Ramsey Street

  Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Monday - after a bit of a nap I decide to walk to Richmond via Fitzroy street. There are meant to be discount and outlet shops here and I still need some trainers having found nothing in the main shopping district. It looks a few kms on the map, but I fancy a walk and the weather doesn't look too bad. The majority of the walk continues on a not so interesting city road, lacking shops or sites of interest. Eventually I reach the river and city to my left - I prob could have walked into the city by now. I pass a sign for Collingwood 5 and Clifton Hill 7 - very appropriate as Mary (my sister) was at Collingwood College and I was at Clifton Hill House at Uni. Glad to see Clifton is in the lead! Finally up a slight hill I've made it to the road I was looking for. There are a few outlet shops and a few more on the parallel one and I eventually find some shoes. My new flip flops are giving me blisters - it can not be! A quick cake and Latte to recover before finding the Tram back (not doing that trek again!) The journey the tram takes shows me exactly how far I have walked - crazy! And more infuriatingly it goes back along the parallel road to the one I walked along. Nearly the whole route is lined with great looking shops, malls and sales. I probably would only have need to walk a fraction of the distance to find what I was looking for! Oh well, its 5.30pm and I need to get back and get ready for Neighbours night - Woohoo!
 

Neighbours & Dr K

The girls in my dorm are also going so we all head off at 6.30pm. Its just down the road on Fitzroy street. I get my 4 free drinks for being messed around this morning, great. With the saving a treat myself to the 20yrs of neighbours book to get signed by 'the stars'. I must be the only true fan in there - no one else seems to have the book! The place is already packed - everyone in there is British! Old episodes with all the favourite characters are playing in the background; the original theme tune. Starring tonight we have, of course, Carl Kennedy - it is officially his night, also Libby, Rachel and Marco (no idea who he is must be new! Apparently Carmella's boyfriend?) After an hour or 2 the stars are brought in by the MC for a question session. We have all been invited to submit questions and some are selected for 'the stars'. Then the Quiz commences. I was hopinga nd expecting a ramsey street related quiz, but no, its just a standard pub quiz. During which 'the stars' circulate with all the guests for a quick picture and autograph. I'm not sure how we concentrated on the quiz at all with the excitement of Carl Kennedy coming to our table! We must have done something right - our little team of 3 got read out in the top 5 in the Quiz (5th - there were a lot of teams!) we're in shock, pat on the back!
 
So first Celeb on the circuit. Here is Dr K coming towards us. So exciting, a kiss on the cheek and all! So surreal! He seems a little confused when I tell him he was spotted outside my house at Xmas - do I sound like a stalker? Next up Libby K - pretty exciting too as she rocks up with a pint in hand. Then after a bit of a while Rachel (very happy trying to get bought drinks as she's just turned 18) turns up and then finally Marco sits on my knee! If only I did know who he was - however he is a good-looking guy! I get them all to sign my book - and of course the mandatory photos. My perfect night, but not over yet. Carl Kennedy's (or AKA Alan Fletcher's) band, Waiting Room, now play. They are surprisingly good as he is meant to be terrible on the soap. They do mainly covers, but we get one special version on all Carls lovers 'Who the f**k is Susan'. Excellent. 
 
Tuesday, up early again for more Neighbours fun,  the second attempt to visit Ramsey Street.

Ramsey st bus

Its tour time and this time on the bus at 8.05am. We are first taken to the central office and then hop on the Ramsey street bus. No disguise as to where we are all going. Fist stop 'Erinsborough High'.

Erinsborough High

It's a bit of a drive out to the suburbs. We have DVDs of old Neighbours episodes playing in the van on our way there, including the first ever episode. We arrive at the school, which apparently is just down the road from the studios and the street. It is actually an English language school, but the Erinsborough High sign comes out the back of the bus (I have been crammed in next to it for the first part of the journey!) and is clipped onto the fence and suddenly this rather random little school in the middle of the suburbs indistinguishable from any other becomes the Ramsey street kids school.
It's a Kodak moment! Where is my school uniform?
 
Next stop is the nearby studio. It's fenced off and not surprisingly is used for any prison shots as that's exactly what it looks like.

Mrs K

Apparently the outside is also used for the airport and police station and hospital etc. Inside hidden away from our eyes is the Laseters complex and all the insides of the houses. We aren't allowed in the studio as it's not the weekend, however we pull into the car park to wait for our mystery 'meet and greet' star. Who will it be? We wait in anticipation with the DVDs still playing. Then in drives a 4x4 car pulling up right by the bus - could that be Susan Kennedy - completing my Kennedy family meetings?? Indeed it is. Susan hops out as we all pile out the bus. She's very friendly and chats to us all as she signs our 'Neighbours' post cards (or Neighbours book in my case!). Tooooo exciting! 
 

Outside teh Kennedys

Now on to our final stop - Ramsey street - or Pin Street en realidad. But don't worry - the Ramsey street sign is also in the bus! Ramsey Street is tiny close up, much smaller than it looks on tele. I had never noticed the little lemon trees around the edge of the cul-de-sac. There's a 24/7 security guard there keeping an eye on us and any other tourists that turn up. There's no filming today so we can go in. Photo crazy at this point. I have a picture with the sign outside the Kennedy's house. For filming they slip a sign over the actual. Then a picture outside the Robinsons, which is next to The Bishops, then the Scullys, the Kennedys, the house of trouser and finally the Mangles/house of skirt - a bit of a mixture of neighbours generations there but you get the idea. Camera Happy Exhaustion  - time to cruise on back to St Kilda and recover from all the excitement. I'm off to Sydney tonight on the 7pm Firefly bus.