Category: 365 Days of Summer

The routine of travelling

Florian

My parents always nurtured my interest in travelling and during school summer holidays I had the luck to see almost all countries in Europe, going back and forth with the campervan. Later on I did my first oversee journeys on my own and also different work experiences gave me opportunities to spent time abroad. So I thought I know a bit about travelling.

Well, this time is quite different! Some people asked me how it is to travel for a year. To avoid any illusion from the beginning: it is definitely not like being on holidays! Quite the contrary, it can be rather exhausting. Sometimes you even get the feeling you need time off from travelling, but maybe I should start with first things first. Continue reading “The routine of travelling” →

Hitchhiking Country

Florian

Inspired by Mojca from Slovenia I decided for hitchhiking as my main means of transport here in New Zealand. I haven’t really considered this option before, but after the first day on the road I knew that it’s the way to travel 😉

I don’t have a lot of experience on travelling with the thumb up (the last time I was hiking with Robert and we lost our way a bit, so we needed a lift to get back to the car) so I cannot compare it to other countries, but Kiwiland seems like a very good country to get your first experiences. I really like it. It is cheap, it’s flexible, it’s definitely faster than the buses and you meet a lot of people.

Farmers, doctors, other world travelers, young and old people, locals, … before entering the car you never know whom you’ll meet this time, but you can be sure you’ll get to hear some interesting stories. 72 year old Robinette from Te Anau told us about her life travelling the world, Robin who forgot his age long ago was going to live in the woods for the next 10 days, Lynda and her daughter Sophie from Christchurch who were on vacation around Queenstown and not only gave us a ride to and from Milford Sound, but also showed us around in their home town a few days later.

All in all a good way to meet people from and travelling in a country and learn new things you never expected 😉

For some further information about hitchhiking have a look at the comprehensive Hitchwiki or the respective section on Wikitravel.

Red Zone

Florian1 Comment

“You know you are in Christchurch, if you dress up with a hard hat and a safety vest to go to town”. In September 2010 the city was hit by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. About six month later in February 2011 the already weakened city was struck again by an earthquake of magnitude 6.3. Several “smaller” once followed since then. Having survived the first shockwave with only property damage and minor injuries, the second quake caused 185 direct deaths and major damage all around the city. Still today the city center, the red zone, is closed for the public and all the buildings are scheduled for deconstruction.

I was never in a city before that heavily marked by a natural disaster, so I didn’t really know what will await us. Walking through the city provides you with the expected signs, such as damaged houses, wavy streets and lots of potholes as well as spaces left empty after the former buildings were demolished. However, what left the strongest impression on me were the vast areas which appear normal at the first sight. However, strolling through those neighborhoods you notice that plants are not cut back anymore, the angles of the houses are slightly odd and most important there are just not enough people around. Having a closer look the vast number of abandoned properties get apparent and you get a feeling how strongly influenced the social life in the city are.

Although quite some people decided to leave the town, after the second earthquake, it is great to see how the communities strive to get back to a normal life and start to rebuild the city. Initiatives like Gapfiller were started, eight month after the destruction happened the re:start shopping area was opened in the centre and although the discussions are still ongoing, plans for recreating the downtown are developing. It will be interesting to see in a few years how a city can regrow after such an devastating event.

Winter is coming

Florian5 Comments

Surfing in Byron Bay, enjoying Thai hospitality in Brisbane, sailing around the Whitsundays and finally learning to dive in Cairns – my last weeks in Australia have been quite intensive and left many impressions. I learned that it is still possible to enjoy a chicken wrap although being in a tiny sailing boat, making its way with 30 knots of wind on 3 meter waves, I was diving with reef sharks, sting rays and turtles during day and nighttime, at a birthday party I played the harmonica with the band and I learned about my future by a palm reading.

On Easter Sunday I then left for Queenstown, a tiny tourist town on the southern island of New Zealand. Stepping out of the plane, after an impressive approach through a valley, made me quickly realize that the next three month will be slightly colder than the comfortable 25-30 degree I experienced the last weeks on the cost of Australia. It felt a bit like coming home to Austria in autumn, with the leaves already changing color, the smell of wet grass and the sun on your face, which is already losing its strengths.

The Batman Encounter

Florian

I already spotted those magnificent flying creatures during my first night in Sydney, but only in Byron Bay I found a tree with quite a few sleeping megabats (also known as flying foxes). Hanging on the three they really look like Dracula 😉

Otherwise my three day stay in the beach town of Byron Bay was very relaxing. Beside surfing (yes, I had my first lesson and it was fun), enjoying beautiful sand beaches and walking to the most easterly point of mainland Australia, there is not too much to do. But sometimes that’s all what is needed …

The joy of hostels

Florian3 Comments

By leaving Boxdale I finally returned to my originally intended travel route, after a slight deviation for about two month, and headed for Sydney with Tim and Sue. Being out in the countryside for quite some time, the buzzing city was a big change, but I have to admit that Elena was right. This city is beautiful.

But first things first – my special hostel experience: Travelling on a rather low budget, forces you to stay out of hotels and choose bunk rooms at hostels. Two very obvious advantages are that they are cheap and it is easy to meet people. However, you can end up in rather wired accommodations. Originally intending to stay with a friend, the plans had to be changed short term, so after arriving I tried to find a place to sleep for a few days. As there was a huge festival going on the same weekend, it proved quite difficult and I finally booked online a place in the area of King’s Cross.

Coming into the nine bed shared room the stench of a space not cleaned for quite some days, mixed with the odor of party people entered my nose. Very welcoming! What can you do? So I put the sheets on the bed and left to discover the city. When returning at night, I had to find my mattress again, which has disappeared for unknown reasons. The moldy bathrooms and filthy kitchen facilities perfectly rounded up the picture of this establishment.  After a rather surprising relaxing night, I left my backpack at Amelia’s the next morning and limited the time I spent in the hostel … enjoy some more opinions by looking through the reviews 😉

After spending two nights in this impressive accommodation, I thankfully could change and I stayed at two other very nice places, the Central YHA, Australia’s largest youth hostel, and Glebe YHA, another good spot to enjoy Sydney.

But now about Sydney: It seems there exists no map which shows you the layout of the city combined with the train and bus networks, so in the beginning you need some time to overcome the confusion to find you way. Unlike other major cities I’ve seen so far here in Australia the streets don’t follow any particular order and some people would even say they “still follow the original goat tracks”. However, I believe this also gives the city a unique charm and you never know what you find behind the next corner.

The well known area around Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge, the beach and the natural park of Manly, the area around Oxford Street with its galleries, Glebe Point Road, the ferry ride to Parramatta, … are just a few spots worth visiting while being here.

Boxdale: My life in the train

Florian1 Comment

Internet is overrated, this will never be a success 😉 … well, it makes some things very, very easy. While being out exploring the world I definitely enjoy the ease to communicate with home, getting information about the places I visit and also find new people along the “road” with similar interests. Two platforms which come in quite handy for this purpose are Couchsurfing and Workaway. The first one is aimed to match travelers with hosts for short term stays, normally up to a few days, and exchange good company for a couch or a bed. The second one is for people who are willing to work up to five hours a day in exchange for accommodation, food and getting part of the daily life of the people who you stay with. Continue reading “Boxdale: My life in the train” →

Life & Times in the Republic of Broken Hill

Florian

Broken Hill – when I first heard about the little town, it caught my attention because I very much liked the name. It brought up some pictures about a melancholic looking place with nice sunsets and the possibility to see the stars, without the obstruction of any city lights close by. The truth is, as it normally is, slightly less romantic. Being the founding city of BHP Billinton, the world largest resource company, the name stems from a “broken” hill, where the Line of Lode (ore body) was discovered about 130 years ago. Easy to mine the minerals close to the surface, the original hill is long gone and was replaced by a hill of slack (mining waste), which gives the town quite a unique feature today.

However, not fully knowing what to expect, I came to the 19.000 people town on Australia day by a nine hour bus ride from Dubbo and was very much surprised what it has to offer. Being the “capital” of the area, it concentrates a very active social life, which includes numerous local clubs, three racing tracks as well as a quite fruitful art scene. One of the latest additions to the community is the regional monthly journal Local Talk which definitely has not to fear any comparison with counterparts from much bigger towns and provides very entertaining news about the who is who and the where to go in the town.

In the Regional Art Gallery, which is currently featuring a selection of images of Bill Henson, one of Australia’s best known photographers, I met Bianca. Overcoming the primary struggle with our very individual form of humor, she gave me quite some insights into the life of Broken Hill. Growing up in the town and enjoying very much the life in the outback, she told me a great deal about Magpies, Apostle Birds and other creatures of the wild 😉

After three days of constant rain, I was then also very eager to get out of the town, so we visited some impressive places together. Starting with the Mundi Mundi plain, one of the few spots where it is possible to directly see the curving of the earth. We then went to Silverton, a well known spot for the production of featured and advertising films: Mad Max or Dirty Deeds might ring a bell. After passing “The Test” I became a live long member of the Silverton Hotel. Unfortunately it is strictly forbidden to discuss it with non-members, so you have to come and see for yourself if you want to know more! And last but not least, when you should be in the area, it is worth is visiting the Living Desert and Sculptural Symposium to enjoy a beautiful scenic sunset.

Remark: The title of this entry “Life & Times in the Republic of Broken Hill” refers to the photo book by Robin Sellick and Jack Marx, portraying the people living in this special place.