Melbourne

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Thursday 6th
Not enough sleep!! Had to get up early to get my flight. Thankfully had checked in yesterday, and was not too long a bag drop queue so an easy journey... If getting a flight Sydney Central YHA so easy as train station next door, then it's about 10 mins! $13 though, when it was only $4.20 return to Croydon yesterday!

Had booked into Melbourne Metro YHA for 2 nights, and their recommendation was the Skybus Shuttle - $15 to the door! Having got there a bit early I went on the internet for an hour (it's expensive here though, $4 hour), but by 12 my bed was ready and I dumped everything, gave it a sort of sorts, then got ready to wander. Had already picked up a number of leaflets but just walked to Peel Street, and soon saw a huge market! This was Queen Victoria Market and finally, found a fruit/veg market which is LOADS cheaper than the supermarkets - of course it's all about ready to go over, but fine to cook for tonight. Open every day bar Monday/Wednesday!

Once purchases made - reckon stuff will be OK for a couple of days, find way to where I think City Central free tram will be. Get on the wrong tram first - it's only the maroon one which is free - then jump on one heading for Federation Square which is where the Visitor Centre is. Tram is popular and it's a sweltering day (unlike Sydney which was covered in cloud!), so am rather hot by time I get off, but have seen a number of things to go back to. One thing I was looking for was to find out about Phantom of the Opera, YHA had recommended asking the Visitor Centre, then trying 'Half-Tix' at the Town Hall. Visitor Centre said tickets available, marked theatre on map and said unlikely to be cheap tickets... However, Half-Tix was en route to theatre so after stopping to eat some tasty cherries, found Half-Tix, and would you believe it, Phantom tickets for $41, usually $75+.. So went with it, but still had to go to theatre to change voucher for ticket.

Walked back, checking into STA re: Cairns, but they didn't have kind of trip I wanted, so found my way to Big W (like a big UK Woolies, not an Oz Woolies... Which is a food shop!), and opposite that Safeway. Make way back and cook veggies with Kangaroo Sausages - they were cheap and look reasonably healthy! Shower, put on my 'smart' jeans/top and walk back to theatre. Knew I'd bought a restricted seat and had the 'best' left - but wonder if a side view might have been better as was sat with the (admittedly not wide) pillar in the middle of my view. Got used to it, enjoyable performance (think the blond Christine Dyer's friend was struggling somewhat!), then headed out to find fire engines screeching to the building next door... And people were still working in those offices and peering out at the fire engines! Walked back whilst roads were busy, then stuck arm out for a taxi - he didn't know where to go but with my map/earlier walking experience was easy enough to get back and fall asleep... Although I woke again when someone turned the fan off... So stifling! Left it off though..

Friday 7th
See Day out in St Kilda....

Saturday 8th
Up pretty early, went to the rooftop lounge again to finish trying to work out my Australia plans, my to-to list for the internet, a handful of Christmas cards, and working my way through the print-out I'd made of my London Transport chapter and all the changes that have been suggested, don't think I can do them all from here (don't have any of the material with me bar anything I'd put online), but will do what I can because even if I have to pay the Museum to finish it off for me, I want as much as possible to be really mine!

Go on the internet for '15 minutes', an hour later have organised a load of stuff, including Blue Mountains before Christmas, and a flight to Cairns... Really - check out Virgin Blue 12-1 AEST (currently 11 hours ahead GMT), when they have a 'Happy Hour' - saved $100 on one of my flights. Thanks to Judi for that tip! Slightly stressed by an email I'd not yet dealt with re:problem with my tax return where they still haven't acknowledged that I paid my GBP316 self-assessment tax in January, and that something is wrong with the form I submitted before I left and it needs to be resubmitted by 31 Jan or I get fined - why can tax not be simple - I still don't get what is wrong with it!

After lunch, head into Queen Victoria Market. Must be there nearly 2 hours buying lots of fruit/veggies - don't think I spent more than $15 (under GBP10) - took that back to the hostel then headed back into town, where found another supermarket to fill the gaps (I always find what is for sale fascinating as a reflection of people's lives, so am again a long time). Bag a bit weighed down I look for the Post Office but it's closed Sat and Sun, so I head back past 'Ozford College', and find the park I'd seen whilst waiting for the tram and sat there for a couple of hours reading my book (another, born poor, done well from Liverpool type book which I found in the book exchange - books really are expensive over here, and can't find too many charity type places to get more!).

Head back to the hostel for a quick dinner, watch Mean Girls which is on the big TV, and crash into bed for an 'early night' with a bit of reasing first...and 130 am I've finished my book! Thank goodness for reading lights - that's the one thing the Emperor's Crown in Perth (which I think is my favourite hostel so far) was missing!

Sunday 9th
Ensure I get up by 9am so I make it to the 'Sung Eucharist' at the Anglican Church right next door. A bit of a High Church but not precious about it, the sermon is interesting, and the vicar ensures she speaks to me afterwards and invites me for post-church morning tea. I go, and there's plenty of friendly people to chat to... And did you know that Melbourne's been in a state of drought for 10 years, most stringent restrictions in the last 3-4! They have their AGM this morning so by 1130 I'm back at the hostel, and have some new reading material which someone left behind - not what I'd buy, but I'll read it! My new room-mates arrive - 3 grandmothers from Perth come to see the grand-kids. Seem friendly! I sort a few more things out as am going to have lunch before I head out, but I know I'm procrastinating before finding the $3 per hour (if buy 10 hours) internet café in town to work on London Transport chapter.

Quick lunch and I walk in. Get there about 2pm, deal with a few other things first then dive back in... Takes a while for the rusty brain cogs to work, but they've been oiled a bit after the conference, and is easier to make changes to chapter with fresh eyes, although there's some stuff I know I can't do. After 6 hours had enough for today, so sign off, walk back to hostel, enter room to find everyone asleep, so leave my reading light on, grab my food, make dinner (putting food away find Heinz English Style Salad Cream which bought as a treat yesterday must have been opened by someone else as lid is not on properly and most of it has leaked out - sigh!), then find a corner next to the snooker table to write my blogs up! Finding it more difficult to talk to people here as many come in big groups, and lots are German so they have little German groups! Now, find 15 mins of internet, upload and a proper night of sleep I hope, although I'm guessing the ladies will be up early!

Monday 10th
Going on The Neighbours Tour and The Neighbours Night. I don't think I've even seen an episode for a year, but a bit of tourist kitsch fun is good!

See Neighbours, Everybody Loves Good Neigh-bours...

Tuesday 11th
fA bit of a late start, tired after last night and know I need to tackle some more chapter writing today - tomorrow's my last chance. Carry on reading my book (Airframe by Michael Crichton), then think must get ready and get out, so after lunch (which is dried food as my veggies/salad have all frozen) finally make it out. Go into the internet café as have realised my USB stick is not in my bag so must have left it at the internet café. They don't have it so go on to see what emails I have and back up my photos - not the emails I need and DVD doesn't work, and I'm worried about whether I should worry about what was on the USB - electronics scans of lots of files, including my passport. Hope someone just decided to nick it and wipe it, because I don't see what I can do about the data on it. So, not a successful day so far.

Make it to the post office which have tried 3 times already, it's open but a long queue. Join that - postage is more expensive than expected so pay on card, retaining cash to buy food for the next couple of days. Walk across to Treasury Park - see the JFK memorial (strange), then onto Fitzroy Park, see Captain Cook's house, the Miniature Tudor Village and the Fairy Tree. Head back to town, see a film crew doing something - no one I recognise though! As I get to the other side of the road realise have pulled my money out of my pocket with map, recross, but it's nowhere to be seen. What is going on today - am haemorraging money.. Suppose should be grateful is $35 (about GBP15) as could be worse, but still... If I believed in luck would say am having an unlucky day but instead take a deep breath, try to stop the stress levels rising any more and go and sit on a bench and try and think what next - guess get some more money out, do some more work and catch up with some sleep. Was not my plan for Melbourne at all this week! I made it to the internet cafe, and decided to ask one last time. My USB stick had been there the whole time (phew) - and once I saw what was on it, even more relieved! Have now deleted any sensitive data and saved it in an email account! Spent about 3 hours in the internet cafe, did more work on my London Transport Chapter, and then decided it was so late I had to get a taxi back!

Wednesday 12th
Woke at a respectable time, had a chat with the ladies in my room, and still missed out on being able to hire a bike for the day, so I bought a tram ticket instead. Collected my bits and bobs together and decided to go on a random tram journey. Jumped on the one nearest me and it went all the way to East Brighton, so I thought I'd go there as I grew up near Brighton. Nothing exciting there though, although made the ticket inspectors all excited as I got off and almost straight back on again. 'No, am not lost, just wanted to see Brighton' - should have gone to Brighton Beach! Then decided to head for St Kilda, but got off at Balaclava. Found some bargain shops, and had a nice chat with the girl in the bakery who said St Kilda is not the place to hang out at night, but she told me was better to get the train than the tram (these MetCards are great, covers trams, buses and trains, just remember to validate it when you get on). Got back in time to cook myself a quick meal and happened to catch Safari Pete's auction - he had a ticket for Sydney Neighbours Night (which have decided to go to with Claire who I met at the Melbourne night), saving $10, so thought would get back some of that $35 I dropped yesterday! Then grabbed another tram and made my way back to Federation Square where the next advent calender square was to be opened. Chatted to a guy called Alan from South Melbourne as we waited for the show (9pm, and well worth it!). Lots of lighting effects going on, and then a great aerial/digital display - amazing technology and you just get lost in the story and forget people are up on wires! Tram back (took a while), then sat next to my washing whilst I hand-wrote the sections I wanted to add to my London Transport chapter, back to the room to get rid of clothes, then back down to finish off my chapter on the computer. Have 5 minutes left on my credit, so thought I'd write this up, before I get 2.5 hours sleep (ladies are getting up 6.30am), hopefully can go back to sleep til about 10, before heading off on the Great Ocean Road!

Forthcoming Plans

• 13th-16th December: Great Ocean Road Tour
  
• 16th-20th December: Adelaide with Karen T (Oak Hall)
  
• 20th December: Sydney (YHA Central)
  
• 21st/22nd December: Blue Mountaims (Katoomba YHA)
  
• 23rd December: Sydney (YHA Central)
  
• 24th-30th December: Learning to Surf
  
• 30th December - 2nd January: Sydney New Year with Contiki
  
• 2nd-4th January: Canberra, catching up with Sam J
  
• 4th- 9th January: Cairns (Fly up 19.45, land 21.50) (return 6.20am, land 10.20am), possibly Scuba Diving, or go to see Judi and do one day dive!
  
• 9th-10th January: Sydney (central YHA)
  
• 10th January: Fly to New Zealand
  

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Photos

Melbourne
((c) image purchased from iStockphoto)