So 6 months done Down Under, how is it going? In short, great. Move away from everyone and everything familiar and you find out a lot about yourself and the world. And when that place is Melbourne, the isolation is amplified – you don’t just pop home for a quick “Oh its great to see you” when the plane journey there and back lasts almost as long as the weekend. Aren’t I just such a pioneering adventurer, entering a brave new world? Sadly not, no.

What do you think of when you think Australia? Melbournians are all a bit like Shane Warne or Kylie Mynogue right? Love beer, banter and Brit-bashing, lying on the beach, going surfing and grilling shrimps on the barbie. Well yes…and no.  Certainly some Australians like playing sports but as many others like sitting on sofas. Students are generally laid-back, ‘fun’-loving yet surprisingly “deep”. Adult city-dwellers…