#16 On the Road again

Sydney was crossed off our list faster than expected. We celebrated New Year's Eve there, visited the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, took a city tour, and had lunch at Sydney Tower.

We also explored the Figure 8 Pools and the Blue Mountains (which are located outside the city). After seven days, we left the city and started our road trip.

Since we have been traveling from big city to big city (Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney), we were now looking forward to smaller towns and lots of sea. The weather is finally consistent, so we can go swimming every day.

This road trip brings the biggest change to our journey so far. From now on, we will be camping. Unfortunately, most of our money goes towards accommodations.

A few weeks ago, we switched from hostels to Airbnb. There, you can find cheaper rooms than in hostels. Plus, you only share the house with the owners and sometimes have the kitchen or living room to yourself. In hostels, you are never alone and have to share everything with many others. We really enjoyed staying with locals, and especially me (Annika) would have never thought that I would go camping in Australia. I am usually quite picky when it comes to cleanliness and have some issues with creepy crawlies.

We have already spent three nights in a tent, and it's not as bad as we thought. It shows how much an adventure can change you.

Wild camping is actually prohibited in Australia. We find camping sites through the apps "wikicamps" and "campermate". The latter is free, but it doesn't have as many camping sites as wikicamps. So far, we have paid an average of $13 per night and even nothing one time. There are free camping sites, but they may not have showers or toilets.

So far, we have been lucky and have always been able to shower and use the toilet. What we don't have is electricity and Wi-Fi. That means we charge our phones in the car while driving and use public Wi-Fi (if we can find any).

Now, let's talk about our route. Our first stop after Sydney was Palm Beach. There, we hiked to the lighthouse and enjoyed the beautiful view of the palm-shaped peninsula.

Next, we visited the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie. It is a facility that takes in injured koalas, nurses them back to health, and releases them into the wild again. Most of the koalas there were hit by cars, infected with diseases, or involved in bushfires. Some of them may never be able to be released again because they are blind or have had limbs amputated. Admission is free, and you can join a guided tour. Donations are welcome and necessary to keep the operation running.

Our next stop was Coffs Harbour. There, Meykel finally got to surf for the first time. We spent most of our days at the beach or the harbor, where we had incredibly tasty fish & chips. But we also visited the Butterfly House, which is like an indoor rainforest with countless species of butterflies. You can learn many interesting facts, and if you're lucky (like Meykel), a butterfly will land on you.

There is also a labyrinth in the outdoor area (which has nothing to do with butterflies, but okay).

We will stay in Coffs Harbour for three days, and then we will head to Byron Bay.