Melbourne - Australia

After spending 7 weeks in the beautiful city of Hobart it was hard to leave but our adventure had not finished yet so we continued on to Melbourne arriving on the 1st Jan flying with JetStar from Hobart which cost us $305 (today's exchange rate £158 for 2 people and 25kg baggage) and took just under 1 hour. We stayed in the suburbs of Melbourne at a place called Glen Waverley where our 5th house sit began.

The house was situated right next to a national park and in high season for bush fires was a little concerning but the there were plenty of walks for the dogs and my main worry was SNAKES! Lisa, the owner of the home gave us the low down on snakes and to keep eyes on the ground at ALL times. I was thankful for the advice because we saw..... 0 snakes. lol.

We were shown round the home and introduced to the animals which were:

A horse called Missy, she was a ex breed mare never been ridden, a donkey called Dobby who was a little shy at first but very inquisitive.




 

2 miniature goats Daisy the white one who was shy but loved to be stroked and Bonnie the brown one, she loves all the attention and cry's out to you when she first sees you or when your walking away. These were a character and always made you laugh, they always found something to cause trouble with, i understand why baby goats are called kids because it was like having 2 kids, you couldn't take your eyes off them.

 



Then there were 4 chickens which we got 3 or 4  fresh eggs from each day and Molly the spoodle (springer and poodle) dog who has to be the cutest little doggy, very well behaved, hardly made a sound and always loving. On the second week of our stay we looked after a family members dog called Oscar. He too was a spoodle a white one but he was very timid and hated loud noises. Sometime naughty when you wanted him to come in he would just look at you through the window and then run off.

While at our house sit we went to the nearby shopping malls, both of which were the same just one was slightly bigger. We looked at Village cinema and Hoyts cinema here but decided against it when we saw it was $21 (today's exchange rate £10.29) for one movie. To us that is expensive as we were paying $12 (today's exchange rate £5.88) in Queensland.

We also went into Melbourne for the day on the train. We had to purchase a MyKi card to use the train but this and our fare for the day only cost $14 (today's exchange rate £6.86) for an hour journey there and back which we thought was good value.

Melbourne Attractions:

• Eureka Tower: This can be seen anywhere in Melbourne city with its 'gold crown'. It has  365 degree views across Melbourne and cost $19.95 each (today's exchange rate £9.77) but you did have to pay extra for the 'Edge' experience $12 (today's exchange rate £6.24) which is not worth the extra money as there is a small section which is outside the building you can go on without paying extra and this was good enough. Within the tower there is dining and The Walk Experience, which is a green screen set which gives you the illusion your walking a tightrope suspended high above the city, this is an additional $15 (today's exchange rate £7.80) .

• The Royal Botanic Gardens: I'm starting to think every city in Australia has Botanic gardens and yes they are very pretty and lovely to walk round but once you've seen one you've seen them all.

 

• St. Patrick's Cathedral: You can not miss this Cathedral and is in the heart of the city. Its architecture is amazing and so detailed, you can look at it for hours. I think this is what makes Melbourne different from the other cities in Australia are the buildings and architecture it has. Not all the buildings are the same. 

 

  

•  Walking Tours: (We just walked on our own as it is a very easy city to walk, one main street and all side streets are parallel.) We walked from Flinders Station straight up to the State Library and then went down side streets on the way back to the station. I guess a girl from the country doesn't see the attraction of a crowded city, we much prefer shopping online. But like i said it to us is the nicest city in Australia as it was so clean and had history. Also what were liked was there were WIFI spots around the city that you could us so you wouldn't get lost.

• Museums: Like every city there are museums and lots of them depending on your interests, from City Gallery which is an Art Museum to the Australian Center of the Moving Image and many more.

• Puffing Billy Steam Train: This was not in Melbourne City, it can be found in the suburbs but an honest opinion is don't go looking for it. The tour cost $51.50 each (today's exchange rate £25.24) and was a total waste of money so my advice is DON'T DO IT!! We traveled from Belgrave to Lakeside and the views from the train were obscured by trees on one side and the other was of run down homes. There was no commentary on the train telling you about its history so the journey was silent. The train stopped at 2 places to let people off and all that was there was a small tuck shop which sold 2 preheated pies and sweets. Moving on to Lakeside we thought it would be a village to look round and a nice pub to eat in, boy were we mistaken. All that was there was a tearoom which sold only preheated pies and crisps, a small souvenior shop, and a cafe which was more like a truck stop cafe with dried sandwiches in. There was a lake secluded behind trees but we were only given 20 mins to look round, not enough time to walk the lake and get back. Even though we arrived back on the train  after our 20 minutes were up we sat for another 40 mins not moving because there was a problem. The advert says leave up to 3 hours for the whole journey but it took us near 4. When we got back we asked for a refund we felt it was that back. 

• St Kilda Beach: There are many activities to do at St Kilda beach which is only 6km from the city. If your interests are bike riding or roller blades, kite boarding, sky diving, fishing or just swimming in the ocean all this can be found at St Kilda. There are many events and festivals held in this area, but unfortunately for us it wasn't the season for it but if your there in May keep a look out. 

After our 2 weeks were up we booked plane tickets to Christchurch, New Zealand for the 19th Jan with Jetstar and cost us $485 for both. (today's exchange rate £237) to start our 6th house sit. Join me next time in our adventure around Christchurch.

Sydney - Australia

Welcome to Sydney.

This was to be our third house sit, which was situated on the suburbs or Sydney, Picnic Point. From the International arrivals we got our bags and headed for the T2 Airport line to East Hills. (When booking your tickets ask when the next train will be as we waited 30 minutes to find we had to get 2 different trains as the direct train was going to be another 60 minutes). The trains are really easy to navigate and cost only $4.20 (today's exchange rate £2.50). Some of the trains are double
decker's which I have never seen before so the kid within me had to sit on the top deck. It took around an hour to get to East Hills traveling through suburban Sydney which like anywhere is a little run down and lots of graffiti.

Upon arrival we were greeted by the home owner and taken for a quick tour of the area, everything you needed with a 10 minute drive. The house was private and overlooked Georges river, but the best part of house sitting are of course the pets and we had a very playful, lovely nature doberman to look after called EJ. Contrary to peoples beliefs this doberman was the sweetest scaredy cat you could meet. Never left our side and had constant affection to give, and don't forget receive. We only had 6 days with him but I think it was safe to say he was taken by us as we were with him.




The area of Picnic Point is lovely to walk around especially along the George River. Being this far from the city there wasn't many attractions so we hoped back on the train and headed to the city. Again the trains are very easy to understand and the journey took about an hour and cost $10.80 each return. (today's exchange rate £6). The main station to get off is Circular Quay as this stops in the middle of the Harbour Bridge and The Opera House. The city is very walk friendly and takes about 30 minutes to walk from the main shopping street (Pitt Lane) to Darling Harbour or to the Opera House.

Attractions in Sydney:

• The world Famous - Sydney Harbour Bridge - The worlds largest steel arch bridge began construction in 1924 and took 8 years to complete. The Tyne Bridge in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England is a smaller version to the Sydney bridge, and this is where 79% of steel work came from. On this trip to Sydney we never went up the bridge, we walked along the path on the same level of as the cars. There are sign post everywhere directing you to the walk way which takes you to the northern suburbs of Sydney. There wasn't many people up here and great views of the Opera House and to the sea mouth. If you were interested in the Bridge Climb it is good fun and nerve racking as there are lots of steps, narrow metal ladders and you climb between the lanes of traffic. You are harnessed in and have a guide with you telling the history of the bridge. The climb costs $228 weeks day (today's exchange rate £125 each) and takes 3.5 hours. The only downside to the climb is you can not take a camera up with you so you cant capture the views from the top, which is why I think walking the path at a lower level is a better choice because you can take as many pictures as you wish and the views are still great. 

• Another world famous - The Opera House - It has earned its reputation as a world class performing arts centre and holds all kind of events throughout the year. There are lots of different tours offered, from looking around inside, eating at the restaurant or going backstage but the beauty is the outside and its free. Have your picture taken on the steps of the Opera House or walk around the building.

• Royal Botanic Gardens - Access can be found just past the Opera House and free guided tours run everyday 10.30am and 1pm. You can just walk the gardens yourself for free too.  

 

• Darling Harbour - A lovely harbour with lots of street entertainment, not far from the Harbour Bridge. Every type of restaurant can be found along the harbor so never short on choices and you can also find the Sea Life centre here.

• Bondi Beach - The beach is on the eastern suburbs of Sydney and has become world famous. I was actually surprised how small the beach was, I mean its big but because you hear about it all the time i was expecting a massive beach. There are nice places to eat along the sea front, but it does get very busy at the beach so if your not a strong swimmer stick to the shallows and always swim between the flags.

• The Rocks - Lots to see and do around here from looking at the shops all ranging in price to finding a bargain on the markets. Take a look round the museum or relax in one of the bars on the cobbled streets.

• Taronga Zoo - Located in the northern suburbs this zoo was opened in 1916. It houses every animal you can think of in a zoo and entry costs $46 (today's exchange rate £25). You can get a ferry across to the zoo from outside Circular Quay train station.

• Sydney Tower - The tower can bee seen anywhere in the city and boasts a 365 degree revolving restaurant at the top. I went up the tower in 2007 and was disappointed because all the windows were dirty, and if the only thing your offering is the view you want a clear look at it. For the more adventurous travelers you can walk the sky-walk and observation deck for $70 (today's exchange rate £40)

• Ferries - There are numerous ferries found at Circular Quay train station depending what you want to do and bookings can be made direct with the company.

After our 6 days were up we booked flights back to Phuket to keep within the rules of our visa. We went all the way back to Phuket because it was cheap and we hadn't planned our next move as yet.

So join me next time when we are back in Patong - Phuket.

Brisbane - Australia

From Kuala Lumpur we looking into ways of flying to Brisbane Australia and it was more expensive to fly direct (around £300 with a stop in Singapore, total trip 13 hours) so instead we booked seperate flights, the first one was to Sydney and we booked our tickets online via Air Asia which was very quick and easy to do. The flight cost about £100 direct 8hours and then we booked another flight through Tigerair from Sydney to Brisbane and this cost about £37 direct 1 hour. These prices do not include baggage but even with the cost of this for 2 seperate flights it was still a lot cheaper than one long flight.
I do search for flights using the Sky Scanner app to see which airlines are the cheapest and to work out times and once I have done this i find it cheaper to book direct with the airline.

Visa: As we are a British Citizen we can get a free 12 month visa for Australia (non-working) but the conditions are you have to leave the country every 3 months. There is no specific time limit in which you have to leave but i would suggest leaving for longer than a day.

On arriving in Brisbane we were picked up by my Auntie and Uncle whom we stayed with in Redcliffe, a half hour drive north from Brisbane. It is a quiet place not a lot to do but does have good bus services and you can easily catch the train from Sandgate into Brisbane city.

Attractions in Brisbane:

 

• Brisbane South Bank - This is a man made lagoon which anyone can use and has slides for the children. In May when we were there it was getting into their winter so the water was a bit cold. They have a lovely botanic garden which surrounds the lagoon which you can follow and walk all the way along the river bank.

• Wheel of Brisbane - As you can guess the wheel is the same in most cities, revolving pods which your in to experience different views of the city. Adults cost $17.10 each (today's exchange rate £9)

 

• Mount Coot-tha -Here you will have panoramic views of Brisbane city skyline from the observation deck. On clear days you can see right out to Moreton Bay and at night the city will light up the sky. There is a cafe and restaurant at the top so you can enjoy coffee, cake and the views.

• Queen Street Mall - You will find all the shops you want along this open aired mall. There are many side streets full of shops which sprout off the main street. 

 

• River Cruises - There are many different cruises to view Brisbane from different angles and there can all be found on the river banks around Brisbane. The prices vary depending on what the cruise offers so check out the local tourist information center for more info. 

 

• Eat Street Markets - These are open every Friday and Saturday night and Sunday through winter and offer a wide range of food from Indian, Chinese, Pizza, Burgers, Kebabs, Donuts, Cupcakes, Fudge etc. There is live music and entertainment offered with a small entry fee of $2. It can be found next to the ferry port (Hamilton Wharf) and definitely worth a trip.

Attractions in Redcliffe:

• Whale watching - Brisbane whale watching is the main company in  Redcliffe to offer whale watching. (This company can also be found at The Gold Coast). You board the boat at 9:30am and returns 2:30pm. The boat doesn't travel far out to see, just past Moreton Bay and although the sea looks calm at the jetty it is not out at sea. We paid $135 (today's exchange rate £72 each), we chose the deal with the buffet lunch, DO NOT get this. It really wasn't worth the extra money, mostly salad with a bit of chicken, but most of all you probably wont want to eat anything as it is very choppy. We have never been see sick but this company turn their engines off while around the whales so you go which ever way the sea goes and with huge whales splashing around it can go up/down, side to side. I think at least 70% of the people on board were sick. Saying that we did see about 7 humpback whales, 3 dolphins and a hammer head shark which was very lucky. There was live commentary all the time so if something was happening at one side of the boat you would know.

 

• Jump the beach - Sky diving can be done all over Australia (and the world) so I'm not going to say Queensland is the best place to do it, you have to pick the place you want to see from up above while you fall out the sky......with a parachute of course.

The main attractions in Queensland:

•  Australia Zoo - Of course everyone knows about Australia Zoo and if you don't where have you been?? The famous Steve Irwin and his family own the zoo which is filled with any animal you can think of. It spans over a huge area so allow yourself a full day to explore and see the animals. They have many different shows on from Crocodile shows, bird show, snake shows to Koala shows. They offer zoo tours kind of like a jeep safari, you can have your pictures taken holding or touching some of the animals, but I think the best part of this zoo is the open Kangaroo enclosure which you walk through and can feed and stroke the kangaroos. The Koala's are also in the open so when you walk through there area you can stroke them and have your picture taken with them. It allows you to get close to animal you would not usually see.

• Movie World - Found on the Gold Coast and basically a movie themed theme park. They have 4D experiences as well as a variety of thrill rides. It isn't the biggest theme park I've been too but offers the same things.

• Sea World - I think everyone knows what to expect from a sea world, they offer different animals shows, swimming with dolphins, trainer for the day and touching of sting rays/turtles etc. They also offer a helicopter ride over the Gold Coast but I personally think this is very over priced.

• Wet'n'Wild - Everyone's favourite holiday activity the water park. Again isn't not the biggest I've been too but offers different level of slides, a large swimming pool with the wave machine and heated pools. They have a selection of places to eat, all fast food of course so you might want to take a picnic and sit on the grassed areas.

With movie world, sea world and wet'n'wild we purchased a combination pass which gives you access to all three parks and valid for 3 months. it cost $99 (today's exchange rate £53) which is so much cheaper than buying the passes individually. Each park cost $79 each (today's exchange rate £42)

• Dream World - A combination of theme park rides, dream works, and a zoo. We did not go to this as it was not included in the pass we bought but is in the same area as movie world. Tickets cost $85 each (today's exchange rate £46) but they do offer 21 day and annual passes. 

 

• Fraser Island - The worlds largest sand island which is just off the coast of Hervey Bay. There is lots to do on the island whether your there for a day or stay at the hotel, depending on what you like there is something for everyone.

 

• Great Barrier Reef - The great barrier reef stretches from the top of Queensland (Cairns) right down past Brisbane. The main attraction here is snorkeling. We never did this as I am scared of the sea and don't fancy being eaten by sharks which do swim in the shallow waters no matter what they tell you.

There are so many attractions to do in Queensland these are just a few of them. The best thing to do is visit the tourist information center in the area your in to find out what they offer.

While in Redcliffe we accepted our first house sit, YAY!! I spoke about this in my first blog but for those of you who have forgotten or just didn't read it I shall explain again:

Trustedhousesitters.com is a website where people advertise their house and or pets to be looked after while they take their own adventure. As a person looking for a house sit we search the location we are in (currently New Zealand) and any house-sit we find interesting or in the place we want to go to, and we apply to the home owner with a simple email telling them who we are and what we have previously done. With each house-sit you do you are given references and the more your profile builds the better and bigger chance of securing a house sit. What to do? You subscribe to the site for as little at £6.60 per month or £79.20 for a year and create a profile about yourself and who ever your travelling with. Make it an honest profile and let people know who you are, likes/dislikes, job etc. Add pictures, a friendly face can go along way and you can add videos of yourself if you wish, we haven't because I'm rubbish in front of a camera. We have so far done 4 house-sits currently on our 5th and it has been amazing. We have met some great people and made friends for life and looked after some great cuddly animals along the way. We will never stay in hotels again with this website available i can not stress enough how great it is. If you do decided to join this site before your travels please let them know who recommended you as we both might get some discounts. Our name is Travelers2015.
For us this has been the best decision we made on our trip, not only has it saved us money but given us more opportunities to see things and experience living in a new place. Also as animal lovers we were missing our pets back home so its nice to have that company back again. Not all house sits have animals so don't think you will be tied down to a place, its up to you which sits you apply for and accept.

So at our first house sit we looked after 3 lovely King Charles dogs in the first week then only 1 in weeks 2 and 3. She was very easy to care for and the home we stayed in was also lovely and offered us the space a hotel could not. (after spending 8 months together 24/7 its nice to have another room to escape too) lol. Although we didn't have a car at this sit the public transport was close by. Not only did we save money on hotels but it allowed us to cook our own food and save money on eating out, because to be honest in Redcliffe there isn't many nice places to eat unless you like your meat and veg or pub grub. I can however recommend a great little cafe called 'Over There Cafe' next to the Dolphins Oval sports club and it has fresh homemade products that are packed with flavour so support local businesses and head over there!!!!

After our 3 weeks in Redcliffe we secured another house sit for 5 weeks in Sandgate which was about 20 minutes from Redcliffe where you can catch the training to Brisbane. Here we looked after 2 golden Labradors which had been rescued by the home owners. They were very quiet dogs who loved attention but also like to be outside on their own. The house had pool and in the hotter days the dogs liked to join us for a swim. There were great places to walk in the area and although the beach wasn't great to sunbath on it was great for walking the dogs. (Australia doesn't like dogs on the beaches so it great when you find somewhere you can take them on). The dogs and us lovely splashing in the sea and running along the beach. The home was a traditional Queensland cottage, small but very cute and cosy inside and we really appreciated having the opportunity to stay. The home owners themselves were very welcoming and offered us to stay longer or if we were back in the area to visit them.

While we were at our second house sit we took a trip about 2 hours inland to a place called Montville and it was such a pretty little town with quirky buildings, old clock shops, sweet shops and cafes with amazing views. Worth a visit.

Wow this is a long blog so I shall sign off for now. Tune in next week for our experiences in Sydney, Australia.

Thanks for reading.

About us: An insight into Jane and Lee

Thank you for visiting our blog. This blog is about our travels across the world, our personal experiences and views on each place. It is not real time as we started writing this blog 12 months after we started the trip so it is based on previous experiences but as we go along we may catch up with ourselves.

About Us.
I'm Jane and my partner is Lee from North Yorkshire in England. We met on Christmas Eve 2013 even though we only lived 10 minutes away from each other all our lives. After 6 months of dating we went on our first holiday to Mexico and this was by far the best holiday we have ever had. We stayed in an all inclusive hotel in Puerto Adventuras and it is such a beautiful place. If you would like to know more regarding this holiday, where we stayed, what we did, attractions etc. please leave comments and we shall answer best we can. After our holiday (which we all know 6 months into a relationship can either make or break it) we knew our relationship was strong and started talking about how amazing it would be to go travelling. Lee was made redundant in January 2014 so it was up to me to decide if i should leave my job or not. I worked within a dental practice for 4 years so was hard to make the decision but "you only live once" and if you have the opportunity to do it then DO IT!! We saved £11,000 each and estimated this would last us about 1 year allowing us an average spending of £1,000 per month.  When we told family and friends we got mixed reviews most of which was very supportive but a few had some negative feedback, I guess when you get to late 20's early 30's people expect you to be settling down buying a house and having kids, but we thought if we did all that we would never get to go travelling so now is the best time to go when we have no ties. So if your thinking of travelling the best advice to give is do what YOU want to do, its your life and only you can decide. We hope you will stay tuned as we post about our blog.