Back in Melbourne!

So now that Christmas is all over and our road trips and sightseeing done our bank balances are somewhat affected so we've decided to stay in Melbourne and try build our funds back up a bit! Easier said than done when I can't get a job! Starting to feel very panicked now but applying for lots so hopefully a job is just around the corner! Hopefully!

Since we've been back we've been catching up with friends! I've had dinner with Alex and lunch with Laura, both of which were great to catch up! We went and saw Jamie and Alex's new apartment in Port Melbourne, which is lovely! They were babysitting a puppy, who was adorable!! Little trouble maker but so completely cute! He's so fluffy I'm gonna die!!!

I also go to go to the Night Markets with Aoife and Niamh. I had only found out about them the week before but really wanted to go! The smells that you get as you walk around are amazing! You have to queue for all the stalls but it's totally worth it! The food is good and not too expensive either! Even got myself a cocktail! Bonus! :)

We've been trying to stay in and not spend money but that is seriously boring! 

Beginning to be a bit of a struggle and I feel awful having to remind Conor when he wants to make plans! Like for Australia day Conor wanted to go to Adelaide for the weekend but we honestly can't go off road tripping while I still don't have a job! It seriously sucks! So I'm sure for Australia day we'll just do a BBQ and go to the beach or something like that! We will do something!!!

This weekend we went to a BBQ in Siobhan and Benny's friends house! It's a fab house that I did not want to leave, especially since they had two amazing dogs! (Yes there does seem to be a theme to this post! Puppies!) One was a beagle and the other a rescue dog that weren't too sure of the breed but he was a lovely gentle thing! The food was amazing! All sorts of everything and it all tasted amazing! The dogs sniffing at my feet for the whole time was a little hilarious too!

It's nice to meet some new people while we're back here and everyone at the house was so lovely! Hopefully we'll see them all again! Anyway, now to get back to the job hunt! Eugh!!!

Post again soon, hopefully with some good news on the job front!

Amy :) x

The Fantastic Great Ocean Road

Finally getting around to this post, I've actually had a semi busy week catching up with friends and avoiding the laptop besides when on the job hunt! But I shall talk about all that later on first, and finally The Great Ocean Road!!

So we hit the road, hungover and late. We had a house rented in Warrnambool which was sooo good. It was pretty late when we got there though so not much time for sight seeing so instead we decided to head down to the beach and watch the sun set, and everyone knows I love a good sunset. We also came across some camels which was more than unusual but pretty funny to us at the time! It was lovely watching the sunset but not quite a Cowra sunset! I think they will always be the most amazing ones I've ever seen!

So on our second day the sightseeing began, first stop Portland to the shire lookout over the quarry. Then we were in desperate need of coffee and tea after the drive so we stopped at Bridgewater bay beach which was lovely. Such blue water and white sand! Fab! Just up the road from the beach was Cape Duquesne where there is a blowhole and petrified forest. The petrified forest was pretty cool, but not what I expected, at all!! The view was lovely from both but unfortunately for us the blow hole wasn't feeling very active when we were there! :(

We headed to Portland next to go to the information centre, I'd recommend doing this as you go along on the road, the people working there have great information. The lady told us about a place called Fauna park and Cape Nelson, so they were our next stops! Firstly, in fauna park we got to see a white kangaroo, it wasn't a very big park I will say with only one kangaroo and a couple of emu's but it was worth it for the white kangaroo alone and we had fun in the park's playground!

 

The next stop was one of the best of the trip! Cape Nelson lighthouse and enchanted forest. The lighthouse was so pretty and unlike Cape Otway you don't have to pay to see it! And the boys got to do their usual of going out on to the edge so they were happy, even if poor Therese wasn't!! Then it was on to the enchanted forest, amazing! It was a walk through a forest that writhes and intertwines the whole way through just giving random glimpses of the beautiful blue below. Was a very pretty walk and the view at the end made it even more worthwhile! I just want to swim in any water I see that is that blue!

So I should have warned you all, there are a lot of beaches in this post! Especially for this days section!!! Our next stop was Port Fairy, and it's lovely beach and of course some chips or ice cream! As usual I was on the ice cream team! My sweet tooth is most definitely going to be my downfall! But its the best way to appreciate a good beach! ;)

Our last stop for the day was to Killarney beach, purely for the name of course! It was also the perfect place for a spot of hurling, Conor even got his Scottish uncle to play who was pretty decent for a first timer!! Was also a nice end to a seriously busy day! Day two, done!

 

Day three, a much more chilled out day! We headed to an Irish village called Koroit which is where a lot of Irish farmers settled years ago when they came to Australia. This area of Victoria has the best soil for farming in Australia because of its weather and how close it is to the ocean. It all felt a bit too touristy though, a bit over done with the green and Irish named businesses but was nice to see all the same, even if they did spell Kilkenny wrong on their sign!
Next stop Tower Hill reserve, because we were big fans of a a bit of scenery. Was nice but in comparison to everything else we've seen it was a bit 'meh' for want of a better word!
On the way to our next stop we visited Cheese world, for the cheese connoisseurs of the group! Ha! The museum part was woeful, just full of the kind of stuff you would find anywhere in Ireland and some really random stuff too which had nothing to do with cheese making!? The shop had a nice cafe in it though and a pretty massive selection of cheese! Can't believe I've even spoken about it for as long as I just have.... Anyway, moving on... 

Another one of my favourite things from the road trip was the Bay of Islands which was pretty awesome. You have to fight the crowds a bit to get a good view but it's worth the wait! The main viewing platform was a bit more of a struggle but their is a quieter platform that no one seems to notice really which has a great view too.

Next stop was the Bay of Martyrs beach which was fun, just another beach for me to fall in love with and for Conor to mess around of course! Next stop The Grotto, which was just another wall for the boys to hop to get as close to the edge as they could! Then onto Loch Ard Gorge, although we didn't do the main part we did see the thunder caves which were pretty cool but more so we went to Sherbrook river which I think may have been my favourite part of the whole trip. It was just breath taking. The waves there are completely insane, you couldn't swim or surf there! I think it's part of the Bass Strait which is one of the most lethal bodies of water, hence having the name of the shipwreck coast. Crazy!

Next stop for this crazy day, the twelve apostles. It is a bit manic here with all the other tourists, and you kind of have to fight for space but people are pretty good when you're taking photos. It really is a shame that they are gradually disappearing. Such a cool thing to see, considering it's one of the things you think of when you think of Australia. We got to see the London Bridge on our way home too. We really did pack our days! Ha!

On the fourth day we left our lovely house in Warrnambool and headed to our motel in Lavers Hill, a bit of a downgrade from the house but we really weren't there much for the two days so it didn't matter!
We headed to Gibson steps, stopping on the way to see the Arch and another scenic lookout ( I did mention how we loved a bit of scenery!). Down on the beach at Gibson's Steps it is actually lovely. It's a nice beach and it's a little amazing looking up at the apostles as opposed to fighting for a glimpse on a platform! We were going to go to Cape Otway lighthouse, until we found out just how expensive it was so we decided instead to head to Mait's rest rainforest walk! Thought it would have been longer but it was still pretty cool! We had a bit of a photo theme too of standing inside the trees!

Next stop Apollo Bay for a bit of dinner and a look at the beach! It is a much quieter town than I expected! I was expecting some huge beach town with loads of cafes and bars but we struggled to find somewhere to eat that wasn't fish and chips!

The next day I was actually sick so stayed in bed for the day while the rest of them went and saw Otway Fly, which I am so jealous about because thats the thing I REALLY wanted to do, along with seeing some waterfalls! A little heartbroken but we may take the drive back down to see them again!
That evening I was feeling a bit better so we went down to Johanna beach for a look! It's very pretty but again the waves were a bit mad! It was packed with people camping there too. It would be a great beach to camp at too and it was free to stay there, bonus! If you are camping I would definitely recommend a night here! Was lovely to just chill out here so a while.
We headed back to Apollo Bay again for some tea and dessert at the Apollo Bay Hotel which was lovely! Always good to treat yourself! :)

So New Years Eve was our the day we headed back! So didn't want to leave, even though I was sick! We of course got a little bit more sight seeing in on the way home! We went to Split Point lighthouse, which was pretty cool and was close to the bluest water, you all know how I love blue-blue water! It was fab and just made me want to go swimming again!! Unfortunately it wasn't really a beach! 

Next stop Bells Beach, Conor's uncle really wanted to see it because it was in one of his favourite movies, Point Break. Well he discovered after it wasn't actually filmed there but on a similar beach in the US! The waves there were insane, I can see why Rip Curl use it for their competitions from time to time! Madness! Was packed with surfers too, but apparently more so on the other side!
We stopped at Torquay beach for Conor and Stephen to have a swim on the way back, it was one of the only beaches that was actually safe to swim at! This also meant that it was packed but the boys didn't mind! They were delighted to finally get to swim!

So that was our Great Ocean Road trip, all organised to perfection by Conor's sister! It was a great holiday and an even better way to finish off the year!!! I have soo many photos from the trip, all of which I want to put on this post so I'll throw some more at the end for good measure! Definitely recommend everyone to do it while they're here, but bring warm clothes, it is not warm on the coast! Ha!

Amy :) x

Unemployed life!...

As I am still as yet unemployed I seem to be finding all my entertainment in arsing around on the internet. This nearly, pretty much always, results in me internet window shopping, adding clothes to an ever growing wishlist that I can't afford! A habit which has me tormented because I want everything!! I even manage to justify it to myself by adding clothes to the wishlist that I could totally wear to work, if I had a job! It's a vicious cycle! One of the websites I find myself on the most at the moment is Missguided. It has lots of lovely things that I want (need), in particular the biker jacket and midi dress, I think they may have to be purchased with my first pay cheque, and then I'll just have to wait until the next one to be able to actually wear them anywhere!! I could honestly justify this! I love the graffiti shorts too and the fact that emerald is popping up everywhere this season! So if anyone is feeling generous I've given you the website! ツ

But hope is not lost just yet, I have an interview on Thursday and have been applying for everything that has come up in Melbourne in the last week! So fingers crossed I will get something soon, if not for the shopping than at least for my sanity's sake. There are only so many days I can spend alone and un-entertained before I crack and I doubt Conor is willing to give up his job to keep me company!

Oh and for those of you wondering I made this collage on fotor, one of the few photo collage generators that lets you do exactly what you want!

So that is my little rant for now, I haven't forgotten the Great Ocean Road post, it is coming, eventually!

Bye for tonight!

Amy x ツ

Soo much to talk about!..

Ok so our laptop has been out of action until yesterday so I'm only getting to post now! So much has happened since we've finished on the farm! We visited the Blue Mountains, we stayed with Conor's family in Sydney and Wollongong, visited Canberra and Thredbo, had Christmas in Melbourne, did the Great Ocean Road, had New Years in Melbourne and have been here since! Lots to fill you in on!

So lets start at the beginning, the farm!!! It was bye bye cottage, bye bye backpackers, bye bye farm after 92 days working! It flew by and was genuinely one of the best things we have done so far in Australia. We have made loads of great friends, all of whom I hope we'll see again on our travels or else we'll have to visit where they're from! Any excuse for a holiday! ;)

So this is the group that was left when we finished which by all accounts has changed completely in the last four weeks! I've even sent one of my friends down there that wanted to get her farm work done! I hope she enjoys it as much as we did (or else I'll be hearing about it!)

So we got our papers signed and hit the road for the Blue Mountains on the 12th. First we went to the Karrang and Boyd national park and saw the Karrang Wall which was just a little breath-taking! We got to see lots of kangaroos and even a little porcupine which was far too exciting really. Next stop the Jenolan Caves which were beautiful both inside the caves and in the area around while you wait for your tour. For example the blue lagoon which had the most amazing blue water, caused by limestone we found out. We did the Temple Bahl tour which had some amazing features in it including a stalactite that looked like an angel and one rock formation that looked like a chandelier. I would definitely recommend going to see the caves if you can, there are so many tours that you can do besides the one that we did, could do a full day out there but visiting a lot of the caves would be very expensive, although I'm sure they have deals on multiple tours however.

 Then it was Sutherland here we come to stay with Conor's aunt and uncle in their new place! We stayed with them for a week and got to visit more family down in Wollongong, including their little ones! Their little boy Charlie was fascinated by me, just because I'm a girl of course but I didn't mind he was a total cutie, I loved the attention! Ha! Was lovely to see them all! We got to see the Swedish girls from the farm and finally got to go to Manly beach which was fun, although there was a shark warning, strong current and a blue bottle jellyfish warning so we ended up in a pub! Typical! Good fun all the same! Although we didn't get to go to Watson bay on the way back which I had wanted to do! Oh well! We also visited Madame Tussaud's and Botany Bay so I think we've seen all that we had wanted to in Sydney! But then again there is always something to see in that crazy city!!

And then it was on to Canberra! Can't be in a country and not see the capital really now can we? Plus we got a great deal on Scoopon for a hotel, which gave us a bottle of champagne for every night we stayed which made for an interesting Christmas. It is a lovely city, very small and quiet but pretty! It is packed to the brim with museums so if they're your thing get to Canberra! The War Museum is amazing, we spent four hours there and probably could have spent more time there other than the fact that we were starving! We also visited the Australian Institute of Sport and went up to Telstra tower for a view of the city which was pretty good! At the tower one of the staff told us to head up to Mount Ainslie for a great view of the city at night, I would definitely recommend it! Was very pretty, although somewhat cold! Unfortunately I need to invest in a tripod for my night mode, not the best picture but you get the idea!!

Then our final stop before Melbourne, Thredbo! It's a cute ski village town built up in the mountains and during the summer it is host to hill walkers and downhill bikers. You can get a ski lift up to the top of the slopes and from there you can walk to Mount Kosciuszko, the highest point in Australia, granted we didn't know beforehand but it's a 13 km walk and can take up to six hours to do! Considering the lift stops at 4.30 we probably should have gone up before 2.00! So unfortunately we didn't get to do the full walk but we did do the first two km before we put two and two together and headed back very quickly!! Hopefully we'll get back there again to do the full walk! The view from where we got to was amazing though, there was even still snow on the mountains!

Final stop for Christmas was Melbourne so we headed down the mountain and in parts (where they had cut it) straight through! Didn't look like the safest job in the world either, bit daunting driving through it without a scrape of phone signal between the two of us but on the other hand more than a little amazing! Saw some serious one horse towns once we reached the end, but finally on the 23rd we arrived in Melbourne! Siobhan and Benny had friends staying with them until the 24th so we had some chill out time before the madness that was Christmas day!


It's Christmas!!!! We had a champagne and pancake breakfast and then opened our presents. Was a lovely morning and we now have more Irish chocolate than any person can keep from melting!! Very exciting though! :D At three we headed over to our old apartment for Christmas dinner, all the trimmings! Was great! There was actually a nice big group of us too which was nice and got some calls in with the family too on their Christmas morning! Ended up being a bit of a piss up for the rest of the day, with a bit of a sing song too! Was great to catch up with everyone and meet the people who moved into our old apartment and their friends too. Was a great day but how tired and hungover we were the next day was not great for packing and getting on the road again for the Great Ocean Road.

But that my friends is for another post! I think I may have to hit the bed now!
Post again soon, so much catching up to do!!!

Amy :) x