Between leaving Sydney and arriving in Wellington, I had close to a week in Melbourne. In case you’ve forgotten, I spent a year in Melbourne, not including the times before I started the East Coast in 2018. I might not have intended for my time in the city to go that way, but it proved that it’s more of a home to me than anywhere I’ve found in Australia so far.
That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed other places. Sydney has been great, Brisbane was nice but small and Perth very chilled (I won’t list everywhere, it’ll take too long) but Melbourne fit. The best thing is, whether or not that’s where I choose to go back to in the future, or elsewhere in the country, it’s not hard to get back there.
Or, if I do choose Melbourne, I can still visit my friends in Sydney and other places pretty easily!
A few reunions
The whole point of coming back here was to see some old friends. I worked in a bar, in a hostel and other jobs over my time here. I met people through meetups and events, too, so I wanted to see as many as possible – and I did!
It involved a lot of drinking and eating out, but it was worth it. It was good to relax, catch up on the news and changes and talk about what’s coming next. It felt like it was over in a flash, and before I knew it, I was packing up again to get ready for another flight.
Most importantly, though, I finally tried ramen for the first time – AND I LOVED IT!
A fitting way to end my time in Australia
It actually feels kind of fitting that I got to see my favourite comedian, Dylan Moran, in one of my favourite cities with some of the best people I’ve met so far. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end this leg of the adventure than by laughing for almost two hours constantly and enjoying a few drinks after.
Anyone on this side of the world, if you get a chance to see Moran’s Dr Cosmic tour, do it. I promise you won’t regret it. If you’ve missed it, wait for the DVD and watch it as soon as you can. I won’t describe anything to avoid spoilers.
First impressions of Wellington
So, I’ve been in Wellington, New Zealand for a couple of weeks now. I don’t have much to say yet, as there’ll be a full post in the next week or so, but I can tell you it’s a windy place! It might be the specific location (Melbourne also seems to have its own weather patterns and logic) but the scenery is stunning – even the surrounding area!
The buildings look a lot quirkier, too. There are still modern ones and towers in the CBD but even then, plenty of the buildings that give the place character. I’m looking forward to finding out more, so stay tuned!
