Tasmania - we survived!

The start of our trip to Tasmania was literally intoxicating. Our last night in the city we spent with five people and a lot of wine, first in the town and later in a rooftop bar, where I got a chair kicked against the back of my head to celebrate the day. Cheers. Back in the hostel at 2am, we allowed ourselves an hour of sleep, then got up at 3am, packed our things, and headed to the airport. After each of us had a power nap at the airport, we were ready to go on the plane at 6am. As for fuel: it's unfortunate that the entire Melbourne airport didn't have a drop left for us.
Digger, we could have slept for another hour.
60 minutes later we finally took off and landed shortly after in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. Resting alcohol and flies are not friends, that was definitely a lesson for me.
Upon arrival, we first picked up our rental car, a small but fine Toyota, and stocked up on sleeping mats and a tent. After everyone had bought food for what felt like half a year, we were finally ready to go!
We spent day 1 on the beautiful Tasman Peninsula, where we not only had some breathtaking views, but also had a beautiful beach all to ourselves. This phenomenon accompanied us for a long time in Tasmania. Dreamlike places without a soul in sight. Welcome to Tasmania.

Am the next morning we continued our journey on the east coast towards the north. Another highlight was definitely the 9 Miles Beach near Swansea. White sandy beach and turquoise water as far as the eye can see. And all this in front of a facade painted with mountains and forests. Unbelievable! And once again, no one here!
On the way to Freycinet National Park, our series of life-threatening actions began. Out of habit, we continued driving on the right lane after a stop and none of us noticed. There was no car in sight, until suddenly a Jeep came shooting around the corner and in seconds it dawned on us: Fuck! We idiots are driving illegally. Thanks to our guardian angel, our counterpart only slowed down and we managed to swerve just in time. For a few seconds, there was absolute silence in our car. That could have ended badly.
We spent the rest of the first day of our second life at various bays and finally camped at Friendly Beaches with an priceless view. We camped on free campsites with our small car and even smaller tent for the whole week. We spent the evenings eating (toast with tuna 24/7), reading, and chatting.
Even though the temperatures often dropped to unreasonable depths, making it sometimes difficult to fall asleep, camping in Tassie was one of the absolute highlights for me. Having the freedom to choose a spot for the night every day and waking up in places so beautiful that you wouldn't trade them for a hotel, makes you feel alive like never before.
I felt alive to the tips of my fingers the next day as well. On our agenda was the climb up Mt. Amos, which offers a magnificent view of the famous Wineglass Bay. We successfully ignored the warnings of steep and slippery parts (considering that such signs in Germany are put up on every other kindergarten hike) and tackled the first part.

After a warm-up round, the path was only marked by colorful ribbons hanging from the branches. There was no trace of a path anymore and the challenge was to somehow reach the next flag. My €30 H&M sneakers gave up their job at the slippery steep rock walls and gave me some small heart attacks every time I slipped and saw myself lying 3 meters further down - paralyzed and simply dead. Hiking was no longer the topic. Honestly, I was often just happy when I could stand still for a moment and catch my breath like a normal person. The undefeated highlight of this ascent was the situation where my sneaker thought it should get stuck in this cursed crack in the rock, where I was hanging with all my might using my hands and feet. To those who know the movie Everest: imagine me in one of those tragic scenes where the actor is about to fall and pulls himself up with his last bit of strength. Okay, maybe that's slightly exaggerated, but in some situations I actually had to think of that movie.
Yes, I'm a scaredy-cat. Don't judge me.
On top, Mt. Amos actually rewarded us with a view that made up for a lot. After our summit meal, we made our way back down and to be honest, I was quite scared about it. With shaky knees, I successfully followed my travelmates until I reached a small ledge where I finally reached my limits. Because of all the thoughts running through my head, I sat at the top of this cliff for 3 minutes, unable to move or say anything. Finally, one of those super asshole gusts of wind hit me in the side and with tears in my eyes, I climbed a bit further up, away from that ledge.
Thank goodness I had travelmates with me that day, who climbed up to me, descended with me, and reassured me every few meters on the way down.
When we reached the bottom, a wave of relief washed over me and at the same time I was incredibly proud to have conquered Mt. Amos. ("Vreni will be the new tour guide of Mt. Amos" - Absolutely!)
I don't know how long it's been since I struggled with myself and had to overcome such a deep-seated fear, BUT I did it! (And never again :P)
Afterwards, we visited a blowhole, which excited some of us more than others, haha. At the end of the day, I had a few nice pictures in the bag and I was completely satisfied.

To celebrate the day, we finally went to the Douglas Apsley National Park, where we could finally take a shower in a small lake with shampoo and everything. Pure luxury, all in an incredibly beautiful mountain lake in complete solitude. (Sorry for polluting the environment.)
In the evening, we arrived at Bay of Fires and spent the evening by the campfire with a few other backpackers, who first informed us about "shopping" in Australia. You simply put your products in the supermarket bag without scanning them, and voila, that's the secret of shopping.
By now, I have to admit, shopping is not the worst way to save money. Hahaha.
The next morning, we went to a small waterfall together with our new companions, and then we separated again.
Our attempt to take a shortcut on the way to our new destination failed miserably. The road turned into a gravel road and eventually into a forest road with two tire tracks. Our baby Toyota did its best, but eventually we had to turn around when our car was about to get stuck.
After unfortunately having a rainy visit to the Bay of Fires beach, we camped directly at a small river in the forest in the company of some possums, who admired our food-filled trunk.
The next morning, Maracoote Cave was waiting for us, a cave full of stalactites and a huge colony of glowworms. After an interesting tour through the cave, through which a stream actually flows, all the lights were turned off and the glowworms on the ceiling lit up like the starry sky. The coolest thing about this story: to attract food, the baby glowworms light up their glow butts and often eat their own parents (first laugh attack!) The second sad thing about it: glowworms have no mouth. Within a few days, they have to find a partner, make babies, and then starve to death. WHAT A SHITTY LIFE, haha.
Happily contemplating our own living conditions, we then hiked to Marions Lookout in Cradle Mountain National Park, where we were able to observe a total of 4 wombats ("fury stones") up close.
After almost stepping on a snake during the descent and being glad about my life for the third time, we made our way to an incredibly cool campsite: Ocean Beach says it all.

The next morning, we walked to the visitor center with our shower supplies and asked for free showers. After being looked at strangely, we were finally able to shower, and I even got my undercut shaved by my travel buddy aka travel hairdresser Mayk - in the middle of a public toilet. Doesn't matter. The main thing is that the hairstyle is on point.
After a short walk at Lake St. Clair, where we admired the many hikers starting their overnight hikes with their backpacks packed for days, we drove a few hours to a huge area of Tasmania lined with deep blue lakes and camped with just one other Australian directly by the lake, after we made a small campfire and watched the starry sky.
Even though you're not supposed to make a wish, I simply wished for my family back home to be well, because honestly, I was completely happy. This awesome Australia around me, the campfire in front of me, and the incredibly amazing days behind me - you don't need anything else.
The cold in that night woke me up at 3:30am and after 2 desperate hours trying to fall back asleep, I finally grabbed my camera and set up my tripod by the lake to capture the beautiful morning atmosphere. Like a fool, I jumped around next to my camera to keep from freezing.
I even had to wipe my lens before every shot because the camera, which had spent the night in the warm car, fogged up completely every 5 seconds. After breakfast, we made our way to Russell Falls and then back to Hobart. Just in time for sunset, we stood on Mt. Wellington and took pictures of the lights of Hobart.
After a short night, we also watched the sunrise on Mt. Wellington. After hiding from the icy wind at the summit, Mayk, my camera, and our cozy blanket made their way up and we witnessed the incredible sunrise. The entire summit was covered in clouds and surrounded by clouds on all sides with a 360° view, creating images that still take my breath away today. Tasmania, you are so beautiful!

A little later, we sat on the ferry heading towards Bruny Island: an island of an island of an island. However, our high expectations were somewhat dampened by the rainy weather and the dull colors. On top of that, Bruny Island seems to have little regard for road construction, so we ended up sailing back to Hobart the same evening, this time with a brown car instead of a white one.
Unfortunately, the following evening also strained all of our nerves. To get to our campsite, we had to drive for a short time after sunset. From the moment twilight sets in, you get the feeling that the ultimate forest animal street party is being celebrated on Australia's roads every night. Possums, wallabies, and others sit by the side of the road or on the road, jumping and running across the road, making driving in the dark a real challenge.
Those few minutes in twilight were enough for us to have a wallaby on our conscience. The poor thing started jumping just as we were supposed to pass it. Despite swerving and braking, it continued to jump without hesitation and eventually landed on the roadside after looping through the wheel well. (For those who thought that sounded too macabre: I was also sick the rest of the evening, but at some point you have to take it a little lighter. Honestly? Wallabies are really as dumb as Otto.)
We didn't have the weather on our side for the last two days. We spent our last days doing laundry, sitting by the fire, charging batteries, and exploring Hobart. We spent the penultimate night in the car together, as camping was impossible due to the rain. Eventually, the rain subsided for a while and us girls took the opportunity to go for a jog on Seven Miles Beach. The next morning, we enjoyed the returning sun at the beach and then drove early to the airport, where I used the time and especially the outlets to back up and edit all my precious photos from the camera onto my laptop. At 10pm, our time in Tasmania unfortunately came to an end and we were all back on the plane to Melbourne.
We arrived and made ourselves comfortable at the airport with sleeping bags and everything, and I must say, I slept like a log despite the hustle and bustle around us.
I can't say how many times I've thought in Australia that nothing else can happen, but once again Tasmania has set the bar very high. From the whitest and most beautiful sandy beach I have ever seen, to golden fields like those in Tuscany, to rainforests - all in one day. Tasmania is the epitome of natural beauty, interspersed with wilderness and an adventurous atmosphere.
Tasmania often made me think of my parents, who are back at home living their lives, which is probably often not easy. What would I sometimes give to be able to bring you here and show you how beautiful life is. I would love to send you a few breaths of this freedom air and a few sips of these endorphins that have made me so addicted. I wish you could sometimes see through my eyes, experience my adventures, and understand why I'm starting to get a bit scared of going back home to a routine again.
Mom and Dad, you are on the other side of the world, we all lead our own lives, and sometimes it's hard for me not being able to share all these indescribable experiences with you the way I would like to. But at the end of the day, we are under the same sky, and at the end of the road, there you are. You were the beginning, you are the anchor until I come home, and you will never lose me.