Australia - Melbourne

View of Melbourne from the Dandenongs
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After dropping off our campervan we checked into a Hostel for 1 night in Melbourne. The Hostel was pretty cool and was situated above an Irish Pub which was handy! It was nice to have a good sleep in a proper bed after the campervan though.

The next day we were picked up by Teresa's ex work colleague from Oxford Uni (Karen). It was really nice as Karen gave us a tour of some of the sites in the City Centre before heading back to hers. That evening we were treated to a real Australian BBQ which was really good, it was also nice to have some proper home cooking after the endless pasta and veggie sausages in the campervan! In the evening we spent time with Karen's daughter Julie and her husband Doug, this was good fun and we even managed to beat the Aussies (and a Kiwi) at a quiz game.... beginners luck!

Domaine Chandon
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The next day we met up with Julie again who showed us some of the cool places to get something to drink, eat or to have a coffee. We were also shown around the laneways of Melbourne and had the most amazing hot chocolate in a place called Koko Black, this was a really cool day as we would not have found our own way to places like that. That evening we were again treated to some home cooking before watching a film.

On Sunday we went out with Karens family for the day and much to Teresa's joy we visited Ramsay Street of Neighbours fame (although to Teresa's dismay the road is not actually called Ramsay Street but Pin Oak Court!) We did get some good photo's though and Karens husband Peter even made a Ramsay Street sign to take with us. After that we went to the Dandenong Ranges National Park to have lunch and were surrounded by brightly coloured birds, we also went up to a viewpoint that had an amazing view of Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay.

Wine tasting
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In the afternoon we went to the Domaine Chandon Vineyard and did a tasting of the sparkling wine which was really good fun and something we would not have found on our own. We then visited Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander Winery where we had a drink. Teresa also found a new favourite wine called Moscato (thanks Julie). To finish the day off nicely we then went to a Alehouse where we tried a tasting set of local beers.

The next day we were back on our own and at the Hostel above the pub again, on Monday we did the tourist things and went on a guided tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) which was really interesting although the Aussies have been a bit too successful at Cricket for our liking! We then spent nearly 2 hours in a amazing shop called Something Aussie where we bought a didgeridoo. To end the day we went to the viewing deck of the Rialto Building which gave us amazing views of the city and its landmarks.

Us at the MCG
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On Tuesday we met up with Julie and Doug and were taken to another amazing coffee/pastry shop before visiting Melbourne Zoo.This was really cool and we were able to see Kangaroos jumping around, Wombats and Echidnas as well as the more traditional 'zoo animals'. On that night we stayed at Julie and Dougs house as they had generously offered to put us up for the night and to take us to the airport for our flight to Cairns (even though it left at 6.30am), thanks again guys.

We now have 4 days in Cairns before we start our scuba diving course on the 17th which we can't wait for.

Rod Laver Arena
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We would both like to thank Karen, Peter, Julie, Doug and the rest of the family for making 2 poms feel very welcome in Melbourne and for showing us things that we would just not have found without local knowledge and of course for the home cooked meals!

Till next time,

Barney and Teresa

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