Wake up in rain forest - go to sleep in Melbourne

Crazy day today...
Woke up bright and early this morning near a place called Sharps track... in a free campground at the base of a 4WD trail, 5km out of Lorne. (much nicer than the night before, which we spent sleeping just off the highway in the wind and rain) At this place it was just me and the germans. No noise from the highways. No drunken Australians. no nothing but trees and some strange sound that I've spent the better part of today immitating to locals, in hopes of figuring out what animal created it... We figured it was a Wombat in heat... jokingly.. althought it sounded like a big cat...an unhappy big cat.. but they don't have big cats here, just farrel cats.... Then one guy I talked told me about panthers that escaped from a travelling circus... he told me the story before I told him about the sounds, BTW) but I think it was really a possum... that is what Pete has told me... he actually immitated a possum - and made the same sound I've been trying to replicate all day- (again, before I asked... psychic Australians or something) So I figure he must be right... just very surprising to me that a little critter like that could make such a ferocious noise....
annnyway...
I am presently at a fellow named Pete's place here in Melbourne... more correctly, Altona - A suburb of Melbourne out on the Werribee line. spent the afternoon and evening exploring around downtown Melbourne.. amazing city.
The train system here is amazing... unbelivable setup they have. trams and locomotive trains streaching all over the city - Map of train and tram lines HERE.. Melbourne is the biggest city I've ever explored on foot, I think... 3.16 million people or so. beautiful multicultural artisian city.
Pete, the guy I'm staying with, I met through couchsurfing.com
I've used couchsurfing in Canada. I've hosted and stayed with people... but this is my first time using it overseas. Excellent experience so far. Free shower! my own bed! set of keys! no rain and bugs biting me! **choirs of angels sing**
You see, it is only two weeks into my journey and I have already assumed the appearence of a wheathered traveller... I have torn my clothes, foregone shoes, become dirty, smelly, bug-bitten and oversunned. I haven't done proper laundry since I was in Canada... and I only packed with me one change of clothes... so yeah. It's nice to have a home base to work from after spending the last week in the rainforest.
Parted ways with the Germans. We spent the last whole week together, exploring all of the little nooks and crannies of the great ocean road. mostly the trails that go up into the woods and things.. most people drive the great ocean road in an afternoon. We streached it into a week. We had so much fun together...good times.
They took up jobs in Lorne, working in a resort kichen. I wanted to keep moving. Sad to split up but a the same time it was also nice to break away and get back to calling my own shots... like my split second decision to skip the $37 V-line bus ride to Melbourne I had planned today, in favor of walking half a mile out of Lorne and sticking out my thumb.
I hitched to Melbourne faster than the bus would have got me here. Got picked up in a Courier van driven by a really cool Aussie guy... we learned heaps (everyone here uses the word 'heaps') of stuff from eachother during the hour or two it took to get to Geelong. I love this style of travelling... no other way would I meet such a diverse spatter of people. Took the train from Geelong to Melbourne.. about an hour or so... And only $7.50... sticking out my thumb saved me $30 today.
But yeah... today has been totally different than the last few days... nice exciting, fresh feeling.... everywhere I go there are new things... lots of new birds here in Melbourne... I found some kind of fruit on a tree... looks like an apple but it's fuzzy on the outside... is horribly bitter and is hollow inside - WTF? and have seen more and different strange fuzzy animals scurrying into the bushes...
I feel more Canadian than ever before...
have only breifly met two Canadians so far... mostly Germans and lots of Aussies... All is well! Canadians are very well liked in this part of the world!
annnyhow. looking into flights to Tasmania. should be cheap. see if it works out in my timeframe here. Should make my decision by tomarrow... Planning on heading back into Melbourne to explore tomarrow... hit up the Victorian market for some good eats... I'll write again soon and get a bunch of photos up here tomarrow probably, while I have the facilities available here...
cheers.