Melbourne: Phase 1 (May 15-17)

So it has come to our attention that there is a rather large country located west of NZ that a lot people seem to talk about...we thought we could use a vacation from our working holiday, so we took 9 days out to visit this mysterious land they call "AUSTRALIA." YAY!!!



Well the license plate says it all...we spent 2 days in Melbourne with Andy and 2 days with Adam, 2 friends we travelled with in both Italy and Vietnam. We had a absolutely superb time all around and only wish we could have had more time. It is a fantstic city that has a ton of culture, art, music, restaurants and of course a fab nightlife. Here is some of the photo evidence.




The day started with a visit to Andy's family's pharmacy or "chemist." Jodi found all the info she needed on "Nappy rash," AKA "diaper rash," and for all you healthcare types, yes, they call them that in the hopsitals too.




We continued our day shopping and lunching on Brunswick St, kinda the bohemian street of Melbourne (above).



Then we headed to Chapel St, "the" shopping street in Melbourne where we had to stop at the MAC (a lot more expensive than home)and many other fun stores, most over our budget...also seen here are the trams around town, a convertible smart car, South Yarra and Jam Factory signs for all you former Melbournians out there (..Katie.. Joanne..) and anyone else who has been there...






Here's one of the blingy houses we saw and also where we can "C" but not "S." And petrol prices days before the rise in oil prices. Its worse in NZ, almost $2/L.




Next up is some pics of Andy's gorgeous house and yard, which features a tennis court, pool, spa, library, and outdoor patio fans for the sick hot summer (Autumn there now). Also an old school Aussie footy ball, and a pepper tree, neat! The house is tenderly named "Maylands," and has been so since the 40's. For some reason, everyone names their house in Melbourne. Why don't we?












Well after all that touring, we thought a good night out was in order...we managed to hit 4 bars before returning home at 5am and a necessary stop to sample Aussie beef...oh ya, and a straightner in the bathroom, fun! And we also got to meet Melbourne's answer to Jerry Seinfeld, so funny.













*In closing...if there are any comments, questions, or concerns regarding these or any other photos, please refer to the disclaimer following the "Pub Crawl Berlin" post in May 2007. Thank-you for your attention. (If we could put this bit in small print, we would of)