Blogs from Richmond, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Oceania

Another of Jo's friend's, Sarah, flew down from Sydney to visit us this weekend so we met up in the city to enjoy brunch in one of the restaurants on the SouthBank. It was a lazy brunch as we caught up on everything that’s been happening in the past few months – Will was even learning to join in on the girly gossiping and was able to comment on the state of his nails and cuticles! After brunch we caught a taxi to Chapel St, which is a very long road filled with shops and cafés – perfect place for some window shopping. We stopped for a drink to rehydrate along the way as it was a very hot day again and reached 37 degrees! And then carried on the shopping before stopping again for a ... read more

There is a local Brewery just around the corner from our flat, called Mountain Goat, where they have also set up a bar, and they offer free tours on a Wednesday, so we decided to go and check it out. The bar isn’t signposted at all so it took us a few minutes to find the entrance! It is set up in a part of the warehouse which also houses the brewery quarters, they have built a bar and above it are their offices, all decorated to make it look as if it is built out of cartons. We enjoyed a couple of beers and a pizza in the bar before the tour which took us around their tanks where they brew all their beers. We learnt a bit about the beer making process: the 4 ... read more

So we landed in Brisbane on time and we had 90 minutes to catch our connecting flight to Melbourne, as this wasn’t Schiphol airport we assumed we were ok for time. As this was our first entry into Australia we had to claim our baggage, clear quarantine and customs, catch a bus to the domestic terminal and check in before we could be on our merry way to Melbourne. The customs weren’t concerned with the copious amount of spirits we had bagged in Singapore, oh no they wanted to inspect the tent because we had used it in Malaysia once and it may have a money spider in there. The cheek.......the country with the most deadly animals in the world is paranoid about stuff coming in!! So out came the tent and off went the plane. ... read more

First week nearly over. Haven't done too much since arrived. Lots of walking and exploring (as I do). Only 20 mins walk into City centre and nearest beach. Tomorrow I leave Melbourne and take the bus to Canberra where I'm meeting with someone from one of the private hospitals there about a job (fingers crossed). Spent today at the beach working on my tan. (Had to get a tram to this one, but sooo worth it!) Weather not been too good so far (the occasional hot day) but they are only just out of Spring. Still doesn't really feel like I'm not going home for 6 months, more like I'm just on holiday. Wonder when that'll sink in? Been learning all about Italy (dorm mate from Milan), in return I'm helping her with her English. Thought ... read more

Ellie and I are now in Melbourne and staying with Ellie's friend in the Collingwood area (home of the Collingwood Magpies if you are up on your Aussie Rules). Melbourne is a great City and we definitely feel at home here. A lot of the Victorian architecture reminds us of London and Victoria Road (a main road near to wear we are staying) reminds me of Green Lanes (Haringey) because of the variety of restaurants/cafes/quirky grocery stores. Victoria Road is home to a lot of Asian communities and walking along the road each day, is making me want to sample some Vietnamese food! Apparently, decades ago, Victoria Road was first home to a lot of Italian communities (because of the vast amount of factory work available in the community) and after a while they gradually moved ... read more