Can y'hear me now?

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So we're in Melbourne now and have had a few days to settle in. First impressions of the city are very good, it's so much different to Sydney, you wouldn't really think it was the same country! It seems quite cosmopolitan here, its not about the heritage or the monuments here (maybe because there aren't many?), it seems to be about the people which creates a great atmosphere.

So first day here we dropped off the van which wasn't as smooth as we would have liked, it took over two hours to do thanks to the guy who works there arriving 1hr and 40 mins late! Moving on theough, we finally got to our first hostel which was very nice. It was owned by an old guy and his wife and they were both very helpful. They alsio had a cat called Keith who was a very cool addition. That day we just settled in and had a wander (and a shower after a few days in the van) then headed out to watch the Australia vs New Zealand game in a square with a huge TV in it. There was a really good atmosphere there because the game was being played in Melbourne not far from the hostel in the MCG. Eventually it turned out that they had decided not to show the game in the end and the crowd dispersed. We ended up watching it in a nearby casino on a huge screen but unfortunately didn't bet on the outcome. That night the city was packed with yellow shirts all cheering after the outcome and it was impossible to get anywhere quickly.

Our first full day was a sunday so we bought ourselves an all day tram ticket and headed down to St Kilda, Melbournes answer to Bondi Beach where there was a market on. It was lots of small stalls all selling local stuff like paintings, jewelry and tyhe occasional digereedoo. We also had a walk along the front and down the pier that is there which is meant to be very old (thogh it has been burned down moved to a different place and rebuilt, so I'm not too sure if it is really authentically old!) We then headed back to the city and to a market that was along the banks of the Yarra river. This one was slightly different because sellers were only allowed to sell hand made goods.

We got some good weather on Monday so went for a wander in the Botanical gardens which were really beautiful and centre around a large lake. Plenty of wildlife, but the wierdest thing we saw were black swans. They are exactly the same as we get but in black, I have no idea why but thtey look very cool! We also saw 'the oldest house in Australia' in one of the parks on the edge of the CBD. Amusingly it was built in England in the 1770's and was Captian Cook's parents house. Other than that we have visited the shopping mall and the cinema there. It is really cool (both) because the shopping mall (for heritage reasons) was built around an old shot factory. When you walk in there is just an old brick tower right in the centre of the mall and they built a glass dome over it because it is quite tall. Very bizzare, but amazing to see when you're not expecting it. Also when we went to hte cinema (we saw "Pirates', which was good) we went to the 'Half Pipe' screen and instead of seats, the floor slopes down to the screen and you get your own bean-bag. It was a good job really, much more comfy than a chair for three hours.

We are in the second hostel now, much more lively but also less homely. First night there we came third in the music quiz (mainly thanks to Vicky but i got a few!) then played the 'Mexican game'. It involves beer, a funnel, two shots of taquilla, being spun round and a furniture obsticle course. It was good fun and again I came third but I'm sure I was held back by the people spinning me! We have had to move rooms there now too, well, we did at 3am on the first night. We were in a dorm with two other guys and I think one fo them has a slight problem. He snores like thunder!!! It was so loud you couldn't hear yourself think, let alone sleep! We are now in a more peaceful room thankfully.

Hopefully going to watch AFL tomorrow (Aussie rules) at the MCG, really can't wait...

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Comments

[Diane]

Currying favour...?
Hi Aaron - Glad you're safe in Melbourne now. I hear you make a great Rogan Josh! Looking forward to keeping track of your adventures from Florida. Take care, love and best wishes, Diane xxx