The Quiet Adventuretravel journal
A year in Australia
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2017

A year in Australia

Leaving home, Sydney, farm work, then thousands of kilometres of road from Queensland to the Northern Territory, on to Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.

Living abroad33 stories

The route

Stories from this journey

  1. January 2017
  2. Heart-wrenching goodbyes: the start of life abroad
    January 10, 2017
    Stage 1 of 33

    Heart-wrenching goodbyes: the start of life abroad

    The alarm went off at 8, and in the pitch-dark room we woke instantly. It was of course the big day, the one that would take us to a new…

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  3. Discovering a Chinese airport
    January 11, 2017
    Stage 2 of 33

    Discovering a Chinese airport

    We'd decided to go via China because it was the cheapest ticket of all. For €420 each, we'd reach Sydney via Xi'an in 34 hours, with a ten-hour stopover in…

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  4. First steps in Sydney
    January 12, 2017
    Stage 3 of 33

    First steps in Sydney

    As I stepped off the plane, I couldn't help thinking about the first step I was about to take. I said goodbye to the captain and touched Australian soil. For…

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  5. What to see on a first day in Sydney?
    January 12, 2017
    Stage 4 of 33

    What to see on a first day in Sydney?

    After a good hour walking around the harbour, an inevitable wave of tiredness hit us. It was time to go home and rest after such a long journey. When it…

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  6. Our first friends at the other end of the world
    January 22, 2017
    Stage 5 of 33

    Our first friends at the other end of the world

    After a long night's sleep, we went to the bank and gave the name of the adviser we had an appointment with. From the look on the young receptionist's face,…

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  7. Looking for work in Sydney
    January 25, 2017
    Stage 6 of 33

    Looking for work in Sydney

    After two weeks of holiday and adjustment, it was time to think about the real purpose of this trip. We could very well have come to Australia on holiday, but…

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  8. Where we finally dive into real Sydneysider life
    January 27, 2017
    Stage 7 of 33

    Where we finally dive into real Sydneysider life

    As for me, I started work on 13 February, almost a month to the day after we arrived in Australia. Alarm at 5:15. 324 steps, 220 metres' walk. The 5:27…

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  9. March 2017
  10. Discovering Australian wildlife, and a scare in the water at Newcastle
    March 12, 2017
    Stage 8 of 33

    Discovering Australian wildlife, and a scare in the water at Newcastle

    Settling into Sydney life didn't quench our thirst for discovery. Every weekend took us to the remotest corners of Sydney, and we were learning to be real little Sydneysiders immersed…

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  11. April 2017
  12. Sydney: routine, resignation and getting ready to leave
    April 1, 2017
    Stage 9 of 33

    Sydney: routine, resignation and getting ready to leave

    By the time March came around, we'd already settled into a little routine. We'd found an excellent, affordable Thai restaurant, Kao Yum, where we went regularly with our group of…

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  13. An Australian adventure: hidden beaches, waterfalls and a spectacular sunset
    April 6, 2017
    Stage 10 of 33

    An Australian adventure: hidden beaches, waterfalls and a spectacular sunset

    Our first destination took us to West Head Lookout, where you could enjoy a different view of Palm Beach. Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is world-famous because its landscapes were the…

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  14. An unexpected meeting in Turkey: a cruise and Australian friends
    April 11, 2017
    Stage 11 of 33

    An unexpected meeting in Turkey: a cruise and Australian friends

    To tell the next part of this story, we have to go back a few years to a very hot Turkish spring. In 2015 we were in Turkey in the…

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  15. Freedom and minimalism in Australia: a backpacking adventure without limits
    April 17, 2017
    Stage 12 of 33

    Freedom and minimalism in Australia: a backpacking adventure without limits

    The next morning we left Lionel and Christine, promising to drop in again whenever we were in that part of the country, and typed South West Rocks into the GPS,…

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  16. Travelling in Australia: first disillusionment in Brisbane
    April 29, 2017
    Stage 13 of 33

    Travelling in Australia: first disillusionment in Brisbane

    Some things seem obvious in hindsight. You think back on them and can't understand why they didn't cross your mind sooner. In that vein, it was completely obvious that we'd…

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  17. May 2017
  18. Farm work in Australia: an unexpected experience
    May 11, 2017
    Stage 14 of 33

    Farm work in Australia: an unexpected experience

    We arrived in the late afternoon in the tiny town of Texas. We drove up the main street, which we found full of businesses. There was the inevitable pub, two…

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  19. June 2017
  20. The cattle farm, a certain idea of hell
    June 1, 2017
    Stage 15 of 33

    The cattle farm, a certain idea of hell

    Our favourite days were the ones spent cleaning the water troughs. We'd set off on foot with our brooms, cleaning powder and backpacks. We'd spend the day crossing pens full…

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  21. Sunsets and freedom: between Texas and Agnes Water
    June 18, 2017
    Stage 16 of 33

    Sunsets and freedom: between Texas and Agnes Water

    The next morning we were on the road as soon as we woke. We'd got the road-trip routine down pat. Keep a close eye on the fuel level, plan the…

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  22. A quiet exploration: snorkelling, white sand and relaxation
    June 26, 2017
    Stage 17 of 33

    A quiet exploration: snorkelling, white sand and relaxation

    We visited Keppel Island and Blackdown Tableland National Park and drove through towns that became more and more insignificant. Outside the south-east coast — it's no legend — Australia was…

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  23. Wallaman Falls: a prodigious waterfall
    June 28, 2017
    Stage 18 of 33

    Wallaman Falls: a prodigious waterfall

    WWOOFing was an excellent idea to begin with. In exchange for a few hours' work, your host gave you food and board. It was the perfect compromise to buy time…

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  24. July 2017
  25. Our not-so-successful WWOOFing experience
    July 15, 2017
    Stage 19 of 33

    Our not-so-successful WWOOFing experience

    The following Monday we arrived in Tully Heads to start WWOOFing. We'd expected to live in a big house with the family we'd come to help, but disappointment greeted us…

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  26. August 2017
  27. A long month of isolation on a potato farm
    August 1, 2017
    Stage 20 of 33

    A long month of isolation on a potato farm

    The town of Pentland was five hours' drive from where we were, and we arrived there on Sunday late afternoon to start work the next day. On arrival we met…

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  28. Whole days on the road: from Pentland to Katherine
    August 21, 2017
    Stage 21 of 33

    Whole days on the road: from Pentland to Katherine

    So it was with great relish that we tackled the road to Darwin. 2,600 kilometres and 25 hours of driving, mostly in a straight line through a lunar landscape where…

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  29. A gruelling hike in the gorges of Nitmiluk National Park
    August 21, 2017
    Stage 22 of 33

    A gruelling hike in the gorges of Nitmiluk National Park

    The night hadn't been as good as expected. Bad call on the choice of road. We'd thought it would be quiet, but from six in the morning it was a…

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  30. Litchfield National Park: waterholes as far as the eye can see
    August 23, 2017
    Stage 23 of 33

    Litchfield National Park: waterholes as far as the eye can see

    We slept well and woke around seven with the daylight. A quick trip to the toilets and the supermarket and we were already off to the day's first destination. Edith…

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  31. Exploring Darwin: Italian food, a crocodile cruise and a magical sunset
    August 26, 2017
    Stage 24 of 33

    Exploring Darwin: Italian food, a crocodile cruise and a magical sunset

    It was another extremely hot day in Darwin. When we decided to go out around noon for lunch, the heat crushed us immediately. The sun beat down on our skin…

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  32. October 2017
  33. Exploring Kakadu National Park: tips and discoveries
    October 2, 2017
    Stage 25 of 33

    Exploring Kakadu National Park: tips and discoveries

    It was 4:50 am when our plane landed safely in Darwin. It was still pitch dark and the city seemed to be waiting for us. The airport was really tiny,…

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  34. Broome, an almost self-sufficient town in the middle of nowhere
    October 10, 2017
    Stage 26 of 33

    Broome, an almost self-sufficient town in the middle of nowhere

    We went to the reception of a backpackers' hotel and were given two dorm beds immediately despite the early hour. We dropped our meagre belongings and set off to explore.…

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  35. Heading down Australia's west coast
    October 13, 2017
    Stage 27 of 33

    Heading down Australia's west coast

    Our first stop was the spot where we'd missed the sunset the night before. We'd thought it must be very beautiful by day with the red rock and the turquoise…

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  36. Exploring Coral Bay and finding a job in Perth
    October 20, 2017
    Stage 28 of 33

    Exploring Coral Bay and finding a job in Perth

    Our bodies were starting to adapt naturally; our body clocks ran like clockwork. We now woke with the sun around eight, and after a quick breakfast and a shower we…

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  37. Discovering Rottnest Island, and a bike injury
    October 24, 2017
    Stage 29 of 33

    Discovering Rottnest Island, and a bike injury

    The next morning we got up early to catch the first ferry to Rottnest Island. We went on a Tuesday because it was the only day of the week with…

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  38. December 2017
  39. Working at Gilmac, the hay plant
    December 1, 2017
    Stage 30 of 33

    Working at Gilmac, the hay plant

    At nine we set off for the little village of New Norcia, arriving just under two hours later. We went to the plant's reception and Paul Mart introduced himself. He…

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  40. Road to Melbourne
    December 18, 2017
    Stage 31 of 33

    Road to Melbourne

    On 16 December, after working three hundred and sixty hours in less than two months, we finished our last day of work. We reckoned we'd handled around ten thousand bales…

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  41. Christmas in Adelaide
    December 25, 2017
    Stage 32 of 33

    Christmas in Adelaide

    We were already on the road at 7:30 when we realised we might not make the distance with the petrol we had left. We'd only gone five kilometres, and I…

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  42. January 2018
  43. An unforgettable New Year in Melbourne: fireworks and parties
    January 10, 2018
    Stage 33 of 33

    An unforgettable New Year in Melbourne: fireworks and parties

    We arrived in Melbourne on 30 December and threw ourselves headlong into the city. We'd heard so many good things about it that we couldn't wait to explore. Our first…

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  44. The end Bali The next journey Bali August 2017 Keep going