Category: Melbourne

Counting my blessings

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The Spirit

Since Hubs and I arrived in Melbourne, God has been working hard to make sure we settle in okay down here. Actually, he seems to have been working overtime to pre-arrange things and ensure that everything works out for us, just as HE planned, not us. If I had my way, the following would have happened:

Hubs and I would have found a place to rent in the Moonee Ponds area
Which means:
We’d be paying around $300 a week in rent
We’d be paying around $70 per week in food
We’d be paying around $50 per week in transport
Plus bills
I’d have 2 part-time jobs and half a day off to chill-out
We’d find a nice Uniting Church with some young adults hopefully near our place

And here’s what REALLY happened:

Hubs and I were offered a place at Newman College
From day 3 (yes, it took 3 days) we have felt very welcomed and included and accepted in a tight-nit, open and inviting community
We pay very reasonable rates for accommodation, all meals and all bills
We live right next door to uni which means no regular transport costs for Hubs
I have accepted a full-time job at Newman College which means no regular transport costs for me
We live 1 suburb out of town – less than 2km from Central Station
We worship at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Newman College and we’re really enjoying the services
We’ve met some amazing people and had interesting conversations over good food and great wine
Hubs and I get to spend heaps of quality time together, as we have no travel time to factor in to our days
Life is good.

I spent so much time and energy (and tears) on worrying and stressing about homes, jobs and money, and surprise surprise, God had it all under control the whole time. And he does this to me ALL the time.

When am I going to learn?

Footy Fever

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It’s grand final weekend!!!! Exciting, I know! Hubs and I have only just started to get in to the AFL down here. We’ve picked our team – St Kilda – and since they’re not in the final (they’ve only ever won 1 premiership) we’ll just be watching the final tomorrow because that’s what everyone else will be doing. There’s a big parade through the city today which is a tradition that about 50,000 people go to see. I won’t be one of them.

So to get into the footy fever, here’s a photo of Hubs and I at a game a few weeks ago. We were barracking for our second team – the Bulldogs. (Not of the NRL!!! Yeuck)


The Bulldogs ended up winning this game which was exciting for our friend who is a HUGE Bulldogs fan (and isn’t too happy that we’ve chosen the Saints over the Dogs). One of the most amusing things I find about AFL is that there are little breaks throughout the whole game, where someone is kicking a goal, where the number of people on the field suddenly doubles! There are people running in from everywhere with towels, drinks, pats on the back, and no doubt some magic spray! Here’s what I’m talking about:


See all those people dressed in white?? They’re freeloaders! Trying to get their 15 seconds of fame! Anyway, the atmosphere around here is very exciting and I’m sure Hubs and I will have a good time tomorrow.

Oh! In case you’re wondering, the two teams in the final are Hawthorn Hawks and Geelong Cats. We’re going for the Hawks because a) the Chaplain at the college is a huge fan and b) because my bro and his girlfriend live in Hawthorn… Brisbane. It’s NOT because of their colours. Who wears Brown and Yellow together?? I mean, really…

The Alderman

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A Beer

Hubs and I were invited out last Saturday night to a going away party for one of the current college residents. She’s off to live at Oxford University in England for a few years which is all very posh and exciting. For those of you who aren’t Queenslanders or who hate the footy (shame on you) you may not be aware that the Brisbane Broncos played against the Melbourne Storm in the NRL semi-finals. And being a HUGE Broncos fan, I really wanted to watch the game. In Melbourne, the only time they will EVER broadcast the NRL is if Melbourne are playing, so I was very excited that we were going to a pub for the night!

Alas, when we arrived, it wasn’t a “pub” as much as a “trendy la-di-da bar with fancy-pants coctails and ritzy beers on offer”. (It’s not so fancy that it has it’s own website though!) So I had to rely on my good friends Adele and Neil who were at the game in Brisbane to give me updates! Unfortunately the Storm were too good in the end, but this post was supposed to be about The Alderman! See what happens when you get me started on the Broncos??!!

Right. Where was I? Ah yes. One of Melbourne’s lovely little bars that you wouldn’t look twice at walking down the street, but is well worth the visit. Hubs and I had champagne (okay okay, it was sparkling white) and had a lovely time getting to know our fellow Newmanites off-campus. It was an old Victorian house (or 2) that had been converted into a bar and restaurant with a gorgeous little area out the back that would be best visited in the warmer months. It even had a dart board that kept the boys entertained while us girls talked about girly things together.

I just feel like there are all these amazing places to discover, but we just don’t know where to start! Local knowledge is the key! I wish I had some photos to share with you, but maybe next time!

Before and After

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I do love a good “before and after” sequence (see College Life). Whether it be seasonal change, people’s before and after shots, maps showing how an area or country used to be. It’s all good. In my own life, I’m pretty good at the after shots, but not so good at the before shots. For example, the trees have been completely bare since we arrived in Melbourne, and I keep thinking to myself “I must take some photos from each season down here.” But alas it hasn’t happened. And today it’s just too darn cold and windy for me to want to venture outside.

I DID however just take an “after” photo of the flowers that Hubs bought me last weekend! (Okay, so I bought them for him to give to me, but a gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do! I went to a flower market and these gorgeous gerbras only cost $3.99!! Cost me NOT to buy them!!) They have lasted beautifully all week and now they’re droopy but still gorgeous! They’re sitting on my window sill as I write this.

Don’t I just have the most wonderful hubs in the world??

Actually, Hubs has only ever given my flowers once, but to be fair he did make them himself:

And I still have them after 18 months! They’re the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever been given.

4 seasons in 4 days

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I realise that Melbourne is a place of extreme crazy weather changes, but come on! Last Thursday was cold and miserable, Friday spring came along – it was 23 degrees, sunny and lovely, Saturday was pretty damn nice, apart from the crazy wind, Sunday was cold with the most violent winds I’ve experienced, (and I’m married!!), and yesterday and today have gone back to 9 degrees during the day!! Freezing!!!

Just when I was getting out the summer dresses. *sigh*

On another Melbourne note, if you ever come to visit this wild city, make sure you buy tram and train tickets. Seriously. We’ve been here for almost 3 months and we’ve encountered 3 lots of ticket inspectors. Of COURSE we had tickets every time (we’re so good like that!) but we saw a few people try and talk their way out of it but got TOTALLY busted. That’ll be $130 thank you very much. It’s funny cos it wasn’t us…

Little Cupcakes

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Whilst my good friend A-dele was visiting a couple of weeks ago, we stumbled upon the most delightful little cupcake shop called, well, Little Cupcakes! And I gotta say they were little beauties!!

I would be most happy to take anyone along for a treat when they come to visit! (jazzy cat – you are going to LOVE this place if you haven’t tried it out already!!)

We teamed up with our friend Tegan from high school and had the belgium button chocolate cupcakes.

A Star is Born

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I’d like to paint a picture for you. A lovely Sunday afternoon in Melbourne (such a thing DOES exist), some wine, cheese and bickies, a picnic blanket, great company, and a huge oval field of luscious green grass. At each end, 4 giant poles stand in anticipation of the game that’s about to begin. The referee takes the field, looking a little worse for wear – like he’d had a big night out the night before. On one side are the Ormondians, geared up for the 4th and last game of their short season. And on the other side are the Newman Stars.

For those who don’t know much about arial ping-pong (aka AFL) 18 players from each side take the field and not only did 18 Newman boys run on at the start of the match, they had another full team on the bench. Such is the excitement of playing college football.

A bit of background information for you about the Newman boys: They have 2 teams at the college, The Firsts (like Australia) and the Stars (like Australia A). The Firsts generally do very well (incidently they are playing in the finals next weekend.) The Stars have got a lot of heart, but not much of that translates to points on the scoreboard. In fact, the Stars team hadn’t won a game since 2005. But in the first few minutes, they proved to their opposition that they were going to put up a fight. With 2 early goals in the first 5 minutes, they just about passed their total number of points scored all season. And it didn’t stop there!

The points kept coming, and in the middle of it all was a young Queensland boy, in boots bought only an hour before kick-off, who was putting his body on the line for his team and for College pride, and on the sideline sat the most proud, impressed Wifey you can imagine! I was also accompanied by a few friends who came down to watch and it was so much fun! One of Hub’s friends even came all the way from Brisbane to watch him play!

Hubsband had an absolute ball and after his first game a couple of weeks before, he started using tactics (trying not to get killed) and really got in to it (sometimes involuntarily!!) The final score was something like 65 to 20 and it was a great afternoon. Here are some happy snaps:

Hubs about to take a classic catch (oops, wrong sport) a MARK during warm-up (doesn’t he look sexy in his jersey!!??)

A few members of Hubs’ fan club

The Team Victory Photo 24th August 2008

10 things…

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I LOVE about living in Melbourne!!

1. Trams – they come ALL THE TIME!!
2. Public Transport in general – I’ve mastered the trains, trams and buses and am finding it so easy (okay okay, so I’ve caught the wrong tram, the wrong train, and missed a few stops on the bus, but I’m getting there!!)
3. Coffee – you can find a decent coffee almost anywhere! AND CHEAP TOO!! I can get a soy flat white or soy mocha for 3 bucks!! (FYI I was paying up to $4.50 in Brisbane at one stage!)
4. Living on college – it’s still a little weird sometimes, but generally we are loving it here. The people are great, the location couldn’t be better, and the food is… well… it’s college food. Let’s not get TOO excited!
5. Walking everywhere – It’s been great walking to work and just generally getting around on foot
6. The unpredictable weather – okay, so I don’t love this, but if I don’t embrace it, it will get me down! Actually, it really hasn’t been too bad!
7. Great food – ahem… outside the college that is! (in all fairness, the college food isn’t THAT bad, I’m just missing my veges!! There’s lots of meat, pasta, rice, and potatoes and desserts. Lots of desserts. I’m trying to be good!!) No, the food I’m referring to is on Lygon st, or any other little alleyway you come across!
8. The opportunity to get to know my hubsband – this is the first time Hubs and I have really lived together alone (for more than a few weeks) since we got married and I must say it’s been just lovely. We’re still learning each other’s habits and moods and having lots of fun doing so!
9. The lovely old pubs – Melbourne has a way of doing up a pub without gutting it and ripping out all the old character and style (exhibit “a” in the Vegas – Dooleys aka “The Valley”… yeuck!) We haven’t found a favourite yet, but if you’d like to come and visit and help us look, come on down!
10. The endless number of alleyways that I keep discovering – by day they are empty, but at night time the umbrellas, heaters, tables, chairs and menus come out and out of the blue there are a dozen restaurants to choose from!

Mmmm…. parma….

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What? You mean to tell me you don’t know what a parma is? Well, OBVIOUSLY you’re not from Victoria then! When I first heard the phrase “parma night” I thought to myself “wow! Victorians sure like their cheese!” But after the initial mix up, I learnt what a Parma REALLY is!

It’s a CHICKEN PARMIGIANA! Basically, a slab of chicken, topped with bacon or ham or salami (i.e. pig) and cheese and herbs. Sounds healthy, I know!

My work colleague invited me to a parma night with a friend of hers and we went to a place called The Aviary which is around the Richmond area, not too far from where we live. They have been scoping out parmas for some time now and have decided this one was the best by far. If you go on their actual “parma night” you get your parma, chips and salad on a bread board, AND a glass of wine all for just $16. I thought it was just a pub we were going to, and getting pub grub. But no. It was all just lovely.

So if anyone comes to visit us on a Thursday night, rest assured we’ll be having a parma night!

It IS a small world after all!

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Hubs and I went out on Saturday night with some friends and got completely lost on the way there, and when we finally made it to our destination, who should be walking out as we were walking in? One of my cousins who lives in Queensland who I hadn’t seen in months! And to think, if we had been 5 minutes earlier or 5 minutes later, we would have missed each other. He was down here for a few days on business and was heading back on the Sunday.

AND, one of the girls in Hub’s course used to be a waitress at the R.E. (our local in Toowong) when we used to go there all the time! We wouldn’t have recognised her though, as we never actually ate there (we just drank!)

I’m sure there will be more small world stories that come out of our adventures down here!!