Kyneton Bushland Resort

Having returned from our trip along The Great Ocean Road we spent a week job hunting before having a weekend of luxury at the Kyneton Bushland Resort.

We made the short drive to the resort from our new home in Essendon on Friday afternoon. Having settled in at the villa we decided to waste no time and headed straight to the pool complex. We enjoyed a lovely swim, and some rest and relaxation in the hot tub and the sauna. We returned to the villa for a few customary beers and watched a film.

This was to be the order of the weekend, as we spent time in the pool complex as well as playing tennis and squash. The latter too activities weren't quite as relaxing though as we soon realised that we're not as fit as we used to be - neither of us could walk by the end of the weekend!

We also took some time to have a look around the small town of Kyneton. We really liked the historic Piper Street, which had the added bonus of being home to the towns bakehouse which sold amazing homemade pies - Yum!

The weekend also marked a trip first for us, as we encountered our first Australian spiders. With Jen having tempted fate by saying 'I've not been at all paranoid about spiders or snakes yet', surprise surprise two huge hairy spiders came running across the ceiling when we were watching the football at 5.30am on Sunday morning.

The scene that followed was probably quite amusing if you could have been a fly on the wall. Not knowing if the spiders were dangerous and having never seen a spider that big, we both moved quickly away from the spiders and made a plan! Having decided that the best tactic was to kill them, Joe launched killer blows at the spiders with a broom whilst Jen stood frozen on a chair. We thought the coast was clear but as Joe lent down to cover up one of the 'dead' spiders it started to run away, causing him to drop the glass. A big scream from Jen and a final panicked blow saw the end of spider number one.

We found out the next day that the spiders we encountered were Huntsman, which are not poisonous to humans but can grow very big - our little visitors had bodies the size of a fifty pence piece and legs two inches long!

Despite the spiders we had a great weekend. We really enjoyed lazing around in the villa, relaxing in the pool area and doing some sport in such a lovely setting. Now it is back to Melbourne to continue our job hunt.

We would like to say thanks to Gilly and Clive for booking us in to the resort - it was a great birthday present and we had a brilliant time. Thank you very much guys!

The Great Ocean Road

Having packed up the car and got some essential supplies i.e. meat and beer, we started out on our first road trip in our new car. On the first evening we made it to Anglesea after a brief stop in Torquay (the surf capital of Victoria). We had a few beers before setting up the tent and cooking a great meal (get used to this sentence). Joe soon realised that the trip would involve a lot of 'silly' pictures when he heard Ellie and Jen begging for their picture to be taken in the loo by a total stranger!

After passing underneath the Great Ocean Road sign (see below) the next morning, the road began to twist and turn as we skirted the coast past numerous sandy bays. We stopped off for lunch at Lorne and had coffee at Apollo Bay before reaching the Twelve Apostles later that afternoon.

The Twelve Apostles were remarkable although there are now only six of them left standing! The conditions weren't the best but we took a stroll along the boardwalk and stopped for a few pictures anyway. That evening we cooked up the BBQ of all BBQs at a nice little campsite in Port Campbell. This was of course complemented with a few beers and the cricket on the outdoor TV.

The first stop on Wednesday was Warnambool where we picked up supplies before heading to Port Fairy for a picnic lunch and lovely cakes from the bakery! In the afternoon we took a slight detour to Cape Bridgewater where we found a gorgeous white sandy beach for a walk. We also ventured further round the Cape where we found a petrified forest and blowholes. That evening we wound up at Nelson where (after passing numerous warning signs) we finally saw a wild kangaroo bounce through the campsite.

In the morning we made the short journey to Mt. Gambier where we had brief stops at Blue Lake and Valley Lake (lakes formed in the volcanic craters of Mt. Gambier - see below). After a long morning on the road we were pleased to arrive at the seaside town of Robe (now in Southern Australia) and had a nice (but windy) picnic. The beaches here were beautiful and covered in white sand with turquoise waters. It was a shame that it was blowing a gale which prevented us from exploring fully.

In the afternoon we had a long boring drive along the Princes Highway. There was nothing except sun-scorched grass and straight tarmac for miles upon miles. However, we finally made it to Middleton on the Fleurieu Peninsula. We decided to stay here for a couple of nights and avoid getting in the car for a whole day!

Having had a really relaxing time on the beach at Middleton we headed into the city of Adelaide on Saturday via a great pie shop at Port Elliott! We enjoyed the afternoon looking around the city before beginning the long journey home.

Our last night of the trip was spent on a campsite at Tailem Bend on the banks of the Murray River. We cooked up a brilliant chili and relaxed with the last of the beers whilst watching the sunset. In the morning we set ourselves up with a full English breakfast before driving the 590km back to Melbourne - what a trip!

We would like to say a big thanks to Ellie as despite her snoring, burping and farting, we really enjoyed her company on this road trip to remember! Check out the ridiculous photos that were taken along the way on the slideshow at the top of the page!

Go Team Volley!

Melbourne

We were welcomed at Melbourne airport by our friend Ellie, and after a short ride back to her house we enjoyed a well overdue catchup over a few too many beers!

We spent a week in Melbourne staying with Ellie and her flatmates Jade and Chris before taking on the Great Ocean Road. Before doing this we needed some wheels so we set about making that our first priority. After getting our heads around confusing licensing laws and 'roadworthiness' we finally found a 'beaut' in our 1993 Toyota Camry Station Wagon.

In between looking for cars, we spent a great day exploring the beach side neighbourhood of St. Kilda and went along to the MCG to watch the second one-day international between Australia and New Zealand.

This was our first Australian sporting experience, and it was certainly full of drama. We sat in block M13, which we later found out is notorious for being the 'bogan' (chav) section of the ground - no wonder we saw so much action. The crowd was lively to say the least, and we heard lots of amusing chants, saw various fights, and even witnessed two streakers running on to the pitch! The cricket was pretty good too!

The day after the cricket (Saturday) was Ellie's leaving do. It also coincided with the hottest day in Melbourne's history; a 'breezy' 46.4 deg.C! After spending most of the day viewing and buying our car, we were glad to step out of the oven and into Ellie's house where the air conditioning and a few cold beers were waiting!

The party was excellent and it was great to meet so many of Ellie's friends. We also enjoyed the Sambuca fuelled dancing, but we are proud to say that the English were the last standing (or were they Jen?)

Christchurch

We took the scenic route from Akaroa to Christchurch stopping off at Diamond Harbour and New Brighton Beach (for a walk and picnic) before getting our first glimpse of the city. We hadn't planned it, but we arrived in Christchurch for the last weekend of the World Buskers Festival; as we strolled into Cathedral Square 'Cirque No Problem' were performing the world's only free-standing trapeze act!

The next day we had to bid farewell to our little green car! This meant somehow fitting seven weeks of 'clutter' that had gathered in the car into our little tent...a bit of a squash! Having cleaned the car up and delivered it back to the rental company, we decided to make the most of being in a city, so we went to the cinema! We saw Seven Pounds, which we highly recommend - get the tissues ready!

On Sunday we decided to explore the city fully. We followed a walking tour route suggested in one of the local leaflets we'd picked up and managed to take in most of the sights. We particularly enjoyed walking along the river bank and through the botanical gardens.

We watched the marathon five set Aussie Open final that evening/morning so we had a much needed lie-in the next day. On our final day in New Zealand Jen got her hair cut and we did all of our laundry ready for Australia!

Overall, we have had a great time in New Zealand and have seen and done so many amazing things that it's hard to pick a favourite...

Next stop - Australia!