Melbourne! - February

Hello Everyone!

I'm back in Australia and I have started back at university. I arrived on the 15th January and it definitely took me a good few days to get over the jetlag. Going this way is way worse than when I went back to England - I didn't really have a problem at all then. 

It took me a little while to settle back in but it was odd that this time around coming back to Brisbane felt like I was coming home, and all of the things I experienced when I first got here that made it clear I wasn't at home any more are now some of the things I love the most. I feel like the time here has gone so fast and before I know it I'll be back in the U.K for good. I have less than 4 months left now!

I've been glad to start back at university, I was definitely getting bored of not studying anything new for so long. I'm doing far more maths this term so it will be interesting to see how I find that compared to having a psychology-heavy semester like last term. And it'll be interesting to see how that goes in terms of making new friends - maths students seem to be a lot more keen to just get on with their work rather than make friends in class!

One thing that has been really nice since I've been back is seeing my friend Anna! Probably many of you will remember my best friend Anna that I had growing up, we used to spend all of our time together at primary school. Anyways, she has moved to the Gold Coast and will be here until I leave in June! It's funny, we have already spent more time together here than we have in the last 5 years back home. It's just lovely having someone here who I know so well and is so familiar to me - plus it's been great hanging out together a lot. I went to the Gold Coast to visit her a few days after I flew back which was lovely and just last weekend we went to Melbourne together!

Anna and I at the beautiful Gold Coast!

Melbourne

So last weekend Anna and I went to Melbourne! We got a 7am flight on Friday which got us into Melbourne at 10 which was lovely because we had three almost full days there. Melbourne is lovely, so so different to Brisbane! It feels a lot more English and there are a lot more general European influences there. The weather certainly helps with the English feel - it was about 20 degrees colder in Melbourne that in Brisbane! 

On the first day we did a lot of walking. Luckily we were staying right in the CBD so we just wandered around, of course going to AC/DC Lane and looking at some of the more iconic buildings like Flinders Street Station and some of the laneways. We stopped off at a few cafes - the coffee was absolutely amazing - they are know for their coffee so I got to enjoy some of the worlds best! In the evening we went to Little Italy and then down to St Kilda Beach where we got to see penguins! They were so small and so cute and it amazing to see them in the wild. 

Me in front of the incredible street art of ACDC Lane! It featured almost all of my favourite artists so was extra cool to see. 

The second day that we had in the city itself we went to the NGV to see an amazing and powerful exhibition of Aboriginal art, both traditional and modern. Although I am usually not a gallery goer it was so interesting to see art that is so different from what we would typically see in England or the rest of Europe. 

We also walked along the Yarra River and came across the huge Shrine of Remembrance that really looked as though it could have been in Europe. Walking along the river was a beautiful way to see the city. 

The skyline in the background behind Federation Square and the Yarra River

I must say, although Melbourne was very cool to see, I am still glad I am in Brisbane as I feel like I am having a more Australian experience with the climate and I love that I am so close to the beautiful islands and coast lines that I have been to up in Queensland. 

Great Ocean Road

On the middle day that we were in Melbourne we did a 13 hour trip seeing a big part of the Great Ocean Road! It was built after WW1 so that the soldiers would have something amazing to come back to - and I will give it to them, it is amazing. We had a brilliant day, we saw koalas and incredibly colourful parrots in the wild, some of the tallest and oldest trees in the world and just generally drove along absolutely stunning landscapes! We could see a lot of the devastation of the forest fires but it was amazing to see how it's growing back. 

One of the highlights (aside from ice cream that has won over 170 awards!) was of course the Twelves Apostles, which are iconic and a must-see on the Great Ocean Road. 

Loch Ard Gorge which was absolutely stunning!

Two of the Twelve Apostles (although sadly there aren't and never were Twelve Apostles)

 This drive along the Great Ocean Road was a brilliant way to see some of rural Australia, although it's hard to believe it's in the same country as Queensland!

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I don't know what March will look like, probably just settling back down and getting used to the stresses of university life again. The trouble is I did so much last semester that I am struggling to find good places to travel to on weekends as I have seen the cheaper, closer things now. But I am sure I will find something!

All my love,

M xxx