Melbourne / Australia

02/09/17 - 06/09/17

Really an amazing city! Even though it's unfortunately just as cold as in Germany.. They say in Melbourne you can experience 4 seasons in one day and it's true! During a 2.5-hour city tour, we first closed our jackets up to our chins, shortly after we were sweating in the sun with our sweaters, and not even 2 minutes later it's raining so heavily that the water is dripping from our hair within seconds 😀crazy!

Melbourne has a bit of everything: huge, illuminated towers that remind you of New York, small alleys with graffiti and cute cafes that offer a great atmosphere, and luxurious villas on the beaches..

Our hostel is super central and really cool! Free breakfast (Pancakes!!!!) and free noodles and rice for cooking. Our 4-bed room is so tiny that we're always getting in each other's way :D but we were really lucky and had the room to ourselves from Saturday to Monday! Until Wednesday, a German couple was also staying with us, which was totally fine 😊

On Monday, we went to Brighton Beach with its colorful houses and to St. Kilda Beach to see the wild penguins and parrots! But it was soooo windy that I had to take a hot shower for half an hour in the evening just to warm up again..

For Tuesday, we rented a car and posted our plans in a backpacker Facebook group to find people to join us to save costs. We're going to the 12 Apostles, a national park, and waterfalls on the Great Ocean Road! Someone from Munich contacted us, whom we already met on the city tour - so there were three of us. And because Markus couldn't sleep anymore, he took a shower at 6 o'clock in the morning and met Adam from Scotland there, who had just arrived in Melbourne with jetlag but really wanted to join. We had a quick breakfast together and off we went on the tour😀It was good that Adam was there, as in Scotland they drive on the left side, which was really advantageous in the city. Markus had no problem driving on the country roads, he just had to watch out for the poor dead kangaroos on the side of the road.. But none of us knew how bad the day would turn out.. we were warned, but couldn't really believe it. Starting from Erskine Falls, everything was still relatively okay, it was raining heavily (rainforest - so what else would you expect), but the waterfall was beautiful!!! We continued the drive to the lighthouse - the southernmost point in Australia. When we arrived, the rain took a short break, we went into the ticket booth - shock: $20 per person. Well okay, we thought it's worth it after driving so far, and the lighthouse must be amazing. As soon as we walked into the park, it started: Storm, rain, hail, snow!!!! When it was measured, the wind had a strength of 90km/h!!!!! Unbelievable. It was almost impossible to walk against the wind. Finally, we reached the lighthouse and went up to the platform. It took about 5 minutes to walk 180 degrees because there was even less protection against the wind up there. The other 180 degrees took about 5 seconds because we were practically flying. It's a shame about the fantastic view that we couldn't really enjoy.. Completely soaked and freezing, we escaped into a café and sat in front of a fireplace. The whole 'fun' cost us a total of $44.. Great :D But since we had already traveled so far south, the 12 Apostles were a must. So, okay, let's bite the bullet.. when we arrived at the parking lot, I wondered how could it get any worse? The storm felt like it doubled, so even our car was shaking in the gusts. Okay, just close your eyes and go! I ran ahead alone because I needed to use the restroom, and a gust of wind grabbed me from behind and I fell forward onto my knees... Yes, you can laugh - in that moment, I didn't find it very funny 😂 All in all, it was the most adventurous and chaotic day ever! But I guess it's part of the experience 😀

We all cooked together, and we had kangaroo! The meat has a really unique taste, but it's really good! A mix between chicken and beef or something like that...

On Wednesday, we wandered around the city a bit and checked out the graffiti streets, and then it was already time to fly to Sydney!