#SAVENEIGHBOURS

I've decided to dust off my old blogging platform years after I returned from Australia (although I'm still not over that) because as you probably already know by now, our beloved Neighbours is under threat from being wiped from the face of this planet!

This is due to Channel 5 deciding to pull the plug on their deal to keep showing it on British television and if another British broadcaster doesn't take over, Neighbours could disappear forever. I don't just mean from British television screens (which wouldn't be so bad because we could just stream it from DailyMotion) but without the financial backing of the British fanbase it's very likely that the whole production could stop. 

The issue is that Fremantle Media, the production company that makes Neighbours in Australia, rely on a huge chunk of money from Channel 5 (and the BBC before them) to top up the production budget. 

So what can we do to help?

There has already been a huge outpouring of love for Neighbours since the news became official on Sunday, both in the UK and in Australia. All the major newspapers and news programmes have been talking about it and it's getting a huge amount of traction on social media. What's more, there are already little whispers that other channels are in talks with Fremantle to save the day so it's looking like there might be a shred of hope somewhere on the horizon.

But unless you happen to own your own production company or have millions of pounds to invest like Mr Udagawa, there are still several practical ways you can help show your support for the show that brought us 37 years of beautiful, heart warming content and our daily dose of vitamin D.

Sign the petition

This petition started when no-one was sure what was going on with Channel 5. We now know that they are are not going to change their minds, however the more signatures that are collected in one place and the more press coverage it gets, will hopefully make other broadcasters aware of how much people still love Neighbours. 

https://www.change.org/p/channel-5-channel-5-don-t-axe-neighbours

Use #saveneighbours on social media

The more people talk about the issue, the better!

Download the original Barry Crocker theme tune

Dust off that plinky plonky piano and help get the Neighbours theme tune to number 1 in the charts this weekend! 

iTunes: https://music.apple.com/gb/album/neighbours-theme/581349137?i=581349139

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neighbours-Barry-Crocker/dp/B07WCFKCD8?fbclid=IwAR34VQsQQm9-rBKwwaYRumEmwVJmXZ1PSVCqejA3VovQQWHMsQFa8y9mqjQ

Get the Facebook Profile Picture Frame

I spent far too many hours learning how to do things on Photoshop that I've never done before in order to create this Facebook profile picture frame thing (like the "I've been vaccinated" ones that are currently all over everybody's profile pics). However I've hit a slight snag in my plan because Facebook does not allow the average Joe (or Fiona) to add their own frames to the database unless they belong to a verified organisation. 

The way I've got around this issue is by layering the image below onto my original profile photo via the magic of Photoshop. nb. other image manipulating software and websites are available. 

To download your copy, click on the image in order to open the full sized image, then right click on that image to save it. 

We've got a huge fight on our hands but there is a whole army of dedicated lifelong fans who are not prepared to set sail on the Marlene Kratz one way cruise of no return just yet and we will fight to the very very end!

The Official Neighbours Tour

I'm back in Melbourne for a few weeks due to work and family commitments and so I inevitably caved in after all this time and booked myself a spot on the Official Neighbours Tour.

Despite being extremely lucky to have had an exclusive access all areas tour of the Neighbours set earlier on in the year (put on by the lovely people of the Art Department), I felt that because I was there on a professional level, I couldn't let my true inner fan girl shine through and it took all of my will power to condense myself into an acceptable amount of crazy at the time. For months I have been really annoyed that I didn't take any photos of the exterior sets when I previously had the chance to and I've been desperate to go back ever since.

The tour guide was particularly enamoured by my jumper

Bunyip Tours provide this much needed service and it was everything I had hoped it would be. Our tour guide was called Nat and she was a wonderful human being who was full of banter, encouragement for our fandom and very willing to take photos of us in various compromising poses.

We set off from the city at 11am and drove straight to the Nunawading Studios. Nat was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining on the journey there and although I already knew all the facts she told us, it gave us the perfect opportunity to get really excited for what was to come and reminisce about all the wonderful Neighbours memories with a group of likeminded nutters.  When we got to the studios, we were escorted around the exterior sets by the most delightful security guard...despite my dodgy start where I may have strayed a bit too far on a quest to make friends with a flock of galahs whilst everyone else was queuing up in an orderly fashion to have their photo taken next to the 'Welcome to Erinsborough' sign.

After that we were allowed to roam free amongst various sections of the exterior sets and I was happily running about like an extremely excited person unleashed into her ultimate happy place.

Below you'll find quite an extensive selection of photos from the day.

The Handy Woman...the number one place for mulch in the whole of Victoria!

Fitzgerald Motors, run entirely by Brennans 

Better than Hungry Jacks

The Bric-a-brac shop...

...for all your taxidermied galah needs!  

The bus stop of contemplation!

Am I (a) deep in thought about the terrible life decisions I keep making or (b) trying to fart without anybody noticing?

I managed to book a night at The Backpackers...

...just so I could sit underneath the only [open planned studio] room that ever gets any sexy time and to drink some mushroom tea!

I'm not sure but I think this may be the little enclosure that once housed Warnie the wombat

Sonya's Nursery 

If Amy's yard ever runs out of mulch, you can always get emergency mulch at Sonya's

The exterior of the hospital...which looks considerably more weather worn in comparison to the new brilliant white interior sets they now have. 

The History Wall..or the wall where you go to pash all your greezy students

Don't mind me, I'm just popping in for an AA meeting at the Community Centre

The last time I was here I was in full Daaron wedding prep mode. The space looks a lot smaller without the marquee and the masses of balloons everywhere. 

The infamous grove of grotty trees!!!

Lassiters

They did a remarkable job of renovating the old place after the latest explosion (RIP Josh)...but they forgot to add a few floors and Paul's penthouse on top!

I have a slight obsession with luggage trolleys and this one was an absolute joy to peer through the window and gaze longingly at 

The best coffee in Melbourne 

The Waterhole...what's so great about The Waterhole???

I literally can't remember the last time there was live music at The Waterhole!

I've been waiting for my drink for 20 minutes now but there's still no sign of Sheila!

Rebecci Law, home of justice to all of Erinsborough

The weird bridge over a pool thing in the middle of the Lassiters complex

Down by the Lake

The book exchange, where all books are heavily highlighted for Piper's pleasure

If I sit here long enough Mark Brennan will come back from the dead and I'll get a hug from Adventure Girl! 

I wonder how many engagement rings and Right Prescription CDs are at the bottom of this lake

No matter how much I begged, nobody wanted to be my Mark Brennan in order to recreate that glorious scene at the rotunda where Kate Ramsay got shot.

I amused myself for ages reading all the wishes on the Wishing Tree

I'm guessing this was Elly's "Mark and Paige should be together" wish

This is what everybody wishes for!

I mean...who wouldn't want a Tanaka sandwich!

The abandoned workout area, untouched since Josh got squashed. 

Ramsay Street

I'm not a Dr K groupie I promise [this is 100% a false statement]

Strewth, she's been run over!* Someone call an ambo!

Ah she'll be alright...there's no blood so she'll make a full recovery after a very short stint of paralysis!

I really really enjoyed my trip to Erinsborough and although I had already been to the studios and Pin Oak Court on separate occasions before, I got a whole different level of enjoyment from going with such a wonderful group of Neighbours nerds this time around and it was a truly wonderful experience.

* I would just like to clarify that the car in the background of those photos didn't actually run me over.

The Mystery Underliner Srikes Again

Whilst traveling, it is the law to read as much as possible. I've actually read more books since I've been in Australia than I probably have done in the last five years. Books are the perfect companion to take with you on beach days or lazing around in your backpackers days.

With my rediscovered love of reading and the story line of Piper and Cassius bonding over literature all those months ago,  it seemed like an obvious choice to dive into the book that brought them together in the first place. The Girls written by Emma Cline was the book that Piper first picked up from the Erinsborough book exchange and found somebody had been underlining (with highlighter!) poignant passages that spoke to her on a deep and meaningful level, only to discover later that it had been Cassius, the gardener who just popped up out of nowhere and eventually turned everyone's life upside down. 

So off I trundled to invest in the book and a highlighter of my own and was really enthusiastic to get stuck into it and find hidden messages within the pages. However I was massively disappointed with the book and it was a real struggle to get through it all. I just found it a very boring read and it promised so much and didn't deliver to my satisfaction at the end. As for finding passages that Cassius might have highlighted, I found that even more of a challenge but I tried my very best to follow suit.

Once I had finally finished reading The Girls, I decided the only thing to do with it was find a suitable public book exchange to leave it for somebody else to hopefully get more enjoyment out of it than I did and to ponder over why all those random passages had been underlined.

After a bit of research I discovered there is a wonderful website called Street Library which encourages book exchanges exactly like the one in Erinsborough and has a very handy map of all the known book exchange boxes in Australia...and there just happened to be one just a few streets away from where I was staying in Sydney!  Honestly, I got far more excited about contributing to this gorgeous book box than the part where I actually read the book.

So thus concludes my little dabbling into forcing my life to imitate Neighbours (normally it happens organically without any additional input from me). My advice to you is to not to bother reading The Girls because it will only disappoint and whatever you do, do not deface books because you will spoil the enjoyment for future readers (I felt utterly disgusted at myself every time I put highlighter to paper). On the other hand, do contribute to and support community led book exchanges and public libraries wherever you are in the world because books are wonderful things and free literature should be cherished and encouraged at all costs.


Please note: This blog post is dedicated to the one and only Cassius Grady Roche, the man who breezed into Ramsay Street with his glorious muscles on display for all the horny housewives of Erinsborough to oggle over, only to be snatched away from us so cruelly just for [deservedly] killing his father...and lets face it, he was probably going to die anyway after being twatted over the head with a gnome by another one of his bastard sons. Cassius, our very own mystery underliner...you've brought literature, substandard horticulture and eye candy into our lives, it has been an absolute pleasure watching you on screen and we will never forget you!

Fine, I'll go to Palm Beach if I Must!

Spring is well on its way over in Sydney and every day that I'm able to wear my thongs (I'm not only learning the lingo over here but I'm also using it in day to day life) without my toes freezing off, I plan a trip to one of the many many beaches the New South Wales coastline has to offer.

I'm a sucker for a good beach day and I'm one of those crazy Brits that loves to run into the ocean as soon as the outside temperature gets past 20 degrees...which incidentally has been a regular occurrence throughout the "winter" here so I've already explored a lot of the coastline.

With this in mind, it was inevitable that at some point I would eventually swallow my pride and head on up to Palm Beach which is where The Other Soap is filmed. However, you'll be pleased to know that I dressed for the occasion and wore my Scott and Charlene for this outing as a very subtle protest.

Dancing on the beach in my Scott and Charlene t-shirt

Palm beach is actually a suburb about 40 km north of Sydney on a beautiful peninsular so I had to take a ferry (they are part of the public transport network here which is pretty damn cool) and then quite a lengthy bus journey up the coast afterwards to reach it but it was so worth it!

There are several different beaches dotted around the place and I made my way to all of them. As someone who hasn't watched Home and Away since it got axed from ITV (I know I know, I am the worst kind of hypocrite) I wasn't entirely sure what to look out for in terms of filming locations but I amused myself by being a rebel and writing rude things in the sand...

My dirty protest!

Beautiful views over looking one of the beaches

Because I'm such a huge fan of the show I originally thought the building pictured below might be Alf's Bait Shop...until I actually reached Alf's Bait Shop and realised how foolish I had been to think that!

I originally thought this might have been Alf's Bait Shop...

...until I found this sign further on...

...and then got to this television-ready building and felt like quite the fool!

After that I climbed up to the lighthouse which I assume must featured on the show. The panoramic views from up there are absolutely breathtaking and I really wish I had a better camera to do them justice.

One lighthouse

looking back onto the peninsula

So much ocean! 

After my decent I went to the beach on the eastern side of the peninsula which I think is where most of the beach scenes are filmed. The sand on that side is really red and sticky (it's an absolute bugger to wash off) as opposed to the western beaches where the sad is white and your feet sink ankle deep with every step you take.

This is the most Summer Bay shot I could possibly hope for

More filming locations...

...with more opportunities to take photos of me standing outside them wearing inappropriate clothing! 

All in all, despite the obvious massive flaw to this beautiful place, I utterly adored exploring Palm Beach (as a fan of beaches and ocean scenery, not as a fan of the rival soap) and I'm very glad I got over myself and made the effort to go.

The one thing that impressed me more than anything was the fact that you could actually buy quite an extensive range of Summer Bay related merchandise from inside Alf's Bait Shop, which then made me sad there is no Neighbours equivalent other than the very feeble attempt at merchandise Bunyip Tours has to offer...get onto it Erinsborough Council, we need official merchandise god damn it!