Australia - Great Ocean Road

After a six-hour flight delay, we landed on the red continent in Melbourne. First of all, we were looking forward to a real bed in our hotel after three weeks in the camper. It was already late at night and we were very excited about what the next two days would bring in Melbourne. In general, we were full of anticipation for Australia. Is it really like we always imagine it? Red earth, endless landscapes, dreamy beaches, kangaroos, and cute koalas?! We'll just ignore the poisonous animals!

Our first free walking tour in Melbourne was a great success. The guide was really funny and had a lot of interesting information. He has worked as a guide in over 50 cities, including Germany. However, Melbourne is his favorite city and he showed us: creative street art in the laneways, historical buildings, the typical Australian flat white coffee, Chinatown, and both the party and shopping streets. After the first impressions, we explored the city on our own. At the Queen Victoria Market, we had a funny portrait of us drawn as a souvenir of our trip - it will have a special place at home. The free circle tram took us around a bit until we ended up at a viewpoint overlooking the skyline. For dinner, we chose a restaurant where you can eat and drink as much as you want and then pay what you think is appropriate. We had heard about it before, but we think it's great that it really works. To end the evening, we wanted to go for a drink. Melbourne is known for its hidden bars, which are really well hidden throughout the city. Just imagine going into a small shop that offers sandwiches, asking if this is the hidden bar, and the shopkeeper points to the cold room door... Once opened, we were right in the bar. Here we spent a fun evening with delicious cocktails. These bars were created at a time when alcohol consumption was only allowed until 6 pm.

Before we picked up our camper the next day, we visited the harbor and the waterfront on the Yarra River. In the evening, we went to a rooftop bar overlooking the many colorful lights of the city. Now it was time for our little home on four wheels again. On the way to the first overnight stop, it finally happened - red earth, kangaroo warning signs, eucalyptus trees, and endlessly long trucks. Now we really felt like we were in Australia. The next few days went by in a flash. Along the famous Great Ocean Road, we were often breathless. Dreamy beaches and bays, numerous surfers, and impressive rock formations. One highlight after another: Cape Otway Lighthouse, Great Otway National Park, the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, and London Bridge. After our overnight stay in the middle of the national park, we continued driving in the morning and suddenly a kangaroo jumped out of the bushes. We could hardly believe it when we saw two more. Our first kangaroos in the wild! Gradually, we realized that they hop around everywhere here. In a large wildlife reserve, we saw more kangaroos, wallabies, our first koalas, emus, little rabbits, and parrots. It's great that the animals are protected here and can still live freely. A detour away from the coast took us to Grampians National Park. A beautiful drive through the bush with a view of tall rocks. We could only walk along some of the beautiful hiking trails because of the bad weather. We saw the Venus Baths, the Grand Canyon (not THE Grand Canyon, but apparently there are several), the Pinnacles, and the Boroka Lookout. It's fascinating what nature has created here. Despite the pouring rain, the hike through the Grand Canyon to the Pinnacles was a great experience and the view of the valley was unique. Completely soaked, we returned to the camper and had a visitor. A little bird was sitting on the bed and had apparently been waiting for us. He probably didn't feel like being in the rain either because even though we opened the doors, he stayed inside.

Before our next destination, we left the state of Victoria and drove to South Australia. We also learned that the clocks have to be set back half an hour here when we wondered why the i-site was still closed at nine. Here we booked the ferry to Kangaroo Island. According to the navigation system, it takes 1 hour and 55 minutes, and we had exactly 2 hours until departure. Well, we can definitely make it... After a fast drive, we saw at the harbor how the ferry lifted the ramp and left. Without us! Even our honking did nothing. We were one minute late and were very annoyed because, according to the lady at the i-site, the next ferry would only depart in three hours. But we were lucky in our misfortune. The next ferry left only one hour later.

Kangaroo Island truly lived up to its name. We saw numerous kangaroos and wallabies, but also two rarer echidnas crossed our path. Here too, there were beautiful bays, white sandy beaches, eucalyptus forests, and vast plains. Unfortunately, not all of the roads here are paved, and the bumpy gravel roads with potholes put some strain on our camper. Right next to our campsite, there was a hidden beach. What are the Australians hiding?! We had to climb over and between big rocks, but then the tide blocked our way. As darkness fell, we looked at Stokes Bay the next morning from a lookout point. Truly a beautiful bay with turquoise blue water. In the early morning, many kangaroos had gathered around our camper, the little chocolate-colored hoppers were really cute, different from those on the mainland. Today, the Flinders Chase National Park was on the program. The adventure started already in the parking lot. We had a little breakfast and suddenly heard a grunt. Surely a pig doesn't want to eat our breakfast?! The bushes rustled and the grunting got closer and closer. We looked at each other with big eyes. Two geese came around the corner. Huh?! Yes, apparently they grunt in Australia, or at least this species does. On the coast of the park, we visited Admirals Arch, seals sunbathing on the rocks, and the Remarkable Rocks. Once again, we were fascinated by how beautiful nature is. Of all the lighthouses we've seen so far, we liked Cape du Couedic Lighthouse the best. On the way back to the ferry, we saw a koala sitting in a tree. They are so cute that I would love to take one with me. We enjoyed the view over Vivonne Bay - another picturesque beach. We were right on time for the ferry back to the mainland and then drove to Adelaide. Here we had to hurry a bit because we had tickets for the footy match at Adelaide Oval. We were really looking forward to the game, especially since I had never been to a stadium before and was completely overwhelmed by the whole atmosphere. Thanks to UBER, we were there on time and took our seats almost at the top. Equipped with fast food and drinks, it started. Adelaide Crows vs. Carlton Blues. We didn't know the rules yet, but during the game, they became clearer and clearer to us, and we had a lot of fun. We rooted for Adelaide, come on Adelaide! (Thank you for the great tip, Karl!) We celebrated Adelaide's victory in the next nightclub. A bit tired, we spent a relaxed day in Adelaide. Visiting a market, Domino's Pizza, Henley Beach, chilling in the sun, eating ice cream, botanical garden, and city center. We completely forgot that we didn't have accommodation for Perth yet, so in the evening, we booked an Airbnb stay and flew off the next afternoon. Off to the west coast, where it apparently shouldn't be too touristy and very untouched by nature.