Some of the things I will remember...Melbourne, and outlying Victoria. Sydney for a couple days. G'day. How you going? Holdens. Meatpies. Boomerangs. Aborigines. Incredibly expensive import taxes! Kangaroos, wallabies and other marsupials. James and his cigars next door. Great food. Great art. Tim Burton!!! Jack on Fire, Clinkerfield, Urban Creatures, Silverstate Highway, and James from work. Yarra trams and the river. Essendon station. Footy! (Go Saints!) The MCG with Dad, AAMI with Ged, Chris and Damien, and Etihad with Ged. The Lava Lounge. Parliment station that doesn't run anything to Flinders except on weekends. Flinders street station. Matthew Flinders. Southern Cross station. The V-line. Tram 59, 96, 112, and 86. Street performers, like Ganja the Great. The Great Ocean Road. Apollo Bay, Torquay, Angelsea and the ocean. Mt. Dandenong and Mt. Buller. The 12 (really 7) Apostles. Otway national park, and the incredibly scary rainforest skywalk. Dad. Lysterfield lake park. The You-Yangs. Liquorland, ICA, and all the "hotels" that were really bars. The George, Shelby and Phil, Cassie, Mel and the rest. South Melbourne Market, St. Kilda and the beach. The Manly ferry in Sydney. The Establishment. The Ivy. MoVida and Uccello. Nando's, Red Rooster, Hungry Jack and Lord of the Fries. Victoria University, The Rendezvous Hotel, and their bright neon signs. Eureka...the tower and the rebellion. Freshwater Place, PWC, and the Crown. PJ O'Briens and bad fish n chips. Manly beach, Ballarat, and GREAT fish n chips. The Burlesque Bar, The Old Bar, and so many others. Ned Kelly. Kangaroo Rider, Sheila, and Wombat. Universal health care that works. Good wages, good salaries, reasonable taxes, amazing public transit, public art....and more culture on any given street than in the entire southeastern US combined. Almost 5 months in all.
What a cool country. All the culture of Europe without the pretentiousness. Like if you crossed France with Arizona. I learned to distinguish between English, Aussie, and Kiwi accents pretty accurately. 15 hours on an A380 and I'll be back in the US, ready to settle back into my life and be with my family again. Can't wait.
