Hostel seems unchanged from the 1990s
My trip to Melbourne from Canberra took a crisp 9 hours. After almost 5 months I returned to Melbourne. This time I stayed at the YHA Hostel, which was close to Southern Cross and therefore close to the bus station. The hostel looked a bit as if nothing much had changed since the 1990s. The colours on the metal bars of the beds were already half peeled off and the mattresses were totally worn out, but at least it was pretty clean (except for the kitchen). In my hostel I met the nice Frenchman Etienne, who had just returned to start his second WHV year in Australia. We were getting along well right away, he even spoke German and we enjoyed a few glasses of wine together. Later on, he proofed to be a decisive factor in extending my stay in Australia.
Death Metal from Brazil
As it happens, my favourite Brazilian death metal band was in town for a concert. The concert took place in the small venue Bendigo Hotel. A little black satanic garden dwarf saluted me on my way in. The Brazilians performed another brutal show without any big compromises and without much ballyhoo. I had seen them almost 2 years earlier in their hometown Porto Alegre.
As the place was so small, you could go really close and I could see the 3 brothers from close range. The drum rhythms reminded in their precision and speed of machine gun fire. Concluding the concert were the Americans Incantation, who also delivered a convincing performance. I had also seen them before in Bogota, Colombia. The concert ended only shortly after 1 o'clock. My legs were already aching from all the standing around and also because I still had to fight with a persistent cold.
Twelve Apostles on Great Ocean Road
On Monday I made a tour to the Great Ocean Road. Shortly before 7am I was picked up near Flinders Station. I had chosen the best day of my 2 week stay. While the other days were quite rainy, this day only the sun was shining. The Great Ocean Road is a more than 200 km long road, which runs along the south coast of Australia. It is considered as one of the most famous scenic routes by tourists in Australia. The road was built between 1919 and 1932 by returning soldiers and is dedicated to soldiers who died in World War I. The road winds through varied terrain along the coast and provides access to several prominent landmarks, including the limestone formations of the Twelve Apostles, and is a major tourist attraction in the region.
The Twelve Apostles are limestone cliffs up to 60 metres high, standing in the sea. Despite their name, the formation consisted of only nine rocks. After a 50-metre high rock collapsed in 2005 due to the natural erosion process at the base of the rock, only eight rock pillars remain.
Koalas looking for food
The tour took us further to the London Arch and the Island Archway and to a beach. However, a terrible cold wind was blowing. Swimming in the sea was out of the question. We were always happy to get back into the car and warm up again. On the way back we saw 2 koalas in the small village Kennett River. For a change they didn't sleep (which they usually do 20 hours a day) but searched for food. They climbed up the eucalyptus tree and stuffed the leaves into their mouth. I was just surprised that the thin branches could hold the plump marsupials. At the start of the trail there were also many kakapoos and other colourful birds, who already know that flocks of tourists with food arrive here.
late autumn atmosphere
A beautiful place to visit in Melbourne is the War Memorial, the Shrine of Remembrance. The Shrine is in classical style, based on the Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus and the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. There is also a museum about Australian military history inside. From the viewing platform you also get one of the best views of the city. The adjacent botanical garden with its colourful and partly leafless trees created a late autumn atmosphere. The season was reflected in the temperatures. It was so cold that I even had to buy long underwear. And this in Australia!
I stayed in Melbourne for almost 2 weeks to meet old friends again, attend the language exchange events often or to go to the library. When the forecast of the next days showed even more again, I decided to start my travel into the more dry and hot Outback.
