Melbourne
After probably the best night I ever had on the ferry between the mainland and Tasmania, we arrive early in the morning at the port in Melbourne. We leave the boat as usual and no one is waiting for us to ask us questions or inform us about Corona regulations. The city is quiet, on this Sunday morning it seems like everyone is still asleep. We check into a hotel, which only takes our personal information from both of us, otherwise everything goes as usual here. We head to the Queen Victoria Market. There are hardly any restrictions here either. If it wasn't for the occasional hand disinfectant, you would hardly notice Covid19. We enjoy ourselves and buy fresh fruits, cheese, and French salami, all the delicacies that are hard to find in Tasmania. The atmosphere at the market is great. The vendors shout across the place and most visitors try to keep a reasonable distance. I could get used to social distancing.
In the afternoon, we meet up with Leila, who has been in Melbourne for a few weeks. We enjoy a chai latte together by the river and soak up the warm sunshine. We have a lot to talk about all evening until late into the night. After a delicious dinner, we say goodbye to Leila. The next morning, we set off towards the north.
Sydney
In Sydney, we stay at the Kangahouse for a few days, a backpacker hostel that is not located directly in the city center, but still close enough to explore the city on foot. Our room is great. We even have a sink, kettle, and toaster. We have lunch at Harry's Cafe de Wheels. The food truck is world-famous for its hot dogs, and the walls are adorned with stars and celebrities who have eaten there. We both order a hot dog topped with chili con carne and mayonnaise, accompanied by a generous portion of fries. We quickly realize that it is too much for us, but we still bravely eat it all. To digest, we take a walk to the Opera House. Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and is filled with young, slim, and athletic people. Everyone around us seems to be constantly jogging, as you turn a corner, you see several men doing push-ups on the ground, the long stairs that connect the streets are used for training, and everyone seems to always be wearing sports clothes. Despite all this, the view of the Opera House is spectacular. The sun is setting and providing warm rays of sunshine, for the first time in a long time, I enjoy a few hours in a T-shirt. After sunset, we walk a bit further into the city. As soon as we leave the coast, we are overwhelmed by the noise of the city. Thousands of cars honking, people shouting, and loud machines roaring. We quickly retreat to our room and have a quiet evening. The next day, we visit Bondi Beach. Here too, there are many beautiful people, and the legendary beach is just a beach in the end. We spend the evening in a bar. All our data is recorded here, and we sit alone in a booth. Nevertheless, we have a lot of fun. The next morning, I have an appointment for a tattoo consultation. Still slightly groggy, I drag myself out of bed and take the bus and train to another part of town. Everything goes well, and to my surprise, I already get an appointment for the following day. In the evening, we spend time at the casino. Flo wins a proud $50 (with a $10 investment). The next morning is tough. I am excited and have a stomachache. We have a delicious lunch at the Japanese restaurant in town. I can hardly enjoy the whole morning or do anything productive. Finally, at 3 p.m., I can finally get under the needle. Thallon tattoos an echidna family on my upper arm until 6:30 p.m. I am overjoyed and meet up with Flo in the city, we spend the evening with wine and pizza.
Blue MountainsThe journey to the Blue Mountains is not long, but still exhausting. We feel like we can't really get out of Sydney. The city follows us and just doesn't want to let us go. We drive our van up the busy road into the mountains. Until we finally arrive at the top. There are also many villages here that are well-populated. We spend the first night at a camp, in a pit. There are mountains and trees all around. It is incredibly cold but beautiful. In the evening, we sit by the fire and are glad to be alive. The next day, we explore the Blue Mountains. We see the Wentworth Falls and walk a short distance to the Three Sisters, three rock formations that emerge from the dense forest. We have a salad for lunch surrounded by many cockatoos. Then we decide to check into a caravan park again. A hot shower is the reward. On our last morning in the Blue Mountains, we see the damage caused by the fire during the Black Summer last year. At the information center, we are told that many trails and parts of the national park are still closed because of it. We take the Canyon Track, which offers spectacular views of the mountains but also crosses through the rainforest. We have to descend many steps. The path then leads us through a fairytale-like forest. We are surrounded by greenery and water. Finally, we have to climb up many thousands of steps again, my legs will not forget that quickly.
In the parking lot, when we had almost given up, we discover the lyrebird, which adorns the coat of arms of New South Wales. It is a beautiful bird. If you sing a melody to it, it will always imitate it. Unfortunately, we only read that afterwards.
New CastleWe drive back towards the coast and then continue north for a few hours. We pass through many towns and still have the feeling that we are still in Sydney. While driving, we miss the endless, deserted stretches of the West Coast of Australia. In New Castle, we meet Leila again. She has flown here in the meantime and is doing a HelpX. We are allowed to spend a night at her host's place. In the evening, Leila makes us a delicious vegetable curry. The next day, we take a short walk along the coast on the Memorial Track. Then we have milkshakes, juice, and fries at a fancy cafe, and in the afternoon, we set off again, heading further north, chasing the sun!
Byron BayAfter New Castle, the cities finally get smaller and the distances between them become longer. We see more forests again and fewer houses. When we arrive in Byron Bay, it is raining. We have booked a campsite for two nights. The campsite is beautiful, it is very green, and despite the rain, it's warm. Arriving proves to be difficult. We are directed to two bays that are both already occupied. So we have to keep driving back to the reception to find a new spot. On the third attempt, it finally works, and we find a small spot for our van. We spend the evening on the windy beach, and for dinner, we have homemade falafel. The next day, we take the bus into town. Byron Bay is full of fake hippies. Many young people proudly wear their new clothes and pay too much attention to their appearance. There are many shops where you can buy exactly these clothes. There are many jewelry shops and the surfer shops. After a few hours, we have seen enough and retreat back to the beach. The next morning, we happily leave Byron Bay to continue our journey.
NimbinNimbin is a small village in the middle of the forest. The drive from Byron Bay is spectacular. A small, narrow road leads us into the mountains. The forest around us is dense and green. And then suddenly, amidst all the greenery, is Nimbin, the village of real hippies. The legend, which Google also confirms, tells the story of the small sleepy village. The Hippie Festival "Aquarius" had its base in Nimbin until 1973. At the festival, four festival-goers were arrested by the police. In a communal, peaceful protest, the festival community marched to the police station and demanded their release. The police then capitulated, released the arrested individuals, and also allowed the consumption of marijuana. Many of the former festival-goers stayed in Nimbin and settled there. Up to 20,000 visitors come to the annual "MardiGrass" festival (which did not take place this year because of Corona) in the town. To this day, a cannabis culture is openly cultivated in the village, although the consumption and cultivation of marijuana is illegal in New South Wales. We spend three nights at the campsite. There are many small shops and countless freaks. I immediately feel comfortable here, although everything is very focused on marijuana. It is beautiful and funny to see the people who have decided to simply stay here. Sometimes, however, I also feel that they are just pretending something to the tourists. We spend the days in the shops, buying nice new clothes, having lunch in town, and I believe we had the best pizza in Australia (...so far). But after three days, we also realize that every day is the same. Every day, we see the same people who want to sell us space cookies early in the morning and tell the same stories. Nevertheless, I like Nimbin. The village is cute and charming, and I also like people who just do their thing.
MurwillumbahFrom Nimbin back to civilization. In the small town of Murwillumbah, which is right on the border with Queensland, we meet up with Tomasz, a friend we met when picking cherries in Young. We have breakfast together and chat about this and that, then around noon, we set off for the promised land. Queensland has only opened its borders again a few days ago. As a Corona measure, some states in Australia simply closed their borders. Many still have that (Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania). For Queensland, we need a border pass, which we have to apply for online. We only have to declare that we have no Corona symptoms and confirm that we have not been to any hotspots in the last 14 days. Then, of course, we have to provide our personal information, which is all submitted online, and within a few seconds, we receive our border pass by email. This then has to be printed out and stuck to the windshield. We stand in line for a whole hour until we finally see the border. Many police officers are standing on the roadside and stop almost every car, asking the question: "Have you been to Sydney in the last two weeks?" Flo "No," "Alright, Take it easy." And just like that, we are in Queensland. Later, Flo explains to me that he didn't understand the police officer immediately but just said "No" out of principle.
Glasshouse MountainsAfter crossing the border, we head to our first freecamp in Queensland. From the highway, we can see rounded mountains that look like they have fallen from the sky. We decide to check them out the next day. The Glasshouse Mountains offer various hikes and viewpoints. After a good view of the mountains, we follow the signs into the forest. Here, we can climb one of the Glasshouse Mountains. The signs at the beginning of the trail warn us of steep walls that we have to climb. It is recommended to wear a helmet and to warn other climbers if rocks start rolling. With excitement, we start our journey. We walk through the forest for a short distance until we are faced with a rock wall that leads almost vertically upwards. We overcome the first hurdle only to realize that it will continue like this until the summit. Climbing is fun and challenging. We help each other a lot, holding each other's hands to support and pull each other up. After just a few meters, I take off my hiking shoes because they are too slippery and I trust my feet more without them. I can feel the cold stone under my feet, the sun is shining warm on our backs, and we are both somewhat confused to find such an adventure so spontaneously. We have never climbed a mountain on all fours before, especially not without any safety measures. After about an hour of climbing, we reach a sandy plateau that leads us around the mountain and finally to the final ascent to the summit. The view is phenomenal. We reward ourselves and strengthen ourselves with nuts and mandarins before the descent. We slide down on our bottoms. Our knees shake, and we have to catch each other repeatedly so that the other doesn't slide down all at once. Finally, back down, we are still in a daze from what just happened.
In the afternoon, we make our way to Rainbow Beach. There is a cold shower on the beach, and in the evening, we watch the sunset from a sandy hill. We spend the night at a freecamp in the middle of the forest. Early in the morning, before breakfast, we set out to a lake a few kilometers away from the freecamp. Once again, I realize that I need some time in the morning to fully wake up before I can tackle hikes. I feel quite nauseous and have to sit down halfway. Shortly after, I feel better again and enjoy the peace at the lake. The birds sing, and the atmosphere is peaceful. On the way back, I can finally properly perceive all the trees and the forest around me. The trees are tall and are embraced by thinner branches and trees. The roots and branches form nets that wrap around the large strong trees. It is beautiful.
Hervey BayIn Hervey Bay, we have booked a boat tour to see whales. We set off in the morning. First, we are served a small breakfast by the very nice crew. We slowly drive up the coast towards the north. Fraser Island is to our left, the world's largest sand island. After a short time, we can see the first whales. The dorsal fins stick out of the water and are not easy to find among all the waves. Everyone else on the tour falls silent and stares into the sea to observe the magnificent creatures. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a whale jumps vertically in the air right in front of our boat! Flo turns to me with big disbelieving eyes, he laughs at me while behind him, the next whale jumps straight into the air. He quickly turns back to continue watching this spectacle. Two more whales jump in front of our eyes! It is breathtaking, and we are all captivated by the magic these animals have on us. After a nice buffet lunch, our captain takes us far out to the open sea. We are looking for dolphins. Unfortunately, in vain. The way back to the coastline is very long and cold, with the wind blowing around our ears. Nevertheless, we are overjoyed and fall into bed exhausted from the events of the day.
