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World Trip 2005-06
Melbourne and the trip to get there! (Victoria)
20th Feb - 24th Feb
Next up one the agenda: Melbourne. Again it was going to be a long journey, but this time we were going inland where we were to encounter some interesting towns and landscapes. First up Goulburn, a town situated at the heart of the sheep-grazing district. Needless to say we didn't stop, there are plenty of sheep in Alston so I wasn't excited about the prospect of shops with sheep-based souvenirs. The next town on route was Albury/Wodonga. Our guidebook suggested a lively university town, it turned out it wasn't, we drove around for ages looking for the university to crash a campus party, but there was nothing. We eventually found a university but there was no-one to be found, so we set again, by that time it was late so we drove to a small town, and slept next a petrol station. The next morning we were quickly on the road again in search for adventure on our way to Melbourne. That day we hit on lucky, while driving off the main route to find petrol we stumbled upon a great camp site right out in the wilderness, surrounded by hills and suffering from the constant high temperatures the countryside was fascinating. The ground was cracked and dry, the trees were dead and apart from the site their wasn't any buildings in sight. Wildlife included reptiles and insects of all shapes and sizes. As we drove loads of massive yet beautiful bugs hit the grid on the front of our camper, some lived while others hit the grid with such impact we heard it over our stereo as their insides splattered across our widescreen. On arrival at the campsite we went into reception to pay. We had decided to chill for the day and get our laundry done. At reception we discovered that the campsite was popular with fishermen, but the water levels at the lake were very low so there was actually no-one staying at the sight that day! Fascinated by the surrounding countryside and excited by the thought of having this beautiful lake to ourselves we quickly snapped up a camping space, a fishing reel, bait and some whisky and headed off for adventure. We had an awesome day, equipped with alcohol, fishing tackle and IPod speakers we listened to our favourite tunes while waiting to catch a fish. It turns out it was harder to catch a fish then we expected and we ended up making videos on our digital camera. You may have seen pictures of me naked in the lake. There is a very reasonable reason for that. I had managed to break the fishing line and I was simply trying to receive it and I didn't want to get my shorts wet. But yes I was also drunk. That night, we chilled in the campervan as there was absolutely nothing else to do. We drank Whisky and chatted about anything and everything, as the night went on Brides and I slowly winded down, reading and slowly getting sleepy, Neil on the other hand was doing anything but. Without realising he had clearly drank much more then us. While brides and I tried to sleep, Neil saw in the morning singing an array of songs and spinning on the camper table. The following morning we woke, cleaned the camper and tried to catch a fish, we failed again and by early afternoon we decided to pack up and get back on the road. While saying goodbye to the owner he introduces us his pet kangaroo. He was awesome, as he was just young he was still very friendly but we were informed as they get older they get more territorial and have to be let out into the wild as they have the ability to rip your guts out by sitting on its tail, jumping up and using its front feet to cause damage.
Melbourne
We arrived in Melbourne on Friday night, after driving around aimlessly we eventually stumbled upon Kilda, an area of Melbourne on the beach front. Kilda was very pleasant, boasting a vibrant street with bars and restaurants and plenty of fellow backpackers. We parked outside a hostel where the parking was free for the weekend. It turned out to be a great base as we were able to use the hostel facilities. On Saturday, Neil and Brides sunbathed on the beach front while I decided to hit the town to do some shopping. After quickly mastering the tram system I had a great day exploring the many streets around the town centre. That night we all went out in St Kilda, after watching the Liverpool/Manchester game we hit the dancfloor, rocking out to a local band that sang anything from Will Smith, Fatman Scope to some old rock classics, great diversity. For the rest of the night we struggled to get into any of the other bars, they all seemed to be real busy and for some you needed to be on the guest list. It didn't matter to us though; the streets up and down Fitztoy St had plenty of activity with people buzzing around all over the place. It was there we stumbled upon a street performer who we were to come across again later on our travels. He had a great act, performing skills on his BMX while blasting out the classic 'eye of the tiger' from his stereo. We spent the rest of the night talking to the locals and making some classic videos via the digital camera. The next day we chilled and explored more of Kilda.
Torquay and the Great Ocean Road
On Monday we were back on the rode to visit Matt, an Aussie dude that I had met a couple of summers ago while travelling in Los Angeles. We agreed to met at Torquay, his home town an hour from the city situated before the start of the Great Ocean Road. That afternoon, he took us around the sights. The area boasted some beautiful beaches and fantastic scenery with steep cliffs dropping into beautiful blue seas. Places visited in and around town included Anglesea and Lorne. The area has great surf and hosts annual worldwide surfing competitions. As Matt was a surfing instructor he managed to get us some surf boards and we hit the late afternoon waves. That night we met Matts family and enjoyed our first evening within an Australian home. We were made to feel very welcome by the family and were treated to a fantastic BBQ in the bar garden before we headed into town to meet Matt's friends. We had picked the perfect week to visit, it was university fresher's week and a week of partying with students of Melbourne university lay ahead. The following day we woke up early and started our day trip down the incredibly beautiful Great Ocean Road. This is a coastal drive like no other, famous throughout the world for the fantastic scenery that unfolds as you drive its windy road. Throughout the day we stoped at famous landmarks and get some photos. Highlights include 'the arch', the 'London bridge' and the remarkable '12 Apostles'. By 7.00pm we had managed to do a full circle and arrive back in Torquay for a night out with Matt and his friends. As it this was fresher's week we hit a student bar that offered free food and drink. As you can imagine this was a fantastic way to start the night. I tried to drink to free beer but failed, only managing half a bottle, I therefore had to stump up a little extra to get my kind of drink. Brides and Neil were in full flow however, drinking the free beers like it was water out a tap. The free food was also going down a storm, Neil even managed to beat an Aussie at a pie eating competition, great achievement. We then all walked to an awesome club with Matt's friends. One of whom was born in England and joined us with our loud chants about England on the way. The night was 'off the heezy' with dancemoves thrown about all over the place. That night we got a taxi back with Matt and stayed at his mate 'Jonny's'. His parents were away for the week and we ended up chilling there for the rest of our time in Torquay as we got to know the gang, playing computer games and watching DVD's. On the Thursday Jonny joined us at the beach playing 'headers and volleys' while Matt was doing his surf instructing. That night was pub crawl night, we couldn't get tickets, but we drank at Jonnys and met the guys later on in the club. Another great night, meeting loads of Aussies as we bounced around the club showcasing our English vibe. The following morning we packed up the camper and said our goodbyes to Matt, Jonny and the gang before heading back into Melbourne to see what I had been looking forward to the entire trip: Ramsey Street! the home of Neighbours and therefore many great TV moments. We decided not to pay for the tour and find our own way there. With detailed instructions from Jonny we found the street surprisingly easy to find. We were the only ones there and we were loving the vibe and even re-enacted some classic scenes on our digital camera before heading out of Melbourne and on to Adelaide.
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