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Australian Weather
Australian Weather
The first Australian weather I had to help prepare for was an hurricane. I landed in Darwin and took the bus to Palmerston and was picked up there by my Wwoofing host, an old lady from Scottland living a big part of her life in The Northern Territories of Australia. My host was preparing to sell her pottery at the yearly Christmas market. The Christmas market attracts visitors from very far. Most travel 400 km just to talk to each other at the Christmas market and live isolated in the Northern Territories. It was raining almost the whole duration of the Christmas market, but it wasn't a problem for the visitors. The hurricane wasn't big compared to the once that can get to the Northern Territories, St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius, but it had consequences for my travels. Darwin was partly flooded due to the hurricane and a dangerous disease broke out due to ditch water. I was advised to change my travel plans and leave from Palmerston instead of visiting Darwin first. So I did and left after my first Wwoofing experience to see the red Australian sand with my own eyes.
The Australian Desert
The Australian Desert
My second stop was Alice Spring in the Australian desert to visit Uluru. The bus ride from Palmerston to Alice Springs took about 20 hours and with that the weather changed from hurricane to desert heat. The dessert heat wasn't that bad. And once again I got notice of the Australian term near. Alice Spring is the nearest city from which Uluru can be visited, more than 400 km further into the dessert. The bus picked me up at my hotel in the early morning and brought me back well after midnight, just to visit Uluru.
Spring Isn't There Yet
Spring Isn't There Yet
From Alice Spring, I took a bus for about 20 hours to Adelaide. My second Wwoofing place turned sour before I started there, and left me with lots of free time in Adelaide before I was expected to volunteer on Kangaroo Island. Luckily, I'd brought my coat, as I needed it badly during my first days in Adelaide. I had the time and visited most of Adelaide's suburbs. They were all different.
Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open was together with the Wwoofing places the only places and set dates in my travel plans made in The Netherlands. I planned all my travels around visiting the Australian Open in January 2014. Before visiting the Australian Open in Melbourne I stopped in Katoomba. The weather in Katoomba was nice.
Free Walking Tour In Melbourne
Free Walking Tour In Melbourne
In addition to attending the Australian Open in Melbourne, I decided to take a free walking tour. I hadn't heard of the concept of a free walking tour before I did one in Australia. It was a great way to see the city. It was also where I first encountered the work of the artist Banksy. Banksy wasn't as popular in 2014 as he is now. Walls all over Melbourne were covered in Banksy.
The Heat In Melbourne
The Heat In Melbourne
In Melbourne, I experienced the infamous Australian heat for the first time. I'd never experienced heat like this before. Not in the Jordanian desert, and not in Turkey. It's best compared to a hairdryer blowing hot air on your skin all day. Luckily, the shops were kind enough to let people sit inside for a bit to cool off. It's a strange experience to walk into a store and see people just sitting there instead of interacting with the items sold in the shop.
Free Books In The Mall In Melbourne
Free Books In The Mall In Melbourne
Another place to cool off in the Australian heat was the free bookstore in the Melbourne downtown shopping mall. It was a store full of free books. A great concept: pick up one book and leave another. I wasn't the only one there to pick up or swap books. It looked like a bookstore, but it was the free book swap concept.
Related blogs on my website
Related blogs on my website
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