Its been a couple of weeks since I last wrote in this blog so I have a little to catch up on. I will keep it simple, brief and hopefully a little funny.
Uluru was fantastic. The landscape is as you’d expect, however the rock is way bigger than anticipated! We spent our first day exploring Kata Tjuta, or the Olgas, followed by lazing by the pool sipping on rum. This trip was a quick one so the next day we really took in the sights of Ayer’s Rock. Its amazing how many people actually die here trying to climb the rock. Apparently most deaths are from heart attacks as the walk is quite steep. I would imagine the odd tourist would venture away from the chains assisting in the climb, and might meet their demise by falling off one of the many sheer cliffs either side of the track. After another afternoon of lazing by the pool drink in hand, we went back to see the Field of Lights and the sunset by the rock. There was champagne on arrival which we thought would mean one drink, however we were met with a constant flow of champagne and canapés to feed an army. The Field of Lights was stunning.
Upon my return to Melbourne I bought with me a very special lady, my Mum. My parents have been very supportive throughout this tour, so supportive in fact, my mother even made my rip away pants. Cheers Mum. My Grandmother grew up in Central Victoria, in a place called Stuart Mill. I thought this was the best opportunity I would get to see these parts, and what better tour guide than Mumsy. We drove up and caught up with Mum’s cousin and wife who now own ‘The Castle’ where Grammy grew up, living just a few doors down. My Mum, as brave as she is, knocked on the door to meet a 60-something year old fella wearing nothing but a dressing gown and reeking of weed. Hesitant at first, he eventually came around to the idea of letting us walk through the old bud brick house he was renting. By the end of our visit he was so enthusiastic about us being inside that it was hard to leave. Grammy would have turned in her grave knowing the state of the place, but it was still awesome to see the house my Great-Great Grandparents built. Insane.
As part of the tour we had to see St Arnaud - a town down the road from Stuart Mill. We were looking for a place to stay the night when Roger decided this was the perfect time for the alternator to go. 10pm. We had to be towed to the nearest mechanic which was another 50kms away in a town even smaller than St Arnaud - Charleton. There was no choice but to stay in the van parked outside the mechanic for the night. As annoying as the situation was, it was also quite funny. We still made the most of our time the following day meeting locals, drinking coffee and having some great chats. By 5pm Roger was ready to be collected. We finished our tour of the region and made our way back to Ballarat where we stayed the night in a nice mo
The following day we boosted it down the the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road. We took the day to drive this amazing road all the way back to Melbourne. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. My father was not impressed at our last minute decision to tackle the Great Ocean Road, especially that we had made it all the way to Bells Beach.
We arrived back in Melbourne later that night after a 2 hour traffic jam due to accidents on the freeway. Again, frustrating, but the time with my Mum was priceless. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. The days to come would be spent having coffees, catching up with mates and hitting height clearance warning chains at Melbourne Airport dropping Mum off. Got stuck on a One-Way overpass into Terminal 4, eventually found a place to pull over before the second warning chains, had to call Airport Security to stop traffic and escort me out. Surprisingly they were really cool about it. I would have thought stupidity of this level deserved a fine but apparently it happens regularly. In my defence there was no warning before the actual warning chains, however I still felt as dumb as a post. We were running a tiny bit late for Mum’s flight so when we pulled over she basically told me I was on my own. Fair call, and seeing her scurry towards the terminal building over the last bit of road made me laugh even more.
During my time in Melbourne one of my sponsors tattooed a gorgeous design on one of his clients. Brad decided to donate the fee to this very worthy cause - The Melanoma Instte Australia. Thank you so much Brad! Your support is appreciated so very much.
I also took he plunge and had Brad tattoo me as well. Two images designed by Brad after showing him my inspiration. A boat, originally designed by my Father for his business back in the early 80’s, which he had my mother paint on a sign for him, which she claims made her so sick that she went into labour with my brother. I couldn’t be more proud to have this on me forever. The boat is floating over a heart with two hands shaking in front. This was taken from a ring passed down from my Mother’s Father to my Brother. This design means the beauty of love and friendship.
I was supposed to leave Melbourne a fair bit earlier this time around, however I had a call from my dear pal Liam in Adelaide who was coming back to Melbourne to pack up his house. I agreed to stay, help and hang out for the weekend. Sydney here I come! I’ll be there by Friday this week. Remember, if you know anyone who needs a Male Stripper for a Hen’s Party over the next few weeks, ask them to hit up my website to see if I’ll be in town. All proceeds are being donated to The Melanoma Institute Australia - a very worthy cause. Please help me get the word out! Also remember that if you can’t book me to support this fundraising event, you can do one of two things; show your support by convincing a loved one to go and get their skin checked, or donate a few bucks to my gofundme page that is in the tab above. Together we can fight Australia’s National Cancer.