Overland Track log #3

I stopped taking notes on the third day. I was having way too much fun to sit down quietly and write.

It turned out that there were several groups of people who had more or less the same itinerary and we kept meeting each other on the track or in the huts. We bonded over knee-deep mud, ice cold huts, jealousy of and scorn about the guided tour and their luxury accommodation. We called them the Glamour Girls, since some of them even wore lipstick on the track.

Among "my group" there was a Tasmanian family (Michael And Co.) with their adult daughter plus two family friends. There were a boy and two girls (The Kids) who had just finished high school and chose to accomplish something more challenging than getting pissed at the Gold Coast, like many of their school mates. There were two middle aged men (The Boys), and a father with his adult daughter (Dad And Daughter). I don't know what nickname I was given, people were too nice to tell me.

So finally, in my third month in Australia, I got to hang out with Australians! Everyone was awfully nice, and it's funny how first impressions change after a few days together. The Kids were super sweet, and apparently impressed by my walking experience! They kept asking me if I had blisters as well (I didn't) and if I was sore at all (I wasn't). Also, my youthful demeanor made them think I was younger than I am, and they even took me to see the new Bond movie in Hobart a few days after the walk.

Dad And Daughter seemed a bit quiet at first, but the daughter was actually hilarious, and the dad a swing dancer.

The Boys were funny in their way, too. At one point, at the top of a waterfall, I saw them sitting naked on two rocks and enjoy the sun. That gave me the courage to draw blank and skinny dip as well, a bit downstream though. I really needed a wash.

I hope I didn't shock the young, close-by German gentleman too much when I undressed. But I couldn't get rid of him and actually I didn't really care whether or not he was shocked. The night before, he had joined us in the hut and we had talked for a bit. After he had used the words dystopia, juxtaposition, and Dostojevski in one and the same sentence with me politely pretending to be interested and nodding knowingly I was considered worth conversing with, and the only way out had been going to bed early.

I preferred the company of my Australian walking buddies.

We had one day with a bit of rain, hail, and cold winds, but were extremely lucky to see the sun every other day at least for a bit. The track was muddy anyway, and on two days my feet were completely soaked. One lady from my group fell face first in the mud and enjoyed a free spa treatment. I once slipped on a wet root and fell on my side and back in the mud. I couldn't easily get up with my heavy backpack and felt like a beetle on its back. One Glamour Girl got stuck in the mud and turned her ankle. She had to walk for two more days with an injured ankle before she could be helicoptered out, since the weather was too bad to do it right away. Good times! I hope I'll be able to put up some pictures next week, because it was soo pretty!

Overland Track log #2

When I wake up at sunrise it's so cold in the hut that my breath forms little clouds in the air. I'll have to wear more layers tonight.

Today's walk is rather short so I do a side trip to Lake Will and am rewarded with a nice little secluded beach, in which I take a dip even though it is so cold my feet hurt in the water. Interestingly, just my feet. I wash myself a bit and hang up my towel to dry since the sun has come out and without the wind it's nice enough to sit for a bit.

A guided group, apart from the guides mostly elderly, lovely ladies, joins me here, and I think I'm better off having organized my trip myself. For all permits, transport and food I paid $500. They paid $2500. What they get for the money is a guide, food and better huts. I don't need a guide, the trail is clearly marked. I don't mind carrying and preparing my own food. But I am deeply jealous of their mattresses and hot showers. Not enough to be willing to pay the extra $2000 though.

Overland Track log #1

I'm walking the famous Tasmanian Overland Track, and I'm very excited because there are again a few new things to anticipate.

First, the huts cannot be booked, so if they're full you'll have to pitch your tent. Second, I'll have to carry food for 7 days. That means, my backpack is as heavy as it's never been before on a walk. And third, this is not the tropics anymore, and it might get cold at night.

I take the bus to Cradle Mountain, the start of the 75 km long track. The bus driver seems to be a bit out of sorts, he chews his fingernails, forgets fares, and once even takes a wrong turn. And right enough, he is indeed a tad distracted, because his wife is giving birth to their first child, and she warned him she would kill him if he wasn't there.

But eventually, we make it to the visitor center where I check in, pick up my permits and passes, and take a shuttle bus, which is full of mostly Asian tourists, to the official starting point of the Overland Track, 5 km into the park. On this short drive, we stop for a wombat, and everyone jumps to the windows on the right side of the bus to see it, so that I worry the bus might turn over. I must admit that the wombat is super cute, and I have never seen one before. If you don't know what a wombat looks like, make sure to google it, you're in for a treat. Doesn't it make them even more adorable that they poo square-shaped poo, and that they eat their own poo?

The bus driver drops me off and reminds me that it's only 80 km to go. I thank him for that and eventually start walking. I'm carrying about 18 kg, including 5 kg of food.

The walk reminds me a lot of hiking in the UK. It's sunny with a few clouds, maybe 18-20C. The ground is boggy for a big part, but mostly boarded. There are moors and tarns, friendly fellow walkers. Just the occasional palm tree reminds me of the fact that I'm not in the UK on a mild summer day.

My shoes hold up very well, my feet do too, and so far I don't miss my proper hiking boots or walking sticks too much. Today, I walk about 10 km, including one steep climb, the steepest part of the whole trail. I do feel my heavy backpack, but with some huffing, puffing, and a few breaks, this can be done.

The hut I'm staying in is a very simple wooden hut with wooden platforms for sleeping and wooden benches and tables for cooking with fuel stoves. At night, I'm freezing, at an estimated temperature of 5 C. There is a gas heater that can be turned on for 45 min once the temperature in the hut drops below 10 C, but no one turns it on, and I don't want to be the wuss. The wooden platforms for sleeping are very hard, and my mat doesn't really make a difference in comfort. It does insulate my body heat though, which I'm made aware of whenever I roll off it. There are about 5 other people sleeping in the hut, an maybe another 8 who camp.

Magnetic Island

I spent a day on Magnetic Island where I finally found a wild koala bear that let me get pretty close. There's some nice walking on this island, many lonely beaches, a handful tiny villages. I liked it a lot.

I believe this is a kakadu.

Cutie.

Big boulders on one of the many lonely bays on Magnetic Island.

Lonely beach.

It takes one day to do all the walks on the island, and it's worth it.

Koala 1

Koala 2 (same one though)

Koala 3

Koala 4

Koala 5

Koala 6

Koala - the end.

Lady Elliot Island

It seems as if I spent most of my time in Australia on islands, but that's not true. They are just very photogenic. I think I've written about this tiny coral island before. Here are some more pictures.

12 seats has the plane that took me over to Lady Elliot Island. On the flight back we saw baby whales!

Lady Elliot Island surrounded by reef

My "eco"-cabin.

Gel batteries for the resort's power plant. Made in Germany.

Sunset...

I didn't get a boarding pass on the flight to the island, but I got a proper one on the way back :)

Outback adventures part 7 - Atherton and the end

In Atherton, I climb Mt. Baldy, and finally find out the name of the trees with the pretty purple flowers that I keep seeing. Also, I realize that I can't withdraw any cash from the ATMs (cash machines) anymore. So far, I've either paid with credit card or withdrawn money using my credit card. The amount of money I can access per month is limited, and for the first time since I started traveling, I have reached that limit, two days before the month is over.

The problem is that I have only little cash left, which I need for the bus to Cairns airport, and after flying to Melbourne, for the bus to my hostel, as well as for the hostel. When I arrive at my hostel, I can only pay for one of the three nights I have booked, and leave my passport as a security deposit for my room key instead of the requested $20. I'm left with $10 cash and no idea how to get any money to pay for next night's bed.

I call my bank, Sparkasse Uelzen, where I've been a loyal customer for 14 years, and ask them to increase my credit range. First, I incidentally talk to someone who's not in charge of my account, but whom I know personally from old times, and we chat for a bit. He says he's gonna make sure to help me out.

Once I finally reach the right bank lady, Ms Popp, a quite young one I believe, she already knows what this is about and only needs some information from me. My job and my income. Apparently, "world traveler" is not a job! Who would have thought? Seeing this, she has to ask her supervisor for an exception, which I can understand but don't like nonetheless. We keep scheduling times where I can call again, because I can't be called back on Skype easily. And that means that I have to stay up quite late to eventually get a positive answer. I am very happy about it until Ms Popp tells me that my credit range will be increased in a few days.

Unfortunately, a few days doesn't help me at all, since I won't have this problem anymore two days from now anyway! I don't know how to pay for my room tomorrow, that's the problem. But eventually, they make the impossible possible, and the next morning I pay my dues, and seriously rethink my spending.

Jacaranda tree.

Outback adventures part 5 - Mount Surprise

I take the bus to Mount Surprise (pop. 160) and find at a rest stop a toilet with three large green frogs in it! In Mount Surprise, there's not much to do so I watch TV in my air conditioned room and take some more pictures at sunset, when it has cooled down a bit.

After checking out of my motel on the day I leave, I walk around, having a few hours to kill before my bus to Atherton departs. I pass the pub and the general store and have now almost reached the end of the town when I see a man waving his snake at me. 

No, not what you think. He's a real black headed python named Clancy. The man's name is Russell, and he asks me if I liked snakes. I tentatively nod and a second later, I have Clancy around my neck. I also meet Wendy, a carpet snake, who is much colder, stronger and more tense around my neck. I'm less relaxed with her. They don't mind to cuddle, and Russell explains a bit about snakes, and even makes me a good price for my coffee that I have later in his barn/cafe/museum/shop. Later, I meet Justin, a kid from Brisbane, now a track worker in Mount Surprise, who's very curious what a stranger like me is doing here, in the middle of nowhere. He kindly entertains me until my bus to Atherton arrives. Not much else to do for him either I guess.

I like rails!

Rails and sunset!

Mount Surprise train station.

Snake shows, camping, and tyre repairs... not a usual combination.

A scarf named Clancy.

Clancy's having lunch.

More rails. Have I ever mentioned that I grew up close to rails? :)

Outback adventures part 4 - Croydon

After three hours of savannah with beautiful changing landscapes, lots of information about flora and fauna, a few stops here and there, and many stories about former train conductors who liked to drink and to speed, we stop for morning tea. Everyone grabs their personal Gulflander mug which we received when buying the ticket, and has coffee or tea with a blueberry muffin. We meet a Japanese senior cyclist who bikes around Australia and asks for a coffee which he is granted.

We hop on again and eventually arrive in Croydon where a welcoming committee is already expecting us. The lady from the Croydon general store offers everyone lifts to their respective accommodations (there's just one hotel, and everyone who's staying overnight is staying there). She also offers free tea and scones at her store/café. Another lady, this one from the tourist office, hands out maps and organizes accommodation for people who don't have any yet. That's me and Erwin, a Dutch train buff, who's going to travel from China back home to the Netherlands by train (!) after his Australia stay. Tourist office lady almost seems to want to put me and Erwin into one room, but she reads my face well enough to abandon that idea immediately.

While I'm waiting for my room to get ready I walk across the street to the store for my free coffee and scone and start chatting with Owen from South Africa who was on the train as well. He keeps telling me that I pay too much for my rooms, and he is probably right. I don't know it yet, but I'll run into financial trouble a few days later.

Owen convinces me to have a beer in the hotel. Afterwards, I look for internet facilities, and having found them I realize that I missed the presidential election in the US! Everyone here only cared about the Melbourne Cup, a horse race, so I'm reading about the vote results in an email from Paul. I'm so glad Obama made it. No idea who won the Melbourne cup though.

It's Wednesday, and Wednesday is roast day in Croydon. In both places where you can buy dinner, roast is served. Because it's Wednesday. In my hotel, I can choose between roast beef and lamb roast. I check out Tony and Murray's plates and decide to order just sides. The roast looks yummy, but I don't feel like having a lot of meat today, and the sides look even better. I only pay half as much as if I had ordered meat and get served a huge plate of roasted potatoes, pumpkin, and corn, together with green peas, cabbage, and gravy. Delicious and more than plenty.

I chat a bit with a driller who bores holes for water for the Queensland government. Also, Tony and Murray usually come here for dinner, before going back to Normanton as they and their predecessors have done every Thursday for 121 years.

After another Bundaberg ginger beer (great stuff) on the hotel verandah as the sun sets over the savannah I go to bed since it's 8 pm, and there's not much else to do.

Mailbox of the Haydon cattle farm. The Gulflander delivers mail to remote places along the rail line.

Isn't he a beauty?

Loving the red sand with the tall yellow grass and the green trees.

Croydon butcher.

Croydon bank (?).

Some other pretty Croydon building.

Another sunset.

Outback adventures part 3 - Normanton

I take the bus to Normanton. There's just one bus line out here which stops at every settlement and takes more than 10 hours to Cairns. It's just me, the driver, and one other passenger. They have a lot to say about road kill. They are mostly entertaining but scare me off of going to the Normanton pubs which seem to be rough. The bus driver drops me off at the tourist park where I get ripped off for a dirty cabin. I walk around town, swim in the lukewarm tourist park swimming pool under the stars, and can't sleep because of the tiny red ants that keep dropping on me.

The next morning, I happily leave the tourist park very early and wait at the Normanton train station for the Gulflander train to depart. I am almost 2 hours early. Tony, the train conductor seems to make fun of me for being this early and I tell him with a grin that I don't want to miss the train. There's only this one train every week.

I browse through their Gulflander train museum, watch the documentary which must have been made in the 70s, and pick up some mangoes that lie in the station garden. I go to the restrooms and find a big green frog sitting in the first toilet. I go to the next stall - same here. No frog in the third and last toilet, but when I flush after peeing I see that frog no.3 had hidden under the rim and is now enjoying some flush action.

Finally, the conductors Tony and Murray, me, and 6 other guests board the still almost empty train for a 4-hour ride with commentary to Croydon (population 300).

That's Krys, 8 m long, the only crocodile I've seen so far.

Love the sunsets... This one is over Normanton.

 

Normanton train station.

Historic Gulflander train.

My personal Gulflander mug was included in the ticket price!

Outback adventures part 2 - Karumba

I am early at the airport on my way to Normanton and couldn't have been happier when I find a merino store with Icebreaker items on sale! I have a lengthy chat with the sales lady about this brand, and it turns out we're both huge fans. She hands me a cardigan which is 50% off and I of course take it. Happiness. One of the few exceptions of my self-imposed shopping ban: Icebreaker on sale.

I arrive at Normanton airport which is smaller than Exeter but larger than the the one on Lady Elliot Island. The taxi to Karumba digs a deep hole into my travel budget but I have a nice and informative chat with my chauffeur on the 45 min drive. Karumba Point is known for great sunsets and fishing. There's nothing else. Way overrated and certainly not worth the pricey taxi ride and two nights in the motel there. But at least they have wifi and A/C. During the day I sleep, surf the internet, and read, and only go out in the evening to have a beer and watch the sunset over the Gulf of Carpentaria. Love the name. Sounds like carpet snake. Carpet serpent. In the morning, I walk to Karumba town to see whether they have more to offer than a pretty sunset. They don't.

Sunset no.1

Wallabies

Poinciana tree

Many big predator birds here

I took a hundred pictures of the sunset to make it worth my expenses.