Melbourne with Pete and Shay - Day 1 and 2

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Twas around 3pm local time when we touched down at Melbourne, and received a nice surprise welcome from Pete and Shay literally at the gate just off the plane, no chance would you be allowed to do that in England! After some quick introductions we soon made our way to both their cars for the journey home through the glorious city of Melbourne. Lads in Pete’s car and girls in Shay’s seemed a good idea at the time, especially as Pete was explaining to us how we were travelling along the same road used for the Melbourne Grand Prix we fully expected the girls to be talking about the best shops around town to buy cheap Ugg boots. Our personal favourite thing about Melbourne by the time we arrived at their house were the bizarre structures on and around the roads, a complete waste of tax payers money as we were told! Nobody was surprised though, we are used to it in England!

Pete and Shay had planned a barbeque for the rest of the night, and after George had found out lamb was on the menu to say he was massively excited is a huge understatement! A few of their mates came round for the evening, and each and every one of them were absolutely lovely! We all found the baby extremely cute as well, although she seemed to cry not only every time I held her but every time she even looked at me. I’m clearly not cut out for babies quite yet! A rather embarrassing part of the evening did occur after quite a few beers, when I was told that something poking out the garden outside that vaguely resembled a fishing float, is actually used to hunt for moles, and when the float goes beneath the surface of the earth, a mole is attached to the other side! I was genuinely fascinated and about to stand and watch it until I realised everyone was laughing at me. Later on in the night a few of us went searching for possums, and saw a little baby one hiding on the telephone lines above us. It was adorable! After the incredible meal I don’t think anybody could stay up much longer, and most of us were straight off to bed when the others had left.

The next day was a busy one! Pete and Shay had so much planned for us and I think it’s safe to say we were all exceptionally excited. A short(ish) train journey into the city centre started off our day, and after a walk around part of the city centre checking out sights such as Flinders Street Station, we then made our way to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game we were going to see was actually an Australian Football League (AFL) game between Collingwood and Essendon, both Melbourne teams. Although we spent the entire game being explained the rules, we thoroughly enjoyed it! Just over 73,000 attended to see our new favourite team Collingwood, come from 30 points behind to thrash them 166-92. Even the bird that poo’d on me towards the end of the game didn’t manage to put a downer on things! After the game we had a few drinks in some pubs around the city and ended up having a great meal at a huge pub we found. My new found love of Kangaroo meant the Kangaroo meatballs on the menu were a given!

So after a fantastic day out, we made our way to the closest train station and caught the train back home, and even though everyone was exhausted we still made time for some drinks! I think it’s safe to say Pete wasn’t overly impressed with the vodka red bull that dad poured him. It soon sent them both to sleep though!

The pictures aren't uploading at the minute, so check again later and I should have it sorted 😊

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