Flies in Australia!

Okay! So! Flies!

Here in Australia flies don't know much about personal space and in my opinion are very brave creatures.

They are always landing on you and think that landing on your face isn't annoying. I even blow on them to get rid of them but they still just sit there.

The worst flies I have met so far have been in the outback...at Uluru there would be about 5 or 6 flying around your face and landing on you all the time. Even getting behind my sunglasses and in my eye. I sat there with my hands over my ears because they also liked to venture in there too and I couldnt stand that! I didn't even go when the flies were bad! I'm glad I haven't accidentally eaten one yet...but there is still time for that to happen!  

Saying goodbye to Melbourne

Only a few days left in Melbourne before I had to be back at work!

I had already said goodbye to Kelly and Joaquín. I spent the Monday with Kate and Reggie at the library so I could sort out my vote for the election that was coming up in the UK. I then headed over to Ashleigh's where I was staying for the night to drop my bag before heading up to the Eureka tower...this is the tallest building in Melbourne and has some amazing views of the city. 

I got there just in time for the sunset but it was not a very good one because of the distant fog. It was amazing to see the lights come up on the city as it got darker and darker. 

I also got to experience the edge...this is a glass box that comes out the side of the building and you get a 360° view. After finishing up there it was time to head back to Ashleigh's but someone messaged me as they were returning from work and we met to say a final goodbye. Joaquín and I took a short walk down by the river and then to the tram stop once again. It was sad to say goodbye as I was not sure when I would see him again. Ashleigh cooked dinner for us (Kate and I), this was a lovely evening, we had a good girly chat.

It was then time to say goodbye to Ashleigh (thank you for letting me stay over for the night and for dinner), Kate and I headed back to hers and went to get our nails done before it was time to head to the airport. Kate drove me there, we said our final goodbye but I know this is not the last time we will see each other, even though we have not planned anything.

Board my flight back to Sydney and arrived back at work.

Great Ocean Road - Road Trip

Day 1 - Friday 12th
The day has arrived for the Great Ocean Road road trip!!! I meet Joaquín and Kelly at the train station and we head over to Kate's, loaded everything in the car and we were ready to go. Putting my seat belt on and crash! Kate didn't see the post straight behind and smack right into it...good start! The car is ok (only a small crack) and we are all fine so off we head to the Great Ocean Road! We join it just after Torque and we come across the most amazing views of the coast. 

Our first stop was a beach in Lorne and then we took a walk down the peir before heading to Wye River for lunch but on arrival the kitchen was shut so it was a quick drink and snacks instead. Next stop was Kennet River, we took a walk up the track and there were so many birds waiting for people to feed them...one landed on Kelly's head! 

We spotted 7 Koalas. 

Another quick beach stop where we saw some rock pools with lots of tiny shells and starfish before our last stop for the day. Apollo Bay is where we stayed for the night. We were all quite hungry so checked in and went out found the first restaurant we saw...yummy Italian food. Chilled and chatted at the hostel before bed; Joaquín came in my bed for a cuddle and ended up falling asleep there all night.

Day 2 - Saturday 13th
We take a walk along the shop fronts and get some breakfast which we take along to the beach...a great morning for breakfast on the beach and a paddle.

 The first stop today was Otway National Park for a walk around the lush rainforest.

 Back on the road again for a stop at the oldest mainland lighthouse in Australia.

 We also looked for whales but we didn't see any. The main stop for the day was the 12 Apostles...even though it only has 7 Apostles and never have there been 12 it still has that name! 

We arrived just in time to see a spectacular sunset, we climbed 86 steps down Gibson Steps to a beach where we saw only one apostle. Joaquín was taking a photo of the 3 of us girls and a wave came way to close; Kelly and I ran away but Kate decided to launch herself 10 feet into the air and dive into the sand! Which was so so funny! 

(This is the moment just before it happened.)

We then saw the other Apostles with the sunset, which was so beautiful. 

The last stop for the night was Warrnamabool, on the dark drive there we drive through Peterborough! 

Arriving at the accommodation we have a great night drinking and laughing in the pub below.

Day 3 - Sunday 14th
This day mostly consisted of driving back to Melbourne. We took an inland route which was quicker than going back the way we came. First we did take a stop at Bells Beach where we sat and enjoyed the view and the surfers for a while. 

On the way back Joaquín said I'm going to take a nap, well that didn't happen when the 3 of us were singing at the tops of our voices to the whole Chicago musical soundtrack. Last stop before Melbourne was Torque for fish and chips by the beach as we missed stopping here on the first day. We had such an amazing weekend taking in the great sights and sounds of the Great Ocean Road.

Melbourne - Part 2 - 08.05.17 - 11.05.17

8th May
Arrived back in Melbourne from Alice Springs...I went back to Kate's and saw the boys (Lofty and Reggie). We forgot all about swimming so it was a mad dash out the door for swimming lessons. After swimming it was homework time then monopoly time but it was a short game as it was bed time for the boys and I had to sort my bags out. Made my way to the hostel and had a great nights sleep.

9th May
The next morning Kate picks me up with Reggie and we head to St Kilda's beach for a stroll along the promenade and a dip in the sea (only ankle deep...it's definitely not warm enough for a swim).

 After we head down to Brighton (yes, again I am still in Australia). This beach had about 100 beach huts lined all along it, beautifully and individually painted.

After a great day at the beach I got ready for a meal out with Joaquín...I was shocked to learn last week that he has never eaten Indian food so I took him for Indian. We had Aloo Gobi, butter chicken, paratha (a bread) and rice. I think he liked it, I know I did. After dinner we went for a drink and we chatted for hours before I had to get the tram back to the hostel.

10th May
This was quite a packed day - first I was off on the Neighbours tour, Kate and I had a great tour guide - Natalie. She was great, talked all the way to "Ramsey Street" about the programme and characters. 

I learnt that it is a real street that people actually live on, not a set...they have around the clock security. The residents have to keep their blinds down all the time so it looks the same when they film there. They also have to apply if they want to change anything about there house/garden so that it can be written into the script. We then took a drive to the studio and as we arrived we passed some filming - I won't say what as I don't want to give it away to those Neighbours fans reading this as it will take 3 months for that to be aired. I also got to meet Ben Nicholas who played Stingray, he even signed my card for me and my mum. 

On returning Kate and I went to Ashleigh's (another friend from the India tour) and went out for pizza. It was great to see her again and catch up. Kate and I then went to 'Naked for Satan', a bar with an amazing view of the city, we watched the sun set then the moonrise. It was free drink night at the Turf (another bar) so off I went with Kate, Kelly and some guys from the hostel...we drank, played pool and danced. Wanting an earlier night we all left, Joaquín walked me to the tram stop, missed the first one and waiting and waiting for the next one when a queue formed in front of me...there was an accident on the tracks and no trams could go anywhere...ended up getting a taxi, so much for an early night when I get to bed at 2am!

11th May
Phillip Island trip...another day tour today. I got picked up from my hostel, the last one to board the bus. There was 6 others on the tour some from the UK the others from Singapore. Our first stop was Brighton beach to see the huts and this time I learnt that the last one to be sold went for over $300,000 - they have no electricity and you can't stay in them over night. The next stop was to look out over the peninsula but it was quite a foggy day so we couldn't see far, it was then off to lunch. We stopped off at a winery called the Green Olive, the food was delicious. 

I had a glass of wine with bread, crackers, cheese, hummus, meatballs and a rice salad. Our next stop on the tour was Moonlit Sanctuary which run conservation programmes for endangered Australian animals. After wondering around we hopped back on the bus for the main and best bit of the tour...Phillip Island for the penguins. First we stopped at a beach to stretch our legs. Then penguin time...we sat on a platform above the beach and as the sun was setting the penguins started to come in from the sea, we watched groups of them waddle up the beach and went back to their homes and others that didn't go out that day. 

Me with my tour group.

It was amazing to hear the noise they made when they were calling and greeting each other.  After the full moon had risen (another spectacular sight) it was time to head back to the hostel. What a fun day out this has been and an early night was needed for the super exciting weekend ahead!

Alice Springs and Uluru

Landing in Alice Springs and after checking in Kate and I waited for Olivia to arrive. I was so nice to see Liv again...we were going to have the best of time this weekend! We all went out for dinner and found a pub after grabbing a few snacks from the shops. Just as we were about to order...oh no!!! Olivia had lost her phone...we went back to the shop but it wasn't there, I asked if she had even brought it out with her?! We took a look on phone finder and there it was...Liv went back to the hostel and it was under her pillow. We had such a grate chat over dinner and caught up on things. Bed time ready for our 5am wake up.

Day 1
It was still dark when we woke. We waited for our tour bus to pick us up and when the bus was full we were off on our adventures. Our tour guide introduced himself as Andrew and for the first few hours I think the whole bus slept. After a nap I had time to take in the view of a straight road that just went on and on forever. I was surprised by how many trees and bushes are actually in the outback and the ground is so red! 

Lunch was rolls on the bus before arriving at King's Canyon. Here we took a 3 hour hike the first bit was the hardest, climbing up many steps. 

I learnt something on this hike: a canyon is only one way in and out, as it goes into a point and a gorge you can walk through...and with that fact - the Grand Canyon is actually a gorge, so why do they call it a Canyon?

We still had not had a group introduction by this point but I did start a conversation with Guido (aka - David) from Amsterdam. I was interested in what he had been upto in Australia. After a wonderful hike we found the last bathrooms we would see for the night and headed to our campsite. On the way we had to collect firewood...Olivia and I obviously found the best wood! Mind you this was a fallen tree but by the time we got it out and dragged it to the bus it was already loaded and tied up. The only thing I took from that was a splinter. We finally arrived at our campsite for the night which was on a property the same size as Belgium! It's so hard to get your head around how big Australia actually is.

It was straight out of the bus and on with the cooking...the French in the group just stood around while Olivia and I got stuck into the cooking - I cut the onions. 

We had chillie with pasta and veg. We also got to try an Australian bread cooked on the fire called 'damper'. It was all very delicious, I ate my whole plate up. After dinner we rolled our swags out around the fire. Swags are a cavans cocoon with a thin mattress inside which you pop your sleeping bag in.

Made another friend around the fire this was Katy from England. As we still didn't do a group introduction...our tour guide just was not interested. It was time to start settling in for the night. The toilet was a drop toilet behind some corrugated iron. I found the first night a bit uncomfortable and had freezing cold feet!

Day 2
Laying there in the early hours of the morning after the moon had set and looking up at the stars was so amazing. I saw so many shooting stars. Packed up in the dark and got breakfast as the sun was coming up. Jumped back in the bus and made our way over to Kata Tjuta for an hours hike. 

Before we started the hike Andrew explained to us how these rocks had formed millions of years ago when India came crashing into Australia! This explains  why the sediment lines are at a 90° angle on Uluru (formally known as Aires Rock). With the view of Uluru on the horizon we grabbed lunch before making our way to the Aboriginal Culture Centre to learn more about the Aboriginal way of life and why the land and Uluru is important to them and their rituals. Andrew then took us to a waterhole at Uluru, he told us an Aboriginal story and showed us some cave paintings. 

Some of these paintings had worn away or where no longer there because in the past people would throw water on them to bring out the colours so they would get a better photo...now we can't enjoy them! Time to catch the sunset over Uluru, we park up started dinner; I was in charge of cutting onions again! It was such a beautiful sight - the rock became so red. 

Monty enjoyed watching too. After sunset we headed back to camp. This night we stayed at a different site which had flushing toilets. Swags out, fire burning and songs playing - a good night. Because I didn't want cold feet again I put and extra layer on, tights. Eventually we settled down in our swags - I had a much comfier night. I had left some rubbish by my head that I was going to pack away in the morning but I heard it move and got scared that dingos where by my head  eating it but I take a peek and saw this pair of legs that belonged to Olivia...phew! Olivia went to the toilet and I watched the stars. On her return and trying to get back in her swag she lost her balance and landed on top of me, I burst out laughing and couldn't stop...I ended up waking up the whole camp...woops! It was very funny though! I am still laughing about it now.

Day 3
Up before sunrise again, packed up everything quickly and went back to the same spot as sunset to watch the sunrise.

As the sun was coming up over the horizon we enjoyed breakfast. After taking some amazing photos we went off to Uluru for a base walk, this went all the way around Uluru and was 11 km around. The 4 of us (Olivia, Kate, Katy and I) enjoyed this 2 and a half hour walk seeing Uluru up close.

 Some parts on the way around were not to be photographed because of it being sacred.

After finishing this hike it was time to board the bus, drop some people off at the airport and then make the journey back to Alice Springs. This was a long journey, had some lunch on the way back but at one point I thought we wouldn't make it! The bus was over heating but after giving it a pit stop we made it just in time to check in and finally have a shower after 3 days! Some of us were smelly after all the sweating and hiking in the heat. We got ourselves ready and met up at the Rock pub with Andrew and some of the others in the group for a meal and drinks.

It was such a shame that I got speaking to some of the group on the last night but they also had the same thought about not having a group introduction...which would of made the weekend even more enjoyable because we would of all made many more friends. The food was good and I enjoyed the drinks but it was time to hit the pillow.

Day 4
This was a sad day because I had to say goodbye to Olivia not knowing when I will get to see her again! I do love Olivia, she is such a lovely person and a great friend...I will miss you!

This was mainly a travelling day; catching a flight back with Kate to Melbourne then taking the SkyBus back into the city and making our way to Kate's house.

Melbourne - Part 1 - 01.05.17 - 04.05.17

HOLIDAY TIME

After a busy day at work and packing up all my things, I was off to the airport to catch my 10pm flight to Melbourne. This was not a great flight as my ears were killing me but after a short time I landed and caught the SkyBus into Melbourne. Then found my way to my hostel at 1am...crept into the dark room and found a bed.

Before even getting up I was rudely awaken by my bed breaking...the person on top moved and got out then a metal rod hit me in the bum!  

After breakfast I spent my first day in Melbourne by joining the free walking tour (same as I did in Sydney). I saw bits of Melbourne and found out some great places to eat, drink and visit. I was quite tired so after getting some food I headed back to the hostel to chill out, I meet some Chilean guys - really got chatting to Joaquín and Przemek from Poland who was also in my dorm.

Day 2 - I saw Kate again!!!...we spent ages chatting over Nandos, she is now working as a Nannying for a lovely family with 2 boys. After Nandos we took a walk through the botanical gardens on the way to the Shrine of Remembrance.

In the evening I met one of her friends Kelly and we went to the Croft Institute - this was an interesting bar we got syringes to drink our drinks with and there was a hospital bed in the toilets! After drinks it was Chinese time!

Road trip time - Kate, Kelly and I went to The Dangenong Ranges these are an hour drive from Melbourne and you get a great view of the city on a clear day. 

We saw kookaburras and many cockatoos near the waterfall. We ventured down a forbidden path and got to the foot of the waterfalls.

It was a great day exploring. On returning to the hostel it was free drink night out at a bar so I went along with the Chileans. They kept dropping home like flies, it ended up being just Joaquín and I so we went for a walk through the park on the way back and saw loads of possums...they were even brave enough to come up to us, I sat on a bench and was having a photo with one when it turned it's back on my and almost pooed on me! I quickly jumped up at lightening speed.

4th May
This was the day I packed up, made my way with Kate to the airport and caught our flight to Alice Springs. The flight was great and the view out the window was nothing I've seen before and was just miles and miles of red.