My sister Katherine and her fiance Adam, as a fun thank you gave me a Neighbours Tour gift. As I am a regular Neighbours viewer, I thought it would be good fun. So my other sister Maria came along for an entertaining Sunday morning. Ok, she was dragged along. Can't you see how excited she is sitting at the back of the bus??
An early start had everyone meeting in the city. The bus was full, with only four Aussies on board, the rest of the group were from the UK. With a few hiccups at the start, and a lack of enthusiasm and customer service from the Neighbours Tour female representative, unless of course you were an international tourist, we made a start and headed towards Pin Oak Court, aka Ramsey St, in Vermont. Oh did I mention that I had to sit at the front of the bus with the driver!!
The court is quite small with only about six houses. But we all did get to see where all our favourite Neighbours characters live. From Dr Karl Kennedy and Toady, to Paul Robinson and where Mrs Mangle lived.
The court is quite small with only about six houses. But we all did get to see where all our favourite Neighbours characters live. From Dr Karl Kennedy and Toady, to Paul Robinson and where Mrs Mangle lived.
The Kennedy's house
Toady's??
Paul Robinson's house
Where Mrs. Mangle lived. Who lives here now? No idea.
So it was back in the very colourful bus, with our next stop being Erinsborough High School. The outdoor shots are actually taken at Blackburn English Language School. And all they do is hang up a sign. Very high tech stuff.
Not very inconspicuous!
Apparently there are a few signs they use for the high school, and this is just one of them. The motto actually means 'Wisely if sincerely'.
Back on the road again had us heading to Global Studios where all the sets are, like Lassiters, Charlie's bar, Harold's store etc. They only use the facade of these sets for outdoor shots as all internal scenes are created inside the studio.
The mechanics
The famous Lassiters
Charlie's bar owned by Stephanie Skully
Steve Parker's veterinary clinic
Toady's law office
The General Store
The lake and gazebo where a lot of the Neighbours action happens
Even the cuckatoos are fake
The final stop was at Luna Park to meet a Neighbours star, past or present. We didn't know who it would be until the very last minute. We ended up meeting Mark Raffety who played Dr Darcy Tyler. I had no idea who he was!! Talk about a downer. But to remind those Neighbours fans out there who he is.....
Even though I didn't know who he was I still got his autograph. Hey, you never know, it might worth something one day!
