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Unfortunately (though quite avoidably) we arrived in Melbourne a day later than David and Chloe were expecting us. Its not our first error with dates, but at least we haven't missed a flight yet. We successfully found their house but knowing that they were out 'til 1pm we sat in their garden waiting patiently for them to return. I have never known heat like this (and this was only a fraction of how hot it became after we left Melbourne). The wind was actually like a hot hairdryer and did nothing to cool you down. I took to lying on the concrete floor to gain some relief. Little did we know that there were actually another entrance to the house and Chloe and Kiki were patiently waiting for us, inside. That's karma coming back to us after causing them a bit of early morning pain and worry when we failed to arrive at the airport the previous day. But anyway, it was great to see them all, and also have some more luxurious living conditions. We took a stroll along the seafront and then had some amazingly succulent lamb done on the 'barbie'. Already quite envious of their set-up here in Melbourne...
The next day we all took the tram (just like NET but without the rain and hoodlums) to Southbank (just like on the Thames but without the rain). We had another nice stroll around and drank iced coffee and chocolate, followed by the biggest portion of ice cream I have ever eaten (and that's a lot). Back at home, we ate the classic Australian dish of BBQ shrimps (again, delicious), after also stocking upon gorgeous deli food for our picnic tomorrow.
The following day we went into town by ourselves to sort out some flights and just get more of an idea of what Melbourne is like. We were quite impressed. Its pretty and in a way reminded us of the best bits of Nottingham. There were street artists and lots of posters that indicated a buzzing arts and cultural scene. We saw some trapeze artists, wandered round and then Lawrence went searching for record shops while I went to the Immigration Museum. It was one of the best museums I have been to for a while, and I spent much longer there than intended. It was informative and moving, and it made me cry more than once. Lawrence came too after his failed search. We also got in for free with our fake student cards bought in Bangkok which meant that they have already paid for themselves... result. We have found the people here really friendly and open too. In the evening we went to the Botanic Gardens to watch the Dark Knight on a big outdoor screen with our picnic, which was great, especially with giant bats circling round, very appropriate.
We suggested going to a park that looked quite good in the brochure, which turned out to be a bit of a let down to say the least. It was barren and we not tempted into paying to find the farm animals or crap playgrounds. There was a bit of a view of the Melbourne suburbs. But we didn't even get out of the car! So we gave up on suggesting things and let the locals decide... so they took us to another park which as much nicer. We ate some pie and went rowing down the billabong before heading home to pack and get ready to go out for the evening. We went to St Kildas (the happening part of town I think) and ate some amazing seafood with David and Chloe before going on a rollercoaster with David, which was good fun. Chloe went to bed (the joys of being pregnant) while David stayed up with drinking with us and did a good job of persuading us to get married and have children. It almost worked. During our stay they also did quite a good job of persuading us to move to Australia. It almost worked. So if we end in Melbourne – you'll know what for.
The big road trip started the next day – we had got a relocation deal for $1 a day to take a campervan from Melbourne to Sydney, and we had it from the Saturday to Tuesday. The first day we managed to get to Eden (it was good but paradise is going a bit far) after driving through quite a lot of boring scrubland or 'bush', some farmland and a bit of forested National Park. But in Eden we had fish and chips just like at home and found a campsite on the beach and life was good, still.
An early start and we went a few km further to Pambula where we saw loads of kangaroos (they are very cute, but I know they can be evil too). More driving before we stopped at a 'revive and survive' point where volunteers give you free tea and biscuits. As soon as they heard us talking, they claimed “we've got ourselves a couple of Poms” as if we were some wild animal they had trapped. But they were good natured really and gave us some advice on how to get to Bingi Bingi Point. This point on the coast was an old aborigine site, complete with midden mounds, beautiful rocks and a beach and strange flora. We saw our first surfer and had a little picnic by the van before heading off to Ulladulla where we planned to camp for the night.
Ulladulla was a bit dull and we weren't very impressed with the trail recommended in Lonely Planet. It was supposed to be a sort of history of the Aborigines story and culture, and how it was affected by the settlers, on a track through native flora. But we thought it was a bit lame and not very educational at all. I mentioned this to an Aussie couple we met later on the campsite and they explained that many Australians had no idea of Aboriginal culture or how they were affected and treated by the Western settlers. Weird. Anyway, we had another BBQ where we met Erin and Damon who ended up inviting us to stay with them in Sydney. That´s another thing about Australia – people are really open and trusting, and just a whole lot less reserved than us Brits. We were sometimes unnerved by complete strangers starting up conversations, giving us advice etc. We're just not that used to it, unless you're in a pub. We also saw some possums which are really cute although they may be a bit of a pest to some of the locals.
Australia Day (26th January) – we drove from Ulladulla to Coledale, but first we had breakfast by Lake Conjula. This was an interesting and amusing glimpse into fairly well-off Australian life, and the whole Australia Day thing. We parked up and saw that nearly everyone on the beach was wearing the Australian flag in one form or another, one had an amazing classic mullet (we weren't sure if it was a special wig for Australia Day). They were all waterskiing and suchlike and it looked quite fun. Lawrence also went to a classic 'dunny' which I think was unpleasant and full of ominous cobwebs but nevertheless part of the whole experience. Then we went onwards, stopping by Kiaora to see a blow hole, and then to Saddleback Mountain for lunch and a fantastic view of the area. We drove through Woolloongong but it didn't appeal – maybe because the traffic was a nightmare as the roads near the beaches were closed for Australia day celebrations; maybe because we saw quite a few inebriated students and thousands of people sharing the beach. It also seemed compulsory to have at least one item of clothing with the Australian flag on it, or a temporary tattoo at the least. I think we're just wary of this as in England it often symbolises far-right bigotry, racial hatred and xenophobia. Maybe it does here too, we just don't know it. We later heard a Kiwi describe the whole Australia Day experience as 'a bit American'. It´s funny because it´s true! We were listening to the radio all day which was broadcasting lots of Australian tunes, and a brilliant barbershop quartet who did a great medley of tunes, very funny. We must have heard about 5 versions of waltzing matilda!
The next day the same station was doing a discussion about Australia Day and how it marginalises Aboriginal people - seeing how it commemorates the first landing of Western settlers. Anyway, we got to Coledale where there were more families all having a good time and yet more barbecues. We borrowed a couple of boogie boards and headed into the surf, another little ambition ticked off.
The next morning it was raining (!), and after driving along the cliff road and some lush rainforest we dropped off the van in Sydney. We were to spend the next 3 nights with Mitch, our first couchsurfing host here. Firstly we were bowled over with the location – right in the middle of the city, in a plush apartment complete with tennis court on the roof. Mitch was also a great guy, witty and interesting and a good listener too. We had some more Qantas s*** to sort out, before we came back and cooked some traditional English food for him – bangers and mash.
Wednesday (28th January) and the weather was beautiful again. Lawrence and I walked round the Botanic Gardens to Circular Quay, where we saw the Opera House (actually really impressive building) and the Harbour Bridge (we walked along it). We also went to 'The Rocks', where the first convict settlers settled, which now is very gentrified to say the least. We went to a history museum and the Contemporary Art Gallery but by now it was time to go home and cook some more English fare – Shepherds' Pie.
Thursday was surfing day. Mitch took us to his parents' house in Manley to get surfboards and we headed off to the beach, a few minutes walk away. It was such good fun and I managed to catch a few waves with Mitch's help although I only ever did it on my knees rather than standing. It was hard to stand up without falling off though Lawrence managed it for about a second. It was so enjoyable I didn't pay attention to my stinging stomach, which, I realised afterwards, was rubbed raw from hauling myself on and off the board for hours on end wearing just a bikini. However, Lawrence wasn't lucky enough to be wearing a bikini. It all felt very Australian, just popping from the house to the beach, and loads of people were doing the same thing as us (don't they go to school or work?). That evening we had a tennis/beer party on the roof of the apartments (on a real court!) and I only hit one ball off into oblivion (or rather, some busy street in the CBD). I actually wasn't too bad and we even won a few sets. We met quite a few ex-pats, one of whom let us keep our backpacks in her office while we went round town the next day – things just keep working out for us here.
Friday was the day when we met our next couchsurfing hosts, Nick and Katrina. Within hours of getting there, Nick started us off on a huge bar crawl round Erskinville (the inner-city suburb where they lived). So we had a few drinks and met their lovely friends. It really reminded us of home – the bars, the pubs and the people. The next day we headed off to do the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee while Nick and Katrina made cheese with some friends. We treated ourselves again to fish and chips and watched lots of beach action, which included lots of people burning themselves, surf rescue, beach volleyball, games and more BBQs. The waves were excellent, luckily not as big as the ones in the 1930s where hundreds of sunbathers had to be rescued from the sea. The walk also took in a cemetery and some rugged coastline, and by the end we felt we deserved a drink. We went (unknowingly) to the hotel that had gained much notoriety for serving an actual human poo to a customer, who later sued them. It was big news in Australia, we had even been told this in China by some Aussies that we met. Anyway the beer tasted fine.
That night we went clubbing in Sydney with Nick, Mitchell and Christine, and then the following day we went to 'Dub in the Park' to recover in the sun with more of their friends. It was all excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed our whole Sydney experience. In fact, Australia was great.
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