My Experience
My trip to Melbourne started with an 8-hour overnight bus ride from Canberra. My friend Makayla and I finished our final exams on June 10th, and on the morning of June 11th, we were arriving in Melbourne, off to go skydiving at St. Kilda Beach. I have thought about going skydiving for the last two years, but never thought I would actually get the chance, or work up the courage to actually go do it. I was terrified on the drive to the airport, but once we were in the plane and in the air, I had so much adrenaline pumping through me I almost combusted. Once we had reached our desired altitude of 14,000ft, it was time to jump. I barely had time to collect myself before my jump instructor and I went barreling out into the sky. The free-fall was, without a doubt, the most exhilarating, terrifying, amazing, and wonderful 60 seconds of my entire life (despite the fact that I thought my ear drums were going to explode). Once we pulled our chute, we floated around, overlooking Melbourne from an incredible height; there really is no better way to see a city than from the sky.
We spent the rest of our trip getting to know the city. While I loved traveling on my own, it was nice to share this experience with Makayla, as she had never been to Melbourne either, even though she is from Australia. This is one of those great perks of exchange: you will meet people who will want to travel and share experiences with you. Makayla was the first friend I made in Australia, and it was great being able to do something like this together.
It was easy to fall in love with Melbourne. As our trip progressed, we made our way to Brighton Beach to see the Bathing Boxes, explored the Queen Victoria Market, immersed ourselves in Melbourne's food culture, and admired the city's architecture and street art.
It was easy to fall in love with Melbourne. As our trip progressed, we made our way to Brighton Beach to see the Bathing Boxes, explored the Queen Victoria Market, immersed ourselves in Melbourne's food culture, and admired the city's architecture and street art.