Chapter Phillip Island

So this was it, the chapter Phillip Island. For weeks I have been looking forward to this moment, packing my backpack and carrying all my stuff on my back again, but now it is harder than I thought to stand in front of my packed backpack and leave 'my' room so impersonal.
First of all, there is the question of 'How the hell am I supposed to get all this crap back into this backpack again'. Second, this house has become my home, especially in the last few weeks. Here I cooked, helped in the garden, had a refuge and people to talk to.

But it seems that times are over now.
The first goodbyes are already behind me and all of this reminds me of the time when I left my home in Germany. It's amazing how quickly you can settle into a new place. I have never spent such a long time in a place other than home before. 3 months made Phillip Island a second home for me. I know all the streets and corners here by heart. Each bar and beach section is connected to its own memory. On my last evening, I take a ride around the island with my host mom Heidi and all the little stories come together in my mind to form a little movie. Damn, I had such a good time here.
We end the evening and my time on the island with a bottle of champagne on the beach and the next morning it's time to say goodbye one last time.
One last time, I get on the bus straight to Melbourne. One last time I drive across the bridge back to the mainland. The farewell is admittedly a bit painful, but what lies ahead finally makes me feel that excitement in my stomach again. Wanderlust.
Finally, the skyline of Melbourne appears on the horizon and all worries are gone.
Arriving at Southern Cross Station, I take the next bus and visit Maggie and Christoph, my travel buddies from the Great Ocean Road, once again. We spend the evening with 1 or 2 bottles of wine and lots of stories. The next morning takes me to the city center, where we have booked a hostel for the next 3 nights. A bed in a 16-bed room, that could be fun. When I arrive, after the bus naturally made me wait for half an hour (Welcome to Australia), my travel mates Nina and Mayk are already waiting for me at the hostel. Once again, I start a new travel section with people I only know through Facebook, but this time I have the feeling that the two of them are not a complete disaster (Just kiddin.).
Together we head into the city, visit Federation Square, explore Hosier Lane, and finally watch penguins in St. Kilda.

The next morning, after waking up in the midst of 13 other pairs of bare feet and snacking on some cornflakes in the huge kitchen of our hostel (treating ourselves, haha), we all gathered around the PCs and started planning our Tasmania project: renting a car, planning the route, searching for campsites.
As a reward, we then went to Brighton Beach.
However, our attempt to buy a tent went wrong: all the tents in Melbourne's kmarts are sold out. Aaall right, fate loves us. Instead of a tent, we went back to the hostel with a sixpack of beer to the rooftop terrace. Cheers!
After another planning session (figuring out 7 weeks of road trips in 2 mornings - we're on fire), our afternoon turned into a blind date marathon. 2 meetings later with other backpackers, our road trip had grown to 4 wanderlust people. (This is turning into a convoy!)

6 weeks of road trips in a campervan through the heart of Australia to the west coast lie ahead of us. Apart from the fact that I will be driving the Great Ocean Road for the third time (guys, I can't see any more scenic lookouts!), our plan still seems too big to be true. When I came here half a year ago, my plan was to travel the east coast, and now I will have seen every single state when I return to Germany.
(Seriously, isn't that incredible?)
In a few hours, our plane will take off and drop us off in Tasmania for 11 days.

With that, the chapter 'Work' is officially closed. From here on, the money has to last until I can move back into the 10-star free all-inclusive hotel Mama. But if there is one thing you learn in OZ, it's No Worries Mate. :*