AUSTRALIA - THE TRUE AUSSIE EXPERIENCE
After a nearly twenty hour flight (from Europe), about six films and admiring two sunrises, I finally arrived to Sydney.
Sydney bay is a huge water surface stretching out to the Pacific, criss-scrossed by dozens of yachts and ferries used for public transport. One’s head spins and fills with pictures need to be remembered. Base jumpers jump off the Harbor Bridge, the famous Opera House, bus and train terminals.
Bondi Beach is only a short bus ride away, but worth checking out. You will find tourists and locals alike -easy going; surfing or swimming in the ocean.
People are open, tolerant and extremely friendly in this multicultural country.
Although I enjoyed spending time in Sydney, I wanted to head North and find some adventures.
The distance between towns often exceeds a hundred kilometers without even seeing a petrol station.
I stopped at Surfers Paradise next. It was the coolest place I have ever seen. I watched a man lazily build a sand mermaid sculpture all day. It looked stunning by the time the sun went down, but by the next morning it was gone. The man returned and started it all over. I stayed for a few days in a local hostel and wondered back to the beach to see if the man was there again. He returned every morning to start a new piece of art.
I partook in numerous barbeques at the patio of the hostel I stayed in. It seemed, barby (as the Aussies call the barbeque) is the national pastime all-over the country.
The weirdest thing I tried was a kangaroo burger. Locals don’t particularly like kangaroos, because they carelessly jump front of their moving cars resulting cosmetical car damage. Also, they said that kangaroos are way overpopulated, so eating them was perfectly OK.
Most Aussies spend tones of time outside and are all barbeque experts.
I went diving at this place called Julian’s Rock in Byron Bay. It was not like the Great Barrier Reef, but it was a pretty cool dive.
Established as a marine reserve in 1982 after 10 years of lobbying by local users, Julian Rocks is one of Australia's top dive spots, and forms a most unique marine reserve, providing shelter and food for more than 500 tropical and temperate fish species.
Not only does Julian Rocks provide resting and nesting grounds for many seabirds, such as seagulls and cormorants, underneath the water is an invisible world with abundant marine life present.
With water temperatures and currents changing throughout the year there are many seasonal visitors.
The grey nurse sharks come to Julian Rocks during the winter months, presumably to breed. Although these sharks look ferocious with their mouths slightly opened and their teeth sticking out, it is perfectly safe to dive with them. Or maybe I am just crazy… crazy about sharks. :)
I ended up staying in Oz for three months, traveling the East Coast of Australia. I have seen everything from Melbourne to Byron Bay. I was diving when things were calm, surfed when it was windy and fished when it rained -with my newly found friends, as I was traveling solo.
Written by Ingrid Schneider, Germany.