Day 97 - Neighbours and Relations, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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Sunday 23rd February 2014. Neighbours and Relations, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

After breakfast we walked down to the Nomad Offices where M was going to be collected for her Neighbours Tour. The bus arrived pretty much on time. D went to explore the Victoria Markets food sections while M went on the tour. The bus took M to the tour operators offices where she changed buses. The one that had picked her up was going on the Ocean Road! The Neighbours tour bus arrived almost immediately and was a bright coloured mini bus with Official Neighbours Tour emblazoned across it. The small group (about 16 people) climbed aboard.

For the uninitiated Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was first screened in the UK in 1986 and M has been watching it since then! The driver and guide was very knowledgeable about everything to do with the soap. He informed the group that the creators wanted to emulate British TV Soaps Coronation Street and Crossroads (both of which one of the creators, Reg Watson, had worked on) with the central characters all living in the same Melbourne Street. Several titles for the show were discussed, including People Like Us, One Way Street, No Through Road and Living Together until the network programmers voted on Neighbours. They called the fictional street Ramsay Street and the fictional suburb Erinsborough which is the letters of Neighbours rearranged with the addition of an extra couple of letters.

Although successful in Melbourne, Neighbours underperformed in the Sydney market and struggled for months before Seven cancelled it. The show was immediately bought by rival network Ten. Ten began screening Neighbours on 20 January 1986, taking off where the previous series left off and commencing with episode 171. Neighbours has since become the longest running drama series in Australian television history and in 2005, it was inducted collectively into the Logie Hall of Fame. The series primarily centres around the residents of Ramsay Street, a short cul-de-sac, and its neighbouring areas, the Lassiters complex, which includes a bar, hotel, cafe, news office and park. Neighbours began with three families – the Ramsays, the Robinsons and the Clarkes. The creator wanted to show three families who are friends living in a small street.

The first stop on the tour was this street which is in reality a place called Pin Oak Court, in Vermont South, Melbourne. This street has doubled for Ramsay Street since 1985. All of the houses featured are real and the residents allow Neighbours to shoot external scenes in their gardens. The interior scenes are filmed at the Nunawading Studios, in Forest Hill. The guide informed us that the residents receive payments for the use of their properties and to contribute towards the upkeep of the gardens. The owner of "Jarrard Rebecchi's" house gets extra payments as the cast and crew park their cars in a car park behind this property and access the cul-de-sac through the property. What struck M about this place was how small it was. It looks much bigger on the TV. M took photos of the properties which were currently going clockwise from the left: the Willis house, Brennan House, Chris, Kyle and Sheila's house, Carl and Susan's house, Toady an Sonya's pad and lastly the Turner Residence. We were provided with some Ramsay Street Signs for taking photos. It was a lovely day and M managed to persuade some fellow tourists to take some snaps. There were two security guards on duty. Apparently these guys are here 24/7 to prevent the real residents of the street from harrassment.

After we had taken our snaps the group jumped back in the brightly coloured minibus and were driven the short distance to Nunawading Studios, Hawthorn Road, Forest Hill, where the rest of the program is filmed. This is the adjoining suburb to Vermont South. Most of the sets are permanent and the attention to detail is quite amazing. First we cleared security and parked at the Erinsborough bust stop which even had timetables for the fictional suburb. Other exterior locations found at the studios include Erinsborough High school and the Lassiter's complex, which contains the Lassiter's Hotel, Charlie's Bar (now the Waterhole) and the coffee shop, Harold's Store.

Ahead of the 25th anniversary the Erinsborough village set underwent a makeover. Harold's Store and Charlie's remained the same, but the centre of the complex was upgraded. Lassiter's Hotel was given a new logo and gained a second floor with outdoor seating area. Erinsborough Hospital and the police station received new facades, a used car lot was created near the garage (now Dial-a Kyle) and a new university set was created.

The Lassiter's Complex within the town was not featured on-screen until 1986, when Daphne Clarke began working at the Coffee Shop. When other characters began visiting the cafe, they got to know the rest of the complex. Rosemary Daniels used the complex as a base for the Daniels Corporation and a hotel, which used to include a restaurant, a pub and the Lassiter's Lake also began appearing. There are enough different locations for characters to come into contact with each other daily and enough jobs within the complex to ensure that characters will make each other's acquaintances. The Neighbours sets underwent a makeover in 2010 ahead of the 25th anniversary in March 2011. Bulldozers moved into the Lassiter's Complex area to begin work. Many of the sets were revamped and there were some new additions. Through the locked doors it was possible to see the lift (which went nowhere) and the reception desk.

Charlie's (previously The Waterhole, Chez Chez, Lou's Place and Scarlet Bar) has always been a central set in the program. When M arrived at that set she was surprised to see that it has gone back to its former name of "The Waterhole" - this will not be seen on British TV for a couple of weeks - so watch this space!

Erinsborough High School has been featured on screen since Neighbours began in 1985. The set features a corridor, a stairwell, an office and a classroom. Other areas of the school, including the playground and changing rooms, have been featured over the years. In 2010, the layout of the classroom was changed as was the school logo. Neighbours' oldest surviving prop is the school's emblem and motto, which is stuck on the doors leading from the car park to the studios. "Erinsborough High School: Sapienter Si Sincere" means wisdom and success. The attention to detail here was amazing with the staff parking areas clearly stating "Staff Parking Only", timetables on the walls inside - amazing.

Erinsborough Hospital is the local accident and emergency hospital. The hospital has seen many of the Ramsay Street residents pass through its doors over the years. They have been treated for a variety of illnesses including smoke inhalation, burns, heart attacks and kidney disease. Many of the residents have died and been born at the hospital. Through the windows it was possible to see the treatment rooms, waiting rooms and plenty of props like vending machines. Again the attention to detail was brilliant.

Fitzgerald Motors (previously Carpenter's Mechanics) is the local garage, where many of the residents take their cars to be serviced. Harold's Store (previously Daphne's, The Hungry Bite, The Holy Roll, The Coffee Shop and The General Store) is a cafe and shop, which also offers dry cleaning and postal services. During 2004 the cafe was burned down in a fire that also destroyed other businesses in the Lassiter's Complex. When it was rebuilt, a Post Office was included. The production staff worked with the Australia Post to create the store, which is an official registered Post Office!

Rebecchi Law (previously Daniels Corporation and Home James Office, Erinsborough Medical Centre, Tim Collins and Associates, Rebecchi Cammeniti, Rebecchi Legal and Rebecchi Kapoor Law) was originally a florist shop when the Lassiter's complex first opened.

Dial-A-Kyle (previously Carpenter's Cars and Erinsborough Motors) is an independent handyman business run by Kyle Canning. The site was previously used for Lou Carpenter's used car business, Carpenter's Cars, which he opened in 1992 and sold three years later. In 2010, during a revamp of the sets, a used car yard was re-added next to the garage. In August of that year, Lou bought the car yard, naming it Erinsborough Motors. He employs Lucas Fitzgerald to look after the cars and Callum Jones to clean the forecourt. Lou later hires Kyle Canning as his sales manager. In 2011, Lou decides to sell his stock to help pay his debts, but he keeps the land and briefly becomes a silent partner in Kyle's handyman business, which is named Dial-A-Kyle. The storyline was named one the "Top 20 Aussie Soap Moments of 2011"

The Erinsborough Police Station is where the Erinsborough Metropolitan Police work. Many characters have been seen at the station, whether it is being arrested for a crime, visiting a friend or defending a client. Over the years. The police station was reopened in Erinsborough when the Turner family into the street.

Erinsborough Community Centre is the local community centre, which was formed when the Erinsborough police station was closed down and merged with West Waratah.

Grease Monkeys is a fast food restaurant, in which many of the residents have been seen dining. The restaurant is located across the street from Fitzgerald Motors. The restaurant was once managed by Madge and Harold Bishop.

Goodwood Women's Prison is the local female detention centre where prisoners are either remanded awaiting trial or arraigned following sentencing. Sky Mangel is held there after being framed for murder. In 2010, Stephanie Scully is sent there for six years after being found guilty of culpable driving. The exterior of this prison was also used to film the series "Prisoner Cell Block H". In fact one of guys on the trip was from the USA and he had joined the tour just to see this set - he had never even heard of Neighbours!

The Men's Shed is a lock-up unit and the original home of the Blokes Club, which was set up by Zeke Kinski and Declan Napier. The unit contains a couch, refrigerator, television and a stereo for club members to use. The Men's Shed was briefly owned by the partners of the men, after they lost a competition. Various Ramsay Street residents have used the Men's Shed over the years. Stephanie Scully spent her last night of freedom with Lucas Fitzgerald at the unit, while in 2012 Toadfish Rebecchi proposed to his girlfriend Sonya Mitchell there.

Sonya's Nursery (previously the Community Gardens) is owned and run by Sonya Mitchell. Sonya gave up her job as a guide dog trainer to purchase the land, which was once the community garden, and turn it into a garden nursery. The nursery runs a Kitchen Garden programme with Erinsborough High. The garden centre was amazing with lovely plants, props including beautiful garden furniture, ice cream fridge, hoses pots everything a real garden centre could want.

Neighbours attracts more viewers in the UK in 1 week than it does in Australia in a whole year - such is its popularity. It was a really good day out. Even if you aren't a Neighbours fan just seeing the Melbourne suburbs and a real, working TV studios was fantastic.

M returned to the YHA for a rest before the excitement of meeting her cousin Ian for the first time. We both had a sleep before going down to the foyer to wait. All we knew was that we were looking for a 47 year old bald guy. M's grandfather Henry Wade Tunidge's oldest brother was called Edmond Turnnidge. Ian is his great grandson. When he arrived we had no problem recognizing him at all. Ian suggested we went out for a meal to a Turkish place that he knew. Off we went. He drove us there and we had a really good meal and got to know each other. It was a fantastic evening. Ian gave M lots of information about the family. Ian dropped us off back at the YHA after showing us where we might get to see some harness racing. We hope to get together with Ian again next weekend when we return from the Ocean Road and the Grampian Mountains.

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