Below you will find pages that utilize the taxonomy term “Road-Trip”
Difference #5: On the Road
March 12, 2011
Travelling long distances on the road in Australia is different. It’s not just the driving on the other side of the road.
There is no separate speed limit for trucks, pretty much regardless of their size. That means that if you’re obeying the speed limit or even stay a bit below it you will sooner or later have a truck in your rearview mirror. And if that truck happens to be a road train you basically have 100t of steel and cargo just meters behind your bumper.
Fighting Kangaroos
March 8, 2011
This one’s a bit older. The place where I stayed for the night in the Snowy Mountains weeks ago did not only feature an amazing 270° panorama view but also wildlife at its best. After the sunset I heard a lot of noise in the bushes and when I went to have a look I saw two mountain kangaroos fighting. Those guys had an impressive stamina, for half an hour they were beating the crap out of each other.
Great Ocean Road
March 4, 2011
People say when you come to visit Australia you have to see three things: The rock, the reef and the road. The rock being Uluru and the road being the Great Ocean Road (GOR). The road was built between the two world wars by returned soldiers to commemorate their casualties. It is as such a big war memorial but fortunately few parts of the 250km drive show any link to military and war.
Back on the Coast
March 2, 2011
After conquering the summit my way led me back to the coast. I missed the ocean and was happy to have a relaxed day on the beach. I didn’t really feel like moving anyway, my legs hurt pretty badly after the walk up and down the mountain the day before.
For the night I stayed near the Gippsland Lakes and on the next day moved on to Wilsons Promontory or “The Prom”.
The Capital
February 28, 2011
After leaving the farm I made a stop in Canberra, Australia’s capital. The city is somewhat weird. For a capital it is unusually calm and wide. It probably is the only capital in the world that doesn’t have an international airport.
In Katoomba I met a guy from Canberra and he told me that most of the jobs in the city are government jobs and thus most of the people in the city are boring nerds.
Back on the Road
December 29, 2010
On Tuesday morning I went to talk to the mechanic about the broken alternator. The shop is specialised in car electrics and car audio and the show room looked accordingly. Unfortunately they had no mechanics on service because of another public holiday. Getting one would have cost a $80 call out fee so we decided to wait another day. The place where the tow truck dropped the car off was ok to stay, we had a gas station with toilets and even showers around the corner and a nearby park to spend the day.
Again?
December 27, 2010
I wanted to write a bit about Christmas in the Blue Mountains, Christmas Eve around the log fire and late night BBQ but that has to wait for a while.
We left Katoomba yesterday without a real plan on where to go and what to do. All we knew was that after two weeks of partying around the log fire we needed to get our asses up.
Today we wanted to spent the night at a camp site in the mountains.
A new Fuel Pump
December 15, 2010
On Monday I gave the wreckers in Lawson a call to ask if they’d have time to fit in the fuel pump. Unfortunately they forgot about it and asked me to call them back on Wednesday. I guess if you’re more laid back than an Aussie you’re gonna fall over.
As I wasn’t too sure if they’d do it on Wednesday I asked the mechanic next door for a quote for fitting in the part from the wrecker.
A Shower
December 8, 2010
Today I woke up to the sound of rain drops. Sleeping in a car definitely has its advantages. By the time I had decided to get up it had stopped raining. After saying goodbye to my kangaroo neighbours I was on the road again.
My destination for today was the Hunter Valley near Syndey. It’s famous for its wineries and I intended to stay there for the night before driving into the big city.
New England
December 7, 2010
After leaving New Italy in the morning my next destination was the New England national park. After the time at the coast I wanted to see some mountains and the national park is just right for that. I got some information about the park at the Visitor Information Centre (VIC) in Grafton and they predicted unstable weather for the area. No risk no fun and thus I drove up 1563m to the Point Lookout.
New Italy
December 6, 2010
Today it was time for us to leave Mullumbimby. We had a really nice and relaxing time there even though the place was only quiet when the kids weren’t around.
On Sunday we spent our last day on the markets in Byron Bay. They’re held monthly and offer a wide range of local and international products. One shop even offered “Traditional German Bratwurst”. I gave it a try and it really wasn’t too bad.
The Gold Coast
November 29, 2010
Friday started early, at 5am the sun was up and so was I. Sleeping in the car was surprisingly comfortable and after breakfast we set of towards the Gold Coast. Our destination was Surfers Paradise. We didn’t intend to stay there for long, I just wanted to have a look at that place. It reminded me of certain European holiday destinations.
The place wasn’t to our taste at all so we set sail inland towards the Springbrook National Park.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
November 27, 2010
Thursday, November 25th. Usually I’m not a big fan of zoos but today we went to visit the Koala sanctuary nearby Brisbane. It is more than 120 years old and currently home for 130 koalas. Besides the koalas they show other animals, most of them Australian.
We started with the lorikeets. They are not held captive in the zoo but live in the trees throughout the area and twice a day it’s feeding time for them. The keepers hand out trays with food and visitors can hold them up and be eye to eye with the birds.
Even on my head they were sitting. There was about 40-50 of them and every time a kid was running towards the group they escaped at once just to return to the food a minute later.
After the lorikeet feeding we went to the kangaroo area. The area is
Coming to Brisbane
November 24, 2010
Monday Nov 22nd. Day 16 of our road trip starts with sunshine and a beautiful blue sky. From Rainbow Beach we drive half an hour up to Tin Can Bay to see and participate in the daily dolphin feeding.
Our next stop was Noosa and the Sunshine Coast. The Sunshine Coast didn’t really deserve it’s name when we saw it. It was more like a “More-rain-than-during-an-average-cyclone Coast”. We kind of were used to it and decided to make our way to Brisbane that day.
Crocs vs Work
November 22, 2010
Friday Nov 19th, day 13 of the road trip. Refreshed and happy after a night in a real bed with a roof over our heads we leave Emu Park. My fellow travellers are going to visit a crocodile farm on the way. I have some work to do and drop them of there.
Before we left Airlie Beach I bought some mobile broadband equipment and can now use the internet at all places that have mobile reception.
Rum
November 22, 2010
Saturday, we are not really surprised to wake up with wet feet in our tents again. Pete and Meri spent half of the night in the car after their tent capitulated to the heavy rain. There seems to be a pattern. When we stay in the tent it rains, when we stay at a backpackers it doesn’t.
After the dripping wet gear is stored in the car we head for the next bistro to get some hot coffee.
Caves
November 21, 2010
Nothing takes the fun out of camping more thoroughly than rain. Once again we awake to the sound of drops falling on the tent. We have some routine in taking down the tent and packing up the gear by now and before 10am we are in the car and heading down the A1 towards Rockhampton. Or Rocky as the locals call it.
We make our first stop 25km before Rockhampton at a place called Capricorn Caves.
Off we go
November 18, 2010
Wednesday Nov 17th, day 11 of the road trip. We manage to get all of Pete and Meri’s luggage in the car, it’s filled to the roof now. Even one of the back seats has to serve as storage at the moment. Down Bruce Highway we head for Mackay.
After lunch in the botanical gardens of Mackay we scanned the Camps Australia book for a proper overnight location. Between Mackay and the next big town Rockhampton is almost nothing to do or see for 300km.
Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays
November 16, 2010
Friday Nov 12th, Day 5 of the road trip. We leave Townsville in heavy rain and hope to leave the bad weather behind. We are near Ayr, almost 100km south of Townsville when the rain stops for the first time. It doesn’t stay dry for long though and when we reach Airlie Beach it’s raining cats and dogs again.
Airlie Beach is the main starting point for tours to the famous Whitsunday Islands. That group of islands has beaches that are said to be among the most beautiful worldwide. I was eager to go there but the weather kind of killed the mood.
With the weather being totally unsuitable for camping we decided to check into a hostel for a couple of nights. Two guys from the share house in Cairns, Pete and Meri, work in a hostel near town and organised some beds in a dorm for us.
The weather remained unstable and we spent our time with cleaning and drying the gear or going fishing at the nearby marina.
The forecast promised better conditions for Sunday and thus we booked a Whitsunday tour for that day. While still in Germany I planned to do a sailing trip around the islands but those trips are unfortunately not compatible with my current budget.
Instead we went for an ocean rafting day trip. The company running these trips bought a couple of rescue vessels and
Townsville
November 14, 2010
Tuesday, Nov 9th. Day 2 of the road trip. We are leaving Bingil Bay in the morning intending to drive the 250km to Townsville without major stops. After we left Ingham behind there were no towns coming up on the road for the next 100km. Driving there is just freaking boring for me so I usually swap with Hiroko. She hasn’t been driving for two years and those empty endless country roads are perfect to give her some practice.
Road Trip!
November 11, 2010
Monday, Nov 8. Early in the morning I drove my car to the department of transportation and main roads to get the coveted registration for my car. I had all the paperwork (application form, new customer form, RWC, CTP, sale bills, …) but still felt nervous as this was my first big encounter with Aussie bureaucracy.
Fortunately everything went smooth and my car is now registered to my name and eligible to travel Australian roads for the next six months.