We get out of our “budget” (budget is a rather generous way of describing it) hotel early – literally just a little room with a bed in it and some mighty thin walls ????

Head to Little Oberon coffee shop to boost our morning with a pastry and coffees ????????

Beginning our ride to Melbourne – a pretty painless drive for a couple of hours minus a few closed roads and some off roading “detours” to get around them

We finally enter Melbourne – 20 mins later we are still driving in the suburbs – it’s rather sizeable, this city!

Getting close to the centre – the car drop off in the bloody centre! Madness

The roads here are mental and Google Maps just cannot handle it… we get close very, then end up over a bridge going totally the wrong way

Trying to escape, the exit we need doesn’t exist, we then end up on a motorway out of town needing to spin around and get a bridge back, then we try to take a left that doesn’t exist, then we finally make it…

Nope! This is just the office – not the drop off point… thankfully we just have to get back into the unforgiving traffic for 2 mins and into a multi-story… only 1.5 hours late ????

Note: never drive in Melbourne!!

Thankfully the drop off Sixt lady was lovely and friendly, sorted it all out so no late fees as well as giving us directions to the nearest pub and we take our many many many bags to it – we seem to have accumulated some stuff!!

Refreshed, we head to the hotel – no contactless here, you have to buy a myki card (for 6 bucks!) and then top it up

Tap it to get through the barriers and get a train – 45 mins and a 15 minute walk in the 32° sun and we are at our Ibis Budget Fawkner

Boring stuff of getting a load of laundry done before we head out to Brunswick

Round the corner, from the train station, is the Cornish Arms that supplies us with some much needed beer (though it’s pricy!)

They have a nice little beer garden packed with people – and Taco Tuesdays

We obviously stay for the margaritas and tacos, and more beer

In typical Aussie style the place closes before 10, but they have a rooftop bar so we head there – gorgeous views!

Rooftop closes about 11 and we head back with a bit of a wait for the train