It was time to leave the serenity of Bonnie Doon and with a wave goodbye to Lake Eildon we headed to Melbourne, next stop James and Paulette’s (P for short). We arrived late afternoon, perfect timing for a bottle of champagne and nibbles to celebrate James and P selling their house and the start of our trip (like we needed an excuse, again!).
Cheers! 
Cheeky wine with Steph & Dimmi
There were a few things we’d got to fix up and buy and we spent the next day mooching around the city. In true Towns time, we arrived at lunchtime so it would have been rude not to visit the Laneways and see what delights they had on offer for lunch. Melbourne has a very different vibe to Sydney, a lot more European, vibrant and “cosy” for want of a better word, than Sydney. After a fill of noodles & dumplings, we started on our way with gusto to get our jobs done. Time was ticking, and we kept getting distracted looking in shops we didn’t necessarily need to go in, buying things we didn’t even realise we needed and absorbed in street acts pulling lemons out of cups! Before I knew it, I was late for a very important date with Steph!
Steph and I worked in the same team but with travel always being scrutinised, we’d never had the opportunity to meet face to face. She had also kindly offered her back garden for us to park up Minty on if we needed a place to stay and a glass of vino while we were in Melbourne too. While we were still lavishing in comfort at James and P’s, camping was on hold, but I certainly wanted to take her up on that cheeky glass of wine 😉 Alex was still distracted at the shops with the kids, so I made a quick getaway so I could get at least 30 minutes adult chat in before the kids started to distract. Steph and her husband Dimi were waiting for me and it was great catching up. Before long, Lexi with a new bobbed hair cut came running up to me and behind her, was a young imp of a boy who looked more like a mini-thug than my cutie pie Reo. Shorn like a sheep, the lady had taken a grade 2 to him and all but a wisp of hair was gone!
Train rides 
Laneway lunch delights
While Country Victoria had been a catch up with IBM friends, it was ICON friends we caught up with in the city. The following day we’d been invited to lunch at Su Leen’s house and when we arrived (30 minutes after originally planned!) we had a VERY hungry Su Leen and Malaysian feast waiting to be devoured!! While Su Leen and I probably spent every work day video chatting, it still so much nicer chatting face to face. Finally, we could meet the husbands and the children who had crept up in our conversations over the last 3 years. The afternoon passed quickly and while initially the kids appeared shy and a little wary, it didn’t take long before they were screaming around the house like they were best friends. We had a real treat when Su Leen brought out dessert. She had customised a fabulous Pandan layer cake, a typical Chinese dessert, welcoming us to her house; such a thoughtful gesture. After waiting in line to each cut their own piece, the kids annihilated it in seconds! That evening James and P had friends over for dinner, so after rolling out of Su Leen and Marcus’ house, we rolled into theirs for another spread.
Finally a fun face to face! 
Fun in the garden with James
We all had a bit of a lie in after only getting into bed in the early hours of the morning and to beat the heat which was beckoning, headed to P’s sister’s house to cool down in their pool and enjoy a BBQ. The perfect way to spend a hot afternoon. We hadn’t done much planning before leaving Sydney, however, as a surprise treat for the kids we’d booked tickets to the musical ‘School of Rock’ the night before sailing over to Tasmania. We’d not told them what we were up to until we arrived in the city and got in early enough (don’t faint!!) so we could take a tram ride before heading to the theatre. Even though they had no idea what the musical was about, they were still very excited to be entering the grand entrance and take their seats. The musical was absolutely fabulous and the kids bounced in their seats to the music as the 10 year old child stars on stage picked up their electric guitars and other musical instruments and began cranking up the tunes, delivering an amazing performance with a bang, crash and wallop of a finale.
Lunch with the extended family 
Great way to cool down 
Exploring Mel on the trams 
Just AWESOME!
The following day was an earlier start than what we’d been used to as we had a ferry to catch! After a fun 5 nights re-connecting with James and P and all our other Victorian friends, it was time again to bid fond farewells and continue on our journey. Massive thanks to all, especially James and P for their generosity, friendship and fun while we were catching up and staying with you!