Entry 13: Melbourne

G’day.

Well, I’ve been mincing around Melbourne for about 3 weeks now and I love it. Sorry Sydney, but those people who told me that you were a poor relation to Melbourne were right, it beats the pants off you, and not just because it hasn’t spent the last 3 weeks raining.

I arrived and was met at the airport by Ebony (after a brief period in which I thought we were at different airports as we couldn’t find one another) whose house I have been loitering in since. I awoke early on my first morning and spent much of my first day wandering around trying to find the Liverpool v Arsenal game, only to find later that it had been on at Ebony’s flat all along. That did slightly annoy me to be honest, especially when I got to see the highlights and realised it had been a classic, but it did give me the perfect chance to experience the empty streets of early morning Melbourne.

While I’m on football I hope everyone saw Villa destroy Birmingham last weekend. Biggest derby win since 1988 I do believe. It had me smiling all week.

It took me all of 24 hours to make my first pilgrimage to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, or ‘the G’ as it’s referred to by locals. The tour of the ground takes about an hour and a half and is fantastic. Despite the fact that the stadium has been developed over time it still retains much of its history, remembering past occasions and sporting greats with countless mementoes scattered around the whole complex. Underneath the ground is the National Sports Museum, which is easily the best museum I have ever been in. Slightly amateurishly I only gave myself 2 hours in the museum though, and as a result barely managed to see a quarter of the exhibits, so at some point I am going to have to go back for another visit.

The following day I ventured into St. Kilda - an area of the city renowned for cafes and restaurants – and Brunswick Street. Both area’s have a bohemian feel and are certainly places I think I’ll come back to when I return to Melbourne later in the year.

My first weekend saw me visit the G for the second time, this time to experience my first Aussie rules football match. Now, before arriving I had given the subject of which team I was going to support a fair bit of thought, and had decided that as Paul Collingwood was my favourite England cricketer it seemed only right that I support the team Collingwood. After watching the news I discovered that Carlton were on the brink of setting the longest loosing streak in history though, which made me think I should support them instead. Luckily the two teams were due to play that weekend, so I got myself along and decided that whoever lost the game, would be my team. Once at the game I met a nice Collingwood supporting Aussie couple who talked to me - or I talked at them, as I was slightly hung-over on the day and was rattling off chit-chat like a machine gun - who gave me a Lamington (Australian cake). As a result I warmed to Collingwood throughout the game, and as they were given something of a spanking I am now a Collingwood fan. I am told that Collingwood are generally hated by all the other teams, but I just tell people that I’m English, so am quite used to this. They are also renowned for not having won anything for quite some time, so this also provides me with a sense of familiarity.

The following Friday I then went to another game, this time between St Kilda and Essendon. This game was played at the Telstra Dome, which has a roof, which was shut, keeping the temperature at a pleasant 22 degrees.

A few days later I made the fatal mistake of drinking with the Irish. I should have learnt my lesson by now, but it just doesn’t seem to sink in. Anyway, it started as a simple dinner invitation at Paul and Michelle’s and ended with me waking up at around 6 in the morning having passed out on their sofa. I got very little done over the next few days.

My original plan was to leave Melbourne in mid-April as I have managed to sort some work at an eco-resort in New South Wales over the winter. I decided to stick around for another week in order to attend the Anzac Day service at the Shrine of Remembrance. April 25th is the day Australia remembers the sacrifice of those who died in war, the First World War and all other wars since. The day began at 4.30am when 40,000 people attended the early morning service. This was one of the most impressive spectacles I have experienced in Australia since I arrived and it struck me how the sacrifices that past Australians have made seems to resonate stronger with the Australian youth than with their British counterparts.

Focus then turns to the commemorative march through the city, before the day’s big game, Collingwood v Essendon. The Anzac Day game only began in 1995, but is as much a part of life here now as the FA Cup final is at home. This finally gave me a chance to see Collingwood win, as they ran riot, winning by 73 points.

My last Sunday in Melbourne provided me with my first home cooked roast dinner since I left Philadelphia in August. It was possibly one of the best I have ever tasted, especially as it contained what has become something of a favourite of mine, roasted parsnips. Thanks to Ebony’s mum and her boyfriend Jai – who has made sure that I have tasted as much of the local wine as possible - for that one. While I’m thanking people I also need to mention Michelle and Paul, who have let me doss at their flat for a few nights, not to mention Ebony and her flatmates AJ and Rob. Without you guys I’d have even less money than I do have.

Anyway, this lack of funds has finally forced my hand into getting a job. I head up to a part of New South Wales tomorrow called the Myall Lakes. I’ll be working on an eco resort, just helping out with odd jobs from what I understand. If anyone is interested this is the website: http://www.myallshores.com.au/

Right, that’s me done for another month. Take care folks.

Vinny/Ian

P.S. I know Carl and Laura occasionally read ‘I’m glad it’s me and not you’, so I just thought I’d use it to congratulate them on the new addition to the family, Tobin Bailey-Hill.

A few observations:

Australia has without a doubt the largest portion of attractive ladies in the world. I’m sorry ladies back home, but it’s not just my opinion, it’s a fact.

Most people in Melbourne seem to have huge HD televisions and extremely comfortable corner sofas.

In Aussie rules each team has 2 ‘runners’. These are men - normally middle aged and slightly rotund - who run onto the oval during play to give tactical information to players. They do this dressed in fluorescent yellow outfits and are one of the funniest features of sport I have ever seen.

A man wearing roller-skates, being pulled down one of the busiest streets in Melbourne by 2 dogs. Sadly I didn’t have time to get my camera out, but believe me when I say it was quite a sight.