This past weekend Sara, Hayley, Jess and myself all went to Melbourne. We had the best time ever, and I can't speak for them but I think that Melbourne was by far my favorite weekend here so far. We did and saw so much and I hope that one day I can go back and doing it all over again.
The four of us flew out of the Gold Coast late Thursday night and we got to our hostel at about 1 in the morning. We would of gotten there earlier but we had this taxi driver who did not know when to stop talking. He also did not understand anything about America but he definitely thought we were a stupid,rude country, and he definitely believed that his country was much better. He drove so slow as well because he tried telling us about all these places to go to that night (mind you it was 1 in the morning). Finally when we got rid of the taxi driver we checked into the hostel. The four of us all shared a room, but none of us got sleep that night. We had to leave the window open because there was no air conditioning and I swear that every form of transportation in Melbourne was going by our window all night long. Trams, trains, taxis, drunk people, buses, cars, you name it. It was so loud and we probably got about 3 hours of sleep if we were lucky.
When we woke up on Friday morning we went to the rental car place and picked up our car. We hopped in the car and headed straight out to the Great Ocean Road. It was about a 2 hour ride out to the start of the Great Ocean Road. We drove through Geelong and stopped for morning tea in Tuquay. After that we went to Bells Beach, which is a famous beach in Australia. It was not very warm so we didn't get to go swimming or anything but we did see all the surfers in the water. We then got back in the car and drove on. The Great Ocean Road was absolutely stunning. Words cannot describe how amazing it was. The water was the most beautiful green and blue combination. As the waves would curl you could see rough it and with the white foam on top it was absolutely gorgeous. We eventually stopped in Apollo Bay for lunch were we split this delicious pizza. After that we got back in the car and drove to our next stop, the 12 Apostles. The 12 Apostles were amazing to see. There are only 8 that still exist today, however, more are forming, but it does take years for them to form. After we took our pictures and had enough of the cold, windy weather we got back in the car and drove 3 hours back to Melbourne. For the rest of the weekend we were staying our friend from Bond, Anna's house. She was not there for the weekend but her family was absolutely amazing. It was her mom Jenny, her dad Ron, her sister Julia, and her brother Will. They were the friendliest and most hospitable people ever. Jenny cooked us dinner every night and provided breakfast for us every morning. All of us had our own beds to sleep in and she also gave us all bath towels. They also gave us their cards to use for public transportation so we didn't have to buy the cards. Ron also drove us places and picked us up from the train station. We honestly could not have asked for a better family to stay with.
After we got to The Lane's house on Friday night we sat down and talked for a while and then we ate dinner. Jenny fed us pumpkin soup, pasta, salad, fruit and ice cream. It was delicious and so nice to have a home cooked meal. After we ate dinner we washed up, watched an episode of Summer Heights High and went to bed.
Saturday morning we woke up at about 7:30 and ate breakfast and got ready. We had to leave their house at about 8:30 to get the rental car back in time. Once we dropped the car off we just stayed in the city and explored. Our first stop in the city was Queen Victoria Market. We ate and drank our way through the market and then we went shopping for a while. After we shopped all morning we were hungry again and decided to get lunch a the market. We got the freshest bread ever, these amazing dips, roasted red peppers stuffed with cheese and the creamiest Brie ever. We also got a bottle of champagne which was made in Victoria, and for dessert we had homemade doughnuts. After we ate lunch we started walking toward Flinders Street. On our way there we found this alley way with all these amazing painting. It was really neat to see. Once we got to Flinders Street we walked up it a little and found Federation Square. We sat there for a while people watching and looking at all the amazing buildings around us. After about an hour we walked down to the river were we stopped to get drinks. We got a jug of is very refreshing drink with fresh fruit in it. After our drinks we went to the Eureka Skydeck 88. This is the tallest viewing platform in the Southern Hemisphere. We went up 88 floors in under 40 seconds and boy was the view amazing. It was really cool it see. After we did that we got on the train and headed back to the Lane's house.
For dinner that night we had roasted vegetable and this pasta dish with ground meat and other vegetables in it. For dessert, the girls and I had gotten some fruit at the market that day and we made a fruit salad and had ice cream and chocolate cake with it. After dinner Sara, Jess, Hayley and I all got ready because we were going out that night. Ron drove us to the club and once he dropped us off we went to this grassy memorial area where we pre-drank. We finally went into the club around 11:30 and we were there until 5 in the morning. Yes we shut the place down! They had to kick us out.
We woke up on Sunday morning at about 10. We ate breakfast and then Ron was driving us to Brighton to show us the school where Summer Heights High was filmed. We took some pictures and walked around the school. After that Ron dropped us off in St. Kilda. This is such a cute artsy town with a bunch of cafe and shops. We ate lunch at this one place where I had probably the biggest burger I have ever seen in my entire life. The burger had on it: lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, bacon, egg, pineapple, pepper, and mushrooms. It was DELICIOUS. After lunch we walked around a little and went into some shops. Then we went to the beach in St. Kilda, but of course once we stepped on the beach it started to rain lightly. It was also really windy so it was not a good beach day. We did walk the beach though and took some pictures. After walking around for a little we stopped to get some frozen yogurt and split it between the four of us. Eventually we made our way back to the Lane's house. We made pizzas for dinner and had fruit and ice cream for dessert. After that we packed our bags and got ready for bed. We had to leave extremely early Monday morning.
We woke up Monday morning at about 4:15 in the morning. The taxi came to pick us up at 4:40 and we got to the airport at about 5:15. We started to board the plane about 15 minutes after getting to the gate. We slept the whole plane ride home and eventually made it back to campus before 8 in the morning. (We gained an hour with the time difference). Once I got back to my room I fell right asleep and then woke up for my class.
Melbourne was honestly the greatest weekend ever. I loved it so much and can only hope to make it back there again one day. After experiencing it first hand, I now understand why Melbourne is considered the most livable city in the world. It is such an extremely clean city and the people are all so friendly.
This weekend is Easter and then the following weekend is when Sara, Hayley and I leave for New Zealand. That is going to be another amazing vacation. The 3 of us are thinking of renting a van where we can sleep and cook. We thought this would be an adventure in New Zealand so living in the car and staying at camp grounds could only make it more of a memorable experience. We wanted to rent a car anyways to get around so it only makes sense, rather than spending money on both the car for the 4 days and the hostel for 5 nights. I cannot wait for New Zealand but at the same time that means that my time here is winding down. I cannot believe that come Sunday I only have 3 weeks left. This really has been an amazing experience and I am so thankful that I have been able to come here and do everything I have done. I am looking forward to coming home to see everyone, but it will also be sad to leave my friends here. Good thing I still have 3 weeks to live it up and continue to experience Australia.
Cheers!
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