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Friday 1st April: Weather today was 28 degrees. Went to St. Kilda Beach with Howard and Jasmine. Had Fish 'n Chips for dinner!
Saturday 2nd: Nothing much happened today, watched TV and did some washing and ironing! Very excting!
Sunday 3rd: Went to Federation Square with Howard for the Thai Festival.
Monday 4th: Took a tram to the city and registered with HAYS Personnel Agency.
Tuesday 5th: Registered at Geoffery Nathan (GN) Australia.
Wednesday 6th: Went to the Melbourne Museum today, walked around Carlton Gardens' where the and the Royal Exhibition Building.
Thursday 7th: Got a train to Brighton Beach, and then went to the Kylie Exhibition at the Melbourne Arts Centre!
Saturday 9th: Went out with Howard to Richmond and in the evening, Howard, Mark (Howard's friend) and myself all went to see the 'Best of the Edinborough Fest' at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. There were two English comics, and one Australian. The Two English guys were so funny! Sorry, but the Ozzie was abit naff! Went for Coffee after at Federation Square and grabbed a tram back to Lygon Street in Carlton! Watched abit of TV - 'My Restaurant Rules' and went to bed!
Monday 11th: Watched the Chelsea match from on TV earlier, had a Chinese Take-out and watched 'My Restaurant Rules'
Tuesday 12th: Went to find out prices and information about the 'Great Ocean Road and 12 Appostles tour' Am thinking of going to Adelaide from there!
Wednesday 13th: T'iswas raining today, did not do very much!
Thursday 14th: Went to a Young People's event at Federation Square, met a few people who are also travellers.
Friday 15th: Jasmine got back from Tiwan today. Spent most of the day at St. Kilda Beach, soaking up the sun and ice-cream!
Saturday 16th: Went out for dinner in the City, with Jasmine, walked to Federation Square and got a tram back to Lygon Street!
Sunday 17th: Went to Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market today with Howard and Jasmine. Did some washing earlier... you really wanted to know that bit!!
Monday 18th: G'day, have just booked on a tour to see the Great Ocean Road, which is for 4 days!! Will end up in Adelaide, and along the way will see some of the Australian culture and scenary!
Tuesday 19th: Did not do very much today, watched a little TV and went back to bed... how exciting!
Wednesday 20th: Went down to St. Kilda Beach, Federation Square and then to the Bourke Street Mall in the city!
Thursday 21st: Started packing for my trip to the Great Ocean Road!
Friday 22nd: Took Howard and Jasmine out for dinner, we went to the same place when we went out for Barbara��s Birthday. Finished off last minute packing and went to bed!
Saturday 23rd: Left Howard and Jasmine's place at 11am, went for Pancakes and Coffee by the Yarra and then walked up towards the Melbourne Arts Centre and waited for the bus to come along. Got on board, met my fellow travellers' in which are now my friends, and most are from London. As you can gather, I am writing this after the trip, so it's kinda like a review. So, here it is, my road trip to the Great Ocean Road and The Grampians heading towards Adelaide! Got talking to a few of the guys on the bus, (Richard, Sara, Johnny, Heather and Robbie, in which are all from London, a few from Croydon and Southgate!) and they are all about the same age a me, a few of were just in Australia for a month or so, and the others' also on the Working Holiday! We drove through small towns' Geelong and Torquay. Our first stop was at Surf City, which is near 'Bells Beach' which is one of Australia's famous Surf Beaches'. Took in the Scenery and atmosphere here, and then it was back on the road! We entered the Great Ocean Road at 4.30pm, and took 3 hours' from Melbourne alone! A Little further, along was a small town called Lorne, where we stopped for coffee, snacks and to stretch our legs! We then travelled along the 'twisty - snaky' leg of the Great Ocean Road, in which you are literally twisting and turning for about half - an - hour! Felt a wee bit dizzy and tired at this point, so had a wee nap. Our next stop brought us to Apollo Bay, which was out stop for the night. They had the Apollo Bay Music Festival on, and has been running for 12 year's now, a little like Glastonbury, but this was on the beach, and it was not muddy and raining! Unpacked at out Coastal Motel, which was a privately owned cottage style lodge, and had all the facilities you needed, even a bar! We all had to put in $30 in the kitty, for everything from Beer to Snacks, so if anyone wanted anything along the way, we just used that, and when it ran out... which it did very fast indeed! That's $30 x 16 people... and had about $80 left for day three, and four! Oh well... money well spent!! After being given a tour of the lodge by Tom (which was our Tour guide - he was wicked, came out drinking with us and showed us the best places to go see whilst stopping at our night-stop locations...) we toddled along to the main area where all the fun was happening. Had dinner in an Italian place. After dinner, we all did our separate thing; I went with Rob, Johnny and Rich with some others' to the pub...! Stayed until about 11pm, found a supermarket that was open, (must have been a 24 hour one) and bought a huge crate of 24 Fosters' Ice, which came to $16! Walked back to the lodge and played pool, had our beers, put some in the fridge to have for a 'midnight feast!' Got to bed at around 1am, and had to be up at 6am for the long journey to the Twelve Apostles, London Bridge and Tower Hill!
Sunday 24th: Day two of on the trip at the Great Ocean Road! I was up just before 6am, (it was decently not a sight to see at that time of morning!) as we had to have had breakfast and to be ready by 6.45am. Left Apollo Bay, and drove for about an hour or so towards the famous Twelve Apostles. Today, only nine actually stand, but Tom, our tour guide said that in a decade or so, they��re maybe 15, or more. These are rocks, formed by man many years' ago... ... I would say a few hundred or so! We next climbed down Gibson��s' Steps, which is the beach below. After a short drive, the next stop was Loch Ard Gorge and explored for an hour, waked around the caves, beach and took a few photos'. Some of the group went very close indeed to the sea and got extremely wet! They had to walk back rather wet! Due to the gorgeous and great weather, they dried off in no time! Lunch brought us to Port Campbell. This was included as part of the tour, and consisted of Fish and Chips! After, we went to see London Bridge, infact it just looks like another one of the Twelve Apostles, but used to be a bridge until 1990, when a male and a female were on it one day and it broke in! It was later found out that the woman was having an affair with the man and the story is told each time people visit there! (There��s even a plaque!) After, we visited The Bay Of Martyrs and The Bay Of Islands, then it was back on the road again, and the next stop was a small town - Warrnambool, for a snack and a some fuel. It was then off to Tower Hill State Park, where we saw Kangaroos, Koalas, Emus and Birds. Our nights' stop was at Port Fairy. The place we stayed in... The 5 star hotel... sorry I must have got mixed up with the Hotel Tom stated at!! Us lot were at the YHA Backpacker's, which in the 1840's was home to the wealthiest merchant of the town! We all went for dinner 'down the road' in an old style pub, which dated back to the 1840's. It was near enough the same as Apollo Bay, but was in bed by 11pm!
Monday 25th: It��s Anzac Day today, and we are still on The Great Ocean road! Started our morning off by driving through a small town ? Portland, which was Victoria��s first settled town. Our first stop of the day took us to Bridgewater Bay, where spectacular views of the bay astounded us, and included a Jet-Ski boat ride? which I actually thought this was Cannoning when I first saw the Itinerary, but it was amazing, hair in the air, wind blowing everywhere and the girls screaming �� ahhh!!�� A local, Joe, who runs a the boat ride, took under Cape Bridgewater to view the Seal colonies! After a spectacular ride, some were soaked, even though we had protective gear on! After, we walked back through the cliff top, which is nicknamed the Petrified Forest, and it most certainly was if you go close to the edge! The beach here hosted a golden white sandy effect, which spread across the bay. After all that fun and excitement, Nelson was out next stop, which is a sleepy village near The Glenglg River. We had lunch here, on the riverfront, took in the breathtaking views of the river and surrounding areas. After lunch, we headed further along the road, where we crossed the border of Victoria and South Australia. Took a few photos and a video here. After a short drive, Mount Gambier was out next stop, where the local area is dotted around by ponds, sinkholes, caves and underground rivers. The Blue Lake was a complete surprise to all of us, it was literally Blue! I��m sure they poured a ton of Blue Dye in there to make it look like that! After an hour or so here, the next stop was a hike into Umpherston Cave - the biggest sinkhole about. Canunda National Park finished the day with a further cliff top walk along the craggy coastline. Beachport on Rivoli Bay are both small fishing ports. We stayed at Bompas, which was restored a few years ago and was origonally a two-storey inn around the 1840��s. Unpacked, had a wash, then it was off to the dining room for dinner. Headed down to the local bar / pub after the meal, in which we were welcomed by two famous Australian Icons? drunks and Sheila��s! I can honestly say, that there was a woman there who looked the spitting Image of Irene Roberts (from Home and Away) and she was totally drunk out of her head! The bar staff put on some interesting entertainment for us which included a game called ��Two-Up�� and apparently is only played on Anzac Day, and some trashy music from the 1890��s! ? no I did not mean to write 1990��s! Anyway, called it a night after a drink or ten! Had to be up early for the sunrise, which was at 5.45am!
Tuesday 26th: Our final day together as a group? that��s what I thought anyway! Drove for about an hour or so to The Coorong Coast, which is one of Australia's great wetlands wildernesses. Kingston's Larry (the Lobster-monster) was rather hard to miss, took a few photo of the group and one of myself standing on the side of the ��Lobster��! Stopped for a snack and drinks here, whilst Tom re-filled the bus for the journey to Long Beach, where we walked up the Granites, ancient rock formations resembling whales in the surf. A 40-minute gravel road ride took us deep into Coorong National Park to sand dunes and lakes. Walked and surfed the sand dunes. Further north, was Hacks Point, where we stopped for lunch. Back on the bus and a little further ��down the road�� we were guests on the local Ngarindjerri people��s land for about 2 hours. Were shown around the Coorong Wilderness Lodge and how to survive in the jungle on tea tree plants, which help your immune system to stay awake. Incase you��re wondering? Ngarindjerri is the name for Aboriginal Land. Had a wholesome and healthy lunch of Kangaroo Balls, Fish Eye and Whitigrub? I felt like being on ��I��m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here. There was also the option of Potato Salad, Chips and Pasta? which one do you think I went for? ?? umm? first prize is a Gold Star! After lunch, we took group photos, and had about 20 minutes free time. There was still the rest of the afternoon to get through, and the journey continued via Lake Albert, The Pink salt lakes, and Salt Lake? wonder why it��s called that then? because it��s made out of salt, duh! The River Murray ferry crossing was the climax of the trip, which included views of Australia's largest freshwater lake- Lake Alexandrina, Langhorne. Drove past The Creek Vineyards and through the Adelaide Hills. The trip ended in Adelaide��s Central Business District at 4pm (CBD), and we said our goodbyes�� to some of the group that had connections for the Ghan Train to Perth and to Ayres Rock/Alice Springs. The trip has now ended; but by this time, we would all go out own separate ways, but as by complete co-incidence, we were all staying at the same backpacker��s? Early Evening arrived, and the nine that were left from 16, met up at 'pub... ...as you do!! Had a few rounds to start of with, were talking about everything from The Croydon Trams to tacky American TV Shows! We, then moved onto a Chinese Restaurant near China Town, (off Goodge Street) after walking up and down ' road for ages, all deciding on what to eat, and finally all made a decision on Chinese. Yet, another few more drinks were ordered, onto of that was a Banquet, which included Spring Rolls, Prawns, and Chinese Toast/Bread. Next up was... the main course, which included Sweetcorn and rice soup, Special Fried Rice, Kangaroo Balls/Meat, Ribs. Lemon Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork. For desert, as if we has not consumed enough, was Chinese Icecream, served with Chocolate Sprinkle ... the bill came to $220.90c, and as most of us were backpackers' we had to wash 'dishes up! Just joking! We, then walked back via Victoria and Light Squares, past the Arts Centre past the Adelaide Central Train Station?we were going to call it a night, but last minute, ended up in Hindley Street ? the place for bars and the nightlife! Stopped at The Red Square Vodka Bar, had to be ID's so luccalliy I had my Passport on me, and so did a few of the other's too. Stayed there for a little while, then headed off to our final bar for the evening... by this time it was 1.20am... The Worlds End pub welcomed us and we sat there until about 3am, drinking and talking about complete rubbish, of course by this time, we were completely drunk out of our heads! We were going to go to a club... but sadly Adelaide only has one of those, and would have been closing anyway. Walked back to the backpacker's and had to enter via the side gate, and then the door would not open, waited for security to come and open it for us... it most probably wouldn��t opened because the key broke...., so there's the $10 key deposit down 'drain! 4 of the guys had to be up at 5.30am to head for Sydney! I had the most amazing time over the past 4 and a half days, and was one long party from which started on Saturday Arvo. I have everyone's contact details, and will keep in contact with everyone. (Phone number, etc e-mail addresses) I would recommend this trip, the journey was abit of a long one... but we all talked, played games and slept for most of the bus journey! Our Tour guide, was wicked, he came out drinking with us from day one! The weather stayed dry for the duration, and I now would say that Fraser Island would be in my top 5, as this is defiantly 'Top of the Pops'. I wouldn��t have liked to see what the guys looked liked when they had to catch their flight at 5.30am, but heard they all got on the plane, and finished off Virgin Blue's beer... it was only a 2 hour flight!!!
Wednesday 27th: Got up at 11am, had a bit of a lie in, and was a little hung-over from ��night before! I had three days in Adelaide, and walked around everywhere in about an hour�� there was literally nothing to do, but just see parks and churches! They had the usual range of shops there ? but could I find a McDonalds�� no! Walked around Victoria Square and the Rundal Mall.
Thursday 28th: Went to the Central Market, China town and walked the entire length of King William Street which is the length from the Civic Centre in Harrow to St. Georges�� Centre�� I��m not joking, go grab a map and see for yourselves! It was about 30 blocks! (crossings) Everything here is literally on top of everything, so there was no excuse to get lost�� which I did once�� or twice! I kinda figured, nothing much was going on here in dull Adelaide, so I booked a flight to Canberra to leave leave tomorrow!
Friday 29th: Packed for Canberra and left Adelaide! I was not leaving until 4pm, so I went to Parliament House, had a look at the Adelaide Conference Centre, (which looks like a small house!) and walked along The Adelaide Riverfront. Was delayed at the airport for a few hours�� due to problems with Qantas earlier in the day with their Computer Systems! Arrived in Canberra at 11pm!!! Put all my gear on the floor and went straight to bed�� it was a 2 hour flight�� that��s nearly the same time from London to Spain via plane!
Saturday 30th: Walked to Capital Hill, which took 30 minutes and is the home to Parliament House and The Prime Minister��s Lodge! Along the way, I stopped at Lake Burley Griffin, and walked across the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge, Commonwealth Avenue itself and via The State Circle. Arrived at Parliament, walked around for a hour or so, got a bus back to the City, had a Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Bagel and a Hot Chocolate for lunch and maybe going to the cinema later, not sure yet. As Adelaide, there very little to do here. It is the country��s Capital after all, so there must be something worthwhile doing�� mus��t there be?�� Ok, that��s the end of April! Please click here to to view May��s diary! Thanks, David!
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