Our final weekend was far more than we could’ve hoped for as sendoffs go. On Friday the 29th or, as more people would probably qualify it, the day of the Royal Wedding, we gathered together with Aussie friends old and new for a night on the town in Fitzroy. It began with dinner at a Melbourne institution, the Old Kingdom, a traditional Chinese restaurant that serves you three courses family style, all of which are duck. The place is BYO, so we came armed with beer and wine to begin the night in style. After sufficiently stuffing ourselves full of Peking goodness, we waddled over to the Rainbow Room, the very first place we set foot in after entering the country almost 12 months prior!
With the car sold and our Tasmania experience coming to a close, we were ready to complete our Australian year in the place where it all began: Melbourne. We had one month before we had to return to the States and wanted to take full advantage of this fabulous city that, up until this point, we had only visited in several day increments. We also were eager to finally get some quality time with Gareth, whose incredible work ethic and endless globetrotting makes him a tough man to wrangle. He was out-of-country once again when we arrived back on the mainland, so until his return we found ourselves once again adopted like abandoned kittens by some compassionate new friends. Our Heroes: Jen and Alasdair! First there was Suzanne, a really sweet woman we met through Lianne and Martyn who had only known us a couple of days before offering us her home to stay in for a night. She really helped us get back on our feet after landing in town. Then there was Jen and Alasdair, a couple we met while WWOOFing at Neville’s property up in the Kimberly. We really hit it off with them up in Udialla Springs and they had told us if we were ever in Melbourne to look them up. Hoping to see this great pair again we did just that, and within minutes of a phone call we had a home again! There really are no words to adequately describe how overwhelmingly amazing Jen and Alasdair are as human beings. Their only previous interactions with us had been for a meager few days on the other side of the country months before. Nonetheless, they gave us an entire room in their house and treated us like family during our three-week stay. Not only that, but for a good portion of that time they were out of town and left us in charge of minding the house and the garden! We had trouble forming complete sentences most of the time; we were so overwhelmed with gratitude. It was strange for us to be in someone’s home without the stipulation of manual labor. For the first time in our Australian home-stay travels we weren’t WWOOFers, we were guests. This concept took some serious getting use to, and much of the time we felt so awkward about it that we kept asking them if they had projects we could do. We ended up cooking dinner a couple times and did dishes when we could as a small gesture of thanks. Ben on the St. Kilda Boardwalk With a stable place to call home, we were able to explore the parts of the greater Melbourne area we hadn’t seen before, and we did it the best way we know how: by walking everywhere. We finally made it down to the suburb of St. Kilda, Melbourne’s semi-grungy, artsy beach community. Immediately we understood why this place was so popular, and often referenced in songs by Aussie bands like The Cat Empire. It wasn’t very big, but it has a great alternative charm about it, not to mention a long stretch of sandy beach and boardwalk. The St. Kilda sands were a prime choice for residents to escape from the city in the city: for a coffee, for a beer, for a swim, for a read and a nap. We ended up spending our afternoon wandering up and down the waterfront and meandering into the suburb’s quaint shopping district for a nosh. Other than the intensive sun exposure, it was a great day. Rrrawwrr... We were also able to visit some museums that we had been meaning to see. We particularly liked the modern exhibits at the National Gallery of Victoria, and the delightfully interactive Australian Centre for the Moving Image, which featured an amazing exhibition called Screen Worlds that touched on early film, animation, video games, Australian cinema and the future of moving picture media. There was a great display celebrating the Aussie accent, where you stepped inside a white plastic dome and 360 degrees of screens and speakers played clips and sound bytes from iconic Australian films and advertisements. One of our favorites was from an older film where a backwater Aussie receives a cold beer and says, “Aw, thanks Cobba', I needed one of those – I was feeling dry as a dingo’s donga’!” Pure poetry. Fall along the Yarra As we wandered through various parts of the city from day to day, the reality of our impending return to the states became clearer and our preliminary nostalgia for the great nation of Australia blossomed. The transition from summer to fall in Melbourne only sweetened the atmosphere. We began to pay closer attention to the subtle things we had grown accustomed to over the past year: gum trees, kookaburras, cockatoos, Aussie slang, jellyfish warnings, flat whites, overpriced food and beer, cheap sushi, pre-paid cell service and crappy mobile broadband, French and German backpackers, awesome public radio, new 80’s inspired music, beets. Even though we were still in the country we began to miss just about all of these things, except expensive beer – we couldn’t wait to get back to our home country of limitless, reasonably-priced microbrews. Gareth and Phil at the Rainbow We were lucky enough to spend our final week in the country with the man who started it all: Gareth! Having been an initial supporter of our move across the world and even housing us during our first few days in the country, GB (as he is so known) helped us close out our year in style. He and his fantastic housemates Freya and John let us crash at their flat and, along with Gareth’s lovely girlfriend Steph, joined us for some great nights of dinner, drinks, and conversation. Two particularly epic nights were had in Melbs that month. The first was with GB’s former housemate and NZ Sauvignon Blanc connoisseur, Bec; hot damn, can that woman drink. The second was with GB and crew on our final Friday. I think it’s fair to say that after surviving these two events, the Australian government should grant us our citizenship. One might go so far as to say that these tests of character are probably worth far more than anything immigration officials throw at you in an interview. Perhaps citizenship questions should even include such gems as: “How many hours were you able remain upright while drinking with an Australian?” or “How many beers and/or glasses of wine and/or ‘skittle bombs’ were you able to consume while retaining the ability to form logical sentences?” or “What was the ratio of rounds purchased by you versus rounds purchased by generous new acquaintances?” or “While out Friday the 29th of April, were you more concerned with watching the footie game or commenting on Kate Middleton’s wedding dress?” (This last one’s a trick question, as we witnessed both done simultaneously). Death by Duck at the Old Kingdom Big thanks go out to Bec for our first evening out. The month of April was officially initiated with that night out in Port Melbourne. She is a genuine Aussie through and through and treated us to a wonderful time. We only hope we can return the favor when she comes out to the states! Our final weekend was far more than we could’ve hoped for as sendoffs go. On Friday the 29th or, as more people would probably qualify it, the day of the Royal Wedding, we gathered together with Aussie friends old and new for a night on the town in Fitzroy. It began with dinner at a Melbourne institution, the Old Kingdom, a traditional Chinese restaurant that serves you three courses family style, all of which are duck. The place is BYO, so we came armed with beer and wine to begin the night in style. After sufficiently stuffing ourselves full of Peking goodness, we waddled over to the Rainbow Room, the very first place we set foot in after entering the country almost 12 months prior! The Rainbow Room is another Melbourne institution. Bar, music venue, and beer garden all in one, it’s a truly fantastic spot to spend a warm fall evening. In the great tradition of Australian drinking, the night progressed with a continuous buying of rounds, whether it was beer (in a pot or a pint) or tequila, it all was bought for the greater good and to strengthen the bonds between old mates and new connections. Needless to say, after a few rounds camaraderie was high and our group broke out into a moving rendition of, from what I vaguely recall, Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin.’’ Some feisty games of pool were had out in the beer garden while the TV alternated between Aussie Rules and the Royal Wedding. It was agreed upon by several of us that the wedding’s classiness would’ve greatly benefited from a Unity Sombrero. Dancing ensued as the hours got later and the band brought the house down. The lead singer had a great voice and the vibe was classically funk rock. Men of the Evening: GB, John, and "The Wombat" Everyone got home safely that night, though the means by which John made it back to the flat still bears an air of mystery. We then began what became for most of us a three-day recovery. Luckily, Steph and Gareth graciously invited us to join them for a relaxing rest of the weekend at her parent’s place in Ocean Grove (near the start of the Great Ocean Road) to recuperate. Thank you dear boots for all your loyal service The bittersweet feeling really kicked in when we started doing final sweeps for belongings as we packed up for our flights back to the states. We were leaving our home of 12 incredible months, and we each had a really long day ahead of us, full of of stale airports, sore necks and recycled air. Burning our passports and disappearing into the outback was sounding a little appealing at that moment. There is so much to love about Australia - the people, the animals, the land...the accent! Sure, it has some seriously rough patches in its history, as well as some social and environmental issues that need immediate attention, but the same can be said for any country. What makes Australia great is the fact that its people are constantly striving to make their country better - and not necessarily for the eyes of the rest of the world, but in their own eyes. If an Aussie isn't completely loving his/her lot in life, there is a good chance he/she is going to do something about it, right after this next round of beer. There are far too many people to thank for helping us along the way. We would not have had such an amazing time were it not for all the characters we met. To all those who took us in when we had few to no other options, we wish you the best of the best that life can offer. You are champions of the human race, beacons to which all others should aspire. Hopefully you know who you are. We will never forget you, and will do our damndest to stay in touch as we go on to other adventures. Gareth, you superman you - we don't think you need any more wellwishes, because there ain't no mountain high or valley low enough that will keep you from accomplishing anything you set out to do. We'll do it anyway - best of luck to you (and Steph!) and never stop a rockin. As far as we're concerned, you're family now, so if you ever need to mooch anything from us, don't hesitate to ask, or better yet, just show up at our doorstep some day. We'll throw something on the barbecue. * Keep tuning in to our blog in the coming weeks and months - we'll be updating with posts about our Australia Top 10s, Aussie Beer Reviews, and Tips for Backpackers! We may even extend our content to post-Australia adventures back in the States...
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Melbourne made all its public transport free for NYE - Charlie and NC on the Tram Due to a demanding work schedule back in DC, Charlie needed to leave Oz a week earlier than Nancy. Since Charlie's last night also happened to be New Years Eve, we decided the best way to spend it would be in the middle of the madness in Melbourne. After experiencing predominantly blustery, chilly weather both along the Great Ocean Road as well as in Tassie, it came as a big shock when we walked off the airplane onto the tarmac at Melbourne International and slammed into a wall of sweltering 40+ C heat. Summer had officially arrived in Victoria, and it wanted its presence known. We joked that now Charlie and Nancy could actually experience the legendary heat of Oz, instead of the New England style weather that seemed to never want to leave. It was just too bad that Charlie didn't have more time to have a true Aussie beach day. Little Creatures NYE Beach Party! After checking into a local caravan park, we did our best not to pass out from heat exhaustion as we got ready for the evening in the city. Our stifling cabin, sans-air conditioning, was basically an oversized EZ Bake oven with beds. As the sun dropped to the horizon and covered the city in pink and gold, we made our way to the Little Creatures Brewery restaurant, located in the heart of the Fitzroy, a fantastic, semi-grungy artfoodculture district that has become one of our favorite parts of Melbourne. It felt good to be going back to Little Creatures, as it was one of the first places Gareth took us when we arrived in Australia 8 months prior. Taking Nancy and Charlie there made it feel like Mar and I were officially finishing the circle we had drawn around the continent. Pshhh, who can't do that? We soon discovered that Little Creatures had been a particularly sweet choice for New Years. For its NYE festivities, the restaurant was hosting an indoor beach party, complete with beach umbrellas and poolside lounge chairs (and most importantly no cover charge!). The employees were dressed in wonderfully ridiculous costumes, most of which involved either spandex or hideous wigs, including one fabulously gross mullet wig. Between some delicious frites and pints of liquid heaven, we were thinking our choice of NYE venues was pretty great, but our satisfaction soon turned to delight when the entertainment took to the center of the room. Little Creatures had hired two burly circus performers to dazzle the crowd intermittently throughout the night. They did the usual, amazing, two man acrobatic tricks, but what really impressed us was when one of them pulled off an armless headstand, perched atop a wine bottle. I don't care who you are, that shit's awesome. As midnight loomed closer, we left Little Creatures and wandered with the masses down to Federation Square for the fireworks. We soon found ourselves in a sea of people, though it wasn't oppressively dense so we were able to stake a claim on some open street real estate in the center of it all. It was in the middle of this great, multicultural gathering of people in this international city that all of us realized we had never been a part of such grand New Years Eve celebrations before. Those big televised parties that we had always seen on TV had become a reality, only better, because as we were celebrating New Years in the summertime, everyone was comfortably partying in the warm night air (rather than getting frostbite). There was the obligatory drunkard dragged away by police, and the not so expected Indian, bhangra drum dance party that both helped to set the mood for the night. Live music was everywhere and we became hypnotized by all the sights and sounds, until the abrupt start of the midnight countdown took us by surprise. At 12AM, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by a 360-degree fireworks show. All the major buildings, and a station on the river, were shooting off beautiful fireworks for what seemed like half an hour. It was an uplifting experience, an almost cliché New Years event, with all manner of folk wishing each other a Happy New Year, hugging, kissing, and singing and dancing in the street. The evening was a magical end to 2010 and, hopefully, a good omen for 2011. It’s official: returning to Melbourne on December 14th marked our complete circumnavigation of mainland Australia! By plane, train, and automobile we traveled over 22,000 kilometers and found ourselves back where we had first entered the country, bewildered and bleary-eyed like newborn kittens, on May 21st. It was great to be back, and we were looking forward to spending some quality time exploring Melbourne, Victoria, and Tasmania in our remaining months down under. Roughly eight months had passed since I had seen my mom, so when she arrived at the Melbourne airport on December 16th, it was a warm and fuzzy reunion to say the least. She and Charlie (who arrived a few days later) were finally taking their first real vacation in (some obscene number of) years and, much to the delight of Ben and myself, were spending Christmas and New Years with us down under. We spent our first few days in Melbourne, showing the two of them around and walking a ridiculous number of kilometers during our daily touring. We had beautiful weather for the most part; it was unseasonably cool so the climate change from winter to summer wasn’t too harsh for them. Exploring laneways with mum! We wanted to make sure they really got a good feel for Melbourne and all it had to offer, and even though they only had few days it wasn’t too difficult since we walked in, out, and around the city until our feet turned to nubs. As we may have explained in one of our first Australia posts, what truly sets Melbourne apart from other cities is its laneway café culture. Secret alleyways and corridors are hidden all throughout the city center, each one containing anything from upscale restaurants to specialty shops to cheap cafés, awesome graffiti and public art. Soaking in all the little hidden gems of Melbourne counterculture was a great way to spend a few afternoons. Other highlights of our wanderings included the Queen Victoria Market, the Botanic Gardens, walking along the Yarra River, and (particularly for Ben and myself) the plethora of delicious, real food available to us. After eating nothing but canned food and the occasional reject orange for several weeks, being able to go to a restaurant or café or bakery was magnificent. Melbourne has a fairly large Asian population, so cheap dim sum, pho, and sushi rolls were abundant and made for some fun nights out in Chinatown and Little Vietnam. Thanks again Mom and Charlie for keeping us well fed! We've finally made it to Melbourne! We got in late-ish on Friday after a long, weather-related redirect and rebooking in NZ, but here we are! Our mate Gareth has graciously set us up at his place in West Richmond (a suburb just east of the city central) and we've spent the past couple days walking the city and surrounding neighborhoods. So far, we absolutely LOVE Melbourne and can't wait to spend more time here later in our travels. We've found it to be a bit like Boston - very walkable, very laid-back, cultured, artsy, with a big emphasis on food and drink. We overheard some aussies mention in town that "coffee is the new wine." They certainly have enough coffee shops and cafes in Melbourne to caffeinate the world. One of the coolest things about the city is that it's filled with hidden alleyways, side streets, and bars and restaurants that you can only find by wandering down random, seemingly dead-end paths. Graffiti is also legal here and is considered an art form, so the street art we've encountered (see Melbourne photos) is incredible and really adds to the slightly grungy but oh-so-cool artsy feeling of the city. It's also the end of fall, beginning of winter here, as southern Australia has seasons much like the northeast of the US. It was too bizarre to think about how it's the end of May and we're walking through parks with palm trees and colorful trees with falling leaves in the 59 degree (F) weather! Of course in Boston this would call for flip-flops (or thongs as they say) and shorts - but here everyone complains about how freezing it is. Ha. We will come back and spend some real living time here though when it's warmer. Until then, ciao Melbourne, we're Queensland bound. Happy Birthday to Ben! (We're celebrating with our new Melbourne friends tonight and Ben might whip out the Kookaburra song on his uke) |
Marielle & BenWe're two people in the midst of severe quarter-life crises who decided to leave good jobs in a bad economy to travel to the other side of the world because, well, why not? Archives
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