Category: Melbourne

We went on the train to the centre to get to the Old Melbourne Jail. We got to the Melbourne Central Station and took the 20 minute walk to the jail. We got to the jail and bought the (€28) ticket each and the looked around the museum. The museum was the old jail’s main cell block. There was a lot of interesting facts and stories around and it still felt a lot like a jail. 

We then went to the tour which we paid for. This was a role play experience. We were ‘arrested’ and taken into the prison and given a card with our identities on. Curtis was arrested for Breaking and Entering and Kim was called Sally and was arrested for abusive behaviour.

We then were locked in male and female cells seperately and we then had the lights turned off for a moment.. It was very dark!

We left this and were able to walk around which we did for a while and then we left back into the main prison to finish our walk around there!

We left here and went down a street or two to meet our friend Matthew whom lives in Melbourne but we met in Italy, Croatia and Czechia!

We went to a rooftop bar and had a beer and a Whiskey whilst catching up!

Matthew then pursueded us to get some cheap Japanese food, so we did!

Kim had a chicken curry and Curtis had a beef curry. It was delicious!

We went back to st Kilda after this to get some ice hockey kit from curtis’ friend to take with him to Auckland which was a great gesture from Luke!

We got the tram and train back which was interesting with a big hockey bag and stick, but worth it!

We leave Melbourne tomorrow but it has been a great time!

Bye!

– Mr & Mrs Hale 

We got some laundry done in the morning and were shown around the garden and what to do over the weekend by our host.

Curtis watched ice hockey for a couple of hours and then we headed out to meet our friend Merlijn who we met in Adelaide!

We met her at the Flinders Street train station and also bumped into 3 German girls that we also met in Adelaide! Small world!

We took a walk around looking at street art and then we separated to get some food.

We went to a cheap Vietnamese street food place and had a wonderful meal! Curtis had 3 types of pork (shredded, ‘loaf’ & chop) with vegetables, rice and egg. Kim had BBQ Chicken cold noodle salad and we shared a large rice paper roll. It was delicious and a great price.

We left the restaurant very full and saw a lot of police and police horses. We were curious so we asked what was going on and there was a protest which was pro-refugees. We stopped around to watch and it was interesting to watch!

We went to meet Merlijn again and we were going to go somewhere but due to the protest the trams weren’t running as planned and it was all a bit too much effort at such a late time, so we went to a nearby park and ate some doughnuts there!

We got on a train back to our house and th the family here have gone for the weekend so we sat and watched some TV and had some wine.

Bye!

-Mr & Mrs Hale 

We got up at a decent time and it was raining! It was forecast to rain all day so that ruined our plans for work.

Instead of working, we went to the city to do some free stuff!

We took the train for about 20 minutes and arrived in the centre. We walked to ACMI and went in for the free exhibition. 

This is a media history museum and exhibition. It has sections where you can play video games, watch old movies and see old technology. It was very interesting!

We left here and went for a Subway for lunch!

We left subway and went to the National Gallery of Victoria. This has a lot of art in it. We stayed here for only about 30 minutes and it wasn’t hugely interesting for us. Kim did get to dip her feet in a pool though as it was an exhibition which you were allowed to go in!

We went from here to a shopping centre which had a Muffin Break in. This was a perfect stop for a mocha! 

Whist we walked the streets, we saw a lot of awesome street art in the back streets!

We went to the shop and then headed back on the train. 

We got back and we went out to the garden to organise some things around and throw things out etc. 

We finished this up and then had asparagus risotto (didn’t actually end up having it the other day!).

After dinner, Curtis cleaned up whilst everyone else went out. Kim went with our host to look after a child at an event that our host was going to. 

Hopefully the weather picks up tomorrow!

Bye!

– Mr & Mrs Hale 

It is hot today!

We woke up just before we had to check out, showered and then moved our things into the living room. 

We had some breakfast and then left the apartment and put everything in the car. 

We went into town for a walk around and Kim looked at some things in the shops.

We got in the car and drove about 20 minutes to our next helpx. 

We are still in Melbourne, but we are now with a family about 20 minutes from the centre.

We got to know the family, had some coffee and messed around with the kids. Kim got dressed by the kids and looked beautiful!

We start doing work tomorrow, but today it’s just a day of getting to know everyone and doing some relaxing!

We are having an asparagus risotto for dinner… Delicious!

Bye!

– Mr & Mrs Hale 

We woke up and went straight to the shop to get breakfast. We had an English muffin with egg & bacon and it was topped off with a beautiful view of Melbourne from our apartment!

We found a hairdresser and walked to them as we both thought we’d get a haircut today. We got there and were told the price and weren’t sure both on the price and the quality, so we left, bought a chocolate milkshake from the supermarket and headed home.

We relaxed for a bit and then left for dinner. 

Curtis had booked a steakhouse and so we went and had a steak. They had a $40 2 course deal so we got one of those each. Kim had a rump steak with a mushroom sauce and chips and Curtis had a porterhouse steak with peppercorn sauce and chips. We also got a wine included each! 

For dessert, Kim ordered vanilla ice cream with Mars bar sauce and Curtis ordered ‘triple sorbet’.

As it was a celebration for Kim’s birthday, Kim was also given a chocolate lava cake and sparkler with her dessert!

We left here and went to the supermarket to buy a cheap bottle of wine to have whilst relaxing and watching TV. 

When we got back, we went to the on site spa area. There was a hot tub, pool, gym and sauna. We wanted to relax in the hot tub, but it was a cold tub rather than a hot tub, so we went and sat in the sauna for a bit. 

We went back to the room and watched TV for a while whilst having some wine and snacks..A perfect evening for us!

We leave this apartment tomorrow, but we’ll still be in Melbourne!

Bye!

– Mr & Mrs Hale 

🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺G’Day!🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

We started off by having crepes for breakfast and then getting all of our bags into the car ready to leave. 

We stripped our bed and also the beds of the airbnb guests and eventually made haste to Melbourne. 

We loved our time with our last host who was lovely and we were sad to leave!

The drive was just 2 hours and 16 minutes, which for us was a quick drive. There was a crash on the way into Melbourne so it was very busy on the road! We did get to see the beautiful silhouette of the city whilst waiting in the queue and it was beautiful.

We found our apartment block, parked and made our way in!

We are on the 19th floor, which turns out to be the top! We have just 1 room in the apartment, but the view is outstanding!

We went for a walk to town just to check things out. We are only about 20 minutes away from the centre which is nice. We have to cross a bridge and it was stunning! 

When we got back we watched some TV and just relaxed for a while and then saw the sky started to get a bit dark and it got way more beautiful as it got darker!

These 2 days are just relaxing and having some down time as well as celebrating Kim’s birthday!

Bye!

– Mr & Mrs Hale