Oz

From Melbourne we flew north to Brisbane – a city most recently famous for the floods that devastated it.  We were most relieved that the climate had much improved in the months since the flooding, and Brisbane is once again the hot and sunny city that Australian’s know it to typically be.  However, the gorgeously balmy temperatures are perfect, not just for Queenslanders, but also for the biggest spiders I have ever since in my life (that weren’t in a box at Edinburgh’s “Butterfly Kingdom”), and so Phil and I spent the majority of our time here walking on the roads, out of fear of face-planting one of their monstrous webs that tower above the pavements.

Though Brisbane is not bestowed with a stylish personality as is possessed by its southern State Capital counterparts, it is a pleasant place which embodies more the spirit of a large town than that of the vast city that it is.  But the reason we came to Brisbane was less about seeing the city (which we did do a little, but far less than we had with Sydney and Melbourne), and more about spending time with some of the people in it.  Donna’s sister, Mandy, and her husband, Chris, kindly accommodated us during the week of our visit, and we had a very relaxed time in their lovely townhouse, where we spent much of our time hearing about their travelling experiences (like us, they travelled for the year following their wedding)  and planning the next part of our trip.  Over the course of the week we met Donna and Mandy’s mother, Alma, who is Phil’s great-auntie on the Thompson side, and their other sister, Paula.  In a lovely coincidence, Phil’s auntie Rosemary was visiting Brisbane from Northern Ireland during the same week, and so in spending time with her we had another little reminder of home. 

I’ll admit to feeling a little bit left out as Phil met one relative after another, but fortunately one of my old colleagues from Jigsaw is living in Brisbane for six months, and so she and I were able to get together for some girly chat (which one tends to miss out on when travelling round the world with a husband!) and we were able to lament our homesickness together over coffee and muffins.  Seeing faces from home certainly does lift the spirits, and came at a good time having been away now for so long.

Our time in Brisbane ended marking a month since we arrived in Australia, with only two and half weeks to go.  Up until this point the trip had been most comfortable – less like travelling and more like a series of pleasant city breaks enjoyed in quick succession, staying in lovely homes, drinking wonderful wine, being cooked delicious dinners and enjoying freshly ground coffee every morning with breakfast.  Sadly, this life of luxury that we had quickly become accustomed to was not how the journey was to continue; we are backpackers after all.  It was with great anticipation, some anxiety and much excitement with which we went to collect the campervan which was to be our home for the final leg of our Aussie adventure – ROADTRIP!

A whole new adventure

And so our journey continues.  I must apologise for the recent lack of blogging; I’d like to think that many of you are itching for the first installment of our Aussie adventure!  So vast was the exhaustion that our bodies had succumbed to whilst in Asia, that our arrival in Australia felt like something of a “holiday from travelling”, and in turn, for me, a holiday from blogging.

At 7.30am on March 16^th, we arrived from Sydney airport on the doorstep of Donna and Milton; relatives’ of Phil’s who were so generously welcoming us into their lovely home for two weeks.  On seeing the room that we could call our own for the next fortnight, I am certain I have never felt so relieved or so grateful for such luxuries that one usually takes for granted; crisp, clean linen; fresh, fluffy towels; plump pillows and so beautifully decorated.  We were made to feel so at home, and our time spent here was restful, comfortable and just what we weary travellers were in need of.  For our first few days, under Donnas’ orders, we barely left the house, choosing, instead, luxurious lies in, long, lazy breakfasts (blissfully complete with porridge and freshly ground coffee), reading and playing our newly acquired ukulele, Gooch.  

Uncharacteristically for Sydney, it rained almost every day we were there, but instead of the usual disappointment, it came as something of relief.  It took away all the pressure that you feel when travelling to have to be out and seeing things all day every day, and at the same time came as a welcome reminder of the home that we are missing so much.  For there’s nothing quite like unrelenting grey drizzle to remind you of Scotland, and for the first time, maybe in my life, I was glad of it.  

On day four, we finally ventured out into the big bad city.  Though the rain hadn’t yet relented, the first time one encounters the iconic Sydney Harbour is truly an unforgettable moment.  The bridge is spectacular, the opera house is a marvel, and, after hiding away in the safety of our temporary, I was suddenly confronted, again, with the reality that we are incredibly far from home, witnessing one of the most famous sights in Australia.  Our exploration of the city of thorough but relaxed, visiting wonderful museums, glorious golden beaches, sunny promenades and returning, again and again, to that magnificent harbour.  Donna and Milton’s hospitality had made us feel truly “at home” for the first time in four months, and we were sad to be moving on.  We had certainly enjoyed the break from our rucksacks, and that all too familiar feeling of packing our lives back into them every few days.  

Courtesy of Tiger Airways (Australian Easy Jet), we arrived in Melbourne.  Having decided that we weren’t ready to head back to the luxuries of youth hostels, we tried to try something different – “Couch Surfing”.  Couch Surfing is an online project that allows travellers the opportunity to stay with residents of their chosen travel destination, free of charge and in a much more homely environment than budget accommodation would have to offer.  So this was how we met Maureen and Brian who, despite not being family, welcomed us in as though we were.  Maureen must have thought we were in need of fattening up, cooking us with huge Western feasts and baking us blueberry muffins for breakfast.  She even cooked us bangers and mash after we told her that we’d had it as the meal at our wedding!

Every day we spent with them, we took the tram into Melbourne, and we so enjoyed our time exploring its, almost European, charms.  Though there aren’t many touristy things to do, it is a lovely city just to wander through, full of delightful, treasure-filled alleyways, quirky boutiques, old-fashioned coffee houses and deliciously tempting cake shops.  Between them and Maureen’s cooking, a few pounds have likely been gained in Melbourne!

Over the weekend we hired a car and met Phil’s brother, Mark (who lives an hour from Melbourne), to drive the infamous Great Ocean Road.  Such a breathtakingly beautiful journey alongside the astoundingly vast ocean, we stopped at some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.  We saw our first Koalas, much to our delight, and even the lighthouse from 90’s kids TV show, “Round The Twist.” The pinnacle, however, was most certainly the Twelve Apostles, which, though a little over run with other tourists, was a marvel to witness. Though my pathetic little snapshot camera could never do justice to such a spectacular view, it is one of those things that I'm sure will remain in my memory forever, for it was truly an exceptional sight to see.