Holiday

Been a busy week since I've finished working for Austereo. The good news is they thought I was just too good to let go and have asked me to start another contract with them in Sydney starting on 24th April. That will last for at least the length of my working travellers visa to October so that's all worked out pretty well.

Have finally made it out of Melbourne and am now in Brisbane, which is much smaller but warmer. I've been off for a week and a bit and have been to a good number of places around Victoria and now Queensland.

Started my first weekend off with some drinks around Chapel Street on the Friday night with Cecelia from work (whose party I'd tried to get to but got the wrong tram) and her mates. Were in Back Bar (brilliant Margarita's) and Revolver Upstairs (good Thai food). I honestly can't remember what I did for the rest of that weekend mind you. Getting old. Losing brain cells.

Spent Monday preparing for the trip and on Tuesday hired a car to drive along the Great Ocean Road on the south coast of Victoria. Not the coolest of cars - Toyota Yaris - but very cheap. Went through Torquay and stayed with Lyn and Steve on Tuesday night before heading along the coast road on Wednesday. Got to Warnambool and stayed at a motel there. Met a Scottish lad in an Irish pub - we were the only people in it. I thought he was hammered because of the way he was talking but it turns out he was in a coma for 6 months when he was 16 and it affected his speech. He wasn't even drinking, just waiting for some bar maid he was after to start working. However, he started drinking when I arrived.

Went up to the Grampians on Thursday and stayed in Hall's Gap in a backpackers called Tim's Place, which all the lads at TDW will surely appreciate. Amazing place up there and fantastic scenery. Saw some Aborginal Shelters with rock art down some dirt roads. Pretty isolated at those sites and managed to freak myself out when it got close to sunset. Was at a site that was about 1km from the road and had tiny red handprints painted on the rock. All I could think of was the house at the end of the Blair Witch Project. Took some quick pictures and legged it.

Called back to Torquay on Friday to see Lyn and Steve again. Visited some wineries in Great Western on the way - Best, Seppelt and Garden Gully.

Got back to Melbourne on Saturday to complete a round trip of 2000 km. Everything was all packed and ready for the trip to Brisbane so nowt else for it but a final hurrah in the city. Met Tara for a drink in Chapel St at around 4:00 and then went into town to meet a lad called Luke, who I'd been going to the gym with, in Young and Jackson's. Turned out to be a really good night out but not sure of places or names apart from Enya from Germany.

Sunday was necesarily a quiet day. Had breakfast at the Galleon in St Kilda on Monday morning before getting the flight to Brisbane. Staying a Tinbilly's Backpackers, which is right in the middle of town. Had a bit of a walk around yesterday and am due to go to the Castlemaine brewery today for a tour. Took part in the hostel quiz night last night with a couple of lads from Manchester and some girls from Scotland, England and New Zealand. Our team name was "Scousers steal radios", which is true. Didn't win the quiz though.

So that's that for now. I'll get some pictures on here when I remember my camera.