Originally uploaded by chris.warn
I really, really like this blog title, but have to admit it was Soph’s idea (darn it). Had a wonderfuel couple of days in Melbourne, a city proving that the term variable should be used when describing its’ weather. We’ve had everything, hot hot sun, wind and gales, heavy rain and even a few big hailstones.
Great days with my brother Phil and his fella ‘Mooster’, we were spoilt rotten to be sleeping in a double bed under a roof again (not in a camper) and enjoyed the social scene of Yarraville and Footscray. We ate extremely well and in huge portions, Melbourne boasts culinary excellence and it seems that no-one works and sits around all day in the restaurants and coffee shops. I can’t blame them, I went for a coffee with Phil in a place called the Dancing Dog and they brought out my Mocha and choc brownie (which Phil ate most of, he hasn’t changed he was greedy as a child) and by the side was a little pot of hot melted dark chocolate, my sweet taste buds tingled so loudly I thought the plates were going to shatter. I didn’t know if it was for dunking my brownie in or putting in as an extra in my Mocha, so I did both! Marvellous, no wonder we put on a few pounds in the days we were there. We also ate at Yim-Yams (Thai), had a curry takeaway from Aangans with best lamb Rogan Josh I’ve ever tasted and the piece de resistance a full blown meal for Phil’s birthday at Fadamas. With Soph in her new LBD and boots and all the boys scrubbed up, I dined on Kangaroo (which I now know comes in only one level, the rare side of medium-rare, if it’s done any more it becomes tough and inedible, you learn something every day!) We also drank a Bethany Shiraz from the Barosa valley – gorgeous, we gained a few pounds in weight and lost a huge pile of dollars in payment!!
The area Mustafa lives in is multi-cultural and has a great mix of people, several of whom we met at Phil’s birthday party, a pirate fancy dress theme. I know that Mick and Jo would have loved it and most of the guests went to town on the outfits. It deserved the effort as Phil and I had been to work long and hard putting up loads of deccies, which hopefully you can see in the photos. Phil wore leather trousers, but I couldn’t get into mine so had to make do with some cut down pygama bottoms! We both look pretty fierce in the phots though eh? The party was cool and someone had brought along some moon-shine, which was an experience that took me back to my days drinking Mekong whisky with Boysie on the Delta, no more than 8 glasses or it sends you blind (we had 9 and I started wearing glasses soon after). This moonshine was made by a guy from Seattle and it was STRONG, 80% on manufacture and then bled through a charcoal bed to lower it to just 40% proof, mon dieu! The thing we noticed was that there was a lower level of crudity at this do, people were just a bit more polite than the parties we have in Plymouth (apart from a few people, Carl you know who you are!).
Good fun and we woke the next day feeling a bit worse for wear, we cancelled our planned trip North to the Lavender fields of ‘Lavendula’ even though there were lavender scones, jam and cream to be had – such sacrifice! Instead, myself and Soph shambled into town to take a quick look around (and buy Soph some lovely high heeled strappy shoes for her forthcoming bridesmaid’s duties, how did that happen?). Just outside Flinder’s Street station in the centre is the Southbank, with arts centres and a big area dedicated to entertainers and music. All free and – although we dreaded the prospect of poor quality mimes, feigning tears or feeling their way around an imaginary box – the quality excellent. We stopped to take a look at an acrobat with a fire theme in his act. The jumping around and balancing was low grade stuff, but Arizona Jones (second cousin twice removed of Indiana) had a great, rude spiel and was funny, so we actually gave him some cash, which may be the first time I’ve ever done that to a street entertainer! Took a walk by the beautiful Yarra river and crossed over on a disused railway bridge left over from the days when it was heavily industrialised down by the docks. This was a grimy port right up until 1980ish when the southbank was built and hey presto a cultural and tourism centre was born, all the big ships were pushed downstream and several pedestrian bridges were created. Had a bit of food by the waterfront, ignoring the pricey restaurants, the great thing about Oz is that we bought good quality food in a cheap food hall and then ate it looking at the same things as the people paying a fortune in the other places, good one Australia! Passed through a sunday market without buying anything (it was a close call) and then as we walked back across the Prince’s Bridge to get to the station, a bagpipist? started playing a few tunes, lovely, we’re both suprised to know we both like bagpipe music, who’d have thought it?
Back to Mustafa’s for a leisurely evening watching movies, and low and behold, there was the bridge we had walked past that afternoon in the film ‘Ghost Rider’ (a trashy poor effort with Nicholas Cage, looking like a man who had had his face lifted so much he was parting his hair at the base of his spine). Unfortunately we had to leave the next day – ‘back in the van Mrs Warn’ and will be seeing the boys again when we return in June, it was great to spend time with them.
Travelled across country to the East (when we finally got out of Melbourne centre, good navigation skills from Soph) and saw some great place names such as Nar Nar Goon (where Ja Ja Binks lives apparently). We arrived in Lakes Entrance, which was a picturesque fishing port, sheltered by a spit of land and beach. We were determined to go for a run and as the sun set, we panted along the beach running in soft sand and becoming thoroughly exhausted (we haven’t done any exercise for a while). We are still feeling the effects 3 days later! Trying to get on some sort of healthy regime after Melbourne, ready for our return to Plym!
Woke the next morning, walking around like Douglas Bader and travelled North along a stunning coast and through glorious forestry, tall straight trunked trees about 40 metres high topped off with lush greenery whizzing past like a 100 mile long bar code. We stopped off at the Yellow Pinch Dam and Reservoir, which we failed to find having missed the correct exit, we ended up in a tourist rest stop and, as Soph went to the loo, I chatted to the only other person there, a pensioner. As I approached I had a gradual realisation of how brown he was (like David Dickinson, but with coffee grounds rubbed into his skin) and his level of nudity, but it was only when he stood and turned that I realised that Jerry (for that was his name) was wearing nothing, nothing but a pair of tight, silk boxer shorts. Nice one Jez, he was as bold as brass standing there giving me directions, apparently he was from Tasmania which explains a lot. If only our Mums were travelling, they too could meet real men like Jerry! Dam itself wasn’t that great, but we were glad we turned off just to have met big Jez and his amazing self confidence!
Back on the road the next stop was Eden, a old whaling port, but again we couldn’t find the turn off to anywhere nice. We were going to visit the Garden there, a pleasant place with a big apple tree, but there was a snake warning on the gate!! (boom, boom!) Up the coast to Bateman’s Bay where we camped under a stunning sunset and admired the bay, the beach and the booze! We have noticed that most of the pensioners in Oz seem to be on the roads in caravans. It seems that on retirement, they don’t get a coach clock but the keys to a caravan on which they paint things like ‘Bob and Shirl, Dun Roamin’ or Silv and Bri, The Shack’ quite cool.
We’ve also noticed that the horses in this area look very healthy and that the Kookaburas don’t sit in the old gum trees anymore, but all perch on the telephone wires looking for road kill (and try getting that into the song). After a morning sunning ourselves on Surf Beach in the unseasonably pleasant/hot weather, we stayed last night in Nowra which was a strange place, but we dined in style and played scrabble on our penultimate night in the van!
Woke refreshed and full of energy at 9! To drive up towards Sydney stopping off here in Wollongong to do the blog. A lovely clear, sunny day and a good one to drive through the gorgeous countryside, big farmsteads with trees turning autumnal colours and the reds and oranges are a shock against the green, green grass – no wonder they called it New South Wales, very Wye Valley see. We’ve got one more blog in us I think, before we get on the plane to blighty after a couple of days in Sydney. See some of you soon!
