hello from melbourne - im finally up-to-date with this journal - thank god! Well been here since monday and really enjoy it here - we are stayin in a place called st kilda which is just next to the beach although i havent been there yet!! So the beginning of the week was a messy one as just went out loads as everyone was leaving to go their separate ways so had to be done really! Well i had the over night bus and got in monday morning to find i had to get walk then get a tram to the hostel - not impressed as they normally do free pick-ups to the hostels. As you can imagine i just had a 12hr bus journey and hadnt slept at all so i wasnt a happy bunny!! Then i got to the hostel and found out i couldnt check in til 2pm!! Luckily vicky and giles were already in the room as i chucked my bags in then slept in the tv room! Walked around in a daze that day til going out later. Actually we didnt q make it out but to the dorm rooms instead. We started in the bar then decided it would be cheaper to get some goon and drink in the rooms. We started off in volker and phil's room (the germans) but their roomnates wanted to sleep so we went to jen and christie's room - all was well and happy with lots of goon (wine that is before my mother thinks im doing something dodgy!) until their room mates came back and wanted to sleep so we packed up our booze and the search was on until we stumbled across room 118 (our room) which lo and behold was empty - yes the others were moaning it was smaller then theirs but this one was free so that shut them up! Somehow we managed to dorm room drink til about 4am when i crashed out on my bed - luckily i didnt have far to go! Next day wandered around the botanical gardens, the melbourne river, federation square and southbank so it was q a nice walk really. In the evening we went out for some food at wagamama's - now this place is actually a brit chain but i had never heard of it but vicky and rachel both swear on the place and i agree it was pretty good food. So ate there then came across some bar on the way home and kindas just stayed there. They played old student union style songs so that made me feel q at home. Also, we did some of those lethal jaegar boms - why i ask myself why????!!! But me and rachel were given a free bacardi baseball cap each - i believe it was because we were both so beautiful but to be honest we prob got them as we harrassed the barman so much that he prob felt he had to give them to us!! So the next day i felt like crap to be honest. Didnt really do much - popped into town for a but then came back to say bye to jen and christie before eating food then crashing out for the night. On thursday i said bye to vicky and giles as they are off in their campervan down the great ocean road etc and also volker and phil left to go back home to germany and if that wasnt enough goodbyes for me i said bye to rachel who went back to sydney and then there was just me!! V strange to be on my own - first time really since arriving in oz and im actually q liking it. I have a tour booked for tomo down to adelaide and for the past two days ive been into town and to the cinema etc. I went on the neighbours tour yesterday - yes im sad but i dont care OK??!! It was kinda fun - they played old tunes and clips in the back of the bus then we went to the street and took lots of photos - the street is alot smaller than it appears to be on screen. Then we went past the studios where its filmed then to erinsbrough high (lil fact here - did u know that erinsbrough is an anagram of neighbours!!) which is actually a english school for migrants. So after all that excitement i bought some hiking boots then today went to chapel street and bridge street for some bargain shopping but when i got there (bout1hr on tram) i couldnt be bothered so came back again!! So thats pretty much melbourne - i really like it here - it has q a cosmopolitan feel to it but the weather is not as hot as the east coast so not too impressed there!! Anyway early morning for me tomo - have to be up by 6am - now i know for a lot of u this is a normanl work day but im not used to it so this is gonna hurt! love from melbourne me xxx