Anyway, as I had said in a previous postcard, my first Melbourne hostel really wasn't good so I went to another one called 'Bev and Micks' which is basically a pub with a backpackers kitchen attached and some dorms and showers etc. upstairs! I was warned I shouldn't stay there if I didn't want a party hostel, but thought I would give it a go for a week as their weekly rate was $80 (about 30 quid!) - the cheapest in Melbourne, so I thought it would save me quite a few bucks especially whilst I was looking for work! But it really was a party place, with about half of the people drinking nearly every night, and in the day as well! And often the music and people noise went on all night, but I moved rooms after 2 nights into a much quieter room, but still needed the ear plugs, but man they are good! Always slept really well with them in, and kept not hearing my alarm in the morning! But it wasn't a very nice place to stay generally, as the kitchen wasn't cleaned properly and people were really bad at cleaning up after themsleves and there were a few mini cockroaches crawling about as a result! Good job things like that don't really creep me out, but does make you feel a bit skanky! Also, the lounge area was a section of the pub, so it was always really smoky, and uptairs the bedrooms were really hot and stuffy and very cramped! Sarah, my friend living in St. Kilda wanted to get a place, as did Ben who I met in NZ, so I set about on a mission to get a house/flat. Looked in papers and hostel notice boards, but ended up finding where I am now living in thw window of a book shop in a really funky street up the road that a friend told me about. There were tons of adverts and looked at a house that evening. Had 3 bedrooms free as everyone apart from one guy was moving out - so snapped it up straight away! But only me and Ben ended up moving in there, as when I got hold of Sarah she said she could no longer move and she may go home! So that was rather annoying, but its cool coz now I have a really nice place for the same price as the hostel would you believe! It's so great, I moved out of Bev and Micks after staying there for 10 days - was such a relief! I now have my own very spacious, furnished room, and share a kitchen and bathroom with 3 other guys - Ben, David (who has lived there ages) and a Nitten who is moving in tonight so I havent met him yet! There is no lounge but the kitchen tends to be our social area, which is good as it has a table, and we don't have a TV anyway (well we do but just one channel and it's really fuzzy!) And there is a little yard so I can sit outside and eat breakfast and really feel like I am on holiday! And the best thing is that there is a cat called Jopling who is so friendly, and sleeps on my bed every night so it is so homely! I can get a tram by walking 1 minute, there are shops 5 mins away, and both my jobs are within 10 mins walk! So all is good! And have some friends that live in Bev and Micks still, and some in the city, so all really close by. Oh also on the job front, I babysat 3 children for a friend of a friend of a friend yesterday! Was very random, and quite bizarre that these people trusted me with their kids as they hadn't met me before, but I think the information got through all those people that I was looking for childcare work and had experience, so I think they knew I was ok! They were doing a conference thing at a hotel not far from me, so I picked them up in the morning and met them for about half and hour whilst their dad was still there, so it wasn't too drastic a changeover for them! They were so lovely, very well behaved and very cute. 2 girls were 4 (not sisters) and the boy was 7 - one of the girls' brother. Was really good as my brothers are the same age, so knew how to act around them and what level to talk to them at, and what they would like! We walked to my house and had a drink and snack, them got a tram with Ben and Ana to Federation Square in the city centre as there was a bear concert! Was really packed and hot, and there were people in bear outfits dancing and singing on stage! The girls loved it but the boy really wasn't impressed! So we walked over the river and sat down and they played around for a bit them I took them back! They only needed me for 4 hours, but they need me for 8 hours next Sunday so that's more easy and fun money for me! It's really not like work I had such a fun day, and next Sunday there is a magician and circus workshop in Fed Sqaure - I am sorted! Ana is going to babysit them Fri and Sat too! Was a bit worried to begin with, taking kids I didn't know would be good as gold into a busy city and on a tram, but they were so good - especially with crossing the road - thank god! Was nice to be around kiddies as I miss my brothers and don't get to have silly conversations with kids at Leeson any more! So am looking forward to next Sunday! So you would think with all this working and looking for somewhere to live and stuff I wouldn't have time for anything else but I have! Not as much as I would like to do, but still good! Hired a car with 4 other girls (all of them I met in Hobart in Tassie!) and we went surfing in a place called Torquay about 100km away! It was a surf lesson, and was really cheap, and we even got free stuff afterwards like t-shirt and sunscreen! They tought us the technique and helped us out a bit in the water, but only to an extent as there were about 6 instructors and about 35 of us! Was so much fun, I never thought I would get the hang of it but towards the end I was standing up for about 3 seconds before falling off! Just couldn't get enough of it and didn't want to get out of the sea, even though I was completely knackered as the big waves were constantly crashing over me! We saw a dolphin swimming under the waves about 10m away from us it was amazing! It was such a hot day, and the beach was really beautiful - clear sea and cliffs! And was really nice to have a drive in the car through the countryside after being in the city for a while! It was really flat and quite plain looking but there were mountains in the distance. That night me, 2 of the girls and Ana went for dinner in Brunswick street which is this really funky street with loads of Mederterrainian cafes and restaurants and bars and clubs, and we had all you can eat pizza and pasta for $10! Gonna start a new postcard again in case it crashes!