Day 85 - Friday 29th March 2024 (Good Friday)

Probably a really short update today.

Awake at 05:30 with cramp in my calf (not the first time this trip, but it'll still wake me up in a hurry!), I repacked my stuff as I have a load of clean laundry now, and got ready for departure. Breakfast taken at just after 07:30, and checked out and on the road at 10:00.

I backtracked a bit along the road to Myrtleford, then turned left and started exploring new ground. I knew that I needed to get fuel today, but misjudged it a bit as I passed some small town filling stations and then hit the motorway. So, I ended up paying a bit more than if I'd have pulled over 20 minutes previously, but still far cheaper than New Zealand.

Along the M31 all the way to Melbourne; I set the cruise control to 110, and if a car was in front of me it automatically slowed down until I pulled out to pass; it's a step up from the cruise control I have at home and I kind of like it. A couple of stops en-route for a leg stretch before joining the city traffic on the motorway as I approached Melbourne.

The traffic of Melbourne was a bit of a shock to the system after months away from city traffic; on the bright side, I leave the car parked until Tuesday morning now, then when I'm away from the city that'll be it for cities for a while. Sat Nav bought me to the car park next door to the Rendezvous Hotel with only one wrong turn on my part (it said turn right so I did ..... it meant another 50 metres further on!), and I was checked in just after 15:00.

I'm right in the centre of Melbourne, just across the road from Flinders Street Station and within walking distance of the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). I have family in Melbourne, my cousin Pam, and she has suggested an AFL game for this evening .... it feels a bit rushed for today, but there is a game tomorrow at the Marvel Stadium, and on Sunday at the MCG, so that feels like a double win .... the MCG is a ground that I've always wanted to visit, and if it cannot be cricket then Aussie Rules is the next best thing.

So, I have three days here and not much planned. It's the Easter weekend, which probably explains why I struggled to book anything for these few days. Still, who knows what I'll find; let's hope Google or some of those vlogs I like can come up with something good .... I know one vlog I can revisit for Melbourne!

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