Victoria

Grampians Nationalpark

The first destination in Victoria was the Grampians National Park, which is also considered a “must see” national park. First, however, we made a stop at the camping store to to do us some good once again. We got a tent, sleeping bags & mats to undertake multi-day hikes. Soon our ferry leaves for the hiking paradise Tasmania. The Grampians are a good place to test the equipment. New shoes were also among the conquests. We had trampled the old ones to death. In the northern part of the Grampians we thus took the two-day hike to the Mt. Difficult Summit and on to Briggs Bluff. There we pitched our tent. Hiking with so much luggage you have to get used to it first – the back hurt in the evening and we were tired.

But falling asleep on a peak with a magnificent sunset, waking up the next day at sunrise – yes, it was worth the effort. The next day we are on a different route back to the starting point. The test run was successful – the overnight hikes in Australia can come.

Besides that, the park also offers some beautiful waterfalls – our favorite was MacKenzie Falls – as well as nice hiking trails. Since most tourists don’t venture as far as the northern part of the Grampians, we were allowed to enjoy it almost alone. Most stay in the center, where the Wanderland Walks can be found. Of course we also visited the highlights with Kings Canyon, Pinnacles and the Balconies. For our taste, this was all much too touristy. After more than a week in the Grampians we could confirm that the park is really a “must see”. In general, travel in Victoria is very easy- the national parks are all free and most also offer free camping.

Great Ocen Road

Between Warrnambool and Geelong is one of the most famous roads in Australia – the Great Ocean Road. 300km it winds along the coast with its impressive panorama. Beautiful cliff landscapes and always the sea in sight – what more could you want.

Especially the area around Port Campell with its famous Limestone formations is spectacular.

The only big disadvantage is; you share this view with hundreds of people. The parking lot filled with tour buses and crowds – something we are not used to in Australia so far. It becomes obvious – the further east we go, the more touristy it gets. Still – at every lookout we marvel at beautiful rock formations. The highlight and the most famous one we find in London Bridge and the 12 Apostles.

Only a few kilometers from the 12 Apostles we found a nice campsite. Thus, we could also still enjoy the sunset at this magnificent sight. A bit east we spent some more days in the Great Otway National Park. The waterfalls and hikes do not come close to those of the north and west. At Blanket Bay, we settled into a cozy campsite to wait for our ferry to Tasmania.

Melbourne

In Melbourne we arrived in our third major city, with 14 million inhabitants the second largest city in Australia. Here too, however, two nights were quite enough for us. We are more the outback types than city people. Still – it is certainly a beautiful city with beautiful architecture.

The illuminated skyline also looked great in the evening. As Roger Federer fans, we went to Rod Laver Arena, where the Australian Open is held every year. Unfortunately, we only see it from the outside – it’s still a bit early for the tournament.

To move around the city is very pleasant. Public transport is relatively cheap and well connected. With Speedy in the city it is not really fun – we prefer bus and streetcar. After three days we finally move on to Tasmania, where we will spend the next few weeks.

Snowy River Nationalpark

Upon our return from Tasmania, we found that the long-awaited summer had finally arrived in southern Australia. Instead of a warming campfire every evening, the cooling off in the sea now beckoned. During a short side trip to the Wilson Promontory National Park, the southernmost point of the Australian mainland, we sweated like hell. Especially also because of the high humidity. In 2007, a bushfire unfortunately destroyed relatively much of the park. Nevertheless, it offers some beautiful hiking trails and a great coastal panorama.

For our route further to Sydney we had to decide once again: Coast or hinterland. There are just too many options in Australia. We were in the mood for outback again, so we drove through the Highcountry area inland. Along the way we passed through Snowy River National Park, & Alpine National Park and drove up to Kosciuszko National Park. We definitely did not regret our decision – it was gigantic. Many mountains, hills, rivers and rainforest characterize this area. Especially the Snowy River NP is a very hilly landscape – the Aborigines called the area Kissing Hills -, with the 500km long Snowy River, which always offered a wonderful cooling.

At a smaller river (Little River) we reached a nice 4×4 campsite. With the exception of a 2m long giant Lizzard we were alone there. This one has also made himself comfortable. Anyway, he kept coming and sneaking around our camp. It was an impressive experience to observe such a Lizzard for a longer time from the proximity.

We continued via Barry Way to Kosciuszko National Park; the Australian skiing and in summer hiking area. There is the highest mountain in Australia, Mt. Kosciuszko (2228 m), which we wanted to climb, of course. We tackled the Main Range trek (22km), which took us over the mountains to the highest point in Australia.