The Grampians

After a successful night in Melbourne I went to the airport again to rent myself a car for the next three days. As soon as I got me a cute Toyota Prius Hybrid I headed out west on the Prince's Highway towards The Grampians National Reserve.

I have to give credit to Marius for giving me advise on this one. And both Jan and Marius for making me do this since I was quite wary of venturing on Australia's streets on my own with all that left driving business and such. But it turned out to be easy as pie, not considering the handful of times when I turned on the wipers instead of the lights each time I intended to make a turn. But I guess this is also the international sign for: Watch out! Tourist coming through!

The Grampians

So I was driving there for 3 hours maybe when I first saw the mountain ranges of the Grampians. And it was truly a remarkable sight even from far away. It turned out to be even more spectacular driving through the valleys with the ranges towering up to the evening sky. In Halls Gap I tried to find a room for the night and ended up again in a place offering log cabins. Not quite cheap but it was definitely worth it. My neighbours being a herd of kangaroos grazing behind the cabin on an extending pasture in this fascinating valley surrounded by sunset lit ridges inviting for long and promising hikes.

Halls Gap - Behind my Log Cabin

Close neighbours at the Log Cabin #1

Close neighbours at the Log Cabin #2

Close neighbours at the Log Cabin #3

As it got dark: "my god, its full of stars!" - to quote a famous scifi movie. But see for yourself, stars in all different colors. You can only have this view far in the countryside. Despite this cosmic experience I had to get to bed early because I wanted to catch the sunrise on one of those many lookouts spreading through out the crests high up.

"My god, it's full of stars"

Nightsky in the Grampians

What my eyes beheld that morning was an experience I never would have dreamed of. A panoramic view of hundreds of square miles of lowlands covered by a thick morning mist slowly dissolving in the morning sun and giving sight on eucalyptus forests, lush meadows and little lakes glaring in the sunlit sky. A picture from another world.

En route to Boroka Lookout

Boroka Lookout over Halls Gap

Boroka Lookout

The Grampians - Mount Difficult Road 

My schedule was tight so after a little breakfast I went on with a little photo hike to the McKenzy Waterfalls which turned out to be a formidable walk with really nice views and motives. Unfortunatly after my nightshot session I was so tired that I forgot to recharge my batteries. So after catching everything from above the waterfall I had to device a plan. But whats the famous motto of the Australians? No worries! You're right!

The Grampians - Walk to McKenzy Waterfall

McKenzy Waterfall

The Grampians - McKenzy Waterfall

So I just asked at the next kiosk to kindly plug my charger in for a couple of minutes while having a cup of coffee. While I was sitting there a lady from Melbourne joined me after she was attacked by a Kookaburra that snatched the entire pie she was just eating moments before right out of her mouth. Totally flabberghasted she needed a couple of minutes to loosen up and I was telling her about my trip. Of course she was trying to convince me that Melbourne was actually a much nicer city than Sydney paying tribute to the classic cliché of each representative grudging on one another.

The Grampians - Last look back from Dunkeld

Nevertheless I kindly said my cheerio's and continued the steep walk down to the waterfalls base. Once arrived I relaxed in front of a scenery that was truly fabulous. But time had cast a curse on me and soon it was late after noon. Time to go on and continue my drive to The Great Ocean Road. So I plugged in my trusty IPod and tuned in to my favorite band of the nineties - Midnight Oil, thats right:

Where is home, where is my home?
I'm searching far and wide, oh yeah
Where is home, where is my home?
I hear my spirit cry
It's in the clear blue sky

Grampians Road

Midnight Melbourne

I would have liked to write more about Byron Bay, because it's such an awesome place. But since there's still so much more I will leave it at that and go right on.

Jacaranda sunset

After the five days in Queensland went by so quickly I was really looking forward to the next part of my trip: Victoria! The flight from Brisbane to Melbourne went smoothly. Next to me sat an Aussie who was working in the mining business. He was a real chap giving me awesome tips for my ride to the Grampians and the Twelve Apostles. It's really great meeting those kind of people everywhere, they are just so friendly and helpful all the time. I haven't had a single experience of this kind in all my life here in Europe. So my uncertainty on the next four days just had vanished and I finally had a plan. But more of that later.

I only had this one night to explore a bit of Melbourne. So I packed my cam and trusty tripod and went out to the Southbank to make some nightshots of Melbourne's awesome skyline reflecting in the river.

Since there is not much to talk about I just present you the results to breath in the atmosphere of this famous Metropole at the Yarra River, which is also quite known for its surrounding wineries. So with no further ado: Melbourne at Night. Enjoy!

Melbourne - Southern Cross Station

Melbourne - Yarra Promenade

Melbourne - Yarra Promenade, Orion

Melbourne - Southbank Promenade, Flinders St Station

Melbourne - Southbank Promenade

Melbourne - Southbank Promenade

Melbourne - Southbank Promenade

Melbourne - Southbank Promenade

Melbourne - Southbank Promenade

Melbourne - Below William St

Byron Bay - The Wedding

So here we are again, 14.000km away from cold and rainy Europe. This is the perfect spot for all of you out there who want to escape from this meteorological drama being presented to us at the moment. As you might have guessed I am back in Germany and recovered from my Jetlag. Back to normality again. But not quite yet. I still have a lot to show you, so let's dive back into dream world, shall we.

Jacaranda Tree

I never would have thought that the vegetation would be so versatile and tropical even. Most people always have this image of the red, hot and dry Outback when they think of Australia.

Hibiscus Flower

Go and see the coasts and hinterlands in springtime when the Jacaranda tree is in full bloom and the Jasmine bushes seduce you with their sweet intoxicating fragrance. All kinds of Hibiscus flowers, ferns in all sizes and shapes possible. Eucalyptus, palm and gum trees surrounded by swarms of flying foxes in the evening hours. Have a closer look in the botanic gardens in Sydney or Melbourne and you will be amazed about the diversity and countless numbers of all the different native species.

Kookaburra

Adding to these olfactory sensations are of course the sounds of the jungle. The unforgettable laughter of the Kookaburra orchestrating together with parrots, cockatoos, ibises (not really sure if they make any sounds) and who knows what birds are out there in the forests. I was actually totally surprised of how tropical nature unravelled all along from Brisbane down to Sydney. Always imagined it to be more like European forests and countrysides.
I felt just like James Cook must have felt when he first set foot on this continent in 1770 before the arrival of the First Fleet and the colonization. Lush forests, clear waters and a deep blue sky like I've seen nowhere else - not even in Bavaria ;)

Byron Bay - Belongil Creek

So I've spent 5 days on a nice camper site in the midst of this tropical garden of eden. It was so relaxing and yet I felt adventurous. This was the big time and life was good. My little self containing bunk house had everything I needed to serve as base for my long trips through the surroundings. Right next to the camp was a nice little creek and a couple of minutes footwalk down south from there the first houses of Byron Bay began to pop out of the wild. It's not a big tourist place at all. You will not find big hotels runining the beachlines, it's deliberatly kept small and village-like and it almost felt like a last resort for hippies, surfers, treehuggers, adventurers and reality escapers.

Byron Bay - afternoon surf

Anyhow, the first two days in Byron Bay were a total blast. On the day before the wedding we went out for a surf. Imagine two german guys having a 10 minute theory crash course in surfing on the beach by another german, who claims to be half an ozzie now, and then bluntly heading out to the waves. Surely a hilarious sight. So here is how it works: paddle out into the sea a couple of meters, head towards the beach and try to catch a wave then lift yourself up onto your feet (you guessed it right, that's the tricky part) just to fall off again after a couple of seconds loosing your balance because of unpredictable turbulence's in the waves. Repeat these steps indefinitely... or until you loose all your stamina and be completely exhausted after about 15 minutes. It looks so easy but professional surfers must have an athletes fitness to pull this off.

At the evening we had the chance to recuperate at the pre-wedding dinner at the Belongil Treehouse restaurant, where we spent a lovely couple of hours with all the wedding guests at easy listening live music and the moon rising over the soothing background noise of breaking waves on the beach behind the tree lines.

Byron Bay - sunset

The wedding itself was quite an experience. The weather was overcast and it was unclear until the very last moment wether it's gonna be happening at the beach or not. The couple decided to risk it and it totally paid off. And as if it wasn't romantic enough to give each others vows on a perfect beach with the great pacific ocean in the background, the sun came out just at the right moment as if to give it's own blessing to this bond of two lovers. And yet, as if to say as well: "but be aware of the other times, when the sun does not shine on your lives", it started to rain. And i mean - really, really rain.

The Wedding

But don't worry folks. The shower lasted not for long - although we all got pretty wet. But heck, it sure wasn't boring. After a short bus drive to the hills where the Fig Tree Restaurant was located we were rewarded with a spectacular view down on the lowlands and the ocean.

Byron Bay - View from the hillside

Byron Bay - The Fig Tree

And just to top it all even the rainbow came out to say Hi! It sure was a day to remember, not only for the families and the couple, but for me as well. It almost felt magical.

Byron Bay - Rainbow over ocean & lowlands

Having had a splendid day and evening with a fantastic dinner, we were driven back to town to enjoy ourselves on a little bit of nightlife checking out the clubs of Byron Bay and all that good jazz. At about three in the morning i happily fell into my bed to the soothing sounds of crickets and cockatoos and croaking frogs, dreaming of the things yet to come.

Beautiful Byron Bay

JetStar Flight from Sydney to Ballina

So I left for Byron Bay the other day. Back to Domestic Airport, by train this time!, checking in and lifting of with high hopes and transportation by JetStar. It is only a one hour flight from Sydney to Ballina, the closest airport to Byron Bay - the easternmost point of Australia.
As you may have seen in the later Sydney photos in my picasa webalbum, the weather was not perfect, and the forecasts for the east coast were not delightful, to say the least. It turned out to be a really bumpy ride, including crying kids, nervous parents clamping into their seats and all that good jazz. The fact that this low-price domestic airline stewardess was a real blond Ozzie eye candy didn't help much, so i just cranked up my iPods volume and waited for the show to be over, since I've already seen worse in my days of flying. You just gotta know how to handle these situations and I usually buckle up the seatbelt even faster and listen to some heavy beats. Always helps. Anyhow, the landing was ok, given the fact that this little country airport didn't even have a tower.

Tourist Village Bunk House

So I was picked up by my friend and his best man and we drove to the camping site i was staying for the next 5 days. One piece of advice for all you booking.com bookers! Always double check the payment conditions of the place you want to stay. Most places - expecially the cheaper ones - don't accept credit cards like Amex because of their high fees.
So, booking.com doesn't really check on that, the only thing they do is to simply send an email to the place you are booking for including all your credit card information... which is quite ridiculous but alas not remarkable at all considering their successful business plan. I'm still not sure what to think of that. Long story short, i still got lucky to have a cabin available for me, even though they basically didn't really accept my reservation in the first place (thanks booking.com!). Anyhow, i had a roof over my had, and that was all I was caring about for this night.

Byron Bay Blossom

The next couple of days' weather conditions turned out in our favor. I got up early the next morning to get some nice shots of Belongil Beach and its surroundings. The waves there are quite fascinating and nature doesn't really hold back on its wonders in this place.

Dead Railway Crossing

Coastal Bushlands

Access to Belongil Beach

I dare say that it is magical and very unique. Endless beaches, bushlands and rainforest like stretches along the coast merging into a beautiful hillside... just the perfect spot for a romantic wedding - a wedding that turned out to be a little it more... action packed. But that's another story ;)

Best waves on the coast

For the first time in many many years i was enjoying the beach life again. And the good thing is: I wasn't just lying around in the sand, nonono, photos had to be made and here they are - sample wise. The rest will be uploaded continuously on my picasa album. No worries!

Bushlands

Byron Bay - One of many beaches

Even greater waves - surfers paradise

An even earlier bird out in the morning

The next episode will cover the wedding and an incredibly mindbogglingly beautiful walk at the easternmost point of Australia. Until then: be well!

A touch of Sydney - Arrival

So, lets start our little recap of past weeks events.

After a very pleasant, albeit frosty flight due to uninhibited air conditioning, i touched down in Ozland at 6:55am on November 3rd after roughly 24 hours of travel time. Making it through customs i tried to figure out how to get to the city. So I just stopped at the next information desk not realizing that it was just one of many shuttle services at the airport and not the official train ride to central station.

Street view from the Travellers Lodge close
to Museum Station.

On the other hand I would have missed the weirdest taxi drive of my life. The driver was a confused chinese fellow who had a pretty hard time keeping himself organized. The consequence being him losing his list of all the passengers target addresses. Not only that but he also seemed to have lost everyone's tickets, a fact he was very unhappy about. So after redoing his list he still kept checking the same places all over while driving through Sydney's San Francisco like up and downhill streets. At least i had a nice little chat with a lady from New York who wasn't so sure that she would survive this ride.
One near crash and 2 hours later with myself being the last drop off I stored my luggage at my hotel until I could check in. So i grabbed my camera and began walking through the streets and parks of central Sydney - which by the way is pronounced /ˈsɪdni/.

What shall I say. It felt really good to walk the streets from the first moment on. The flair, the people, the parks, the buzzing of the traffic, the scents, all those little details added up to a big crescendo leading my brain slowly to the fact that I have finally arrived in my greatest dream.

Hide Park - Guitar Guy

I started my little random walk in Hyde Park which is named after the famous park in London. There you could see people sitting on the grass, doing their fitness program or just listening to a lonesome guy playing some tunes on an electric guitar.

Sydney's skyline and architecture is omnipresent in every aspect of the city. Of course its not all perfect, there are some rotten corners mixing with clean modern facades of downtown commercial buildings.

And every here and there you will see some very European features, churches and little Victorian houses hiding in the shadows of tall skyscrapers.

Hide Park - World Center Building

The Domain - Aurora Place

It reminds me very much of Boston, Massachussetts, which I had the pleasure to see some 15 years ago. Maybe that's why I instantly seemed to recognize this place and already felt familiar with.

St. Mary's Cathedral

Strolling further north past St. Mary's Cathedral the park transitions into The Domain, which houses the Parliament and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

The Domain - (from left) Deutsche Bank Place, Chifley Tower,
Phillip Str Tower, Aurora Place

Following the Prince Albert Rd I came along the Wolloomooloo Bay from where you can follow the shoreline on Mrs. Macquarie's Rd including a guided aboriginal heritage tour telling about the discovery of the bays and giving information about the nature and wildlife back then. The path leads to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair being one of the nicest lookouts on the harbor.

Mrs. Macquarie's Rd - Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

 From there you have an amazing view over Farm Cove, the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge.

Mrs. Macquarie's Chair

Farm Cove - View on City Centre

Farm Cove - View on Opera House and Harbour Bridge

Glueing all those places together is the Royal Botanic Gardens. First thing I have noticed about all the parks and gardens was the fact that is revealed on the entrance sign in the picture below:

Royal Botanic Garden - "Please walk on the grass"

Hard to find this kind of prompt in Germany although it is getting better. Anyway, this is just one of many facts that represents the attitude of the people living here. Everything and everyone is just so laid back and stress free, it's almost contagious. I blame it on the climate.

Feeling really relaxed i also began to feel really tired. So I headed back to my hotel to check in have a a little bit of a rest which turned out to be totally jet lag driven. I woke up in panic not knowing where i was nor what time it was. It felt like I have slept for hours so I assumed it was the next day already, holy crap! Time to pack and get to the airport.

Luckily it wasn't 6am but 6pm in the evening, so I had a the opportunity to grab some food in Chinatown and see a little bit of its night life. I must say that the Central Station area which borders on Chinatown is kind of a daunting place. Quite ugly and not very represantative for this metropole. Not recommendable to be around there at nights. But that was the only gloomy place i have been so far and the rest of the city is just one big adventure park.

I already felt sad to leave again the next day for Byron Bay, but oh joy, the journey was just about to begin.