I feel like on most travellers bucket list of places they want to go is to the other side of the world, with this being somewhere like Australia or New Zealand, sometimes even combining the two. We’ve all seen the pictures or heard the stories from our friends, family and those we follow when they venture out there. Honestly, after experiencing it, I can see why! Finally I was taking the big dive; I was heading to the other side of the world; I was heading down under to Australia. It was time for me to have my experiences across a four week period and I was definitely looking forward to it.
For those that do travel Down Under, this is typically over the Christmas period due to the summer time in Australia and even though I was going to be away from family for the first time in 22 years, I was very much looking forward to experiencing Christmas a different way.
The first top of my list was Melbourne, the city on the southern tip of the state of Victoria and known for its eclectic mix of things to do. Whether that be exploring the culture, the nightlife, the sunshine on the beach or delving into the interesting history behind the city and how it became to be, I knew that there was plenty for me to get my teeth into outside of the holiday season.
One thing to add before I get into this blog, I was very fortunate to be able to stay with a friend that I met before travelling whilst here, giving me a very different feel to how a Christmas travelling would be so please keep that in mind whilst you read it and consider a Christmas trip to somewhere else. If this is something you are considering though, be sure to check out my blog where I talk about the pros and cons of travelling at Christmas.
Why I Headed To Melbourne
There were a few reasons that pulled me to Melbourne as a first stop. I mean it was always going to be on my list, it would be stupid to not head to one of the biggest and most interesting cities! But the fact it was first on the list was influenced by the fact that as I was organising my trip, I needed to work out a way of doing the east coast that made sense, meaning going from north south or south to north. What also majorly influenced this decision was the fact that I had friends there who were offering the opportunity for me to experience an Australian Christmas with them with their family which would’ve only have been rude to have denied. This was something that I was extremely grateful for!
Overall though, the key things that led me to decide to visit Melbourne for an extended period of time was the fact that I had heard it was a very interesting city to explore and delve into, giving me plenty to enjoy. After hearing that it is known for its culture, its eclectic mix of art with history with modernisation and its proximity to some of the natural wonders that Australia can offer, such as the Great Ocean Road and St Kilda Beach, made it a no brainer for me.
What I Thought Of Melbourne
Honestly I thought the city was absolutely terrific. Whilst being there I just felt it was full of character and ticked all the boxes of what I want to see and do whilst I’m travelling. In all honesty after spending my time here, I would actually consider moving to Melbourne for a longer period of time as it, for me, had all of the things that I enjoy in life: Culture, nightlife and ability to get out into mother nature.
Should You Cover It?
Absolutely. When it comes to in the city it has something for everybody be at morning darlings I will buildings are all nightlife as well as plenty of great places to eat. Remain outside it do you have places that give you Fantastic beaches places to explore the nature and just somewhere to go and get away from the craziness that city life can bring you. For me it has everything you have a perfect blend it would make it a great place to live to see all of your needs.
Day 1 - 24 December
Though the subtitle for the first day says the 24 December, this trip actually started on the evening of 22 Dec as I boarded my first flight taking me from London to my first holdover in Dubai. I was only just about given enough time to get from flight to flight whilst stopping off for a quick toilet break, get myself a fresh smoothie and then get to the next gate, not really allowing me to appreciate an airport in a place known more for its luxury. From what I did see, the features, shops on offer and the decorations were definitely bigger and better than a lot of other places that I’d been to up to that point
Though before I knew it, I was taking off to head to Singapore for our next stop which was even shorter to allow a very quick leg stretch, which consisted of a wander down to the toilets and refill my water bottle before we were back on board and heading to my actual destination: Melbourne!
Finally!
Travel Tip: Knowing the length of the travel and that I was heading East in terms of timezones, my tactic to tackle the jet lag was to aim to sleep inline with Melbourne’s timezones to minimise the timezone differences. As technique, this work for me fairly well, where I was feeling pretty good once I got to Melbourne though it’s not perfect. I was still feeling groggy by the mid-afternoon and instead, had to try and battle through to get myself aligned.
Travel Tip: One thing to remember when it comes to you travelling long ways, remember you need to feel as good as you can the other side. There’s no point being curled up in a chair and come out feeling like a huge knot! So as a tall guy, there are a few things that I tend to do:
- Make sure I get an aisle seat to stretch my legs out if needed.
- Get up on regular intervals if I’m not sleeping to squat, stretch and move to keep things fluid.
- Be conscious of how I’m sitting so I don’t end up in prolonged compromised positions.
The other thing is get a good airline. Thankfully, flying Emirates was great for this as seats and the amenities given in economy class allowed me to get as comfortable as I have been in one chair for that length of time. Highly recommend as an airline to go with if you can and can afford it, noting they do tend to be pricier. Sometimes that premium is worth paying for yourself later on in the trip.
Even with all that, little did I know that the first day here was going to be an absolute whirlwind, which of course was only helped by the jet lag that I was suffering from. It’s surprising as well how much sitting in one seat can drain you from not moving, crazy ay? Being occupied with plans and battling through certainly helped me not succumb though, even if I did have a little snooze initially! This was something that I needed to be really disciplined with!
After amazingly staying in touch since we crossed paths in Amsterdam over 18 months before, here we were in one of my now best friend’s home city, being shown around by them and their, catching up on everything we’d miss out after such a long time! It was just a utterly wholesome experience as I was shown the streets of the CBD (Central Business District) of Melbourne, chatting and laughing the afternoon away, stopping to eat on the banks of the river and take photos on the bridges as I took in this awesome city.
I’ve mentioned it before in blogs but having a network of people you meet through travel is great and it’s shown by the fact that I’m staying with one friend and visiting another as they show me around the city.
As I walked to and from the train station, one of the the really surreal things that I couldn’t get over was the exuberance for still putting up Christmas decoration in the summer months, even more so when I saw things like snowmen! Out in the sun! Whenever I saw it, it just made me chuckle and something I just couldn’t get used to.
Getting Around: Talking of trains, this is a great way to get around the city as it links up all the main hubs, providing fast and reliable travel. Linking the CBD to all the suburban areas, the links were regular and a good value for money when you’re using the myki card that you can buy. You have myki Money cards that you top up with a then just tap and go when getting on to trams, trains or buses around the city as you need it, costing up to $9 a day. If you’re intending on staying for longer, you can get a myki Pass card where you pay a flat fee for a certain amount of days. More information can be found here: https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/tickets/fares/metropolitan-fares/
That evening was another adventure but this time, into the famous Australian bush searching for kangaroos! I mean, it’s probably an experience that everyone wants to tick whilst out here but to do it on the first night?! Now I’m being spoilt! I also thought it would take ages to come across one, maybe two you’re lucky but I was completely wrong! Within minutes of arriving at the location picked out, I could see 10s of them in front of me, a mere 50m away or so, as they casually looked back at the tourist trying to hold it together. It was a perfect way to finish my first day here.
Day 2 - 25 December
If you’ve read one of my previous, you know that typically this is the point where I will tell you all about the hostel or hotel that I’m staying in. This one is a little different though as once I was in Melbourne I wasn’t I was staying at one of my friend’s places that I’ve met whilst I was travelling so unfortunately I call I can tell you what is the wonderful hospitality that her and her family gave to me whilst I was in the city. You’ll be glad to know though that I would highly recommend her humble abode it was definitely a 10 out of 10.
Now, on to the important day ahead: Christmas!
My first thought was “What’s this? Bright sunshine and hot temperatures on Christmas Day?! No way!” I won’t lie, the experience of all this was very surreal to be living through after going through 22 years of Christmas being based in a usually cold, wintery UK. New experiences though are one of the big things when it comes to travelling so it was time to embrace it.
First things first though for the day was to get a run done to help me a settle into the time zone as this was technically my first morning here in Australia, exploring the suburbs on foot all whilst keeping my fitness up as I travel.
Once back at my host’s house it was time for the normal formalities that you get in the morning when you come for Christmas Day we opening of presents. I made sure to take some presents with me to give to the family for their thanks for thank you for the kind hospitality is willing to stay there and very kindly got one in return from their family.
Admittedly I was a little bit unsure as to what the day was going to bring and how I was going to be celebrating Christmas day but I did have a plan for the evening but more on that later! I’m very grateful for my host and their family being so accommodating and allowing me to partake in Christmas with them and experience the traditions that their family embrace. This comprised of heading a member of the extended family’s house and having your typical Christmas dinner. So far so good.
However, this wasn’t your standard Christmas dinner. Oh no, this was Christmas dinner with an Australian twist. It had all the same trimmings and of course the turkey but there were a few extra additions that were a little bit more tropical shall we say. This was the first time that I’ve had a Christmas dinner with salad, pasta and various other Mediterranean elements to make it more suitable to the hotter temperatures that we were having in Melbourne. As for pudding it wasn’t your typical Christmas pudding that you would find on the table back in the UK. Oh no, no, no! This was a varied spread of tropical fruits ranging from dragon fruit to pineapple to kiwi and everything in between.
I’m only sorry that I didn’t take a photo or two to show you the fantastic spread of food on offer! I know, I know, such an amateur.
It was a very pleasant experience in the end after my little bit of apprehension and being shy. Thinking back, it can be quite the daunting prospect to not only be in another country for your first Christmas away but also being part of another family’s celebrations when you’ve only been there just over 24 hours. There’s also the aspect of considering their point of view of offering a complete stranger into their celebrations. Rest assured though it was a tremendous experience and was made to feel so welcome by the family and got to enjoy their company. I’m very grateful for them and their hospitality.
Moving into the evening, it was time to initiate my plan and was going to go off to explore but was very kindly interrupted by my host’s father who offered to take me down to the beach. The plan for the evening was to head to St. Kilda Beach where I’d read up that you could see the penguins coming back from hunting of the day to feed their chicks. Yes, you read that correctly Melbourne, Australia has penguins! Who would’ve thought it a place like this had penguins? Dangerous spiders, life threatening jellyfish, man eating sharks and… penguins.
Unsurprisingly, they are quite tourist attraction.
Never did I think I would be having to do this nor being able to. After being used to being there with my mother on Christmas Day itself, here I was calling her whilst stood on St Kilda beach with the sun setting behind, me coming to the end of my day whilst the family back home are just starting theirs. Timezones can be a crazy thing when trying to contact those on the other side of the world.
Now, for a mother who hasn’t got her son with her on Christmas Day, you’d have thought she’d have appreciated me giving up some of my precious time to FaceTime her (hopefully she knows I’m saying joking; love you mum!) but apparently she wasn’t too impressed. I can’t for the life of me think why as I did a slow 360 degree turn, showing off my surroundings whilst they sat in a much more chilly England. Once we’d got past the hostilities (in jest… I hope! I mean “I hate you” isn’t the most Christmassy of greetings?!), it was so great to be able to talk to her for a while before I let them get off and they enjoyed the day ahead of them as mine was coming to a close.
We took a slow wander down to the waterfront, past the harbour, to the rocks that played host to the penguin families. As the sun was setting over the city, like clockwork, the penguin adults were coming back in their droves to return to their chicks and feed them. What an experience this was and it was only day two! The sun setting over the city, the calm waves breaking on the rocks around me and mother nature doing what it does best right in front of me.
Don’t worry, after the sunsets and penguins, it was time to do the same for my father who was a little more appreciative from me taking the time to call him. A quick chin wag, the usual pleasantries passed to and fro before it was time to get in the car and head back to the house. Not without a quick stop off at Shrine of Remembrance which was going well until my host’s father had a bit of a slip up and ended up in one of the fountains that he’d not noticed! After helping him out, it was decided that it was probably best to call it a night…
Day 3 - 26 December
After the action packed first couple of days here in Melbourne, the third day was going to be at least a little slower and most probably, a lot more disappointing (you’ll see why in a second) than the others. It was definitely an experience though, even if it did solidify the fact that my nation’s sport team was atrocious.
Seeing as I’d never been to a cricket match, when I was planning this trip prior to the start of the Ashes, it seemed like a great idea for me to christen my first attendance by heading to the Boxing Day test in Melbourne at the MCG, which is a multi purpose ground holding up to 100,000 people. A mammoth of a cricket ground and it seemed to be the best place to go! I think there are only a couple of places that would have been better such as maybe Lords in London.
The only issue was that now that this plan had come to fruition was that England were 3-0 down in the Ashes series and had already lost… Hey ho, I’m sure it would be a great experience for me.
As much as it was disappointing to be watching England already three nil down, the whole experience was a terrific experience and to have my first cricket match to be in such an arena was simply phenomenal. Especially after experiencing other sporting events where typically you have your fans separated, sitting in amongst the Australians as Brits was certainly interesting and at times very embarrassing when certain decisions didn’t quite go our way but all in all it was in good spirits. There was definitely a sort of festival vibe to it all with Mexican waves and the like going on around the ground.
After spending a few hours here and watching England’s awful performance and inability to play cricket Down Under which I’ve become accustomed to over the years, it was time to pack up an overnight bag. This was because we were heading down to the town of Torquay, which is at the beginning of Great Ocean Road, to spend a night at my host’s lovely little beach house second home.
Day 4 - 27 December
It was an early wake up for me and man, was it worth it. I made sure to set my alarm and give me time to run the 1.5 miles to the beach that was nearby in time for sunrise. As I ran along the road and then through the park full of greenery to get there, the world around me was engulfed in a gold hue, leaving me with the warm embrace of contentment in my heart.
As I popped over the top of the small hill, I was met with a horizon with the sun tantalisingly close to coming into sight, the pristine sandy beach below me only being disturbed by the odd dog walker and the calm ocean ebbing and flowing gently, giving you that peaceful sound of the small waves breaking on the shoreline. This brilliant view was perfectly framed by the cliffs out to my right and the town of Torquay to the left.
I felt it was only right for me to christen this day and myself in the waters of the inviting sea. I stripped off to my swimwear, greeted the passing dog walker and waded in up to waist before diving in and allowing the water to fully envelope me. As I swam around, letting the cool water refresh and revitalise me, I couldn’t help but feel an outburst of pure joy in the shape of laughter. It was a weird but comforting sensation that overcame me, filling me with happiness, finding peace in myself and nature.
If you’re wondering how I managed to capture the pictures above, I’m afraid to tell you that it wasn’t my own personal paparazzi but instead my GoPro set up on a video, from which I claimed some screenshots in the post editing. I’m sure one day I can get my own personal photographer for these trips.
Once I felt like I’d received all the love and healing that mother nature was going to give, I got out, dried off and redressed myself to complete the run back to the beach house, ready to indulge in breakfast, basking in the sunshine and light breeze on the patio as I worked out which frame gave my best Daniel Craig impression.
The plan for the day was a spectacular one, thanks again to my host’s family. It was a family day trip out (plus one) down the Great Ocean Road to the small town of Lorne which is known for its beach and little pier. It was an experience just to get out in the sea again, whilst being a typical Brit abroad and making sure they were absolutely caked in suncream so that I didn’t look like a lobster later on after sunburn enjoying the refreshing sea and clear waters in the Australian heat. This was a very different experience to that typical home trip to Skegness. Just slightly different…
Of course whilst I was there one of the things I had to do was jump off the pier. Even after my experiences in Croatia with my slight mess up with my jumping, the love for danger and the adrenaline rush is still there. When it was offered, I didn’t need to be asked twice. This time it wasn’t quite the glamour of the front and back flips but still that thrill. Even if I was shown up by the fearless and talented teenagers who were showing off all the stunts they could do.
And that wrapped up the day! What an awesome day it was away from the main city of Melbourne and giving me a chance to see some of the famous Great Ocean Road. It may not have been the full thing that I wanted to check out nor all of the sights but it was still a brilliant day. Again, all thanks to host and her family’s amazing hospitality.
Our evening plans were a little bit slower pace than that of the daytime. I was fortunate enough to be invited along to a pleasant house party with one of my host’s friends, where we sat on the balcony having drinks, playing games and just generally having one of those lovely evenings of just chatting and enjoying each other’s company. I feel nowadays this is something definitely overlooked by many, especially when travelling, and I’m guilty of this whereby you always feel that you need to be doing something, going somewhere and seeing somewhere. When actually, some of the best times are those evenings like this one. It is these kind of evenings which are sometimes the hardest to describe how good they actually are because they seem so none “eventful” In comparison to the current social media expectations you see of things having to be bigger, better, louder, faster but it’s actually in these moments that we will appreciate the most in life.
Day 5 - 28 December
Sadly, it was my final day in this wonderful city and a visit to a new city would not be completed without a free walking tour! You should know me and my love for free walking tours by now if this isn’t your first Quilty Covers blog. However, if this is your first time on one of my blogs, I’m here to to tell you that free walking tours are my favourite way of exploring a city, giving you an insight into the history and best elements of a place. Usually, I would advise you do this on the first day or two to give you food for thought whilst there but circumstances meant that wasn’t possible this time. As I said, they are free but work on the principle of the tour guide being tipped at the end based on how they did, usually bringing about a guide who throws everything into it.
This one certainly did not disappoint! It was very varied walking tour that showcased the sights of Melbourne with its Victorian era buildings and various aspects that make up its history. Alongside this, there’s the artsy side of the city with a variety of statues and murals for you to enjoy, reminding of other cities that embrace this creative element. Finding out more and more about the varied nature there, where the old mixes with the new; where the creative mixes with the uniform; where the natural mixes with the urban. Another cool aspect shown to us was how some of the best places are the hide to find ones. The weather wasn’t the greatest for the occasion but I absolutely loved this tour! Don’t worry, I’ve got the link to the company right here: www.freetour.com/melbourne
The afternoon was a bit of a slower paced one where I was using the opportunity to pack my bag ready for my early flight to the next day as that evening, I had planned to catch up with more friends from my time travelling, this time I’d met them in Las Vegas during my second time there. (If you didn’t know that I’d been and wanted to read about it, here’s the link you’re looking for!) The evening’s plans gave me an opportunity to go and explore and experience the nightlife of Melbourne through its collection of bars offering a wide array of character. I only managed to get a small insight into this side of the city but definitely an aspect that I loved, giving you a bar for whatever mood you were in, be it chilled, classy or somewhere to overlook the skyline whilst the sun set.
Overall this was the perfect way to finish off my short stay in Melbourne which I definitely loved thoroughly. Melbourne is a fantastic place to visit and explore with varied culture, a very good mixture of arts, history, sport (though maybe not to me on this occasion) and nightlife scene, giving you everything that you would want from the city. That’s before you consider the proximity to the coast, the wildlife and proximity to the Great Ocean Road, giving you a fantastic day trip out if the inner city be too much for you.
Now it was time for an early night to be able to get ready to get up for my flight. It was time to say goodbye to Melbourne and hello to Sydney.
Things I Missed
Even though I managed to get through plenty whilst in Melbourne there were still things that I felt that I missed:
- Hostel life – Usually travelling I stay in a hostel and end up meeting new people. This is one thing that I missed out on whilst staying at my friend’s place. Additionally to that, it would have been cool to see what sort of Christmas celebrations a “western” nation would do within a hostel.
- St Kilda in depth and travelling scene – Typically the home of the hostels and the travellers scene in Melbourne, St Kilda is a place that seemed to have skimmed over and not really delve into all that much whilst here. Of course, I’m happy with my time here but it would have been interesting to have experience life in this area.
- Other attractions on the Great Ocean Road – Yes, I did manage to get down some of the Great Ocean Road and take in its beauty but there’s so much more on offer that I wanted to check out such as Erskine Falls, The 12 Apostles or Kennett River Koala Walk. These are just a few things on offer.
As I move onto the next city, that finishes off this blog for you. Hopefully you found it a very useful one to give you an insight into what you could do in Melbourne if you were to visit, how to get around the city and what amazing things are on offer just outside the city. I sincerely hope that you manage to find some inspiration from this blog to start off your planning for that next trip that you may want to go onto taking yourself across to the other side of the world and get lost in a new country.
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