Neighbours

3 March

Dad arrived safely and settled into the hotel.  We were staying at Causeway 353 on Little Collins Street.  The hotel itself was well positioned but lacked in customer service which was a great shame.  I left Dad in the hotel so that he could have a quick snooze after his 24 hour flight and headed off on possibly the most unusual tour to date - The Neighbours set.

After eventually finding the office at the other end of Flinders Street, I caught the minibus to Erinsborough.  Our tour guide was called Gerry, a young Irish chap who was full of enthusiasm.  I had read some negative reviews about the tour and about Gerry but I enjoyed his commentary although he did become a little repetitive at times.  As we approached Ramsay Street, we were informed that they were filming 'on location'.  Apparently they’re only allowed to film on the street one day a week in order to prevent the actual residents of the street from being disturbed.  We were asked to keep quiet but were allowed to stand at the bottom of the street watching Susan and Sonya film their scenes.  It was pretty exciting, even if the scene itself was quite dull with Susan placing rubbish in the wheelie-bin.  According to Gerry it's very rare that tours get to watch filming.  Luckily for us, we didn't get to miss out on taking photos of the street either as Gerry kindly drove us back to the street once the actors had headed off for lunch.

In the meantime, Gerry drove us to 'Erinsborough' where we were able to take photos of 'Dial-a-Kyle', 'Fitzgerald Motors' and 'Grease Monkeys' before meeting the actor that plays Chris Pathos who was happy to answer any questions and didn't take himself too seriously!  All in all it was a great day.  I would've liked to have seen 'Lasciders' 'Harolds' and 'Charlie's' but I wouldn't have got to see some live filming.  

Overall it was a great afternoon out of the city and a cheesy trip for any Neighbours fan!

Working my last Beerfest

28 February

After spending the morning wandering around the shops in Melbourne (window shopping only of course, I am a backpacker after all), I headed up to help Jimmy and Joycie (Andrew) set up for the first Melbourne Beerfest.  This is the third one that I've now done so I had a fairly good idea of what we needed to do but I still underestimated just how much work is involved to set up the event!  After 8 hours and memorably attempting to move fridge...in a dress, we were finally ready to go.

1 March

It's St David's Day and what could be more fitting than a Beer festival in the sun.  It was a long day but an enjoyable one nonetheless.  I was even treated with a visit by my roommates from the hostel (Greenhouse).  It was nice to spend the evening together,drinking beer and watching the bands.

2 March

Today was day 2 of the festival.  Numbers were slightly lower but it was still a great atmosphere.  It allowed me to get to know Elodie and Kalynda a little better too which was lovely.  In no time at all, we'd packed up the site and it was time to say my goodbyes.  I am so lucky to have met some amazing people thanks to Toby.  If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have made such good friends but most importantly of all, I wouldn't have met Jimmy.  It's amazing how one weekends worth of work has turned into 5 months.  I will never forget what Jimmy and Kalynda have done for me and I hope that one day I can re-pay the favour in some way.  

Melbourne - what a city!

25 February

Arrived in a Melbourne safe and sound via the Skybus.  If you ever get a chance to visit this city then this is the best way to get from the airport into town, it even provides a free hotel shuttle bus which includes hostel drop offs as well!  That night I caught up with Rachel (friend of Charlotte's).  As always it was great to see her and she was a superb guide. Rach has been living in Melbourne for 6 months so knew all the best places to go including a great rooftop bar where we had cocktails and dinner in Chinatown at a cheap dumpling restaurant. $14 for dinner and cocktails is pretty cheap for Aus.  I've already noticed how much cheaper food is here in comparison to Perth or Sydney.  Restaurants midweek are packed with locals which is a great sight to see.  I even managed to get a free Krispy Kreme on my way back to my hostel.  I think it's safe to say that I will enjoy my stay in Melbourne...

26 February

It's easy to see why Melbourne is #2 most desirable city to live in; great food, great people, great atmosphere but not so great weather.  It's true what they say, you can often see 4 seasons in one day in Melbs.  This certainly was the case on my first day.  I opted to do the free walking tour which is run by the same company as the one I did in Sydney.  The tour encompassed the main city sights including:

- State Library

- Old Gaol

- State Building

- China Town

- Royal Arcade

- Centre Place

- Laneways - street art

- Flinders Station

- Southbank

My personal highlights were Centre Place which is an alley at the back of Royal Arcade, a fairly upmarket shopping precinct.  Centre Place is filled with little coffee shops and the unlikely setting of business meetings.  Yes that's right, it's filled with men in suits sitting on beer crates.  Quite bizarre.  Another highlight was the large number of alleyways that are decorated in street art.  One that stood out is called Laneways which is funded by the state government meaning that street artists have a place to express themselves but in a controlled environment.  

In the evening, I visited "The Rooftop Bar" which is just above 'desserts' on Swanston Street.  It's a great bar, reasonably priced and has a wicked atmosphere.  I then headed up to the Queen Victoria Market for their late night opening.  This is the one day of the week where the market opens up at night and becomes a flea market serving worldwide cuisine.  I opted for South American lamb which was sublime but the coolest part about it was watching 'Masterchef' being filmed.

27 February

One of Nick and Cheryl's recommendations was to visit Brunswick Street, Smith Street and the surrounding area of Fitzroy.  The area reminded me a little bit of Shoreditch/Farrington with its rugged buildings and hippy vibe.  Take Tram 112 up Brunswick Street then walk back down stopping off at one of the nearby cafés.

In the afternoon, I took another tram down to St Kilda stopping off at the famous F1 circuit in Albert Park.  Unfortunately for me they weren't allowing anyone on the circuit but I was still able to see the grandstand and the straight.  It was then time to head down to St Kilda via Luna Park and Acland Street.  As per Cheryl's recommendation, I stopped at one of the local bakeries for afternoon tea which was delicious before attempting to burn off some of the calories with a walk down the famous St Kilda. beach.

'The Irish' and my last few days/final thoughts on Tasmania

24 February

No blog on Launceston or Tasmania would be complete without a post on the place that I've called home for the last month - Irish.  This pub is a very special place in many ways; the people, the locals, the food and most important of all the atmosphere.

The pub has cheered me up when I felt lonely and allowed me to make some great friends.  Those nights that I could've spent on my own sitting upstairs were spent witnessing the legendary 'Tommy & Timmy Show' or watching some great bands with people I'd only met that night.  It's the kind of place where you walk into on your own and walk out of with friends.  

My last night was spent waiting for Luke Parry to arrive for his set and saying farewell to new friends.  I'm so grateful to all those for turned out to say bye - Ceri, Timmy, Lauren, Tommy, Emma, Matt, Beth, Pat and Benny.  It was a night like no other and the perfect way to end a great time in a great state.

25 February

The next morning was a bit of a mad rush to the airport but we made it...just!  Thank you to the lovely Louise for driving me there and to Joanny for helping carry my bags.

So what are my final thoughts on Tasmania:

Tasmania is somewhere that has surprised me.  It's a place that I knew very little about before I went there.  To be honest the only thing I associated with Tassie was the cartoon character called "Taz" the Tasmanian Devil who spun around.  My brother loved him as a child.  Sadly the real Tasmanian Devils are nothing like the cartoon image I remember.  

Jokes aside, Tasmania is a truly beautiful island, where each town has something unique about it.  Other than the above, Launceston's highlight was certainly The Gorge and one of my favourite places to relax and chill.  For the first time in this trip, I found somewhere that reminded me of home.  Launnie couldn't have been anymore like Llandudno if it tried.  It's for that reason that I will hold it quite dear to my heart.

In Hobart, I enjoyed the Salamanca Market and walking along the harbour front at night.  Cradle Mountain was a special memory as it reminded me just how much I miss getting out into the mountains.  This is something that I will endeavour to do more of with my Uncle Steve once I get home.  Lastly, I visited Wineglass Bay which is by far the nicest beach I've been to thus far.  I will never forget the clear blue waters and soft white sand.  The beach could've easily been in The Seychelles if it weren't for the deceptively cold water!

Top tip: rent a car - you will struggle to get anywhere without one!

If you ever get a chance to head this way then I would strongly urge you to take the short flight over to Tassie.  You won't be disappointed!

Next stop: Melbourne

Day out around the wineries of Tazzy with the ladies from Beerfest

23 February

The ladies I met at Beerfest in Launnie kindly invited me out for lunch on Sunday.  We agreed to meet at Irish then head out to Rosevears via "the lookout" which provided stunning view across Launceston.  We organised to eat lunch at Rosevears which is a restaurant on the river.  Unfortunately for us, the service was poor, awkward and one meal was even over cooked!

Thankfully the day improved when we went to the vineyards.  I've yet to meet a group of ladies who are  as passionate about wine as I am until I met this group.  The first vineyard was 'Marian's Vineyard' which offered an interesting owner and less interesting wine.  The second vineyard was 'Holm Oak' a large estate which even had its own pig named 'Pinot'.  Thankfully the wine was delicious and I picked up a bottle of Sav Blanc for Dad.  The last stop of the day was 'Goaty Hill' or 'Sheepy Hill' as it was renamed by Kelly as apparently the goats looked more like sheep than goats!!  I'm not a fan of Rieslings normally but their wine was the nicest one of the day.  It's no wonder that is what they are most famous for.  If only I could get it back in the UK.  Therefore it only seemed appropriate that we ended our day sampling their #1 wine and the incredible view of their vineyard.  

After taking a few shots of the girls sitting in the goats, we headed for dinner at a local Indian restaurant in town.  The food was okay but very sweet and we even accidentally made a family move tables as we were too noisy - oops!  Overall if a was a great end to a great day out and a very sad farewell.  I wish I'd met these ladies sooner as I think we would've been great friends.

Thank you again Rachel, Sarah, Toni and Kelly xx

Next stop: Melbourne

Freycinet National Park & Wineglass Bay - simply paradise...

11 February

A week after our Cradle Mountain Roadtrip, we decided it was time for another.  Ceri had already visited Wineglass Bay with his host family and had insisted I saw it before I left.  

I picked up the rental car but unlike last time, he only had one car available and it was bright...pink.  I don't think I'll ever forget the look on Ceri's face when I pulled up outside his house!

The drive to Freycinet takes approx 3 hours down countrylanes and A roads.  As someone who loves driving, it was a lot of fun. Upon arrival into the National Park, we picked up our access passes and headed towards the car park.

The first stretch of the walk was to up to Coles Bay lookout then onto Wineglass Bay lookout.  Both these walks were steep but nothing in comparison to the decent down to the famous Wineglass beach. Thankfully it was worth it and the most beautiful beach and clearest blue water I have ever seen; simply paradise!  The crystal clear water and soft white sand will take some beating!

We also headed to Honeymoon creek which is completely opposite to Wineglass Bay as it's a flat calm.

Honeymoon Lookout

Festivale

9 February

Festivale is a local festival which promoted local beer, wine, cider as well as musicians.  It takes place over the second weekend in Feb.

Ceri and I popped by on the Sunday.  It wasn't a huge affair but it's clearly popular amongst the locals.  We were able to try some local ciders and sample some locally sourced food.