Mt. Dandenong

Chris and I went up to Mt. Dandenong, an hour away from Melbourne, a couple of weekends ago for a walk to get out of the city and maybe see some wildlife. We ended up getting lost on the way back and took the wonderful "Hillcrest Trail" which happened to be 40 minutes entirely uphill with fallen trees all over. I almost had a heart attack but it was really lovely and some woman got a kick out of my tomato face as she sauntered downhill. I am convinced the locals told us to take that trail for a laugh.

Chris beside a huge tree

Pretty ferns

Warning plaque

Waterfall?

Tomato Face in a tree

Evil but pretty Hillcrest Trail

 

Hey everyone,

This will be a quick first post, but I will do another one later today this month with pictures included.

So far I have been having a fantastic time. By luck I moved into a neighbourhood that suits me very well. It is outside of the downtown core of Melbourne (maybe 10 minutes by tram or a half hour walk), and is filled with cute cafés and vintage stores. I've heard that it used to be a rough area but it feels just like the Annex to me.

I was offered a job at the hostel cleaning and checking people in at night so I haven't really had to search for a job because I get a small wage and free accommodation.

Things are more expensive here than I thought they would be. A large bottle of water is almost $5, a large mango about $5 as well, lunch at a restaurant is minimum $15, dinner for one with a drink is about $40, so most people eat in and cook at the hostel.

I've met some great people and I am accruing a large British vocabulary so look forward to words like "minging" and "manky" when I return.

Pictures to come later today this month!