Sunny old Sydney

I had decided to book to stay in the YHA Railway as its close to where the greyhound drops and pretty central and modern.  As it turns out Ken’s friend (the manager from my hostel in Perth) works there on reception so he told me to look out for her.  Of course, low and behold I turn up and its her who ends up checking me in.  I was hot, bothered, knackered and stressed from my horrendous journey to Sydney so Mya invited me to join her and Ken for a little drink after they finished their shifts – it was pretty late but it gave me enough time to shower and freshen up and was a great start to my stay in Sydney.

On my Great Ocean Road trip there was a lovely lady I met called Celine who was from France who was also heading to Sydney but a day earlier than me.  I arranged to meet her on the Monday which was perfect timing as it was raining all day and we headed to the Sydney Aquarium.  

The Aquarium was pretty good however I would say no better than the one in Perth but I did have a lovely day hanged out with Celine and wandering about afterwards.Of course I spent plenty of time exploring Sydney, walking all around the Botanical gardens and the rest of the city but I have to admit, its not my favourite place in the world.  I can see that Sydney probably has its charms, the harbour is very nice, but to me, it was just another very large city.  I guess growing up in and around an amazing city like London you are so used to cities that they don’t necessary hold that much interest. 

I’d decided to make plans to head out of the city to the Blue Mountains.  There are many tour operators offering deals to take you out there for a day if you pay $100 odd and take you to all the usual tourist attractions.  Thankfully I had talked to Mya and Ken about it and they had given me the insiders knowledge about what to do.  Simply take a train from Central Station (right by the hostel) for just under 8 bucks, it takes 2 hours and you are there!  The ride is lovely and scenic and they go every hour so it was definitely the best plan.  I was booked to stay at the YHA there which had been recommended.  I checked in and got the low down on what to do as I was only planning on being in the moutains for 1 night. 

There is a great walk you can do that goes from not too far from the hostel all the way along so you get to see everything and it takes about 3 hours so off I headed.  It was definitely the best decision as there were packages you could pay for that took you on a scenic railway and a cablecar and stuff but the views I got were so much better and for free!

I’d kept in touch with Celine who was also in the Blue Mountains at the same time as me so we met up that evening for dinner and a glass of vino.  The following day the weather was appalling.  I decided to try out the tourist bus that’s hop on hop off but it was so crap you couldn’t see a thing!  The only advantage was the driver said that as I was the only one on it – ha ha ha – he would take me down to the bottom of these falls so I could see them as they don’t normally go there.  At least it was worth it for that as they were very pretty but then I headed back to Sydney for the night. 

Alison and Cairon, friends from Perth were also staying in Sydney when I was there but as they had been working I hadn’t really gotten to see them other than the cinema with Ali earlier in the week.  Ali and I arranged to meet up early on the Saturday to do the 3 hour Bondi to Coogee beach walk which was really great – amazing views and lots of beaches!  Highlighted of course by receiving lots of drunken phone calls from Nicola etc on her hen do!  

That evening I met back up with Ali and Ciaron for dinner and drinks.  The plan for the next day was to get up early and head to “summer bay” and then to meet up with Ken for a BBQ and his.  Well of course, as we all went to bed so late we didn’t make it out to Summer Bay but of course, we made it to the BBQ!  It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and or course, no food was had until late.  We headed back into the city with Ken as he madly had to do the night shift that night and I decided to head to a bar nearby with a girl that had also come to the bbq that Ken knew.  A very bizarre end to the evening as we got chatting to this group of people and she left me looking after her drink and then never came back!  In the end I had to get a guy who I had been chatting to all evening to walk me back to my hostel (no winking please – he was the perfect gent!).  It was a great end really to my time in Sydney but it was time to move on and detox the old liver again.

The Great Ocean Road

So I was really looking forward to hitting the road for one of the most famous road trips you can do in Australia.  I booked up with Bunyip and we got picked up at the usual VERY early time and taken to the office to meet the buses to head off.  There’s a good long drive out of the city before you start hitting the official start of the GOR.

So what can I tell you about the Great Ocean Road?  Well for starters and most obvious is that the scenery is fantastic.  The whole road is just one bend after another of stunning scenery. 

Our first stop along the road was in Torquay where our guide/driver was trying to get a coffee date that I had helped assist set up.  Let me explain…the drive out of Melbourne is long and boring, just highway.  A lot of people were just sleeping in the bus as well, there’s not much to see or do and it was an early start.  However as I was sat just behind our guide, anyone seated around the guide (front passenger seat or just behind) is generally expected to talk to them to help keep them entertained.  It also works for your benefit as a customer as being right there you get to ask a lot more questions and get much more involved in learning about what you are seeing on the tour. 

So anyway – our guide spotted this surf chick chuntering down the highway in her car with all these surf stickers stuck on her car.  As we overtook her he waved at her.  She looked over a bit confused and surprised but waved back. 

We separated slightly but then this behaviour continues with him getting me to write on bits of paper, what’s your name? do you surf? Are you going to Torquay?  Do you want to meet for a coffee in Torquay?    Luckily for him she was nice and was flirting a bit back through the cars, it was just tooo funny.  Unluckily for him, another car cut him up a bit further one and then we lost her so he wasn’t able to say WHERE to meet in Torquay. 

Well anyway – Torquay I felt was a bit of a nothing stop but in the main somewhere for our guide to pick up food supplies for us.  We had a bit of a wonder around as its very much a surf place for shops. 

Our first proper stop was the famous Bells Beach – you know the one – the one from the famous Point Break scene?  Well that was definitely cool getting to see that and the surfers showing their stuff really helped. 

Next up we visited another very famous place for lots of Brits and Aussies – the Round the Twist Lighthouse!  Do you remember it from when you were a kid? Well anyway, yes it was just a lighthouse, but it was pretty cool. Much of the tour of the Great Ocean Road is just sitting back in the bus and watching the scenery go by with stops at some particularly scenic places including stopping in the towns of Lorne and Apollo Bay.  Both were pleasant enough as seaside places but didn’t feel they were anything amazing. 

We then headed to the Otways to walk through the Rainforest seeing lots of giant trees, Golden Orb spiders, ewwww and lizards etc.

That night we were staying in the Otway Ranges National Park.  I had originally just booked to do the basic camping option but at the last minute after talking to some other people, I decided to upgrade to dorm accommodation.  I wasn’t going to as I didn’t want people to see me as some kind of spoiled brat not wanting to camp but then someone pointed out to me that really it doesn’t matter what other people think as long as I’m comfortable.  Its not that I don’t like camping –I do like camping, but as my friends will tell you, I need my comforts…my pillow, my nice warm sleeping bag, and a nice big inflatable mattress.  I’m a wimp, and I knew that this was camping basic stylie – foam mat, basic sleeping bag and well if you happened to bring a jumper you could roll up into a pillow. 

To be honest, deciding to go into the dorms was the best decision ever – as I was the only one on the tour to do it so it meant my shared accommodation was totally private.  Apart from me, only the guide wasn’t camping but they always get their own room so I was on my own!  What a luxury! I think a few people were a bit jealous really even though they didn’t admit it! hee hee hee. 

 

So the first place we stayed was very basic very much out in a National Park but had everything you needed.  There was a main lodge/kitchen area for us to prepare dinner and then the loos and shower block were pretty good and clean – but you needed to pay for the showers as there is such a water shortage out there.  You have to work out exactly how many minutes do I need to wash myself? My room was also quite nice – basic but clean and comfy – nothing to complain about!

Day 2 was the best day out of them all for me although the weather got pretty miserable with lots of wind and drizzle and no sunshine.  We visited the historic shipwreck coast famous for, well for lots of shipwrecks! 

This was also when I got to see the Twelve Apostles.  I had been desperate to do the helicopter road over them, half for them, half for the chance to go in a helicopter without it costing the earth.  Ok you might think that $75 for 8 minutes is a lot of money – but actually that’s pretty good value when you think that most rides available are for 30-60 mins and just hundreds and hundreds, so this way you get an experience without having to spend a fortune. 

Unfortunately when we got there it seemed that luck wasn’t on my side.  No one else on my bus wanted to go up in a helicopter, all thinking that it cost too much and the helicopter operators wouldn’t take me just on my own up. 

Our guide said for me to go down to the boardwalk to see the Apostles from there but to come back within 30 mins as he was going to hang round the helicopter centre to see if he could get me a on ride with other people if anyone else turned up wanting to go on a ride. 

Off I trotted feeling a bit disconcerted and disappointed but got some great views and photos anyway.  I headed back a bit earlier than everyone else as he said to before and then saw him waving at me from a distance and hurry up over there.  Low and behold he had worked some magic!  Two older ladies had turned up wanting a ride for 15 minutes which was over double the price of what I was wanting BUT somehow he had managed to get the ladies to wait for me and for the operators to agree to take me for the price of the 8 minute ride (providing of course I kept my trap shut and didn’t let on that I had paid half the amount they had!).  Well I was just over the moon.  They were all waiting for me so they had to rush me through payment, weighing me (lovely!) then giving me a quick safety briefing, the most important thing I got from it was – don’t touch anything inside the helicopter! 

I was really nervous about the ride given my fear of heights and the massive problems I have with pressure in my ears particularly when flying short distances as the ascent and descent is really quick.  Luckily they said we weren’t going high enough for it to really be a problem.  Being in a helicopter is like nothing else!  The manoeuvrability of those things is amazing, one way you are going to the right, the next curving round to the left and then dipping down and then back up again.  It was so exhilarating.  Yes, of course the views were great but just the whole experience was a never forget for me and if I get the chance to do it again I will do like a shot.

After the Twelve Apostles it was time to head further up the coast to see Lord Ard Gorge and the collapsed “London Bridge”.  On the evening of 15 January 1990 the main arch connecting London Bridge to the mainland cracked and fell away into the sea.  Fortunately no one was injured, however just before this happened two people had walked across to admire the view.  They were stranded there for 2 hours before managing to be helicopter rescued. 

The rest of the day was spent driving to the Bay of Martyrs and Bay of Islands and Tower Hill.  We then headed to our campsite in the Grampians National Park.  Unfortunately, it was here that our guide managed to get a bit lost and missed the turning and we added probably an hour an a half on to our journey.  Typical man though as he kept on just driving and driving without looking at a map for ages when he thought he had gone wrong – grrrrr.

Our camp was great for that night.  We were staying in the middle of nowhere on a place run by this old typical outback aussie guy.  He’s the local pub, and the local airfield and part of the volunteer fire brigade.  He told us loads of stories about all the stuff that went on with the last massive bush fires and how involved the local community get and all about the political side of things where the locals are arguing with what the government are saying to do about how to handle it and how to put it out.  They do a lot of back burning in Australia when the fires get out of control which means they basically burn an area on purpose in order to control the fire, but burn too much and you damage so much nature.  

Once again, I had a whole place to myself that night – bliss!  Unfortunately something didn’t agree with me about sleeping on my own as my last day on tour I felt decidedly ill!  I started off ok in the morning.  We headed off to Reids Outlook and Balconies to see some amazing views of the Grampians.  Then off to MacKenzie Falls.  We got a lovely view of the falls at the top, but this being a backpacker tour, of course it was on for hiking down to the bottom, but what goes down must come up.  This is when I started feeling worse and I can’t even make the excuse that it was the exercise as I didn’t get that far!

We walked from the car park to a look out point to see the top of the falls and I was already feeling a bit off colour and faint then but carried on.  We then carried on to walk down the falls, probably only 5-10 minutes after starting to walk down I started feeling really faint and lightheaded.  I could see how far down it was (I think it took about an hour round trip to get down and back so I’m sure you can work it out!) and thought to myself, my god, if I’m feeling faint walking down a few non-steep steps, how the hell am I going to get myself back up here?   Maybe I wimped out, maybe not but I don’t regret my decision as I think you know when you can push your body and when you can’t.  To be honest, missing out on the walk to the falls wasn’t the worst of it, that was our warm up to a 3 hour hike in the Grampians which I figured I definitely couldn’t do if I couldn’t do the falls.  I was incredibly disappointed, especially afterwards when I saw what amazing views they got, however I realised it was the best option for me when I saw the route they were doing and that it was a proper full on hike rather than some of the other walks that I had done before. 

The hike starts at one point in the Grampians and then ends in another so our guide doesn’t do the walk with the group, they have to follow signs and hope they get out the other end!  That also meant though that I was with our guide.  It wasn’t so bad, we headed into town to fill up petrol, had an ice cream and then had a snooze whilst we waited for everyone to come back. 

It was a disappointing end to my GOR trip but I had so many more great things to come!  We returned back to Melbourne late that night and I checked in to the YHA Melbourne City Central hoping to get some good rest.

The Melbourne YHA suited me a bit better than Habitat but I still wasn’t that keen on it – it was split up so each floor had a tiny TV room and a tiny kitchen, so it was ok, but not all that communal.  The backpackers bar that was supposedly there wasn’t particularly backpackerish.  Its hard to say if this is good or bad as some of the hostel bars can be OTT with partying, but this seemed to be full of outside people drinking and eating so generally not mixing as much as backpackers would. 

I went into a 4 bed dorm which had two older ladies in it in their 50’s-60’s.  I thought – great, no one coming in late, perfect.  The first night wasn’t too bad apart from heat and traffic noise L  Night two though – OMG, although I should say, the morning of check out.

I was due to get a 7.30 am bus from Melbourne to Sydney.  One of the other ladies in my room was also due to get a bus around that time.  I figured, well, if she’s anything like my mother she’ll need an age to get ready but I’m sure she won’t get up THAT much earlier than me.  Oh yeah? Try 4.30 am!!!  I have NO idea what the hell she was doing but what drove my really crazy was she got up and was in and out the room that many times I lost count.  So after a very early start - I was due to spend 12-15 hours on a bus doing the road trip to Sydney - would I recommend it to anyone? NO!  Definately fly!  

Next up catching up with folks in Sydney!

Next stop – Melbourne!

So, I was due to meet up with Amanda and Rachel again in Melbourne.  Amanda was doing some mad all over the place trip flying to Christchurch to see Rachel and then back to Melbourne with her for the Cup and then back on to Perth. 

We had arranged to all stay in the same hostel in Melbourne whilst we were all there together….Habitat HQ, one of the top rated hostels on Hostelworld.com.  One thing that this experience taught me was just that because it was top rated did not mean it was the right hostel for me, particularly up the typical backpacker route on this side of Australia.

Habitat HQ have a lot of things right so I’m not slating the place by any means, it just wasn’t for me, especially when my friends left and I had a few days there on my own.  But firstly, I’ll let you know about what we got up too!  So, although I had only been away from everyone for a few days, it was great to see familiar faces again in Melbourne.  Monday night was slightly hectic crawling over Melbourne bars to try and meet up with some of Amanda’s friends that we were meeting up with the next day at the Cup.   Being slightly sensible (for once) we didn’t have too much of a late night as we had to start pretty early the next day to get to the racecourse for a decent time.  Well…..Melbourne Cup morning at the hostel was a very interesting experience.  We were staying in a 10 bed dorm and thankfully I think everyone in it was also going to the cup – to such an extent that so many places were booked out we ended up having an extra friend of someone there sleeping on the floor of the dorm as they had no where else to do.  Luckily though it basically meant everyone was early to bed.  Thankfully we had decided to get up a little on the early side the next day to start getting ourselves all glammed up for a day at the races – lucky because as we were coming out the shower there must have been a queue of about 10 girls waiting to get into the showers!

 

After that, well it was a sea of woman elbowing each other out the way to try and do their hair and make up in the bathrooms, I’m sure you can imagine the chaos!  Eventually though, we managed to get ourselves ready.  Amanda had been told about this “ingenious” idea about hiding a small water bottle full of vodka inside a cut out loaf of bread.  Well, I had a loaf of bread but Amanda managed to butcher it so that idea went out the window.  We decided to risk it (no outside booze allowed inside the racecourse) and bunged a water bottle of vodka inside a carrier bag containing their extra shoes, wraps, hairspray, make up and the rest hoping we could sneak it in.  Anyway running our usual late selves we had to do a pit stop on our way to the races to get ourselves some food to try and be slightly sensible about not drinking all day on an empty stomach – Burger King it was!!!

Thank god, living in London prepared me for the chaos at the main station in Melbourne.  We had to queue for 20 minutes or so to get onto the platform before managing to squeeze our way onto the train, then had to tackle attempting to find Amanda’s friends amongst the thousands of people at the ground.  We managed it though and made our way to them! 

Well, the Melbourne Cup was definitely a fun and interesting experience…….we had the very typical Melbourne weather, one minute sunshine, one minute freezing, one minute pouring down with rain.  Placing a bet was doing battle with water soaked and straw laden grass in our sandals and heels.  Going to the bar was a 30 minute battle there and back.  I didn’t win – I didn’t loose but it was a great experience – would I go again? Possibly if I had a nice box to stand in and someone else was paying J

By the time we got to the end of the day it was all a mess, a few more drinks were had but in the end I retired pretty early.

 

The next day Rachel Amanda and I headed out for dinner in St Kilda and were going to go back to the hostel for a quiet night, but on our walk back we were confronted with a wall of people from our hostel all on an organised night out to one of the local bars were a free drink was to be head.  It was a “bad taste” night so they were all dressed up, erm lovely!  However, of course, we decided to turn round and follow them for errr just the one!  Hee hee hee.

Rachel departed us to head back to Christchurch and on the Friday I decided to go out sightseeing in Melbourne for the day on my own (Amanda wanted to go shopping instead J ).  I headed all over the city and thoroughly enjoyed myself exploring all the central areas, the botanical gardens and the museums.  I met Amanda at the end of the day to head to the Rooftop bar to meet another friend of hers for drinks that evening.  We wanted to go in search of food so luckily for us he took us to this little bar up a back street that you would never find that was lovely for a few more drinks and some food!

Amanda’s friend Laura’s birthday was on the Saturday and she was having a Masquerade party, and her being the lovely person that she was said I was welcome to come along.  I managed to find myself a little mask that cost a few bucks from a cheapo shop to wear and Amanda and I headed off.  Little did we know she was so lovely as it was free drinks for the first couple of hours – lovely!

The next morning I was feeling pretty delicate and woke up a bit late.  I wasn’t sure what Amanda was up to as she had moved herself into her own private room for a few nights for the end of her trip in Melbourne (she’s not a proper backpacker, in a proper sponsored professional job).  I woke myself up a bit and called her to find out what she was up to and low and behold she was at her friends Pat’s house round the corner (the one who used to live in the flat we took over in Perth.  Well….that was one random Sunday I won’t forget quickly – a bit of a session commenced and well, we’ll leave it at that!

After a few days in Melbourne with Amanda I had blown my budget well and truly so Monday was a well deserved liver and wallet rest.  Tuesday – the start of my Great Ocean Road Adventure!!