Swimming in the Murray River

Exploration has begun.

Beyond than the banalities of activating our bank account, registering at the medical centre and investigating the purchase of Australian sim cards at Telstra, we have made discoveries around Albury.

Friends had recommended a local church to check out on Sunday morning. The meeting took place in the main hall of a high school and we were given a thoroughly warm welcome, which extended to a lunch invitation. The meal was a picnic to the east of town at Lake Hume Village [probably worth keeping Google Maps open during all blog readings], next to the impressive Hume Weir. Among the food on offer was a whole hot chook (chicken) - good purchase. As per usual, the sun was beating down with some intensity, although we have now learned to apply sunscreen even when driving, as the rays can burn you through the glass. Later in the afternoon, we reconvened with a few members of the group for a swim in the Murray River at Mungabareena Island. The water is fairly rapid so we used sausage-shaped floats known as woggles/noodles to keep our heads above water. One lap was enough for me - hidden tree stumps and the mysterious squelchiness walking up the return bank made sure of that. Fish have rivers and we have swimming pools. I will continue to abide by those boundaries.

Every time we open the front door in daylight hours, we are greeted by the sound of a hundred pneumatic drills. Up in the trees are creatures called cicadas, who seemingly live to make noise. Imagine our harmless crickets - but on steroids. You're halfway there. Go to their Wikipedia page and you can listen to a recording of their racket.

Tennis has dominated the sporting agenda since we landed Down Under, with the Aussie media lending typically strong backing to their home hopes at the Australian Open. For a fortnight, Sam Stosur, Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt push the cricketers off the back page, although as I write this, Hewitt - the last Aussie left in - looks to be on his way out against Novak Djokovic. Matches go on well beyond 11pm most nights, so we've been pretty late to bed more often than not. I couldn't quite keep myself awake to follow the weekend's football back in England (the majority of games start at 2am our time) but I have found a brilliant website which shows the highlights, as they appear on Match of the Day. I knew I would miss watching football live - both going to games and watching on TV - but I can stay up to date fairly effectively. Twitter coverage of the trial involving Spurs manager Harry Redknapp will also command my attention over the next two weeks.

The house is starting to look more like a home, thanks in part to the number of our photos plastered to the front of the fridge-freezer. The largest exhibit is a 2012 calendar featuring the smiling face of our nephew Haydn (top left), who has played an enthusiastic part in several Skype calls since our arrival. It is brilliant to have such an array of friendly faces surveying the kitchen. We would have even more, but the camera we carried around with us before Christmas has been stolen, along with approximately 80 pictures. Therefore, we are on the hunt for replacement snaps and you can help by posting or emailing some of you. The aim is to cover the whole fridge, so get sending... I'll give a progress report further down the line.

THINGS I HAVE LEARNT ABOUT AUSTRALIAN FOOD

*Peppers are called capsicums
*Vegemite is nothing like, and far inferior to, Marmite. It looks like chocolate spread.
*Weet-Bix is the 'breakfast of champions'
*Sweetcorn is called corn kernels

Welcome to our new home

From the Murray brothers to the Murray river. Two days ago, we were swamped by tennis fans at the Australian Open in the heart of Melbourne, and now we sit on the veranda at our new house in rural Albury, just across the New South Wales border. Without wishing to over-play the weather card, the heat is even more intense here, cranking up to 37C at times, which means it is just too hot for us to be out of the shade, even with sunblock on. The supermarkets have erected tent-like shelters to keep the sun off your cars, something Tesco will never have to worry about.

We travelled up here in the car with Rob & Jan, leaving Melbourne at 9am on Friday. I imagined the journey to be effectively one straight sun-baked road, passing little more than trees and scorched grass on either side - and I was right. Door to door, the trip takes about four hours and once you emerge from the Melbourne suburbs, there is little to see. In service station news, we stopped near Wangaratta and ate at McDonald's, which featured the Oz Burger (with beetroot instead of gherkin) and a terrific array of cakes in the McCafe.

Two of Rachel's new colleagues, friends of our exchange partner Kath, gave us a quickfire tour of the house when we arrived. Like most houses in Australia, it's all on one floor, although I'm not sure the term 'bungalow' is one they use. Perhaps someone can enlighten me. It's a good size and I think we will enjoy living here. There is a hanging windchime out on the veranda which reminds me of the Mel Gibson film 'Signs'. We are more at risk from spiders than aliens here, but it still sounds spooky. Although this is more of an audio feature, I have included a picture which shows the chimes and our back yard.

The car will stay in the garage as much as possible to keep it out of the sun. It's an automatic - as are the majority over here - so it took a little bit of getting used to, but I reckon I've cracked it now. We drove into town to sort out our Medicare (a bit like the NHS). It was more like a post office than a doctors' surgery but the lady behind the counter seemed satisfied with our documents and we ended up having a conversation aboout playing Battleships in Maths lessons.

For all the previous blog entries, we've been in holiday mode. Our time in Singapore and Melbourne was super-relaxed and it was a treat to visit the places we did. However, when we arrived at the front door in Albury for the first time, it was like crashing into a wall of reality, realising that we aren't hopping back on a plane to show off our tans, we are here to live, to do every-day stuff thousands of miles from home. Don't get me wrong, we are blessed to have landed a house like this and to have the sun shining down every day. But most of our friends are on the other side of the world and we are outsiders here, just finding our way.

Therefore, every time someone calls us on Skype, comments on the blog, sends us a message, it reminds us we are not doing this on our own. This is a big adventure for us, we will continue to keep you posted via the blog and we want this to be a two-way thing, to hear your news.

When we are watching Andy Murray in the tennis on Saturday evening, you'll probably be waking up to start your weekend. Send us your breakfast news. I had sausage, eggs and toast this morning, while Rachel opted for the eclectic mix of cream cheese, cucumber and sweet chilli sauce on toast. Strewth.

Picture special: Tervets at the Australian Open

Thursday was our last day in Melbourne before heading to our new home in Albury. With one of the four tennis majors on our doorstep (or at least, less than 15 stops on the train), how could we not get involved? Andy Murray and his brother Jamie were both in action, so we packed the Union Jack and some sandwiches. Rather than rattle off the details of our day in the sun, I've included a selection of pictures from Melbourne Park. Enjoy...

Jamie Murray on his way out of the doubles on Court 15

The away end

Daniela Hantuchova (second left) also featured in the doubles

Good arena, poor tennis. Ladies singles on Court 2

Australian equivalent of Henman Hill

Andy Murray (right) on his way to a straights-set victory over Edouard Roger-Vasselin in Hisense Arena. The Frenchman was a slippery customer.

We both blagged free tickets for the Murray match. Below, a selection of other tennis punters...


And to finish, the post-match. Job well done, Andy.

The magic of Phillip Island

Having explored the centre of Melbourne, we headed south in the car to take in the fascinating sights of Phillip Island. One of Australia's quirks is the appearance of several English place names and, mirroring the Isle of Wight, Phillip houses Ventnor and Cowes. Before crossing the bridge from the mainland, we stopped at a bakery in San Remo - notable for a coffee that took an age to make, plus good pies and desserts from a menu which boasted far more options than were actually on offer. Standard practice out in the sticks, we were told.

Rob's geographical knowledge and map-reading is immense. As I type this, I have the Greater Melbourne Street Directory in front of me to ensure an accurate recollection of our stay on the island. We swung off the main road to visit a surf beach at Cape Woolamai. These are quieter than bay beaches, due to the strong rip currents, but they do attract the surfers - as the name suggests. We slapped on the sun cream and walked along the firm sand which was crying out for beach cricket. Beautiful location, comparable to the Witterings back home.

Prior to flying Down Under, I knew Phillip Island only for its motor circuit, having reported on Kent riders Shane Byrne and Leon Camier racing there in the World Superbike Championship. A few minutes in the car along the Back Beach Road and we were there. Rachel and I paid for tokens to gain access to the motor museum and the viewing area for the track. Quite a stunning setting, with the Southern Loop and Siberia bends only a stone's throw (or a 'coo-ee' in Aussie slang) from the ocean. It was tranquil, so different from the roar of race day. Two riders, Jonathan Rea and Hiroshi Aoyama, were there testing and we heard them from inside the cafe, although we didn't see them out and about.

From fearsome machines to awesome wild animals. We embarked on a hunt for koalas in the Oswin Roberts reserve, north-east of the circuit, but what we did stumble across was even more exciting. Wallabies bouncing through the bush stopped dead in the tracks to stare us out, probably because one of their young was having a wander in search of food. Special experience.

The overriding purpose of our visit to Phillip Island was to see penguins. Yes, penguins. There is a small stretch of beach on the western tip of the island where hundreds of Small Penguins emerge from the waves every night, toddle up the sand and make their way into burrows where their chicks are waiting to be fed. Imagine Land's End but with much more than a signpost. We wrapped up warm, took our place in the stands at the water's edge and waited. Almost on cue, the 30cm-high black-and-white figures began to wash up on the shore. Through the gloom, it was pretty magical, even more so when the penguins nervously edged their way towards the car park, under the wooden walkways and into the maze of burrows. We stood within two feet of some of them as they waddled home, with bellies full of fish. I felt like David Attenborough without the HD cameras. The signs on the way out said 'check under your cars for penguins' - definitely not seen those in the Highway Code. We couldn't take photos on the night but do check out www.penguins.org.au to see what we did. Easy to understand why people travel halfway round the world to watch the Penguin Parade.

G'day Melbourne

We're in actual Australia. Still takes a bit of getting used to, although I'm already feeling at home in a nation of sports fanatics, in glorious summer weather. We are staying in Melbourne, with Rob & Jan Bell (friends of Rachel's parents), for a couple of nights until heading up to our new home in Albury at the end of this week. It was brilliant to be met at the airport by Rob and Jan, two of the friendliest people I've ever come across. They are great tour guides and even better hosts. Here we are pictured with them at the top of the tallest building in Melbourne. But more of that later...

Our last day in Singapore started with a ride on the Singapore Flyer, their version of the London Eye. As it was Monday morning, most people were at work/school so the wheel was fairly quiet and we were in a pod with five other people. The sky was clear and the views were great, although with little knowledge of the landmarks, it didn't have quite the same resonance as the historic London skyline. You can see the Formula 1 straight (left), which they've flooded for dragon boat racing.

Rachel had booked afternoon tea at Raffles Hotel, which was a real treat. The hotel itself stands out from the rest of those in Singapore because it isn't high-rise or shiny, but it exudes class and offers a taste of England in the heart of the Far East. Every table in the restaurant was fully booked, which always suggests you're onto a winner. On our table was a stand full of sandwiches and cakes and we also had the run of a spectacular buffet table at the other end of the room. The food and service were superb, everything I expected and more. The reason so many people had recommended Raffles was because it's a brilliant place. If you do visit Singapore, get involved.

Having dressed up to visit Raffles, it was nice to get showered and changed back at the hotel. We took a taxi to the airport, having thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Singapore. As we sat in the departures lounge, we could hear plenty of Australian voices around us and not many British. It suddenly became pretty real that we were far from home and heading even further away. I had been told, on Twitter, to check out the koi pond and we found it, a peaceful corner of the airport.

We took off at 12.45am and were fed an evening meal at 1.30am, or 5.35 Australia time. It was all a bit odd but that's areoplanes for you. We had concerns about the tightness of security at Melbourne airport, having emptied our bags of any food or drink we still had knocking about. However, we had no problems at all getting through immigration, despite the insulin cartridges and boxes of needles in my hand luggage.

Rob and Jan took us into Melbourne city centre by train in the evening. We headed for the Eureka Skydeck, a 300-metre high building with a viewing platform on the 88th floor. We rocketed up to the top and got spectacular views for miles around. My eyes were drawn immediately to the sports venues, most of which were within a stone's throw of each other. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is just across the train tracks from Melbourne Park, where the Australian Open tennis is taking place as I write this [edit: and the circuit for the Australian Grand Prix]. We could see big crowds on several of the outside courts, so it made for a great spectacle. You may want to enlarge this picture (above) by clicking on it, to get the full effect. Looking out from another window, we spotted the Etihad Stadium, one of the venues for football and Aussie rules. Further in the distance was Flemington Racecourse, home of the Melbourne Cup horse racing.

Even just a few hours looking around gave us a real taste of this fantastic city. Before we head to Albury, we are going to see penguins and the motor circuit on Phillip Island and we also have tickets for the tennis on Thursday. Sun cream ahoy.

Chimpanzee that!

The view from our hotel window paints a fairly accurate picture of Singapore: everything goes up. You could take pretty much the same photo looking out from all four sides of the hotel, or anywhere else we've been so far. People say the city is clean and clinical, and that's true. Even late at night there are people sweeping the streets, picking up any litter that's fallen. It seems excessive but it does make a big difference. The underpasses in London resemble public toilets on occasions; not so Singapore. We walked through one last night that displayed local kids' work and had projectors mounted on the wall. Passers-by were respectful and interested in the artwork. Nice touch. The biggest difference between Singaporeans and Londoners was the noise. On the Tube, it's all heads down and silence glances, whereas the MTR here is alive with chatter.

There was a marquee set up on the roadside for the largest jade buddha in the world, a new 'attraction' for Singapore. All very sedate inside, except for the pumping beats of LMFAO 'Party Rock Anthem' booming through the speakers.

Pictured with me on the right is one of the waiters at our hotel, a terrific character. I was wearing my Spurs shirt for the first meal we had in the restaurant and before he'd even taken our drinks order, he'd declared himself an Arsenal fan and labelled me as 'the enemy'. The banter kept flowing. He reminded me "you haven't won the FA Cup since 1991, and Gary Lineker was playing back then". It didn't help that Spurs were held to a 1-1 draw by Wolves that night (Saturday afternoon in the UK), giving him fresh ammo for Sunday breakfast time. I referred him to the Premier League table, although I'm not sure he appreciated my reference to Arsenal playing Europa League football in 2012/13. The local Sunday paper dedicated a page-and-a-half to English football, including a semi-comprehensive review of Saturday's games, which finished around 1am local time. Talk about tight deadlines...

Here is a bit of a Singapore phenomenon. The Marina Bay Sands hotel, designed by an Aussie, features three tower blocks with a ship-shaped 'sky park' perched on the top. I've never seen anything like it and it was made even more spectacular by this laser show which lit up the bay. Worth Googling. As we watched, a family walked past with the small child in the pushchair playing on an iPhone. Pretty standard practice in the country where everyone (no, really) is permanently glued to their camera or phone.

Our camera, like most, has a timer function which we call upon when we want a decent pic of the both of us and there are no passers-by on hand to do the honours. This one (right), in the Botanic Gardens, was taken balanced on top of a bin. You'd never know.

Plenty of people recommended a visit to Singapore Zoo and I needed little persuasion. Two bus rides out of the city centre, and we were roaming about in the blazing sunshine, greeted by an excellent array of birds and animals. All the old favourites were there; lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, but I absolutely loved watching the chimpanzees and orangutans. I share several characteristics with Karl Pilkington, one being that I could stand and watch those little fellas all day long. They posed for photos, fought, relieved themselves on each other and produced some impressive one-handed catches when the keepers lobbed fruit and veg in their general direction. Dorset truly is blessed to house Monkey World.

A highlight of the day was meeting two Australian families, also at the zoo under the care of our hapless tour guide, whose responsibilities included pointing us in the way of the tram for the 'night safari' before settling down in the cafe area and waiting for our return. One couple hailed from Tasmania (or 'Tazzie' if we're to fit in with the locals) and the other, with two young daughters, have been travelling around Australia for a few years. It was good to spend the day with visitors who shared our sense of humour, especially as they imparted some words of wisdom ahead of our year Down Under. Who knows, our paths may cross again.

And so it begins...

This is definitely happening, then. Rach are I are halfway round the world - in Singapore, to be precise - stopping over for a couple of nights before completing the journey Down Under and starting life in Australia.

Above, you'll see the departures committee who waved us off at Heathrow early on Friday morning. Rach's brother and sister, Nathan and Heather, were joined by our good friend Gemma for a farewell breakfast in the Terminal 3 pub. It meant a lot to have friendly faces there, so thank you.

Fast forward to the flight itself, and to anyone who said travelling with Singapore Airlines was a good move, you were bang right. Excellent service throughout, almost more drinks than we could gulp down and even an early arrival in Southeast Asia.

What impressed me as much as anything, though, was this gadget in the toilet. Not your regular hot and cold taps, but an adjustable scale for water temperature with colour-coded arrows and a light that moved along the scale to indicate your preference. I'd be interested to find out whether this really is an exceptional bathroom fitting or if some of you have come across similar gadgets.

There were two couples with babies sitting fairly close to us. I felt sorry for the parents, especially when the seatbelt signs were on, as there really was nowhere to go when the kids started kicking off and crying. One of the dads looked like a long-haired Peter Crouch, he was wearing a checkered shirt and stood much of the time standing in the aisle, as if to accentuate his height. His partner looked nothing like Abby Clancy, though, so the analogy stopped there. It seems common for feet to swell as air pressure changes on a plane, although I didn't take this into account when using my index finger as a shoe-horn. Such was the squeeze that I bruised the finger, so perhaps I'll undo the laces next time.

The immigration hall at Singapore Changi airport was spotless and deserted, a world away from the chaos at Heathrow. It was still dark but the temperature was already closing in on 30C and the jackets and jeans we threw on back in England 24 hours earlier suddenly seemed very unnecessary.

We walked around part of the city before checking into our hotel. A lot of the streets are dominated by gigantic, sparkling high-end fashion boutiques. It's the year of the dragon in this part of the world and Rach looks pretty dwarfed next to this creation on one of the pavements. The Formula 1 fans among you may be distressed to learn the start-finish straight of the Singapore circuit, which we passed on our way from the airport to the hotel, has been deliberately flooded to allow dragon boat racing to take place over the next couple of weeks.