Well I made it to Australia. I'm in Melbourne staying in a hostel called Habitat HQ in St Kilda. It's a good place to stay, social, friendly and homely with a nice bean bag area where you can relax and read. I've been here quite a while now but will try and condense everything interesting or fun that I've been up to here in Victoria!

When I first arrived and had a look around the CBD it was Anzac day. I met up with a friend from England which was lovely and we walked around the war memorial in the botanic gardens. Then we went in a really busy pub showing the AFL grudge match between Essendon and Collingwood. Last time I came to Australia I really enjoyed watching AFL on TV...Essendon vs Geelong was the first ever game I saw and I picked the Bombers as my team, Dad picked Geelong. The game in the pub was excellent to watch; the atmosphere was electric and it was good to cheer in my team here in Australia. They lost by one point! Gutted with the ending of the game but it was a great match to see, AFL at its best!

Here in Australia I planned to find some work, I spent a hell of a lot of money in New Zealand and I needed to get the funds back up haha! The next few days I did the sensible stuff; bank account, medicare card, TFN number plus the all important thing...finding a job!

Jumping on Gumtree I found work almost immediately, it was with a company called Aussie Farmers Direct. They sold all your basic food items like milk, bread, eggs, cheese, fruit and veg and offered a free home delivery service directly to your door. It was easy work, all I had to do was knock on doors and get people involved, I was quite good at it to..Knocking an a door I even got offered a job in Real Estate haha! The only problem with it though is that they had you start knocking at around 1-2pm...I found that no-one was really home at that time so I ended up taking my kindle and sitting in the sun having a late lunch until the kids got home from school. Best time to make sales haha!

At work and at the hostel it was really easy to make friends. Work often had nights out and insentives (free pizza) and at the hostel, well it was just easy to start a conversation. Probably my favourite people I met though was a small group at work. They were on retention, a different section than me (I was sales) but we all got on really well and I just seemed to fit in nicely . I first made friends with them on the weekly friday BBQ! I'd just done "Goon hands" and so was quite drunk when I introduced myself...nothing like some wine to loosen you up haha! I climbed in the van and said hello, I probably said more than that but can't really remember...I even invited myself on to their road trip to the Great Ocean Road haha!

In the morning I did ring one of the girls just to make sure it was still ok for me to tag along, she said "the more the merrier!" and picked me up. On the bus was Robyn, Kay, Tom, Marissa, Michala, Matt, Kevin, Gary and me. After morning welcomes and stocking up on food and drink (mainly alcohol) we set off!

The whole trip there was really funny; singing to the iPod "Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, so here's my number, so call me maybe!!", Rock the bus, Goon hands, the Great Ocean road sign, Tom falling down a hill, a lighthouse, fire in a field and Gary saying "Bleedin" a horrendous amount of times were all the things I could write about. Kevin and me were laughing a lot as were drinking wine out of bowls...more fell on my lap than down my throat! We got to a hostel and booked to stay the night before heading back to Melbourne. Everyone was drunk from drinking all day...cooking was really fun haha! Uncooked sausage, hmm my favourite!

The whole night was a laugh, walking around the town, climbing trees and sitting in a bar full of locals...I don't think they liked us very much. The night finished back in our room with Kevin trying to cuddle me haha...I tucked him into his own bed instead safe and sound!

The next day we checked out and made our way back home. The journey back was my favourite in terms of things to see...Another lighthouse, the Twelve Apostles, a zoo, wild Koalas and a beautiful beach at sunset, The twelve Apostles were awesome, we saw them in the sun which seemed to make them glow as we looked. The Twelve Apostles are limestone rocks standing alone just off the coast. Once part of the mainland their connection was lost and worn away by the ocean. Pretty cool especially as it is all natural and definitely made a great picture.

We stopped off at the zoo about halfway to home, not the best place in terms of animals. An example being in the wild Dingo section there were two really cute puppies...It was still fun though petting Emus and Kevin going as far as kissing its beak. I would have loved for it to have bit his lip haha...would have made my entire trip!

The fun continued right the way home; stopping for lunch, Kevin drunk, crashing the van in a ditch, Mcdonalds Ice cream wars, Koala in a tree and loads of funny moments throughout the day. A really good weekend along the Great Ocean road.

The next few weeks ticked over quite nicely. The weather wasn't very good so I ended up losing my hard earned tan from Asia and New Zealand...Damn it! I read loads, finishing the Hunger Games and all four Eregon books; never read so much in my entire life haha. We went out for dinner quite often- Indian curry with essence of Lava! Went to the cinema, casino and explored the city. Melbourne is a really good place. It feels lively and youthful and there is definitely loads to do. Being in the AFL capital of Australia I had to see a live game while I was still here! It was Essendon vs Melbourne at the MCG. I was excited and looking forward to getting involved in a live sports event. I miss Anfield! It was good, the stadium was absolutely HUGE with a large oval pitch lit up with a dozen or so flood lights. The game kicked off/bounced off and the crowd cheered. Both sets of fans had flags and banners at either end to support their players. A good atmosphere, nothing on the intensity of Liverpool but it was wicked to see a live match with my frineds. Essendon lost again! What team have I picked to support?! I must be bad luck haha!

I'd been in Melbourne now for about 2 months and did quite fancy a change of scenery. This urge was made stronger when Robyn and Kay told me they were going to try to do a ski season in Jindabyne! Very tempted! Before I made any decisions though it was my birthday!! I'm 22 years old ! We went out for dinner and then a night out on Chapel street. A messy night downing 2 bottles of wine and some shots, I loved it but I have got to say the best bit was getting back and playing Pokemon stadium and Mario cart on Nintendo haha! Old school lol! A few more weeks past and I decided I would like to try to work a ski season in Jindabyne- a small town a few miles away from Thredbo and Perisher resorts. Before I left though I did meet some great people who moved into my room; Clement and Joe. We chilled for a few days but on my last we went to Lunar Park, a small theme park on the beach. A few rides and the biggest candy floss ever...as big as me! We had a cafe dinner before going to the pier to see the sunset. It was a beautiful evening, a clear sky and a setting sun. The sea was calm and the sun cast a reflection in the water. The whole area was lit orange it was such a pretty sight. I can't believe I hadn't come to see it sooner! Very beautiful view. After that we got fish and chips and a few beers back at the hostel. A great day to end my time here in Melbourne! It's a shame to leave good people and those who I really get on with but I might be back at some point! St Kilda in the sun will have an entirely different atmosphere I'm sure!

In the meantime though, tomorrow I'm off to Jindabyne...hopefully get to do some skiing while I'm there...Fingers crossed for work people!

Nathan.