Melbourne - 19th December - 22nd December

Friday 19th December. I stayed in a hostel in St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, about a 20 minute tram ride out of the city centre. I spent the day exploring St Kilda which is situated next to the beach and is fairly cosmopolitain with lots of little cafe's and bars and plently of shops. That evening i met a few of the girls from my Great Ocean Rd tour. We met in Melbourne and cooked dinner before heading to the cinema for a bit of girly time out. The girls really were lovely and i regularly keep in touch with Julia who is now travelling Tasmania before returing home.

Saturday 20th - Neighbours Tour! After an early start the neighbours bus picked me up from the hostel and drove out into the suburbs of Melbourne. The drive was about 20 minutes but we were kept entertained watching neighbours along the way. We drove past the set to the school, an actual local school used just to film by the gates and sometimes outside the building itself. Next we drove up the street itself, tiny compared to the television but exciting nonetheless! Strange to think real people actually live there and were home at the time too. After lots of photos with the houses and of course the Ramsay Street sign (the actually street is called Pin Oak) we headed down to the studios. We were only allowed to see the outdoor sets which included, the mechanics shop, Lassiters, Harolds Coffe Shop, Charlies and the lake. The day ended with a meeting with one of the stars!

Sunday 21st - I spent the day in Melbourne walking everywhere. I walked from Federation Square along the riverside towards the docklands and Victoria Harbour. I then skimmed the edge of the city to head up through a park towards Queen Victoria Market and down the other side of the city past the Library and Parliment House and then through Tresary Gardens and Fitzroy Gardens. I walked past the MGM Cricket Ground before heading back into the centre.

Monday 22nd - I met Julia and Vanessa from the Great Ocean Rd and spent the morning at the Botanical Gardens before taking a look around the National Art Gallery. That afternoon we met another girl from Germany, Steffi and took a trip up the Eureaka Sky Tower, 88 floors up. It was a beautiful sunny clear blue day which meant we could see miles across Melbourne and the surrounding area. That evening i went to Neighbours night. A trivia evening based around Neighbours and another chance to meet some of the stars, the cheesy pictures speak for themselves!