We are in Australia!

Wow, I'm in Australia! Sometimes I have to say it out loud to believe it myself! How long have I been dreaming of the red continent. Where kangaroos hop on the field and koalas sit in the treetops eating eucalyptus. Also where the world's most dangerous animals live and the biggest spiders. But let's leave that aside and focus more on the koalas! 😂 Finally, we are in Down Under! Our journey begins in Brisbane. Out of the airport. It's already dark. And the first thought was, 'Uh, is it still mild!' In Australia, April is considered autumn. In many parts of Australia, it gets colder and wetter. But not in Queensland. It's always warm there. That's already the first point that I really like. I mean, I don't want to complain about the weather in New Zealand. No, not at all! We were really lucky in New Zealand and can count the rainy days on one hand. But it is noticeable that a different climate prevails here in Queensland. So it's becoming more and more appealing to sit outside longer in the evenings.
In Australia, we rented a camper with a rooftop tent. And I can only say that the car is a luxury compared to our Hapi. We have a refrigerator, seating in the lower part, proper duvets, and the rooftop tent where we sleep.
Our journey continues north. Sunshine Coast here we come! That sounds like it can only be good, right? And yes, what can I say, it is. There's definitely a lot going on here! Arriving in Mooloolaba, one thing becomes immediately clear. A clear contrast to New Zealand, I must say. Long beaches, a lively shopping street, hotel after hotel. That didn't exist in New Zealand. In New Zealand, there was often only nature, deserted beaches, and no shops for miles. So in short, there was often nothing there. But hotels and shopping streets? Not in New Zealand. At least not at the beach. But can I tell you something, I like both! After over 2 months of tranquility, it also feels good to be on lively beaches again. I would like to say that this place still has its charm and a lot of it! I can only say the same about Noosa Heads. Great golden beaches, lots of surfers in the water, a beautiful coast track with a view of dolphins in the sea, and a national park with many eucalyptus trees. You know what that means! But not only that, but wow, what vegetation. What plants, palm trees everywhere. That's the summer feeling guaranteed. Oh, and hey, what animals! This is something completely new for us Germans. Have you ever seen kangaroos in your garden? There are animals everywhere that I have never seen before. While we were eating, 3 cockatoos landed right next to us. There's a big lizard, oops, there's a turtle in the water, what kind of birds are those that sound like monkeys, were those giant flying foxes above us? On the other hand, you naturally get more nervous when something rustles in the bush. What I'm really looking forward to are the koalas! I'm curious to see what other animals we will encounter, that was definitely not all!

In any case, we have had really nice days in Australia so far. A popular arts and crafts market sweetened our Saturday morning with many homemade things, good vibes, and live music with the didgeridoo. It was a really nice market that didn't only consist of food stalls. The drives here are very relaxed because the roads in Australia mainly go straight. Quite different from New Zealand! Also, Australians behave much more relaxed in traffic than the Kiwis. Apart from that, David and I have unfortunately been a bit sick in the last few days and have been dealing with a cold. So our pace has been a bit slower in the last few days. Nevertheless, we make the best of it and look forward to a full recovery.

By the way, this morning we got up early to watch the sunrise on a sand dune with a view of the ocean. Oh, it was so dreamy! Wonderful! The sun rises here at 6 and sets again at 6.

After the sunrise, we went to Tin Can Bay. Every morning, dolphins come for breakfast there. They pick up their fish there, are admired by many people, and then swim back out to sea. Actually every morning, except today! Just today, the dolphins either didn't have an appetite, didn't feel like it, or there was another feast. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see them. Well, what can you do. In the end, they are wild animals, and that's how life is. You can't always be lucky.

Cheers!