Hello Australia!

The day finally arrived where I had to say goodbye to the beautiful New Zealand. However all is not lost as I flew into the equally gorgeous country of Australia! That's right, I am officially 'down under' and my first stop was Melbourne.

I stayed for 3 nights and 3 days and managed to cram a lot in. On my first day I did a free walking tour recommended to me by the guys at Peterpans travel agents (really helpful place!). And the tour was great. Our local guide Matt took all around the central business district as well as showing us some hidden spots, the famous Melbourne street art and a great view of melbourne's skyline. It was on a donations system but the tour was so detailed and friendly that most gave at least $15/20.

The second day was beach day and I got the tram down to st kildas. Unfortunately the public transport in Melbourne isn't really geared for travellers just passing through as it works on a pre paid card system, the myki. It costs $6 to buy one and you don't get it back. So finding a friend who doesn't need one is a good option. But they run really frequently and I got down to the beach in 15mins. St kildas is fairly small but it's a chilled out place and a great opening to my months of sunbathing!

My last day I had to check out then kill time before the dreaded night bus so I got some food and chilled in a nearby park. There are loads of parks and green spaces in Melbourne which is also great. So all in all a great trip and a great city.

The only thing I would advice against is staying at the nomads hostel where I was. It's small, run down and miles out of town. The base at at kildas is on the other hand a lot more welcoming and organised!