Melbourne

Ahh good old Oz. Wish i'd spent more time there really. I spent two days exploring the uber-cosmopolitan city of Melbourne as a stop-off before going to NZ. I got there early and didnt really sleep on the plane so was rather bog-eyed. After a good power nap I caught a tram into the city centre and took in some of the sites. The National Art gallery provided a good dose of aussie culture. From Aboroiginal paintings to Victorian era artwork of the early European immigrants. It seemed so odd to be down under during their winter - I didnt think Australians actually owned hats and gloves for some reason. The place was very trendy - Levis and Lattes (of the skinny variety) were everywhere. I stayed in the hip side of town in St Kilda which is also where all the backpacker enclaves are.

On Day 2 I took a walk along St Kilda pier. Whilst there I saw some Little Blue penguins hiding under some rocks. They were really tiny. After that I made my way to the spectacular MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) to see a game of Aussie Rules football. The place was packed out with 90000 fans that provided a great atmosphere. Two local teams from Melbourne were playing - it took me a while to figure out what on earth was going on but it was fun to watch nonetheless. The hostel where I stayed was a bit of a noisy young studenty place but I had to get up at 4 the next morning to get to the airport.