The Place to Be.

Melbourne. The place to be. The garden state. On the move.  We can learn a lot about a state by their number plate slogans.  Almost every Victoria registered vehicle in Australia carries one of these badges, labelling each and every person driving these vehicles in one way or another. 

What more is there to say about Melbourne? I have a few observations under my sleeve, from little more than four days living in this wonderful city.

1. Melbournians are IMPATIENT drivers.  It’s scary. Not to mention the narrow busy roads and the weird line markings.  Oh, and for the record, lanes merge without warning so beware of potential collisions and sounding horns.
2. The grass is GREEN. Actual, proper, luscious, thick, green grass.
3. Teenagers wear their caps SIDEWAYS.  Didn’t that fail as a fashion statement in the 90s (along with white rappers and ‘Spice Girl’ platform shoes)?
4. People have very LOUD conversations at McDonalds.  The number of arguments overheard in the past four days would out-do an entire month in Brisbane.
5. (I have to include another ‘driving’ observation) Sharing the road with TRAMS is extremely strange! The tracks make a bizarre noise under tyres, it feels like you’re driving in the middle of the road, not to mention the feeling you get when one is barrelling up behind you.
6. There are no cockroaches! EXTREME plus.
7. Shoe polish is an EFFECTIVE spider killer. I don’t think this one is specific to Melbourne, but it had to be shared. I would like to thank our rather intoxicated neighbour for assisting us with the eradication of the strangest looking spider I have ever seen.
8. It feels like HOME. New Zealand home, that is.  The houses are brick with chimneys, the evenings are cool but pleasant, the residential streets are lined with trees and the street shops are reminiscent of Invercargill town centre.

In a nutshell, despite our lack of beds, mattresses, seating, refrigeration, and general storage, the diminishing funds, the unemployment and not having ‘people’ in the state, this adventure is so far a success.  Sleeping on a doona and floorboards, purchasing ONLY non-perishables, and buying a couch on Ebay, but having no way of transporting it home, are all part of the excitement.

Until next time….