Starting The Australian Adventure in Melbourne

After a short stint in Bali it was time for us to head to Australia for two months or so. Visiting Australia was something that both Mike and I had wanted to do for a very long time, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I must admit that we had only planned out our trip vaguely – we knew we were travelling from Melbourne to Cairns via Campervan – but had nothing more specific than that in mind. We were ready for anything!

We flew into Melbourne at around 11 pm and made our way straight to a hostel. Hostels are not really my favourite places to stay at the best of times, but the Melbourne hostel we stayed in was particularly bad. Dirty, smelly and rowdy just about sums it up! Unfortunately, we couldn’t find anywhere else to stay, as accommodation in the city books up well in advance. Silver lining – we had booked an ‘arrival package’ meaning that we got three nights in the hostel as well as free entry to some attractions!

Our first morning we found a quirky little coffee shop just around the corner. It was absolutely tiny but the coffee and croissants were to die for; a welcome treat after Bali’s grey coffee! We then collected our arrival vouchers and were able to use them for the Melbourne Aquarium. Without these vouchers, I doubt we would have visited the Aquarium, but it was such a pleasant surprise! The best part about it was definitely the Penguins at the end, they were unexpected but totally adorable.

After the aquarium, we were keen for a drink, but surprisingly this was a lot more difficult to source than you would expect. Unlike England, where there are pubs or bars on every corner, Melbourne was challenging us.

After wandering around for about an hour we finally found a hidden gem called ‘Father’s Office‘ – it was definitely worth the wait. True to its name, it was decorated sort of like an office (picture books and wooden furniture everywhere). We only popped in for a drink but ended up staying for dinner as we couldn’t say no to the menu!

I opted for a quinoa and halloumi salad, whilst Mike had an assortment of mini burgers – divine! The evening progressed and the place really filled up, building a great atmosphere and making us feel totally at home. We were off to a great start!