I can’t believe It’s been a week since I left Perth!

Here is the last sunset I caught in Perth the night I caught a red eye flight over to Melbourne. I’ll be honest in saying I wasn’t ready to leave Perth. Perth threw me a huge curve ball. An exciting one that I know will come back around and that my travels will take me back in no time at all. I thought I had my plans set out for 2020, but the universe clearly has a different plan for me. I’m slowly but surely working it out, and letting my path cross the ones it is suppose to. Think this is just telling me that I need to stop worrying and planning for the months ahead and just keep enjoying the present 🙂

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Hello Melbourne, Take me to your Great Ocean Road!

My flight left Perth at 11pm and got me in at 6am Melbourne time! I think I managed an hour of terrible sleep. I picked up my hire car and headed straight to my friends house in Elsternwick. First thing on the agenda was a nap! I passed right out in my friends bed for a few hours and finally felt more human around lunch time! We spend the afternoon hanging out, talking about an exciting new trip we are planning (a bike trip of the north island of NZ) shopping for camping supplies and getting my friends artwork printed. We had originally planned to hit the Great Ocean Road straight away but the weather was crap and we couldn’t get a camping spot! The weather is definitely different here than in Perth – I haven’t missed the four seasons in one day which is the typical day in Melbourne! We set off the next day in the afternoon for the Great Ocean Road – the weather still wasn’t great so we weren’t in a huge rush to leave. We picked up some more camping supplies and hit the road! (I finally feel a little prepared for the Overland Track)

We drove straight to Johanna Campground. The rain came and went and we managed to catch the sunset on the beach between the rain showers!

The next day we drove to the 12 Apostles and then back via Johanna past Apollo Bay and then to Lorne where we had a BBQ lunch and a swim in the freezing cold water! It was nice to be out of the city even though Id only been there for a couple of hours – I’m just not a fan of cities, and was never really a huge fan of Melbourne when I lived here a few years ago! I’m aware its been voted the most liveable city to live in in the world, and I can totally see why… It’s just not the place for me 🙂

Visiting, and more visiting…

I’m very grateful that my trip to Melbourne has coincided with being able to visit a ton of people who’s schedules have aligned with mine and that we have been able to hang out, have dinners and take some short road trips. Forever grateful to my Green Cove connections and the friends I made over my 5 summers there. And getting to see my friends from home and their family who are visiting! I’ve also been able to catch up with a family I used to nanny for back in 2014 – It’s always great to see the kids again and see how they have grown! Very lucky to have had the chance to go down to Sorrento and hang out with them and for the not so little kids to take me and some friends out on the boat to go see the seals and the dolphins – crazy to think last time I was here they were too little to drive the boat and the parents were in charge… yep, no parents this time and some speed demons of children took us out in the open water!

But really a huge Thank you, to those who have let me crash at their places, and for making time to hang out and do fun stuff! Maybe I am destined to be a professional… couch surfer!

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Back to the Bike Ride!!!

So my second day in Melbourne I get a call from the Pack and Send service centre in Hobart… my bike had arrived! It took 4 days to get here! Crazy when it was suppose to take 7-10 days! The centre weren’t even expecting the bike to be shipped to them. After some sweet talking, they agreed to store it for me for another week until I get there. Here’s hoping it all works out Friday and I can get my bike the day before the ride starts.

Over the last couple of days I have been finalising my route and my accommodation. I struggled with the second week and finding accommodation so have had to commit to a very long and hard day on the bike towards the end and reducing 3 days into 2! It will mean I finish a day earlier than planned but thats okay as I have a friend coming to meet me the day after my ride so this way Ill get that extra night before to rest and recover from the ride before a jam packed few days in Hobart!

Week 1 Itinerary

Week 2 Itinerary

I am spending my last couple of days in Melbourne mentally preparing for the ride, and putting some thoughts in action to plan my next few months a little. All I know is my heart isn’t in the UK, and my original plan of heading back there for 6 months to work is kinda out the window – (but not for lack of trying!)

Time to figure out all the balls that have been thrown into my court and how it’s going to work for me. Im excited for 2020. Keep being kind universe!

“Everything you want is coming. Relax and let the universe pick the timing and the way. You just need to trust that what you want is coming, and watch how fast it comes.”

3 days to go….!!!!!!