Every time is wine o'clock 'Down-under'!

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Arriving with no concept of time in Melbourne, Australian customs was the strictest customs we had ever come across, and by declaring our sweets from the plane got us through quicker than those people with nothing to declare who all had to have their suitcases scanned.  A 13 hour sleep later we were ready to hit the city.  We were staying with our friend Brooke who has made us really welcome and shown us around.

Brooke's first stop was one of Lizzi's highlights, Chapel Street, full of trendy, designer and alternative shops and great cafes.  The size of Nick's chocolate mousse cake was astronomical but it didn't defeat him!  After a good walk, leaving Nick to talk to random strangers and practise photography whilst the girls shopped, we headed out for the evening.  The Eureka tower has only been open for 3 months and is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere, the tallest residential building in the world and has an extremely fast lift.  From the 88th floor we could look out at the city lit up at night, and the experience provided a sensory overload as the walls are floor to ceiling glass, the floors uneven and slanted and strips of neon lighting provide information on Melbourne and Melbournians.  To finish off we ate on the southbank and enjoyed people watching in the casino.  Needless to say some nationalities seemed to prefer some games to others and some hadn't quite developed a poker face!!

'its a tough decision deciding which place is most up to scratch to perch your bottom!'

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Knowing our love of wine Brooke took us for rather a liquid Sunday!  She had picked out 2 wineries from the Yarra Valley for us to sample.  De Bortolli is more commercial and sells in the UK and Shantell is a boutique winery, whose wines we would rank amoung our favourite.  Definitely the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay we have ever tasted, and those are the grapes for which this region is famous.  Unforunately we didn't get tickets for the footie, so instead we went to a pub in Richmond where we could join the after match crowd and be initiated into Aussie Rules footie and meet Brooke's uni mates, before a night out in the suburbs.

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The next day we had to navigate the city ourselves and managed to walk it all packing in the Gaol, the Laneways, Federation Square, the Yarra River and the Botanical Gardens.  One thing Melbourne really does well is its coffee culture and its a tough decision deciding which place is most up to scratch to perch your bottom!

Tuesday we visited the Great Ocean Road and stopping enroute were incredibly lucky to spot 2 whales close to shore.  Walking along the beach was incredibly windy and to do the Great Ocean Road justice we will have to return to drive it for a couple of days and make it at least as far as the 12 apostles.  Had we gone much further we would probably have been able to spot wild Koalas!  We returned via Williamstown on the waterfront in Melbourne from which you have a great view over the water towards the city.

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On our last full day in Melbourne we visited an excellent exhibition at ACMI on Pixar animations and learnt all about the hundreds of hours that goes into make each Pixar animation and were really impressed with the artwork.  We also indulged rather cheesily in the official Neighbours tour!  We visited the school used for Erinsbourgh High, the cul de sac used for Ramsay Street where we saw a scene being filmed and the Studios, where we saw 'Carpenters Cars', the Famous bus stop and 'Grease Monkeys'.  We also got to meet Susan Kennedy!!  We have really loved Australia and are sad to leave however tommorrow it will be a quick 'Bula Vinaka' to Fiji!!....