My 30th!

Warning: This will be a photo heavy post and I’ll try to keep it short just so I don’t make you too jealous! (Envious… yeah whatever.)

My 30^th Birthday Celebration in Melbourne was just too amazing not to write about and share.  I’ve wanted to go to Melbourne ever since we got to Australia.  It looks like we’ve been saving the best for last, I mean we’ve been here for nearly two years and never made it this far south of the island! May this serve as inspiration for you if you’re thinking of heading south!

We had a few troubles to start with, the car being the big one.  The car was fine, but we were heading out of Australia around the first week of December and needed to sell the car before then.  When you sell a vehicle in Australia it needs to have a road-worthy test and certificate done by a mechanic.  This is where most people get caught out. I mechanic could tell you it needs x, y and z and it could cost more than it’s worth. Or our problem was if it needed parts, Moree is in the middle of nowhere, so if the car needed parts, we’d have to wait. And we had no time left!

Why didn’t you get your road-worthy done sooner? I hear you ask.

Well, hmm, hmm ,hmm, you need to get a road-worthy done every 2000km and it’s over 3500km to Melbourne and back. Hence our dilemma.

Either way, we decided to risk it for a biscuit and go anyway!

The road down was interesting and tedious all at the same time.  It took a whole two days driving to get down and the scenery hardly ever changes.

However we;

• Got chased by a gaggle of geese in a park in Narrandera
• Nearly had our car broken into by a possum at Parkes,
• Found a little market with a Shetland pony dressed as a Unicorn in West Wylong,
• Nearly took a dip in the river by Tocumwal &
• Found a magic meat shop in Shepparton.

When we FINALLY arrived into St Kilda I knew it was going to amazing.  Our private (and affordable) apartment was next to the beach and we were greeted by Luna Park’s big open mouth!

My favourite places mostly include the places we ate at Chilli Chilli, St Moritz, Abbey Road Cafe, the beach, St Kilda Pier and our rooftop!

I spent a few hours painting on the beach and doodling on the rooftop (my favourite things), had the best coffee ever in St Moritz and a really odd one in Matcha Mylk Bar. Because well google told me too.

 

We arrived the day of the Esplanade market too, (Every Sunday) just to make it extra special so I got myself a bracelet!

The day of my birthday I awoke to a champagne breakfast and bed full of presents which is a big deal and super unusual, being backpackers we don’t usually do presents. Too much to carry. I’ll make room for this stuff though.

We ventured out to the city on the tram (get a myki card!) to explore all the art galleries!  Strangers wished me Happy Birthday as I wandered around with my birthday present packaging stuck to my chest! Que more champagne, a massage and then the following galleries;

• Australian Centre for Contemporary Art,
• National Gallery of Victoria,
• Ian Potter Centre:NGV (which had a swimming pool as an exhibition!)

and some artistically beautiful shopping centres and buildings:

• Royal Arcade,
• Bourke Street Mall
• Melbourne GPO (yes it’s a H&M).    And many more!

Throughout the day we ventured off to see some of the street art too, I mean Melbourne is famous for it.  As much as I love discovering things on my own I’m sure a tour would have been fantastic, but I had too much to pack into today (and I love to go at my own pace and eat when I want).

Birthday dinner at a fancy Italian, Tutto Benne on the riverfront was an interesting one, salmon with strange veggies, oysters with pea crabs! I’m glad I did something different but a first and last I think. Nice to know I’m still slightly adventurous, culinarily speaking. Oh, and I like wasabi now. Whhhaaatt?

We finished the night with a beautiful champagne sunset on the rooftop, called family, had cocktails and free chips!

I highly recommend googling all the free things you can get for your birthday.  I may have had to stumble drunk for 2 hours there and back but goddamn it I got my free fries from Lord of the Fries. Also, free birthday Boost smoothie, movie ticket (Murder on the Orient Express was goooood), a box of pens from Kikki K. (new favourite shop) and coffee!

Our week was full of walks to see the penguins on the pier, espresso martinis, street art, the night market and other markets as we ventured further to Fitzroy, the State Library, the Royal Botanical Gardens and we even saw The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra play Harry Potter, The Philosophers Stone!

 

Now I know most people have a mini-anxiety attack about turning 30. I was quite the opposite! I was absolutely elated to have made it this far in life! I’m really grateful to be 30, and yes did a bit of reflecting.  I gave up all those “30 things to do before you’re 30” lists and wrote a nectar list instead.

As we packed up and said goodbye to our mini home we headed off for part two of our Melbourne Adventure; The Great Ocean Road!

But that will be another photo heavy post for another day! (And video when I can get it to work.)

P.s I also had a second 30^th birthday in June 2017 were I celebrated in Barcelona! But again that’s another post for another day! Yes, I give you permission to be jealous now. I am a terribly lucky girl!