48 hours after departing Bangkok, a Tsunami scare, 12 hours in Sydney, a One direction sighting, and a 12 hour train journey later we pull into Melbourne Southern cross station where we plan to spend the next week with Toms cousin Sonya and her family. We arrive at their house in the lovely suburb of Kew where we are greeted by more of the Watson clan. Including the baby brood of Joe and Alex, as well as Toms Uncle Dave and Auntie Lucy. That afternoon we are running on empty and any energy we had left after our journey pours out of us as we can finally relax and slump into a pile on the sofa. Its so nice not to be constantly triple checking our belongings and wondering where we are going to stay that night or how we plan to get to the next place.

I get some great news that afternoon; Sonya has made Lasagne for dinner! the day has been made, what a great start to Australia not only did I see One Direction within hours of touching down on the tarmac but i'm now tucking into my all time favourite meal.

That evening Tom has some much needed man time and a dream of his comes true as he goes to watch Carlton vs Collingwood at the MCG infront of 85,000 people. Not only is he watching a watch at the MCG but hes also landed a seat in the members box thanks to some of Nicks connections. Winning.

Its the weekend and the family has planned a day out for us, its fab not to make any decisions for ourselfs and just go with the flow. We take a 2 hour drive which has to be one of the funnest drives ever, the kids go in the car with the Grandparents so Me, Tom, Sonya and Nick turn up the volume to some 90's hip hop beats and rap the next 2 hours away. We arrive at T'galliant winery where we have lots of fun wine tasting and learning the lingo. Other than describing the crisp tones of berry on the nose and petals on the lips we both strangely conclude that the Chardonnay has a striking resemblence to dairy-lee cheese. We are treated to a delicious lunch of stone baked pizza with posh toppings at the winery before we head back on the road to Sorrento. Sorrento is a fancy seaside town with a 1950's style high street with boutiques, convenience stores and best of all vintage cafes. Sonya takes us to a cafe where we buy the famous Sorrento Vanilla slice, my purse is $7.50 lighter but my cake craving has been satisfied and it was delicious so I forgive them for their outrageously overpriced pastry.

After delicately eating the vanilla slice trying to make the most of every mouthful we get back in the car and visit Portsea beach. These are by far the biggest waves I have ever seen and Toms uncle braves the waves and tempreture leaving Tom no choice but to join him or be faced with the wrath of not being a man and proving that soccor players are tougher than AFL players.

The nightclub on wheels continues for the 2 hour drive back and we rap the journey away to 90's hip hop. That evening after a quick freshen up we are excited to be going out for dinner with Sonya and Nick. We enjoy a curry on the streets infront of Parliament house and then head to Madame Brussels. Madame Brussels is an Alice in wonderland/English tennis club themed joint and furnished with garden furniture and fake grass. In other words, delightful. We finished the night with a huge jug of some pretty coloured alochol concoction and a stroll around the graffiti'd up back streets of Central Melbourne.

On Sunday morning Sonya and I to Camberwell market and it was A-MAZING! We went an hour before the finish and picked up some absolute bargains. For the price of my Vanilla slice yesterday I managed to pick up 3 new outfits. Incredible. I had such a good time trawling through the stalls and coming across some incredible finds. After returning trumphant with my bag of bargains we spent the rest of the day relaxing in the sun in the garden. That evening we tuck into our first Australian bbq cooked by Nick; Sonyas husband. It was the most humungous steak I have ever layed my eyes on, at least an inch and a half thick and smothered in garlic and herb butter. To accompany the steak we had a pear, parmasan and rocket salad as well as roast sweet potatoes, mm mm mm.

The following day we finally felt we could leave the nest and ventured into Melbourne city centre. Melbourne is a very cosmopolitan city famous for its cafe culture and fashion boutiques. We have been told food inparticular has a fashion trend itself here is constantly changing. At the moment the in thing to chow down on is smashed avocado and feta. I have been told I have potential to be a Melbourne girl and I agree, I would have endless amounts of fun visiting the hundreds of boutiques, interior design shops, and digging through the piles of vintage book and clothes shops around the Fitzroy area. I would enjoy visiting a new cafe each weekend with my friends sipping on tea and munching on pastries. Melbourne is a very multi-cultural city and there is a dozen resturants for every nation inthe world here, the latest trend at the minute is Latin American. So we head off into the city and up first on our to-do list is Federation square. With European style cobbles, deck chairs scattered everywhere, and a view of the Melbourne skyline its the perfect place for a bit of people spotting. We spend the afternoon wandering the streets of Melbourne, exploring graffiti covered lanes and fancier streets crammed with coffee shops sellling cups of coffee from every country, altitude and blend. Dame Edna lane is a favourite of mine, even the sign has dressing room lights bordering it. We catch the tram to Fitzroy and pop in and out of bric a brac shops, we waste an hour trawling through rails of retro gear and interior design shops. That evening whilst on the bus back to Sonyas we miss our stop and end in a random suburb of Melbourne. An elderly lady invites us into her house where she offers to get a map out and then drive us to Sonyas house later. In England by this point you would have warning signs flashing if a stranger invited you back to their house but here its an every day occurance and people actually just want to help you.

The next day we jump back on a bus into town and visit the quaint seaside/backpacker area of St Kilda. St Kilda is renowned for its main high street which is bombarded with ancient cake shops, fancy gelato bars and trendy wine joints, as well as a renevated 1930's themepark complete with a wooden rollercoaster and cups and saucers. Each cafe boasts its prize winning cake, or 100 year old recipe. We opt for a more fashionable Spanish churro cafe. I feel so al fresco sitting out on the street sipping tea and dipping churros into little bowls of melted chocolate. I could do this every day, easy. That afternoon we arrange to meet my friend from Uni again who we first met in Bangkok on day 2 of our trip. Aliki has been here a month now so she takes us to a few bars that the guide books just don't tell you about. First up is a roof top bar called Cookie. Again the floor is covered in fake grass and garden funiture. Its definitely a place where the cool kids hang out, from up here you can nosey into the offices of neighbouring sky scrapers or take in the views of the city. The roof top came complete with its own cinema and retro burger and fries bar. Too cool. Our next stop was a bar hidden down the back alleys of China town. We sat with crossed legs on wooden blocks and sipped cider served from a heavily graffiti'd portacabin. Then its back to Alikis flat where we sit on the balcony and I get tag teamed as to why Australia is the place to be. I have to admit, this is ideal. Its my perfect city where the London life is easily mixed with weekends on the beach, and its been made all to easy to over indulge on cafes and boutiques. I would make a great house wife here, I just know it. The international comedy festival is currently in Melbourne and today is tight arse tuesday meaning cheap tickets for all gigs, the three of us go and watch Matt O'Kine at the Town hall. All in all we have had a lovely day and it was great to see Aliki and catch up on Asia, and hear all about her plans in Australia. Its safe to say Im jealous.

Its our last day in Melbourne and we decide to spend it with the family hanging out in the garden. The weather is just awful here, 24 degrees in Winter makes it practially unbearable. As if! This is incredible, I am inundated with cups of tea and have an unplanned nap on the balcony in the sunshine. Tom and Sonya have teamed up and in another attempt to sway me into considering the Aussie life we are taken for a trip to another boutique shopping street where we go for a cup of tea and a wander through the shops. I have to admit, their plan is working...

Our last evening in Melbourne and we are treated to a take away pizza! The doorbell rings and Nick walks onto the balcony with a stack of pizza boxes. Brilliant As a thank you we have brought presents for the family and it was too cute to handle when little 6 month old Alex tore into his present and a big smile spread across his face. CUTE!

I am writing this from the famous Overland train journey from Melbourne to Adelaide. This train is one of the 4 journeys famed in Australia for its amazing views over the Australian landscape. The Overland is obviously famous for its route by the great ocean road. The journey is 10 and a half hours long and Im like a kid before boarding as I pose with pictures with the big shiny bullet. Tom isn't happy as I have grabbed the window seat, unlucky!

We are being picked up by another one of the Watson clans network of friends, this time Dave Makovich. Only another 9 and a half hours to go, so Im gonna sit back and enjoy the views now. Adelaide you're next...