Elantra diaries 02

There was this dude I met from Germany, and when I told him I wanted to drive to the 'outback' he said: 'Yeah, good luck with that. You know that that's like 5000km away from the coast? First you have to drive 2000km through bush and then another 3000km and then you're there.'
Well... seems like he was a prick.

Day 05
Byron Bay - Roma
Kilometers: 679
Time: 11:30 - 21:45
Gas: 40l
Coffeinated drinks: 3

Out of order


the other half of that cow was on the other side of the railway tracks


bean head oil pump




Day 06
Roma - Thargomindah
Kilometers: 885
Time: 09:30 - 19:30
Gas: 70l
Coffeinated drinks: 5

Eromanga



Day 07
Thargomindah - Bulla
Kilometers: 800
Time: ?
Gas: 91l
Flat tires: 0
Totally ripped and devastatingly torn tires vomiting their shredded guts on the red, hot rocks of uninhabited wilderness: 1
Coffeinated drinks: ?





Day 08
Bulla - Sydney
Kilometers: ca. 900
Time: 08:30 - 22:15
Gas: 71l
Coffeinated drinks: 5
Thick fog and heavy rain: 6hrs

So I'm back from the outback, applying for my US visa today and realxing in Sydney with bad weather.
Things I almost ran over: kangaroo, eagle, ostrich, possum, dog, sheep
Things I ran over: frog, cockatoo, roadkill
Things that almost ran over me: cow

Elantra diaries

So, I got a bigger car than expected and first of all drove back to Sebastians place to haul all my stuff inside, steal a pillow, a blanket, toilet paper and a guide book.

Day 01
Melbourne - Bairnsdale
Kilometers: 343
Time: 17:00 - 20:30
Coffeinated drinks: 3

After dark I looked for a place to sleep, preferably wiht ocan view, and that's what I came up with:







Day 02
Bairnsdale - Surf Beach, Bateman's Bay
Kilometers: 526
Time: 7:00 - 18:00
Gas: 68l
Coffeinated drinks: 4

Visited some National Parks, did a rainforest walk and stopped at Bega's famous cheese factory.






Day 03
Bateman's Bay - Diamond Beach
Kilometers: 768
Time: 7:30 - 20:00
Gas: 43l
Coffeinated drinks: 4

Long drive, lots of roadwork with 60km/h and 80km/h limits. Even if there's no roadwork it never exceeds 110km/h...


Day 04
Diamond Beach - Byron Bay
Kilometers: 525
Time: 11:30 - 22:30
Gas: 34l
Times key locked inside the car: 1
hitchhikers taken: 2
Coffeinated drinks: 4

Got and 3.5mm audio cable so I can plug in my Mp3 to the car stereo (I couldn't stand the 7 cds I burnt in Melbourne anymore.)
Locked my key inside the car. 95.65$, 90mins. Took 2 Canadian guys with me and we waited for 2.5hrs after a horrible head on collison.

That's it, heading for Brisbane now!

Melbourne

I have to admit that I didn't see much of Melbourne in broad daylight except the airport and the budget car rental office.
I've seen a couple of clubs and bars though and met nice people.

Here are some of the party pics of me and the guys.

Upon arrival at the budget office to pick up the cheapest car I could find (a Hyundai Getz) I was told that I got a free upgrade and will be driving an Elantra, which is much more comfortable than a 3-door minicar (especially the 2.0l automatic compared to the 1.3l manual).

Unfortunately the connection here in the library of Ulladulla is too slow even for Sebastians low-res party pics. I won't even try uploading mine.

I'll pass Sydney today and blog again for my roadtrip details.

edit: Melbourne pics

Tasmania

I spent a couple of very relaxing days on the beaches and in the forests of Tasmania.
I was possums and wallabies in the wild and lots of other stuff in the wild life park.

Here are some pictures.


Binalong Bay






Nature World Wildlife Park


Koala


Tasmanian Devil


Wallabie




Penguin


Outback


Friendly Beaches


Me + Wallabie at Friendly Beaches


Chevrolet Impala


Seagull


Beerbarrel Beach


shells


Me at Beerbarrel Beach


Possum in the trees


St. Helens


St. Helens


Stonecrusher in an abandoned tin mine in the rainforest


Rainforest during the Big Tree Wak