Outback
Publisearre: 16.05.2023
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When I saw a Road Train for the first time, I couldn't believe my eyes. The first question that came to my mind was, 'How can anyone drive such a thing?' The answer to that is Australia. Tell me, on which road in Germany can you drive several hundred kilometers without having a car in front or behind you? In the Australian outback, this is not uncommon. You drive and drive, straight ahead. The landscape hardly changes. Everything looks the same. Surrounded by a flat, dry landscape. By the way, you often see the effects of the many bushfires here in Australia. Many trees have burned spots. However, it looks like the trees are recovering well from it. The power of nature is immense.
So we decided to drive into the Australian outback and it was definitely worth it! I have never felt such freedom behind the wheel. Sometimes it felt like there was only the road and me. As if this was all infinite. By now, I can understand why Australians say 'that's nothing' about driving 1000km. Oh, by the way, Road Trains are trucks that sometimes have more than 3 trailers and can be over 50m long. Crazy, right?
On the roads in Australia, it quickly becomes clear that much is oriented towards trucks. 'Without Trucks, Australia stops.' All service stations are equipped with toilets, showers, and sometimes even washing machines. So it can be practical for campers.
Overall, people are offered a lot more when it comes to such things than in other countries. In Australia, there are showers everywhere, even hot ones! Drinking water is also not a problem, just like in New Zealand. A bottle of water is the first thing you get on the table in restaurants. So I ask myself, why is Germany so behind in this regard? We have tap water everywhere of drinking quality. Why isn't there a water dispenser anywhere? Where is the bottle of water and why do I have to pay for toilets at the rest area sometimes? And where are the free public swimming pools??? Yes, they have fascinated me! 😄 That's where I wish for a bit more Swabian friendliness.
Can you imagine the colors that dominate during the sunset in the Outback? Fantastic! Just the highway and you. Flat land, a few trees, and a hopping kangaroo in the distance. I don't want to spoil the image for you, but I generally don't recommend driving in the Outback at night. Unfortunately, there is no fence separating the road from the wilderness. Kangaroos and many other animals are active at night. You can probably imagine the result. After the first time a kangaroo stood in front of us on the road, we decided to end the drive until the next morning. But what you appreciate again is when you are lying in the rooftop tent and you hear rustling and feeding wallabies next to you.
Guys, our journey is coming to an end soon. We will leave Australia with a heavy heart next Friday. Why did we only spend 4 weeks in such a big country? Unfortunately, the rental costs for a camper are also very high in Australia. Besides, winter is approaching in Australia (except in the tropical north). So, you leave when it's the most beautiful! We will spend our last days on the Gold Coast, a little south of Brisbane. Yes, we have driven a good distance south by now. Gold Coast. Sounds good already, doesn't it? The bear is definitely dancing here! A long stretch of coastline with many skyscrapers, bars, restaurants, markets with live music, and much more. So, as you can see, we are always in good hands.
So we decided to drive into the Australian outback and it was definitely worth it! I have never felt such freedom behind the wheel. Sometimes it felt like there was only the road and me. As if this was all infinite. By now, I can understand why Australians say 'that's nothing' about driving 1000km. Oh, by the way, Road Trains are trucks that sometimes have more than 3 trailers and can be over 50m long. Crazy, right?
On the roads in Australia, it quickly becomes clear that much is oriented towards trucks. 'Without Trucks, Australia stops.' All service stations are equipped with toilets, showers, and sometimes even washing machines. So it can be practical for campers.
Overall, people are offered a lot more when it comes to such things than in other countries. In Australia, there are showers everywhere, even hot ones! Drinking water is also not a problem, just like in New Zealand. A bottle of water is the first thing you get on the table in restaurants. So I ask myself, why is Germany so behind in this regard? We have tap water everywhere of drinking quality. Why isn't there a water dispenser anywhere? Where is the bottle of water and why do I have to pay for toilets at the rest area sometimes? And where are the free public swimming pools??? Yes, they have fascinated me! 😄 That's where I wish for a bit more Swabian friendliness.
Can you imagine the colors that dominate during the sunset in the Outback? Fantastic! Just the highway and you. Flat land, a few trees, and a hopping kangaroo in the distance. I don't want to spoil the image for you, but I generally don't recommend driving in the Outback at night. Unfortunately, there is no fence separating the road from the wilderness. Kangaroos and many other animals are active at night. You can probably imagine the result. After the first time a kangaroo stood in front of us on the road, we decided to end the drive until the next morning. But what you appreciate again is when you are lying in the rooftop tent and you hear rustling and feeding wallabies next to you.
Guys, our journey is coming to an end soon. We will leave Australia with a heavy heart next Friday. Why did we only spend 4 weeks in such a big country? Unfortunately, the rental costs for a camper are also very high in Australia. Besides, winter is approaching in Australia (except in the tropical north). So, you leave when it's the most beautiful! We will spend our last days on the Gold Coast, a little south of Brisbane. Yes, we have driven a good distance south by now. Gold Coast. Sounds good already, doesn't it? The bear is definitely dancing here! A long stretch of coastline with many skyscrapers, bars, restaurants, markets with live music, and much more. So, as you can see, we are always in good hands.
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