“Happiness is not a destination, it is a way of life.”

After a lazy day, we take the tram to St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, young and dynamic oceanfront. A walk on the pier treats us the eyes of a late afternoon on the waters of Port Phillip Bay with views of the CBD - Central Business District – in the distance behind the moored boats. Penguins housed at the end of the pier but it may already be too late to see the.

View from the pier on the CBD

Cyclist in St Kilda

Night Market in St Kilda

Musicians market of St Kilda

The sun sets after twenty hours we leave the beach for a ride to the small night market in St Kilda, on the lawn next to Luna Park - Theme park.

AC/DC Lane

Ronald au Cherry Bar

Le lendemain notre hôte nous fait découvrir AC/DC Lane, small alley with walls nicely tagged named after the name of the famous rock 'n’ roll australia. It is found there Cherry Bar où les mêmes AC/DC ont joué plusieurs fois et où Howlin’ Ron va se produire trois fois lors des scènes ouvertes du lundi. Après un tour sur les bords de la Yarra River nous découvrons une spécialité melbournienne : les bars sur les toits, puis en fin de week-end nous découvrons une autre spécialité du coin – et même du pays – les barbecues en famille et/ou entre amis dans les parcs. 🙂

Federation Square

Flinders Station

En route pour le marché

Queen Victoria Market

Les parents de notre hôtesse se joignent à notre petite communauté française pour les fêtes de fin d’année où nos hôtes nous régalent les papilles – la tarte au citron du second en cuisine de notre hôte, pastry chef at Grand Hyatt, yum !

croissants houses

Christmas dinner

C’est aussi le temps de faire plusieurs sessions vidéos par ordinateur avec la famille et de prendre rendez-vous au plus proche VicRoads pour passer le learner permit test qui me permettra, if obtained, access to the equivalent of accompanied driving in France - more info to come on a dedicated page.

Fountain of Carlton Gardens

Carlton Gardens

On Saturday 27, alors que Monsieur busk – shrubs : street musician, I go on photo output northern CBD, towards the Carlton Gardens where the Royal Exhibition Building will stand, which was built for the Expo in Melbourne 1880, and the Melbourne Museum, much more modern.

Parliament Gardens

Parliament

Royal Exhibition Building

Sir et Lady Nicholls

A little further south, in the gardens of Parliament, I meet the statues of Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls pastor and his wife Lady Muriel Gladys Nicholls Naby, both born in 1906, un couple aborigène qui s’est battu pour les droits de leur peuple.

TARDIS 😉

Doctor Who goodies!

Et pour les fans, j’allais vous indiquer l’adresse d’une boutique remplie de produits dérivés de la série télévisée Dr Who avec un TARDIS grandeur nature, mais tel le TARDIS c’est une boutique qui voyage dans le temps et l’espace : elle avait disparue ! Fortunately, la boutique Minotaur – dédiée à beaucoup plus de séries – nous a permis de faire ce que nous ne faisons jamais : dépenser des sous dans un gadget, un mini-TARDIS décapsuleur, qui bien entendu fait le bruit du vaisseau lorsque l’on décapsule ! 😀

New week, les permis de conduire (français et international) que Monsieur a fait refaire juste avant de partir arrivent finalement par La Poste grâce aux bons soins de mon père – avec en prime des papillotes de Noël. 🙂 Le top-départ est donné, we get down seriously looking for a vehicle - rather we did not retrieve M. Big, long story. Already in France we had the idea of ​​changing transportation type : so it is to a 4×4 our research is directed for more roads in North and Central Australia are open to us – again more info coming on the famous page dedicated not yet created !

A week and a half, and a new year will pass ! Guests on holiday in Sydney and entrust us with the house and the little garden, I successfully passed my learner permit on Tuesday 6 January and we find our future home the same afternoon : a Toyota Hilux Surf with tent roof. A turn to the mechanic, a history check of the car on the Internet (PPSR – 4$) and we are owners of a new home on wheels : Turbo Diesel Engine, barely 218 000 kilometers and its new tent that costs more 1000$.

There are some repairs to be above : The most urgent is the driver's window was broken by the Sydney police ! Blame a tense following a hostage taking and extra battery that emits regular beeps when discharged : not, it was not a bomb ! With Alex, the neighbor of our hosts, we find a specialized Toyota breaks (61-65 Westwood Drive, Ravenhall, VIC 3023) that we moved the same day to a glass 150$ instead of 300 first provided.

The following days are devoted to sorting business camping and tools sold with the car, cleaning and construction, after one lap Bunnings - equivalent Castorama – a wooden structure at the back for extra storage and the ability to sleep in if needed. The starting approach, we find a 3G promo key The Good Guys – so Darty - and some missing affairs Reject Shop - sort of Foirefouille.

Monday 12 we use our Christmas gift : visit Carlton Breweries, tasting at the end of the tour. 🙂

Photos of 4×4 are to come ! On the rear windshield is a shield with the letters T and S, I know some people around me would probably have recognized immediately but we ask the vendors meaning : Stade Toulousain ! Not being especially rugby fans and did not want to bother us to remove most sticker we called the Hilux : Travelling Spirit, minded traveler. 😀