Monday 28 February 2005     PERTH

This is the last day; I cannot delay it any longer to get my story on the site. Tomorrow March… I have been on the road, so not enough time and money to sit behind the computer during that time…it isn´t always possible either.

Anyway…

A month ago I was still at the Farm in Busselton. I stayed there until the 11^th of February. It has been a super plan going there and I have enjoyed working there, accomplishing some needed tasks around the farm, and learned for myself a great deal as well. Creating a vegi (vegetables) –garden, replanting trees and rose bushes, having a routine all day every day…waking up at 6, making rice for little star (pony), making lunch –box for Caitlin, preparing breakfast for al of us. Watering the plants and the gardens, feeding the horses, little star, chooks and dogs, having breakfast etc…  Got pointed out as the supervisor of the new coming WWOOFERS, because I knew where everything was and what there was to do… funny, and very interesting to try out a supervising function. I always wanted to be, if needed, a supervisor by indicating and explaining. Rather thatn commanding or demanding. So people feel free to ask and speak.

First Philip joined in, a Danish guy living in Melbourne with his dad. A week later Philip and I were accompanied by Ben and Berry, two backpackers from Germany, and than Lou arrived, from the UK. With the 5 of us we went very efficiently through all the work there. Ben, Philip and I we finished up all gardens, sorted out all the bricks and wholes in the paddocks. Lou and Berry painted the extension. Part of the fencing around the property was done before Ben and I left with his Ford on Friday to travel up the West Coast. I was hoping for an opportunity like this, so there we went. Sharing gas and food, driving up, camping @ night…  adventure begins…It was super to be on the farm for a couple of weeks, all vitamin and muscles levels refilled, but I was getting curious about the country and what else is OUT there?

Not far from Busselton, we made our first stop in Bunburry, a the dolphin area (we didn’t see any over here though), where we did some shopping, and had a swim in one of the beautifull beaches of Western Australia. Afterwards drove up to Freemantle, wher we camped in a town park (pretty illegal, but safe). Day two we went to Perth and started our real trip upwards… We never ever camped in the designated areas; always ended up bush camping. We had a very easy tent to set up and to break down. And luckily I was in the routine of waking up with the sun (6), to get out before people started to come around and chase us away.

Sometimes we were still driving through one of the National parks, when it already got dark and less favourable to drive any longer (a lot of animals on the road). So we tried to spot a place to set up the tent. When we woke up we discovered that we were sleeping just next to huge cliffs or the most amazing panoramic views, the most astonishing places, that was our morning surprise thanks to the pitch black darkness of the nights before in the outback

This trip has opened my eyes. Australia is absolutely amazing and every soul that ever comes here is blown away; ….Huge size……endless roads and views (oases)….Never ending beach lines with turquoise water…the wind, that goes on strongly and forever… a natural beauty !

Driving up a 2 lane Highway, at dusk times all the Kangaroos start to jump around the planes next to the road, or on the road…  The never ending Highway was just weird…surrounded by  red coloured plains and meadows to orangey-shadowed, yellowish to beige grasslands, light green bushes and all the different types of gumtrees, the eucalyptus bushes…or other animals like Emus, Foxes, Eagles, turkeys, cows, camels … very different. Sadly a lot of them can be seen lying dead next to the road as well: another less attractive aspect of Australia is the flies; there are so many flies.

A country having all of the Extremes in all of its ways.

I ended up doing 5000km in 2 weeks. It was about 3000 K’s up to Broome (( Perth-Guilderton-Pinnacles-Cervantes-Jurien-Geraldton-Dongara-Kalbarri-Carnarvon-Exmouth-Yardeecreek-Tom Price-Karinjini-Port-Hedland, Broome) , on our way we did all sorts of National Parks, We stopped where-ever we wanted and went whenever. We cooked our own meals on the little gas-cooker, went fishing and caught our own dinner… The amazing thing about the trip was that sometimes I was driving for about 300km, and there was absolutely nothing around me, only nature, meadow-plains, bush or burned off area’s etc… we drove through Belgium 10 times or so.

Listen 2 this; 1 Paddock for the cows here, is our country in size!!!(30.000 sqkm) Can you imagine? They use helicopters to retrieve their stock..?!

When the rainfall gets higher, the entire rivers flood, sometimes the rivers go out of their borders for a km or 4-5…? Cyclones come by now and than. People drive up to 800 Km to go for a job somewhere?

Crazy but wonderful.

A country where everything is available, you can find anything out here, from snow to cyclone, to bushfires, to flooding, to deserts, mountains, canyons, lagoon’s, and coral reefs…there independent from the rest of the world if they want or need to be.

In Monkey Mia we saw some dolphins swimming passed us. Almost touching our legs. While we were fishing we could spot some Manta rays, as big as a car. Haven’t seen any sharks yet dough…probably better. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m actually really living these experiences… Not a dream or a documentary any longer. I see and live it with my own eyes.

Once in Broome, the daily temperature was about 40 degrees, very humid…means sweating and slomo all the time. Broome was my last stop up North, wish I could go round and further, but I have to catch my plane back from Perth and I´m far away already, I need to get back somehow… while Ben wanted to travel on up North to Darwin. Ben found a new co traveller for the rest of his trip, the first Belgian person I meet here in Oz. So he’s got another Belgian company for the rest of the West Coast, ;) enjoy Ben.

For me it was less obvious to find a way back than expected. No backpackers going back down? So before paying a lot of money on bus or plain-Tickets, I went to check out the Industrial area, for Truck-drivers who were going to Perth? Have to say, was a good plan. The fastest and most comfortable way 2500 Km’s in 30 hours. Safe because I went to check out first and even teach full because they could tell me some more about all the places we drove through. A road train--- can go to 30m long, is a huge truck, 3 to 4 loaders..?! like real Monsters on the road.

I’m back down in Perth, next Monday I’m flying to Sydney and I would love to make it to Melbourne, before my departure to NZ (23^rd of March).

I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot of stuff, but I will update this page when I’ve got more time…

Wish you all the very best in the snow over there, Big kisses and hugs, miss you all!