New Year Falls Festival and Melbourne

  Melbourne, Australia
Wednesday, December 27, 2006

After no sleep-again stumbled outside Pirates where the shuttle bus came with 40mins before the flight and the driver had to jump 3 red lights,checked in red eyed clothes everywhere with 30mins to the flight and walked upstairs jumped straight on the plane!Touched down in Melbourne where Simon from Buxton/Bali had sorted my digs and met him at Southern Cross station and checked into Bev N Micks which was cold damp and dark crap after Pirates!Went over to Federation Square to watch the boxing day test on the big screen,still no sleep and feeling  like death when someone jumps on me.Turned round to see Si,Sonia Neve and Just and ended up going off to the pub to wake me up!Met Mazza and Ben from Freo too and went down to the coolest cushion chill out lounge where we all got shteamin then onto the Joint club,still no sleep in 2days and realised I had to find my way back to hostel where Id been once!

Walkin round lost eventually found it and got up next morning to meet Danny from the shark dive trip whod sorted us tickets out for the Ashes test at MCG.Met him and stood with the Barmy Army,wicked even though we got spanked still made more noise from 8000 english than 75000 Aussies-he was well guttted!MCG quality stadium though,95000 capacity and well worth going.Got up next morning to meet everyone at train station for train down to the festival and at 10am was all back on a box of red goon getting into the spirit and onto a bus along the ocean road past Torquay and onto Lorne where the festival was.

Bus driver wouldnt stop for us and all ill say is Son,neve and just got caught short-euwwww sorry drive!Got the free bus from Lorne,nice seaside resort town and got a decent spot behind the main stage pitched up and got the beer tokens in ready for the festivities!
Warmed up with some local aussie bands which were cool,but then it kicked off when Basement Jaxx hit the stage with the full line up,

Si on my shoulders everyone lovin it!Feelin rough next morning but nice weather so just chilled on grass watching main stage,met Danny again whod smuggled us 2 bottles of Bourbon in as not supposed to bring own beer,ended up in the mosh pit watching Eskimo Joe and Hilltop Hoods smashed with Si wearing his Pig mask that hed got from Joke shop freaking everyone out!

Last day new years,warming up with some mint bands,Michael franti awesome LA chap,John Butler Trio who r unbelievable and then the main event,Wolfmother!30000 people rammed couldnt move as they rocked the stage best live act ive seen,when Joker and the thief comes on thought our heads were gonna explode!

Missed 12 as overrun and count down was late but didnt care!Had to get out to beer tent,evryrone hugging people gotta be the best new years ever with live acts,30,000 people and 5 of us whod met up in Perth the coolest people,couldnt ask for more.

Had heard about this place called the village,so decided to have a look needing to chill out after Wolfmother,cant explain but ended up right in forest in this dreamland theyd set up with weird shows,Pocoro Pocoro and massive fake cows walking round spraying you with wee out their tails-just designed to do your head in we were all lookin round thinkin what the hells goin on!Stuck it for 2 hours working out where wed landed and went back to the tents scared!then the famous Ry and Si midget conversation(dont ask)and next thing were havin to pack up in the rain and q for buses in the mud feelin like death hardest thing ive done!Managed to get bus or wed be left stranded in field and trudged round Lorne looking for somewhere to crash but the place was rammed with people chargin stupid $'s for camping,so eventually hopped on a bus to Anglesea further long the great ocean road,ended up on a camp site with a jacuzzi,mint!
Neve and Mar left next day back for city but rest of us couldnt face going back to all those people and so carried on to Torquay and famous Bells Beach where Rip Curl Pro is held with everythin geared up for surfin.Crashed in the garden of backpackers in the tents as no room either,then Sonia has the best idea and call "Petes Wrecks" hire a toyota pulsar car $45 a day and all pile in to drive down Great Ocean Road.Best drive ever where the road hugs the coast all way along winding California style scenery and made all along to Port Campbell and the 12Apostles,where rocks are dotted along coastline.Walked down to beach really rough and cold but me Si and Just decide to run into sea and get battered like washing machines!Stopped in a real red neck town and pub at night and then camped in Irskine Falls on last night in Lorne where I walk into a massive spiders web in the dark going for a pee.Eventually made way back to Melbourne after the best new years week ever and to St Kilda,a place outside of the city on the beach with palm trees and smaller pubs etc away from the husslewhere Kirsty and Bev from Pirates were landing and met them in city before going to St Kilda next day and meeting up with gang again for Sunday session in the vineyard and a few Sat nights where goon was guilty again as Sonia fell over smashed her knees up and Kirsty ripped her jeans-all because of the goon.

Spent the next few weeks trying to get a job but with only commission and crap pay decided it wasnt gonna work and decided to make most of time here with everyone before moving on.Si moved into a smackpad above a pub for $90 a week with Mick and Just and Son got a flat share,after Bev and Kirsty moved back up to Darwin,the other Pirates gang joined us- Daz and Chris,Ashley and then Liz,Jens and Jonny after doing a road trip from Perth-(bringing Little Ry with them to pee me off!)Eventually moved to Cooee's b'packers as was better than the other dives and me chris daz jens jonny stopped for a week,went out their first night met Leyla a local in the cushion lounge who kept feeding me and Chris flavoured vodka back at her flat where her sisters brother kept prancing round in his liverpool kit before thinking itd be a good idea to take me to a club in the city at 7am!?rock and roll!
Saw that Kasabian where playing St Kilda after the Big Day Out and got tickets for $60 after Australia Day where we all went round Just and Son's flat getting wasted out back on goon in the sun before hitting the clubs then having nowhere to stop as everywhere was chocca after Oz day cos of the Aussie Open on in the city and after ringin every hostel had to go stay in a smackpad in thew city for 2nights.Went out for Jonnys last night playing pool in hotel b4 into city and the joint where got chatted up by some girl Kelly(and her husband!?)

Made my excuses after she showed us where we could see the footy at 5am and ended up with Hoppers bumbling round the city till 10am trying to find more bars!Daz and Chris brassic and so had to go off fruit picking pears for $5 an hour!After Mick had to fly home Si moved into Cooees after going under in his hostel and started bracing ourselves for fruit picking after the Kasabes gig!