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(>Pictures at the bottom!)
…we go to Australia
As a young man, I dreamed of travelling across Australia on a motorbike; it remained a dream. But now, many years later, I, or rather we, are making up for lost time. We had to part with our beloved RuGa-li for this time, as temporary importation into Australia would have been almost impossible. The endless sandy tracks of recent years left vast amounts of sand dust in every nook and cranny, which could no longer be properly cleaned; an almost insurmountable hurdle for importation into Australia. That’s why we had an organisation in Australia procure a car and equipment for our Australian trip months in advance. The references weren’t bad, and even the German ADAC recommends this organisation.
At the end of July, we set off on a new adventure on the other side of the world. After a two-day flight and waiting times, we arrived in Sydney early in the morning and, to our surprise, it was raining heavily and very cool. Well, welcome to Australia in the middle of winter!
Thanks to a rental car and cosy hotel accommodation, the waiting days until we could pick up the car were bearable, and we were able to get various smaller and larger items that we would need and couldn’t bring with us. Of course, we were also drawn to the centre of Sydney, where there was plenty to see despite the rainy days and the many tourist hotspots.
On 4 August, the time had finally come and we were able to pick up the car we had bought in Switzerland. Although we had received regular reports and videos from the organisation, our first impression was somewhat sobering. The 2003 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, with 217,000 kilometres on the clock, still made an acceptable impression. The 4-litre V-6 also made a decent impression, and our concerns about excessive fuel consumption were immediately dispelled by the manager of BackpackerCars, who explained that petrol is relatively cheap in Australia and that with around 15 litres per 100 kilometres, it should be manageable. However, we did have some initial concerns about whether the equipment would meet our requirements. (For more information about the car and equipment, see ‘…and the technology’).
The further instructions for the roof tent and awning were relatively brief and somewhat sparse. Thankfully, we noticed that the ladder for the roof tent was missing and were glad that we could still sleep in the hotel for the coming night; without a ladder, you can’t get into the bedroom! This missing ladder preoccupied us the next day and resulted in a 150-kilometre drive. We could have easily bought roof tents in any shop, but finding a telescopic ladder for a roof tent was almost impossible. Although the sales assistants were always very concerned about our problem and always referred us to possible shops where we could find such a ladder, it was not certain. Later that afternoon, we finally succeeded and had our ladder, including the right connecting hook. Phew, one problem solved!
Then came our first night camping in the roof tent, with rain and very chilly temperatures. It was immediately clear to us that a few things needed to be changed. We didn’t want to set off on our tour of Australia like this. We returned various items we had ordered and purchased and got alternative products. We also had a new rear bumper fitted to the vehicle, which would carry the spare wheel and other equipment instead of hanging them on the tailgate. Incidentally, the tailgate was one of the Prado’s weak points.
We also changed the interior to suit our ideas and needs. Since we are not allowed to remove the rear row of seats, i.e. the second row of seats, we constructed a shelf where we can store our personal belongings and, thanks to the shelving system, keep things tidy. Hopefully!
After a week of conversion work and waiting for the rear bumper to be converted, the time had finally come; our journey began in a northerly direction. Full of joy, we left the Sydney metropolitan area via the back exit and were happy to finally be on the road again. In addition to sunshine, rain was a faithful companion throughout this vast world, and there was even snow inside the White Mountains. So we stayed closer to the coast, so that we could retreat to lower regions at any time.
We spent the first few nights in state forests and national parks and were happy to light a warming fire in the evenings. One problem we were already familiar with in the national parks was that you have to book your spot in advance online to get permission to stay there overnight. But even though I (Tom) now had a local SIM card for my mobile phone, we often had to drive several kilometres until we had sufficient reception to make our booking. Well, no spontaneous decisions here either!
We were still travelling in the northern part of New South Wales, already many kilometres away from the Sydney metropolitan area. But we noticed the approaching weekend in the increasing leisure traffic with all kinds of vehicles and caravans. Apparently, Australians enjoy every free minute to drive out into nature and camp somewhere. The weather doesn’t seem to play a major role for them, as they have the appropriate equipment for all conceivable weather conditions. Even in smaller towns, you can find several suppliers of off-road and camping equipment that would probably make even Americans pale in comparison.
It was another rainy day, and after a long drive on a forest road, a red sign flashed by at the side of the road. It probably wasn’t important; it was half hidden in the bushes and the road looked like an official road to us. It was only when we saw the sign on the other side of the ‘closed’ area that we studied the exact layout and were immediately somewhat confused. The area we had just crossed was closed for several months for a timber company and there was a heavy fine for trespassing. However, no possible detour around the logging area was indicated, and if we had followed the instructions exactly, it would have meant a three-digit detour for us.
In the meantime, we arrived in Queensland, the next state. But in the ‘Sunshine State’ of Down Under, we were greeted not by sunshine, but by lots of rain. Incidentally, according to the weather news, snow was supposed to have fallen in certain regions of Queensland a few days ago, which is an absolute rarity. Unfortunately, we were unable to experience this white splendour. Instead, we spent our first night on a farm, where the young couple were very surprised by our first visit, as we had not made a reservation. Perhaps we are simply too spontaneous! The lady of the house wanted to install the relevant app on my phone. Despite the local SIM card, however, the system noticed that my mobile device was from Europe and refused to install it.
After an adventurous journey and a special camp in the bush, we reached the hustle and bustle of the big city of Brisbane, and what was it like? Lots of rain and traffic chaos, as if we were driving through New York during rush hour. We soon turned our backs on the hustle and bustle, and even the much-heralded Chinatown couldn’t motivate us to stay longer. We just wanted to get out of the chaos and head further north, hoping that the sun would still be shining somewhere.
Our wish was soon granted; the sun was visible in the sky for longer and longer periods and the rain clouds became less frequent. Our travelling mood returned and we happily explored places that we would certainly not have visited in the rain. We also tortured our Toyota on roads that would normally require a different vehicle, but it performed excellently and I (Tom) was once again amazed at what this saloon car can do.
North of Gympie, we settled down at a campsite for several days, as there were still some changes and additions to be made to the vehicle. We also bought a larger gas bottle so that we wouldn’t continue to add to Australia’s rubbish dumps with lots of small gas cartridges. For the rest of the trip, we still had to install water containers and a jack (Hi-Lift). In any case, there were lots of little things to do. The trip to Fraser Island (K’Gari) also had to be planned carefully; as this island is a national park, all camps have to be booked and paid for in advance. You also need a permit for your car so that you can drive through the nature reserve without any worries. Well, different countries, different customs!
We set off in the morning for the island, and the sun is supposed to shine for the next few days. 😊
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