New Continent, new Adventure: Australia!

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I have great luck! I have just arrived in Australia and after a quick sight seeing tour through Sydney it is time to leave the city for heading to Newcastle. The background is that I met a couple in Mendoza Ilana and Nate who invited me to spend a weekend with them in the hometown of Ilana. It is suburb of Newcastle and we stay at a friend’s place.

Immediately after arriving we go to the Blackbut reserve where you can see coalas and kangaroos. Usually it is possible to feed them. Unfortunately we come too late and it is already closed. Thus we decide to eat something instead. The people who know me that food can also make me happy. The next day is a big day: Anzac Day, maybe the most celebrated holiday in Australia. It starts early with a dawn service to remember the fallen soldiers in the first and second world war. The location is amazing, directly next to the beach. The sun rises and many people woke up to come here. It is a nice event and I enjoy it. Afterwards we go surfing or rather the group I m with go surfing because I do not have a surf board. Nevertheless I use the chance to take a bath in the sea. In the afternoon everyone goes to a pub to gamble and drink. Australians love gambling and at this day it is legal to gamble in a pub. The game is simple: Three coins are thrown and you choose head or tail. I have luck and win my first 5$. Subsequently we are invited to a houseparty including delicious food. I would stay at each place a lot longer.

I decide to return to Sydney instead of going directly up the coas to see the blue mountains and some beaches in Sydney. In addition I need to plan my trip and internet in Australia is really slow and seldom. I have the possibility to stay at the apartment of Denise, a former colleague who is working there for my former company. Thank you! Some of the pictures are from her blog.

The blue mountains remind me a little bit of South Africa and also of the Grand Canyon. They are two hours away from Sydney and I would go there for hiking but many hikes are not open due to a big storm a couple of days before. The next day I spend at the beaches of Sydney like the famous bondi beach which is touristy but beautiful. Especially the coastal walk from Bondi to Coggee is beautiful. Then it is time to take the bus further up to Byron Bay.

Surfing in Noosa after a Storm

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According to slow internet, I m not able to upload pictures for this article.

Noosa is beautiful; the houses are small, white and clean. There is a lot of nature between the houses and in the middle are rivers. I enjoy walking around. Consequently, I decide against taking a bus and walk to my first hostel which is far away from the center. In addition there is not much to do because it is raining and it is too dangerous to go with kayaks on the river which was originally the reason I have chosen the hostel. I cannot change the weather thus I watch movies with some other backpackers and cook. Nevertheless I always feel a little bit bad if I waste my time in a hostel instead of doing and discovering something. Thus I enjoy the sun and the beach the next beach. Additionally I change the hostel which is pleasant and more like a hotel.

The people are super friendly. The time until check-in I spend by walking along the coast through the Noosa National Park which offers many beaches and the chance to see animals is high. For instance I see a poisonous water snake birds and a coala. The views on the beaches are amazing. From time to time I can see surfers in the sea but the waves are massive due to the storm of the last days. I have to hurry to catch my bus back to the hostel and in the end I have to run. The nice lady from the hostel drives me back and after a short lunch I take the next hostel back to the beach to go surfing. The last time I surfed was in South Africa. It is my second time and I am a little bit afraid of not controlling my board in the waves. I had to ask for the beginners beach and unfortunately there does not exist any beginner beach. The waves are up to 2-3 m high and I decide to stay in the white water. In order of the strong current it is even a fight to go out with the surf board. I like it! In the end I am not really successful with surfing. I think I need some more surf lessons to know more about the technique. Despite I can stand up only a couple of times and fall down directly I have great fun. Then I have to go back to the hostel.

In comparison to South America everything is really early. The sun goes down at 17:30 and most bars close at 24 o’clock. I would like to stay longer but the tour for Fraser Island is booked and the hostel is fully booked out so I catch a bus to the bus terminal.

Before taking the bus to Rainbow beach I need to buy alcohol and it is another first time experience to buy Goon. Goon is a 4 l white wine plastic box for 12 $. I mention this because it is a kind of backpacker culture in Australia especially at the east coast. However, you do not want to know what is in it. Now I am sitting in the bus and enjoy my conversations with a couple of Backpackers. It is crazy how many backpackers are going up the east coast even when it is low season. The next following days I will stay in a bush camp with over 60 other backpackers.

Fraser Island: The Paradise Island of the Aborigines

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I booked a tour with Dingos to discover the beautiful Fraser Island by 4Wd cars. After long safety instructions we can start. Directly at the beginning there are first problems with the car which can be fixed immediately. We take the ferry and are transferred to the Island which consists mainly of sand. The beaches are beautiful but due to the sharks and stingers in the water we are not allowed to swim in it.

We drive along the beach with the cars. It makes great fun even if I cannot drive because my new driver license is still in Germany. I have big luck with my group and we have a good time in the car. In the afternoon we go to a beautiful lake. Fraser Island is one of these places for which you must find new words. It is hard to describe but see by yourself:

The lake is deeper than the sea level and consists of raining water. The sand is very soft. Actually you can use it for a skin peeling. After playing water ball, relaxing and swimming we have to drive through the forest to our bush camp. It is an Aboriginal camp thus we are not allowed to whistle or to split in the fire because it attracts bad spirits. We are told a story in which a German was drunken and whistle and left the camp at night. Then he got attacked by Dingos and climbed up a tree. He fell down and broke his arm and leg. Covered with blood all over his body he creeped back to the camp and need a helicopter. Hence the Aborigines warn us to be careful and nobody of us wanted to risk it.

At our second day at Fraser Island we spend the morning in water pools close to the ocean. When waves come, fresh water sweeps into the pools and it sprinkles like champagne. Thus they are called champagne pools. It is so pleasant to relax in the pools and refresh from the hot sun. Later we climb up a hill to see some sharks. Unfortunately we see only big water turtles. Usually in June it is also possible to see whales. Of course not now, I miss the season by one month like always. After swimming in another lake in the afternoon we arrive back in time for the moon rise. First I thought that it is just a moon but in fact it is a lot more. A huge red moon comes up from the sea. It is bright like a new planet and almost round. If you turn your head you can see a face. It is really impressive.

The last day we hang out at the beach and at a river. However I must have a short bath in the ocean due to its beauty. It makes great fun to do some body surfing but we do not want to go deeper due to strong currents and sharks. Now it is time to go back to the mainland and it feels a little bit like the end of a weekend.

Sailing Tour at Whitsundays

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I arrive in Airlie Beach and it is a small town with two harbors. It is only built up for tourism to the Whitsunday Islands. I arrive in a huge hostel which is unfriendly and dirty. I am annoyed by being charged for everything. However I meet a lot of other travelers from previous stops. One of them wants to go running – it is my first time in Australia to go running. I enjoy it a lot to do sport again.

The next day I go on a sailing trip to the Whitsunday Islands. My boat is the New Horizon and we are a group of 32 young people. Unfortunately mostly are Germans or Swiss. Hence the most used language is German. The first day we just go to a spot where the sea is quiet. The food is awesome and the skipper teaches me about his boat. We can go for a swim and jump off the boat. It is my first time to use paddle boards. All of us have to wear a stinger suits due to the jelly fish. I am a little bit afraid when I first jump into the water with all the animals (sharks, snakes, stingers). At night we see lots of small sharks swimming around our boat hunting.

After a really good breakfast we arrive at the famous White Haven Beach. It is hard to describe, just see the pictures. It is the finest sand in the world. Many international companies are looking to use the sand which fortunately is refused by the national park. We hang around and play water games. It is fun to walk around and feel the sand between my toes. At night we switched off all the lights to see the amazing sky with all its millions of stars.

Another highlight is snorkeling. We have to wait until the small boat gives us a lift to the snorkeling spot. The reef is already part of the Great Barrier Reef and some people also go diving there. The underwater landscape is awesome and the amount of fish is impressive. I see the famous “Nemo” clown fish. Ok to be honest, they feed the fish but it is still impressive to swim in a shoal.

After two exciting days it is time to go back to Airlie Beach and jump into the sea. We get some last minute information about the Whitsunday islands. Then we are ready and head back to Airlie beach. I am only a little bit disappointed that I cannot sail. However in the end I had two great days with a great group, good food and a lot of sun.

Diving at the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns

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After little sleep I have to wake up early to go diving. Like everything in Australia it starts early and in compliance with the German reputation I arrive too early. However I am quite disappointed when I am told that there are only two certificate divers on the boat for today. In the end we are four people but the others have only experienced six previous dives. Consequently we cannot do any fancy dives. The travel agency Peter Pan promised me something different.

Furthermore they asked that I should pay for a guided dive which I refuse. On the other side I cannot go diving alone with a person who has only dived six times. The next idea of the diving company is that the others pay for a guide and I dive alone. In the first diving lesson you learn that you never dive alone. Hence I refuse a second time and tell them I will follow anyway. Finally we do a guided tour at the first dive and I will decide if I am feeling comfortable to guide the second dive without a diver from the company. At least I can say that I have as many dives as some of the people who work there as guides.

The first dive is not special and the deepest is 18 meters. We see many fish but nothing fancy and the dive is pretty easy. You dive along a so called “bumi” which is an underground island maybe at the surface 1 m under the water and at the deepest point it is 13 m. The “bumi” consists of corals which offer an exclusive environment for many fish. Unfortunately we do not see sharks or turtles but the view is amazing and I can get a good impression of the diving skills of the other group members.

The second dive is totally different. This time I can practise my group leader skills. Due to my experience I am feeling responsible for the group. It is quite hard to keep everything under control and at the same time enjoy the impressive underwater landscape. There are many channels through which we can swim. It is just beautiful how the light falls into them and how the corals shine so colourfully. Without any big problems we return to the boat. Afterwards I go snorkeling which is slightly different.

All in all I had a great time at the Great Barrier Reef and sometimes things are a lot better on reflection than you see them at first glance.

Roadtrip Cairns Alice through the Outback

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After travelling along the “East Coast” in Australia I want to go to the centre of Australia to visit a friend. Alice Springs is more than 2000 km away from Cairns. First I want to do hitch-hiking but due to the limitation of time and the long distance I decide to look for other travellers to rent a camper van. Finally I find a campervan relocation which means that a car rental company look for people who drive back a camper van to a certain place. It is for sure the cheapest option and excited I call the people and organize everything. After meeting Reid who has organized the camper van I wait that the group pick me up. I am quite nervous because it sounds too good to be true.

Some minutes after 11 o’clock they arrive in a huge camper van. It is equipped with everything you could imagine, TV, Shower, Microwave. We decide to use only a minimum because we have to clean it afterwards. Our group is internationally mixed and consists of a Canadian couple, a Scottish girl, a French guy, a German girl and me.

The first day we drive to a beach to see Cassowaries which are big birds similar to ostriches. The second day we have to change our route because we cannot drive 150 km unpaved road with a big campervan therefore we have to drive 500 km more. In addition we have bad luck because a stone hits our front window which means we probably have to pay much more money. I wish they have “Carglass” in Australia but in the end the break costs us over 600$ additional. The next two days we drive on long straight roads and come closer and closer to Alice Springs. There is nothing else than our car, the road and the endless desert. From time to time there are cows, or dead kangaroos beside the road. A huge roadtrain sometimes overtakes us or we overtake a roadtrain which can be almost 60 m long. Due to its size they cannot stop and continue whatever is in their way.

We are driving from sunrise till sunset and stop only for lunch, filling up petrol or going to the bathroom. We spend our time by sitting in the bus and play cards, sleep, look into the endless desert and listen to music. All in all it is a new experience to live with five other people in such a small room for 5 days. I think we have great luck to be a harmonic group.

Finally we arrive in Alice Springs. I visit my friend in Alice Springs while the others continue driving to Uluru. On one hand I am sad that the others leave Alice Springs immediately. On the other hand I look back on our great time in the camper van and I am just thankful.

Into the Heart of the Outback: Alice Springs and the Rock Tour

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Why does anybody wants to live in the middle of the outback, why does Alice Springs exist? I ask myself these questions and a lot more. Alice Springs was founded as a telegraph station to connect Sydney with the western world via a telegraph line. The advantage of Alice Springs is that two rivers come together: Charles River and Todds River. However the rivers are dry most of the time in the year. I explore Alice Springs and the environment by bike and have great fun. From Anzac Hill I can see the whole city and a little bit outside of the city, in the desert, I find a good spot to relax and observe a kangaroo family who is jumping around.

The next day my tour to Uluru and Kings Canyon starts. At five o’clock I have to be at a hostel and Laura, my friend from home, is driving me to the meeting point. At night Alice Springs is not the safest place due to many drunken Aborigines. Apparently the receptionist is still sleeping because a bunch of people are waiting for their breakfast. After eating the breakfast the four hours bus ride starts. It is still dark and a little bit cold. Our tour guide Brett is funny and we have immediately a good connection. He is also an extreme sports man who do climbing and apnoea. Furthermore he travelled a lot and knows many stories about the Aborigine culture. I meet a girl in the bus who reads cards and tells me many things about Aborigines. We exchange some travel stories. I m still not believing in the cards and she reminds me to a clairvoyant. However I could learn somethings from her.

The Aboriginal culture is more than 40.000 years old. They are hunters and gatherers. From generation to generation they transfer their knowledge about their culture, how to hunt and how to survive in the desert. Instead of having a written language their stories are passed from mouth to mouth. Depending on the age and personality the elder people introduce the younger more and more into the culture. Aborigines consider “white people” as children. Hence we are told only the first level of culture. Furthermore there is not one language or one tribe of Aborigines. They have more than 140 languages but only 35 languages are still spoken today. The lack of unity is one of the reasons why the Aboriginal culture could not defend against the western one. Today you can see many Aborigines are addicted to alcohol or sniffing petrol. Many of them lost their connection to the nature. We are visiting the Uluru, by Western also called Ayers Rock, which is massive. It is only 300 m high but approximately 6 km deep. It has a high percentage of iron which is oxidised by lightening. Therefore the colour of Uluru is red. It is a very holy place for the Aborigines. We watch sunset and sunrise there and enjoy our dinner.

After seeing some paintings and hiking through the outback we collect firewood. At nights we are sitting around the fire and tell stories. The stars glow extremely brightly and it is possible to see the milky way. At night we are sleeping in swags which are a kind of cocoon of a caterpillar. It is awesome.

The last day it is time again to wake up before sunrise. We pack everything together and drive to Kings Canyon where we want to see the sunrise. The clouds twinkle in different red colours and the stones as well. It is really cool. We are hiking three hours up and down the canyon and our tour guide shows us different plants which the Aborigines use. On the way back to Alice Springs we stop at a camel farm where we can also see dingos and kangaroos. At the evening we eat together and enjoy the end of the evening in the rock bar.