J: We made the last journey in Tiny to the rental company in Melbourne and our Australian road trip was completed. Although I nearly left my hat in the RV, good job I got it back as it was the one Lauren and Mat got me for Christmas.
Next we rocked up to a hotel which Mel and Yuri and had kindly booked up. It was lovely posh hotel and the concierge must have wondered what was walking in but we had a laugh with them.
We all freshened up and headed out to a recommended pizza/music pub which was brilliant, then gradually made our way to the pier. It's was genuinely cold on the pier but loads of people where on it, so we kept walking out to find that there were more Penguins here coming up onto the rocks, it's hard to get bored of those little animals..... But the cold got to us and we set off to somewhere warmer, which was a random kebab house that sold beer and shish pipes!

S: The next morning I did not want to get out of bed lol. It was soo comfy...... But we decided to walk into Melbourne, past the shrine of remembrance that was dedicated to men losing their lives in the First World War. Afterwards we went to the ACMI museum, now I was a little sceptical as I'm not a massive art fan (well not in museums) but it turned out to be really good fun, we learnt lots about filmography and special effects. James and Yuri were big kids and made a flip book with some special dance moves. We ventured to the Victoria market, but it was closed so we sat outside the library with the local students taking in the city life. We eventually thought we'd better do something cultured that wasn't to do with beer, and visited the massive dome and the original reading area inside. It was spectacular and just like naughty school boys James and Yuri posed for photos in the quiet sections lol. Now Australia has a lot of beers to offer and one in particular we all liked was a James Squire and on the way back I spotted a restaurant and bar to do with the beer. Yuri finally got to taste all the Australian meats, Emu, Kangaroo and crocodile. I'm glad he liked them all, as they were all delicious. I even enjoyed the porter beer, even if I couldn't drink that much of it. We decided to stop for a couple more on the way home at another pub that had even more beers the boys hadn't tried lol.

J: We finally got back to the hotel and even without making a plan we all bundled into one room for some coffees and Irish cream; knowing it was our last night together of the tour was a sad one. But it had been great fun. That night I spent all night trying to get memory cards backed up and some videos made before the guys took the Mac away.
In the morning we met the VDP's in the lobby and said a final good bye before getting in the taxi for the airport. It was sad leaving the guys and it almost felt like we were about to start our traveling again in a strange way.

J: Australia has been an epic adventure. Touring down the coast it has had so much to offer. I think I was ignorant to the country before getting here as I really only expected red sand, heat, Sydney Harbour Bridge, heat and red sand. But we found a semi tropical country, I certainly didn't expect rain forests and such beauty, the people are laid back and friendly in a way that life couldn't be better. I have had a fantastic time in Australia but also feel we haven't finished with the place, we just didn't get round to Ayers Rock, which is a regret...... Maybe it's a reason to return one day.

S: I can't believe that Australia has come to an end. It's gone so fast and yet I feel that we have done some much. It's a fantastic country that we have both enjoyed even the working bits, that have given us a good insight into the country. It's been great to catch up with family and friends and has made our journey even more enjoyable. As James said maybe one day we will have to revisit to see Ayers Rock.