Conclusion Australia - Australia really is a BIG country

What can we say, Australia is truly enormous, as our title image already impressively demonstrates with the many different countries of the world that easily fit into the area of the Australian continent.

In total, we had a stay of about 6 weeks and gained a very good impression of the country and its contrasts, as we saw not only New South Wales and Queensland, but also Victoria and the area around Ayers Rock in the Northern Territory, in the Australian Outback. The contrasts are incredible, but tremendous distances must still be covered.

Sydney (New South Wales)

Hyams Beach (New South Wales)

Whitehaven Beach (Queensland)

Agnes Water (Queensland)

Ayers Rock (Northern Territory)

Uluru & Kata Tjuta National Park (Northern Territory)

Brighton Beach (Victoria)

Great Ocean Road (Victoria)

Street-Art Melbourne (Victoria)

Erskine Falls (Victoria)

In total, we had 4 domestic flights covering 6,898 kilometers and traveled 6,056 kilometers in total with 3 rental cars in and around Sydney, on the East Coast, and in Victoria. This gives everyone an idea of the distances we are talking about. However, we completely skipped the North and the West Coast because it simply wouldn't have been feasible.

Due to the fact that we haven't seen everything from the country and its people, we don't want to give any travel recommendations at this point, but just share our highlights =)

Our absolute highlights were:

1. Animals, animals, animals... Koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, and above all cuddling with the cutest furballs in the world - wombats (Lisa's new favorite animal =)) The easiest way to see koalas is on the Great Ocean Road, for all other marsupials, the Wilson Promotory National Park is the all-in-one package

2. Snorkeling in Lady Musgrave Lagoon - Tobi finally got to snorkel with turtles and reef sharks

3. The fascinating and impressive Ayers Rock

4. Don't forget to include the area around Sydney in your travel plans, with the Blue Mountains, Jervis Bay, and Kangaroo Valley, one of the most beautiful areas in Australia in our opinion.

On the other hand, we won't miss...

1. Our morning wake-up call by various parrots - it's actually not really on the agenda when talking about Australia, but the bird world and especially the different wild parrots impressed us. Unfortunately, they are rather annoying in the morning at the campsite ;-) Here is a small compilation of the colorful birds:

2. The partially very bad roads with incredible potholes (don't be a gentle - it's a rental :-D - the quote of the day from other travelers)

3. The incredible distances until the landscape changes again, especially on the East Coast between Brisbane and Cairns. We had nice stops in Agnes Water, Airlie Beach, and Townsville, but overall the East Coast disappointed us in terms of the kilometers traveled.

4. Don't be surprised - there really hasn't been an entry stamp in the passport for 3 years ;-))

Beforehand, we also gave a lot of thought whether we really wanted to go camping in a tent, since there are indeed some venomous animals like snakes and spiders, but in the end we decided to do so because of the absolute flexibility and to save a few Euros for activities ;-). For those who might have similar concerns in advance, we can absolutely reassure you. Apart from a few spiders, which were never in the tent or car, we really didn't see anything. Just don't worry and avoid the little creatures if you happen to come across one. Camping equipment from the tent to the air mattress, to the gas cooker and the hanging tent lamp, can be purchased very cheaply and in sufficient quality at kMart and doesn't necessarily have to be dragged from home.

In conclusion, we really enjoyed our time and the people are really helpful. The Australian way of life is generally rather relaxed and strongly connected to nature and action. So, of course, there are countless offers for tours and activities for tourists, which should be carefully selected as they are quite expensive. A look at Bookme is always worthwhile ;-)

Unfortunately, our time in Australia also marks the end of our journey through Oceania, but with the flight to Bali, Southeast Asia is already waiting for us, where there is also a whole new region of the world to discover, and we are very excited for it :-)