Well where do I start. We arrived in Melbourne to bright sunshine, nice one. Now booking into only our second dorm room experience of a 6 bed dorm. Luckily for us we met the lovely Lindsay from Canada. 20 years old, sweet and friendly. By the time we left she was putting the world to rights - good girl. Another lovely lady we had the pleasure of meeting was our Japanese room mate Chiaki. She was so lovely and sweet and just smiled when she had no understanding of your words which did amuse. We hope to meet up with her in Sydney.
The Melbourne Independent Backpackers based on Elizabeth Street was in the heart of the city by the CBD (Central Business District) so thre were many nice shops etc to keep one amused plus a large new 13 screen cinema just minutes away. From Collins Street it was easy to commute by tram to the well known area of St Kilder. Not a bad beach, lots of bars and cafes' and an amusement park set within a 2 minute walk from the beach with live bands and lots to do for the kids so at least it kept Karen amused. The weather was really hot although we did experience a few days of rain and drizzle to which of course we had to take cover in the downstairs hostel bar. We loved that place, on arrival we were issued beer tokens depending how long you stayed so of course we had to get on the budget wagon and start drinking beer - scary I thought I have enough hairs on my chest already. Ho hum, we must endeavour to be real backpackers.
The staff were so lovely here we felt part of the family and everyone knew us. Since the month of the Common Wealth Games many extra staff were shipped in from other parts of the country to accommodate the excess of 90,000 visitors. Thankfully, we managed to get tickets and saw the women's long jump, men's hurdles, men and women's 800 metres etc etc. The atmosphere was amazing although some idiot responsible for the games had a brainwave to hand out free blow up batons for all the kids to bang together to make a dij a ree do noise. Being surrounded by kids Karen was starting to feel quite violent and so I safely removed her to a white padded chair close by away from the smaller generation. Phew that was close. I have never seen her foam at the mouth before, trust me it wasn't a good look but we survived. To our dismay the stadium was not even full, what a shame. A very worthwhile day out though and an experience not to be missed.
As the time rolled on in Melbourne we continued to meet so many people. Just to name but a few we met a cricket team, an actor, a male escort who wanted us to join him in celebrating his first million (ok then hon we'll have champers). We also met a lovely lady called Corrine from Crystal Palace. The same night we met about 30 cops two of which us three decided to crash test dummy their outfits for a laugh - like you do -see pics), bomb disposal guys, some lovely japanese guys etc etc. Some we will fondly remember are Yoxsu, Young and Tuene who cooked us a fabulous farewell dinner. They were from South Korea but what lovely people. I managed to learn some of the language and in return shared some of my apples and pears cockney rhyming slang which they found highly amusing. We do miss them guys and we are still in touch and hoping to visit them next year.
Two other treasures were Rob (Hertfordshire) and Dion (Aussie) they met through working in a pancake shop but seemed like they had known eachother forever. We often played pool and ended up drinking with them until the small hours althouh younger what a laugh.
Ok newsflash Karen is now a pool hustler I have been teaching her to play so hot pool and she is good now so many a night we have spent playing pool in actual pool halls, supping beer and eating baked beans (ok so the latter part lasted a couple of days but at least we tried ha).
One lovely night in the bar two girls decided to start kissing full pelt on the dance floor. Of course you can imagine the reaction from the crowd within minutes the men were flocking. What a let down to women it was so embarrassing but Karen did seem to be enjoying herself. No seriously all jokes aside, we both looked at eachother in horror and just laughed. You would not believe the misfits here that we have met it is almost like being at home but with a warped twist to the recipe.
Ok so you are thinking ok girls did you actually venture anywhere other than the bar well yes we sure did and here is a brief summary of our adventures.
THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD TRIP
We took a coach trip with our first stop being Bells Beach a very famous surfing dude's haven. Lovely but quite rough currents so only the for bravehearted but a great spot to visit in the sunshine.
Appollo Bay - a small but beautiful town again being famous for its surfing. With lovely bars and side street cafes' a holiday makers haven for a retreat of tranquility.
The 12 Apostles - this place blew us away. As you will see from the pics this is so amazing but you had to be there to really take it in. There are apparently only now 8 Apostles now standing as within millions of years the weather and tides have torn away at the rock formations that create this Australian wonder. Magnificent one of our highlights so far.
London Bridge (is falling down and did) - Ok so a married couple were stranded on the tip of this rock formation when the middle section completely collapsed into the sea. When you look at the pictures you will see that it looks like someone has literally cut it with a knife and the chunk that is missing is so neat. The couple were of course air rescued to safety but when the press approached them for their stories they were very reluctant to talk. The reason being is that they were not married to each other they were having an affair. I am not sure if they ever divorced but it just shows you can't have secrets.
Loch Ard Gorge - 54 people were emigrating from England to Australia so on the eve of their arrival had a party onboard. When the waves reached breaking point the ship overturned and 52 died. One male survivor was able to save an 18 year old girl. For days they clambered up the rocks of the gorge and the man went for help. Needless to say the girl then returned to her family in England and her rescuer died at the wee age of only 42 years old. Very sad but true.
Port Campbell - this reminded us of a lego village. Quaint small architecture, a couple of local cafes' and bistros' but a lovely beach. Not a main Port as such but just the odd fisherman's boat moored to enhance the picturesque views.
PORT MELBOURNE
Not really much to see here other than the main cruise ships that regularly sail in from Tazmania. With Naval cadets working hard on the Port the views were not all bad. Sparce with scenic views and places of interest the local bar was the only real place that we saw.
All in all we both loved our time in Melbourne.
