The High Country, and another Australian cultural experience

Like hut parties, country charity balls are another cultural Australian experience.

People come from miles around, in this case to a town that consisted only of a pub and a hall, to eat, drink, party, and camp. I'm starting to see that there seems to be a trend with these quintessential Australian cultural experiences. Can't say that I have any complaints! 

We embarked upon a really gorgeous road trip that took us into the High Country and over to New South Wales. One thing I've learned about Australians is that they really love to drive. They think nothing of driving hours just to get somewhere. I used to complain about the three hour drive from Houston to San Antonio. What a wuss.

There is literally one picture of the aforementioned ball. I'm afraid I was far too busy eating appetizers, enjoying rums, and dancing like a fool. It was hilarious seeing guys in tuxedos and girls in nice dresses out in the absolute middle of nowhere. It was not so hilarious sleeping in a swag [this is a genius invention that is pretty much a cross between a tent and a sleeping bag] in a nice dress, but at least it was a very comfortable swag.

Hut party- An Australian cultural experience

Ever heard of a hut party?

I hadn't until I met Will. As soon as I heard epic stories about these fantastical events, I knew I needed to experience one for myself. 

Basically, it is not uncommon for farms to have special little wooden huts that are used for parties. So everyone goes out to the hut, eats, drinks, dances around, then camps out. Just a simple country good time!

This particular hut party was quite an international event. There was me, our German housemate, Veri, a Spanish friend, Ane, and two British girls. I'd say we all felt sufficiently Australian afterward!

Perth

Will had to go to Perth for work a couple weeks ago, so I thought this was the perfect excuse to get a tan and bask in some warm weather. 

Mother Nature had some other ideas most of the time, but it was a nice, relaxing trip nonetheless! 

I paid a visit to the Perth Zoo one afternoon, the only person who wasn't there with a gaggle of kids.

Just a typical day hanging out in the stocks.

Let it be known that I had my first taste of Australian Tex-Mex while I was here. After a month without queso, fajitas, and margaritas, my heart was starting to die just a little. Good news, the queso was pretty damn tasty. Bad news, the margarita was not. But it quenched my craving at least!

Around Melbourne

Apologies for being the worst expat blogger on the planet.

I've been busy doing this and that, plus I found out that I start a job TOMORROW. Over are my days of leisure and wandering around the city [or bumming on the couch] whenever I feel like it. The horror!!

The Royal Botanic Garden has become one of my favorite places in the city. It's so lush and peaceful.

Rent bikes are available all over the CBD. I've decided that you have to be a really brave person to regularly ride a bike in a busy city center.

This is our household. We are pretty fun. For example, this was a random Wednesday night that somehow got a little out of hand.

In Texas, everyone heads to Whataburger or Taco Cabana [or any other fast food Tex-Mex] after a night out. In Australia, it's all about the kebabs. And ohhhh my gosh....they are top notch.

And as a bonus, here I am with a sheep friend.

Elsewhere on the interwebs

Check out this blog post I did for the website ExpatBriefing.com!

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Melbourne vs Houston: Some observations thusfar

Drinking

Houston- Happy hour means things like $3 margaritas, all specialty drinks half off, $5 appetizers, etc. Drinks should rarely be over $10 unless you're at a "fancy" place like Anvil or an upscale restaurant.

Melbourne- To put it mildly, it's outrageously expensive. We went to a happy hour that proudly 

advertised cocktails for only $13. At least this was $5 off of the normal $18. Yes, you see that price correctly. So basically, pre-gaming is huge here.

This was $16, but hey, there's a syringe! 

Restaurants

Houston- Reasonably priced unless at an upscale place or hip new place that decides to be obviously overpriced. Big variety of restaurants and incredibly international.

Melbourne- At least there's no tax or tipping! As for variety...HUGE. There is every kind of Asian restaurant you can imagine, all within less than a mile radius of me. I've never seen so many different types of foods. Basically I am in heaven. Still skeptical about trying the Tex-Mex places though.

Sports

Houston- I hate football. Everyone knows this. I'd rather go to work than watch  Texans game.

Melbourne- Footy! Sorry, America, footy is about 700 million times better than football. It's fast, there are no timeouts, and meat pies are the concession of choice. Also, the men parade around in short shorts and wear no helmets or bulky padding.

People

Both very similar in this respect, but I almost want to say Melbourners are even friendlier. Plus their accents win.

Transportation

Houston- If your car breaks down, you're screwed. Complete dependence on a vehicle and driving long distances across monstrous freeways is the norm.

Melbourne- If I don't have a perfectly toned butt and legs after all this, there is seriously something wrong with me. All I do is walk, and it's pretty excellent. Example: today I walked down the street carrying the world's most gigantic baguette, and I felt so city-like! 

All this being said, I loved  Houston and I love Melbourne. The city is vibrant, diverse, beautiful, and easy to get around. The beaches are as close as minutes away, and rolling hills and farmland less than an hour out. As hard as it was to pick up and leave my life as I knew it, it's pretty amazing being in a place that's so different. I think it's incredibly important to experience new things and places, so I'm really trying to embrace this new place and life without too much comparison. 

The bay that I misjudged

So a friend informed me that the bay Melbourne is on is actually really huge and pretty, but I just happened to go to a dodgy bit of it on my first try. 

I hereby take back what I said about the bay!

Will and I took a nice drive south of the city to what is called the Mornington Peninsula, which has lots of cute beach towns and very pretty beaches. The weather has been nice [though now it's spitting rain], so it was the perfect day for beach strolls and fish & chips!

That's the city wayyy back there.