The last few weeks in Australia

On February 17, we landed back in our beloved Melbourne by ferry from Tasmania. Unfortunately, our time in Australia is coming to an end.

Over the next few days, we uploaded overdue blog posts from our time in Tasmania and prepared for the upcoming car sale. We took diligent photos and videos. Kenny then edited the material into a great sales video. :)

On February 20, another highlight awaited us. Nico and Lena visited us from Germany. We picked them up from the airport. Since the public transport from the airport is expensive and would have taken forever to get to the city, Lena and Krissi simply lay in bed during the journey. Well, it wasn't that simple - with two huge suitcases, it was cozy and the view was almost non-existent due to the closed curtains.

While Lena and Nico checked in to their Airbnb apartment, we spent what felt like an hour looking for a parking and sleeping spot for the next few nights. Fortunately, after a lot of driving around, we found a hidden, free parking spot just 5 minutes from the apartment. Once reunited, we treated ourselves to a coffee and set off towards Albert Park. On the way, we had lunch at an Asian restaurant. The food was quite delicious, but somehow it was a rip-off in terms of price. We specifically went there because of the advertised lunch offer and even asked which dishes were included. In the end, we paid more and had a tiny selection of dishes. Big misunderstanding or big cheekiness? Well, at least we were full. For Nico and Lena as big Formula 1 fans, a visit to the track in Albert Park was at the top of their to-do list. So that's where we went next.

We then visited St. Kilda Beach, but didn't dare to go into the water because of the temperatures. In the evening, we had delicious giant schnitzels. Lena and Krissi shared a portion and still couldn't finish it all. :D

As dusk set in, we went to St. Kilda Pier. We were lucky and could once again observe numerous little penguins.

On Thursday, after a delicious breakfast at our regular cafe, we went on a city tour. We followed the Free Tour, which we had participated in a year earlier. We visited the games and film museum ACMI, had lunch in a shopping center, walked along the Yarra River, saw the former prison and the Melbourne University library, and enjoyed the last rays of sun by the river. We ended the evening, as usual, relaxing in our small Airbnb room.

Friday, February 22, 2019 started again with a delicious breakfast. A dream come true for Krissi to have two days in a row of delicious breakfasts. We strolled through the botanical garden along the river, relaxed in the park with wine and a bouncy ball (Nico's newly acquired souvenir from Melbourne), had huge burgers for lunch at the Docklands, enjoyed the sun at the harbor, and in the evening, visited the impressive EUREKA Skydeck - an observation tower. On the 88th floor, we enjoyed the sunset. It was our second visit and we would go there again. :)

On Saturday, unfortunately, it was time to say goodbye again. But before that, Lena and Nico had their first Australian BBQ. Then we finally saw the Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes, something Krissi definitely didn't want to miss. We took numerous selfies, admired the colorful huts, and relaxed in the sun.

After spending 3.5 wonderful days together, we unfortunately had to say goodbye again. Nico and Lena had two exciting weeks ahead of them in Australia. They wanted to travel from Melbourne to Brisbane in a camper van. We hope that our tips could contribute to great experiences for them.

We would have loved to travel with them. Unfortunately, we had to sell our beloved car.

After only 3 days, we found buyers. Jette and Tom would be traveling the West Coast with our car in the next few months. We went to the workshop together, and the couple decided to make the purchase. After all the repairs were done, which took longer than expected, they were finally ready to start their journey. But after the first 200km, a shock - the engine wouldn't start. They took out insurance over the phone and in the end, the car was even towed back to Melbourne because the workshop had apparently installed a sensor incorrectly. This meant another week of travel delay, but at least they didn't have to pay any extra costs. Now the two of them should be happily exploring the Great Ocean Road. We wish them all the best. :)

In the meantime, we are spending our time at the Hub Hostel in Melbourne. It was recommended by Jette and Tom. Here, they have what they call private rooms, which are basically double rooms. But what's special is that instead of sharing the bathroom and kitchen with numerous other rooms, we only have to share with two other double rooms. So we are living here like in a small shared flat.

We spend our days planning our trip, doing acroyoga, other sporting adventures, and enjoying a relatively large living space before we return to camper life in New Zealand.

We also got 6 vaccinations for our trip to Asia. So on the first day, we got 6 vaccines, and there were several follow-up shots. Not cheap fun - of course, it's not covered by the travel health insurance. They only pay if it's too late..

We also had a great evening with Ghani and his family. We met Ghani during our first stay in Australia a year ago. His mom cooked a delicious meal for us. :)

By the way, we are proud owners of a GoPro now and Krissi finally treated herself to a new phone. She could practically watch as the glass splinters were being released from the display every day.

We will diligently document our further journey through New Zealand, Bali, and Laos with both of them. ;) So stay tuned.

On March 16, 2019, we had to wake up at 5 am. We took the shuttle from the Hub Hostel to the airport for $30. During our time at the hostel, Takeshi often cooked in our kitchen, even though he didn't live in any of the rooms. So we got to know him a little bit, but we didn't really have much to do with each other. Then came the surprise. Takeshi is responsible for the Hub shuttles. So because of us, poor Takeshi had to drive all the way through Melbourne on a Saturday morning at 6 am. Everything went smoothly at the airport, and we even applied to get the tax back for the GoPro and Krissi's phone. Let's see if it works.

The next blog post will be from (hopefully) beautiful New Zealand. ;)