The Land of Oz- Adelaide and the West Side

It was an Oz fest at the WACA as Australia won the test series against India in dramatic style

The beautiful Rawlinson house at Mandurah

My friend Chloe

I left Melbourne by bus for the overnight journey to Adelaide, the capital of south Australia. A cosmopolitan city, surrounded by the Mount Lofty ranges, Adelaide is a city of learning with four separate universities. Like Melbourne, it is famous for its food and wine culture.The well known wine growing areas of McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley are on the doorstep. Wine florishes here due to the Mediterranean climate, shiraz being a favoured grape. 
I had a wander around the city on arrival, trams florished and the grid system present in many Australian cities made it easy to navigate. I stayed the night in a suburb on the beach, Glenelg, situated on the sandy white shore of Holdfast Bay. This was the original mainland settlement of south Australia (1836) and its centre, Mosely Square, is the home of the Adelaide Jazz Festival.
I stayed in a wonderful hostel (The Glenelg Beach Hostel) in a beautiful old building (see picture).The beach was stunning and coastal paths made exploring the area an easy one.

The Glenelg Beach Hostel

From Adelaide, my next destination was Perth, Western Australia. Known as the most remote city in the world, my 3 hour flight from Adelaide gave me an idea of this. From the air, the area looked reddish/ brown and arid.
My friend Chelsea met me at the airport and took me back to where I would be based, at the house of my friend Chloe's parents in Mandurah, about 80km south of Perth. It's location is stunning, right on the beach and overlooking the Indian Ocean. The house itself is a beautiful beach house (built by Chloe's dad) with the most amazing balcony from which to soak up the stunning view of the ocean. I had to pinch myself that this would be home for the next week!

I walked on the beach every day (sometimes 3 times) with Momo

Perth is a modern city with a feel of the small town about it. It is an outdoors city with an awesome climate. The Swan river flows through the city and its Kings Park are two locations where people walk, cycle and jog. The white sandy beaches in this part of Australia are known as some of the best in the world and surfing and kite surfing are part of the culture here. It was quite windy many days so when the swell was good, the surfers were out. Always great to watch.

The balcony at Chloe's house. I spent a lot of time here!

My time in the Perth area was designed to catch up with friends. I took the opportunity to get to know Chloe's family and have some relaxation time too. It was the perfect place for it. I spent days just walking the dog on the beach and chilling out in Chloe's lovely home. Jim's parents had a bbq on the first weekend and I spent the day in Perth catching up with friends Lucy and Sam (who I met in Laos). I also found time to spend another day at the cricket, this time at Perth's home of cricket, the WACA!
 I also had luch with Chelsea at her parents beautiful home and had a weekend in the gorgeous port town of Fremantle with its alternative vibe.
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in WA and would like to thank all my friends here for their kindness and generosity.
 Next stop: return to Melbs then Sydney.

Chelsea in her garden

Lucy and I in Kings Park

The Land of Oz- Memorable Melbs, Yarra Valley and the Great Ocean Road

Janine and me on the Southgate of Melbourne

I left Sydney, saying farewell to Matt, Bridget, Holly and Nicola, and meeting up with Hanh who I had last seen in Chiang Mai much earlier on my trip. We went to a 'couch surfing' meeting/picnic in the Botanical Gardens and it was a chance for us to catch up and meet fellow travellers/ couch surfers. For those of you who aren't familiar with this term, couch surfing is a concept that unites likeminded people who are willing to host travellers in their homes or even just show them around their city/area.

I got the overnight train to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia's second largest city. Victorian architecture, grid planned streets and a European vibe make this Australia's capital of cool. It is known as the arts, culinary, sporting and shopping capital of Australia. It is a very cosmopolitan city where waves of immigration have created a lively ethnic mix. Italian, Greek (the biggest community in the world after Greece itself) French, Indonesian, Thai and Japanese communities are well established here and there is evidence of this all around the city.

On arriving I had my first taste of the tram, taking a ride to St. Kilda (where my friend Natalie lives). A great spot right on the waterfront with views of the city beyond, St. Kilda is one of Melbourne's most lively and cosmopolitan areas. In the past it was a popular seaside resort for the fashionable to escape the city. During the goldrush of the mid-19th century many built mansions here and Fitzroy Street (the main artery through St. kilda) became one of the most stylish boulevards. It later became a less desirable area and in the 1960s and 1970s it had a seedy reputation. Today it has regained its fashionable status and it is full of continental cake shops, delicatessens, cafes and restaurants. It is also home to one of Melbourne's most famous restaurants, Circa.

The pier at St. Kilda

Once I had settled in to Nat's ground floor apartment just over the road from the pier and beach, I went for a walk to explore. I walked along the restored Pier and took in the views (see picture). I then headed into the city to meet another old friend, Janine. I met Janine in the Gili Islands where we had the best time. Meeting up in Melbourne was great and we spent a few hours catching up. Federation square is in the centre of the city and a great meeting point. We walked over to the other side of the Yarra river and chilled in the sun on the Southgate riverfront area over lunch with great views of the city (see picture). We had plenty to chat about, catching up on each others' travels.

The beautiful facade of Flinders Street station, the oldest in Melbourne

Seeing Nat again (who I had met in Mexico last year) was wonderful. She had arranged a night out with a group of her friends and we ended up spending a very pleasant evening in her neighbourhood. She also looked after me over the weekend, with a trip into the city (always good with a local)  and a drive into the Yarra Valley where I got to see the beautiful Victorian countryside and do some wine tasting at one of the many wineries in the area.

My wonderful friend Nat in the Yarra Valley

A highlight of coming to Melbourne was always going to be the Great Ocean Road, one of the most scenic  coastal drives in the world. The road runs from Torquay to Port Campbell and on our trip which lasted the whole day, we made a total of 10 stops. I was lucky to be joined by my friend Janush (who I met in Bali) who happened to arrive in Melbourne the previous day. The first stop was in Torquay at Bells Beach (where the Australian leg of the world surfing championships are held each year at Easter). It was a beautiful spot and there was even an early morning competition for us to watch. This is the area where Ripcurl started (one of Australia's most famous and iconic brands) and is one of the homes of surfing in Australia. From there we made our way along the Bass straight, stopping for a photo at the official start of the Great Ocean Road (see picture). We took a tea break in Lorne, where Janush and I walked along the beach. We lunched in Apollo Bay and from there the drive changed quite dramatically with towering limestone cliffs all along the coast. another stop in Port Campbell was followed by some of the highlights of the day at London Bridge, Lockard Gorge and the famous Twelve Apostles. These amazing rock formations have changed and been eroded over thousands of years. London Bridge even famously collapsed a few years ago!

Janush at the sign that begins the Great Ocean Road

Janush and I looking a bit windswept!

The beach to myself at Lockard Gorge

London Bridge post collapse!

Some of the remaining 'Twelve Apostles'

Yarra Valley wines

My final day in Melbourne gave me the opportunity to visit the city once again and this time I chose to take the free tourist shuttle bus which takes you to 13 points of interest around the city. It helped me to appreciate the scale and variety that this wonderful city has to offer and whilst there are places I didn't get to see or explore, I know I will be back again before too long. Bye, bye, Nat and Melbs!

Next stop: Adelaide (briefly) then Perth to see my other favourite Aussies!!

The land of Oz: Sydney, fireworks and a day at the SCG!

Me and the Harbour bridge

The stunning Opera House taken from the ferry

 A very busy Opera

I arrived In Sydney on the day before New Year's Eve to be picked up at the bus station by Matt (who taught PE at Ellis Guilford for a couple of years and had very kindly offered me a place to stay over New Year). After driving back to his flat in Abbotsford, inner west of the centre of Sydney, we headed back into the city. Even though I'd visited Sydney (Australia's largest city although not the capital) a few years ago, the journey in along the river (Matt's flat overlooks the Parramatta- in Aboriginal meaning  place of many eels ) was ever special. It was a beautiful day so the Harbour Bridge and Opera House looked stunning against the blue sky. Even Matt admitted that you never tire of the view of two of Australia's most famous monuments. Matt and I walked around Circular Quay amongst the crowds and through the Royal Botanical Gardens. We took in the views from Mrs. Macquarie's Point (one of the main places to watch the New Year firework display) before heading on a scenic walk to Woolloomooloo Bay where we stopped for a drink and admired the beautiful houses in this part of the city-both Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman owning properties here. We then headed back to the Opera House to meet my friends Gemma and Mary and enjoy a drink at the Opera Bar which was full of people enjoying the views and setting at sunset.


New Year's Eve arrived and we had decided to see in the show at Balmain Park which affords fantastic views of the Harbour Bridge. We were some of the earliest there (Gemma and Mary had secured the spot at 9am) so had a great vantage point. We spent a wonderful day experiencing the build up to one of the most famous firework shows in the world. I had been joined by two other visitors and friends of Matt, Holly and Nicola. As the New Year approached there was an atmosphere of anticipation. At 9pm there was the first firework show which certainly whetted the appetite. Watching beautiful fireworks in such a fantastic setting was so special. The skyline looked magnificent as explosions of colour were launched off the buildings and Harbour Bridge. By midnight the crowds had grown but we had secured our front row position for the greatest show many of us had ever seen. For twelve minutes we were totally in awe of the spectacle all around us, greetings and hugs to wish people a Happy New Year had to wait as we watched, mesmerised by the amazing show. Once the fireworks had ended we broke into a rendition of Auld Langs Syne and wished everyone a belated Happy New Year! Back at Matt's the following Day, we opened a bottle of champagne to usher in the new year back home before enjoying a walk in Centenial Park and an afternoon on Coogee beach (along with tens of  thousands of others- see picture). We drove home via Bondi beach and were amazed at the crowds there too.


A trip into the city the following day was a more tourist affair. I walked around Darling Harbour and visited the National Maritime Museum and had a cup of jasmine tea at the Chinese Gardens. As I walked back to meet Matt and Bridget at the Opera Bar, I took in George Street (the main shopping thoroughfare through Sydney which is like London's Oxford Street) although I was strictly doing window shopping only! Later I managed to do a ferry trip to Manly and visited Hyde Park (Sydney has one too- many places here have English names!)


Another highlight of my trip so far (there are so many!) was the opportunity to go and see the second test match at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground). Matt plays cricket for the Sydney Tigers and he managed to get places in a corporate box for the first day of Australia v India (Australia had won the opening Boxing Day test in Melbourne). Holly and Nicola came along too and we had the most fantastic day. The sense of occasion was palpable as it was the 100th ever test at the famous ground and could possibly be the place where the famous India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (some argue the greatest ever player of the game) scored his 100th ever century. India batted first and when Tendulkar came on the crowd erupted. It wasn't to be a fairytale for him, however, as he was out for 41 and the Indian team finished on 191 all out. We got to see the Australians come into bat before play finished for the day. As I write this, it is now the third day ( called McGrath Day in honour of cricketer Glen's McGrath's wife. On this day everyone is asked to wear an item of pink clothing. We bought pink bandanas on our day at the SCG.The McGrath Foundation is a breast cancer support and education charity in Australia, which raises money to fund McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities right across Australia and increase breast awareness in young women. The charity was originally founded by Australian cricket player, Glenn McGrath, and his English wife, Jane McGrath, in 2002, following Jane’s initial diagnosis and recovery from breast cancer.^[1] Jane died on 22 June 2008 at the age of 42. Australia are having one of their best ever innings of recent times with 3 players having scored a century (Clarke, Ponting and Hussey) and with Clarke aiming for his triple century. Watch this space.

Sydney has been such a memorable experience for me. The people I have met have contributed to making it so special. A big thank you to you guys, especially Matt who has been the perfect host.


Next stop: Melbourne

Relaxing on New Year's Eve at Balmain Park with Gemma, Mary and friends

New Year's Eve celebrations with Holly and Nicola

Celebrating the English New Year at 11am in Sydney on Matt's balcony

A very busy Coogee beach on New Year's Day

Off to the cricket at the SCG

Holly and I in the box!