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  • Simon and Blake
  • Simon and Blake

Around the World

A 282-day adventure by Simon Read more
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  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 7 - Kev's House

    December 2, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We are flying down to Melbourne today but not until 10pm so we spent the day organising ourselves and doing a load of washing whilst we have easy access to a washing machine. It's our first flight in a while so we need to consolidate everything back into just the 2 bags. Since our last flight we have managed to expand into a tote and a cool bag with a supply of staple food goods and ice packs. We didn't think we were going to be able to do it however we just about squeezed everything in. Jetstar have a strict 7kg hand luggage rule so if they weigh our hand luggage then we may have a problem however we've practised carrying our bags as if they are as light as a feather so fingers crossed we will be okay.

    Kev kindly offered to drive us to Sydney which is really lovely of him so we don't have to navigate the train with all of our stuff. It's just over an hour from Kev's house to the airport so we set off just after 6:30pm and arrived there in plenty of time. The flight itself was pretty hairy. There have been severe weather warnings in Melbourne due to a ridiculous amount of rain heading across the east coast, so the turbulence was pretty bad! Thank goodness it's only a short flight as I don't think I could have handled it for much longer. I think Simon may have some dents in his leg from my fingernails where I was clinging on for dear life.

    We are only in Melbourne for the weekend so I have found us a really cheap Airbnb to stay in in South Yarra. It's only £25 a night which for Australia is cheap as chips! We flew into Avalon which is around an hour out of Melbourne so we had an hour ride on the Skybus before we reached the city. We then had to get a tram out to South Yarra to our Airbnb. When we reached the city the rain was so bad we did consider getting an uber however there was a 1.9x surcharge and couldn't justify spending $40 on a taxi. We therefore braved the rain and set off on the 10 minute journey to the tram stop. 10 minutes doesn't sound far however in the torrential rain we were well and truly soaked. To top it off, when we got off the tram the other side I managed to walk through a huge ankle deep puddle so now my trainers are well and truly wet. It was around 2am by the time we reached the Airbnb so feeling very tired and wet we tumbled into bed and fell straight to sleep.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Melbourne

    December 3, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We were both obviously very tired as we slept in until around 9:30pm. Once we managed to drag ourselves out of bed, we walked over to Chapel Street to grab some breakfast. We opted for a cute little cafe called Amba. Simon went for a breakfast burger and I went for eggs benedict with halloumi and cheese which was absolutely delicious. Kev had a super fancy coffee machine with a milk steamer and everything so we have been overdoing it on the coffee a bit. I therefore opted for a turmeric latte in an attempt to be healthy. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was really tasty. After brekkie we went for a wander along Chapel Street where there are loads of cool shops and lots of graffiti for Simon to take pictures of.

    It's still pretty wet today so after taking my trainers to the laundrette to dry them off in the dryer, we chilled back at the Airbnb until we went out to meet Ingrid and Dan for some dinner. Ingrid suggested we meet at a pub called Leonard's House of Love as it sells Thatchers Gold on tap. I haven't had a decent cider since we left the UK as the cider over here is really sweet and tastes like Appletiser. The nice cold pint of Thatchers was a taste sensation! We decided to eat at Leonard's House of Love too. They did naughty burgers and chicken nachos which were super tasty. We left Leonard's full and 3 pints of cider deep. We returned to our Airbnb to find that Sarah, our host, had made us some pink sparkly cupcakes which were very nice. Sarah is a dog trainer and she has 2 very adorable dogs. I'm not sure we can ever be friends though as she doesn't like sausage dogs! She said they were the worst breed and are incredibly naughty. I may neglect to tell Simon that bit.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Melbourne - Portland

    December 4, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    For the next 5 days we are making our way down the Great Ocean Road, so we woke up early and headed out to collect our cheap and cheerful camper, suitably named 'El Cheapo', from Jucy rentals. Our host kindly said we could leave our bags whilst we collect it so that's exactly what we did. Our expectations were not high but after the all singing, all dancing van we had in New Zealand, it was a tad underwhelming. It's a Toyota Previa people carrier (which Dad used to ferry me and friends around Bristol in back in the day) minus all of the back seats. It comes with a pump action sink, complete with part of a chain where a plug used to be, one camping stove on a pull out drawer which can be used whilst sheltering under the open boot, a mix mash of cooking utensils and some nice bright green and purple bedding. What more could we need for our Great Ocean Road road trip? Once we had our bags we then did a food shop for the week in Aldi and Woolies.

    We decided to do the Great Ocean Road backwards as suggested by a blog Blake read. This meant that we had a 4+ hour drive inland to start, so we got on our way. A couple of hours into the drive we stopped at Lake Colac for a spot of lunch. A perfect view whilst we tucked into a sausage sandwich and a cuppa.

    We had thought about visiting Cape Bridgwater today however the journey took us a bit longer than we expected so we headed straight to the campsite. Our home for the night is the Sawpit Picnic Area in Mt Clay State Forest, which is just outside of Portland. We definitely had the saddest looking van there and managed to park up near a crazy singing man doing rock covers! There are also a few cute friendly wallabies. After a cup of tea and a game of Phase 10, we got out the cooking bits and made a delicious sausage casserole. After we washed up there was only one thing left to do and that was make the bed. A simple reconfigure of the bench seats and some sheets and we were in night mode. Our camper doesn't have a battery or anything so we are completely off grid, so once it got dark we tucked ourselves into bed and got an early night.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Cape Bridgwater & Port Fairy

    December 5, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Despite waking up at 4:30am needing a wee, our first night in our El Cheapo was surprisingly comfy. After rustling ourselves up some porridge, we headed into Portland to find a shower. By the looks of things, we are going to be having to brave cold outdoor showers for this week. You'd think that wouldn't be so bad in the hot Australian climate however the climate better resembles the UK at the moment. Somehow this morning though, we managed to stumble across free hot showers (yes free!). The ladies did have rather a large amount of poo smothered across various walls so I had to be extremely careful not to touch anything. That's the price you pay for a hot shower apparently.

    Feeling a bit fresher, we drove further West to Cape Bridgwater for a nice 2 hour stroll to see the largest seal colony on the Australian mainland. It was an absolutely beautiful walk along part of the Great South West Walk. The path wrapped itself around the coastland and the views were incredible. Unfortunately there appeared to be some worldwide fly convention as we were pestered by flies the entire walk and had to constantly bat them away. The viewing platform for the seals was pretty high up so they were quite difficult to see without binoculars. We did however see a couple of playful seals close up playing in the water on the way back which was good.

    Back at the car, we headed 10 minutes down the road to the Blowhole and the Petrified Forest. Despite the windy weather, the Blowhole gave us another perfect example of what a Blowhole looks like when the tide is out. As for The Petrified Forest, I didn't really know what to expect. We have seen lots of bare trees on our travels where they have conducted controlled burnings to prevent forest fires so I was perhaps expecting something like that. Instead The Petrified Forest wasn't actually a forest at all. It's name came from an early theory that sand engulfed an ancient forest of coastal trees, petrifying them for all time. What it actually is however is a collection of hollow tubes of limestone called 'solution pipes', eroded by millions of years of rainfall. It reminded us a lot of Valle de La Luna in Chile.

    Our next stop on the itinerary was Port Fairy, with a quick little pit stop at The Crags and Dreaming Island. The Crags offers views of some very spectacular craggy rock formations whilst Dreaming Island is a very important part of Aboriginal culture. It's similar in some ways to the Maori culture and the tree at Cape Reinga and plays a pivotal part in there creation story.

    Port Fairy is a quaint seaside town. We didn't really explore the town as it was already gone 4pm so most of the shops were already shut and instead pulled up by Griffiths Island for a walk. It's an absolutely gorgeous island boasting magnificent views as well as a cute little lighthouse.

    Our campsite this evening was a roadside spot so was in no means as picturesque as last night. After cooking up some pasta and about 50 games of cards, we tucked into bed.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Great Ocean Road

    December 6, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Today was our first day of driving on the actual Great Ocean Road. We had a jam packed day of sightseeing which we kicked off at Warrnambool. After a very early breakfast (Blake got up very early this morning) we headed to Logan's Beach and Blue Hole River Pool for an early morning stroll. Despite being there by 9am, there were actually quite a few people on the beach walking their dogs. After our stroll, we drove round to the Pavilion Cafe that looked out over Lady Bay for a coffee on the terrace in the sun.

    Coffee finished we were back on the road, twisting and turning around the coast line on our way to our first stop on the Great Ocean Road, The Bay of Islands. It is kind of like a mini Twelve Apostles, with towering limestone stacks that sit out in the glistening turquoise ocean. With the sunshine and fabulous blue skies, the view was breathtaking. We also drove around to the Bay of Martyrs, which gave us a different view of the rocks.

    Our next stop was The Grotto. Here we had to walk down some steps which led us down to a hollowed out cave like rock formation where the waves looked like they crashed in during high tide. It's kind of hard to explain but it was very pretty.

    Next up was London Bridge. This awesome rock formation once resembled the double arched bridge however due to the elements the middle bit collapsed in 1990, leaving two tourists stranded on Australia's newest island. They were eventually rescued by helicopter a few hours later. London Bridge well and truly did fall down.

    Just when we were thinking the views couldn't get any more incredible, we pulled up to Loch Ard Gorge, named after the two young survivors of the wrecked ship 'Loch Ard' made it to shore. There were lots of different walks so we spent a good hour here exploring. One of the paths took us down to a secluded little cove which was really beautiful.

    Not far from Loch Ard Gorge was the piece de resistance, the Twelve Apostles. You really wouldn't think that a bunch of rocks could be so spectacular but they really are. Before we braved the tourist packed boardwalks to see the Twelve Apostles, we walked down the Gibson Steps which were a 30-45 minute return walk. Literally hacked into the cliffs, these steps led us to the beach for a different view (tide permitting) of the Twelve Apostles. Unfortunately high tide meant that we couldn't quite make it around however the view along the cliffs was nice. We then fought our way out along the boardwalk to see the Twelve Apostles. Despite the crowds (they don't put that in the guide book) we managed to get some good snaps however we didn't stick around too long.

    After an action packed day we decided to drive to the next campsite as it was a little off the main road (you have to take a bit of a detour to find the free spots). Unfortunately, just as we were about to arrive the road was suddenly closed off. This was because they were harvesting the site so we had to detour to another site even further inland. A very long and winding 45 minutes later we made it to the campsite, feeling pretty pooped. We rustled up some lamb burgers and cous cous and were in bed by 9pm.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 2 - Great Ocean Road

    December 7, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    I wasn't quite so alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic this morning so we didn't get out of bed till gone 8. After a bowl of trusty porridge we went off in search of a shower (as we may have skipped that yesterday). According to the CamperMate app, there was apparently a hot shower in Apollo Bay so we headed back out along the winding forest roads. When we pulled up we were a little dubious as to where the shower was going to be. We were near a boat ramp where there were loads of workmen working. I did spot a portacabin in the corner however I didn't see how there would be a shower in there so I went to scope it out. Low and behold there was a proper shower cubicle in there with a shower curtain and everything. It was even clean, the water was hot and there wasn't any poo in sight. Winner! We also got there at the perfect time as just as we were leaving there was quite a queue of travellers forming waiting for a free shower.

    Feeling refreshed, we headed into Apollo Bay for a mooch around the town. I really rate Apollo Bay and if we were to do the Great Ocean Road again on a bigger budget, it would be a great place to spend the evening as there are lots of cute cafes and places to eat. It also boasts a stunning beach!

    The next part of our drive was the most spectacular as we meandered along curvy cliffside roads, with amazing views out over the ocean. After an hour or so we made it to Lorne where we stopped for some lunch, which we ate on a picnic bench by the beach, followed by a cup of coffee from one of the cafes. Lorne is another cute seaside town with a few good tat shops which is always nice.

    From Lorne, you can take a small detour inland from the Great Ocean Road to Erskine Falls, in the Great Otway National Park. The waterfall was gorgeous and well worth the detour.

    I don't know if you remember the children's tv classic, Round the Twist, but just outside of Lorne in Aireys Inlet, you will find the lighthouse from the show. After a quick pit stop here to see the lighthouse and serenade / annoy Simon with the theme song we continued on the road towards Torquay. Torquay marks the end of the Great Ocean Road however we didn't actually bother to visit the town itself and instead just stopped at the famous Bells Beach which is just outside. This is where the worlds longest running surfing competition, Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach is held around Easter time. The sun had gone in by this point and it was ridiculously windy, and dare I say it, it was a pretty ugly beach, so we didn't stay here long. We have the car until 3pm tomorrow but instead of spending the night in some random spot just for sake of it, we headed over to Maddy's where we will be spending the next week.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Maddy's House - Frankston

    December 8, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Since our last visit, Maddy has bought a house in Frankston. It's quite far out of the city but by the bay so it gives us a new area of Melbourne to explore. We have also reunited with our trusty air bed however this time we have our own room and are not getting in the way on the lounge floor.

    After a week on the road we spent the morning doing some laundry before dropping the van back to Jucy in St Kilda. This took up the majority of the day as once we had dropped off the van, it was an hour and half back to Frankston on the tram and train. On the way back to Maddy's we grabbed some bits of dinner and had a chilled evening.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 2 - Maddy's House

    December 9, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Maddy had a hen party today but she kindly left us her car so we could do a bit of exploring. We decided to head to Frankston to check out the beach. There was a tourist information place by the pier so we had a look in there for some inspiration of things to do over the next week.

    For dinner we cooked up a yummy curry and tucked in on the sofas for a rock and roll Saturday night watching some movies with a bottle of wine.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 3 - Maddy's House

    December 10, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After a yummy breakfast we thought we'd check out Frankston's Sunday market this morning however it turned out to be more of a car boot sale. Not too much caught our eye however we did manage to buy Maddy a Father Christmas ornament.

    With the sun shining we thought it would be rude not to top up our tans so we grabbed our beach gear and headed back to Frankston beach. Blake picked up a leaflet for a place called The Beach Nook yesterday which sounded nice so we strolled along the beach and stopped off for a yummy smoothie before finding a spot to sunbathe. After a couple of hours we started to get a bit peckish so we went to Woolies and grabbed some supplies for lunch and dinner.

    When we got back we found a very hungover Maddy looking incredibly sorry for herself led on the sofa. For the rest of the day we joined Maddy on the sofa for movies and snacks, before we had a nice wholesome dinner of roast chicken, couscous and salad.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 4 - Maddy's House

    December 11, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We decided to take a look at the Kananook Creek walk this morning which is a 7.5km walk along the creek and then through Kananook reserve. It started from the Frankston pier and ended the other side of Seaford. The walk started really nice along the creek however the reserve resembled more a wasteland than some of the beautiful places we've walked. We also spotted a suspect looking brown snake so were on high alert, scared we were going to step on one. In the end we decided to take a detour through to the beach and slowly strolled back trying to avoid all the squidgy looking jellies on the shoreline. The walk back took us back past the trusty Beach Nook again so we stopped for another smoothie. It was a tad windy though so rather than sit we walked with them back past the pier and to the car.

    We popped back to the house for a cuppa before we needed to collect Maddy from work. In the evening, I cooked up a nice beef chilli and we had a nice family meal with Maddy and her housemate Paula, followed by red wine and a movie.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 5 - Maddy's House

    December 12, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Not far from Maddy's are the Dandenongs. After dropping Maddy to work, we rustled up a picnic and made our way to Dandenong Ranges National Park. Maddy had recommended that we check out the 1,000 Steps which forms part of the Kokoda Memorial Track which commemorates Australian WWII servicemen. She did mention that lots of people walk up the steps for fitness and despite being a Tuesday lunchtime there were loads of people in their active wear trekking up and down the steps. Then there was me in my denim shorts, not quite anticipating the reality of walking up 1,000 steps. The steps were of all different shapes and sizes so it was like tackling Machu Picchu all over again! The way back down was 1,000 times easier than walking up that's for sure. Back at the bottom we tucked into our picnic before driving up to the highest point in the Dandenongs, SkyHigh Mt Dandenong. From here you get a spectacular view out over Melbourne and Port Philip Bay. Despite being a little hazy it was still a great view. There were also a couple of gardens which we had a mooch around before heading back down. On the way back down we stopped off in the towns of Olinda and Sassafras, which are cute little village like towns with lots of cute shops.

    In the evening we experienced our first ever drive in movie. As you can imagine I was very excited! Fortunately we had Maddy to show us how it's done as we left the house armed with blankets and pillows. With two people you would both just sit in the front and watch through the windscreen but because there was 3 of us we needed to be a little creative. We therefore reversed the car into the screen, opened the boot, put down the back seats and then covered it in blankets. It was a bit of a squeeze but we fit. We watched Murder on the Orient Express which was pretty good. It was also quite entertaining watching the other cars around us. People's brake lights were going on and off, indicators were flashing and at one point someone's hazard lights went off for about 5 minutes!    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 6 - Maddy's House

    December 13, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We decided to change it up a bit today and visit a new beach along the Mornington Peninsula. A 20-30 minute drive took us to a place called Rosebud. We were feeling peckish so we stoped at a nice looking cafe for some lunch first. We both had an iced latte which tasted like absolute rocket fuel and a jaffle. We weren't really sure what a jaffle was at first but assumed it would be some sort of toastie and it was.

    All fed we found a spot to park up close to the beach. As always we had the beach almost to ourselves so we were spoilt for choice. We spent a good few hours there topping up the tan and going for a swim although due to the low tide we had to walk for quite some time for the water to be deep enough.

    In the evening Maddy was having a Christmas pizza night with her school friends which we were invited to crash. It was a really nice evening and we came away with an extra pizza box full of left overs and some cute little Christmas gingerbread men from Maddy's friend Danni.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 7 - Maddy's House

    December 14, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today was a suuuper lazy day of catching up with the blog (we've had a couple of complaints) and generally relaxing before the rest of the family get here. I also started organising all the thousands of pictures and videos we have on the hard drive ready for making some sort of video when we get back.

    After making ourselves look human (around 4pm) and picking up Maddy from work we headed to 2 Brothers Brewery to meet Ingrid and Dan for some yummy food and drinks. We were also looking forward to a brewery tour but it was cancelled due to one of the brothers being sick. There was too much choice on the menu so we started with a giant board of cheese, meats, breads and olives before a main of pizzas, tacos, and pulled pork sliders. It's probably the last time we will see Ingrid and Dan so it was great to catch up with them again. Ingrid even bought us a farewell card and gift which was super cute of her. We are sure going to miss those weirdos.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 8 - Maddy's House

    December 15, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After finishing off the final few blog posts we needed to do, we decided to head over to Point Leo as Simon had found a short walk with a lookout over to Philip Island. It took a bit longer than we originally anticipated so by the time we actually got there and had a quick wander it was time to come back again to pick Maddy up from work. On the way back we stopped in at Woolies to grab some bits and pieces for a BBQ.

    At pretty much every beach and in lots of parks around Australia you will find free BBQ's. We haven't actually used one yet so we decided to head to Frankston Pier to use the BBQ's there. We had burgers and chicken kebabs and I also rustled up some Aussie Mexican dip that Tricia taught me how to make along with a mango salad.

    We stayed on the pier until the sun went down and it started to get a little cold and then headed back to Maddy's. Somehow Maddy has managed to survive the last 14 years without watching Elf! It really doesn't feel like Christmas at all for us (probably due to the 35 degree heat and glorious sunshine) so in an attempt to get Christmassy we sat down and watched Elf with a glass of red.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Melbourne

    December 16, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Today we head back into the city as the Thatcher clan are flying into Melbourne tomorrow to join us for the next 3 weeks!

    We left a big bag of bits at Maddy's before we flew up to Cairns back in September so now we have a lot of luggage again, so with a very full car we headed into the city. We took the scenic Bayside route which was really nice and stopped off in Parkdale at the Beach Cafe for a delicious iced coffee with Maddy's friends Sweeney and Clark and their little girl Ruby. It was lovely sat outside in the sunshine and before we knew it it was 2pm.

    For the next week we are staying in an apartment in Southbank not far from the CBD. By the time we arrived it was gone 3pm and we hadn't had any lunch so we went out in search of some food before Simon committed double homicide (his words, not mine). Just around the corner from the apartment is South Melbourne market which has lots of cool little eateries. We all opted for burritos before heading back to the apartment. It's a lovely apartment with a cute little balcony. It also has a pool and a gym, so Maddy and I went for a swim whilst Simon checked out the gym. Unfortunately the cleaners didn't do a very good job of cleaning the apartment, in particular the toilet (it was absolutely disgusting) and the kitchen. Simon called up the lady though and she was super apologetic and sent someone over to sort it all out which is nice. With a shiny white toilet (I honestly didn't realise it could get so white) we headed out for a few drinks with Maddy.

    The walk along the river into the CBD through the hustle and bustle was really nice. Melbourne is so pretty at night all lit up. There was even some strange fire show going on (apparently that happens every night so we will have to take Simon's family) out of huge towers on the side of the river. In the summer, there are a number of bars that pop up on the river. Sweeney recommended we check out Ponyfish Island which was really cool. It's literally in the middle of the river and a great place to sit and have a drink. The plan was to visit some rooftop bars however they all shut at midnight so we ended up going for a drink at the Gin Palace before heading back to our apartment. We hadn't really had any dinner so we all got a cheeky McDonald's on the way home. The McDonald's was in the casino which was absolutely mental! I have never been in a casino before but now I can see how people can lose hours in those places. It has everything you could possibly need and is almost impossible to find your way out! After what felt like forever we finally managed to escape and find our way home.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    #Thatchersontour - Melbourne

    December 17, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The Thatcher's were due to land at 9:05am so we headed out to Woolies early to grab some bits for a nice brunch when they arrived. Due to flight delays however they didn't make it to the apartment until around 2pm! Having travelled for over 2 days, they were well and truly pooped so after a quick feed they lay down for a power nap and Simon and I went out for a wander. After a mooch around a Christmas market and some sushi rolls, we headed back to wake the sleeping babes.

    For dinner, we headed out to a restaurant called Teatro by the river which was very yummy. On the way back home we stopped for some gelato and to watch the fire display.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 2 - #Thatchersontour - Melbourne

    December 18, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Today we introduced the Thatcher's to the free walking tour. Last time we were in Melbourne we did a walking tour with freetours so to mix it up a bit we decided to do one with walks101. Whilst we covered the same main sites as before, we got a whole new perspective of the city. We also visited some new Laneways which was good. The tour made a quick pit stop at a laneway coffee shop for the quintessential Melbourne beverage 'the flat white' which was very tasty. Down the same alleyway we spotted a very nice looking cafe so after the tour we headed back there for some lunch.

    After lunch we hopped on the free circle tram which takes you around the city and tells you a bit about what's around you. We didn't make it very far though as being packed into a tram like a tin of sardines in the sweltering heat wasn't much fun at all. After escaping the sauna, we decided to head back to the apartment for a nice dip in the pool.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 3 - #Thatchersontour - Melbourne

    December 19, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Mother was especially excited today as we we were going on the Neighbours tour. We may have woken up a tad early not realising that the meeting place was slightly closer than expected but at least we had somewhere air conditioned with internet to wait. Ramsey Street was around a 45 minute drive out of the city but our driver, Safari Pete, kept us entertained with Neighbours trivia on the way. He was a very enthusiastic and very Australian chap, coming out with some cracking Aussie comments, 'you beauty!'. Now I didn’t know that what we know as Ramsay Street, is in fact just a normal residential street where normal people live and it isn't called Ramsey Street at all! When buying a house on the street, as part of the purchase they have to agree to let Neighbours film there. They only film there once a week so they make sure they get all the shots they need in that day. The rest is filmed in the studio. When we arrived we were surprised at how small the actual street is. It’s amazing what they can do with camera angles.

    We had some time here to take photos of the various houses and also meet one of the stars. Unfortunately all the actors are off for the holidays as Neighbours takes a break from filming over Christmas, so we met a star from the past, an actor named Ben Nicholas who played Stingray, a young bogan who was on the show for about 4/5 years before he died a tragic death in the middle of the street. Despite his name ringing a bell, the majority of us couldn't remember who he was so Blake had to Google him. He was pretty young when he was in the show so it's a good job we did as you can imagine he looks a bit different now he is grown up. He was a really nice guy though and obliged us with lots of photos. After about half an hour here we headed to the studios where we visited the back lots. Here we saw the Erinsborough sign (did you know that it was an anagram of Neighbours with a couple of extra letters chucked in), Grease Monkeys, the car garage and the bric-a-brac store. We also drove around to look at Lassiters, the high school and the Kennedys back yard. They only use one of the real back gardens on Ramsey Street and the rest are recreated in the studio. Before we knew it we were back on the coach and back to the CBD where we stopped at a burger bar for lunch.

    After our feed, we headed out to St Kilda to have a bit of beach time. Blake and I haven't managed to visit St Kilda yet so it was nice to see the seaside. We only managed about 20 minutes in the sea before it became very windy and a storm blew over. It was great to watch the lightening forks come down over the sea though.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 4 - #Thatchersontour - Philip Island

    December 20, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Today we were off to Phillip Island for a day trip, ending with the penguin parade. After the early start yesterday for the walking tour we had a chilled morning (I even managed to fit in a gym session and Blake went for a swim) before heading off on the 2 hour drive to Phillip Island. Our first stop was Smiths Beach for what we thought would be a nice spot for lunch and a sunbathe. The weather had different ideas though and we were sadly blown across the carpark before even making it to the beach. We strolled down to have a look and make sure it wasn’t more sheltered on the beach but it wasn’t to be. Instead we decided to visit Rhyll as it was on the east coast of the island and a tad more sheltered for lunch. From there we went on a nice walk along the mangroves boardwalk which was around a 2km return walk. The fam even got their first glimpse of some Aussie wildlife with lots of lizards and some wallabies.

    Next on the itinerary was the Nobbies, which we previously visited when we came to Phillip Island. The Nobbies are very picturesque craggy rock formations boardwalk out in the sea and there is a nice little boardwalk which wraps around the coastline. Like Smiths beach we almost got blown away but the coastline is absolutely stunning so we didn't want the fam to miss it. We also saw one or two penguins in their little nesting boxes sheltering from the wind. Looking rather windswept we decided to grab a coffee from the tourist shop before heading to Cowes for a fish and chip dinner.

    Feeling nice and full we headed to the penguin parade. We purposely got their early but it turned out we were 2 hours early and they hadn’t even opened the doors yet. This worked in our favour though as we managed to get the same spot at the front we had last time we were here (I did have a race with a man and his kids though which was pretty funny). When the sun finally went down we had wave after wave of cute little penguins waddling up the beach(although sadly not quite as close as last time). Last time we came, around 1,000 penguins returned home from their long day at sea however this time 2,322 penguins came home so we were in penguin heaven! Last time we ergs here it was mating season so this time we got to sea that all of their hard work had paid off as there were lots of little baby penguins to see as we were walking along the boardwalks around their nests. The fam absolutely loved it!    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 5 - #Thatchersontour - Melbourne

    December 21, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    It's our last day in Melbourne and we don't have any activities planned so whilst the Thatcher clan hit the shops, Simon and I went to the Library on the Dock to check out an art exhibition. The exhibition was called Peace Not War: Art That Takes A Stand and addresses peace, war, violence, homelessness, Indigenous issues, refugees and violence in our society. It was quite a small exhibit with a couple of interesting pieces. I'm not sure if I'm artsey enough to understand most of it but Simon really enjoyed it (he's a changed man).

    The Library on the Dock was in the Docklands area of Melbourne which we haven't been to yet so it was good to check it out. It was a gorgeous morning and the crisp blue skies against the tall buildings alongside the docks was very pretty. We then headed into the city for some lunch. We both fancied a yummy sandwich of some description so we headed to Centre Place, a great little laneway with lots of hole in the wall sandwich type shops. We stumbled across a place called Jungle Juice selling some delicious sounding bagels so we stopped there. Despite being a tiny narrow shop, smaller than our lounge there were around 7 or 8 tables in there, all squished together. Squeezing ourselves around the tiny table and ordering from menus made out of classic children's books made us feel like true Melbournians and the bagels were to die for! Simon went for a Reuben which came packed with salt beef and I opted for a halloumi bagel which had heaps of fresh avocado, delicious! To wash it down I had a apple, watermelon, ginger and mint juice and Simon enjoyed an iced cappuccino.

    Feeling nice and full we headed off to meet the happy shoppers and check out a rooftop bar, aptly named Rooftop Bar! It was on top of a 7 story building so I feel like we got the true rooftop experience.

    We have a very early start tomorrow as we are catching the 6:50am Skybus to the airport so after the rooftop bar we headed back to the apartment to pack.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 6 - #Thatchersontour - Gold Coast

    December 22, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We were out of the apartment and on our way to the coach station just after 6am. To give the Thatcher's the full travellers experience, we loaded ourselves up with all our luggage and made the 15 minute journey to the station on foot. Whilst we are sad to say goodbye to Melbourne for the final time, everyone is looking forward to some beach time on the Gold Coast.

    We arrived at the airport nice and early so had plenty of time for some brekkie and a quick massage in the massage chairs. We were also offered an emergency exit seat each for no extra charge. Bonza! I have never had the luxury of extra leg room on a plane and it was amazing! If we can somehow wangle that on our flight back to the UK I will be very happy.

    After touching down in Coolangatta airport, we picked up our luggage and the hire car and headed over to the New South Wales / Queensland border for the obligatory tourist pics before heading to our accommodation.

    We are staying in a resort called Sanctuary Cove and the villa is amazing. We have a pool and 2 shiny golf carts to cruise around in which is very exciting. Mandy and Kevin's room is absolutely enormous, with a luxurious ensuite and walk in wardrobe. Just down the road we spotted a shopping centre with a supermarket and some restaurants, so after unloading our luggage we headed out for some lunch and to do a big supermarket shop for the week.

    By the time we got back is was gone 4pm so we decided to give the beach a miss until tomorrow and instead us kiddlywinks took the golf buggies out for a spin. The resort is completely kitted out for buggies and they have their own lane on the side of the road and everything. Whilst we were exploring we happened across a small field completely full of kangaroos which was cool especially for Tom and Lucy who haven't really seen any kangaroos yet. We also made our way down to the Sanctuary Cove Marina which is full of lots of luxury yachts and very posh shops, including a theatre and a golf buggy shop. You don't actually ever need to leave the resort, it's crazy. A dramatic contrast to our usual traveller digs.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 7 - #Thatchersontour - Gold Coast

    December 23, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    The Thatcher's haven't had much opportunity to work on their tans so today we headed off to the beach. We decided to take them to the small beach we found near Burleigh Heads which is along an estuary. It's the perfect place to relax and swim in the calm water without having to battle against the waves. We spent the entire day here switching between sunbathing and swimming as it was a very very hot day!

    Late afternoon, with a couple of pink Thatcher's, we headed back to Sanctuary Cove for some dinner. After dinner, we took the golf buggies out for a spin to the Marina and stopped for a delicious espresso martini at one of the bars.    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 8 - #Thatchersontour - Gold Coast

    December 24, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    On the way back from the beach yesterday, we spotted a huge outlet mall so after a late breakfast we went there for a spot of shopping. A couple of hours later, with the Thatcher's laden down with lots of pairs of trainers and some hats, we headed to the beach. Before the beach we stopped off at a 'It's a knockout style' giant inflatable on the ocean. I didn't fancy it so I lay in the sun with my kindle whilst Simon, Tom and Lucy bounced around for an hour. They said it was pretty hard going clambering around all the bits and we did catch the occasional glance of Simon and Tom pulling Lucy out of the water by her life jacket, but they had lots of fun. They ended up coming out 5 minutes early as Tom cut his foot however I think they were glad of the excuse as they were all pretty pooped!

    Even after all that exertion they still wanted to hire a surfboard and go surfing so we headed to the main beach in Southport in search of some waves and a surfboard. Unfortunately we couldn't find anywhere to hire a board so we opted for a coffee break at the beachside cafe instead. Mandy tried her first Lamington (an Aussie cake) as seen on many episodes of Neighbours.

    We then stopped off at a more sheltered beach where we saw some paddle boards for hire (I seriously don't know where they get their energy from) however as the wind had picked up it would have been a full body workout to keep yourself from ending up in Sydney so they settled for a swim and sunbathe instead.

    When we got back to Sanctuary Cove it was dusk and perfect kangaroo spotting time so we took Mandy and Kevin to where we saw them before. There were probably around 20 kangaroos hopping around and we managed to get a great video of a joey hopping in and out of his mums pouch!    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 9 - #Thatchersontour - Gold Coast

    December 25, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    It's Christmaaaaaaaasssss! And no one is feeling Christmassy at all!

    We woke to glorious sunshine pouring in the window for what is set to be a scorcher of a day! Mandy bought us all Christmas t-shirts to help get us in the Christmas spirit so we all donned those for breakfast. After breakfast we headed to the beach for a Christmas swim in the sea. We didn't expect it to be very busy but turns out that lots of Aussies go to the beach for Christmas Day! There were loads of families with gazebos set up, tables, chairs, BBQ's and eskies. It was so surreal to be in the lovely warm ocean on Christmas Day! It was so nice though that we stayed in the sea until our hands were wrinkly before heading back to Sanctuary Cove.

    Back at our villa, we tucked into our body weight in cheese and biscuits before a relaxing afternoon in the pool. We decided against the traditional British turkey Christmas dinner and instead did as the Aussies do and had a BBQ! Unfortunately there were no shrimp on the barbie (as we weren't sure whether they had gone off and didn't want to risk food poisoning) however we did tuck into some delicious steak, burgers and sausages and ate them outside.

    In the evening, we FaceTimed the fam. It felt strange that our Christmas was nearly over and everyone's back at home was just beginning! We have both thoroughly enjoyed our first Aussie Christmas and it was made all the more special that the Thatcher clan could join us too!    Read more

  • Simon and BlakeAround the WorldSimon and Blake

    Day 10 - Thatchersontour - Australia Zoo

    December 26, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Today we visited Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo which is something I have been really looking forward to! It's a couple of hours up the East Coast from where we are staying but it was well worth the trek. We got to see lots of Aussie wildlife that we haven't been able to see in the wild which was amazing.

    One of the big highlights was definitely the Wildlife Warriors Show. We got to see a variety of amazing birds including an Andean condor. We are fortunate to have already seen condors in Peru however seeing them up close makes you appreciate how big they really are. The different birds flew all around the Crocoseum which was pretty cool. The highlight of the show however was definitely the big old crocodile. Three extremely crazy guys got extremely close to the enormous croc to show us a variety of behaviours the crocodile displays in the wild including the almighty death roll. It was an incredibly tense few hours and I was literally on the edge of my seat. It is a wonder how one of them didn't lose an arm!

    The tiger demo with Reggie the Sumatran tiger was also very impressive. Pacified with some milk the keepers demonstrated how they undertake medical checks on the tigers such as looking at their teeth and eyes. We also got to hand feed kangaroos, see more cute cuddly koalas and wombats as well as lots of other native Australian wildlife.

    Towards the end of the day, Kevin and Lucy booked themselves in for the koala experience for some koala cuddles so Simon and I decided to do a tour of the Wildlife Hospital which is next to the zoo. What was meant to be a 30 minute group tour turned into an hour long private tour which was amazing. Our tour guide Brandon was so knowledgable and he took us around each part of the Wildlife hospital, including the outside koala area where they slowly rehabilitate koalas so they can be released back into the wild. Whilst we were there, a tiny baby roo whose mum had been killed by a car had been taken in and the vets were looking at her. The baby roo was only 6 months old and didn't even have its fur yet. The vet talked us through what she was doing to treat the roo and even let us stroke its soft velvety body. Such an amazing experience!    Read more

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