Melbourne Numero Uno

And so three days into the Melbourne adventure and I find myself in the midst of a planning flurry... who knew 3 months was almost definately not enough time to see Australia?! Well I do now. My desire to see New Zealand is adding even more complications into the mix! On the plus side I am well beck into the swing of not being stressed out so nah worries mate... what will be will be!

Melbourne so far has been both completely suprising and yet totally as I predicted at the same time. In comparison to the difficulties I faced daily in South America I would say this barely qualifies as backpacking at all- everybody has mobile phones, most have laptops, the showers are hot, the public transport fantastic, in fact I would say this is more akin to living in a massive student house. I even have a cupboard for all my food (impressive while backpacking, not impressive in life)! The downside is the difficulty of finding a job (although I have only been looking for one day before the weekend so I'm sure something will turn up this week), the expense (England prices plus), and the attitude of the backpackers here. Lots of the backpackers here are much younger, most are in groups, and lots have only been backpacking in the first world. This means they aren't as friendly, whinge about everything (I heard a girl complain about the fire alarm going off yesterday- now I'm not being funny but I would put money on less than 50% of the hostels I stayed in in South America even having fire alarms, and I bet 50% of those weren't connected to anything. I am pro saftey features, even if it was 'only a small fire', ie toaster, that set it off) and have generally got lots of money. I actually met a backpacker the other day who was boasting that he couldn't get by on less than 3000 POUNDS a month. What on earth he was spending it on I do not know, but if we were in Bolivia he would have been robbed blind 30 seconds later. Basically the whole process is an adjustment, a different type of challenge.

All that said I have managed to make some friends out here- from the crazy hostel staff to the girls that drink and dance on the roof all day, 'we're going to look for a job tomorrow', to the three margninally post- pubescent Germans I'm currently sharing a room with who are super sweet and play rock, paper, scissors to find out who has to turn off the light (as their revered elder I am naturally superior and not included- basically I'm always in bed first).

Most of my time has been taken up with job hunting and planning so far, although I did make time to see the sunset and a trip into Melbourne city centre (I'm staying in a trendy (read expensive) suburb called St Kilda). Melbourne city centre is really amazing with everything from period churches to the production of a schizophrenic architect that is federation square. I also took a trip up the sky tower to have a peek at Melbourne from above (phot left)!

Today I took a tour to Ramsey Street to see the set of Neighbours and hang out with Dr Karl Kennedy... I met a Korean girl on the tour and she and I were wetting ourselves laughing because it was so obviously aimed at hardcore fans. Absolutely brilliant three hours which I can recommend to fans and non fans alike; its so cheesey its impossible not to have a good time and even if you haven't watched if for years (like me) there's still pleanty to be recognised and much fun to be had with the Ramsey Street sign! Plus also you get to walk where Jason Donovan and Jessie Spencer once stood- swoon!

So this week the plan hopefully will include some job offers, a few trips to the beach, some social drinking, my first night out in Melbourne now I am sin jetlag and mas planning! Any further suggestions on where to go do let me know!!

Yay!!