Williams and then Karl took to the stage and despite throwing a huge amount of fun energy into his performance I wasn't sure how seriously to take it, one that was like a middle-aged dad trying to 'get down' with the kids! This feeling was ever-increased by the fact that nearly all of his setlist was made up of modern rock anthems by the likes of The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs and Coldplay. All the same, we certainly enjoyed it!
Flinder's Street Train Station, Melbourne
Probably Melbourne's most famous site - with the old city circular tram passing byThe following day we strolled around Melbourne taking in Queen Victoria Market, the Botanical Gardens (in the rain unfortunately) and took the tram down to St. Kilda where we walked along the cold and windy beach. In the evening after seeing the huge billboard advertisement I further indulged in childhood nostalgia and we went to see the new Terminator film. More serious than the previous three, probably largely due to the fact that Arnie isn't in it (bar a cameo which I couldn't work out if it was computer generated or a young lookalike?). After another night in our basic hostel 'Hotel Discovery' we caught a train to get to our campervan HQ and picked up our very long and well equipped VW (!) campervan (ok a modern one). With it being so long it took a bit of getting used to - constantly checking my mirrors when turning to check I don't brush anything and being a bit more selective with parking spaces! I'm glad to report no accidents though and once you're on the open road it doesn't really matter. Following filling the van of budget shopping at Aldi (much cheaper in England mind) the early darkness set
Riding the tram
The old city circular red tram is a free service that goes around the CBD in (depressingly early by about 5:30) and we found a campsite to charge up the van and get our bearings.
Aaaaah the open road, and what a great place to start - The Great Ocean Road! 60 miles south-west of Melbourne we explored this nearly 200 mile beautiful winding stretch between Torquay and Port Fairy constantly stopping at the many scenic lookouts to take in the many limestone rock formations, most notably The Twelve Apostles. A view most of you have probably seen pictured somewhere, I really felt 'we've made it' upon gazing upon such a famous location! Ironically though at many a time we thought we could have been driving around Cornwall with the rolling green hills, white sands and many cows and sheep. Furthermore the place names were also a constant reminder - Torquay, Anglesea and inland a place called Dartmoor! We were lucky the sun shone for us but it didn't make things much warmer - our first night with out campsite electricity was a bit nippy though the view magnificent, pulling up on the carpark of the Bay of Martyrs.
The next morning we awoke early to view the sunrise and explore the bay.
'A Traditional British Pub'
The Elephant & Wheelbarrow, Neighbours' Night, St. Kilda, Melbourne However after getting out and enjoying the view panic suddenly struck. In her efforts to be security conscious Jessie had locked the van from the inside and the keys were still in the ignition, oh shit! Unfortunately despite being only 2 yrs old the van doesn't have central locking and everything has to be locked individually with no luxury of a one press key. Fortunately we went over the road to the nearest homes and a nice retired couple welcomed us in and allowed us to use their phone (yes the mobile was in the van as well). Luckily we had free 24hr callout cover included and a guy came within about an hour while we waited in the warmth learning a little local insight into the area (the old couple described it as 'God's waiting room'!). We won't be doing that again! Back on the road we journeyed onto Warrnambool where we failed to spot any whales we'd been hoping to see and then lunch at Port Fairy before heading back the way we'd came (I could drive along that road all day long!) stopping halfway along in Otway National Park. A lush forested area, we saw our first
With Daniel Fitzgerald from Neighbours
Neighbours' Night, St. Kilda, Melbourne Koala climbing down a tree at night and then the next day were constantly stopping underneath the overhanging branches regularly spotting others either curled up tight (they sleep 20hrs a day) or staring at you nonchantly.
After driving back round the outskirts of Melbourne we headed for Philip Island - famous for its penguins and seals, we took a cruise out to see the latter the next day. We'd never seen so many seals - Australia largest colony of fur seals, appropriately based at 'Seal Rocks'. Very inquisitive animals, many of the pups swam up to the boat as if to say 'hello' while large males showed off onland with posturing displays. Moving on from here we came across more wildlife at Wilson's Promontary National Park, the southern most tip of the mainland. Entering after dark (meant we didn't have to pay as the office shut at 6 and there was no gate on the way out - excellent!) I slowed down the van for a journey that soon became our very own night safari! After nearly running over a Koala, we saw many Wombats (like a cross between a Koala and a Beaver) and Kangaroos comically hopping around.
Meeting Dr. Karl Kennedy!
Neighbours' Night, St. Kilda, Melbourne The next day was sadly filled with fog and our climb to the top of Mt Oberon was muted by a lack of any kind of view, fortunately the wildlife kept our attention, often stopping on the drive out to get close to many kangaroos grazing. From here came our first big drive, for Sydney was our next destination. Being over 600 miles away though and the day already being late we split it into two by stopping at the coastal town of Eden overnight on the way, a fair 328 miles along the road. This is when we really started to appreciate the size of this huge country, when to make any real ground you keep having to travel distances that would take us up to the middle of Scotland at home! Additonally I decided to take the 'scenic' route along the Princes Highway that made the journey a little longer but a lot more enjoyable, passing rolling hills, lakes, coast, rainforest and over many a creek. Plus with the Ipod pumping out classic tunes along the way, driving is rarely boring.
At Eden we went to the interesting Killer Whale Museum before continuing our journey to Sydney,
stopping for lunch at the quaint little village of Central Tilba along the way. Finally we got to Sydney around 8:45 and found the nearest campsite to the centre (about 8 miles out in Rockdale). Parking in the city is extortionate so we left the camper here and got the train into the centre the next couple of days. Starting with Circular Quay we took in the major sites of the Harbour bridge and Opera House before arranging to meet my cousin Michael, who I had not seen in at least 16 years! Therefore it was like meeting him for the first time, with him constantly moving home around the world a previous meeting had long been impractical (I had to travel to the other side of the world to meet him this time!). Michael is 21 and studying fine art with education at Sydney University. It was great to finally meet him and have a different insight into one side of my family plus I'm glad we got on so well. Being half Kenyan, Michael takes after this side of his family far more than his dad's and therefore it's hard to spot similarities between him and me or
his dad (in looks at least) and funnily enough he was a little awe-struck by how much I looked like his dad! After coffee by the quay with the sun finally shining (it had been wet when we got here, but apparently Sydney is like that, constantly changing), we walked around the Opera House and the Botanical Gardens before visting the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Later that evening we met Michael again and his friend Ben (Australia's no. 1 paralympic tennis player) on Oxford Street for drinks and pool before catching the last train back to Rockdale.
The next day in Sydney was activity packed to the hilt due to the fact the previous day we had bought tourist day cards that entitled us to most of Sydney's top attractions for an all in one price (bout 37 quid each). Therefore we got to the centre by 9 to make the most of this and do as much as time would allow, therefore saving hundreds of dollars if we had individually paid for the attractions. Starting off with Sydney Opera House, we took a guided tour around this genuinely awe-inspiring building which took 14 years to build
Rocking out with Paul!
Neighbours' Night, St. Kilda, Melbourne being finished in 1973. It's unique design resembles a boat's sails giving the impression of a building floating on the water. After this we took a jet-boat ride around the harbour (this would have cost 30 quid each alone) which was immense fun skimming over the water at 50mph before being quickly flipped around 180 by a sudden hard turn which resulted in us getting pretty wet (though raincoats were provided). After lunch we climbed to the top of one of the pylons of the Harbour bridge (which included a museum on its creation) for another famous view before an informative boat cruise around the harbour (a little dampened by the onset of rain). A quick look in the Museum of Contempory Art preceded the very good aquarium which had tunnel walkways with many sharks, rays and uniquely Dugongs (Sea Cows) swimming over our heads. This was open till 10 so enabled us to further get the max out of our cards. Finally we went up Sydney Tower for a 360 degree view of the city at night from 260m up.
The following morning, while Jessie did some much needed laundry at the campsite, I went into Rockdale to
Legend!
Neighbours' Night, St. Kilda, Melbourne start typing this blog up and got chatting on Facebook to a friend of ours we had met as a fellow volunteer in Cape Town. By chance, would you believe, Lee was also in Sydney so we arranged to meet up at Bondi Beach - one of the most famous beaches in the world. Great for surfing, the beach has some of the softest sands and most luxurious flats overlooking the bay. We had also arranged to meet Michael there to see him once more before we moved on north so the 4 of us wondered along the beach soaking up the vibes before a coffee and muffin. After dropping them off in the camper and going back to Michael's to see some of his excellent artwork we said our goodbyes (hopefully not such a long one this time!) and travelled out 60 miles west to the Blue Mountains.
The Blue Mountains are one of Australia's most beautiful ranges with the centre attraction being the Three Sisters. Unfortunately the whole place was shrouded in fog so we could hardly see a thing. A bit depressing, especially after going out of our way to see them. However, we were in
Rocking out with Dr Karl!
Neighbours' Night, St. Kilda, Melbourne luck, as today in Katoomba (the main town where we had stayed the night) they had the Winter Magic Festival. A once a year festival to celebrate the start of winter, the festival had a fantastic parade of variety (though the centre theme was a bit like halloween) and great markets and buskers lining the packed streets. Also they had different halls with exhibitions, one of which that caught my eye was a snake handler who taught us what to do if coming across a deadly snake (don't move if you're in strike distance, cause they move a hell of a lot faster than you) or if bit, and showed us some of the world's most venomous snakes, the Death Adder, Tiger snake, King Brown and the second most venomous land snake - the Brown snake. 19 of the 23 most poisonous snakes in the world are in Australia and if you come across a snake in Australia it has a 69% chance of being poisonous (far higher than anywhere else in the world). Some tribal belly dancers followed the show meaning that Jessie was also entertained (having no interest in snakes!).
From the Blue Mountains we travelled 282
miles north to Port Macquarie stopping overnight on the carpark of the Billabong Koala and Wildlife Park which we explored the next day. Here we got to pat Koalas and see one with an adorable baby Joey, as well as feed Kangaroos and see other animals including Cassowaries (large dangerous birds), Emus, Quolls, Dingos and Snakes - including the world's number 1 most venomous land snake - the Inland Taipan! From here we have come to Coffs Harbour and are now halfway through our time in Australia having already travelled 2000 miles (we've got even more than that to go before Cairns!). As I write the sun has finally just appeared after a couple of very rainy days. However, at least it's now reasonably warm (about 20 degrees) and will be getting hotter and much dryer (we hope) as we travel further north into the tropical half of Australia. Hope you enjoy the pictures I've published on the blog.
P.S. I got the money back from the fraudulant use of my credit card btw 😊
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Jenny
non-member comment
Love it!
As if u got to meet Dan!!!!!!!!! Not jealous at all!!!!! Sorry to hear bout the weather but it will get better! (hopefully!) Enjoy the sun cos there won't be much in NZ!! Big hugs to you both :) xx