It's not going to be easy...

I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). Not really a huge deal but it's also not something that can't be cured.

I haven't really read a lot about PCOS other than when I happened upon an article about it in Cosmo which made me get checked out for it, which is nearly 10 years ago now, although I didn't find out that I actually have it until a few months ago. So I decided to do some reading about it to find some other way of controlling it than having to be on the pill all the time.

Turns out that, like with most things, I can control it by diet and exercise. So now I have a whole list of foods I am supposed to avoid. I have however decided that, while I will avoid the foods on the list when I'm at home, when I go out for meal with friends I will eat whatever I feel like.

The stuff I'm supposed to stay away from is; crisps, chocolate, biscuits, potatoes, white rice, pasta, dairy, frozen ready meals, rice cakes, soy and gluten.

After hearing the list quite a lot of people have said: "You're already vegetarian! You won't be able to eat anything now!"

It is true that the items on the list makes eating a lot easier, especially pasta and things with gluten like bread and cereal, but there is still plenty of things to eat. Instead of having toast or cereal for breakfast I have a smoothie, which also helps me getting some of my 5 a day.

It's an adjustment. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I'm not saying it's easy, far from it! It's especially difficult when I'm at work and see all the chocolate, biscuits, baked-goods and ready-meals I should stay away from. The cravings are a nightmare!! How do people manage not to give in to their cravings?! I must admit I've had some dark chocolate a couple of times to satisfy the cravings, justified by telling myself at least it doesn't have dairy in it.

In a strange way I'm kind of happy I have to stay away from all of those things though, it forces me to eat healthier, something I've been meaning to do for years. I mean, how can a home made meal every night with healthy ingredients and lots of fruit and vegetables be bad for you? At least now I might actually get my 5 a day every day.

Now I just hope that I will be able to stay away from the things I'm supposed to stay away from and that maybe the cravings will ease up, or that I will at least have the willpower to stay away from them unless I go out for dinner.

Baslow Circular via Froggatt Edge

Usually when I go for a walk in the peaks I walk from Baslow to Bakewell via Chatsworth but yesterday I decided to do a new walk. I found this walk on the visit Chesterfield website as well, it's walk number 6.

The walk was really nice, it starts with a long uphill walk, steep at times but I walked to the top without having to stop for a breather so not too steep. Then there is a long walk along Curbar and Froggatt Edges with beautiful views. You can choose if you want to walk close to the edge or further in, the view from the edge is definitely the best and, as long as you have half a brain and watch where you're going, there is no danger of falling off the edge.

On top of the edges were definitely the busiest part of the walk, there were heaps of people there taking advantage of the lovely weather and lovely view. Because of the direction I was coming from Chatsworth could be seen in the distance behind me.

I'm kind of glad someone was walking in front of me when I was looking for the way down from the edge as it wasn't marked, although I'm sure I would have found it anyway since I was keeping an eye out for the tiny path. The first 50 meters of that path was quite steep and rocky so it's important to watch where you put your feet.

After going down from the edge the walk is fairly flat and goes along the River Derwent a lot of the time. 

In all it was a really nice walk, but I think if I walk again I will walk the other direction so as to get the lovely view of Chatsworth in front of me instead of behind me. I can totally understand why a lot of people were only walking on the edge. 

Part of this walk (right before you start walking on the edge) overlapped with the Robin Hood Inn Circular walk so the two walks could easily be tied together depending on what you wanted to see.

Oxford

There is a local coach company in Chesterfield, Gee Vee Travels, that does day trips, I think they also do weekend trips and maybe longer ones but I've only gone on a couple of the day trips so far. It's not a tour or anything, the coach just drops you off and picks you up at the end of the day. My trip to Liverpool was with this company. The tickets are quite cheap, usually £12.50 or £15.50.

I want to go on quite a few of their day trip, so when I found out I had a day off last Tuesday and that they did a trip to Oxford that day I booked it straight away! (There are some perks to working shifts instead of Monday to Friday…) I've been wanting to go to Oxford for years, not that I've known anything about what's actually there except for the university. I think I've been wanting to go there just because it's a place I've heard about, which in my book is a good a reason as any!

The weather gods were even kind to me while I was in Oxford, it was one of the nicest and warmest days so far this year. The drive there took 3 hours, sitting on a coach for hours is boring but at least it's not a National Express coach with loads of drunken weirdos and screaming children on it! (Touch wood) 

I had put a map on my phone of things to see in Oxford. It was nice to see some of the historical buildings and some of the university buildings that I might not have seen had I just wandered around aimlessly, but I also enjoyed just wandering around aimlessly after I had seen everything on the map. I think it's because there was nothing specific in Oxford that I really wanted to see (if I'd had internet at home I would have been able to do a bit more research before I went!).

One thing I noticed about Oxford besides all the really old buildings were all the cyclists! The amount of bicycles parked outside some of the buildings; it was insane! But I also didn't see a lot of fat people, so at least people in Oxford get their exercise as well as being kind to the environment. You have to be careful when crossing the road though; everyone is so busy looking for approaching cars that they don't always notice a bicycle coming their way!

Oxford is a beautiful place, I do suggest going there for anyone that hasn't been, you'll see plenty in just one day if you haven't got time for more. I also loved all the cute and quirky shops there, some of the shops I walked past made me feel like I'd gone back in time!

I did think about going into the Botanical Gardens, but when I got there I saw a sign that you had to pay which I wasn't prepared to do when I knew I had to catch the coach back and didn't know how much time I'd actually be able to spend in the gardens. If you are in Oxford and you fancy a picnic there are plenty of other places to just sit down on the grass or a bench and chill out, something I saw a lot of people do.

One thing I did pay for was to go up Carfax Tower. It was only £2.30 and you get a nice view of the city. The 99 steps to the top are very narrow (you won't be able to pass anyone!) and if you're tall you will have to mind your head, luckily it wasn't very busy when I went, I don't know if it normally is, so I didn't have to wait for someone else to come up or down the stairs. 

Carfax Tower

View from Carfax Tower

I really enjoyed Oxford, I wouldn't mind going back there, especially on a day like the one I had! If I go back I will have to bring someone with me so that we can go punting! I've never been punting but it looks like fun.

Nuffield Health

There is no way I'll sign up for a membership with Nuffield Health at the moment, it's far too expensive, but I did get a free 1-day pass that I used yesterday.

I got the free pass off their website. When I signed up for the pass they said they'd call me to arrange a time for me to come in, which they did not, I had to call them in the end, good thing I noticed the pass has an expiration date!

It's been a while since I went to a gym so I decided to get someone to show me the equipment they have. I have been to the same gym before but that was 5-6 years ago and it was then called Cannons I think. The equipment has been updated since then but you can't log your exercise in any way other than writing it down yourselves, it's not one of those gyms that do "memory sticks" to put in the machine to register what you do.

The lady showing me the gym equipment didn't seem like she had done it before, she did occasionally say to remember to keep my back straight but other than that she didn't say anything about positioning myself or how it's best/safest to hold on to the equipment and stuff like that. She showed me how to adjust the seats and weight. I remember a different gym I went to made me use the equipment while they were watching just to make sure I knew how to use it safely, I think I prefer that as at least then you're sure you're using it correctly.

The gym itself was fine, I think the only thing I would actually use if I did sign up is the treadmill though, especially if I went there on my own. They do classes as well and they have a pool, if I signed up I would probably just go to the classes, that's what I did the short time I was signed up when they were Cannons.

But I don't think I will sign up. It's okay but for the price you have to pay I personally don't think it's worth it. There is another gym next door which I have also got a free pass for and will be trying out next week, this gym is much cheaper so if I like what I see on the free day pass I might actually sign up with it.

What do you like to do in a gym?

Robin Hood Inn Circular

I went on another walk today, I found this walk on the visit Chesterfield webpage as well. It was a very windy day today, I almost felt like I was going to fly away at some point! But it was a warm day, and with the exception of a little shower that lasted 10 minutes the weather was perfect. The walk is about 7km and it took me 1hour 50 minutes. I walked at a fairly leisurely pace and stopped to take a few pictures along the way.

The starting point is an Inn in the middle of nowhere on the way to Baslow, and since it's a circular walk this is of course also the finish point. The walk was really nice. I would recommend maybe getting a better map than the one on the webpage, but the one on the webpage works, I didn't feel like I was about to get lost at any point like I did on my last walk.

The walk is also really easy, a nice walk for someone that doesn't want any steep inclines. I do suggest wearing proper walking boots though, you go through a marsh at one point and also it's quite muddy in places, my trainers got rather dirty!

I had to walk through a field with highland cows, it was fun as I've never seen them that close before but at the same time I couldn't help but get a little worried when I saw the horns on those things!!

You pass a monument on the walk and if you want you can then head down to Baslow, finish the walk there or just have a bit to eat before getting back on the trail, I decided to just continue, I was a bit worried that if I went to Baslow I probably wouldn't get back on the trail, I'd just finish the walk there.

I would really like to do this walk again, I'd probably manage it without a map because it was so easy, although I'd still bring one just in case. When I finished the walk I also noticed that I could have just crossed the road and continued to Chatsworth, so that might be worth doing one day I feel like going for a very long walk.

From Baslow to Bakewell via Chatsworth

I am knackered!

I decided to go for a walk today while also exploring places nearby that I haven't seen. I used the Visit Chesterfield website and found something called car free walks. This of course suits me perfectly since I don't have a car! There were quite a few walks on the page but in the end I decided in the Baslow to Bakewell walk. I have been to Bakewell and Chatsworth before but I figured actually walking there would be a completely different thing.

Baslow is a very small place, I didn't really explore it that much, I just wanted to get started on my walk. I also think I would prefer exploring places with someone, that way you get to see it through their eyes as well as your own. Anyway. It's a small place with lots of old buildings. On the directions I had gotten from the website it said that there would be a sign pointing towards Chatsworth, it's a very small sign so I almost walked straight past it!

The walk from Baslow to Chatsworth is actually very short, it's through a very nice park that's been made to look just like regular fields, filled with sheep and everything! A lot of other people were walking there was well, many who were probably heading to Chatsworth for the day but also some people that were just out for a walk in the nice weather.

I have been to Chatsworth before so I didn't go inside the house or the gardens behind it, but I did walk up to the hunter's tower on top of the hill. I have never bee there before but I've wanted to since the first time I went to Chatsworth. I have gotten fairly out of shape. The climb up wasn't really bad at all, a little steep but not for long, but I did have to sit down once I got to the top. The tower is private property so you can't go inside it, but the view from the hill is nice anyway. I wish it hadn't been misty but the view was still beautiful.

From the hunting tower at Chatsworth I walked to Edensor (pronounced Enzor), a little village very close to Chatsworth, I didn't even realize it was there! The walk there was short but it went over a small hill where I got a nice view of the house, even if it was misty. I even saw some deer there! And when going down the hill on the other side I got a very nice view of Edensor. I think it's probably the smallest village I've seen so far!

From Edensor there wasn't any more villages or anything to see besides sheep and the beautiful landscape, which was enough of course. I didn't have a signal on my phone at all and I have to admit it was really nice to just walk over fields and through forests without thinking about checking my phone or anything. I met quite a few other people on the walk, and I'm kind of glad; the directions I had with me weren't really perfect so it was nice to be able to see which direction other people headed to and came from. At one point I had to make a choice between two routes, I chose the easier one as I wasn't sure how good the grip on my winter boots would be on the other route, that was the only part of the route where I didn't meet anyone else seems everyone else took the more difficult route.

Once I got to Bakewell I had some time before I had to catch the bus back to Chesterfield so I had a little wander about. I realized I didn't recognize much of it since the last time I was there so it was kind of fun to explore it again. I wish I had worn some better shoes for walking though as my feet hurt too much to explore Bakewell too much.

I'm surprised at how cheap the bus tickets to Baslow (2.30GBP) and from Bakewell (3GBP) was, I got a day out for just over 5quid! Add bottled water for my walk and dinner and I still spent less than 10GBP today! I will have to go on some more walks now while I've got the time to do it. At least I'm spending my money on getting fresh air and exercise instead of on something silly I don't need.

This is part of why I wanted to move to the UK for so long: The old buildings and villages and the countryside. 

Lots and lots of recipes!

I've been sitting at the library the last couple of days reading about exercise, which lead me to read about healthy eating which in turn of course led me to just "regular" eating. And it gave me an idea for this blog.

Once I (hopefully) get the house I can have themed weeks, food-wise. I can have an Indian week, Italian week, vegan week, soup week, the list goes on... During the themed week I will try to post at least one recipe every day to do with that weeks theme.

Hopefully this will make me try foods I may not have thought about trying earlier, and also eat proper meals instead of just doing something quick like fried eggs or something.

It will have to wait a few weeks though as I would like to have a proper kitchen to cook in and a fridge to store the food in.

I already have a long list of themes for my cooking, but if you have any ideas feel free to let me know!

I'm back again!

I've now been back in Chesterfield since Monday. It's nice to be back and have my friends so close, but at the same time it feels like I'm just on a holiday.

I'm hoping the holiday feeling will go away when I get a job and a place to live. At the moment I'm staying with my friend Joe, his place is very small and it's outside of town but the bus stops right outside his flat so its easy to get in to town. We actually went for a walk yesterday morning and we're planning on going for one this morning as well, it is a nice place for walking, it's almost like you're in the middle of the country side in some places, only downside of that is that portions of our walk doesn't have side walks.

I went looking at a house on Tuesday, I was actually supposed to look at a flat in the same street, I didn't realize they had a house there as well, so when the letting company gave me the keys to go and have a look at the place I didn't realize I had gotten the wrong keys until I saw the house, and then I realized that the price the lady at the letting company had told me was higher that it was supposed to be as well. I decided to just have a look at the house anyway though, and; WOW! I fell in love with it! It's an old house, 3 bedrooms, two living rooms and plenty of storage. Joe had come with me to look at it and he quite liked it as well. The price was higher that what I would pay but since Joe's tiny flat is quite expensive I asked if he wanted to be house mates, the house would be almost half of what Joe's rent is now and it's close enough to his work that he won't have to pay for bus or taxi.

I had made arrangements to look at another house on Wednesday so I went to look at that as well. The house would have been big enough and cheap enough for just me, there was two bedrooms though, but it had a fairly large garden, which is nice but it's something that I would have to look after and spend money on. So after viewing it I went and saw Joe at work and asked if he was sure he wanted to shared the first house with me, which he was, so I went and got an application and at the same time paid the fee that means no one else gets to look at it. At least the house is big enough that Joe and I can still get some time apart from each other if we want it. We can have a living room each!

Since it's Easter we won't get an answer about the credit check and whether we get the house or not until next week, but fingers crossed!! I loved it so I'm hoping we'll get it. Although I really wanted to have a house or flat to myself it will be nice to share as the rent and bills will all be cut in half, and since it's three bedroom I can still have friends and family over!

I might also have a job interview lined up. My friend Nicky told me about a job becoming available next week at a grocery store near her, her sister works there and is doing the interviews so she'll get me an application. At least it's a type of job I've got experience with so I might have a chance of getting it.

I'm really glad I decided to go back to Chesterfield; when you've got friends nearby it makes it much easier to start from scratch. 

Some famous sights and a Broadway show!

Anne and I started Wednesday with a harbour cruise. We thought we would be there in plenty of time but once we got off the Subway we noticed that the park was closed so we couldn't go straight through it they way it said on our instructions. As for the rest of the instructions: "Terminal is located behind so-and-so castle"... - we are both tourists! How are we supposed to know what so-and-so castle looks like or where it is? It didn't say anything about it on the map I had. We did find the terminal in the end though, we were cutting it close so we ran the last hundred meters or so, which is fine, we probably needed the little run after all the holiday food.

The cruise was good. The weather wasn't so good though, it was really cold, I wish I had brought my fleece jacket with me from Norway. I wanted to just sit inside the boat as it was nice and warm there, but to see as much as possible and to get the best pictures, I had to stand outside. On the cruise we saw the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island (unfortunately both were closed), Brooklyn Bridge and of course we also got a wonderful view of New York City.

We needed to warm up after the harbour cruise so we went inside the National Museum of the American Indian. There was so much to see there, beautiful clothes and art. After we had warmed up in the museum we headed over to the Empire State building. Some guy outside it, wearing an orange jumper tried to trick us into buying tickets for over $40, luckily Anne knew that we only had to pay $25 to get up, the over $40 was to get to an ever higher floor (102nd), but we were both happy with the lookout on the 86th floor. I bet the view is great on a clear day, but I though the view was pretty great even though it was cloudy.

You can even see the statue of liberty if you look closely!

The next, and last, stop before heading to Broadway was Flat iron building, it was really cool to see it with my own eyes, I've seen it a lot on pictures and TV but it's a whole other thing to stand in front of it and see it yourself!

Before heading to Broadway we went back to the hotel and got prettied up, then we took the Subway to Times Square to hunt down a place to have dinner before our show. We ended up at a place right across the Majestic called Jekyll and Hyde, both Anne and I had never heard of it before but I wish we had! If we had know what it was all about we would have gotten there earlier to enjoy it more! It was so funny, it was kind of a show in  a scary Gothic setting, it was just loads of fun really! I will have to go there again if I go back to New York! 

The show we went to see at the Majestic, after a rather stressed dinner, was Phantom of the Opera. I saw the movie several years ago and remember I loved it, and I love the music from it. The show was absolutely amazing! We got cheap tickets so we were sat in the back, which was fine, the only annoying thing about it was the people sat in front of me, they kept moving and blocking my view. It would be nice to treat myself to better seats if I go again, but they are SO expensive!

All in all a very successful visit to NYC. It was short but I got to see everything I really wanted to see, it would have been nice to have a day extra to do some window shopping and actual shopping but at least this way we saved money. I shouldn't be shopping too much anyway since I have to pack even more for when I move back to the UK!

Have you been to a Broadway Show? Which one and what did you think?

Exercise studies..?

I have been thinking about studying again... I am a lot of the time really, I just find it hard to actually decide on something. I mean, how do you know what you want to do the rest of your life, or not necessarily the rest of you life, but next year, or 5 years from now?

Anyway.

There was a time last time I lived in England that I was exercising almost every day, for a couple of hours each day. I loved it! I was also thinking about maybe studying to be a fitness instructor, but I talked to one of my fitness instructors and I just thought it seemed like a bit of a hassle. Then there was the part about standing in front of a bunch of people and telling them what to do..! It all seemed a bit scary.

When you think about it though anything you have to learn kind of seem like hassle to learn until you're actually doing it. Once you're actually learning it it seems so simple (hopefully)! When I heard about all the things I had to know for the office part of my current job I was really worried, then I started learning it and I couldn't believe how simple it all is!

I have been lazy lately. I went running almost every night for a while when I was in Australia, but since I left the family I've just not done anything at all. I get some exercise at work, but it's more heavy lifting than any proper exercise. I really want to get back into shape. Not to lose weight or anything, that's never been my goal, but just to get fitter and feel better about myself, it is nice to be able to run 30 metres to catch the bus without getting out of breath.

So what I am thinking at the moment is this: Once I move back to Chesterfield I will start exercising again, maybe get some of my friends with me. I'll see how I feel about it after a while, and then I might take a class at the college that I've seen: Level 1 award in Exercise Studies, even if I decide not to take the class I will keep up the exercise just for myself. If I do decide to take the class I will see how I feel about that and if I like it and decide to pursue a career in exercise I will go on to get a YMCA qualification or an NVQ or something.

I don't want to say; THIS IS WHAT I'M DOING, that way I'm just setting myself up for disappointment if I back out. I am just going to take it easy and do it step by step, see how I feel about it after each step. I still need a job to finance it all first.

My friend at work, who is planning to go to Australia this August, is a personal trainer and she loves it, she wants to keep working with it and maybe one day open her own gym, and I think she is part of the reason I started thinking about it again. She also has a blog, check it out - Fanny Ronkainen.

The basically obscure meme

Another meme from Sunday Stealing

1. Do you notice a person's eye colour? I usually do as I'm talking to them as I try to maintain eye-contact, but I often forget the eye colour, unless it's quite special...
2. If you could get a tattoo free, would you do it? What would it be? Yes, I would get a small pink breast cancer bow.
3. What kind of smoothie sounds really good right now? The one I usually make; frozen tropical mix, blueberries, avocado, banana, egg, hazelnuts and orange juice. The last few times I've also put some passion fruit in it.
4. Have you ever fired anyone? No, but I think I might have contributed to someone getting fired or leaving, I don't like it when people don't do their jobs properly and so I will tell the manager about it.
5. Did you like swinging as a child? Do you still get excited when you see a swing set? I did, not sure if I get excited but I do like to get on them if they are proper "strong" ones.
6. If you could have any pet in the world, illegal or not, what would you get? A tiger! They are so beautiful and majestic, but since they are illegal I will settle for a regular house cat.
7. Have you ever watched the Superbowl all the way through? I've never watched it at all.
8. Which continents have you been on? In a few weeks I will have been on all except South America and Antarctica.
9. Why did you name your blog whatever you named your blog? I used the name Lilly on the blog for myself as I didn't want to use my real name, so I named my blog "The Lilly Pad" as in lily pad; my own personal space.
10. Longest plane ride you've ever been on? Flying to Australia, I think the last flight was 14 hours!
11. If you had to move to another country, where would you move? I am moving to another country! The United Kingdom.
12. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? He would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
13. How did you spend Valentine's Day? I was at work and then I was at home relaxing and playing with my new camera. Valentine's Day
14. Do you eat enough vegetables? Probably not, which is a bit rubbish of a vegetarian...
15. Do you like horror movies? What about thrillers? I used to love them both when I was a teenager but now I seem to scare a lot easier, I could still watch them though but I need a safe pair of arms around me.
16. If you could change your natural hair colour, would you? To what? I liked my hair in the summer when I was younger, it went a nice golden colour. Now it's usually just mousy brown, so I guess I would change it to be that golden colour again maybe.
17. What subject would you take if your were forced to take a free class? I would love to study but I keep changing my mind about what all the time, at the moment I'm thinking maybe a health and fitness class.
18. Do you use a reusable grocery bag? When I remember to bring one with me yes. I used to always keep one in my bag, but now I keep forgetting to put it back in after I've used it.
19. City or nature person? Nature. Cities can get too busy for my liking.
20. Do heights bother you? Can you look out the window on the top floor of a skyscraper? Heights doesn't really bother me. I don't like it on top of a cliff because there's the chance I can fall over and die but I don't mind looking out of windows of a skyscraper.

Australia Revisited

A girl at work is wanting to travel to Australia in August, and so she's asked me what places I would recommend. I've already sent her the link to this old post, but then I started thinking; I think I wrote that one on my last day in Australia, as I was sitting at the airport waiting for my flight, what about now, almost a year after I got back, which places would I then recommend?

As my laptop hasn't got any Scandinavian letters since I bought it in Australia, it's such a hassle writing anything in Norwegian, so I figured I might as well write in English and at the same time make a post of it, this way I can also share my thoughts with more than just one person.

Feel free to share your own thoughts and favourite places in the comment section!

Things to DO while you're in Australia:
Hold a koala (only allowed in Queensland)
Pet a kangaroo
Try surfing

Places to see:

Yulara. 
Go to Yulara and see Uluru and Kata Tjuta. I'm always surprised when people doesn't know what Uluru/Ayers Rock is, it's one of the most famous places in Australia besides the Reef! It's expensive to get there and stay there but it's absolutely worth it! I'm saying go to Yulara instead of Alice Springs because that way you can actually see both Uluru and Kata Tjuta from where you're staying, and you don't have to travel for hours to get to either of them.

Posts from when I was in Yulara:
Yulara 1
Yulara 2
Yulara 3

Great Barrier Reef
You can travel to so many places along the north of Queensland and see the Reef, I went to Cairns, and although the city was nice enough I wouldn't say it was so special that anyone HAS TO see it. But the Reef, oh the Reef! So beautiful. I could stay there forever just look at the beautiful fish and the reef itself, I kind of wish I had gone on a trip that lasted two or three days so that I could have gone to the outer Reef as I've heard the colours are stronger there, but I was happy with just the one day as well. One of my friends, EG that I met in Yulara, recently went to the Reef and the Green Island, he only went for a day as well and was happy with that.

 Great Barrier Reef

***Not necessarily a must see, depends what you like, but if you do go to the Daintree Rainfores/Cape Tribulation you HAVE to stop at the Daintree Ice Cream Company!! You'll never have that ice cream again!
Daintree and Cape Trib is good just to get to see the Australian Rainforest. You'll see plants and trees you'll not see anywhere else in the world.

Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road
My favourite city along with Hobart! I can't really explain it, it's just so nice and laid back, it was just the feel of it that made it my favourite. The top things to see in Melbourne: Just hop on and off the free tram or shuttle, you'll see loads. Queen Victoria Market, Luna Park in St Kilda, go at night so you see it all lit up and that way you can also see the penguins at St Kilda Pier. Just walk around the city centre and see the street art, it's amazing how beautiful it can be when people are actually allowed to spray paint the walls.
The Great Ocean Road is Amazing as well, and seeing as the Twelve Apostles are eroding it's a good idea to go see them now while there are actually some left!

Posts from Melbourne:
Melbourne 1
Melbourne 2
Melbourne 3 (Great Ocean Road)
Melbourne 4

Port Macquarie
It's a small place, you don't need more than a day there, just make it a stop if you're taking the Greyhound. To me, it's worth the stop just to go to the Koala Sanctuary and see the painted rocks along the esplanade.

Port Macquarie

Hobart
Not many people bother going down to Tasmania and Hobart, but I loved it there! I liked it just as much as Melbourne. Tasmania is the only place you can see the Tasmanian Devil, and I think Hobart is worth the visit just to go to MONA, the most amazing museum and art gallery I've even been to! I also wish I had gone inside Port Arthur while I was there. Hobart also has some of Australia's oldest buildings if you're interested in that. And then of course there is Salamanca market with all it's yummy food and beautiful items.

Hobart 1
Hobart 2
Hobart 3
Hobart 4
Hobart 5

Sydney
Of course you can't give Sydney a miss if you go to Australia! A lot of people go to Bondi Beach just because it's a beach they've actually heard of, but I would suggest doing the beach walk from Cogee to Bondi just to see some of the other beaches there as well. Manly is a nice place to visit, I might have an immature sense of humour and laugh at everything that said Manly, but it's a beautiful place, and very good for surfing. You also have to see the Opera House (I can't imagine anyone going to Sydney and not seeing it), Sydney Harbour Bridge and Darling Harbour. There is fireworks on at Darling Harbour quite often and you should make sure you go at least once, the one on Australia Day (January 26th) was absolutely amazing!
The Blue Mountains outside Sydney is nice, it depends if you like hiking though. The day I went the weather was terrible so the mountains were grey instead of blue and loads of people on the tour was complaining, but I quite liked it, just to get out and do some hiking again, do some exercise and see a place I'll probably never see again.

Sydney 1
Sydney 2
Sydney 3
Sydney 4
Sydney 5 (Blue Mountains)

Did I miss anything important? Please let me know in the comments.

One of my "goals" while I was in Australia was to see every state capital, and I did, I have not written about them all here but if you go to this old post you can find some more info about them and at the bottom of that post there are labels that will take to to all posts about those places.

My friend isn't too bothered about Western Australia, but there is something there I wish I had known about while I was in Australia, I would definitely have gone! Lake Hillier a lake in the south of WA, and it's PINK!! I think I have to go  back! Not something I would have wanted to miss had I known about it! I wonder if they are going to film the last Hunger Games movie there?

(source)