#13 Summer in winter / Trip to the ski resort

It's been a long time since our last entry. That's probably because we both worked in Melbourne for almost 2 months and were caught up in the Australian work routine. But just before Christmas, the travel bug bit us again.

On December 22nd, we went to Fingal, about 1.5 hours drive from Melbourne, to the famous "Hot springs". 40 degrees hot water, which comes from a depth of 600 meters and is directed into beautifully designed pools. In addition to hot springs, there were also cold pools, saunas and an ice cave. Although it was over 20 degrees outside, the hot pools were comfortable. The most famous one is the Hilltop Pool. This one is located at the top of a mountain, with a wonderful view.

The next day we went to Mount Martha to see the "Pillars". These are 4 to 7 meter high cliffs from which you can jump into turquoise blue water. We had heard about it before, but had never tried cliff jumping ourselves. Unfortunately, the "Pillars" were closed. It is probably too risky or there has been an accident there. But that didn't stop us from climbing down and up the cliffs. This also gave us a free workout.

Afterwards, we set our sights on the "90 mile beach". As the name suggests, it is a 90 mile long beach. We hoped to find a quiet and undisturbed place there for Christmas. Arriving in Sale (the place where we stayed), we stocked up on chocolate, cookies and pudding for the Christmas holidays. We decided to celebrate the festival on the 24th, not like the Australians on the 25th of December.

On Christmas day, we put on our Santa Claus hats and went to Golden Beach, which is located on the 90 mile beach. All alone on the beach with surfboard and alcohol, we enjoyed the sun and solitude.

On Christmas Eve and the first day of Christmas, we treated ourselves to a restaurant visit. It was a nice change and Annika was relieved of some kitchen duties. Here in Australia, we (or Annika) cook almost every day because eating out is very expensive. In Germany, we could afford it more often. Cooking at home was more of the exception.

Unfortunately, despite the Christmas music Annika played, there was no Christmas atmosphere, as there would have been in Germany at least a little bit. Even the pre-Christmas time felt strange. Melbourne, for example, was beautifully decorated and there were cookies and gingerbread in the shops. But at 30 degrees and sunshine, it doesn't feel the same as what we're used to.

On December 26th, we continued. 6 hours drive through the Australian mountains, rainforests and the wilderness, where you better not have a breakdown. After what felt like 20 hours of driving, we arrived in Jindabyne. A cute little village with a beautiful lake in the Snowy Mountains. Yes - you heard right! Snowy Mountains, where Australians go skiing in August/September. You really don't expect that. The ski and sled rentals impressed us. Unfortunately, the season did not allow us to conquer the ski resort with skis and snowboards. But we really enjoyed our stay in Jindabyne and it reminded us of the German Alps. Strengthened with good food, of course from the restaurant, and some oil and water for our "Karl", we moved on.

To Australia's capital -> Canberra