Almost St. Kilda Beach

After nearly two months in Melbourne, I finally felt confident enough to venture a little bit further outside of the city by myself on public transport. I had been told that the bayside beach was not very far away, and easily assessable by tram. I decided with the weather slowly fading into the coolness of fall/winter, I had better visit the beach before it got too cold.

I hopped on tram 96 along with what seemed liked the rest of the city. Approximately 30 minutes later, I finally caught a glimpse of palm trees…then water…then…a street market! I really wanted to make it to the main portion of St. Kilda Beach, but found myself being lured off of the tram a few stops early at Luna Park! The decision totally paid off! I found a yellow cowhide purse with my name written all over it!



After being side tracked, I returned to my main purpose of scoping out the beach. There wasn’t anything exceptional to the beach. Nonetheless, it was great to smell the salt in the air, and I even picked up a few pieces of sea glass on the beach.


As I continued to walk along the beach, I found myself at the St. Kilda Pier. It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but the winds were blowing about 40 – 45 mph that day, and I was nearly blown off the pier! There are many people that came to the pier either for fishing (bream, squid, snapper, Australian salmon to name a few), taking a cruise to see the fairy penguins, boating, or just to see the great sights of the city beyond the boat dock. It’s pretty nice knowing that there is a beach so close by!



Week 7 Observations:
Only Melbournians pronounce Melbourne “Mel-bun”
McDonald’s serves the exact same menu (no kangaroo burgers)
Australians say I have an “American” accent; it’s the first time I have ever been told that I have an accent
Fruit is much more expensive due to a shortage in supply, especially bananas
There are no parking restrictions for street cleaning, but I have seen street cleaners day in, day out (those of you in DC can appreciate that observation)

Working in Australia

Here I am working in Australia, and I realized that I haven’t written a word about it!

I have to say that working in an office in Australia is much like working in an office in the US, except with a MUCH better view. I’m currently located in a Telstra building that consists mainly of local Aussies (versus expats), and it is amazing how the office is pretty much empty by 5:30 – 6:00pm every day. Even the security guards are gone by 6:30 – 7:00pm. I have heard that this is typical across most Australian companies. It is really refreshing to see that type of work life balance. At the same time, it is a bit scary when I am the only person working past 6pm in a huge office building! The lights are also set on timers, so they automatically go out at 7pm each night. Of course I can always make my way to the switch box to turn on the lights at 1 hour intervals, but I’ve watched enough scary movies to know that it is safer to work from my hotel after 7pm!

I have also come to learn that desk space and meeting rooms are scare at Telstra. I am not sure why I thought it would not be a problem here; perhaps I was just suffering from the-grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side syndrome. I often find myself traveling (by traveling I mean walking or if I am lucky catching the free Circle City Tram) to buildings across the city for meetings. I like walking, so I don’t mind, but it can also be a pain if you have to go back and forth between buildings all the time.

Week 6 Observations:
Chips are not chips; chips are what we Americans know as french fries (should’ve seen my expression the first time I ordered “chips”)
Reservations at almost all good restaurants in the CBD need to be made 3 months in advance
The best cafés and/or bars tend to be hidden in the alleyways; I’ve been told alleys are perfectly safe despite the fact that they are covered in graffiti and look shady
Coffee breaks or meetings over coffee are very popular (no wonder there are so many cafés!)

Mornington Peninsula National Park

I really wanted to see more of the scenic sites outside of the city, and get a chance to spot more native Australian creatures. So…in addition to the Great Ocean tour this past weekend, I also visited Point Nepean at Mornington Peninsula. I signed up to volunteer with a local conservation group, and we headed out there to help preserve the parklands. What did this all really mean? I knew that I wouldn’t be spending my hours of volunteering with fuzzy animals when they handed me a neon orange vest to wear. Instead, I spent a couple of hours removing polygala, a plant that threatens the native plant species due to its rapid growth, and avoiding brown and tiger snakes.

Luckily, we did get to eat lunch at Fort Nepean, so I got a chance to really take in the great view! I also saw the cannon that fired the first shot both in WWI and WWII.

Originally established as a Quarantine Station in the 1850’s, the area later became a military fortification. In fact, there is an entire area that is still fenced off, because of the potential of active landmines! It was in 1988 that the land was transferred to the State of Victoria to become a part of the new Point Nepean National Park. Nowadays, the park enjoys visits from approximately 3 million people a year!

Great Ocean Road

After a month of trying to blend in as a Melbournian, I finally signed up for the touristiest thing possible: The Great Ocean Road Tour. No surprise, there was an abundant number of vendors, all touting to offer the “best” trip. I took a gamble and booked through an online site that I saw advertised in Chinatown, and came out winning. I ended up paying $59 for a tour that is normally $138 when booked directly with the vendor! The Great Ocean Road was created after World War I. It was a means for employing all the soldiers returning from the war. In order to commemorate their efforts, the statue below was built.


We departed Melbourne early Saturday morning while the city was covered in a thick fog. The weather reporters, however, swore that it would be a sunny day in the low 70’s. Our first two stops took us to the popular surf towns of Torquay and Bells Beach. The surf was not high by any means, but plenty of surfers donning full body suits (I’ve been told the water is extremely cold in Melbourne) sat patiently on their boards. These towns typically have a population of 5,000 – 6,000, but this number grows by 10 times during the summer months (December – mid-April). Because of its recent popularity, median home prices in Torquay are about $100K AUD higher than in the CBD.

Around lunch time, we stopped in the town of Apollo Bay. I have never had motion sickness in all of my life. But the Great Ocean Road was SO curvy, that I thought I was going make the bus driver wish I was never on his bus! After a quick bite of Szechuan Beef Noodles at the Apollo Bay Hotel, I stepped onto a beach for the first time since I have been in Australia! Apollo Bay was originally a whaling port, but has since become another popular holiday destination.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent viewing several popular limestone formations: The 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, and London Bridge. There are only 7.5 or 8 apostles remaining; one collapsed about 2 years ago. Recent studies conducted by environmentalists have led them to believe that all of the remaining apostles will collapse within the next 20 years!

The Loch Ard Gorge was the sight of one of the most tragic shipwrecks in Victoria history. In the late 1800’s, the Loch Ard, a sailing ship, rammed into the cliffs of Muttonbird Island killing 52 people and leaving 2 survivors, Tom (apprentice crewman) and Eva (a passenger). They took refuge in the cave behind the beach before Tom climbed up the cliffs to a nearby homestead, and was able to obtain help.

London Bridge was also made famous by a man/woman duo. Approximately 20 years ago, London Bridge consisted of 2 arches, and was connected to the mainland. Two married hikers visiting the site were walking across the bridge when they heard a rumble. Quickly running away from the noise/mainland, they watched as the connecting arch collapsed. No injuries were sustained by either, but it turns out that they were not married to each other.


Week 5 Observations:
Instead of free Starbucks at work, I now get free milk
Bikes (scooters and motorcycles) can be parked anywhere…and I mean ANYWHERE
5 planets currently can be viewed in the sky – Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, Mercury
Australia holds the greatest supply of uranium and coal, but it uses coal as its source for power supply

Professional by Week, Student by Weekend

Since I will be a pseudo Melbournian for the next year, I thought that I could best get involved with the community by taking a few classes in the city. I started taking an interior design short course in order to purse my artistic interests. Aside from learning the basic design principles, I also discovered that Australia’s interior design trends are half a year behind the US. (Great! So I may be living a half day ahead of the US East Coast, but my interior design style is half a year behind?) Maybe it was just a misconception I had about Australia being more advanced in all areas of design…. I was even further shocked to find out that they are just starting to import water based paints. That basically means that all the homes in Australia are painted in lead based paints! It isn’t a huge ordeal considering the fact that I will not be sanding the paint off the walls in my hotel any time soon, but a good thing to know for anyone with wall chewing tendencies.

I have also started taking a beginner’s funk/hip hop dance class in Southbank, a suburb approximately 2.5 km / 1.5 mi from my hotel. Just in case my career as a consultant fails AND I am terrible at interior design, I’ll have a third option – back up dancer! Watch out Kevin Federline!

Carlton Garden

As the days progress, it is becoming more and more noticeable how much the Melbournians LOVE to eat! How can I tell? Every time I walk around the city, I am tempted to sample an exotic flavor of bubble tea, munch on a piece of fresh bakery, or grab a bite of fresh fruit at the market! It’s no wonder I have been subconsciously motivated to hit the Marriott gym every other day!

During my walks, I have ventured to one of Melbourne’s hot spots: gardens. That’s right, there are quite a few luscious gardens spread throughout the city. Okay, so I have only been to one - the Carlton Garden. It was truly a sight to see! When I stepped onto the grass, it was like I was no longer in the city, but transported into some fairy tale land. Tall trees bend over the dewy green grass, and the sounds of the city seemed to be miles (or here – kilometers) away. Children kick soccer balls along the lawn, while couples sit on picnic blankets along the pond. Well, you can tell how awesome they are by the pictures!

Above is a picture of the Royal Exhibition Building, which sits at the south side of the Carlton Gardens. It was completed in 1880 for Melbourne's first International Exhibition, which attracted 1 million plus people over the first 8 months it was open! It is the world's oldest and largest exhibition pavilion.

Apparently, the gardens are also home to possums! I was not able to spot them hanging in the trees during the day time, however, I’ve heard they are a very common sight at night. In fact, they have become so acquainted to people that they will eagerly run up them! Maybe one night, when I am in the mood to be bum rushed by a gang of possums I will venture into a park.


Week 4 Observations:
Almost everything is outsourced here, yet the price tag of things are much higher than in the US
Orange tic tacs are white, not orange
Sports are huge here – every thing from footy to cricket to hockey are on at least 2 TV channels or more 24/7
Bars are more like dance bars (at least the ones that I have been to, which are not very many)