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  • Amelia Wilkinson

This side of things

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  • Trip start
    September 25, 2022
  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    City of Melbourne

    September 28, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    So far it is really pretty. Lots of green spaces dotted between skyscrapers.

    Did a bit of exploring today, and wondering. Lots of time to relax after a long lie in. Very glad I slept in, it was so nice to not be exhausted.

    Still a little tired but finally ate something real. Had a bacon and egg roll and a coffee. Very good food. I didn't take a photo as I was with a new friend and that felt a little much after only just meeting them!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Night market

    September 28, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Melbourne night market is super cool.

    This weeks theme was central and eastern European. Lots of stalls selling all kinds of trinkets and foods.

    A group of us who are on the tour all went together. We met for a drink in the bar below the hostel. Nice bar, shitty beer.

    At the market, I got an Arancini. Italian deep fried rice balls filled with mushroom and cheese. It was so tasty, kinda wished I got more but the only option was 1 or 4, and I could not have eaten 4!

    Then got some dough balls. (Also deep fried) dough, like doughnuts but denser, coated in hazelnut chocolate. They were amazing! I shared with another girl in the tour as it was 10 or $12 which is great value but far to much for one person. Sharing made it the perfect amount.

    Once we ate we enjoyed the live music for a bit before returning to the hostel. I think everyone is very tried at the moment for jetlag and a but overwhelmed by everything so we all went to be by 9,30/10ish.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Lazy day

    September 29, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Got woken up at 6,30 this morning. Love that for me. I mean, cant really blame the guy who woken up having a coughing fit but still kind of want to. Decided to just get up as there was no way I was getting back to sleep after that!

    Went to the Hellinistic museum. That was super cool. Lots of Macenaeaic, Grecian and Roman artifacts which is right up my street. There was also an amazing statue of Eros with gold wings.

    After that just went for a walk, tried to understand the team system, did not succeed. Then headed back to the hostel for a calm afternoon. Between no sleep last night and a bit of jet lag, I'm still feeling a little iffy. Cooked a bucket load of pasta, will be eating that for the next few days. Only $3 though for 4+ meals so not complaining.

    Met more people on the tour down in the bar this evening which was nice. Had a drink and chatted for a bit. We are all excited to start the tour tomorrow and properly kick start this journey in Australia.

    Getting in an early night now, for a 9,30am start tomorrow!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Welcome to travel

    September 30, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Had a very long day today.

    9,30 in the cinema room for a intro talk and meet. Then we got our sim cards. $30 a month I'm paying for it, will be finding a different one for next month! It's good but I just don't need it.

    Then we did a huge tour of the city, 4hrs later we finished! Honestly exhausted but was cool to see the city and get a better layout of the land.

    Stopped for lunch at a cool roads which had a bunch of sandwich shops on it. Clearly a popular lunch spot for locals, there were a lot of office workers about. Very good sandwich which is surprising as I wouldn't usually put salami with cucumber and olives.

    Once the tour was done we headed for the bank. I now how a current and savings account in Aussie. There is no money in it yet as the transfer fees are a bit much! I'll do it later once I have more working brain cells.

    Currently back at the hostel trying not to fall asleep before dinner. Thankfully dinner is included so gonna eat all night!!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Dinner and a walk

    September 30, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Omg, this salad bowl was insane!! Rice, salmon, edamme, teriyaki, *chefs kiss*

    Went for a walk along the river after. Very pretty with all the lights, and smelled of amazing food.

    I am however exhausted now. 11hrs of people is quite a lot for an introvert. Looking forward to sleep and tomorrow.Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Aboriginal tour

    October 1, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Went to Queen Victoria market this morning. Got an iced coffee and warm hoodie. It was so much bigger than I was expecting, all separated up into sections. I spoke with a gin distiller, who gave me a free taste. Love a couple shots of gin at 10am!! He was really cool though, and the gin uses on Australian botanicals, the taste was so different to British gins.

    Then we hopped on the tram to their version of a war memorial, the 'Shrine of Remembrance'. Created for WW1 originally, it now encompasses all fallen soldiers of all wars.

    Next was the botanical gardens. We had an amazing private tour from an aboriginal guide. Jakobi really knew what he was talking about and had been brought up in their traditional way. It was amazing to hear about all the native plants they have and how they are medicinal or poisonous in one case. I now know not to go near any trees with giant heart shaped leaves, odds on its poisonous and I have a 50/50 chance of survival!

    The sun came out during our tour, and the gardens looked incredible. I will definitely be going back next weekend after the tour to see the rest of the gardens and a picnic.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Street walking

    October 1, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Some photos of Melbourne's street art.

    It is a huge thing in Melbourne as street art is legal. Every piece of artwork is off limits for 10-14days before anyone can paint over it. As a result the pieces change regularly, new images appearing all the time. However the large pieces or pieces done in commemoration are usually left uncover for the most part.

    We also saw a load of plaques up on the wall of a live music club. When the building of flats was built next door the regular artists who played there all donated money to help sound proof the building. As a result they got there names placed on the wall in thanks and free entry for life. It closed during lockdown and is now in a different location but the plaques have stayed.

    We went and had some gelati aswell which was lovely. The flavours were all unusual combinations. I didn't really like the hazelnut and orange but the vanilla, pear and chocolate was divine.

    After we went to a bar for a free drink, then dinner was dumblings at a Chinese place. Not my idea of a fun evening just because of the places chosen but the food was still good. We then went to a games bar that was seriously overpriced, so I left pretty quickly when they asked me to pay $20 to be in the room. Apparently only those who have paid can be there even if we dont want to play the games.

    Was super tired by the end anyway because id been out for nearly 12 hours again.

    Looking forward to tomorrow. Another busy but penguins!!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Beach vibes

    October 2, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Got my first proper look at the ocean today. Although this was at Mt. Martha, which is still in Port Phillip but same same.

    We spent an hour or so down on the beach in the sun shine, watching the waves and rock pooling. Well, I rock pooled everyone else said it hurt their feet. The sea was crystal clear and the sand was so brittle but that didn't ruin the dream of an Aussie beach day.

    Saw a couple starfish in the pools. They were a lot smaller than I was expecting and apparently usually blue, but we saw read one.

    It was a long drive outside of Melbourne but worth it.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Views and wine

    October 2, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Went up the mountain to Aurthurs seat lookout for lunch. The sun was shining beautifully making it clear enough to see Melbourne across the giant bay. Tiny little skyscrapers, marking the spot amongst the rolling hills.

    A short drive later and we arrived at the Brewery door winery for some wine tasting. 8 small glasses later and a few people were feeling the buzz! Other than the two reds, they were lovely. My favourite was the Pinot Gris, dry and fruity. But the apple prosecco and fruity rose were close senconds.

    The views from this location were insane. Between the trees, phillip island and the sea could be seen. Beautiful sun, blue sea and deep green hills, picture perfect. The location had a large event room with 3 walls of glass, I could definitely see why it was popular.

    From there, we made the 1.5hrs around the coast to phillip island. Had a nap, watched the scenery through the window, listened to the interesting mix of music from everyone. A lot of rap which was not my tastes but dont mind.

    Saw a different beach and the surfers riding huge waves. Definitely not an expert in comparison to those guys. Well, not an expert at all really!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Penguin parade

    October 2, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Little penguins are the cutest! One of the coolest things to do ever.

    It's so rare to see wild animals in their natural habitat, we are so lucky to see it. The foundation that run the site were really good as well. Lots of educational boards and the guides everywhere, telling everyone off. To be honest though, it was so annoying how many people went listening. What part of sit, dont move, dont take photos, do people not get? But, I had a great time feeling people off aswell. Livving the dream when you can be rude without backlash, and see the cutest penguins ever at the same time.

    It was insanely cold though, glad we all layered up. Had a look through the gift shop, typical exit via the gift shop. Lots of cool local stuff and toy penguins! Got myself a hot chocolate to round off the evening before heading back to our rooms for an quick sleep before getting up again for surfing!!!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Surfing!

    October 3, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Ok, I officially suck at surfing!

    I hoped second time lucky I'd be a bit better, but nope. The first first couple times I managed to get into kneeling on the board but then I'd fall. And then I got hit in the head by the board and lost all my confidence. Very much enjoyed the cobra position on the board, riding the slow waves into the shallows!

    Despite the early hour (8am), it was super nice out. A bit chilly, like 15° but the sun came out and made it much warmer.

    Also had a great breakfast, lovely sausage and bacon roll and almond latte. Loving the early morning sunrise vibes.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Kangaroos

    October 3, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Kangaroo's are now my favourite animal.

    When we entered, koala's and wombat's were the first we saw. Adorable and super calm around us, some of the wombats were practically begging for us to come over with our food.

    The Emu was scary, there is something so Jurassic about them that is intense. Dingo's are also super cute. They were bathing out in the sun behind their home. Saw the tail of a Tazmania Devil. They seemed to be hiding from the sun, snuggled in the shade.

    And finally the Kangaroo's. They were so soft and laid back! Some of them didn't even bother moving to eat the food. It reminded me of johnny when he's too tired to lift his head for the biscuit!

    Then, just as I was about to go back to the adorable wombats, a little Joey took shelter against me in the shade I was providing. An hour I spent with that little Joey. At first they were just resting on my shirt, but then they laid down on my arm. I have never been so uncomfortable and thrilled at the same time! After a half hour or so, I laid down as well and had a little paw resting on my arm. Genuinely the best moment so far, hands down.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    The city from above

    October 4, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Today has been such a chill day, I've loved it.

    Started off with a job and flat search talk. Giving advice on how to find jobs, what's the best places for different things, how to find accommodation, the works. Very informative, but also quite overwhelming. Its daunting begging the job search when you know the area, but when you've never been it's quite intense.

    Then we switched to a much more fun travel plans talk. Got loads of tips for where to stay and what to do. They really fueled my excitement for doing the east coast and thanks to the talk I am booked onto the Great Ocean Road trip. RIP to my money, but as I can never do it again I figured why not. Also who doesn't want to spend 5 days riding shotgun down a beautiful coast line, high on life and not having to worry about anything.

    After the talks we hopped on the tram down to the beachside suburb of St Kilda. Very residential but with a cute high street and beach, a draw for visitors and locals alike. We went for lunch and I had the most disappointing cake in the history of ever. I managed 3 bites before giving up, it was inedible and very expensive. But, that's the joy of travelling, there are highs and very much lows!

    Because it was super cold in the wind, we made our way back to the city proper for our surprise. We got to go up to the sky deck! The second tallest building in Melbourne, the highest observation deck and rather expensive experience. But honestly, so cool. The view was insane, the sun came out and light the city up and you could see for miles. My photos couldn't pick up the mountains in the distance or the edge of the bay unfortunately but it was insane. After a bit of vertigo and 36 second in the lift up 88 floors, we were greeted with an amazing view.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Planning and drinking

    October 5, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Today has been lovely. Not the weather, its rained since 10am, what kind of Aussie weather is this! But the vibe of today, the feeling around the group.

    I started off bright and early, 7:30am. Honestly loving an early morning at the moment. The bathrooms aren't all being used, the kitchen is quiet and still almost clean, it's great.

    Woke up a little earlier than I have been though as I had my travel 1-1. Two hours later, my life is planned out until next September! Exceedingly daunting but also relaxing knowing it is all there if I want to. Will almost definitely alter the plan, but so far I'm happy with it.

    Ended up going for a bit of a wander around Flagstaff gardens and the library after my meeting. The Gardens were surprisingly nice for what was essentially just a block square of park with some trees on the edge of the CBD. There were some pretty trees that looked very spring like which I loved. The library was about 5x larger than I was expecting. It covers almost an entire block square as well. Inside is insanely spacious and spilt into loads of study sections. It is clearly a hot spot for uni study, which makes sense as it is practically encircled by the university campus. It is also the state library of Victoria which is why it is so large and intimidating.

    After, I popped back to the hostel for lunch because the rain was really annoying me. I found a panini machine in the corner, I have been raving about this little thing all day, but my sandwiches were so good toasted. And they tasted amazing and cost me nothing, a win win.

    Then I had a lovely midday nap. Nothing like an hour power nap to make you feel better and ready for a night out. We began our bar crawl with pizza and one of the best ciders I have tried. It somehow mixed sweetness with dryness perfectly. Then we headed to an arcade bar. I didn't end up playing anything as it was kind of expensive to play each game and spent the entire time chatting with one of the girls on my tour. We both agreed that though being out was fun, we would both rather have a book on the beach than be at a party! Guess that makes us sound old, but it's much nicer than the headache, bar 3 and 4 gave me.

    Bar 3 was actually a lot of fun. The DJ was a friend of the tour guide and played loads of singalong hits. Were talking ABBA, Dua Lipa, loads of hits from the last 20/30years. We were all up dancing and having a laugh, it was great. But then Bar 4 was not it. The music was more base and rap, not my style at all. A lot of the others were quite drunk at this point so were able to just dance to the beat, but I was definitely beginning to struggle.

    Around midnight I was saved from being the first to call it, when one of the others offered a trip to Macies. Four of us chose that opportunity to escape and walked through yet more rain in search of food.

    All in all it was a great day, got a lot done and had a nap. Tomorrow is the last day of the tour. We have a roof top BBQ at midday. It seems strange that we are at the end, I cant decide if it's gone past in a flash or if everything felt like it happened a month ago. Even now, as I'm writing this, it feels like my meeting this morning was a week ago!    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    BBQ and endings

    October 6, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Final day of the tour.

    Can't believe it's already over! How fast a week can go by.

    Had a lovely lie in before gossiping with some of the girls over last nights events. Its fascinating how much drama can happen in a group of mostly 21+ year olds.

    Then had our BBQ on the terrace. It was a little windy but the sun came out nicely and the food was a perfect hangover cure. Nothing like a good burger to make you feel great.

    After the BBQ I did a bit of sun bathing and then ended up playing card games with a few of the girls from the tour.

    There was a huge mix up with a few peoples rooms, so 4 of the group had to move to another hostel with in warning. It was bad, but thankfully I was fine. Perks of checking the day before if I had to check out or not! They ended up in a huge argument and blame game with the hostel and Welcome To Travel. I'm not sure what happened as I decided to stay out of it.

    At around 6,30 I realised I had yet to leave the hostel today, so took myself on a walk around the city. I eneded up walking round the CBD clockwise, through Fitzroy gardens and down to the river via the cricket pitch. It took a lot longer than I was expecting. By the time I arrived at the river the sun had fully set and I caught the tram back up to the hostel.

    I definitely have a better understanding of the city now than I did before. If I were staying a few more weeks I'd definitely be ok getting around.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Rainy days

    October 7, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Work up to it chucking it down outside again this morning. There goes all my plans for the day
    Ended up just relaxing for the first few hours until it lessened and decided to brave the weather.

    Did a little fit check, raining by 20° before heading out to the west of the CBD today to explore. Managed to find the bus depot I am leaving from next week and the location of firefly, the company I am going with. Makes me feel a lot more confident for next week.

    Then took the tram out to the docklands. Best part of Melbourne? Definitely the free tram.

    Wandered around the docks for a bit before I found a library. That made me very happy. Ended up sitting in there for around an hour doing my resume, job sites and reading. Was a very nice library with a pretty view of the docks and was so quiet.

    It is impressive how only 5mins outside of the CBD the noise drops. The docks were so quiet, the city barely a background noise in places.

    Headed back to the hostel via a wrong tram. I wasnt aware that some of them turn. I thought I hopped on one that would go straight across the city to my hostel, I was wrong. It took a left and 25mins later I ended up on the wrong side of the CBD and had to get back in the rain!

    All was worth it though with my pesto and cheese panini. Life is always better with a pesto and cheese panini.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Group photos

    October 7, 2022 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    All the group shots from the Welcome To Melbourne tour.

    Phillip island, street art, heritage walk and landmarks all covered.

    A great week with an amazing group of people

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Botanical Gardens

    October 8, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    When I first arrived in Melbourne the Botanical Gardens was something I knew I wanted to do. After out tour earlier on in the week, I decided to go back today.

    The sun was shining but it was only about 12° so I had to go back in to change before heading out a second time.

    Went straight along to Queen Victoria Market. Wondered around there again for a bit before I realised it was exactly the same as a week ago. Was a little disappointed by that but still nice to explore everything.

    Then made the track across the city to the Gardens.

    Melbourne's free tram system is great, but does not reach beyond the CBD. This has not been an issue until now. I obviously did not by a Myki card, the tram card, as I'm not in Melbourne for long enough. However, this does mean I had to make the rest of the way on foot. 40mins after leaving the market I arrived at the gardens. So worth it.

    I explored the parts we didn't cover on the tour, and by that point the sun had come out and it looked so summery. The lake was bigger than I expected and I took a seat beside it to journal for a bit. The birds were out, people were picnicking, it was so nice.

    Left earlier than I wanted but had to get back to the hostel for our Ocean Road meeting. I ended up getting a sandwich on my way after refinding the street that does all the best subs. Very happy.

    Out meeting was a success and we headed to the shop to buy food. Far too much money later, I left with a weeks worth of food and snacks.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Great Ocean Road

    October 9, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Began the next trip.

    The Great Ocean Road. 5 days, 4 night, endless blue sea.

    Got woken up nice and early at 2,30 this morning from one of the girls alarms. An alarm which she did not wake up for and I had to get up and turn off. Love that.

    Checked out at 10 and waited for the guys to pick up the car, and in no time we were on our way. Daisy was our drive today, and did very well navigating city traffic and then motorways.

    About an hour and a half later we hit the Great Ocean Road. Stopped for a couple pictures above the cliff before stopping at a lighthouse in Aireys Inlet. Very picturesque, blue sea, red rock, green foliage. Perfect.

    Got a spot of lunch down in a little lay by in Airey's. The portions were insanely large! Before heading off to a chocolate factory. We will be stopping there again tomorrow as we only had about 10 minutes today and that was not long enough.

    Next was a drive through Kangaroo sighting, they are massive. Before going to the hostel. Our hostel for the night is in the little town of Queenscliff. Very quaint and quiet with a gorgeous beach night near by.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Lets go to the beach!

    October 10, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Began with a lovely slow morning in Queensclif before heading back out on the Great Ocean Road.

    Started the day with a spot of shopping. Hit up the ripcurl outlet, bought myself a pair of branded flip flops (or thongs) for $5, loving in. Then did a bit of an explore around the strangest vintage shop. It wasnt a shop, it was a collection of old vans, a double decker bus and bunch of shipping containers. All full of different clothes, surfing equipment, antiques and knickknacks. It was very peculiar.

    Then we hopped back into the car and headed out to the famous Bells Beach. Had a picnic down on the sand and watched the waves. Not many surfers about which made the beach almost empty beside us.    Read more

  • Amelia WilkinsonThis side of thingsTraveler

    Chocolates and Waterfalls

    October 10, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Best ice cream ever!

    If in doubt go with chocolate, but when you're at a chocolate factory, that's not possible. I chose a dark chocolate sorbet and a nutella chocolate icecream. It was massive. Genuinely huge.

    It also made me giggle that we parked our green and purple van, next to a limousine. Thought that was hilarious.

    They also had a super cool range of chocolate tea. So tea leaves from the cocoa bean leaves, with chia or peppermint mixed it. Love that idea!

    Then we headed back on the road towards the Erkshine waterfall. Stopped half way for a photo shoot at the Great Ocean Road sign.

    The waterfall was so cool. Unlike the other group, we chose to abide by the barrier and not get right up close beneath it. But it was still close enough. It's insane how loud the water can be, it drowned out all other sounds in the forest. Just the water and the view.

    Finally we did a little pit stop on our long journey along the coast. For the most part we were at sea level, so when we rose a little we decided to stop for a picture or two. The others got very worried when I climbed up onto the wall, felt like mum was with me warning me not too. All I was missing was dad up there first!

    We ended the day in Apollo bay in the YHA. Had a soup and a salad, my attempt at healthy.

    Looking forward to yet more insane views and fun times tomorrow.    Read more

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