Australian road trip (2/4)

From Port Lincoln to Canberra

We woke up the next morning still with the excitement of the last journey. The best thing? Our Australian road trip was still going on. So, once we had breakfast and filled up the car’s tank, we got ready for our next route in Australia, the longest one we ever covered in a day, from Port Lincoln to Canberra, which was something like this:

Originally, we were not planning to go to Port Lincoln. We basically went there just for the Great White Shark. Thus, in order to make up for the “delay” that created in our Australian road trip, we needed to make some sacrifices. One of them was driving for a whole day to cover 1700 km.

We basically drove, changed seat, ate some food and did the same again and again for hours and hours. The drive during the day was alright, but, like always, the one at night was very hard (I guess by now you already know what I’m talking about, don’t you?). I remember being super tired at a certain point when I saw a truck passing us. I decided to remain as close as possible to it so, if any animal was to cross the road, I would be protected by the truck, except in the case where the animal would cross the road just between the back of the truck and the front of our car… Then we would be in real trouble. Luckily enough that didn’t happen and we were able to keep on driving until 05:00 in the morning, when I heard a weird noise…

So, we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire and, I guess we should be thankful that was the only thing our little Time Machine got after being running and running for so many hours. So, we pulled over and open the trunk, removed all the luggage and stuff, got the spare tire, the jack and… And we found out we were missing the wrench to unscrew the screws of the flat tire. BRAVO!

We were super tired but we had to find a solution. So, we tried different things, like calling the police. After 10 minutes asking (stupid most of them) questions, I was told someone would come to give us a hand. But, as soon as I hanged up the phone, they called me back stating they were too busy to help us. Too busy at 05:00 in the morning in one of the most forsaken villages in the world? Really? Doing what? I don’t even want to know…

Anyway, we then tried to stop some kind people who would have the wrench we needed.  Some people didn’t even bother to stop and some other told us they didn’t have the wrench we were looking for until, finally, the nicest truck driver in the world pulled over. He first told us he didn’t have any wrench that would suit our car and left just like that. But I guess he felt kind of bad after leaving us in that situation and he stopped, came out of the truck and brought the wrench. He pretty much changed the tire himself lol. So, “just like that”, and thanks to a very nice person, we were able to get back on the road.

We drove for like half and hour until we arrived in a big town. We pulled over next to a tire shop to buy a new spare tire and a new wrench. After sleeping for like 40 minutes, the shop opened and we bought our stuff. Then we headed to ALDI (how much I miss you now in north QLD!) to buy some food and after having a coffee we kept on driving.

I was so tired by then that I was really struggling not to fall asleep while driving. Thank God I had “Los Chichos” with me and, after playing their songs, I woke up a little bit and we were able to (finally!) arrive safe and sound in the capital of Australia 😉

ChaBalES doing 1700 km in one day

A little bit of Canberra and night at Jervis Bay

As I was saying before, we arrived in the capital of Australia a little after 13:00. Chaves was doing a little bit better but I was destroyed. Mostly because of our tiredness, but also because we wanted to try to arrive (for the first time in our Australian road trip) to our next stop before sunset, we didn’t spend too much time in Canberra. Nevertheless, we had enough time to check some of the city’s highlights:

• Mount Ainslie Lookout: where you can enjoy some breathtaking views from one of the highest points of the city.

• Lake Burley Griffin: where you can go for a walk, enjoy the water and its views and have a picnic.

• Australian National Museum: by the Lake Burley Griffin, where you can (for free) get to know Australia and its culture a little better.

After having a little rest laying on the grass of the lake, we hit the road yet once again to get to Jervis Bay before sunset. The way there was stunning. Very narrow roads surrounded by mountains and never-ending forests.

As always, we didn’t really make it before sunset, so, we were (yet again) witness of the typical AAR (Australian Animal Rave). Luckily enough, we managed to arrive safe and sound to our destination: Green Patch, which is just one of the several camping options you have within Jervis Bay. If you want to find out more about your choices:

https://parksaustralia.gov.au/booderee/camping/

As pretty much during the whole road trip, we didn’t care too much about setting up our tent and we decided to sleep again in our beloved car. Before that though, we took a shower and started to cook dinner. As we lighted up the fire, we attracted almost even more animals than what we saw every day as the sun set, lol. When we realized, we were surrounded by possums whose sight didn’t seem to be very good at night but whose sense of smell was so good that we had to literally stay as close as possible to the food not to lose it to them 🙂

After finishing dinner we sat down to enjoy a starry sky with a beer in our hand. Eventually, we let the night fall over us and surrendered to its sleep.

ChaBalES in Canberra & Jervis Bay

Jervis Bay, Royal National Park and Figure 8 pools

As we woke up and started to prepare breakfast, we realised we were again making friends without even realising. This time, they were just a little bit bigger and I would say their sight was better. Yes, we shared our breakfast with a cute wallaby who “happened” to be wandering around our car.

After enjoying its company for a while, we got ready to go on a walk and check whether Hyams Beach really was the beach with the whitest sand in the world. We just had to walk for like ten minutes before leaving the forest and then we arrived to a deserted and beautiful beach. The water was crystal-clear and the sand (not sure whether it was the whitest in the world) was truly white.

We went for a swim and kept on walking until the end of the beach, where we run into a private property with a garden full of kangaroos. I really loved the contrast within just ten meters. On the left hand side we had an amazing beach, and on the right hand side a little garden with kangaroos playing around. Welcome to Australia 🙂

Once we felt we have had enough, we came back to our car to hit the road once again. That time though we just drove for like 15-20 minutes to arrive to another beautiful beach, where we chilled, swam and had a couple of beers. Because we still had like three hours and a half ahead of us (that day we were driving all the way up to Sydney), after spending like an hour on the beach, we decided to start driving.

We had some sandwiches as we drove and after a couple of hours, we arrived to the Royal National Park, where we wanted to go for a walk to try to see the Figure 8 pools. These are basically some 8-looking natural pools created as the sea tide rises up. Like always, we arrived kind of late. We met some people before starting the trail and they said it didn’t take too long to get there so, we started walking with a smile on our faces.

The smile on our faces didn’t leave for a while, because the whole trail down till the Figure 8 pools was truly stunning. It reminded me a little bit of some of the scenes shot at “Lost”. We were walking on a trail that was surrounded by forest, like a jungle-looking one. After 10-15 minutes, we came out to a beautiful esplanade from where we could see the ocean and the forest at the same time. It was really beautiful.

As we kept on walking down the trail, we finally arrived to a beach. After walking for like 10 more minutes, we arrived to some rocks that showed the beginning of the trail that would take us to the Figure 8 pools. Throughout the whole way there, we saw some signs showing the danger of trying to get to the Figure 8 pools once the tide was already raising. That, plus the fact that I was carrying my backpack with some valuable items (yes, I know, too much Capitalism), plus the fact that I could see some of the waves breaking so close to us that I thought I was gonna be dragged by one of them, made me hesitate a little bit.

So, after discussing for a bit, we decided it was too late and we rather didn’t take the risk. But, as we were saying that, we saw some of the people we had “met” as we started the trail coming in our way, ready to reach the Figure 8 pools. That scene gave me the motivation I was needing and we literally starting running to the Figure 8 pools. In the end, we got there alive and we even swam in the pools. The views were amazing, and so the whole experience.

As the sun was starting to set, we left the place and, carefully but in a little bit of a hurry, we made it back to the beach. As we were walking and jumping on the rocks, we saw some dolphins surfing some waves. It was magical. The sun was setting, the dolphins were there and we were walking back up. Breathtaking ending scene to a truly beautiful day.

By the time we got back to the car it was already closed night. We had to walk the last 20 minutes in the forest using the light of our phones lol. Once inside the Time Machine we headed to Sydney, the city I had left 3 months ago to go pick some apples and pears 🙂

Sydney

We arrived in Sydney at around 19:30 and we headed straight to the last place I worked in Sydney before leaving in February: Nelson Hotel. It is placed in Oxford street, on the way from Bondi Junction to the CBD. The place looks like the typical hotel that no longer has any rooms for guests but rather it has a bistro, a pub and a gaming area.

It was my first time having food as a guest and while I have to say it is not a cheap place, the food quality is amazing, and so the ambience. It was nice to see some of the friends I had made during my last 2 months in Sydney and catch up with them for a bit. After finishing dinner, we left the restaurant to go find Marie, a Canadian friend I met at the beginning of my experience in Sydney. Just in case you feel like checking the restaurant out:

http://thenelsonhotel.com.au/

We arrived at her house and after introducing her to Chaves and catching up for a bit, we took a shower and headed to a nearby bar, to have some drinks and keep on catching up. After a couple of drinks we left the place because they were already closing. Welcome back to Sydney 🙂

That was one of the things I didn’t like much about Sydney, the lockout and some of their stupid rules; that and the huge price you have to pay for anything lol. We moved to another bar and, on the way there, we run into Lydia, the girl from Jaén I met at the beginning of my experience in Sydney, the last person I saw when I left Sydney and the one I had met one week ago in Melbourne, as our road trip was starting. Crazy, isn’t? We convinced her to come with us for a drink and, after having a few of them and some nice music, we went home to have a well deserved sleep.

ChaBalES in Jervis Bay, Royal National Park & Sydney

Next morning we woke up early because we were going to a hostel in Manly Beach. Why there? I believe I forgot to mention that we found a very nice deal to do the Open Water course and so we decided to stay a little longer in Sydney as we got certified. The price was 200 AUD and the course had a duration of 3 days. Because the agency was in Manly, we decided to book a hostel there during the 3 days the course was lasting. Before heading there though, we started to study and take some of the tests we needed to do before jumping into the pool the next day. It really felt like back at the University, although for a way shorter time 🙂

After thanking Marie and having paid like 10 AUD for a couple of hours of parking (I love you Sydney…), we drove to Manly. It was kind of a nightmare. I had never realised before how terrible the traffic could be in Sydney until that day. Anyway, we made it to our hostel, the place where we were “supposed” to spend the next 3 days…

We spent the rest of the day studying and we just left the hostel to meet Maria, a good friend of Chaves who he met when doing Erasmus in Greece. He passed me her contact when we travelled together in Singapur and Kuala Lumpur, just right before I landed in Australia. And now, 7 months later, I was meeting her. It’s crazy how time flies by!

We had an amazing Spanish omelette and some salad for dinner (thanks a lot Maria!) and we shared some laughs and experiences. We then went back to the hostel to finish the E-learning so we would have the next morning free before our appointment at 18:30 at “Terry Hills Pool”.

So, the next morning, we took the ferry from Manly to Circular Quay. My impression at that time was the same I had the first time I took the ferry with Cyprien, the views of the skyline of Sydney as you approach the city from the ferry are astonishing. This is one of the best things you can do if you go to Sydney, so, don’t hesitate and do it ;). If you can do it at sunset, it will be even better.

Once we stepped off the ferry and arrived in Circular Quay, we had a walk until the Opera House, but, before, we stopped to take some pictures with the Harbour Bridge behind us. From the entrance of the Opera, you can enjoy both the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. That area is also one of my favourites in Sydney 🙂

After entering the Opera House (just the areas where you don’t have to pay) and amazing ourselves with the stunning building, we had a walk in the Royal Botanic Gardens, which are right in front of the Opera House. We then kept the tourist journey walking all the way until Hyde Park, where we enjoyed the views of the park itself, the St. Mary’s Cathedral and the ANZAC Memorial.

Next, we kept on walking to get to Darling Harbour but, before that, we stopped at a random Chinese restaurant (we were very hungry by then) which turned out to be a great one, with good quality and cheap price (cheap for Sydney). Unfortunately it is closed now :/

We then arrived in Darling Harbour, a place that I remember with bittersweet feelings. Bitter because we were kicked out a lot of times from their clubs, sweet for the views and for some meets up I had there with Carlos and Gorka and other friends 🙂 After enjoying the views and the ambience, we retook the walk to get back to the point where our journey had started that day: Circular Quay. But, before that, I wanted to show Chaves a very nice neighborhood from Sydney: “The Rocks”. If you arrive before sunset, you can find a street market with a lot of souvenirs, paintings, food, etc. We arrived kind of late but, still, he was able to get the taste of it.

As the sun was setting we took the ferry back to Manly, where we were going to start out Open Water Course in like an hour or so. We even had time to “show” Nacho around 😉

Like many things in life, do not take anything for granted. That time, there were two pools with the same name… The first one was within Manly, very close to the scuba diving school. The second one was like 20 minutes away by car. So, I thought (again, never just think, but make sure your thoughts are matching the reality) the right one was the closest to ourselves. MISTAKE.

We arrived there at 18:20 and we found the pool closed. The diving school seemed to be closed as well. We tried to call them but no one would answer. We started to get more and more nervous until, finally, one of them picked up the phone. After explaining the situation and waiting for her to check with her colleagues, we found out that we were at the wrong pool. DAMN. We drove all the way to the other pool but we arrived with 45 minutes of delay. So, as we showed up, they told us we could start thinking about registering for a new course since we were no longer allowed in that one. Sydney 1 – 0 ChaBalES.

I still remember how upset I felt the whole way back to the hostel. I was upset with myself, with the school and with the situation. Why I was upset? Being upset wouldn’t help me at all and that I couldn’t do anything to change the situation, but accept it. I also remember me thinking that yes, it pissed me off but, at the end of the day, it was just money… and it could be way worse.

I was trying to be rational but at the same time I was very pissed off. It is crazy how money is so important in our society. It is crazy how hard is to make some money and, then, it is spent in the blink of an eye. And it is crazy how money has more value than lives. Anyway, after this little reflection, I also remember that finally I decided to open my mouth, talk to Chaves about how sorry I felt about it and how I felt in general and, in the end, we went over it the best we could. Basically, we kind of laughed about it and next morning, with 2 more nights still booked at the hostel, we left Sydney.

ChaBalES in Sydney

Port Stephens and Coffs Harbour

We kind of had the “first” part of our Australian road trip planned. Meaning, from the starting point till Sydney. After that, it was kind of “let’s see what happens”. Like, we knew we wanted to do the whole east coast and finish up in Cairns, where Chaves was taking the flight from. We knew we wanted to check Byron Bay, Brisbane, Fraser Island and the Whitsundays but, we were not sure about how many days we were going to spend where.

So, after being defeated by the city of Sydney, we left in the morning of Friday the 11th, heading to Port Stephens. We knew we wanted to stop there because some of the friends I made in Sydney told me it was a must-see. From Sydney it was an easy drive, something like 2 hours and a half:

It was a nice drive there, driving on a highway which was surrounded by huge forests most of the time. Port Stephen has, among different things, about 30 km of beaches and some beautiful sand dunes. We were looking mainly for the second one. So, after arriving there at around 13:00, we stopped the car and started to wander around trying to find our way to the dunes. As we were walking, we run into some people who were gonna drive around the dunes with quads. There was a company arranging everything.

I don’t know how their services were but when it came to dealing with people who were not hiring their services, they were far from nice. Specially one of the women in charge, who told us several times that we couldn’t go walking on our own because that was a private property… Not sure how can you have a piece of desert as a private property but, at this point, I’m not surprised of anything… So maybe she was right…

Anyway, as we were arguing with that lady, we knew we were on the right track. So we just kept on walking and walking until, finally, boom! It was truly breathtaking. The views and the feeling were amazing. It was us surrounded by tones and tones of fine sand, which was forming dunes as the wind blew in one direction or the other. We walked until we reached one of the summits of the dunes and we sat down to enjoy the majesty of the landscape. As we both have read “The Alchemist”, we started to talk about it, specially about the part where Santiago gets to the desert… It was marvelous.

After enjoying that quality time, we left the beautiful dunes of Port Stephens and we hit the road once again. Final destination? Unknown. We just knew that we wanted to get to Byron Bay next but, since it was kind of a long drive, we needed to stop somewhere in between to catch some sleep.

So, as I was saying, we were not sure where to stop for the night. After driving and driving, we arrived to Coffs Harbour, a town which didn’t look particularly special but that, at night, had some aces up its sleeve…

Because we were really hungry, we asked some people on the street where we could find something open and so, they pointed us out to a Kebab place. After refilling our energies, we walked back to the place where we had ask for recommendations just to find out that a club was opened right there, in front of us. Without hesitating much, we went back to the car, put our best clothes on and went inside the club. The ambience was amazing. We started ordering drinks, dancing and making jokes. By the time we realized, and after having met different people, checked the whole club and getting a little bit tipsy, we found out that it was time to leave.

The club was closing for the night. So, we went to the car and had a well-deserved “night” of sleep. Just for those interested in having some fun in Coffs Harbour (I really recommend to stop there at least for one night if you are on your way from Sydney to Byron Bay), the name of the club was: “Coffs Hotel”.

ChaBalES in Port Stephens & Coffs Harbour

Thanks for reading and till the next post 😉