Leaving Taipei on February 2, I flew and flew, waited, then flew some more. After a long twelve hours, I finally reached Melbourne International Airport at noon on the 3rd. Woohoo—I had made it to Melbourne! I had not seen the city yet, but the moment my feet touched Australian soil, my Aussie adventure officially began!
我們一點心思都沒有放在這個墨爾本國際機場上，一下飛機，就開始填入境表然後急急忙忙的非常想要快點入境澳洲，連免稅商店一步都沒有踏。只是在這倉促中，光是環顧一下四周，可以強烈的發現…oh my god！這真的是個全英文(字)的環境呀！海關也都是阿豆仔呀！英文…英文…
[ 紅色大台的skybus，燈光藍藍的，好像很科幻的車 ]
終於出了境，從機場到墨爾本市區還有一段不短的路程，搭車約半小時，通常除非是有人來接機，不然最多人選擇的就是坐這個skybus的shuttle，當然人數夠也可以選擇坐計程車。我們雖然人多，但六個人也不是很好坐計程車，所以也選擇坐skybus到我們將要住的backpacker。
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| 接機：有認識或有關係的親朋好友在這並來接機，但也有可能是訂的sharehouse提供的服務、或是幫人從台灣帶東西做的交換，也有人會在網路上直接賣提供接機的服務。計程車：四個人一起來就可以考慮坐計程車，不過要看下車的地方在哪，如果比市區還近，坐計程車分攤就會比skybus便宜，不然價錢跟skybus差不多，但如果行李太多會很擠，坐起來不舒服。Skybus：專門從墨爾本國際機場到市區線的大巴士，在機場外就可以直接買票、等車，車的班次很多，單程16塊，Retune是26塊。到市區的Southern Cross Station後還可以換免費skybus的小巴士到你訂的Backpacker附近，幾乎市區的Backpacker都有。 Skybus網站：https://www.skybus.com.au/ |
[ skybus的車上有一大排的行李架 ]
[ 在Southern Cross Station換Hotel mini-bus ]
The connecting minibus to hotels and backpackers is free and does not require a booking. After taking the shuttle to Southern Cross Station, tell the desk which accommodation you need and they will give you the next departure time.
[ 從機場快到市區的沿路景色 ]
A city is a city: the roads were broad, but apartment blocks still filled the view. They were shorter than Taiwan’s buildings, and with wider roads and less traffic, the whole ride felt much more relaxed.
[ 前往人生第一間backpacker – Green House ]
下了轉程Hotel mini-bus後，前往在出發前就已經訂好的Backpacker當做我在墨爾本第一週的家(bus沒有直接送到門口，還要再走一小段路)。這可是我人生第一次當backpacker，當然！身為backpacker，一定要住一下backpacker嚕！這間GreenHouse是在背包客棧上不少人推薦不錯、乾淨，而且位置就在市中心，對於剛到的我們要辦澳客三大事必定會方便許多。因此GreenHouse就是我人生第一間Backpacker的初體驗啦！
[ 我住的Backpacker(背包客棧) – Green House ]
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| Green House 價錢：會隨淡旺季調價，二月算是旺季，當初一晚六人房是30元，一次訂七天一晚為27元。 地點：Level 6, 228 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 電話：+61 3 9639 6400 網站：https://www.friendlygroup.com.au/ 訂房：可直接網路訂房 https://www.friendlygroup.com.au/greenhouse-backpacker/book-now.html |
[ 一樓有旅遊資詢的櫃台Travel agent 也有很多免費資料可拿 ]
[ Backpacker房間真面目! ]
At GreenHouse, six- to eight-bed rooms cost the same, whether mixed or single-gender. When booking, you can request the room size and whether it is mixed, so another girl and I requested a female dorm. The six of us checked in together: we shared a six-bed female dorm, while the four men were assigned to a five-bed mixed room. Since they already filled four beds, one remaining man would make it a men’s room—but if a woman took it, things would get… awkward. XD
I forgot to photograph our room, so here is the men’s room instead (it was messy, so please bear with it XD). Our female room was larger, with wider aisles, but the beds looked the same and each had a lockable locker.
If this room makes you think you would rather not stay here… you may not be backpacker material, haha! After staying in several places, I actually found GreenHouse quite clean and decent. There are fancier options, of course, but they usually cost more.
[ 交誼廳、餐廳 ]
I did not specifically photograph the lounge—only the meals we shared—but it was spacious and comfortable, with free Wi-Fi. If you wanted, you could chat with people from other countries, make friends, and practise English. You could even run into Taiwanese travellers. GreenHouse seemed to have quite a few, probably because it was widely discussed on Backpackers.com; we met (or quietly overheard) plenty of compatriots.
[ 廚房]
There was a fridge and cupboard space for food, though the fridge was packed and required some careful Tetris. The gas stoves were extremely… retro XD. You had to turn the knob and light them with a lighter, so the knob only released the gas—and sometimes it still refused to light. If a pretty foreign girl cannot get it going, surely a gentleman should rush over to help!
We arrived in Melbourne at noon and were tired from the flight, so we only wandered nearby and bought dinner at the supermarket. Even that short walk revealed Melbourne’s artistic and cultural energy. It was beautiful!
[ 觀光馬車，超有古典歐洲氣息 ] [ 人行道上超大西洋棋，還有人在玩 ]
[ 墨爾本的特色-電車 ] [ 人行道上隨處可見的街頭藝人 ]
[ 歐式教堂~好古典！ ] [ 小巷子裡的房子和店也很特別 ]
Isn’t it gorgeous? I could not wait to explore every street and lane. I’ll introduce Melbourne properly after I’ve had a good look around the city.
From Taiwan to Melbourne Airport and finally into the city, I had officially set foot in Australia. Reaching this Australian city I had always wanted to visit was deeply satisfying. My Australian wandering had begun! Good luck to me!
