Today was our last day in Melbourne, before we get the bus to Canberra tomorrow. It feels like we've been in and around Melbourne for months and we feel like we know the place pretty well now. There were still a few things we'd planned to do in Melbourne that we hadn't got round to, but since we only had today we decided the top two were to visit Captain Cook's Cottage and the Old Melbourne Gaol.

After breakfast we walked to Fitzroy Gardens on the outskirts of the city and found our way to Captain Cook's Cottage. We'd read about this in the guide book ages ago and knew we had to come, as it is the actual cottage from Great Ayton where Captain Cook's parents lived. In the 1930s, the cottage had to be sold, so Australia bought it for £800, dismantled it and shipped it to Melbourne, where they rebuilt it, and now it's Australia's oldest building! When we paid our small fee to get in, they asked us where we heard about it, and we explained that we're from where the cottage came from! They've recreated it inside to look how it would have looked when Captain Cook's parents lived in it. One of the volunteers showed us some photographs of how it looked in Great Ayton, and one of it being moved in piles of bricks on trailers. The gardens are also designed to look like an 'English country' garden - it felt like being back home!

Our next stop was the Old Melbourne Gaol, so we caught the free tram there and paid our entry fee (a tad more expensive than the cottage!). When we paid, we found out about a 'Watch Tower Experience' that was included in the ticket price. There was one starting 15 minutes later, so after a quick look inside the gaol we went to the meeting point, a bit unsure of what we were letting ourselves in for… Right on time, our 'prison guard' came out and called us all in yelling at us to line up 'women on the left, men on the right, backs against the walls, shoulder to shoulder!'. We were told that we'd been arrested and brought in, and she gave us small cards with details of who we were and what crimes we'd committed. She told us to memorise them as we would be tested - I couldn't even pronounce the name of the woman I was meant to be! (My crime, by the way, was driving an un-roadworthy vehicle without a licence, and Dave's was possession of a firearm!) We were taken into the office to be 'checked-in' and a few people were asked about their crimes - luckily we weren't picked on! We then got taken into the watch tower and shown what used to happen to people like 'us' while we were awaiting trial or transfer into the main gaol; we were locked in the holding cell and shown the tiny exercise yard. It was all in its original condition, complete with questionable stains on the walls!

After that ordeal, we went back into the main prison and looked around the 3 floors. Most of the cells contained information about some of the famous convicts, and there were quite a few death masks. We saw the gallows where Ned Kelly was hung, and learned about how the hangings were carried out - the hangmen were usually ex-cons too!

After a good look around the gaol, we headed back to the apartment to eat and pack our bags, before getting the tram to St Kilda for the Neighbours Christmas Party!

When we went to the Neighbours night 3 weeks ago, Dr Karl shouted out from the stage that if we kept our tickets we could come to the Christmas party for free. We checked this with the Neighbours centre who said they would honour it…however, when we got to the desk tonight, we were informed that it was half price, not free, so we had to pay $20 each. We got really annoyed and argued with them that we were told it was free, but they were adamant that it was half price, and one of the them said he was there that night and didn't recall Karl saying it would be free - we weren't making it up!! Anyway, we ended up paying since we'd gone all that way but were so annoyed as we'd extended our stay in Melbourne especially, as we were told it would be free!

It ended up being a really good night - there was no quiz, instead there was more music from the band, and more special guests. We saw Dr Karl, Skye, Stingray, Paul Robinson, Dillon Timmons and Connor! Plus Paul Robinson's wife also sang with him. Unfortunately, as it was so busy, we didn't get photos with any of them, but T and Laura got photos with Dillon, who was on the dance floor most of the night. They sang a few Christmas songs, which were the first we'd heard this year - normally we're hearing them on the radio from October!

After it had finished, we got a taxi to the casino, as the other Laura wanted to meet up with an old friend who was there. We didn't stay too long (and didn't gamble!), as we had to get up at 5:30am the next day to catch our Greyhound to Canberra.

We've had a great time in Melbourne, but now it's time to move on. Canberra here we come!