January in the new year

January Part 1

On January 30th, we finished our first Workaway. A little sad, but also excited about the upcoming adventures, we left the property in the afternoon. Our next destination was a small bush party on the border of Queensland and New South Wales, where we wanted to meet up with Luis from Perth after 9 months. He had come from Cairns to Byron Bay with a group of guys in the previous weeks and had nothing planned for New Year's Eve. We arrived around 9:30 PM and set up camp next to the guys' truck. The truck was amazing, an old Mercedes truck from the 70s, four-wheel drive and equipped with beds and a kitchen. I also contributed our fairy lights and it was perfect. We celebrated the new year there for 2 days, mainly in the truck because it was actually the best thing at the party. When the party was over, it was time to say goodbye again. The guys went back to Byron and the two of us headed north. Our first stop was the caravan park in Mullumbimby. There was electricity to revive all our dead devices and showers to clean our hidden bodies. Backpacker luxury! The following morning, we continued to Springbrook National Park, where we did some hikes through the rainforest and eucalyptus forest and even saw some falling water. In the evening, we slept in a beautiful forest camp to gather more energy for the next three days in the city. The Gold Coast was the first stop with a small cool street market and mini golf afterwards. Clara got her hair dyed again and then we continued to Brisbane... again. Clara had to go to the hospital again to have her back checked one last time. Luckily, everything was fine and we could move on to the next plans. We stayed in Brisbane for 2 more days, had dinner with Lynette, visited 'Northbrook Gorges' north of the city, saw some snakes, and finally packed all the annoying stuff back into the car. Because now came the next big stage - Toowoomba. The heart of the hinterland, the pearl of the green remainder before the red desert, the pleasantly cool spot amidst the heat and not far from our second Workaway. This time it was an older couple, their children already out of the house, proud owners of a hobby farm with a bit of vegetables and a few pigs, heavily plagued by the drought. We clarified that we would stay for about 1.5 weeks and got our own kingdom, a caravan right in front of the house. Wake-up was at 6, work started around 6:30-7. Weeding, peeling garlic, picking vegetables, feeding pigs - whatever needed to be done. About 4 hours a day, then we had time for ourselves. Unfortunately, our car was having problems at this time. It had been burning a lot of oil and occasionally emitting blue smoke for some time, and it was time to get it checked. So no excursions, much to Clara's dismay, but to the workshop first. We were lucky. It could have been piston rings, camshaft, or valve stem seals, but fortunately it was just a leakage with the latter. The mechanic said: good, slightly thicker oil, an engine-sealing additive, and everything is fine. And lo and behold, the oil pressure was back to normal, smoke was gone, everything was great. And instead of the expected 1500-2500 dollars, it ended up being only 70 dollars with an oil change (self-made). So fortunately, the car was roadworthy again after a short time.

January Part 2

One afternoon, when we were almost dying of heat again, I decided to drive to Warwick, where there was a reservoir nearby. According to my online research, there was still enough water for swimming - not a given considering the drought of the past months! After a little over 1 hour of driving, we arrived and I wasn't disappointed: the water was there, refreshing and cool, although a bit discolored (algae levels harmless). Even the not-so-fond-of-bathing Matze didn't want to miss out on that. Warwick itself was a small town, but it had a nice cafe where we treated ourselves to something sweet and saw some pretty sandstone buildings from the 30s. The church was most impressive, especially from the inside, with its simple colors, tall walls, and wooden ceiling lining. On Friday, January 17th, we finished early and went to Crows Nest National Park for a hike. Later in the afternoon, we stopped at a brewery in Towoomba. There was a 'Beer for Bushfire Relief' campaign, which meant that 100% of the proceeds from a certain beer were donated to a charity supporting the bushfire victims. So we had the Kölsch (not far from the original German one in taste). The next morning was Saturday and our departure day. We packed our things, cleaned the caravan, and set off to Bunya Mountain National Park around noon. On the way, we had to cross completely flooded roads several times due to heavy rain in the previous days (much to the delight of nearly all fire-stricken regions of the east coast), but luckily the water level never exceeded about 40cm and was no problem for our car. The Bunya Mountains have a pleasantly cool and humid climate, and the cute wallabies grazing everywhere made my heart jump for joy. During our hike, we found a Bunya cone, each of its segments consisting of up to 80 nuts (about the size of a brazil nut) and, as we later learned from information boards, they are also edible raw. We tried them and immediately regretted not taking the whole thing with us, the nuts were really tasty. The Aboriginals have known that for centuries and gather here every 3 years for a big festival where they harvest, eat, talk, and celebrate across tribes. It was nice to see so much greenery, we hadn't had that since Fiji, only eucalyptus, grass trees, and dried grass. Even most of the waterfalls were flowing. We spent the night at a free rest area on Burnett Highway, which is at most a rural road compared to the highways near the coast. Accordingly, the traffic noise was minimal. The next day, we took a short tour through Kingaroy, which is known for its peanuts. We treated ourselves to 2 variations at the factory outlet van and felt very small in front of the gigantic peanut silos and the tangle of conveyor belts. We happened to discover a freight scale that was embedded in the ground outside the fence to weigh the trucks. Since it was Sunday and everything looked deserted, we curiously drove over it. Oh dear, about 2.6 tons. There is no room for any more weight, but our trusty steed doesn't have much space left anyway xD. Next, we visited Moffatdale Ridge Winery, where the guy behind the counter was nice and laid-back. We talked and tasted our way through the entire range of wines and liqueurs. There were some very good wines, and in the end, we agreed on 2 bottles. After a quick refreshment in the nearby lake, we continued to our overnight spot at Kinbombi Falls. There was even water falling, although it had rained on and off throughout the day and the water was quite brown and murky. The evening was relaxed and uneventful, except for a visit from a possum that curiously inspected our fairy light construction. In the morning, we continued our journey, treated ourselves to some sweet goodies from the bakery (including custard-filled puff pastry), and enjoyed a free shower in Gayndah, the oldest town in Queensland. There were some interesting buildings, and in a fabric shop, we looked at the 'flying' change conveyance system, which transported money from 2 cash registers to a cash counter in the middle. Quite impressive, 100 years ago it was like this, today you can pay cashless almost everywhere, even at some weekly market stalls. On January 21st, we made a trip to Cania Gorge National Park after initially getting stranded on the highway in the morning because our gasoline had evaporated (I believe that's the case, our car can't possibly consume that much) and we had overestimated our range. Matze grabbed a jerry can and hitchhiked to the nearest village and back. In the meantime, I read... yes, even I sometimes learn when traveling, to be patient. The national park was very beautiful and reminded us of Saxon Switzerland. In the shade of the sandstone cliffs, where you could see ochre-red handprints left by Aboriginals, it was pleasantly cool, and on the viewpoints on top, we almost got sunburned. In the absence of a waterhole for swimming, we lay down in the shallow but pleasantly cool creek. In a cave that required some climbing, we found a small group of adorable little bats, which we observed as quietly as possible. Just as we were driving out of the park, flashlights illuminated the dark sky, but fortunately we didn't see any lightning strikes, so we confidently stuck to our plan and headed for another free highway rest area. While I flinched at every flash at first, Matze set up our cooking utensils under the covered picnic table, since setting up the tent didn't make sense while it was raining. Luckily, the bad weather was over after dinner and we could cuddle up in bed (well, it was still pretty warm, but better than the previous nights). On Thursday, we arrived in Rockhampton, where we would be staying with a family for 2 weeks and helping out with various things. In Rockhampton, there was a free zoo that housed mainly injured or problematic Australian animals, as well as some 'exotic' ones like chimpanzees. They had just had a baby and it was very amusing to watch their interactions. The 'nose-bearded' wombat was also very interesting, lying on its back in a specially designed, cool (they live in burrows in the ground) structure and apparently dreaming. The cassowaries, which look like a cross between a rhinoceros and an emu, were also fascinating. We arrived at our new family's house just in time for dinner, and their children Henry and Isabella greeted us curiously and without any fear. Our room was themed around Star Wars, but had air-conditioning, which we would need in the coming weeks. The next morning, we woke up at 6:30 and started working. Mel and Rob wanted to get rid of some of their trees, especially the ones whose pollen triggered little Henry's asthma and the brown palm fronds. So for the next few days, we tackled them with our bare hands, scissors, hand saws, and chainsaws. I also cleared the back part of the garden, where there were also swings and flower beds, of weeds and dried leaves. After Rockhampton, we drove again on the following weekend. There was a small beer festival with live bands, and we went to Mount Archer, enjoying the pleasant temperature and the view. On the 28th, we took a tour of the Capricorn Caves, a huge cave system, some of which are also home to bats. 24 degrees all year round are a big bonus! Later, we refreshed ourselves in the outdoor pool with a view of the sea in Yeppoon and went on a small climbing tour around 'Double Head'. The rugged cliffs and eroded limestone form a very impressive contrast, and you can also see traces of volcanic activity that shaped the landscape.