Leaving the Outback - flying down to Melbourne

Another day, another destination.

I am now in the lauded city of Melbourne, capital of the state of Victoria and proud pocessor of the title - the most "liveable" city in the world. I sit on my bed at the Claremont, a terrific hotel in the suburb of South Yarra. The view outside is sprinkled with rain - I've swapped the blue skies of the Northern Territory for the cold of early spring Melbourne. Its been another plane journey and I do not have to move destinatios for four days and when I do I shall leave from Spencer Street Station not Tularmarine airport.

Is this what Australians think of England? Australia with the sun turned off? Come to think of it they may be right...

My room comes with a TV set. You can learn alot about a country via their TV. Every news show seems to feature London. They seem obcessed with us - looking over their shoulder all the time.But their news shows and documentaries are pretty impressive  - although they have as much trash as the rest of the world. I vegetated in front of 'Australian Idol' They also had the BBC's 'Jamies Kitchen'. I avoid this like the plague back home but I was strangely drawn to it tonight. It was set on an English beach in Cornwall where the big-tongued one cooked a bar-b-que for his Aussie friends. Is this what Australians think of England? Australia with the sun turned off? Come to think of it they may be right.

Ten hours earlier I was in Alice Springs. I put my name down for the airport bus and packed away. Once again there wasnt a cloud in the sky and it was already getting warm. Toddy's backpackers havent been all bad, I wanted an Australian hostel experience and I got it. The staff are lovely and so are the guests. So I sat with my pack outside reception and waited for the pickup. I was smack in the middle of a stream of aboriginal who filed past on their way to Toddy's laundry. I got to see them close up - plain features, dark eyes, red hair and saggy boobs. One aboriginal girl had a plastic snake and was scaring her compatriots. I could hear the shrieks as I boarded the bus.

Then it was down South Gap Road to the airport.One more look at the tough terrain of the Northern Territory and then took my eticket to Qantas. Then through extensive security - you know when even Alice Springs is worried about terrorism the world has definitely changed. Then a walk across the tarmac to the small plane and its attendant flies. Then we were up over the red/bown/yellow Outback and heading south. I had two old ladies next to me flying in from Broome. Now that is a remote city - perched in the desolate remote northwest part of the continent. It sounded idyllic - cloudless days, saphire seas and pearl diving museums.

As we headed south the topography changed from bleached desert to green fields and rolling hills. We finally touched down at 2.53pm. At the baggage reclaim I was next to a Kiwi family who were making funny remarks about Australians. The Australians and New Zealanders have quite a rivalry. But chuckling to myself I caught the "Skybus" which will take me as far as Spencer Street station. I craned my neck to get a first look at the city as we sped in on its freeways but all I could make out was car-lots and suburban homes.

Spencer Street station was a building site getting ready for the 2006 Commonwealth games. I caught a taxi to South Yarra which is a posh "suburb" to the east of the CBD. Victorian mansions lined the road and we passed green parks and the Claremont was simply an entrance on to the street behind a wrought iron door. The taxi was $20 and the hotel was immediately enchanting. A huge grand staircase, portraits on the walls and a rich carpet.

I checked in and realised I had gone above the hungry stage. The last time I ate was a snack in Alice and with the little food we got on the Outback trip I was beginning to think my stomach had shrunk. So it was a huge chimichanga and a whole beaker of lemonade. That did the trick.