Posted by: Jenn
Well Mates, this is it - our final Australia post! With Jonathan cursing the traffic we cruised out of Sydney without a look back and headed towards Melbourne.
Well Mates, this is it - our final Australia post! With Jonathan cursing the traffic we cruised out of Sydney without a look back and headed towards Melbourne.
The first place we wanted to stop was Wilson's Promontory, a National Park known for spotting wildlife and having some cool views. When we arrived into the park, it was around lunch time so we cooked in the parking lot of a trail head. A cold front had blown in the night before so it was quite chilly and because our bodies had adjusted to the humid heat of Asia, we were not really prepared for the weather...oops. We bundled up as best as we could and whipped up some toasted ham and cheese sandwiches with a side of salt and vinegar potato chips. I ate in a hurry so my shivering hands could be slid back into my pockets.
The first hike, or bush walk as Aussie's say, was a three kilometer hike up to an overlook of the park, ocean and nearby bay. On the way up we quickened our pace as we could see a storm cloud ripping at the seams nearby.
The first hike, or bush walk as Aussie's say, was a three kilometer hike up to an overlook of the park, ocean and nearby bay. On the way up we quickened our pace as we could see a storm cloud ripping at the seams nearby.
The view from the top can best be viewed by the 360 degree video that Jonathan took.
On the way down we veered off to another trail that took us to a small beach where the bay could be seen.
After visiting the bay we retreated to the warmth of Hippie and drove to another trail head. Before we even stopped to park we saw tons of kangaroos and emus roaming around everywhere.
Once we walked just a little bit further on the trail away from the road we were blown away with how many kangaroos were hanging out.
Watching them hop was the most entertaining for me.
Every now and then we also caught a glimpse of a shy wombat coming out of it's burrow in search for food.
Once we had our fill of kangaroos and wombats we wandered back out to Hippie, who looked glorious as dusk approached bringing with it colder air sweeping through the setting sun's rays.
Completely fulfilled with our wildlife bush walk we drove out of the parking lot reminiscing with each other about what we had just seen and how amazing it was to watch the kangaroos and wombats up close in there natural habitat. Just as we were about to exit the park, we were seen off by another wombat and kangaroo hanging out on the side of the road. We watched Mr. Wombat for a while before driving closer to Mrs. Roo.
As we inched Hippie closer to the roo, Jonathan whispered to me that he thought there was a baby in the pouch. Sure enough, little Joey was sticking his head out to enjoy the sunset too. It was the first time we had seen a Joey with it's head out of the pouch and it was so neat to experience.
Because there is no overnight camping in the park, we drove down the freeway some until we found somewhere we could sleep. The next morning we arrived in Melbourne but decided to keep heading south to drive part of the Great Ocean Road (kind of like driving the Pacific Hwy in California) before we had to part ways with Hippie.
The first day we didn't make it very far because Jonathan saw waves. We stopped at Bells Beach, a world renowned surf break, and were in awe with the beauty of the peeling waves. We immediately drove to the nearest surf shop so he could rent a wetsuit; the water had gotten even colder since we were further south. When we got back to the beach he didn't even want to take the time to eat lunch because he was worried he was missing too many good waves. After a quick sandwich Jonathan paddled out and I sat at a nearby overlook and played photographer. I think it was the most fun I had had snapping photos because the waves were so perfect and Jonathan was getting super long rides.
The waves were consistently a little over head high with sets a little bigger. Jonathan said it was the most fun he had had surfing a right. (Surf lesson for non-surfers: A 'right' wave means that when you are in the ocean and looking back at shore, the wave breaks to the right. When you ride with your right foot forward or "goofy footed" a right is harder because your back is to the wave.) Jonathan and I are both goofy footed so we prefer lefts over rights, but because these rights were so perfect he didn't care!
We stayed at Bells Beach until the sunset, found a place to park and sleep, then went back to Bells Beach for a morning surf session. Afterwards, we returned the wetsuit and made our way further down the Great Ocean Road.
We stayed at Bells Beach until the sunset, found a place to park and sleep, then went back to Bells Beach for a morning surf session. Afterwards, we returned the wetsuit and made our way further down the Great Ocean Road.
The road winds along the coast and boasts spectacular views after every bend.
The highlight of the The Great Ocean Road for us was the 12 Apostles. When we walked out to the platform to see the view our breaths were taken away. The sun was setting and the rays were flowing out of the clouds, the deep turquoise foam topped waves were crashing into the orange sand and the rust colored cliffs were lit up from the scattered rays.
We stared in awe for a while until some sprinkles of rain on our cheeks took us out of our trance and moved us along the way. We walked to several overlooks taking in the beauty.
After the sprinkles stopped the clouds cleared some and we got a little bit of blue sky, which added a whole new array of colors to the blend, before the clouds closed up again.
Because night was approaching and we knew there were several more stops we wanted to make, we tore each other away from the 12 Apostles. We drove and hiked to several more views of different cliffs and caves all the while racing the moon and rain.
The last place we stopped we hiked out to the sand and rocks and watched the sun set over the ocean.
Right before we left, Jonathan decided that he was tired of waiting on the rain.
We slept at a rest stop that night and then got up the next morning and headed into Melbourne in search of a hostel. Lonely Planet recommended a place called the Nunnery so we went there first. They had two beds available in a twelve bed dorm so we snatched them up for a whopping $30 each and began unloading Hippie - sad times. As we pulled the last of our belongings out of Hippie we said our goodbyes and returned him back to the rental agency. We spent our final two days in Australia mourning losing Hippie, catching up on Internet, watching movies, and enjoying the company of other travellers in the hostel. Boy did we miss sleeping in Hippie those two nights. Sleeping in the twelve bed dorm with people snoring and coming in drunk at 3 AM was so not cool. It was a cool hostel though - very homey.
The morning of the 25th we awoke at 4 AM to catch our flight out to Auckland, New Zealand.
As always with leaving a country we like to talk about things that stand out to us. First, is the language. Yes, they speak English but they have their own quirky words for things that we had to figure out. I'll list our English first and then their English.
Good job! = Good on ya!
Friend, bestfriend, hey you = Mate, Best mate, Hey mate
Thanks = Cheers
You're welcome = No worries, You're alright (I never heard someone say You're welcome)
How are you, how's it going, what's up = How ya goin' (That was the hardest for me. We'd be like hiking along and someone would pass us and say "How ya goin'?" I'd be like, "Um, by foot..."
Drunk, getting drunk = Pissed, On the piss, gettin' pissed
Case of beer (24 beers) = Slab or carton of beers
Breakfast = Brekky, Brekkie (weird)
McDonald's = Macca's
Hiking = Bush walking
Aluminum = So they spell it the same but they say it like this "Al (like the name) - lou - min - eee - um (like Umm I don't know) That took us a while to figure out too.
Second, we had a camper van pretty much the whole time we were in Aussie land. Although it was nice having our "own room" every night, it was still quite difficult at times. Where do you shower, brush your teeth, shave, park to sleep if there's no rest stop or campground? Did you think about all this? Showering...well we took several showers in streams or creeks, which was way out of my comfort zone but it's better than being dirty. There was one beach town that had a public restroom with shower heads that you could rinse the sand off with. No curtains or doors or hot water. Yep, showered there - it was freezing outside too. Teeth brushing...sometimes at the van with bottled water, sometimes in McDonald's, sometimes at a park with public toilets.
As always with leaving a country we like to talk about things that stand out to us. First, is the language. Yes, they speak English but they have their own quirky words for things that we had to figure out. I'll list our English first and then their English.
Good job! = Good on ya!
Friend, bestfriend, hey you = Mate, Best mate, Hey mate
Thanks = Cheers
You're welcome = No worries, You're alright (I never heard someone say You're welcome)
How are you, how's it going, what's up = How ya goin' (That was the hardest for me. We'd be like hiking along and someone would pass us and say "How ya goin'?" I'd be like, "Um, by foot..."
Drunk, getting drunk = Pissed, On the piss, gettin' pissed
Case of beer (24 beers) = Slab or carton of beers
Breakfast = Brekky, Brekkie (weird)
McDonald's = Macca's
Hiking = Bush walking
Aluminum = So they spell it the same but they say it like this "Al (like the name) - lou - min - eee - um (like Umm I don't know) That took us a while to figure out too.
Second, we had a camper van pretty much the whole time we were in Aussie land. Although it was nice having our "own room" every night, it was still quite difficult at times. Where do you shower, brush your teeth, shave, park to sleep if there's no rest stop or campground? Did you think about all this? Showering...well we took several showers in streams or creeks, which was way out of my comfort zone but it's better than being dirty. There was one beach town that had a public restroom with shower heads that you could rinse the sand off with. No curtains or doors or hot water. Yep, showered there - it was freezing outside too. Teeth brushing...sometimes at the van with bottled water, sometimes in McDonald's, sometimes at a park with public toilets.
Lastly, parking to sleep. Well, budget boyfriend being on a budget and not wanting to pay for a campground ($30 to $50 per night to just park), we spent many a nights driving around small highway-side towns looking for a dark neighborhood with empty lots we could park in front of. Once, we parked down a dark dirt road and minutes after we cut the engine off some guy walked out of his back door with a flashlight. We took off and had to find somewhere else. We ended up parking for free every night in Australia.
Before we check out of Australia, check out this cool little demonstration. The total amount of miles we drove while in Australia, from Darwin to Melbourne, was 5,370 miles. The map below gives you a good perspective of that distance compared to the size of the United States.
Before we check out of Australia, check out this cool little demonstration. The total amount of miles we drove while in Australia, from Darwin to Melbourne, was 5,370 miles. The map below gives you a good perspective of that distance compared to the size of the United States.
And lastly...We flew to New Zealand on the 25th. Kind of big news, but New Zealand will be my last country! I have had an amazing trip but it is time for me to come home - I miss it too much. My flight home is on October 30th!! I'm super stoked about getting to spend some time home (in Texas) with my family before getting a job and starting a real life again. Jonathan, on the other hand, is still going strong and instead of flying back with me, he is hopping a flight through China, then Dubai and finally onto Africa. I was worried that if I left, he would stay gone forever. But, Jonathan has bought a non-refundable flight home for December 21st so I'm pretty sure budget boyfriend won't miss it and have to buy another.