So as you know, I recently travelled to Melbourne for a Supernatural convention, “All Hell Breaks Loose”. I’ve written about every activity we did, every place we went to, every experience we had. But this wasn’t the first time I’ve been to Melbourne, and it definitely won’t be the last. This post will be a little different from my last. See I usually write a few days after I’ve visited somewhere because the experiences are fresh in my memory and easier to explain every detail of my trip. But I can’t do that with this. What I’m writing now will be about my experiences in Melbourne when I went for schoolies with my two best friends; my second family. This was a couple of years ago so the detail won’t be as pristine as I try to make my other posts. However I still want to share as much as possible, so here I go.
Now I say “schoolies”, but what we did in Melbourne wasn’t the same “get as drunk as we can and do whatever we want wherever we want without any regard for those around us” kind of trip. We respected where we were and what we were seeing. We aren’t the teenagers who are stereotyped in every TV show and movie, who go to parties and clubs every single night and sneak out of the house to do whatever. Most of the kids from my school aren’t like that. Most of the kids I know aren’t like that. But nevertheless, this was just a holiday to celebrate surviving senior year and making it to the end of our high school lives. A trip to celebrate becoming adults in a new world. An experience to better understand ourselves as free people of our own creation.
We weren’t initially going to Melbourne for schoolies. We were actually going to go to Hamilton Island (a very big switch up I know). But I’m actually really glad one of my friends suggested changing our destinations. There were so many things to see and do in Melbourne. As someone who thought they would hate the busy, crowded city, I actually really enjoyed it. The food, the places, the sights. Everything was amazing. It really showed that you don’t have to go far to experience a fantastic holiday.
We got to see a lot of great attractions and have some of the best experiences of our lives. We were able to watch the city from the Melbourne Skydeck, 300 metres off the ground. We walked along ACDC lane to see the amazing street art and became mesmerised by the stunning architecture of Melbourne State Library. We got to be at home among the fish, sharks and penguins at Sea Life Aquarium, probably one of my favourite attractions of the whole trip. My camera roll can definitely attest to that. We dressed up all nice to visit Crown Casino and see what it was like to be an adult for once. And we probably spent a little, or a lot, too much money at the Queen Victoria Markets and Chadstone Shopping Centre. The people we met along the way were just as special as the experiences. Like the elderly man we saw at Crown Casino, who was giving us every tip and life lesson he learnt along his journey. “And remember kids, always brush with Colgate!”
The experiences I shared with my friends in Melbourne truly were what made the trip spectacular. Now it was just the three of us, but it was probably the best holiday I’ve had so far. Even just spending time in the hotel were some of the best memories I have of the trip. Being weirdos in our hotel room. Failing at table tennis. Lazing in the pool. My friends and I still laugh about the time one of them had to drag me out of the pool while I was blanking out from a seizure (petit mal, or the non-shaky ones), while the other one was oblivious enjoying the steam room. Yes, my friends and I find humour in our hardships. These are some of the memories I want to cling to most from the trip. They’re so simple, but we were so happy. We didn’t have anything to worry about. We were just being ourselves.
Melbourne also has the best food I’ve had anywhere else. Now I like food. I like to cook, I like to go out, and I definitely like to eat. Melbourne offered so much variety and culture in their food, we weren’t bored with any place we went to. Something people don’t appreciate either is the presentation. These chefs and baristas put so much effort into making their dishes, and making them look good. Every place we went to we were just immersed in the experience of what we were eating and drinking, especially of other cultures apart from our own. One of the Korean barbeque restaurants was the best we’ve ever tried. And the coffee we had from every café there was everything we needed, for the flavour and the caffeine. If you’re a food blogger, you need to go to Melbourne.
Just being able to hang out with my friends away from family problems, school pressure, work stress and every other teenage issue was honestly the best thing from the trip. We finally got to experience what life would be like when we make something of ourselves outside of everything that has been put on us. We can choose our own family and the people we hang around. Trust me, holidays with your friends just hits different. It’s something you can’t even imagine until you experience it for yourself.
All photos in this post were taken by me and my friends.
The Travel Journal 
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