Aussie Aussie Aussie ay ay ay … my stay in Victoria

Had a good flight to Oz though I had to get up at 3am. When I arrived at the Coffee palace in St. Kilda it felt so good to finally hug Maike – found each other. We managed to rent a Van for our Great Ocean Road trip and then went off to discover Melbourne’s city. Cool mix of old and new coffee shops. After having some yummy Pizza for lunch, it was time for an Aussie Christmas-cake muffin and cheese cupcake! That’s the way ahaa.

If I told you Batman founded Melbourne you’d probably think I was stupid. Forget Bruce Wayne, credit here goes to John Batman – the only native-born Aussie to found a states capital city. Had the pastoralist had it all his own way then Melbourne may have been called Batmania. Holy Lycra!

  

    

 

Don’t like the weather in Melbourne? – Just wait 5 Minutes. ;-)

 

Our hostel was located in St. Kilda with it’s history of a haven for drugs and prostitution and a seedy ghetto for bohemians. Nowadays the area plays host to an eclectic mixture of people, from rich yuppies and fashion victims to scruffily dressed backpackers. So here you put on your thongs and catch one of the 112 trams and discover the St. Kilda water holes. For dinner we tried some Cones head salsa french fries and then went out at the Espy, one of Melbourne’s premier music venues at the Esplanada (everybody knows Luna Park with Mr. Moon), play pool billiard and enjoy a free concert. (many pubs where you can order your pot, schooner, pint or jug)

 

 

Day two in Melbourne, and here we come in our Jucy Van stopping at the Victoria market to get some fresh fruits, bread cheese, pesto dips etc… best stuff ever. Never buy your veggies from the supermarket, save beer money by visiting Melbourne’s markets. Victoria Market the largest open-air market really has something for everyone.

 

 

 

Driving in Oz is so different when it comes to the Hook turn, one of Melbourne’s many quirks.  ‘Right turn from left only’. Normally when you’re about to turn right, logic dictates that you stay in your right-hand lane. Forget logic, it’s time to break motoring convention and turn right from your left-hand lane. That’s ridiculous, I could cry. It was designed to keep cars out of tram’s way.

After passing the wineries in Dandenong we arrived on Phillip Island to stop at the Pannys chocolate Factory to fulfil my Willy Wonka dreams.

What do you get if you mix petrol, penguins and pelicans? (it’s not a grilled penguin burger). For three months of the year the island plays host to various motor-hike events, including the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix (every October). So Maike and I stopped at the Grand Prix Circuit to take some fun pics. On Phillip Island the beaches fill up with people in wetsuits catching waves. And if it’s not rubber then it’s blubber: This Island’s fur seal colony is the largest in the southern hemisphere. So we went to Point Grant/Nobbies but didn’t see any. At dusk we visited the penguins parade watching them waddling ashore to return to their nesting spots just off Summerland Beach. I couldn’t imagine something more cute and exciting, I felt so privileged when seeing this natural event.

     

We also stopped at Smiths Beach, a good spot for a really nice surf, to watch some pros. After a few yoga sun-greetings the next morning we went to see some Koalas at the Reservoir on Philip Island and then took off for the Great Ocean Road Trip. There we go.

 

The Great Ocean Road  actually starts in Torquay, the hub of Australia’s surf industry and passes Bells Beach, home of the annual ASP Championship tour, one of the prestigious events on the surfing Calender. ;-) We stopped once for a McFlurry, not the best idea..you’ll hear about it later on. As we arrived in Torquay we asked a lady on the street about a safe place to park our camping van and she told us about this 93 years old Joe Walker who loved to invite backpackers to camp on his lawn. What a lovely guy. Later on we went to a bottle shop to get some nice wine and then looked for the surf  museum. We asked one guy about the opening hours and he offered us to check it on his internet, we then fond us in his living room drinking some good wine and realizing that he just went to the bottle shop a few seconds before us and his mother would watch us out of their car. “Hey, I just saw you girls walking into the bottle shop!” Weird thing! Worst thing was that I didn’t feel good after having the McFlurry and I had to throw up…  so that night I didn’t get much sleep with all the vomiting… that sucked! ewwwww

Next day I luckily felt better, a bit exhausted though, and after the Torquay Surf Museum we went on for Apollo Bay, stopping at famous Bells Beach for some beach chill and at the Erskine Water Falls. At Apollo Bay we found a nice Surfers Backpackers Hostel where we parked our van.

 

 

So what I waited for most of the time was to get a good surf. Apollo Bay surf was so wow, cheap gear, stand ups right away, not to bad surfing skills. so cool! works for me..and Maike. Just paddle – push and moooove…

After a super duper picnic between tons of flies we head back to Torquay, again for some Outlet mall shopping, being recognized again, completing the day with a proper cuppa tea at Rob McVey and his mom. What a day.

 

  

Melbournians don their best frocks, suits and hats and head to races for the biggest picnic day and piss up of the year. Maike and I were in town the week before the first Tuesday of November. So when driving through Melbourne’s streets perfumed beauties were everywhere we looked, many outrageous hats, colourful characters and really short dresses. But it was time to head to Canberra to see my family. There we go again.