Rum & Dal

Got our tickets booked for the UK!  Wahoooo.  Really looking forward to it, especially as no one over there knows… not even Parm who always has a vague idea of our travel plans :)  It took some doing though.  I wasn’t sure if I would have a job, if not then could we afford it, if I did get one would let me have the time off… so many if’s, but it worked out in the end.  It was just meant to be.

Had some trouble finding the tickets and we were getting quoted ridiculous prices.  The first travel centre I went to one morning, couldn’t even find me a single flight.  “We just don’t have any flights to bring you back in January”, “I can get you $4000 a ticket for 2 weeks”, was the best she could offer me and this is one of the biggest travel agents around.  She didn’t seem interested and didn’t even bother punching in different airlines.

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When we were asked to go camping with friends we immediately thought cold damp weather and knee deep in a boggy field not forgetting the food poisoning.  Err reality check, we’re talking camping in Australia not England

The expedition team consisted of Asar, Sofia, Bobby, Rum and Dal.  Asar’s profession is in Risk Management so he made the ideal tour guide he certainly earned his 5 stars.  Asar and Sofia being the expert campers took a hold of the reigns and got the tents up, then down, turned around and I’m sure at one point inside out. After an hour three tents had been erected, their personal best.  Well done.  I would have helped them but I was hammered the night before from the works Christmas party, but that’s another story for another time.

We stayed at the Lake Fyans Holiday Park which is within The Grampians National Park.  It was about 250K from Melbourne CBD, around 3 hours drive according to Google Maps, it took us 2.5 hours.  Lake Fyans is a 4 star camping park with many facilities, I would definitely recommend this Park.  Asar however was eyeing up a 5 star camping park not sure why, maybe you get your own butler?

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Transport in the centre of Melbourne is great and you’re better off using public transport than driving. However if you love your car and can’t survive without it, like most of us then you’ll need to get yourself a licence for the state you’ll be driving in. Driving licences apply to states here and not Australia as a whole.

Currently you can drive in Victoria for a maximum of three months on your full UK driving licence. We decided to get a licence eligible for driving in Victoria for two reasons. One, we’ll need one sooner than later. Two, it’s a popular form of identification.

The government agency responsible for all motor issues within Victoria is called Vic Roads, UK’s equivalent to DVLA.  (you can get to Vic Roads via the tram, number 01 or 08 on Lygon Street)

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