We still didn't really do much in our final month in Sydney. We were still working up until 21st August so we had a few drinks at a pub around the corner from where we worked after finishing that day. The weather was very nice for an Aussie summer - it was around 23 degrees but a bit overcast. Still we sat in the beer garden having a nice time with some friends we had made from work over the past 3 months. We stayed in that one bar for most of the night and only had one more at a bar around the corner from where my mate Nigel lived, in Surrey Hills, which was over the road from Central Station. It was a good night and a nice way to say goodbye to everyone as we were leaving Sydney the following Wednesday. That final weekend in Sydney was spent deciding what to send home, packing and cleaning our lovely little studio flat before leaving again.

On Wednesday morning we hopped on a plane heading to Melbourne. The flight was only just over an hour but upon our arrival we felt a bit of turbulance because of the gale force winds that had hit Melbourne the day before and were still hanging around a bit. It had hit Sydney whilst we were there and as luck would have it, was heading in the same direction as we were - first Melbourne and then Adelaide! We managed to get on the bus from Melbourne's Avalon airport (which is about 40 minutes away from the city) to the bus station in Melbourne. We were told that the tram stop is right outside, but what they didn't explain was that there were many different tram lines and many different stops and not all of them stopped right outside the station - only certain trams going to certain parts of the city. So we tried to figure out where we were and where we wanted to be and worked out that the tram stop closest to us was about 5 blocks away! Not good when you don't know where you are and you're lugging these heavy bags around! So there was a lot of complaining between us and a few bickers, as per usual, made worse by indecision as to whether to go up this street or that street or get a taxi or just walk - nothing unusual on 'moving day' - a day we both truly hate. Anyway, we decided to get in a cab because it would be quicker and easier. We thought wrong! The cab driver didn't know where we were staying, though knew the address we gave him. After a few minutes and the toll came up to $13, he stopped on the side of the road outside number 340 and told us that 333, the address we were staying at, was just back where we were. So out we got and headed back... and back... and back... past a park... past some more buildings and found 332 on the other side of the road, with nothing that looked like a hostel next to it. Ruth decided to phone the hostel who told us he had dropped us off still in the city and that we needed to get a tram for about another 20 minutes to the hostel. What a great start! Anyway, long story short, we got to the hostel (after only having enough change to buy 1 tram ticket! Lucky there were no inspectors!) and checked in. That day we went back into the city centre on the tram, had a wander around, had a $5 pizza for tea and went back to the hostel.

The next day we were booked onto the Neighbours tour at 1pm so we wandered around more of the city that morning and were at our meeting place for the tour in ample time. The tour took us to places around Melbourne where some scenes were shot, though neither of us had watched the programme for about 13 years, when Mrs Mangle, Jane and Madge were still in it. We did see Lou Carpenter's Garage though! The best bit though was driving into Ramsay Street and recognising all the houses. We had a few pictures taken there whilst a security guard kept an eye on us all and the people who actually lived there quickly went back inside - they don't like to be around when the tour companies pull into the street! After that we were told we were going to meet one of the cast and I thought it was going to be Dr Karl or something like that, as he does the Neighbours night where him and his band play to the tourists. It wasn't - it was a guy who isn't even in the show any more and was in the show at the time when nor Ruth or I watched it! So when he got on the bus and was like "So, I'm guessing you all watch Neighbours" and "So what do you think of (such and such)?" and Ruth and I were like, errr we don't watch it so we have no idea who you are or what you're on about! Eventually I think he clicked on and the blank faces looking at him made him finally ask "How many of you don't know who I am?"... a few hands went up including ours! :) Anyway, he was a nice guy and we got our photo taken with him and Ruth got an autographed postcard. That was the end of the trip and we just got taken back to the city.

The next day we wandered around St Kilda which is the area we were staying in. It's a bit like Blackpool as it's a beachy town resort with a little fun fair called Luna Park (like Spanish City in Whitley Bay!). It was closed through the week during the winter though, so we couldn't go in. We wandered around then walked up the beach front for a while, then got the tram back into the city and went to the markets. Ruth also got her tongue peirced that day which she had wanted to get done for ages. She had been uhmming and ahhing about it and decided to get it done then because a place we passed were offering it for $70. I managed to get into the room to watch the needle going through her tongue, which was fun. She says it didn't hurt, just felt a little sting and thats it. It didn't swell up until a few days ago and now she has a slight lisp! Occasionally saying something I just cannot understand... but hey, that's just normal Ruth! ;o) I'm sure that will go eventually though (the slight lisp, not the babbling). That evening we were booked in to do the Gaol Tour (pronounced jail) which was a disused prison that held Ned Kelly and one in which many people were hanged, so it was meant to be haunted. We were led around by candlelight by a man explaining how life was in the prison back then and how it would have been like to be hung. Walking past the open cell doors in the dark was a little eerie but not scary. I expected someone to jump out at one stage, which in hindsight would have been better, but nothing like that happened. After about 40 minutes in the dark they put the lights on and we were able to take photos around the place of inside the cells, the gallows, the place people got tied up and were whipped. It was a good tour, but could have been made a little more fun with a few scares.

The next day we flew to Adelaide. We arrived around 3pm on a Saturday afternoon - the weather wasn't great, it wasn't raining but it was cold and gray. But on our transfer from the airport to the hostel, we saw about 6 people - and this was in the middle of the city centre... on a Saturday! We couldn't quite believe it - where were all the people?! Anyway, we checked in and had a trip to Coles supermarket for some tea. That day we booked a couple of tours - one wine tour of the Barossa Vally for the next day and a free tour of the Haigh's Chocolate Factory on Monday. The wine tour was good, although Ruth couldn't drink because of her new tongue piercing, and I got a little sick of drinking wine by the end of the day! We visited 4 wineries in total and I tasted about 6 wines at each (not spitting it out of course!) but our first stop was at a town which was known for its giant rocking horse! It was literally a rocking horse made of wood but about 10 meters tall and 7 meters wide! You could climb it too but it cost $2 a go and Ruth and I didn't believe it was worth it, though they also gave you a certificate for climbing it too haha.. more for kiddies really. Anyway there was a little pets corner type area next to it with a few kangaroos and lots of peacocks wandering around. Ruth went to try and feed them but they weren't having any of it. I just stood around and laughed :) After the last wine tasting place we were taken to a little spot and a wall across the river which was called The Whispering Wall. It was given this name because people can stand at opposite ends of the wall which crossed over the river and they can hear each other speak just in a normal voice. We tried it out as the wall is pretty long, a hundred metres or so, and we weren't sure it would work. So Rob walked along the bridge to the other end of the wall while I moved down to stand at the other spot and once we started speaking to each other we could indeed hear each other talking! It was quite cool! Apparently the reason for this is due to the curvature of the wall and the roughness of the brickwork. It wouldnt work if the brick was smooth. Very interesting!

Shortly after our last stop we headed back to Adelaide where we just went back to our room and vegged out in front of the TV - we had a TV in our room which slept 4 but we had it to ourselves, which was nice!

The next morning we had a bit of a lazy morning and then headed to Haigh's Chocolate Factory which was only about 20 mins walk away. There is a Haigh's chocolate shop attached to the factory, so we had a wander around the shop looking and smelling the chocolate before the tour. The tour was pretty short and consisted of sitting in a room for a brief history of the company and walking up a short corridor which had a viewing screen in it and you could see the inside of the factory, the machines and all the workers working away. Again the tour guide explained what was going on. Ruth and I spotted an area where women were coating chocolate truffles in melted chocolate and both said to each other that we just wanted to plunge our faces into the melted chocolate! Yum! The best bit of the tour were the free samples! Well, the first free samples were nice - they were like large, thick chocolate buttons - we all got 4 each. The other free samples were of chocolate covered toffee, which were nice, but the toffee was too hard in my opinion and then just got all stuck in your teeth when melted. Still nice but the buttons were nicer. I ended up buying a bag of mixed chocolates for $5 which included a mixture of what other chocolates they sold, like chocolate covered coffee beans and chocolate covered orange flavoured nougat. Ruth bought a couple of violet flavoured chocolate cremes.

The rest of the day we wandered around the centre of Adelaide which was pretty much just one street, a bit like Northumberland Street (for you people in Newcastle!). We also had a trip to the cinema to see District 9 - a very strange film but was good for what it was! The next day we were picked up from the hostel and taken to the airport for our flight to Alice Springs, which is where I am typing this blog from! Ruth will write that blog shortly :)

Well that's it for our first blog from the beginning of the second leg of our travels. Hope everyone is well and is still enjoying our stories.

R&R