Intro to Melbourne

Once I arrived in Melbourne, I checked into my next hostel in St. Kilda. It is about fifteen minutes from downtown Melbourne by car, located by the Luna Amusement Park and beach. Right as I arrived, there was a vintage car show happening in the streets of St. Kilda for Father's day. I met all five of the other travelers in my Intro Travel group; Benedicte from Denmark, Hannah from England, James from England, Eden from England, and Nalani from Philly. Before our first evening began, Benedicte, James, and I went into the city to visit the Sea Life Aquarium. Then we met up with the rest of the group to play Bingo.

The first morning together, we did a walking tour of Melbourne run by our Intro Travel guide, Tom. He took us to the Parliament Gardens, the Theatre District, China Town, Bourke Street Mall, and Fed Square. We saw lots of street art, learned Australian slang, and got to learn more about Melbourne and the country itself. We ended the day at the St. Kilda Pier to watch the sunset.

The next day we went to the Shrine of Remembrance and then the Botanical Gardens, where our tour guide, Sam, taught us about aboriginal culture and lots of different kinds of plants in Australia. We then headed to the beach to relax before doing a trivia night together at our hostel.

The third day of our tour started early, initiating our road trip to the Great Ocean Road. The trip was a one-night road trip, ran and led by a guide named Vicky. We first stopped at the 12 Apostles (which really is eight and looks like six and a half). The views there were absolutely breathtaking. From there we headed to the Razorback, another stunning view, then to Loch Ard Gorge, Loch Ard Wreck, and finishing at Maits Rest Rainforest walk. I saw some very cute baby ducks at Loch Ard and saw the rarest snail, due to being the only carnivorous snail, at the Rainforest walk. We then ventured to Apollo Bay, another gorgeous coast view. We stopped at Kennett River, which is known to have wild Koala spottings. Not only did we spot two wild koalas and watched them have a snack (which is rare as Koalas sleep 20 hours a day), but we even saw over twenty wild kangaroos. This was by far my favorite part of the road trip. After this, we stopped at a hostel in Queenscliffe and had a solid barbecue, hot showers, and warm beds. We all got cuddled up on the couch and watched a movie together before calling it a night so we could refresh before the next big day of adventures.

The fourth day consisted of more bus driving. We were headed to Phillip Island to see the Penguin Parade, which is when the largest Little Penguin colony in the world waddles home from the water. They can be out fishing for up to four weeks, or even just one day. Before heading to the sunset event, we got to walk around the Phillip Island Koala Conservation Reserve. They have 9 Koalas there and our group was able to spot 6/9. All of them were sleeping high up in Eukalyptus trees. We also spotted a few sleeping wallabies. Then we headed to Pyramid Rock to whale watch. We saw some amazing views, aqua water, and a few whales very far away. Then we headed for the Phillip Island Wildlife park, with lots of grey geese, seagulls, wallabies, and the beginning of the penguin burrows under the boardwalks. This was another highlight of the trip. We were lucky enough to spot some of the penguins that had not gone fishing that day and were hanging out in their burrow. One of them peeked out and was extremely curious about what we were doing there. After watching them head home for the night, we drove back up to Melbourne and had a good night's sleep.

The fifth day was our second to last day on the tour and consisted of work and travel chats with our tour guide. After that, our group went to the grocery store and made dinner together before heading out onto the town for drinks and dancing. It was a memorable night and a great second to last evening spent together. The last day was our goodbye dinner after we viewed the city at the Melbourne Sky Deck. It is the tallest building and view in the Southern Hemisphere. It was a lovely way to end the tour.

This tour is something I will never forget. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to meet new friends and explore a new city together. While we all parted ways shortly after, I know I will always have a place to stay in England, Denmark, and Philly.