A Love Letter to Melbourne from Dave Grohl and I

A few days ago Liam and I were walking down Carlise Street in Balaclava talking about music, when he asked me which band I’d like to see live. Without hesitating, The Foo Fighters was the first answer out of my mouth.

Long after the conversation ended I mulled over my answer. I’m not the biggest Foo Fighters fan (though I do remember singing along to Best of You a hundred times back when the MuchMusic Top 20 Countdown dominated the family television after school) but I have heaps of respect for the band, and front man Dave Grohl.

But even if you’re not a fan, you’re probably familiar with Everlong, a rock-ballad released in 1997 that went on to become one of the bands biggest hits. It’s a song that has everything: catchy cords, an undeniable guitar solo, beautiful lyrics, and a story about its incarnation, which some have attested to the bands survival and ultimate breakthrough.

There have been heaps of covers and versions of Everlong produced over the years: and there’s two in particular that I love.  

My second favourite version is from a live show the Foo Fighters played at Wembley Stadium in 2007. This version of the song starts slow, with Dave Grohl standing solo with his electric guitar and no backing band.

And I wonder when I sing along with you

If everything could ever feel this real forever

If anything could ever be this good again.

For the first four minutes, Grohl teases the audience, drawing out the cords on his guitar, and singing hauntingly slowly into the mic, as if daring the audience to skip ahead and sing the words back before he lets the music catch up.

When Grohl does finally reach the bridge before the last chorus, the audience is buzzing and reaching for him on their tip toes. I imagine everyone in that 90,000-person crowd was breathless in that moment and ready to shout the words back.

And I wonder when I sing along with you

If everything could ever feel this real forever

If anything could ever be this good again

At four minutes and twenty-three seconds, Grohl finally gives in and the audience gets what they want. They jump and shout and cheer and dance as the band joins in and the stadium explodes into a mess of noise. Watching it back ten years later, the moment still delivers.

So yeah, that’s my second favourite version of Everlong.

My favourite version happened last night.

Sitting in a dim bar, and sipping on $8 Guinness, I was only half-paying attention to the football game I’d tagged along to watch while a band set up in a small corner of The Elephant and Wheelbarrow in St. Kilda. Funny thing about this bar, is was actually one of the first places I went out in the city, joined by the two Brits who sat across from me now.

So much has changed since I arrived in Melbourne last September. And yet, so much has stayed the same.

I was thinking about this when the band started to play: “How about some Foos?” The guitarist said, before launching into the first few cords of Everlong.

This song has followed me through two decades of my life and across countless countries. I hope it stays with me as I set off on my next adventure in a couple short weeks. As the weather finally turns I’m chasing winter in the southern hemisphere. My next stop? Queenstown. I can’t wait to call New Zealand home.

But, a piece of me will remain in Melbourne. While the guitarist strummed along to Everlong and the crowd crooned off-key, I couldn’t help but feel like each strum was in tune with the pulse of the city: the vibrant, sprawling suburbs I’ve been lucky enough to call home.

I’ll miss Melbourne’s spirit, and its unquenchable desire for festivals centered around food. I’ll miss graffitied alleyways and poached eggs on toast in trendy Melbourne cafes. I’ll miss Chapel Street bars, and St. Kilda beach, and the view of the Yarra River from my office window. But most of all I’ll miss the people.

And I wonder when I sing along with you

If everything could ever feel this real forever

If anything could ever be this good again

Last night I felt the truth of these lyrics: and the daunting reality that the magic I’ve felt these past few months, may not be something I’m ever able to capture again.

So Amy, and Kent, and Ben, and Jo, and Clair, and Michael, and Marty, and Kristy, and Anja, and Lorna, and Conor, and Liam. Thank you for making Melbourne unforgettable. Know that whenever I hear Everlong from now on, I’ll be thinking of my time in Melbourne, with you.

Next stop: Queenstown, New Zealand...

Writer’s note: I am planning on continuing to blog the next leg of this travel journey, but the blog URL will change, as both the blog and my plans have extended beyond Toronto and Melbourne. I’ll let you know when I decide on a new name.

Torquay and the Great Ocean Road

Photo credit for some of the pictures in this update to the lovely Kristy Chown, who has a blog of her own: Oh She Travels.

Last weekend, in celebration of Liam's birthday, I rounded up nine of our closest friends and we spend two days camping in Torquay. The trip required some planning in advance: mostly when it came to the coordination of sleeping bags, tents, vehicles, and—most importantly—beer. But, after a flurry of messages exchanged in the days leading up to our arrival, we all turned up in Torquay (with gear and drinks in tow).

We arrived at Torquay foreshore caravan park a little after dinnertime on Friday, and, after setting up our tent city, the celebrations began.What followed was two days spent exploring the beach side town of Torquay, lounging on the famous Bell's Beach, many games of chess (all hail Marty, the ultimate chess champion) and flip cup. Our stay at the campground also included a challenging hop over a metal fence that we were all required to complete (in an ever-deteriorating state of sobriety) multiple times, as the weekend wore on.

Together, the eleven of us had a blast, despite the short bursts of rain, sunburns, and lack of camping chairs. It was a memorable weekend, one that definitely made us all want to find more time to escape the city as a group in the future.

Thanks to Amy, Kent, Marty, Conor, Lorna, Clair, Michael, Kristy, Ben, and (of course) Liam, for one of the best weekends yet in Australia. You are all wonderful people, and I feel so lucky to have met each one of you.

Sappy part over! Here are some photos from the festivities:

Tents all set up! If only we'd brought more than two chairs...

Group breakfast at a cafe in Torquay

Spent a gorgeous Saturday on Bell's Beach (a famous surf beach)

The girls soaking up the sun (minus, Clair who appears to be trying to hide from it)

Kristy and I enjoying time on the beach!

Beach views

The curving coastline...

Where the ocean meets the land...

On Sunday, after our friends returned to Melbourne (hungover and exhausted), Liam and I extended our trip and journeyed west along the Great Ocean Road, towards Port Campbell, in search of koalas, platypus, and sweeping coastal views. It was a beautiful drive, despite the periodic rainfalls, gusts of wind, and twisty coastal roads. I even gave driving on the left-hand-side of the road a shot to save Liam from having to do all the driving.

The entrance to the Great Ocean Road

It was very windy at the 12 Apostles lookout

The 12 Apostles (westward)

The 12 Apostles (eastward)

The Loch Arch Gorge in Port Campbell National Park

London Bridge in Port Campbell National Park

Posing by this natural cave, with a glimpse of the ocean in the background

Bay of Martyrs

Liam with a Liam-sized portion of chips

Safety first! About to embark on our platypus tour

Searching for platypus by canoe in the ever-serene Lake Elizabeth

All in all, it was a perfect three days. Even though it took me most of this week to recover from my exhaustion (and the pain of sleeping on the hard ground!) I can't wait to escape Melbourne again soon with good people, and unbelievable views.

Cheers,
Heather

Grampians National Park

Now that summer in Australia is in full swing, Liam and I decided to ditch he city for the mountains for the weekend and headed west to Grampians National Park. Armed with the bare essentials (a $15 tent from Big W, a Swiss Army Knife + first aid kit, a roll of toilet paper, our bathers, hiking shoes and enough sunscreen to drown a horse) we left Melbourne early Saturday morning and drove 3.5 hours north-west towards the Grampians.

The Grampians is a region in Victoria full of sandstone mountain ranges, which tower over Halls Gap, Lake Bellfield, and the surrounding tangle of gum trees a wild vegetation, which wallabies, lizards, deer, and (as we would later discover) wild ostriches emus, call home.

Without much of a plan, we reached the Grampians visitors centre by early afternoon on Saturday, and loaded up on trail maps and day trip itineraries. In the end, we managed to walk, hike, climb and swim our way through each other Grampians major draws, including: Pinnacle Lookout, Wonderland Track, the Grand Canyon, the Balconies, Boroka Lookout, MacKenzie Falls, Chatauqua Peak, and Lake Bellfield. We kept a running tally as we went, and figured we hiked nearly 18 kms during the two days we spent in the Grampians.

Despite not having much of a plan when we left Melbourne, we managed to stay at a free and non-reservable campground called Plantation, which was equipped with basic necessities including fire pits, and an awesome view of the starry sky and Milky Way when the sun finally set (giving us some much relief from the insensate Australian heat).

Here are some photos from our two days in the Grampians:

First hike of the day! On our way to Pinnacle Lookout via the Wonderland Track

The summit of The Pinnacles, looking north-eastward towards Halls Gap

At Pinnacle Lookout

MacKenzie Falls

MacKenzie Falls made for a refreshing place to take a dip after a hard day of hiking!

The view from The Balconies Lookout reminded me of Pride Rock from The Lion King!

The rock formation on the left is called the "Jaws of Death" and overlooks the southern part of Grampians National Park

Our $15 tent. Or, as Liam described it: "our prison" (because of the inability to stretch out inside)

The view from Chatauqua Peak was stunning and well worth the 2 km climb in the heat!

What do you get when you lug a backpack up a mountain in 38+ degree heat? A very sweaty back at the summit!

Still, the gorgeous view made the trek more than worth it

Wild emus spotted on the way back to Melbs! (Apologies for the terrible photo)

Tasmania: Discover the Possibilities

Last Tuesday, over $6 beers at our favourite local bar, Kent, Conor, Liam and I opened up a map of Tasmania and considered the Australian island-state with speculative eyes. On impulse, the boys had booked a flight to Launceston, the second largest city in Tassie, to depart Wednesday morning. After clearing it with my work, it didn’t take much (or really any) persuasion on their part, to convince me to fly down and join them a day later.

I caught a flight out of Tullamarine airport Thursday after work, landed in Tasmania a little after 8:00 pm, had the guys pick me up from the airport in a rented car, and then road shotgun, as Liam drove us eastward: towards the coast. We spotted 12 wallabies during our drive down dusty, winding roads that first night, and Liam dodged them all expertly.

Friday morning, we woke up to blistering heat, as Kent, Conor, and Liam nursed sunburns from their epic hike up Cradle Mountain, which they’d completed the day before. It turns out we got unbelievably lucky with the weather all weekend: Tasmania is typically colder than the rest of Australia, with summer highs usually settling between 17-23 degrees. By comparison, we enjoyed three days in the high 20’s and swam comfortably in the cool ocean waters each day of the trip. 

After breakfast at our hostel, we spent Friday morning exploring Mount William National Park and the Bay of Fires, before driving south to Coles Bay. Coles Bay was the part of the trip I was most excited for: neighbouring Freycinet National Park, the region is home to Wineglass Bay, one of the top ten beaches in the world. 

First up close wallaby sighting

The summit of Mount William

Bay of Fires

Bay of Fires

Standing at the edge of the Tasman Sea at the Bay of Fires

We stayed at a great hostel right in Coles Bay, which was reasonably priced and had everything we needed: including a beach, a bar, and a bottle shop within walking distance. I think our whole group agreed that the town of Coles Bay, though quaint, was one of our favourites. If you find yourself in that part of the world, be sure to check out the bakery on the main strip. Reasonably priced and full of fresh, homemade baked goods, it was a great find for breakfast Saturday morning.

The hike to Wineglass Bay is divided into two parts: a steep climb to the lookout, followed by an equally steep decent to the beach itself. During the first half, to the lookout, I was reminded of the hike I did in Norway in August to Pulpit Rock: the path was bursting full of tourists of all shape and size. Don’t get me wrong, it’s encouraging to see so many people taking time to connect with nature, but the crowds also take away from the sanctity of the place. I was pleased when, after our initial ascend to Wineglass Bay lookout, the crowds thinned and we made our way down to Wineglass Bay virtually alone. 

What does one expect from one of the best beaches in the world? That question was heavily debated amongst our group. Crystal clear water, surrounding mountain views and white, untouched sand? Wineglass Bay had it all. When we arrived after nearly an hour and a half of walking under the pulsing-hot Australian sun, the green-blue water and pearly-white sand beaconed to us, promising refreshing relief. 

Wineglass Bay from the lookout

Finally reaching the water after hiking down

The sand was the nicest I've ever stepped foot on!

The lack of road access keeps the crowds at bay

The guys contemplate a swim

Soaking in the views

 Quickly stripping down to our bathing suits and abandoning sweaty backpacks and empty water bottles in the sand, we raced into the ocean and welcomed the waters cool touch… that is, until we noticed the jellyfish. In the shallows, as the waves kissed the beach, dozens of jellies drifted aimlessly, carried by the current. I’d never seen jellyfish in the wild before (and certainly not in such numbers) so I found this display to be fascinating. Others, however, were slightly more discouraged. When a particularly large wave came crashing ashore, I swear Conor jumped three feet high to try and get out of the path of a drifting jelly. In the end we made it unscathed, avoiding jellyfish stings, but still managing to enjoy the crystal clear ocean waters.

The hike back to the carpark was a grueling 45-minute climb, combined with a swift descent. By this point our group was almost out of water, so we were motivated to make it back to the car before the sun could do its worst. Next stop: Bruny Island!

We pulled over to snap some photos along the scenic drive down the east coast

The drive along Tasmania’s east coast, past Hobart to Bruny Island was stunning: each twist and turn in the road revealed hidden coves and beaches, as the Tasman Sea hugged the wild coastline. We boarded the Bruny Island Ferry in the late-afternoon, and then drove 45 minutes around the eastside of the south part of the island to Adventure Bay, where we stayed for the night. Adventure Bay is ripe with wildlife, including platypus (which we unfortunately didn’t see), Echidna’s (which we did see), and wallabies (which were so plentiful they almost felt like pests).

On Sunday morning we took the advice of a local and hiked 6km trek to Fluted Cape, an aggressive climb to 272 metres above sea level, that rewards hikers with stunning views of Adventure Bay, dramatic cliff faces and the surrounding green-blue ocean. Between August — October you can see whales here, as they migrate past Adventure Bay in search of more temperate waters to birth their young. 

Conor at the top of Fluted Cape

Conor and Liam (standing a little close to the edge!)

Where the ocean meets the sky...

The water was crystal blue

Liam and I took a break during the hike down to build some tiny rock towers

After cooling off with a drip in the ocean, we made our way to Bruny Island’s main attraction: The Neck. Because of the way the island naturally formed, north and south Bruny are connected by just a thin strip of land, a couple kilometres long, that slices through the Tasman sea. Visitors who climb 240 stairs to The Neck lookout are greeted with a unique panoramic view. 

View from The Neck, Bruny Island, Tasmania

240 stairs lead to the lookout

Group shot!

Conor catching some z's in the back seat

 From the neck, we queued up and awaited the ferry that would take us back to the mainland, and onward to Hobart, Tasmania’s capital. Hobart is overlooked by Mount Wellington, a 1,200-metre-tall mountain, which you can access by car. As the sun began to set on our last day in Tassie, we made the windy-drive up Mount Wellington.

Although not the tallest peak in Tasmania (or even in the top ten) the view from Mount Wellington was worth the drive, as from the top you look down into the city of Hobart, and the surrounding harbour and waterways.

From the summit of Mount Wellington, looking down over Hobart

We were lucky it was a clear day and you could see so far...

 

It was chilly at the top! A jacket was required.

 The weekend marked my first trip outside of Victoria since I arrived in Australia in September, over four months ago. I think my growing love affair with Melbourne has been well cataloged on this blog, and yet, there was something comforting and familiar about packing up the bare essentials into a backpack, boarding a plane, and exploring somewhere new.

Cheers,
Heather