A Pocketful of Sunshine

G'day!

I've finally found a quiet moment to update this blog. It's been four days since my friend Clodagh picked me up from the aiport. The flight over to Australia was not too bad, especially the first six hours to Dubai where I had an entire row to myself. Sadly, the second plane (11 hours) to Perth was crowded, but I still managed to get some sleep.

One of the cells, painted by an inmate

This is a quokka!

I seem to have avoided jet-lag (when I flew to New Zealand last time, I was jet-lagged for a week) and have been out and about with Clo from Day 1. On Thursday, we went to Fremantle Prison and did the Time Tour which informs you about the history of the prison from its early convict days to its closure in 1991. Big parts of the prison are still as they were when it was built and you can get a pretty good idea of how harsh life there would have been.
Surprisingly, the weather has been a bit sketchy with rain and wind. It cleared up on Friday though (with the occasional drizzle), just in time for our trip to Rottnest Island.
The island is just off the coast and hailed as a must-see when visiting Perth/Fremantle. Apart from beautiful beaches and plenty of outdoor activities, the island is also home to an adorable animal: the quokka. Since they have no natural predators, quokkas aren't shy at all and will approach you. (If you are visiting Australia/Rottnest Island and you see them, please do not feed or pet them, as tempting as it is! They will probably put their little paws on you anyway, if you just sit still. Interfering with the wildlife can lead to a hefty fine!)

We met up with one of Clo's friends, Baptiste, on the island and went for a walk along the stunning coast.
Baptiste also brought some snorkelling gear and I decided that this would be a good opportunity to try it out (since I will have to know how to snorkel when I get to the Great Barrier Reef). We found a relatively calm and sheltered bay, put on our swimsuits, snorkels and fins and braved the (still fairly cold at this time of year) water. Afterwards, two shivering Australians and one unaffected European (used to colder climate) made their way back onto the beach, where we just relaxed in the sun with some snacks. Later in the evening, we headed back to Fremantle and finished the day with some fish&chips.

On Saturday, Clo and me grabbed some delicious baked goods from Chu's Bakery and went to King's Park for a picnic. It's a beautiful, massive park (4.06 square-kilometres) with vast stretches of still intact bushland. We joined a leisurely bushwalk, learned about the peculiar North Western plants (trees who seem to bleed red for example) and ducked into an Aboriginal Art Gallery featuring incredible works of art.

In the afternoon we met up with some of Clo's friends, later had dinner with them and finally headed home for some much-needed sleep.

Today, we got up early (7:15am) and drove out to Serpentine Falls where we went hiking with one of Clo's friends. Waterfalls, bush and meadows - the scenery is worth the effort, and the sun decided to make an appearance as well. Tomorrow, we are off to some more beaches and on Tuesday, I am flying to Adelaide and will start a 6-day tour on Wednesday morning. I likely won't have access to the internet for the duration of the tour, so I'll tell you all about it when I get back!

Cheers,
Hannah

You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me

G'day!

Tomorrow, I am keeping a promise I made to myself when I returned from New Zealand three years ago: I'll be back - and I'll explore more of Australia! Having recently finished my BA degree in English, I am taking a break before starting my Master next year. I've created this blog to keep people updated on my adventures (and whereabouts). I am travelling light with just a carry-on backpack - let's see how that works out! My tour starts in Perth, where the lovely Clodagh has agreed to host me and continues via Adelaide to Cairns and then down the coast to Brisbane. At the end of December, I am flying over to New Zealand where I will travel the South Island again as well as driving myself up the East Coast on the North Island, before finishing in Auckland with my old hostfamily and flying back to Germany on February 6, 2018. Wish me luck!

Cheers, Hannah

PS: For all of those confused by the title of this blog, take a look at this: