Flickr Dump!

Over on Flickr I've now uploaded photos for the Melbourne and Gold Coast legs of the trip!

Not much to say on either really. Melbourne was very nice and as many of you may know, it was our chief contender for places to settle once we leave the UK. Well, although we enjoyed our time there and were shown great hospitality by Alex's mate Justine, it just didn't blow our hair back.

It's a very suburb-driven city. The public transport links are excellent with trams. trains and buses taking you anywhere you could want to go, and so people tend to live and play out in the suburbs. It's where the nice restaurants, bars and so on are located. The city is for work and shopping. Even the fabled lanes (small alleyways downtown that are crammed with cool little cafes and restaurants) don't do much to dispel the sense that downtown Melbourne is all about the working week.

Uh-oh...where were we gonna go now?

Well, not to the Gold Coast, that's for sure. Admittedly, we had terrible weather while we were there. They were catching the tail-end of a cyclone, breaking a 7-year drought. There was flooding, the beaches were washed away and it generally felt like the end of the world, but only the tackiest world you ever saw.

No, I'm being unfair. There was plenty to like about the Gold Coast, but at the end of the day, it's really just not my kind of place. Subtropical rainforest (with it's attendant humidity) and I just don't mix. Lot's of great wildlife though, and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to a local wildlife park where I saw the biggest damn crocodile I've ever seen in my life. This thing was huge: about the length of a bus and nearly as wide. Stayed with my brother (who I hadn't seen in about 8 or 9 years) and his family, including a niece and nephew I'd never met, so that was nice! Also spent a night with Claire and Nick, old housemates of Alex who now have a little boy together. Good old night out.

Oh, something else I should point out: Virgin Blue are the best budget airline I've ever flown. Brand new sparkling planes with a full range of pay options, including entertainment on demand (complete with back-of-seat credit card swipe next to the screen!)