Last day in Melb

Today will be my last day in Melbourne... Im eager to pick up my laptop, sell my van and start earning some cash back in Sydney.

Melbourne has been somewhat sunnier over the past few days which sheds a somewhat more positive light on the

city atmosphere. Its not a bad city by any means (reading my first entry it all sounds quite negative), in fact its quite trendy.

Still, though, I prefer the ambience of Sydney to Melbourne, hence my desire to find work there instead.

Ive also improved my understanding of Melbs complex road-tram system while breaking just about every rule too!

Seems that the place is designed on a LEFT-TURN-ONLY system which is pretty annoying if you dont know where yer going. As with all Ozzie cities though, there is a really stupid pedestrian crossing system too: when the man changes to green youd expect to able to walk across the road without worrying about being run over, but in Oz cars are allowed to turn left into the road meaning that when you are a driver you have to watch for pedestrians on the corner when you get a green road light! Doh!

Jonny has decided to continue on in Melbourne for a few more weeks working before heading up to Sydney.

Yesterday, we took a trip to the beautiful Yarra Ranges National Park which is only a few hours northeast of Melbourne in the "Melbourne Alps".

A completely different landscape to the coast, our mountainous route

took us through the quiet town of Healesville, the ski resorts of Marysville and Warburton

and allowed us to take in a waterfall and a dramatic lookout or two.... a full day trip!

It was Jonnys first trip to the Ozzie "outback" and he was surprised how much it looked like Austria in summer,

afraid there aint no desert and roos out here mate!

Have gotten even MORE tickets over past two days.. one more 50 dollar parking ticket and I got a 60 dollar fine yesterday for parking for 20 minutes "in the wrong direction".. jeez! Its fast becoming evident that the ticketmen in this town have an agenda against me and my van. Im still not gonna pay though.

Met up with Peter Hyslop two days ago.. this being my Ozzie mate from Laos! Id remembered he ws living in Melbourne so decided to give him a buzz! He took Jonny and myself on a cultural tour of St Kilda (Melbournes Temple Bar.. although NOT crowded with tourists and fine-young-things vomiting Guinness in the gutter), even treated us to a meal, and finally we went to the "Espy" music bar. Class lad! Good bands were on show all night while we drank ourselves silly.

Also met one of the singers that night, Chris, who revealed an astonishing fact: his other band in Oz is also called JILTED (I was in a band called Jilted in Ireland)!!! Apparently he had received threatening emails from a guy in Ireland who had a band called Jilted, telling the Ozzie Jilted to change their name. I can only guess that this was Eoin (the singer!!). Unbelievable coincidence eh???

Went out last night again after the road trip and one of the best damn burgers I had in a few years and only for 5 dollars too! Restaurant was in St Kilda called BBT (or something).