Its been a few days since my last entry and they have been mostly spent getting settled in to my new home in South Yarra, and getting some solid work done.

On Sunday I started the day by returing to collect a douvet from a nearby Woolworths, as me being me - I forgot to check that the bedding pack I had purchased actually contained a douvet. It turned out to contain every bedding item immaginable but a douvet. After collecting the new douvet I spent most of the day working.

Monday and Tuesday followed exactly the same routine too, as work have given me a research project and so I sat studying videos and learning with random interludes of coffee and toast. On Tuesday evening Kris, Butzy and I chilled out with a few beers and watched a film.

It was to be Wednesday that was the highlight of the week (and possibly the entire trip) for me. I have, ever since I was a young child, wanted to see the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix circuit. Last time I visited Melbourne, we went to Phillip Island and visited the MotoGP circuit, however we never visited Albert Park - the home of F1 in Australia.

I decided that for a day off, I would visit Albert Park and walk the circuit - provided it was not closed off - the Grand Prix is only 1 month away now. I set off down Toorak Road, walking in the fantastic Melbourne sunsine - 26 degrees and hardly a cloud in the sky. After about 3/4 of an hour I reached the north-east corner of the circuit at the junction between Kings Way and Queens Road.

I decided that I wanted the experience to be much like doing a lap of the circuit, and so rather than enter Albert Park where I was, I would walk all the way around the outside to Canterbury Road and enter through the main entrance. This took me another 30 mins to walk from where I was, not helped by my peristant picture taking.

I entered the front entrance to the circuit, and walked passed the admissions office. Construction of the circuit is well underway and has been since January, but is also 3 weeks away from completion. Many different contracting firms are involved, from companies laying the concrete sidings and metal fencing, to companies assembling the Pits and Paddock, to companies assembling the bridges that cross the track etc.

I walked through to the track directly, about half way up the start/finish straight (known as Aughtie Drive the rest of the year). I spent a good while admiring the view before beggining a walking of the track session (resulting in over 250 photos and 40 videos being taken).

As I travelled the top section of the circuit, I noticed where the track was the same as the normal road layout, and where it differed altogether from it. At one point I came to realise that the track actually runs through what is a car park for the other 11 months of the year that F1 is not in Melbourne.

I also laughed at some of the signs alongside the roads that make up Albert Park. It is not often you see a "ducks crossing" sign, or a 20kph speed limit on a main straight of an F1 track. Amusingly there is also parking on the roadside - and ticket machines for the spaces.

After around an hour and a half, I was about half way around the circuit, admiring the view from Lakeside Drive. Albert Park is really picturesque in itself, with the lake in the centre adding a very serene atmosphere. From atop the hill next to Lakeside Drive, the view towards the CBD is amazing, you can see all across Melbourne from up there.

Half an hour later and I was at the bottom corner, where work is going on extensively to build that section of track. All the way around I had been having conversations with the contractors working away - saying hi and asking what they were up to. Every single one of them cemented my feeling that Australia is full of warm and welcoming people. They all were happy to take a break and chat about what they were up to.

At the bottom corner in perticular I got chatting to a guy called Tim, who was doing the building work for a second year running. He explained that all the workers go on a 6 week training course for constructing the track, and so every year the workers from last year are coaxed into coming back to save on training fees.

He said that they had 3 weeks left to finish the circuit, and he like me is a massive F1 fan. Last year he managed to use his passes from building to get into the paddock and meet Micheal Schumacher and get a signed cap (which he was wearing underneath his hardhat). We talked about how the F1 is received in Melbourne, and that last year it cost around $50 Million to host, and that during the period the revenue made to the state was around $39 Million. However, I believe the promotion alone is worth keeping the circuit on the F1 calander.

After spending nearly 1/2 an hour talking to Tim, I continued on my journey round the circuit, eventually ending up at the start finish straight once again. It was well worth the wait to see the circuit, and I think I came just at the right time. Parts of the circuit were completely closed to traffic for building works, but nearly all I wandered onto without any problems (though I did get quite a few funny looks). At one point on Lakeside drive a guy on a scooter drove up to me and said it was ok for me to be there but that I couldnt go on the road due to construction vehicles etc.

3 and a half hours after entering Melbourne Park, I headed out, going through the top section of the circuit, but this time following the lake all the way around to the top corner, and exciting back towards Kings Way and St Kilda road, before heading back to South Yarra. I thorougly enjoyed the experience, definitely one item ticked off my bucket list. When the F1 does roll into town, I will be overjoyed.

Ian.