i heart Mark and Anna

Moving from one melby friend to the next, i went to stay with Margalit and her family in Caulfield. It was fun to get the know the lovely Levin family who i had heard so much about. We shared a fun filled family dinner to celebrate Margie´s graduation (my favourite part of this being the adventure that Anna (mummy Levin) and I had in collecting take-out from various places. Margie showed me around her hood and gave me lots of fun places to explore while she had to go to class. Hoola hooping, drinking tea and watching Daniel Craig Bond were also greatly enjoyed whilst residing in the in Levin homestead, IDEAL.

Life at the farm

Time at the farm was spent enjoying the beautiful countryside and landscapes, best explored in my opinion on horseback, so i saddled up and took to the hills!

One day we prepared a huge batch of sandwiches and picnic foods and headed down to the riverside for some exciting kayaking on the river. We took it in turns while others played on the rivers banks and learnt how to ride the dirt bikes. It was like being on a school adventure holiday except there were no teachers, we could all do whatever we wanted (with some limits off course!) and a lot more booze!

Saturday night, despite the slightly sodden fire pit (there had been massive storms and flooding the previous week) we got the bonfire going and had a great BBQ feast complete with some Pimms that i had bought along. Various attempts were made at making smores, moslty resulting in some burnt biscuits but the large supplies of marshmellows and chocolate made up for this!

The night continued with various games and festivities including a mass nudey run and multiple rounds (and overshares) of 2 truths and a lie/2 lies and a truth or if you were feeling really open 3 truths!!

skiing in australia, as you do

Another positive to staying with international friends is when they have 4000 acre farms close by to mountain ranges. A group of 16 of us road tripped up to Rich's farm in Khancoban, about a 5 hour journey from Melbourne set by the Kosciuszko National Park. It was a great weekend of multiple outdoor activities mountain-biking, dirtbike riding, horseriding, river kayaking to names a few. We also took a day trip up to Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains to go skiing for the day. The weather was perfect as

we

got some fresh snow on the way up making it a great drive through a winter wonderland! We made a quick stop off along the way for me to go and play with the

kangaroos that were just hanging out along the roadside, aww. Having not skied for something like 8 years i had slight fear that i had forgotten how exactly to maneuver the two long planks attached to my feet but luckily after a few initial slippery turns i regained some former knowledge of what to do and managed to go the whole day without falling over, wahey!

A beach bums paradise

I spent a few days up at Byron Bay where i frequented the beach to run, do some yoga and swim in the sea whilst also soaking up some sun that i was luckily blessed with. A lazy surfing beach town and a perfect place to chill out. I spent one day visiting the surrounding bays and beaches whilst also doing the well known and popular walk up to the lighthouse, where you geta great view across the bays and watch the surfers. As soon as the sungoes down people gather around the rocks on the beach and play music and have a bit of a jam session as the sun sets.

we heart cycling

The river-side cycle path that leads from Rich's place into the city, a pretty nice ride to do into work if you were working there. The river tracks also get packed at lunchtime and after hours when the fit people of Melbourne are out and about jogging keeping themselves buff and beautiful! There are also often people especially schools and uni students rowing in the river. It was great to be able to borrow a bike from the Gannon household and explore the city, trying my hardest not to get stuck in any tram lines. One day we met up for lunch and cycled over to Abbotsford Convent where we went for a delicious meal at a not-for-profit veggie restaurant aptly named Lentil As Anything, where you fill up a plate from the buffet and then pay a donation. An array of aubergine curry, dahl, veggie stew, potato fritters, salads, rice and more was on offer. After satisfying our taste-buds we took to our bikes and cycled along the Yarra River and then up a popular cycling track to get a good view across the city. While cycling Rich explained that the strange toast slash muesli slash yeasty smell i was experiencing was coming from the Carlton brewery which was close by.

street vibes and sunny days

"i'm here with all of my people, yeah yeah yeah"

Having heard so much about Melbourne I was so excited to arrive and see it all for myself. I stayed with Dickie and his two housemates Steph and Louisa in Richmond, a short cycle ride - along the river - away from the city. What amazes me about Melbourne is the abundance of cool shops, cafes, bars and restaurants spread across different suburbs. I was spoilt by a plethora of cafe culture spots, vintage boutiques and quirky bars spilling out amongst graffiti clad streets. It was nice to be shown around by locals and get a really honest Melbourne experience...how nice to finally be free from the constraints of a lonely planet guide and following ones nose. I also conveniently arrived in time for Melbourne fashion week and a group of us went to see one of the student shows where one of Rich's friends was showing his finalpieces. We then spent the rest of the evening bar hopping around. We actually bar hopped around on quite a few evenings, a great way to see what the nightlife had to offer and experience many favourite haunts of the trendy Melbournites.