Well well fellow pommies here comes my last Auzzie blog...

...and the topic of bloggage is (sorry Sydney-bods) my favourite city yet - Melbo! It wasn't looking too great when i first rocked up; feeling emotionally delicate leaving the Adventure Tours group i had been with for, by that point, a couple of weeks and being dropped in a big disorientating city with lots of extremely swish Melbourne cup-goers flitting around in their big hats and fancy dresses...i wasn't convinced. I then arrived at my hostel in Fitroz (suburb just north of the CBD) which was amazing - old victorian building made into a big spacious hostel with heaps of character, really nice - but full of 'confused back-packers'; ie. people who arrived in Melbo possibly months ago and never got around to moving on. So consequently, or at least it seemed this way to rabbit-caught-in-headlights-esque me, EVERYONE appeared to know each other and i felt as though i was intruding in a very cliquey student house or something. I also had my first and fingers-crossed last dorm-sex experience. I woke to sounds of what at first, in my semi-conscious state, i thought was someone having a horrific nightmare only to soon realise that it was more than 2people having lots of very loud fun in the bed across from me. I had a very cluedo-esque next day wondering who and who and who!!! The bunks were also treachorously high with no bar across the edge so that along with a slight fear of becoming tram road-kill made for a very safe lone pommie in Melbo - i zipped myself right up in my sleeping bag every night to restrict movement and therefore prevent any rolling off the edge and possible injuries!

.......Sorry for the delay all. I started writing this when i first arrived with Ali & Tony back in Sydney last Thursday and didnt get a chance to finish so i am now on Kiwi soil - Christchurch - and only just completing. I'll carry on as if it really is my last Auzzie blog, which it is really....shut up Vic....here goes...

Soooooooo yes as unconvincing as my arrival in Melbo was it soon picked up and i found myself having a TREMENDOUS time (word courtesy of the lovely but uber confused Dylan who was in my dorm room there - you will have seen him dancing like a tit in my pics by now) strolling the city on my todd and witnessing probably the most ridiculous concentration of weddings in one place i have ever seen! Speaking of weddings; it is Ali & Tony's son Steve's wedding early February to beautiful Carly (pics will be up soon of the lovely couple) and i got very excited talking to them about all their plans and even going bridesmaid shoe shopping with the girls whilst i was with them - you will be simply spoilt by ideas and suggestions when i get back Gem, hope you've got a LIST ready for me to add to!!! Hehe!

Back to Melbo. Beautiful city but unfortunately the weather forced me to 1. purchase more clothes (did i use the word unfortunately back there?...knowing me as you all do im sure you realise that wasnt quite how i was feeling at the time!) and 2. fashion some ankle warmers out of free old plane socks - i looked FANtastic!!!!!! Shopping there was equally fantastic, especially in St. Kilda were i was reminded of Liverpool's Quiggins by all the second hand and vintage stores...but bought back to reality when i found myself being seemingly stalked by a slightly crazy old man who insisted on giving me a very detailed family history and also an in depth account of missing ex girlfriend. He kept asking me to use my map also to find the street which his (imaginary?!) friend lived in....hmmm?!?! Once i finally shook him off i had a much more pleasant conversation with a shop assistant who insisted on giving my email address to a friend of hers who lived in Argentina so that i would have a contact out there in South America...beautiful people, beautiful city. It's amazing how easy it is to make friends, crazy or not, when your on your todd!

Some other fantastic (i think maybe im starting to wear tremendous out, but now cant think of any other word to use in its place other than 'fantastic' so bear with me and my terrible vocab) experiences include:

- a super cool greenhouse cafe which i passed and was unsure as to whether to go into until i heard them playing Dire Straights and of course then realised it was basically my calling to go in and order a coffee served in a jam jar.

- a fab little drive (with Cat - Joe's exgirlfriend?!?!? - and Phil who i met on my outback trip) to real life Ramsay Street (Neighbours for anyone who feels they are too cool for school to admit that they know what im on about!) where we chatted for yonks with the 24/7 security guard, had very excitable pics taken in front of Karl & Susan's house and then left feeling a bit cheated that it is actually about a tenth of the size that they make out on the show.

- a brilliant bus journey from Melbo back to Sydney on Firefly, ie. not greyhound for the first time, where i had tonnes of leg room and Transformers on dvd. Experience was let down slightly when i woke in a panic at 5am to the bus driver announcing 'something something Sydney' which had me frantically packing up my sleeping bag and all my crap and jumping off the bus only to realise we were stopping at one of the outskirts stations and not arriving in the centre for another hour...followed by an embarassing walk back up the aisle to my seat. The incredibly chavvy chavs sat behind me argueing very loudly in the early hours also let it down slightly though it was refreshing to discover that Australia has chavs on the same horrendous scale as us in England!

So back round to the start and i went straight to Gymea to stay with Ali & Tony; had a TREMENDOUS (sorry its back but the most appropriate word!) time with them again, saw Kate (who Gem travelled Oz with yeeeaaaaars back...sorry Jimbob!) & Chris and met their beautiful little girl Evie, went out with Steve & Carly in the city, fell asleep on the train back and then called Vodafone in a rage because they wouldn't let me call dad on his birthday and shouted at Lara the pre-recorded b**ch only to be told 'im sorry but i didn't catch that, could you please repeat your enquiry'...!!! Tearful goodbye's this morning and now, i can't believe it, i am in New Zealand! Have seen nothing yet of Christchurch, the weather is nice, but im writing to you all instead. Was very upset this morning also when my attempt to smuggle through my 150ml new bottle of deodorant proved futile against the frustratingly thorough Auzzies and was then sat in the seat in front of possible the most vile two children ever born - kicking, screaming and singing the whoooole flight. My angry glares and loud sighs were to no avial...apparently 2year old's don't understand decent social etiquette.

Right ho all, i am now on a mission to sort out a splendid little Christmas campervan for 3temporary Kiwi-Kay's. Hope everyone is well, will be in touch soon hopefully with a job in Queenstown......fingers crossed please?!

Loads of love

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