Hot in the City!

Well-Perth was officially the hottest city in the world on Christmas Day when temperatures reached 40.7!
Had a wonderful day. Typical Ozzie barbecue- sausages, steak, lamb, cold tinnies and expensive champagne- fab. :-)

Luke woke us up early on Boxing Day so we headed out to King's Park for an early morning walk. Temperatures later on in the day hit a scorching 44.2 so Lydia, Ruth and I went for an afternoon swim to try and cool off.

This morning temperatures were back down to a reasonable 33 so we had a wander around the city and enjoyed morning coffee in one of the many pavement cafes.

On Saturday we're off to Perth Zoo.

Hope it's not too cold in the UK! ;-)

L & R x

Perth

G'day from a VERY hot and sunny Perth- 36 degrees today and it's going to be 38 tomorrow- Christmas day!

Arrived here last Thursday and it was great to see my sister Lydia and little nephew Luke at the airport. He's grown so much!
Had a busy day on the Friday- worked all day doing a buffet, serving drinks etc for 1000 people. It was a bit of a shock to the system as neither of us have worked for 5 months! Good fun though.

On Saturday morning Luke got us up early so we went to the gym and then took Luke swimming.

We've had a couple of very lazy days relaxing in the garden which has been lovely. Looking forward to our Ozzie Christmas tomorrow.

Hoping to go to Perth Zoo and Kings Park in the next few days so will update the blog and add some pictures.

We wish you all a very Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for 2008.

L & R x

Melbourne- The End

Sunday saw our trip to the Grampians. A great day. :-)
On the way there we stopped at Brambuk Cultural Centre- a good Aboriginal Exhibition. We then headed to the Grampians. Did some short walks (only about 5K) around the mountain ranges including a walk to MacKenzie Falls.

On Tuesday we met up with a couple of girls who we had befriended earlier on in our travels. Enjoyed coffee and cake in the city and caught up on all the gossip! In the evening we did an Aquacise class which was good.

This morning we walked to Federation Square and visited the National Gallery of Victoria. Still don't quite understand John Olsen's work- did anyone google him?! This afternoon we're going to go for a swim, sauna and spa. We have also booked ourselves a massage- bliss! :-)
Tonight we're going to have a wander around the Queen Victoria Night Markets and hopefully get something to eat there.

Off to Perth tomorrow. Yippee!!!
Love to everyone,

L & R x

Melbourne- The Middle

The second installment from Melbourne....
Last Wednesday we got the train out to the suburbs of Melbourne to a place called 'Seaford' to spend the day with Ruth's family- John and Heather. Had a great day. Weather was hot so we relaxed on the beach after lunch and paddled our feet in the sea. :-) In the evening we had a wander around the Night Markets and enjoyed a crepe.

Thursday was our tour to Phillip Island. A fabulous day. Stopped off along the way for lunch at a wildlife park- koalas, kangaroos, emus, wombats......etc. Had a stroll along Woolamai Surf Beach before heading to the island. Settled down on the beach- right at the front and at about 9pm groups of penguins (called 'rafts') started to emerge from the sea. It was an amazing sight as they waddled up the beach- some of them coming really close to us. Something we'll both never forget. :-) Arrived back at the YHA at about 12.30am- tired after a long, but brilliant, day.

On Friday we made the most of a really hot day and got a free bus to the beach town of St. Kilda. Again- another relaxing day. Spent a couple of hours on the beach, swam in the sea and enjoyed lunch in the park. Who wants to work?!!

Today the weather was not so good so we visited Old Melbourne Gaol. A fascinating insight into the lives of some of the criminals sent there. We were lucky enough to also see a play about Ned Kelly. Brilliant. This afternoon we went for a swim.

Tomorrow sees our tour of the Grampians- lots of walking!
Will update the blog in the next few days.
Love to everyone,

L & R x

Melbourne- The Beginning

We arrived in Melbourne a few days ago and have already seen and done so much we thought we would write the blog in 3 sections.

After settling in, we spent Saturday morning at the Immigration Museum which was good. We then walked to Fitzroy Gardens to enjoy our picnic lunch before walking around Captain Cook's Cottage- shipped all the way from Yorkshire in 1933! In the afternoon we went up the Rialto Tower and enjoyed spectacular views overlooking Melbourne.
In the evening we went to 'Bennets Lane Jazz Club' for an evening of good music. :-)

On Sunday we dragged ourselves out of bed and did an aerobics class- mad! We then had a lazy afternoon wandering around the Queen Victoria Markets. I spent $100 on a new pair of trainers!

Monday saw our tour day on the Great Ocean Road. An early start with the bus picking us up at 7.25am! A fabulous day incorporating- Bells Beach, Split Point Lighthouse and a short rainforest walk in Otway National Park. The highlight of the day was seeing the huge limestone stacks in the sea which included- 'London Bridge', 'Loch Ard Gorge' and 'The 12 Apostles'. Breathtaking.

Today we went on a 5K Heritage Trail Walk around the city. Very intersting to learn about Melbourne's past and present and see old Victorian buildings next door to modern buildings and sculptures.

Have emailed my photographer a few pictures.
Will update blog with next installment in a few days. Off to Philip Island to see the penguins on Thursday!!! :-)

L & R x

Canberra- The Nation's Capital

'Canberra'- from an Aboriginal word meaning 'meeting place'- just one of the many random facts that Ruth and I have picked up on our travels through Australia!
Had a very 'cultured' time in Canberra.

On Sunday morning we walked to the Old Bus Depot and had a wander around the markets. Then, in the afternoon we visited the National Gallery of Australia. We can both now tell our 'Picassos' from our 'Monets' but we don't get ' John Olsen's' work.... (you'll have to google him!)

We spent most of Monday at the Australian War Memorial- a fabulous museum dedicated to the First and Second World Wars. Very moving.
In the evening we enjoyed a drink (or two...) in the YHA Transit Bar.

Tuesday 4th December was our half way point of our trip! :-(
We visited both the New and Old Parliament Houses and enjoyed very good tours around both. Popped into the National Archives so that Ruth could indulge her passion for family history!
In the afternoon we walked around Canberra Museum and Art Gallery.
Continuing our cultured week we found an Irish pub in the evening for dinner!

On our final morning in Canberra we visited the Museum of Australia. We then got the Greyhound to Albury.
Spent one night in Albury before our final Greyhound journey to Melbourne.....

L & R x