Day 13 - A little trip into Melbourne!!Pics to follow!

Woop woop It's back, have you missed me??!!  Those of you lucky enough to have seen some of the updates on fb will know that we have had an amazing few days with the Dixons (and some rather famous people) but fear not you will hear all about it now, and over the next couple of blogs) but this wont be posted until we have wifi, phone signal and proof that we have survived the night.....more about that in a moment! It is currently the morning of Day 18 which means we must have made it through the night and there is a fair bit to catch up on.....

So when last we spoke I believe that we had just met up with the Dixons (V's best friend from England who emigrated to Perth 5 years ago) and had just enjoyed a takeaway in their very plush van (now I'm assuming that is where we got up to but I am not sure as I have no wifi to check my last post so forgive me if you have no idea what I am rambling on about) and we were up and out the next morning to something we had not seen for a while (and it would be a few horrific weather days before we saw again) THE SUN!!!! I was gorgeous! And I now could actually use one of the 3 tubes of sunscreen I had bought with me! Hoorah.  We were heading out for a day in Melbourne which necessitated a trip on the bus and then the train.

As it's  been a few days since I last wrote I will spare you all the little details and summarise once again on a lovely day in a city I have visited twice before and is just as lovely on the third (the obligatory pics will also help!)  We started at the visitor information, got all we needed and then headed to the nearest pub, that happened to be opposite the  fabulous railway station we had just stepped out of.  Beers bought we sat and caught up on life and our plans for the day and the weekend ahead.  We were headed out in the morning to Phillip Island for the Australian MotoGP (Formula 1 but for bikes just in case some of you are not familiar!).  Now it has it's stars like all sports, but the main attraction for us was the GOAT (stands for greatest of all time) Valentino Rossi.  You will  get to hear a lot about him in the coming blog but for now just know he is V's absolute hero (and that could well be the understatement of the millennium).  It would therefore not be strange to assume that at some point we would run into other Rossi fans, and indeed we did, one in particular, and Italian  who was enjoying his beer in Rossi clad glory (think me for Jubilee weekend) and spotted the Rossi tattoos sported by Gary and V (told you he was their hero).  He was mental, a lovely guy besotted with Rossi and he had met him many times (which made the boys very jealous) and he was heading out that day to Phillip Island.  We chatted for a while, the boys swapped stories and we took some pics and he then jumped on his bus with goodbyes with the added 'probably see you there'.....little did we know!

A quick pit stop in Maccas for lunch (these boys know how to treat their ladies) and we hopped on the tram so we could soak up the sights as we clanged our way through the traffic.  Off we got at the harbour and a mooch ensued with an ice cream thrown in for good measure, eaten sat looking at the skyline and all the boats in the marina, the sun warming us up nicely.  next stop the Melbourne Star which is actually the little sister of the London Eye.  It was empty so we had a pod to ourselves as we rode upwards and marvelled at the view.  Back on the tram and more meanderings, another couple of beers and then it was time to head back to our site, via another train and this time taxi ride from the station to the vans.  We decided to eat drink and be merry in the camp kitchen, so we bbq's and ate together, laughing and joking, catching up and getting to know each other (I'd not had the pleasure of meeting the Dixons before this so it was lovely to finally meet them in the flesh so to speak!).  We then got told off for talking to loudly and generally having a good time by a bloke camping in a tent right next to the kitchen (he couldn't hear his tele apparently and wanted to go to sleep) so suitable scolded we headed back to our vans (unfortunately tripping over his guide wires and slamming our doors just that little too hard....don't worry I shall get my revenge at 6am when I head out for a shower.....)

And then all too soon it was morning, early morning (the only one that V has actually got out of bed without prompting) and this really was the start of the big event.  The Australian Moto GP, one of the main reasons we had chosen to come to the one of the hottest countries in the World at a time when the Mother Nature had seemed to have forgotten that fact.....but you will see and read all about that very very soon.

So, lets recap.  We are currently starting day 18, this was day 13.  Days 14, 15 and 16 were at Phillip Island and will be one big blog but not necessarily the next one (just to confuse you) and now I will go about penning the adventures of yesterday (day 17) in an attempt to catch up and post when wifi returns.  Until then my faithful and patient followers from the possible location of the next Steven Spielberg slasher in the woods true story horror movie it is, as ever, TTFN xxxx