Monday, March 7, 2011

Road Trippin'

I am a city boy. There, I said it. I like the bustling streets, the scent of freshly brewed coffee drifting from nearby cafes and the (usually) reliable public transport. So when a good friend suggested going away for a weekend, getting a change of scene and some fresh air in the old lungs, part of me wanted to beat him with a tent pole.

After much deliberation over all the home comforts I'd be giving up in the process (a warm bed, hot showers, cold beer in the fridge, Noodle Box in close proximity) the lure of grabbing Summer's last rays in the open country proved too great and so we decided headed down to Wilsons Prom for a couple of days.

Wilsons Prom is a National Park a few hour's drive from Melbourne and is the southern most point of mainland Australia. Looking to embrace Mother Nature in all her glory, three of us camped out and, with limited alcohol, lived to tell the tale.

We set off from Melbourne early on Saturday morning and arrived at our campsite around midday. After finding a good spot, having lunch and setting up our tent, we went for a walk along one of the picturesque trails leading to the imaginativly named Squeaky Beach. The name comes from the fine variety of sand that lies on its shores, which creates a 'squeak' noise as you walk along.



After spending some time back at the campsite, we set off for Cotters Lane, where we sat out on the plains and watched the animals come out for sunset. After a patient wait, a family of kangaroos emerged. Unperturbed by our presence, they were more than worth the wait.


As darkness fell, we made our way back to the campsite and had a BBQ, chatted with some European backpackers then went to bed.

Another early rise Sunday, this day we decided to take on Mount Oberon, climbing to the summit and looking out at the amazing views of the bay below.



We then went for some final beach action at Picnic Bay before heading back to Melbourne.


As happy as I was to get back home, I had a great weekend away and feel grateful to have seen one of the most beautiful parts of Victoria. It turns out I can do without life's comforts and conveniences...but only for a day.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Just gettin'...wiser?

This week I turned 28.

I know it's customary on such an occasion to weep uncontrollably while cursing the heavens for the relentless march of time, but considering most of the people I grew up admiring never made it past 27 I'm actually pretty chipper about this achievement.

After a low-key celebration last year (I, annoyingly, had job interviews both on the day of my birthday and the day after [I never got either]) I wanted to make sure I did something to remember my 28th year by. The original plan (going to the Moonlight Cinema) fell through after heavy afternoon rain storms so we ended up going to the Corner Hotel in Richmond instead.

Here are a few pics from the night:


Pre-drinks






At the Corner


Cheers!



The 'Happy Birthday' moment


Over the course of the night we worked our way through a fair number of jugs of beer and cider. Miraculously I still pulled up ok for work the next day (I thought old age was meant to make hangovers worse?!) A good night and definitely one to remember. Now only two more years of my twenties left. Sigh...

(A special thanks to Andy Vo for taking a heap of brilliant photos over the night. And for giving me a lift home. What a guy!)

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Australia Day

Well it's been a while since I last posted and I thought my two followers must be getting impatient :-)

Today I want to talk about an event that took place this week that those outside of Australia might have been unaware of (unless, of course, they happened to pass by a Walkabout and had to navigate their way around packs of pissed antipodeans).

Wednesday, 26 January was Australia Day, a day when Aussie national pride goes into overdrive and people around the country gather to celebrate the anniversary of this fine country with BBQs, picnics and massive pub sessions. The day is a national holiday and, being in the middle of summer, almost guaranteed to be a scorcher.

My flatmates and I celebrated by having a barbie at our house and invited round a few friends:






Three days later and we're still working our way through left over burgers and 'snags' (sausages) and finding unopened bottles of beer in the garden. If only every day could be Australia Day!