Time flies when you’re having fun. Or so the saying goes. In
our case, time also flies when you were having fun and then got very busy very
fast. So it has been a week since our little road trip and thank god I took
some notes along the way or else I wouldn’t be able to tell you all about the
first real travels we did here in Australia this time around…
Day 1: Fuses and Delays – Bye bye Katherine!
Distance: 93km
We finally got the green light to pack up and leave on
Monday (27.11.). After finishing our last 4h shift of wrapping those
dragontooth mangoes, we started packing for a seemingly never-ending evening.
Kitchen, clothes, bedding, cleaning stuff etc ect ect. We also finally cleaned
our car, which by the way, has a new old white door with a now fully functional
(though still slightly difficult) window. Packed to the brim, we drove down
that dirt road one last time the next morning. What a feeling (key: song)!
After dropping off two friends at the side of the road (literally, because they
hitchhiked up to Darwin), we bought provisions for the trip and visited Darren,
our mechanic of choice. Because we are now responsible adults (and
traumatized), we had him check our car from top to toe and service it. Good
thing too, because we found out that we had nails stuck in two tires – guess
that’s what we get for off-roading around the farm. Other than that, we were
happy to find out that all was good under the hood.
Moe changed a few fuses and all of a sudden we had a car
with fully functioning perks, such as the cigarette lighter socket, dashboard
lights and warning blinkers (Moe is at this moment reading my blog and has kindly informed me that they are called hazard lights and that "warning blinkers" is very German) …and cruise control (more on that later).
Fixing two tires delayed us for a few hours, which we spent
walking around Katherine town (for the first time in 2 months) and getting
stuck in McDonalds during a rain shower.
By the time we actually drove out of this
most-uncharming-town-I’ve-ever-been-to, it was late afternoon and we made it
exactly 93km to the nearest rest area.
Here, surrounded by termite mounds as tall as me, we set up
camp. Compared to a van, in which everything has it’s place, living in a
station wagon is quite the pain in the ass. Everything had to be moved and
stowed away somewhere else, so we could make our bed in the back.
Blowing up a
queen sized mattress without a pump was fun too. Slightly light headed and
sweaty, we moved into our new home-on-wheels and enjoyed the rest of the
evening with pre-cooked chili con carne and series. Every once in a while it
started raining, which meant we had to close the windows. Instant sauna. The
trunk had to stay closed as well, since it doesn’t stay closed without a stick
holding it up and I was too scared of accidentally amputating a foot by kicking
the stick. Also, we didn’t have a mosquito net for the trunk (we did for the
windows) and every time we opened it the bugs would come swarming in – being
the only source of light for miles.
We fell asleep to the sound of bats beating each other up in
the tree right in front of our window and woke up to birds and sunlight and wet
sweaty pillows.
Day 2: Mataranka and Cruise Control
Distance: 800km
Being the strategic travelers that we are, the choice of
rest area was perfectly planned (uh huh). Because only 12km further down the
road was Mataranka, a little town with beautiful hot springs (which aren’t hot
– I still don’t get why the Aussies call so many fresh water springs “hot” when
they are actually cool). The short walk there through a little palm forest is
deafening.
The flying foxes fight for space in the trees and screech so loudly
you think your eardrums will rupture. The beautiful crystal clear blue water
was just the right temperature and there was nobody else there. After some time
we were joined by a little wallaby that strolled around on the other side of
the pool and munched on fallen fruit and didn’t seem afraid of us at all. And
if the refreshing dip wasn’t heavenly enough, there was a free shower in the
caravan park (that is the entrance to the pools)!
Me excited about swimming next to a wallaby
A wallaby excited about standing next to me
These are giant evil looking things
Breakfast was served on another rest area – next to a burnt
out car.
Dishes with a view
Dishes were done on yet another rest area (since the water
tank on the one before was empty) – with probably the best view one can have
while doing dishes. When we were done, little tiny birds came to take a bath in
the puddle we left.
Since the road trip was actually more of a crossing – from
the center to the east coast – and meant to get us from A to B (from mangoes to
mangoes), most of our time was spent driving. And driving in Australia is an
experience on its own. Endless straight roads through nothingness. Bush on your
left and right, sometimes burnt, sometimes green, sometimes with trees,
sometimes with shrubbery, the horizon shifting without noticeable curves in the
road and the most amazing sky. I don’t know why, but the sky here really is
beautiful and different from anywhere I’ve ever been. No lights, no power
lines, no buildings to obstruct the view. Every few hundred kilometers you pass
through a little town or a zip by a roadhouse with horrendous fuel prices. But
other than that, you just drive…
After we figured out how to use our cruise control, we could
hardly call it driving anymore. It was more like sitting and holding the wheel
in one position. Easy on the body and nerves and before you know it or feel it,
a few hundred kilometers have streamed passed your window.
Don't you wish you could drive like this, mommy? ;)
During our lunch break, we shared a rest area with another
group of backpackers. One came over and offered us some mangoes – some guy we
had actually seen before around Darwin and Katherine. All I could do was laugh,
because we too had a whole big bowl of fruit in the car (thanks to which it
always smelled sweet and tropical). He understood right away: “Alrighty, you
guys worked mangoes too, huh?” and walked back to his van with his bulging bag.
Highlight of my evening: Stopping at a roadhouse called
Threeways – named for being at one of the very few intersections of highways in
this country. Moe came back from paying for gas and ice with a Magnum Salted
Caramel. Surprise Ice Cream is definitely the best kind there is! Best
boyfriend ever! (Though maybe a little difficult to understand, why ice cream
was the best part of my day… Remember that we are living on a tight budget and
hardly ever spend on sweet nothings. Especially not when they cost as much as
our budget for a whole meal (sometimes for the both of us))
Fun fact: The first time we loaded gas after leaving
Katherine was after exactly 666,66km! And that in a car that cost us 600$.
Hmmm…might we have sold our souls for a set of wheels…?
Though we had actually said that we wouldn’t drive at night,
Moe couldn’t help it. For some reason he just enjoys it. So there we are,
driving in the pitch black bush, when he has to relieve himself and pulls over
on the side of the highway. Not a car or other sign of life in sight. Music
blasting a bad 90s mix. He gets back into the car and the engine won’t start.
We try again. And again. And I’m already dreaming up scenarios of us stranded
in the Outback in the middle of the night, being attacked by dingoes or being
towed by the guy from Wolf Creek. Luckily, a few minutes and many skipped heart
beats later, our engine roared back to life and we were back on our way.
After such a successful set up the evening before, we
decided to try out the tent for the evening. We found a suitable rest area and
managed – though kicking and jerking to keep the bugs out of our face (headlamp
in the bush – not a good idea) – to set it up. The area under the tree was
glittering with the many eyes of very very big spiders, so we moved it two
meters away. Right. Like those eight hairy legs won’t make it that far. Also,
we discovered that we had a bird stuck in the front of our car.
Due to the larger mesh of the tent, we had to turn off all
lights, because the bugs were squeezing though somehow. So there we were, in
the pitch black, with a view of the stars from our bed, the wind howling and
shaking our tent – quite the beautiful night after all.
Day 3: Finally Queensland
Distance: 970km
The next morning we were woken early by the surprisingly
strong sunlight. Imagine the average temperature in summer in Germany – at 7am!
After a good breakfast in the front seats of our car (we never invested in a
table or chairs), I drove the first 400km to Mount Isa (after 200km we whooped
and cheered as we crossed the border into Queensland). The landscape on the way
changed from the bush we knew and had become accustomed to, to flat nothing.
Absolute nothing. Pale golden dry grass. Also an experience.
Driving into Mount Isa was like an assault on the eyes –
gray, industrious and ugly. A cliché mining town, though apparently one of the
single most productive mines in the world (thank you, Wikipedia). But hey, it
was civilization! Our visit to this town boiled down to food and charging our
cellphone in the hallway leading to the bathrooms of a small mall while being
looked at funny by the passers-by.
The drive out of Mount Isa lead through ranges. All of a
sudden there were curves and hills and crests. And it was beautiful. Without
noticing, we had risen to over 350m above sea level. So we cruised our way back
down, Traumwelt playing in the background.
Imagine driving through this...
By the afternoon I was two-toned. Completely sunburned on
one side and night-shift pale on the other.
So what had changed after crossing over into Queensland?
More road signs. More power lines and railroad tracks. Strong gusts of wind
threatening to push us off the road. Giant birds that stand like statues by the
side of the road and then scare the hell out of you when the fly off just as
you drive by. Bigger kangaroos. More developed farmland. The feeling of getting
closer to more populated areas. So many roadtrains.
Only in Australia
That night we slept on a free campground behind a hotel in a
little town called Prairie. At around 10pm, we pulled up in front of the closed
looking hotel, wondering if our Roadmap was lying about being able to sleep
here for free, when a man came out. “Yous lookin’ for a place to camp, are ya?
Gate’s open out back! Need anything to drink? Righty-O, g’night.”
Day 4: Budgies and Beach (and CVS)
Distance: 350km
I heart Prairie. I think I just might have bought a t-shirt
with that on it. Maybe I should have asked one of the 106 citizens of Prairie
to make me one. Though we only spent a night and a few hours there, it was
lovely. A free camp without bugs. Waking up with blue skies above us and a cool
breeze.
Waking up to this...
...and this...
Cooking breakfast in the nearby Windmill Park – guess what? It’s a park
with a big ol’ windmill in it.
Yin yang
Admit it, you're jealous...
The trees around us were filled with little green and yellow budgies – the kind you usually only see in pet stores. And some gray and pink parrots. It had a kind of tropical wild wild west charm.
Budgies!
I Heart Prairie
The short drive to Townsville was quite picturesque. And
what do two travellers like Moe and I do after spending two months in the
bush…? We buy a baguette, a roast chicken and drive to the closest beach. Ah,
the ocean! Water! Sand! Heavenly! But as it is in this country, a sign warning
about stingers and crocs kept us out of the water.
Saunders Beach
Looking for a place to spend the night, we stumbled across
Bluewater Park. Our trusty Roadmap told us there were free showers there and
that was reason enough to check it out. After…no, I won’t tell you how long…
basta, it was good to shower. In our bathing suits. Outside.
Now, for those who don’t know me inside out, back in May I
hung out in the hospital for some time, while doctors tried their best to find
out why I have random and sudden attacks of nausea sometimes. Many tests later,
I was discharged with the wastebasket diagnosis of Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome.
Inexplicable, no real cure, just happens sometimes. I have been CVS-free for a
few months now, but for some odd reason, it decided to stop by again that late
afternoon. I just about made it out of the shower and into some clothes before
it started. Having a paramedic boyfriend, the doctors in Manila prescribed this
anti-nausea medicine intravenously – meaning Moe gets to poke me with a needle
(much to his enjoyment). So, in Blackwater Park, on a rest area, sitting in the
front seat of a car, Moe got to inject me for the first time. Too bad it didn’t
help. I continued to be retching and restless. So this is where I lost all
sense of time and place and longed for my couch in Berlin or my bed in Manila.
Though I was well taken care of… Moe set up the tent. I collapse into the tent
and everything after that is a blur of sleep, sweat and my head in a plastic bag.
In between there I remember peppermint tea, an improvised hot water bottle and
being half-carried to the bathroom because I was too weak to walk – best
boyfriend ever. At some point the darkness swallowed me and I think that made
me quite happy.
Not many pictures of this evening.
Day 5: Ayr
Distance: 90km
After the rain comes sun again… The next morning was such a
relief. Feeling better somehow always makes you feel even better. Still a bit
shaky on my legs, we had a relaxed morning and then headed over to Ayr, our new
home for the next I-don’t know-how-many weeks.
The town has a population of around 8000 and is known for
the huge sugar cane plantations around it. Basically, it’s a charming little
place with two supermarkets, a main shopping road, a couple of fast food joints
and a small cinema. Very quaint and somehow comfy. Then again, everything is
comfy after Katherine.
Late afternoon we joined one of our bosses in the house we
were offered to stay in. Jackpot! After a kitchen-adjoined room in a blue
container, we now live in a very nice house with all facilities one could wish
for, have a big room with the most comfortable bed and even a little yard. It
is more than we could have ever hoped for.
Day 6: Sunday Lovely Sunday
Distance: 16km and a few hundred meters
I know, we have arrived at our destination. The road trip is
over. But since we didn’t have to start work till Monday, I thought I’d include
the first Advent. The official start of the countdown to Christmas. Haha. We’ve
managed to ignore the decorations and songs. Just doesn’t feel right to get all
festive, while working for a farm that sells “A taste of Australian Summer”. So
instead of lighting a candle and baking cookies, we spent the morning in our
room, enjoying fast internet and aircon. Then drove to Alva Beach in the
afternoon and lay around in the shade playing Backgammon. And finally went to
see the new Hunger Games in the little movie theatre in town.
Life is sweet.
And Monday we went to work… But I’ll get into that next week ;)
