The Trip Down South: Melbourne

After my trip to Hobart, Tasmania I got to spend a week in Melbourne. It is a great city that is very artsy and modern. That being said, there is a lot of Victorian history that is in Melbourne and I had a lot of fun being a total tourist for a week.

I arrived in Melbourne on Saturday night, October 22^nd. I got checked into my hostel, and bedded down for the night in a very squeaky bed. On Sunday I just wandered about the city getting my bearings. After using the free internet at the good ol’ McDonalds, I got on the free City Circle tram and went to the Flagstaff Gardens. It was a beautiful day so I sat in the park and soaked in the sunshine. It is starting to get very hot here as summer is just around the corner. I am probably the only odd-ball that is craving cold weather, snow, and a pair of skies.

Monday was much more of a productive day. It started with another trip to McDonalds for internet so that I could catch up on emails, facebook and things like that. Next I went to the Immigration Museum. It was really interesting and a very good museum. They had true stories and accounts of immigrates dating back to the 1800s. After the museum I went to the very famous, Federation Square next to the Flinders Street Railway Station. Federation Square is a very scaled down Times Square, but the same idea. It is a basic meeting place and open lounge area in the middle of the city. It is surrounded by little galleries, cafes, restaurants and things like that. One exhibit on display was ABBAWORLD. For those of you who know me and my love of Mamma Mia! there was no way that I was going to pass this up. It was a little hokey, and cheeky, but still fabulous. They had the original costumes from Abba’s touring years as well as records, albums, and lots of pictures. I had a ball. To wrap up the day I walked to Town Hall. It really is just a beautiful building that stands in the middle of the city. Lots of the buildings in Melbourne are old, rustic, historic and really breath taking.

Tuesday was another very busy day. This time is started with going to the Victoria State Library rather than the very classy McDonalds. After the library I went to the Old Melbourne Gaol, which is the old prison. It is most famous for being the execution sight of the bush walker Ned Kelly in the late 1880s. After the Gaol, I went to the Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition building. One of the exhibits in the museum was “The Melbourne Story”. It was a detailed history of the first landing in Melbourne all the way up to present day. It was really interested and very fun to see all of artifacts. I spent the rest of the day there before grabbing sushi for dinner.

On Wednesday, I switched hostels because I was meeting a friend. That afternoon I went to the Australian Museum for the Moving Image. It was very interested, but all of the lights and images started to make you go dizzy after too long. Thursday we were supposed to go on a tour of the Great Ocean Road, but it was full so we pushed that to Friday instead. So on Thursday, we took the City Circle Tram to the Parliament building and walked around the many churches there. St. Patrick’s Cathedral is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. It was so regal with its gothic architecture, and tons of blooming flowers surrounding the grounds. I will have to post pictures. Thursday afternoon I walked around the theater district and saw some of the most beautiful theaters in the world I think. Princess Theatre was where Hairspray was playing and it really looked more like a mansion or a palace than a theatre. Pictures will come soon for that too.

Friday was the long awaited Great Ocean Road tour. It was an early morning; we were picked up from our hostel at 7:30 AM. Our day started off with an hour or so drive to Bells Beach. It is a famous surfing spot and I guess there was Patrick Swayze film made about it, but they filmed it in Portland Oregon. It was a beautiful spot and that is where we had morning tea. Unfortunately, there were not huge waves so there were not attractive surfer boys roaming around.

The next stop was the Great Ocean Road archway. The archway is actually a memorial to soldiers of World War I that built the road. The archway that is there today is the third archway that has been built because the others have burned down in bush fires. So in a way, the memorial archway is a memorial to a memorial to a memorial.

After that we drove along the GOR through Lorne and Anglesea, stopped to see wild Koalas and birds and then continued on until Apollo Bay where we stopped for lunch—grilled fish and chips with salad. After a guided walk through some inner land bush territory we went to the Loch Ard Gorge. This is famous because of a shipwreck in the late 1800s. The gorge was breathtaking and the water was the most beautiful colours you have ever seen: a seafoam green that darkened to the deepest cobalt blue. After the gorge, we went to the 12 Apostles.

It turns out that we were lucky that we went on Friday and not Thursday because on Thursday both the 12 Apostles and London Bridge were closed to the public because they were doing bush burning. The 12 Apostles are big limestone pillars in the middle of the ocean. They used to be archways but over time, the arches have fallen away. The funny part of the story is that there never were 12. People named them the 12 Apostles in order to gain a tourist attraction but in fact there were only 9. Since then, one has fallen away into the sea, so now there are only 8.

The last stop of the day was to London Bridge. How clever of a name, but yes it is London Bridge and it did fall down. It’s basically just a large outcropping of the land into the ocean. But in January of 1990 part of it collapsed, so now there is a big gap between the land in the ocean and the mainland. There is a bit of a story as well: Two people were on London Bridge when it collapsed. They were married, and not harmed, but only stranded on the far side of the bridge. Someone saw the bridge collapse and went to the police station shouting, “London Bridge has fallen down!!!” Everyone laughed at him, but he was so worked up about it that one police officer believed him. They called the Melbourne Rescue service but the only helicopter they could get at the time was a Channel 7 news helicopter so in return for the helicopter, they took a reporter and cameraman. When they went to rescue the two people the man and woman hid their faces from the camera. Turns out, that they were taking a sikkie (“sick day from work”) and didn’t want to have their bosses see where they were, also they were married but not to each other. So they were having an affair and didn’t want their spouses finding out.

We got back to Melbourne late on Friday night and went straight to sleep. We had an early day this morning catching the train at 8:40 to Adelaide. Now I am on the train and have been for eight or so hours. Two more to go and I will be in Adelaide!

Starting the Trip: Hobart

Elizabeth's tour of Southern Australia has begun! I left Brisbane last Wednesday night and flew to Melbourne. I had a flight to Hobart early Thursday morning so I didn't want to get a hostel for the night. I stayed the night in the airport which turned out to be better than I expected. I found a very comfy couch to set up camp at, and just read my book most of the night. I managed to sleep on and off, for about two hours total. At 4:30 AM I checked in for my flight to Hobart.

I was getting pretty tired so I slept very well on my flight to Hobart. I was lucky enough to have Kat (a friend from the orientation in Cairns) come and pick me up. We went back to her house where she treated me to homemade french toast. Turns out that Thursday happened to be Hobart Show Day and a public holiday. It basically is like Ekka in Brisbane but in a much smaller scale. So we met up with our friends (more from the Cairns orientation and others) and headed to the show. It was a very fun day walking around the carnival grounds and taking in the sights of Hobart. We left the show at about 5:00 PM and headed back to Ian's house where we made pizzas for dinner. We even made the dough from scratch. It was getting to be pretty late, so Kat and I went back up to her house and went straight to sleep.

Friday was a bit of a chill day. I was so tired that I slept in and had a leisurely morning. Then we walked around the town before going to a friends house for dinner. After dinner we all went to the International Party where you had to dress like the country that you are from. I just went with red, white and blue. I wasn't prepared for a theme dance party.

Saturday we woke up early and went to the very famous Salamanca Markets. Right by the wharf are tons of shops and stalls that are fun to walk through. They have everything imaginable from Opera singers, to Aboriginal art, and clothing. You could spend all day there, and we basically did. We walked all throughout the city which involved lots of hills. Unfortunately, I had a plane to catch so we had to return back to the houses and I had to pack up.

Saturday night I flew into Melbourne where I am now. Thanks to McDonald's, on free internet. The trip is just beginning and pictures will come once I return to Brisbane.

Cheers!

Semester's End

It's hard to believe that the end of the semester down under is coming to a close. Next week is the last week of classes, then I get to travel for a couple weeks, return to Brisbane to take an exam, finally get to see my parents and brother and then I will be back in the good ol' U.S. of A.

But I am getting ahead of myself, how about a little catch up first:

A few weeks ago we had our Mid Semester Break. It was a pretty relaxed and low key week off from school. I took a trip one day to the local XXXX Brewery to learn and taste the beer that they make there. It was a very fun afternoon, the tour took you all throughout the factory and we got to see the assembly lines, and how everything works. At the end, you get to taste the beers on tap, which include the Summer Lager. It's the only place in the world that you can get that beer on tap.

The rest of the week was spent outdoors, doing different things around Brisbane. The final weekend of the break we took a trip to Noosa on the sunshine coast which was lovely and relaxing. Unfortunately, it is rainy season here so the weather hasn't been too friendly, but it didn't affect us too badly.

The past two weeks have been pretty busy because of school work. Sadly, I couldn't convince my lecturers and tutors that I was on a four month long vacation and therefore had to write some essays and study for a test. I did however get the royal treatment for my fashion article. I am writing about all of the "hotspots" in Brisbane, and because of that, I got to go get a manicure and a day at the spa, all for free! I just have to write about it. I enjoyed an hour long massage, and a 45 minute hot tub session with champagne and dark chocolate. I tell you, I have had such a hard hard semester down here. I have no idea how I am supposed to renter the real world.

Next week is the final leg of school. The classes are wrapping up and the semester's end is very very close. After classes on Monday and Wednesday I will be done, and I will be leaving Wednesday night for a two week trip down south. I am starting in Melbourne, but only staying there one night before going to Hobart, Tasmania. I will spend three days there catching up with a few friends from the Orientation way back in June. Then it's back to Melbourne for 5 days. Then I will be taking the train from Melbourne to Adelaide. I will have one day in Adelaide before I get a bus for 11 hours into the outback to Coober Pedy. After two days in the outback its back to Adelaide and then right back to Brisbane. The best part of this two week trip is that I will be living out of a backpack. And mark my words, I will be able to do it. I can pack light despite popular belief :).

After my trip I have to study and take my one history final. Then I have a week to pack and get things in order before my parents get to Australia. I am so beyond excited to see them. After a week traveling around in Australia, we start the journey home but stop first for a week in New Zealand where Joey (my brother) is meeting up with us. I am so excited to see everyone. Then it will be back home.

I can't believe that it is all coming to an end so quickly. Here's to livin' it up for the last few weeks!