Seinfeld

MELBOURNE, Australia (CNN) -- Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is brushing up on his stand-up skills in a spot that's far, far away from the gaze of all New Yorkers, unless they just happen to be in the land Down Under.

Seinfeld arrived in Melbourne Thursday for 12 sold-out Australian performances that are somewhat of a dress rehearsal for a run of stand-up shows scheduled in New York this fall.

The Australian run opened Friday to rave reviews.

And Seinfeld sightings about town have Aussie fans buzzing about Jerry with comedic-like bliss.

"(We) breathed his oxygen," two girls giggled to reporters.

Before his performance Friday, Seinfeld stopped at a Melbourne restaurant for lunch.

"Well, he actually left me a $10 tip," Seinfeld's waitress told CNN.

-- CNN's John Raedler reports from Melbourne, Australia -- 3.2 M / 58 sec. / 240x180 2 M / 58 sec. / 160x120 QuickTime movie

Observing fans were just as pleased.

"So we said, 'Hi Jerry,' and he just smiled at us and said, 'Hi,'" two giddy Jerry-watchers noted.

The news media was not allowed inside the theater for Friday's show, but fans said the performance lived up to their expectations.

"Oh, it was brilliant. You couldn't stop laughing. You got sore from laughing. It was fantastic," one said.

"Sensational," raved another. "He's just a whiz. I love him."

"I was expecting to see Kramer or George pop up from the wings for a minute," said another man.

Correspondent John Raedler contributed to this report.