Off to Tasmania!

Tuesday 09.01.18

Today the real adventure begins!

I wake up at 6.30am – that's shortly after the news at home – and that's how I feel. Badly slept and actually ready to go back to bed. But I'm so excited about Tasmania and the camper and I'm also lucky that I can catch the subway during a dry period. I take the subway to the airport at 8.00am, the journey takes 25 minutes. I have to get off at the National Terminal. Jetstar is actually a good airline, but the guy who checks me in wants to know everything. He weighs the hand luggage and it is 1.4 kg overweight (8.4 kg instead of the allowed 7 kg). So I have to squeeze something into the bag at the baggage drop off, as the bag can weigh 25 kg and there is still air in it. I am still completely annoyed and sweaty until I reach the security. They probably think I have a bomb with me and after I have packed everything back into the backpack and small bag, which has to be shown separately, I am asked to unpack everything again.

After that, I get myself something to drink and a sandwich and at 10.45am we're off to Tasmania.

The plane is not full, I have a row to myself. The Sydney-Hobart route takes 1:25 hours. Before landing, you have a great view of South Seas-like beaches and coasts, and then you see a lot of dry-brown landscape. I imagined it to be greener. But I'm here in the east and that's warmer and drier.

After landing, you walk from the plane across the apron to the small airport. In one hall, there is a single conveyor belt for the entire airport, and after a short wait, the luggage arrives there. The airport is quite quaint.

When I finally have my bag, I am relieved. The thing has now completed all flights and the vacation can begin. I call Tassie Motor Shacks outside and Rob picks me up within 10 minutes.

I had consulted a Facebook contact beforehand and that's how I came across this small private landlord who receives only positive reviews and only offers campers. He doesn't rent out new campers, but they are well maintained, in good condition, and – you can drive them on gravel roads. If you take out the comprehensive insurance, you also get bed linen and towels – who wants to carry that from Germany? www.tassiemotorshacks.com.au

The camper is a Toyota Hiace Hi-Top with 179,000 km on the clock. I get a brief introduction to what the car has to offer, from the gas cooker to the toaster, kettle (both only if the car is connected to electricity), making beds, storage space, flashlight, etc. and I can take a short drive around the neighboring campsite.

It's the first time I have a manual transmission in left-hand traffic and the gears don't go in easily.

But the car is easy to see around, with windows all around.

I pay the remaining balance of $1,900 (around 1260 EUR). I already paid a deposit of $300 when I booked in August.

I drive to Sorell and find a larger supermarket there and stock up on cans, water, instant soup, jam, cheese, margarine, milk, Nescafé, and yogurt. I treat myself to a coffee mug, as the two cups in the camper seem too small to me. I take 4 rolls of toilet paper and just somehow pack it all into the camper and continue driving north. I have decided to drive north for now, although Rob and Jo suggested that I should first go south to the Tasman Peninsula. But my route will take me north, so it seems more sensible to start with that and leave Hobart and the Tasman Peninsula for later.

Before the trip, I basically planned two routes, as I wanted to determine the final route depending on the weather. Now the weather in the east and west is good, so I decide to go east for now and drive along the coast heading north.

Actually, I want to go to Gumleaves Bushcamping, but at 4.30pm I arrive at a pretty ugly place in Triabunna and spontaneously decide that it's enough for today and I want to focus on unpacking, stowing away, and having dinner. Considering the place next to a half-dead petrol station with at best 15 parking spaces, 2 showers, and only one outdoor kitchen without dishes, $33 is a lot (about 20 EUR). But I want to unpack first and distribute the things sensibly.

This is quite stupid because you constantly get in your own way. The floor space in the camper is at best 1 m car width x 30-45 cm in length for placing and positioning your own feet. So the suitcase or backpack can only be placed on the bed. But if the bed is pulled out, the fridge only opens halfway.

There is storage space under the bed and above the driver's seat as well as at the back above the head of the bed. Completely sufficient overall, but how you distribute everything now is probably how it will stay and I'm not quite sure what the most intelligent distribution is. I'm already thinking about how to pack everything back in the corners at the end and how to dig it all out again.

I make myself a delicious salad from the fresh items I bought, a bread roll with cheese, and soon I'm sitting in the outdoor kitchen with Judy and Ian, two Australians from the mainland, and learn a lot about the Australian electoral system. Very nice evening!

But it gets very cold very quickly and despite my fleece jacket, I don't want to sit outside anymore. Everyone retreats and at 9.00pm I am comfortably lying in my camper on the wide bed. The thick blanket is great and the folded windows let in fresh and cool air. It gets quite chilly at night.