Hello from Oz
Hello all,
We are now in Australia!
We were quite sad to leave NZ because we both had such a great time there – I have actually fallen head over heels in love with the place!
We spent our last few days in Christchurch in a camper site in the back garden of a hostel! Sounds weird but the location couldn’t be beaten… just a short stroll down to the city centre and the riverside. Christchurch is a really pretty city, so we spent a couple of days just walking around it. It has a Wagamama’s – yum yum! The weather wasn’t all that great. Bit sunny sometimes, bit drizzly sometimes. We drove around the Banks peninsula for a day, but it was a grey, cloudy day so we missed out on the crater rim view. However, we did have a nice lunch by the shore, sipping on hot choc out on the deck.
Bye bye NZ….
Highlights were:
Abel Tasman – just beautiful. Wish we could have stayed a month.
Queenstown – bungy and skydive. Celebrating our bravery afterwards.
Imagining the lifestyle – after visiting Matt’s Aunt, a 25 year NZ’er.
ALL OF IT – just jaw droping scenery at every turn.
Lowlights were:
A few grey and rainy days on the South Island, meaning we didn’t get to see some beautiful places properly, if at all, and at their best.
My trainers going astray and breaking my second pair of flip flops!
LEAVING – can Australia live up to it?!
We’ll see…. the first few days have been fun. We have been staying in a great hostel in St Kilda, Melbourne. It’s a very cool district with a great beach and nightlife, and a short tram ride from the city centre. Melbourne is a gorgeous city – there are really grand buildings, both old and new, everywhere. The food and shopping are fantastic. I can see why you spent so long here Steph!
On Monday we went to a Neighbours night and met Karl Kennedy (legend), Steve and Miranda (not legends but nice enough). A wicked night; highly recommended. Karl sings with his band for a couple of hours at the end, and they are actually pretty good – all Killers and Kaiser Chiefs type stuff – so we got down with our bad selves after too much gin and beer.
The next day we paid a visit to Ramsay Street – aka Pin Oak Court. Had to be done, and I think it was worth the 1.5hrs each way on the tram! Very surreal. It’s tiny and we felt like weirdos hanging around as it’s a normal residential street.
We have now picked up our campervan – decided we enjoyed the freedom of it and don’t want to spend all our time either sat on or waiting for a bus. Time will tell if it was a good decision.
Yesterday we drove the Great Ocean Road. There are a few pics in the gallery.
Laters x
11 comments
“Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours, da dee da dee da dee da!” Had to be done Matt, – you were actually brought up on it! Mmm – Dr Karl – dont you think there is a small resemblance in the photograph between you both Matt?? Glad you both enjoyed the experience and enjoy the next month.xxx
How exciting, meeting Karl Kennedy!! Mind you, I could think of some other neighbours I might rather meet (you know the younger fellas!!!). Are you going to be going to my other regular tv haunt….Summer Bay!?
Have loved reading all about your trip….keep up the good work, it’s much appreciated on a Friday afternoon when it all starts to get a bit much and I have to wind down for the weekend.
Take care of yourselves xxx
WOW KARL! Witness the fitness. Ramsay St looks great, you and rach should have reanacted a classic neighbour showdown maybe Susans “YOU HAVE SPOILED MY LIFE” rampage ofrmaybe when Steph found out Flick had been sleeping with her fiance! You could have at least played some cricket or basketball. Also Matt, from May 6th Nationwide will charge you 1% for all international transactions. Boo. I’m in Southampton again picking up the Fiesta. FEE x
So now half way round the globe,how does that feel? Glad your pleased with the van,probably the better option all considered,now you can please yourselves what you do!! Snap a few pics for us to gaze upon and continue to have the time of your lives,miss you,stay safe. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Oops the Witness the Fitness coment was from me not from Mum Doran in case thats unclear, ha ha x
Hey!
Neighbours night seems like only yesterday seeing your pics!
Not sure about that shirt though Matt!
If you are heading up the coast now you will soon be in Sydney, then onto Byron Bay and Nimbin………
After Nimbin its up through the clouds, over the moon, float through the stars….and thats just cos of the cookies!!!!
Whats this van like? Is it a Wicked camper?
Rob
Hey guys.
Robinho, yeah the shirt isn’t the greatest, but it’s the only one that looks half decent (ish!) when its been stuffed in a rucksack for weeks without an iron!
We gave Wicked a miss this time and upgraded to a hi-top camper. You can even cook inside, and it goes more than 10mph up hills!
Zoe, yeah a trip so Summer Bay is on the cards, apparently it’s just north of Sydney, so will be there in a week or so….
Fee, we felt a bit like stalkers in Ramsay St so didn’t get the cricket bat out. Did you know there is actually another house on the close that doesn’t get to be in the show.
Hope you enjoy the East Coast, of course I may be biased but the West Coast is lots of fun.
Enjoy, make sure you get to the Whit Sundays, and if you are going into North Queensland the Daintree National Park is lovely. Little trips on river tours will show you some of the ‘salties’ too.
To ensure that you realise the scale of this place, something I have trouble with make sure you see a BIG view with no evidence of human impact!
Ha ha mate,
Is that cos you can’t get to the bottom of your backpack?
Is it annoying yet? Front loaders are a God send!!!!
Yeah i have to agree with Rob…. Front loaders win hands down every time in my book!!!
Are you taking the coastal road to Sydney?? …. Merimbula is a good place to stop if you are, there is a campsite right on the cliffs over looking the beach and the surf!!
Have there been any arguments over directions yet??
Rach watch out for the speed cameras as well
No, the rucksack is great. Not got fed up with it at all!
We’re in Sydney now but did stay right on the beach a few nights. Rach got a great pic of a sun rise.
There are arguments daily about directions, and yeah loads of speed cameras around here so Rach is banned from driving at the moment!
Thanks Penny. Good to have a tip from a local-ish person! I’m sure we’ll have lots of big empty place moments in the outback and further up north.
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