112.-117. Day 05/01 - 10/01/19 Blue Mountains / Farewell

Saturday 05/01.
Woke up with the sun in the tent and went surfing in the morning. After a quick sunscreen application, we headed to Copacabana beach, which was 20 minutes away. The waves there were really big and some were good for surfing, but I only caught two waves and only managed to stand on one of them. It was an awesome feeling to surf with two buddies, Daniel and Matt, because I would never have jumped into those high waves alone. Carina tried to surf with a surfboard on the small broken waves for about an hour, but it was also very difficult for her. And I have to add, even with a wetsuit on, the water was freezing cold. After surfing, we went shopping for a bit and in the afternoon, we said goodbye and thanked everyone for their warm hospitality. We continued south and then turned towards the Blue Mountains. At times, the weather changed from extremely hot to rain and thunderstorms, which also affected our well-being. We also didn't drink enough water, so we took several breaks. When we arrived at the beginning of the Blue Mountains, we found a nice quiet camping spot, 5km off-road, and it was really off-road.

Once we arrived, we made pasta with sauce, played some cards, and went to bed early. Carina slept under the awning in the tent, and I slept in the car. Since it was raining the whole time, it was also quite cold, and it was good to be dry. The inside of the tent was also dry, and Carina had a comfortable night.

Sunday 06/01.
I woke up under light rain when Carina opened the tailgate. She had already woken up a little earlier in the tent. Together, we decided to skip breakfast, pack everything up, and drive back to civilization. Carina sent requests to several people on Couchsurfing to find accommodation for the next few nights because we wanted to go hiking that day. And after a hike, a warm shower is worth its weight in gold. We headed to Katoomba, the tourist starting point for most hikes in the Blue Mountains. We had a hearty breakfast at a covered barbecue area, and then we went on the Katoomba Waterfall hiking trail.

It continued to rain lightly all day, and surprisingly, the valley in front of us was completely covered in fog. Normally, from the lookout points, you have a great view over the valley, but we couldn't enjoy that. So, we took a quick look on the internet to see how it should normally look.

The hiking trail was very enjoyable, but despite the bad weather, there were still many tourists.

There is a cable car, a steep railway, and also the Giant Stairway, which is a huge staircase that we both climbed on the way back up.

Blue Mountains National Park

After the hike, we went to Matt Dutch's place, a couchsurfer nearby who agreed to host us. We spent the evening together, watched a DVD, and had a cozy evening.

Monday 07/01.
We woke up at 7 am, had a small breakfast, and set off with Matt at 8 am. We followed a hiking trail that he had only partially walked himself. The night before, I couldn't quite believe him when he said he hikes and walks barefoot, but it's true.

We walked a total of 14.5 km in 3.5 hours, so we were back home at 11:30. The path was very idyllic, wet, and overgrown, but that's exactly what made the charm of the hike. Matt hurt his back as the frontman once and broke his little toe. That was crazy, but it didn't seem to bother him. Let's not forget the leeches, which Matt found one after the other, numbering 10, on his foot and between his toes.

In the afternoon, we watched another DVD and then Carina and I went op-shopping in town.

In town, we also bought some bread and two cheese rolls that reminded us of home. Those are the little moments in life. In the evening, we watched a funny Halloween movie and then planned our further journey.

Tuesday 08/01.

In the morning, we said goodbye to Matt and continued driving north along Putty Road. On the way, we saw a peculiar-looking totem pole and decided to stop.

It's a very interesting tree that was set up as a reminder of breast cancer. We continued on our way and I saw a thunderstorm approaching not too far away. So, we stopped at a cafe, treated ourselves to a good cappuccino, and continued after the storm passed.

On the way to the next rest area and our overnight stay, we saw a wild dingo by the roadside. Carina also received a video call from a family in Toowoomba, near Brisbane. The call went well, and Carina got her new job as an Au Pair. We were both really happy about that. Another coincidence happened when one of Carina's old school friends was driving up the east coast, so she had a lift to Byron Bay. From there, the family picked her up. We celebrated the evening with a very, very delicious meal, played some cards, and had a bottle of wine.

Wednesday 09/01.

We got up quite early, and I treated myself to a cappuccino from a mobile coffee stand. Our journey took us to Newcastle, where we met Carina's friend in the afternoon. Newcastle itself is pretty dull, boring, and somewhat bleak. At the beach, we witnessed an emergency, and a lifeguard raced to the next bay with a jet ski. In the evening, we did our laundry at the hostel, took a long shower, and drank a bottle of wine and several beers together. Carina and I slept in the car because the hostel was overcrowded.

Thursday 10/01.

I had a pretty rough night's sleep because it was just too hot. In the early morning, I said goodbye to Carina. I'm looking forward to seeing her again, maybe in Australia, but more likely in Germany. I went back to bed and slept until 10 am. Then, I drove to Swansea Heads, had a snack there, and headed inland because there's a secluded campground in the forest. 'The Pines Campground' was truly idyllic and cozy; I made myself a bonfire and enjoyed the time and tranquility.