The next day we had booked a tour into the Daintree rainforest north of Cairns. Thanks to its isolation on the Australian continent, its the oldest rainforest on earth (130 Mio years old). We enjoyed a guided walk through it, full of hope to see one of the rare Cassowaries.

Unfortunately, the 2m tall bird did not show up :(. Despite that, we had a lot of fun learning stuff about the ancient plants, spotted several spiders and lizards on the way and had lunch in the middle of the forest at a nice creek. Our
biggest animal encounter that day was a 3m long salt water crocodile, which showed itself during our boattrip on the Daintree river after the rain had stopped. We learned that they are not longer called ‚salties‘, as scientist recently found out that more than 50% of them actually spend their time preferably in freshwater like creeks and rivers.
For that reason it can easily be life threatening for humans to take a bath in places like these. (Sidenote: the small town Cardwell, 2hours south from Cairns, is so packed with crocs that even the council swimpool has a croc warning sign ).

The next morning we left Cairns with a campervan to head off south. Relocation transfer is the magic word to get a good deal. A campervan rental company needs a van to be taken back to its original place and you pay next to nothing if you do it for them. We did that job and got a massive van for a few dollars to drive it to Townsville in 3 days.

Our first stop was the beautiful and natural beach campsite at Mission Beach. With a rich tropical rainforest in the back and a lonely secluded beach in the front, we treated ourself to a perfect beach chillout. Thanks to my 50 plus sunblock at this point :). To spot several of the azur blue Ulysses butterflies completed our feeling to be in a tropical paradise. We both hope that this awesome place will stay clear from getting to touristy and will keep its castaway flair. The next morning we got back on the road towards Townsville, a relaxed 4 hour drive along sugar cain fields, banana plantages and wild forest. The landscape changed away from lush rainforest to dryer and more open subtropic vegetation.

Only a few minutes away from Townsville we made it to a small local beach campsite, Saunders Beach. We spent the afternoon sunbathing and reading, while some locals were celebrating their Sunday family barbecue. The next morning started as usually with breakfast and coffee for my Schatz. We had plenty of time to get everything ready for the campervan to drop it off in Townsville and get on the bus which was supposed to bring us to Arlie Beach until the evening. A couple of hours later we were stranded at the van drop off location. It was damn hot and far to walk to the next bus station. The moment we had put on our heavy bagpacks, a friendly man offered us a lift with his car to the city. How incredibly nice was that? We were so thankful and started our journey towards Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays.

It was time to discover the Australian Outback. In preparation for it we did some research how best to do it and we were torn between hiring a van again and doing it on our own or going on a guided tour that offered sleeping in the outback under the stars. Seeing Mathias eye lighten up at the possibility to sleep out in the open it was clear then that we would go onto the bush camping tour.We flew from Melbourne to Alice Springs and from there we went onto the Rock Tour:  3 days in the Central Australian Outback discovering Kings Canyon, the Olgas and Ayers Rock and sleeping out in the open with everything else that lives out there.

The first day started early at 5:30 am and began with an 5 hour drive through nothingness, aka the outback, until we got close to our first destination: the Kings Canyon. The drive was somewhat exhausting, but a good preparation for our body to adapt to the weather conditions we would have the next days. It was hot, especially coming from chilly Melbourne, and there was no airconditioning on the bus, so you can imagine a 5 hour ride in that condition. When we arrived at Kings Canyon, we did a 3 hour hike through the area. Our guide did not have to remind us every half our to be drinking at least 1 litre of water per hour, our body was doing that job on its own. Now, we were there in winter time, I do not want to imagine the crazy people who come here in summer to see the rocks when it goes up to 40 degrees and more. We had about 28-30. I wasn’t surprised to hear then that every year tourist still die from heat exhaustion because they do not drink enough water, despite all the signs and warnings everywhere along the track and on the information brochures. Anyway, Mathias and I were once again happy that we chose to come out of season!

Our guide Robbie did a fantastic job, not only in keeping everyone alive (a girl from a different tour did have to go to hospital that night because she didn’t drink enough and was suffering symptoms of heat exhaustion), but also on giving us indepth background on the formation and development of the canyon. He was actually very passionate about his job which made it a fun and really great experience. He told me later that he had studied geography and then went into becoming a tour guide. No wonder then that he knew what he was talking about. His next destination will be Africa or South America, where he wants to became a guide for adventure tours. Maybe we will see him again :).

So after a great first hike, it was time to drive to our campsite. On the way we had to stop to collect firewood in the bush. Of course Mathias loved it and went for it with such an enthusiasm that he ripped out whole dead trees including the roots, while others just came back to the bus with bigger branches ;). It was a hilarious sight, unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of it. At the campsite Robbie then assigned task to everyone and asked if anyone knows how to make bread. So I volunteered without quite knowing what to expect. When he put some flour and herbs in front of me and said: ‚Here you go, make some bread.‘, even I was a bit stunned. That’s it? I was really glad then that I had baked so much homemade bread before we left Germany. So, mixing up all the flour and some herbs I had to improvise and used beer as my yeast source and added some water. Mixing it well until I got then same texture I was used to we put it into a pan and put it into some coals from the bush fire. An hour later, I was thrilled to see that the bread actually came out pretty well :). In the meantime Mathias was of course all intomthe cooking and helped to make a massive pan of chilli along with roasted vegetable for everyone. It was a really delicious camp dinner. As a surprise Robbie also prepared a bush specialty for us: Kangaroo tail Aboriginal style! It tasted fabulous! A bit like slow cooked lamb.

So after an exciting first day came the first exciting night in the bush. We all got a swag, which is pretty much an Australian sleeping bag cover, and some reassurance from Robbie that snakes and dingos are more afraid of us then vice versa and thus would not come close and then we closed our eyes and listened to the outback. It was a wonderful experience and it did feel totally safe somehow.

The next day we went to the Olgas (aka Kata Tjuta) and did another hike around there. Next to Ayers Rock (aka Uluru) it is one of the sacred sights of the Aboriginals and Robbie once again had a very good knowledge of the culture and explained their meaning and formation to us. In the evening we went to watch the sunset. The sun goes down opposite of Uluru and then gives it its famous bright red colour which normally is accompanied by a sky that turns red and purple behind Uluru. Unfortunately it was too cloudy for us to see the colour change in the sky, but Uluru did turn bright red!

The next morning we came back to the same spot to watch the sunrise. Another beautiful scenery when the sun comes up next to Uluru like a glowing fireball. This time the clouds helped to make the scene look even more impressive. After that we went to Uluru to do the basewalk around it. It was really interesting to see how different it looks from different angles and what shapes and forms the compression of the sand had created many many million years ago. It was a wonderful finish to our tour to see the biggest rock on this planet right in front of you knowing that what you see is just the tip of the rock and it actually goes down into the earth another 6km. How small and insignificant does that make you feel?

Torquay is well known for surfing. Actually it is one of the places which stands for surfing history in Australia. Even tough it is smaller than a village, it is home to a big number of surfers and the famous surfing gear companies Quicksilver and Ripcurl. For a late lunch we ordered some fresh Fish&Chips for take away and had them right at the beach. Fully recovered we went to Bells Beach which is the actual surfer spot in Torquay. These guys know how to surf big waves for sure. (Special greetings at this point to our friends Michi and Oscar, who are both truly passionat surfers.) Back on the road, we were lucky to find space for the night at a campsite in Lorne.

The next morning we got up early and moved our van straight to the main beach in Lorne to have breakfast there. Touched by the warm sunlight of the morning it was a perfect beach for swimming. Some students of the local surf & life saving club went swimming in the ocean and motivated me to follow them. The water was cold but the incoming waves did not give me a chance to hesitate. Once I was in the water it was just amazing. A nice breakfast with Natalie in the warm morning sun completed our perfect start into the day. Our goal for the day were the 12 Apostles.

We enjoyed the exposed and curvy road squeezed in between the mountains and the wild Southern Ocean and stopped several times to take pictures. Our stop in Kennett River was motivated by the chance to see koalas. Immediately Natalie transformed into her PROM approved ‚spot the native animal‘ mode :-). Only a few minutes away from the Great Ocean Road we found them in the gum trees. We had lots of fun walking around and found them mostly resting high up in the trees. We spent almost an hour watching them before we continued.

After that point the Great Ocean Road leaves the actual coastline. We passed over some mountains among wild native coast forest and green farmland. The landscape became more open with green flat hills. The road returned back to the coastline just before we reached the 12 Aposteles, our goal and highlight of the day.
The 12 Aposteles are one of the most famous places in Australia and indeed the whole scenery is breathtaking. The Southern Ocean hits the exposed and vertical coastline with its full strengh. The limestone cliffs are permanently carved out by the ocean. Just a few abandoned rocks resisted the strong ocean.

These are the 12 Aposteles which are actually 8 to 10 rocks depending who you ask and how you look at it . We were lucky and found a bench close to the lookout place for a late lunch. It was for sure one of the top lunch places during our trip!
From there we started our way back towards Melbourne in order to stay at a wild beach campsite for a sundowner and camping in the dunes. We opened our bottle of Chandon Sparkling Pinot Siraz that we had brought from the Yarra Valley and enjoyed it while watching massive waves coming towards us. What an impressive view.

The next morning welcomed us with sunshine again. I moved the van a couple of meters, so that Natalie could catch a view of the deep blue ocean straight from our bed. After a last goodbye to Johanna Beach, we were back on the road. Our van had to be dropped of at Melbourne in the early afternoon. We both were excited to drive the whole road back again. Driving this magnificant ocean road is just stunning but on top we were blessed to have it almost just for us. Thanks to the state Victoria for all its beauty and great weather during this almost winter month.

Reading up on it, we learned that it is the southernmost part of mainland Australia and once formed a land bridge that allowed people to walk to Tasmania. The hiking and camping opportunities were described as exceptional even though there is only one camping site in the whole National Park. It is so popular that during holidays you have to enter a ballot to get a place. So this all sounded fantastic. When we told people in Sydney and even Melbourne about our plans, we were surprised to hear that some didn’t really know much about the place, had never been or said it is the closest Australia comes to New Zealand. Others looked at us asking why we would go there in winter as it can get cold and windy. So we went their with mixed feelings in the end not knowing what to really expext.

We got to ‚the Proms‘, as it is also called, early in the morning on a sunny day.  The Australian ‚winter‘ showed itself quite quickly though as the sky was full of clouds an hour later. After a while it would clear up and let a beautiful sunshine through. Another hour later it would change again to drizzle rain for half an hour and change again to sunshine for a bit. This would go on the whole day and is caused by the strong winds coming from the coast. We later realized that it is a key characteristic of the Prom as it is caused by thr strong winds coming from the coast. It is however also the reason what gives this place its wild beauty.

So we entered the park and were warned that there is wildlife crossing the roads. And yes 15 minutes into the park we saw our first kangaroos :). A whole bunch of them were chilling, grasing and scratching themselves in peace and did not move when I went closer to get pictures. Yes! This is how we wanted to discover the wildlife in Australia, out in the open and not going to the thousand of tourist places where they charge you a lot of money to see some koalas. And wildlife we did see here! That is one of the remarkable things about the Prom especially compared to our experience in New Zealand. Wild animals were just everywhere and you are right in the middle of it. From kookaburras to rosellas lurk to kangaroos, wombats and emus. It was incredible to see them all free in the wild.

We started our walk from the Tidal River campground on the west side of the park. The river flows through the whole park and ends in the sea by Norman beach. Walking over the bridge the river looked so peaceful and beautiful with its dark blue colour against the brown red stones and green shore. We went on and walked through heathland and eucalyptus forests with massive old trees that survived several fires and were now a comfy home to wild animals. As we walked towards the coast the forest got a magical feel. The trees where old and bended by the sun to form beautiful alleyways. Birds were singing all around us and we were the only ones on the path. It was so magical. When we got to a crossing where you could take a turn to go to Squeaky Beach, I really felt like Alice in Wonderland, hopping through the forest full of happiness not knowing what the next turn will reveal.

We took a left turn first which brought us to a scenic lookout with a fantastic view of Norman and Squeaky Beach and the offshore islands. The highlight however came when we got to Squeaky Beach. It is a beautiful white sandy beach that actually does make a squeaky sound when you walk over it. On the shoreline you have massive boulders which look like they dropped down here from the sky. Surrounded by green land on the one side and the wide open blue coast on the other. With the evening sun shining down on the beach this place just looked out of this world. I was walking up and down the beach, amazed by the ever changing colour of this scenery and the melodie the waves created as they hit the coastline. And once again, it was just us and Squeaky Beach! This was a very special evening for us. Squeaky Beach found its way to my heart forever and is definately one of the most stunning places we have been to.

So thank you Sara for this recommendation! A cheers to you with De Bortoli Bubbles was the perfect ending to this day. We would recommend anyone visiting Australia to make this a must see on their list and spend 2-3 days there and go out of season like us if you want to have this place to yourself.

OMG…. how amazing! We found ourselves in seafood heaven and considered for a second to just skip our travels through Australia and just stay here for 4 weeks, trying every single thing on the market. We had fresh king prawns and a grilled baramundi. It was so delicious!!! With satisfied stomachs we went on to discover the harbour area and the Opera house of course.

The next day we went to Bondi beach, the ‚home‘ beach of the locals and the starting point for a great walk along the coast with some more nice beaches. It was a Sunday and thus a perfect day to see what defines Sydney. The locals where out doing what they love: surfing, playing beach volleyball or just going for a run along the coast and the chilling on the beach.

In the evening we went to my friend’s house where we would stay the following 3 days. The last time I had seen Sean was in London over 2 years ago. Who would have thought then that we would meet again in Sydney :). Sean and his family were fantastic hosts and we spent 3 wonderful days at their place. Thanks so much for hosting us!

The next day we went out to the Blue Mountains for a day walk. This National Park was named after the phenonemon the eucalyptus gums create here. The fine mist of oil exuded by the eucalyptus gums form a dense canopy across the landscape, it gives the mountains their blue colour and name. We did a four hour walk along the mountain walls and past gorgeous waterfalls with stunning views onto the valley along the way.

Our last day in Sydney started with a 3h cooking session from Mathias, as he was preparing Gulasch with homemade sweet red cabbage and Sauerkraut for the evening. We wanted to treat our hosts to a proper German dinner :). While he was busy in the kitchen, I planned our trip into the Australian Outback later in the month. We then spent the afternoon in Manly. The ferry to Manly was a highlight in itself and provided us with the best views onto the city and skyline. We finished the day with a wonderful dinner with Sean’s family, before we took the next flight to Melbourne the next day. All in all, a great start to our Australia tour. In fact, we already decided to spent 2 more days in Sydney before we fly onto Singapore. We will be back!