Weekly #11: We made it to Australia
During this week, we didn’t know yet that this week was going to be our last week of traveling. By the time we arrived in Australia, the country wasn’t hit by COVID-19 yet and it looked like nothing could destroy our plans to travel 2 months through the country. Things turned out a little different than planned (we got stuck in Sydney) but we are still very happy that we could explore Australias south coast. What a beautiful piece of nature!
Bye Philippines, hello Australia!
Thursday, 12 March 2020
Alarm at 4:30 AM. Taxi to airport at 5:00 AM. Arrival at airport at 6:00 AM. Flight to Manila at 8:00 AM. It is time to say goodbye to the Philippines, where we spent 3,5 amazing weeks. The airport on the island of Busuanga is very small and consists only out of 3 gates. We already mentioned in previous updates that Filipinos love playing basketball. Well, there was even a basketball court next to the runway! After a short 1,5 hour flight to Manila, we got fully body checked and had to open our suitcases at Manila airport (standard procedure for travelers into Australia). We got green light and were allowed to board on our flight to Melbourne. We are so excited for our next country of Australia! The first surprise of the day was when we entered the aircraft and found our seats. Next to the emergency exit again! Not bad on an 8 hour flight. We arrived at our Airbnb in Melbourne West Footscray at 1:00AM and fell asleep directly. It had been a long day!
Exploring Melbourne day 1 - Footscray, CBD and Fitzroy
Friday, 13 March 2020
We received a message from Bastian and Julia (the couple we met in Coron) with the latest news from the Philippines. All domestic ferries and flights will be cancelled, starting March 15th. We felt relieved to have left the Philippines just in time! We loved Coron but we are happy not to get stuck on a small island that suffers a lot from power and internet outages. Australia is still very much unaffected by the corona virus and we are happy to be here.
We start our day at Brother Nancy, a really cute cafe next door. We didn’t expect to find such great cafes in our neighborhood, as Footscray is pretty much a residential area. That was a nice surprise! After breakfast we took the train into Melbourne CBD (Central Business District) and discovered some of the small lanes around Flinders Street station, that are known for the street art. Next we head to the Telstra store (to get a local SIM-card), to the State Library of Victoria (what a beautiful building!) and the neighborhood of Fitzroy (a cool area with lots of street art, vintage stores and bars). We had a great first day in Melbourne and it was love at first sight. It didn’t took us long to fall in love with this city!
Exploring Melbourne day 2 - Vintage shopping in Fitzroy
Saturday, 14 March 2020
We are really happy with our (shared) apartment that we found on Airbnb, as we finally have a couch and a kitchen again! In our opinion those are the biggest luxuries you can have on a world trip. It is also better for our budget, as we can have some oatmeal for breakfast again. Bus 216 stops right in front of our house and brings us to the city in about 30 minutes. It is the perfect moment to send some audio messages to friends in Berlin. We spend the day at some cafes and local vintage and art markets in Fitzroy and Brunswick (Fitzroy is still our favorite area!). It had been quit cold in Melbourne these days (around 14 °C and cloudy) but today the sun came out. Time to enjoy Melbournes skyline from a cool rooftop bar in Fitzroy.
We follow the news around the spread of the Corona virus very closely. Yesterday the Australian government announced self quarantine for all international travellers entering Australia. The number of cases in Australia is still relatively low (around 200) but I think it is a good decision. Better safe then sorry!
Exploring Melbourne day 3 - A colorful day in Melbourne
Sunday, 15 March 2020
We started the day strolling through Melbournes CBD (Central Business District) and walked through some small alleys to find the coolest street art and murals. Most of Melbournes best street art can be found in the smallest and darkest alleys hidden behind the shopping malls. They don’t look very inviting in most cases, but the surprises you can find them are worth just sneaking into these little alleys. We find the coolest mural of the day in Tattersalls Lane. When we got hungry, we headed to the neighborhood of South Yarra. Another really nice area with lots of nice shops, markets and cafes. I might have had the best shakshuka of my life at Lucky Penny. The chai latte was also really good! We enjoy the alternative vibes and music on the streets and head to our last stop of today: the Brighton Beach boxes. These iconic little huts are painted in all colors from the rainbow and look very joyful, even on a gray day like this. It is a popular spot for Instagram shootings, wedding photography and all other kind of visitors but despite the crowds, it was still a very nice spot. Tired after three full days of exploring Melbourne, we head back to our Airbnb to have a chill night on the couch. I finally got to watch the Antarctica series by Kara and Nate on YouTube.
Heading to the Great Ocean Road
Monday, 16 March 2020
We have a last coffee and chai latte at our neighbor cafe (Brother Nancy) before we head back to the airport to pick up our rental car. It is going to be exciting, as this will be the first time for us driving on the left side in a car. Kai is a good driver and brought us to our next hotel safe and sound. We are staying in a historical brewery and of course we had to celebrate our stay here with some of their local beers. We especially liked the summer ale!
Great Ocean Road highlights
Tuesday, 17 March 2020
From Apollo Bay (where we are staying) it is an one hour drive to some of the most well known landmarks along the Great Ocean Road. The 243km long highway along the coast is mostly known for its limestone stack formations. We stop at the Gibson Steps, the Twelve Apostles, Loch and Gorge beach, the Tom and Eva Lookout, the London Bridge and the Grotto. It all feels very American here! There are very practical view points along the way that have their own road signs and parking lots. The view on the Twelve Apostles is incredible but also the Loch and Gorge beach was a true highlight. The views from the different view points on the waves hitting the limestone cliffs were absolutely stunning.
Hiking Otway National Park and koalas
Wednesday, 18 March 2020
Our host recommended us to visit Shelly Beach. The walk there should be beautiful and there are many koalas in the area. Something that I absolutely wanted to see! Spotting koalas didn’t turn out to be so easy, but we saw many beautiful ferns, shells and water plants along our way to the rocky beach. No koalas, but the hike was beautiful nonetheless. When we headed back to Apollo Bay for lunch, we suddenly saw koalas next to the highway! We made a stop and stared at these beautiful creatures for minutes. These surprises are really the most special moments on our trip. Nothing is more beautiful than spotting animals in their natural habitats. Before we head to our next destination of Sydney, we visited some waterfalls in Otway National Park.
