Farewell Melbourne: A Photo Set

Hey, Long time without a post. The last while since Wilson's Prom National park has seen me pretty busy with work, friends, bike polo, and bouncing around this big city of Melbourne. Last few nights have been a good few party nights with my friend Robs Birthday, farewell drinks with some fellow Canadian Ex-Pats at the Terminus Hotel, and a little bender yesterday at polo which I was able to swing back and forth from polo to the Melbourne Beerfest.


As most of you know I will be taking a brief couple months to do some farm work and play in the Australasian Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships in Sydney. I will be tomorrow heading up to Myrtleford, Victoria to begin the Hop harvest and get one month of the required three months of farm work needed to extend my Visa. 


Anyways, thanks for everything Melbourne, and Ill be back soon! Here is a brief photo set of pictures from the last few months.

 

W

Wilsons Promontory National Park

On Thursday after hearing I would not be working until the following week I, on a whim, packed my bag in preparation for some much needed time in the outdoors. 

After two months of stressful job hunting and worrying about when the cash flow would start coming in, I accumulated a great deal of stress and unease. This stress is only compounded by the other noise and static that you are bombarded by when living in a big city. So I needed a little respite, the best kind I have. 

So, on Friday morning I set out for some backpacking and to explore this new home country. Wilsons Promontory National Park had been on my radar for quite some time after some recommendations from friends and some research peaked my interest.

I left Southern Cross Station in Melbourne on a V-Line bus bound for Foster in South Gippsland. From there I hitchhiked into the park and began my journey at the Telegraph Saddle car park (only accessible by shuttle bus). My first day of hiking was a steady decline along a gravel road into the valley that separates the Wilson Ranges and Boulder Ranges to the south. Along the way to my destination at Roaring Meg campground I witnessed a number of beautiful cockatoos, lizards and a friendly little fox whose curiosity had him following me for around 2 km. 

The entire track from Telegraph Saddle to Roaring Meg and through to the historic light station, follows the old telegraph line that stretches through the park. Built in 1860 the telegraph line was operated by the workers and families to communicate via Morse Code to Yanakie and request supplies that were later delivered by boat. From the onset, the line was riddled with problems due to the rugged terrain, and the link was severed on the first day by a felled tree. 

I settled at Roaring Meg for the night and prepared to set out early to the light station and onward to Waterloo Bay. Over the night the high winds whipping over the forest canopy above really proved that the campgrounds name was appropriate! It was a loud night, but none the less I slept well.

The next day was grueling, 17 km of rugged coastal trail. But this was not without spectacular views along the way, and a few rock wallabies and lizards! Along the way is also a stop at the historic Wilsons Prom Light Station, which was really neat to stumble into this little jewel of civilization while being so secluded.

The Light Station was built over the course of 17 years with the use of convict labor and put into operation in 1859. Back in the day the cape in which it stands was home to the workers and families and even had its own school house. During the onset of WWII the light station was home to a top secret RAAF Radar station and barracks. The barracks housed 36 RAAF personnel including radar operators, mechanics, guards, and cooks. Again a really neat piece of history tucked away.

*A note to prospective prom hikers, the light station has potable water, so bring your bottles.

After an amazing hike through the high hills above the sea and a spectacular decent into Waterloo Bay I set up camp at Little Waterloo Bay and took a walk on the beach and around on one of the rocky points for some photos. The campsite was busy but very nice, and I was whisked off to sleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach near by. 

The last day was an 12km hike from Little Waterloo to Telegraph Saddle Car park. It was a way better walk then I thought it would be, with sweeping views away to both sides of the valley and to the ocean bounding the park on both sides. The panoramic at the top is of the highest point on that trail and you could at that point see ocean on both sides. Along the walk I made friends with three guys that were out for a similar hike and they ended up giving me a ride all the way back to Melbourne!

Whether it is the satisfaction of accomplishing a trek, standing on the top of a mountain, meeting great people along the way, or just the serene views and uninterrupted silence of nature, it all unwinds me and resets me. This experience was no different, I came back a new person. Next up maybe Wilsons Prom again, or perhaps the Grampians or Dandenong Ranges?

Stay tuned,

W

Melbourne; Pic's of the Day

On my Instagram feed I have been updateing frequently with a set of photos that are my "#Melbourne Pick's of the Day". I have not upheld the picture a day but it is pretty well close, and you can follow me at http://instagram.com/lyle_lanley#.

Here is Melbourne thus far, from the eye of my iPhone. 

Albums of the Year, 2013

I know this is venturing a little away from my traditional travel blog content. But I dont really feel like 'My' year is begining or ending. Why? well I went through some big changes in my life back a year and a bit ago in September as well as this September. So I see this as a sort of year to year point in which I look back over my last year, see my Best of Photo post back in September of this year. 

 Anyways, here is my favorite Albums of 2013 as I love music, I love listening to if and no surprises here. I love Atmospheric Black Metal. But there are a few other gems as well laced in the top ten I have listed. Sit Back, and enjoy a song or to will you!!

10-Fell Voices - Regnum Saturni

9-Barn Owl - V

8-Intronaut - Habitual Levitations

7-Njiqahdda - Serpents In The Sky

6-Year of No Light - Tocsin

5-Seven Sisters of Sleep - Opium Morals

4-Altar of Plagues - Teethed, Glory and Injury

3-Deafheaven - Sunbather

2-Cult of Luna - Vertikal

1-AshBorer - Bloodlands

Merry Christmas

It's a hot and Merry Christmas down under, and I am spending the day with a few Canadians and other travel orphans. We are all in a food coma after a lunch of pork, pork crackling, turkey, vegan kabobs, all the veggies, potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding. 

We are now working off the food coma and preparing to head to Sandringham beach, for a truly authentic Aussie Christmas. 

I write this post to reach out and say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. I have met many people along my travels, some will read this, some will not but I hope it reaches most of you.

Merry Polo Christmas to all those in my home town at Mallets of Mayhem, Saskatoon bike polo, EAST VAN(miss you all so much), Seattle BP, Everett homies, Portland, my Corvalis homies, Sacramento(lots of thanks to Dead Dog, Tsunami, and Christine), San Fran, LA Bike Polo, No Manor!, and Las Vegas... All the homies in anchorage and everywhere else that made my travels this year so memorable. 

Love you all and enjoy the festive season! 

 

W

Melbourne; Settling in Down Under

24,100km

 Hey Y'all! Long time no post, but I have been busy settling down to life min Melbourne Australia. Spending my days applying for jobs, playing polo, hanging with new friends, and biking... a lot. 

When I first arrived in Melbourne I was fortunate enough to be put up with a few folks of Melbourne bike polo, which after loosing my wallet in Los Angeles I needed some time to get some stuff sorted out. Once I sorted out some important things, a nice home in the suburb of Ascot Vale sort of just fell into my hands with some friends of friends. 

A few weeks ago was Melbourne Bike Polo's Christmas Tournament and it was a blast with folks coming to play from Sydney, Perth, and New Zealand. Our team, 'Commonweath Shames' placed 5th.

Anyways, Since then I have found a few jobs, a couple of bartending positions at craft beer-centric bars and one at Tru Bru in South Yarra which is a sort of growler refill station with 20 taps of craft beer to choose from.

Now that I am working I am doubtful I will be getting out of the city anytime soon but I do hope to head out to the Mornington Peninsula, Wilson's Prom, or the Great ocean road in the new year. Soon I will have a post with my photos of Melbourne from the last month. Cheers.


W

Fiji: Viti Levu

20,240 km

On my last full day in Fiji I decided to take the relatively long journey half way around the island of Viti Levu from Nadi to Suva. Suva is Fiji's capitol and second largest city with a population of around 175,000. It certainly had that 'big city' feel that I don't think you really experience in Nadi.

I began my day with a really awesome open air local bus ride from my Couchsurfing hosts home to the center of Nadi, where I then boarded a bus to Suva for the picturesque journey, but don't be a trooper, go on an air-conditioned bus. The ride is around 4 hours depending on construction, animals on the road, stops in small ocean side towns and a return ticket will cost about $35 FJD(about $20 CAD). 

 
It is a ride though a landscape of rolling hills and farms and then transforms about half way into lush tropical rainforest. Have your camera ready and especially when nearing Suva for pictures of the downtown skyline and a really picturesque high cone peak in the distance. The mountains really made me yearn to hike them, but for the rainforest and lack of trails.

Once in Suva near the bus station you will notice a lot of open air markets, food stalls, fresh juice vendors, and a whole lot of hustle bustle. I immediately set out to find some unique buildings and to achieve my prime objective: see the parliament buildings, which turned out to be a little to far. I found a great deal of old British colonial and catholic inspired architecture along my walk through town. I also watched a little bit of rugby and ate some really great curries along the way... pretty authentic Fiji I think.

Along the way through downtown you will see it all, vendors on sidewalks, low budget clothing stores, gift shops laden with cheep Chinese nicknacks, and a lot of kind men out for a chat with a westerner... Be wary as nice and easy to talk to as Fijians are there are still those out to make a quick buck. At first you will be approached and made into light conversation usually, "Hello! Where are you from?" and eventually leading to them inviting you into a shop to by something... or, I assume because I was a young backpacker, I was offered drugs and wristwatches as well. Rule of thumb, you can just say goodbye at any point if your not interested.

 

Anyways, the architecture was unique and something I have never really experienced before. A pretty grand church, colonial architecture, some government buildings(that looked rather oppressive), and some other cool buildings. At the end of my time in Suva, I hit up the Suva Municipal Market near the bus station for some fresh fruit and then hopped back on the bus.

Although I did not quite make it to the Parliament and the Presidential Palace due to time constraints, I did see some cool stuff and it was a great way to spend the day. 

W