Brits in Melbourne on Australia Day

Well what have I been up to? Mostly job hunting. That's it really. Oh and melting in 41C heat (seriously, it's like walking around with a large hairdryer blowing at you outside). What have I learnt? The global financial crisis has hit jobs in Australia, hangovers are even less fun when it's steaming hot and you have no aircon, I still have no idea when guys are flirting with me, and me and Mhairi should NEVER be left unsupervised with alcohol. That last one is a VERY important rule. Which got broken briefly again on Australia Day (26th January for anyone NOT Australian) as we gave up on being tourists and joined the locals having a few beers in the botanic gardens. Fortunately we were soon rescued by the boys from the hostel returning and... well encouraging us to have more beers by the river instead (what seems to be an Australia Day tradition). However we did behave ourselves very well under supervision. It was Irish Mark who did an Irish Jig for the crowd and Canadian Wes who decided it was a good idea to swim across the jellyfish infested Yarra river (another tradition apparently). He didn't get stung, but he did emerge with a lovely cut on his foot. Which was duely ignored by the 3 medical students we had with us. So yes, I am getting indoctrinated into the Australian way of life, which seems to involve cold beers in hot places.

Japan or Melbourne?

Having now found a reasonable Japanese restaurant (with lots of cheap sashimi) and a Japanese style karaoke booth bar I find myself today feeling rather nostalgic for Japan. And with a sore throat!

I'm also getting a bit nostalgic for St Arnauds hostel, which has become a bit like a second home (albeit one where your room is shared with snorers and borderline alcoholics...), as tomorrow I check out. Yes, I have somewhere to live!! I will be living in Prahan for the next 6 months with two lovely Australian girls (address available on request). Now all I need is a job to pay the rent...

Sweden is a bad influence...

...yes the whole country. But they know how to rock!

Of course drinking on a Thursday night is only possible as I still have no job or flat. I'm ever hopeful... but 37C heat makes it rather hard to think, let alone trapse round town!

New year, new job?

OK, so I'm still job hunting, but everything closed down for ages over Christmas and New Year here and is only just starting up again. I'm ever hopeful that I'll find something soon - I've blitzed with my CV, so we'll see.

In the meantime I haven't just been twiddling my thumbs! I have explored Melbourne with Geoff. This included taking in "The Life of Brian" under the stars (and bats!) in the botanic gardens on Christmas Eve, meaning that for the whole rest of the time we have been bursting into song (or more often whistling). When Geoff wasn't asking "are we nearly there yet" - despite my constant reminders that life's not about the destination, it's about the journey. That's as philosophical as this post's going to get - it's all downhill from here.

We have also explored the Melbourne Museum (lots of cool buttons to press and interesting insights like "canoes need oars"), St Kilda Beach (rather a disappointment after many of the beaches I've been to with soft white sand and no litter... but we did see a baby penguin on the pier),the Melbourne State Library (complete with quiet room surrounded by metal steps that echo fantastically if you hit them just right with a flipflop - you have to try hard though! Oh, and Ned Kellys armour), the Dandenongs (courtesy of Imtiaz who couldn't think of anything else to show us), Melbourne Aquarium (which I'd probably have enjoyed more if it wasn't New Years Day and therefore the way perspective changes as you walk past curved tanks was REALLY trippy) and Melbourne Gaol (which is where Ned Kelly was imprisoned and hung, and would make a really good hostel!). Oh, and the Great Ocean Road, let's not forget that! Which was really impressive, if chilly. Great for the "rock scientist" (Geoff). The trip was short and fun, taking in many of the sights like the 12 apostles (there aren't 12 and no-one seems to know exactly how many there are - you wouldn't have thought that rocks could move THAT fast would you?!) and London Bridge (which really IS falling down), as well as allowing ample time for koala spotting! I learnt (again - but I keep forgetting!) that it's COLD along the coast here. Geoff learnt that he looks like he has a bad case of dandruff all day if he does a headstand on the sand...

So New Years Eve was spent drinking in the hostel with the Swedish contingent (a Swedish family and friends), Ricardo, Thomas and Fabrice (the campervan boys) and a British couple before we headed off towards Federation Square at about 11pm. We never made Fed Square, we ended up viewing the midnight fireworks from the forbidden position (as it's the best position!) of the bridge beside Fed Square. Not before we lost the Swedish contingent. And found them again by Geoff bellowing "SWEDEN" as they passed in the crowd! Alcohol was forbidden in public. So obviously several groups had plastic bottles filled with "ribena". After midnight (and an impromptu performance of acapella Swedish rap...) we headed to Fed Square (finally getting there around 1am!) and ended up standing in the middle of the road, where the tram tracks cross, outside Flinder Street Station - what a great place for drunken photos... which are up on facebook now... Happy New Year!!