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Published: December 20th 2007
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Our flight to Australia was in the evening so we spent the last day walking around Singapore's Chinatown. There are loads of food courts in Singapore, these are loads of little stalls all selling different types of cuisine. It was nice to go back to Singapore airport which still amazes me. I am fairly used to long journeys now and the 7 hour flight to Sydney seemed to fly by.
As soon as we got into Sydney, we got our rented car and got straight out. We have booked a hostel in Sydney over Christmas and New Years so we thought we would head south down towards Melbourne. I was amazed, driving out of Sydney, at just how quiet the roads are and how spread out everything is. We made a quick stop in Bateman's Bay which reminded of a British seaside town.
It is a long drive to Melbourne so we had to stop and rest a few times especially after such a long flight. The idea of getting a car was to save money as coaches and accomodation are really expensive, a car also gives us more freedom as well. However the big downside is that we
have to sleep in the car. A Toyota Corolla is not a comfortable place to sleep! We were not going to reach Melbourne before night so we stopped off for the night in one of the many power nap stops along the highway. Although we were only a few yards from the main road I couldn't help but feel like we were in the forest from the Blair Witch Project and someone or something would come and eat us or force us into the woods were it would hunt us down. Obviously I have watched too many movies and I woke happily in the morning knowing nothing had attacked us in the night and that monsters never come out in the daytime.
We got to Melbourne at lunch time, parked up the car and went to explore. The other problem with living in a car is of course toilets and showers. We parked near to some toilets and in one of the stations in Melbourne there is a really useful place called Traveller's Aid where you can get a shower for $3.50. Even though this is a lot cheaper way to travel I would not recommend it. Maybe its
just me but I found it very hard to distinguish major differences between Melbourne and a British big city. The only real differences I could say were no j-walking, theres more flies here than India and Burger King is called Hungry Jacks. I ended up feeling severley ill on the night and I was throwing up a hell of a lot. I must of drunk 8 litres of liquid on the night and threw it all back up. In the morning I did feel a bit better but still dodgy.
On our first full day in the city centre we went on a tour of the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). In a small area of Melbourne there is the MCG, the Rod Laver stadium (The Australian Open venue) and the vodafone arena. The MCG stands out and holds a massive 98,000. The tour itself was not amazing but being in the stadium was worth it. After the tour we went to the nets outside and luckily we caught the Indian team practicing for the upcoming series. All the stars were there including Sachin, Ganguly, Harbajhan Singh etc. There were also a few newsreporters fom Indian TV. After this we
walked to the otherside of the city and saw the Docklands area which offers some nice views and is packed full of trendy bars and restaurants. We also got to see the outside of the Telstra Dome which is another massive stadium in Melbourne. Unfortunately there is no Aussie Rules Football on for us to watch.
After another uncomfortable night in the passenger seat we woke up and headed on an excursion to find the one and only Ramsay St. You can pay $40 to go on a tour of the street and studios but we decided to get directions of the internet and find it ourselves. What shocked me is that the street is actually called Pin Oak and its really really small. A security guard there told us that he knows no-one who watches Neighbours and that the residents of Pin Oak have to be compensated by the TV studios. I was gutted that I did not get to meet Harold Bishop who is probably the only character I know these days.
We then headed to St. Kilda where I am now. It is a small beach with a pier just outside of the city centre.
I havent particularly taken to Australia yet although its early days and I think its more to do with the fact that I have been ill, the weathers rubbish and Im living in a car. Im pretty sure once I get better Ill have the energy to see more and enjoy it. We are heading down the great ocean road tomorrow which looks great and Sydney holds a lot of promise. Its also Christmas soon!!
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