First steps – Melbourne

G’day from down-under! It’s day 4 of my adventure and so far it has been anything but plain sailing. Arriving at Melbourne airport I was quick to notice the air was thick with smoke from the ongoing bush fires all over the country. This, along with 30 degree heat was a stark contrast to the chilly, rainy English weather I was used to (but I’m not going to complain about some vitamin D). After walking miles feeling like my backpack would pull me over at any time I found my hostel tucked away down a small street. Dropping off my bags, I immediately went exploring these laneways. Coffee shops on top of clothes shops next to bars fill the buildings like a puzzle. Melbourne is famous for its coffee, apparently inventing the flat white, so I had to test this out and it did not disappoint. Thinking back, perhaps it was the caffeine and not the jetlag that kept me awake until 7:30 am the next morning…

Returning to my hostel, a 12 bed all girl dorm, the reality that I was 8000 miles from home finally hit. I’ve been to uni but never have I experienced the level of homesickness I felt over the next few days. It’s actually funny how you can be around so many people but still feel so lonely. I told myself that I had to just put myself out there and be brave so I did, joining activities put on by the hostel over the next few days. The first was a quiz night thrown in the bar of which I teamed up with a Brazilian, an Irishman and someone from just down the road at home who actually knew a friend of mine from uni! That’s one thing people said before I came out and didn’t believe until I experienced it – you WILL meet someone who knows a friend or someone you know from back home. We came third and won a bottle of wine – we were terrible but the other teams were just even worse!

The next day I joined a walking tour around the city with a few other hostels. This was the boost I needed as it gave me contacts which I then went for drinks with the day after. I then met Mia, who is going to be my travel partner up the East Coast. She’s from England but is living in Melbourne with her boyfriend who works here. She, like me, felt just stuck in a routine and bored so is leaving her boyfriend to work whilst she comes with me island hopping and wave surfing!

Sometimes you do just need some ‘me time’ though. I’ve sat and read in the Royal Botanical Gardens, watched the Australian Open in Federation Square and wandered around galleries and museums. (Oh and maybeee did some shopping and had to buy an extra suitcase – oops!)

Ive realised that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed and completely lost. (I even looked at flights home the day after I arrived!) I have learnt to appreciate the people – family and friends – that I left behind who have been so supportive of me and pushed me to face my fears, be brave, be bold and mainly to not quit when I have phoned them telling them I’m coming home. Honestly, without them I would have let my fears get in the way. You’ll be reading this I hope – just thank you. Oh and don’t worry I’ll definitely come home eventually! Also big thanks to everyone who gave me tips who have travelled Oz before- you have helped me out with things to do and also my mindset.

They say that the first week is always the hardest, so writing this with honesty about how for me it is the hardest thing I’ve ever done will hopefully allow me to look back and see how far I’ve come. I came to Australia because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, following in my mum’s footsteps from when she was my age. Once I finished uni I was not sure what I wanted to do next and felt unmotivated in the job I was in. So I gave this up, booked a ticket to Australia and threw myself into the deep end on the other side of the world. 2020 is going to be my year and, never one for making things easy, I decided that I would start this off by pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I like routine and I like my home comforts, so now: bed hopping from hostel to hostel (some of which I know won’t meet my high standards- bed bugs are apparently a common occurrence!?!) I am well out of my comfort zone of little old Norwich. My main bit of advise to people who are planning on doing this, or who have taken the leap but, like me, feel way out of their depth is to be brave. Take the risk. Talk to the person in the bed above you. Book a tour to meet other people. Put yourself out there and let people get to know you and you them. If they are rude, move on, there are a gazillion other people in the same position as you who will appreciate your company. I have already met so many people from so many countries and so many backgrounds. It’s only day 4 and I have had a dozen breakdowns (blaming the lack of sleep) but I am finally settling in and excited to get moving up the coast. I have another week in Melbourne before I leave for Sydney and have lots of things planned to keep me busy. Stay tuned for my next post about the Great Ocean Road tour I will be doing as I experience my first taste of the ‘wild’ Australia!