Still alive!

People, we're still alive! It's just been incredibly busy in the past few weeks, so we couldn't gather the energy to write a blog in the evenings.

On December 27, we set off from Brisbane towards the south to welcome Mara's brother Yannick on December 31 in Sydney. The first stop on our 4-day tour was the Gold Coast, known for its parties, high society life, and surfing. The weather was hot and the beach was long and beautiful. We spent a day visiting SeaWorld, which was well worth it. The dolphin show was particularly breathtaking, as we already thought dolphins were cool, but what they can do was truly amazing! In the evening, we drove to Byron Bay so we could experience the sunrise on Australia's easternmost beach the next morning. The picture says it all...

We then made our way to Sydney without any major stops. At Sydney Airport, we welcomed our new travel crew member Yannick, and New Year's Eve was the perfect opportunity to celebrate his arrival in Australia. To see the famous fireworks over the Harbour Bridge, we bought tickets for one of the many viewing spots in Sydney. Despite having to queue in the hot sun in the afternoon to get a good spot, the tiring wait was worth it and we had a great view of the New Year's fireworks.

Our week in Sydney went by really quickly and was filled with great excursions to the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, a rooftop bar, the spectacular Blue Mountains, hiking trails around the bay, and a huge water park. We especially sought some relief in the water park as the weather was crazy and one day it even reached almost 48 degrees... It's like sitting in a sauna, but without being able to get out.

In the following days, our journey was characterized by 2-3 hours of driving each day with smaller stops at various white beaches with high waves and clear water, or in smaller towns where we bought our provisions for the day. It was great to drive around as a trio and stop at amazing places to enjoy life! One highlight was definitely the campsite in the middle of nowhere (20 km on a gravel road into a national park), where we almost camped alone, built a campfire, and cooked. In this forest, there were also countless cicadas that created a deafening noise together, so some of us had to sleep with earplugs. It was pure nature up close! The whole effort paid off the next day with a great hike up Pigeon House Mountain and a panoramic view of the surrounding land and the coast.

Midway between Sydney and Melbourne, 2 hours inland, is the capital of Australia, Canberra. We were very curious because many people advised against visiting and described the city as boring. But we didn't find it so bad - the city seems very sleepy because there are few people on the main roads and the city is generally spacious and not built to save space. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how the city was planned from the beginning, especially the Parliament House and the surrounding neighborhood. Our highlight was the Australian War Memorial, where the Australian war history was presented incredibly vividly.

From Canberra, we drove back to the coast to continue following it towards Sydney. The major adventures along the way included a mountain bike tour along the Snowy River (yes, there really is snow in winter), a hike through a swamp area, Wilsons Promontory National Park with its mega turquoise sea and white beaches (on the hike, we saw a wombat at a distance of 1 meter), and Phillip Island. Phillip Island is home to the famous Phillip Island Race Circuit, which hosts the MotoGP and other major races every year. It was a real experience to stand right next to the passing motorcycles and watch the racetrack. In the evening, we continued to the Penguin Parade. Every evening after dusk, hundreds of penguins come out of the water and waddle across the beach to their burrows in the dunes. Incredibly cute, how these little animals waddle in groups on the beach!

Our last big tour before heading to Melbourne was the Great Ocean Road. It is a narrow, winding road that runs along the south coast of Australia. The steep coastline is extremely distinctive and is still changing because the strong currents and incredibly high waves constantly crash against the rocks and slowly erode them. This is how the famous Twelve Apostles and the London Bridge (both rock formations in the sea) were formed. Despite the great experiences, we were glad when the day came to an end, as it was well over thirty degrees and unbearable...

Melbourne was Yannick's last stop on his journey, and to end it, the three of us went to the Australian Open and the Papa Roach concert. We had so much fun together and were sad when Yannick flew back home two days later. Both of us now have one more week in Melbourne to explore the city a bit more and plan our adventure in New Zealand. On February 6, we will continue flying and ultimately leave Australia as well.

See you soon!