Sorrento

Sorrento is a lovely place in Mornington Peninsular. It is a beach area and has some of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen. ZM & PM were very nice enough to show me around Sorrento. We drove for a couple of hours. As soon as we reached, we had some pretty good fish and chips. We then decided to walk up to the National Park and take a nice mini hike around the place. It was lovely and we did get great shots of the place. Some of the war remains and tunnels were also pretty amazing. Give me a beach any day and I'm game! Here are some shots of Sorrento.

St.Kilda's festival

I visited Melbourne in December 2009 and fell in love with this place. Thus I decided to kick start my gap year here. A friend of mine, Six, was kind enough to let me live in his place and I am ever so grateful for that.

One of the first fests I visited proper is the St.Kilda's festival. I went there with AV, ZM & NP. Its an annual festival located at the beach area of St.Kilda. Music, food, carnivals and fun fills the air. One can find almost anything to do at the fest. Here are some of the shots taken at the festival.

Getting started

I was desperate for a change. Something was amiss. That's when I spoke to my dear friend SR who is based in Newcastle and she told me about the Work and Holiday Visa offered to Malaysians who would like to take a gap year off and explore Australia.

So lazy me forced myself to get off my lazy arse and do this! This is what you do if you're a Malaysian and would like to apply for this visa.

1) Letter of good conduct - this you must go to putrajaya and get it done. (refer below for the things u need to get letter of good conduct)
2) Letter from you university stating your course was conducted in english
3) Bank statement - You need minimum AUD 5,000
4) chest xray and health check (this one i did in the hospital in menara AM bank on yap kwan seng itself. but this one you do after you go to the Australian high commission and pay up for everything, they'll give u a form, fill it up and complete the xray. It costs roughly RM35. Only then will they send your report straight away to the Australian high commission)
5) FORM 1208 must be filled up completely. This form you may obtain from the website.
6) Certified copies of IC and BC of both parents.
7) 2 recent passport sized photos.
8) Education qualifications (You MUST possess a degree at minimum to apply for this visa)
9) Health insurance evidence
10)Ccertified copy of passport (make sure your passport has a minimum 6 months left)

For the certificate of good conduct which you must obtain from kementerian luar negara in Putrajaya, you need these:

1) 3 recent color passport pics
2) ic (original and 3 certified copies)
3) Malaysian passport (original and 3 certified copies)

You will be able to obtain the letter of good conduct in a matter of hours. It doesnt take a long time. Get this letter of good conduct first before applying for the visa.

Sadly, the websites aren't very reliable, that is why I have compiled the above mentioned list. I hope this will be a great help for those who are planning to apply for this visa.

The beginning

Hi, I'm Gowri Paary and this is my travel blog for my gap year in Australia. Some time last year, I decided that I should get myself out of my comfort zone and push myself to do something out of the ordinary. Something asians rarely do. I quit my awesome job, left behind my amazing family, man, friends and a lot of lovely things going on for me to throw myself into a not so familiar, weirdly adventurous life down under.

My journey starts in Melbourne on the 2nd of February 2011. It's been a month and a bit. I decided to start this blog to keep track of the things I do here. It will definitely be interesting to look back, read and reminisce it when I'm 70, old and wrinkly!

To my Aussie Gap Year and all the good things that come with it, cheers!