Melbourne, Australia

February 23rd - February 28th 2012

 

We arrived back in Melbourne before dawn and walked with our heavy rucksacks to the top of Elizabeth Street right by Queen Victoria Market where our hostel was situated. We were incredibly tired as we'd had a sleepless night on the coach but weren't able to get into our dorm yet so we left our rucksacks and after breakfast walked down to the river. This was our second time in Melbourne as before we spent a week in a luxurious apartment in the Docklands area with Mum and Jo. We had to return as we were flying from here to Fiji.

Once our room was ready we walked back up the hill to the hostel and checked in. This was our first encounter with an Australian hostel as we'd stayed for two months in our own camper, a couple of weeks in apartments with mum or at Reva's lovely house. The hostel was an absolute dive. The room was disgusting but mostly because the people living in it seemed to think that they could tip their whole rucksack contents on to the floor and leave it there. Some English guy left food in his locker and obviously never cleaned it as whenever he opened it the whole room would be filled with the gross smell of rotting food, my bunk was right next to this locker. The kitchen was horrible, hardly any utensils and the ones that were there were filthy. I'd love to say that we looked at the state of the hostel and walked out in disgust to a better one but when your budget is so tiny you just have to grin and bear it. We left for supplies and got some chips for dinner, the lovely guy must have felt sorry for us and gave us free food, maybe because of our depressed faces at the thought of going back to the dorm!

Disgusting dorm

After a sleepless night thanks to the idiots in the hostel we left early and went across the road to the market where we bought army style metal cups for our tea and coffee and treated ourselves to apples and grapes! After a look around the hundreds of stalls we strolled down to the Ian Potter Centre and had a look around the galleries. There was a great exhibition of the photographs of Fred Kruger and some lovely aboriginal pieces too.



Art Gallery

The following day we decided to go down to the National Gallery of Victoria. We walked down Swanston Street and across the bridge to the big museum. At the entrance is a huge glass wall with water running down it which is a striking feature. The galleries were huge, we walked around it examining most pieces in detail, the variety was massive and there were some beautiful Impressionist paintings. After lunch we found one of Melbourne's famous lanes covered in graffiti art. In the afternoon we went to the library and after using the free internet sat outside on the grass soaking up the hot late afternoon sun.

Graffiti

Graffiti

On February 26th we decided to walk down to the Australian Centre of Contemporary Art or ACCA which was again across the river. The space is housed in an industrial building to reflect the area around it. There was an exhibition by Pipilotti Rist called 'I Packed The Postcard In My Suitcase' which comprised of installations involving light and sound. After the exhibition we went outside in to the blistering heat and walked to the Hopetoun Tea Rooms which we had seen when we were here last. We treated ourselves to a milkshake and cake each which wasn't cheap as it came to $31. The cakes were delicious so we felt it was money well spent and a treat from mum as she had left us with a bit of money on her travel card. We spent the evening talking to family on Skype, I was feeling low as over the past week my camera had slowly started to give up and the lack of sleep in the hostel was getting me down. Talking to mum cheered me up instantly though, I wished she was able to spend longer with us.

Pavlova

As we would be leaving Australia for Fiji in a few days I needed to desperately get my camera looked at and fixed. After enquiring in a camera shop we went to see a guy who immediately diagnosed the problem as the copper wire linking the camera to the lens had frayed due to so much use. He wasn't able to fix the problem in the time we had left but recommended that I simply buy a new lens which would sort the problem. He gave up his time to have a look at the camera and didn't ask for anything in return, what a lovely guy! We went to a few shops and I got a new lens for $200 which was $50 cheaper than anywhere else so I was happy to at least know that I would have full use of my camera again. Craig bought a mini netbook as it was such a good deal so that we would be able to use wifi and hopefully save money on internet cafes. After a stroll around the city we had dinner at a little fish and chip restaurant which was lovely and better than making food in the hostel kitchen.

February 28th was our last day in Melbourne and in Australia! We were so happy to leave our hostel and will be glad to never have to return. Our time in Australia had been an amazing one, we travelled thousands of miles in our own little campervan experiencing all different landscapes and cities. We had lived in a cramped little camper, experienced luxury and had a taste of living in a real Australian home as well as seeing what a few dollars a night will get you in a hostel. We visited new friends made in Asia and discovered real Australian hospitality. Our highlights were Cairns and Tropical North Queensland and off the beaten track areas like the Waterfall Way and Charters Towers. Sydney was great to see but we definitely preferred the countryside and the places where there were few tourists and backpackers.