2004-2005 Australia
2004 I decided to take a timeout. Annoyed by the daily routine, I was looking for something different. Australia seemed to be perfect for me. 6 months after the first thought I was sitting in the airplane on my way to Down Under. At this point I want thank my parents who always supported me.
Flying 13 hours to Singapore, there I had one day of layover, and another 7 hour flight to Sydney. 12 exciting months, filled with breathtaking landscapes and extraordinary wildlife, were right in front of me. There I was on my "own, 18,000 km away from home and left alone by the "work and travel" agency. The adventure was about to begin.
After 4 weeks in Sydney I was already broke. I needed a job! My first job as a field worker took me to a small town called Gundagai. There I met Gregor, one of my best friends these days, with whom I travelled the next 9 month all over the country. Thinning trees were hard, the weather hot and the payment sucked. After one week we were fed up with it and went further south, to our next job.
The road led us to the small city Murchison. I worked on "Vraca Bors & Sons" tomato farm for 2.5 months. It was hard work (90 hours per week) but the money was good. Working at one of the biggest tomato farms of Australia was very interesting. I got to see the whole process of growing tomatoes, starting with an empty dusty field, seeing all the effort needed and ending up with a tasty ripe fruit. Before this job became a the dull routine of everyday life I quit and continued with my travel. Still going south my next stop was Melbourne.
After 2 days I already left Melbourne to go to Perth. I took the Indian Pacific. This train covers a distance of 4,352 km to connect Sydney with Perth. Considering I got on the train in Melbourne, I "just" needed 3 days for the 3,500 km to Perth. I really liked Perth that is why I settled down for 4 months. I earned my money with small jobs at construction sites, bars and even at a gold mine. It was even possible to save up some money for my next trip. Gregor, who accompanied me since Gundagai, Jackie, a friend we met in Perth, and I rented a "Wicked Camper Van". This time we drove north to Darwin. It took us 4 weeks for the 7,000 km. These couple of weeks were one of the most intense experiences of my life so far. We got to see so many different scenes like breathtaking beaches, gorgeous corral reeves, hot desserts, Canyons with cool springs, the meteor crater Wolfe-Creek and a ghost town just to name some of them.
Arriving in Darwin I had to earn a living again. First I took some small jobs. I did everything, starting with work on construction sites and at a fun fair and ending with setting up the stage for the Neil Diamond concert. Thanks to a lucky coincidence I found a longer lasting job as a "Boilermaker" for an Austrian who settled down in Darwin in the 70s. Working 40 hours per week I was finally able to afford an easygoing life. And again I saved up for my next trip.
I stayed 4 months in Darwin before starting my last section of the trip. I went with Griffin and Nita, an Irish and a British girl, to Sydney by car. We crossed more than one clime, went on an amazing sailing cruise in crystal clear water and enjoyed ourselves at ecstatic "Moonlight Parties" on white beaches. Although our car had some break downs, flat tires and a cracked cooler in the middle of the dessert, this trip was amazing. Not even a draconian Sheriff "à la Rambo" could change that.
Being back in Sydney, where I started my journey 11 month ago, caused mixed feelings. Time just flew by. Now I only had 2 more weeks to spend before I had to take my flight back home. I thought about all the things I experienced and all the people I met and I will try to keep in contact with most of them. And at the end of my trip it became very clear to me that this wasn`t the last journey, it was just the beginning.
