Australia 2016/2017
Travelling with friends (New Year)
📌 By Jakub Mikula | January 01, 2017
At the end of 2016, I travelled to Australia. It is the furthest I have ever been from my home country, and yet it felt so familiar in its culture and people that I often felt like I was in Europe. And as the new year has come, I hope to go even further. Not necessarily in travelling, but in anything I can learn to become a better person. And travelling is such a great way to explore not only a place, but also oneself.
Most of my trips are mostly about nature, and cities are often only a means of transportation or transfer. But this trip was somewhat different. I visited some extraordinary nature sites in New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (Vic), but I also experienced the beauty of Australian cities in those two states. And this would never have happened without the friends I travelled with, who made it an amazing experience. I only hope I was as good company to them as they were to me.
As soon as we arrived in Australia, we hit the road with our eight-seater van. We spent a night in Albury and continued to Melbourne. And this is where I had the chance to explore an Australian city.
It was one late evening when I went for a walk. And the night brought me to a river lined with many different skylines, many of which made me stop to take a picture. Stop and think how far we have come, and how much further we can go.
As far as we want. And there is nothing to stop us but ourselves.
After Melbourne, we drove along the Great Ocean Road. It is one of Australia’s most scenic coastal drives. The spectacular cliffs of Port Campbell National Park are made of soft marine limestone. The deposition of the remains of marine life began about 10 to 20 million years ago (according to the information table there), and as the sea level dropped and rose again, the relentless battering of the sea and rainwater undercut the cliff edge.
After one night in Canberra, we finally reached Sydney once again.
It was the fireworks that brought us to Sydney for New Year’s Eve. Sydney’s skies lit up twice. At 9pm and at midnight. After the first fireworks, when the crowd slightly dispersed, I took the chance to fight my way to a great spot near the fence at Circular Quay. And to secure my position, I stayed there for more than two hours, shoulder to shoulder with other enthusiasts, to witness the great show. And it paid off. At least I am happy with the pictures :)
The countdown and a new year.
After a taste of the Great Ocean Road, I was hungry for another delicious piece of Australia’s nature. And there it was. Located about an hour away by train from Sydney, the Blue Mountains are within easy reach. Easily accessible trails within walking distance from Katoomba train station made it the perfect destination to quench my thirst for another nature adventure. I plunged into postcard-worthy scenery of stunningly lush forests. The long stretch of eucalyptus trees, surrounded by steep cliffs and without a sign of human presence, in Blue Mountains National Park, was jaw-dropping. True to their name, a shade of blue can be seen when viewed from a distance, believed to be caused by the abundant eucalyptus trees. If only I had more than a day to explore the region…
On the last day, I welcomed the chilly winds of one of Sydney’s coastlines, and I soaked in the view of the Pacific Ocean.
Embracing each opportunity that crosses my life and accepting each failure as motivation to work harder to become a better person. There is no failure, there are only things we did not work hard enough for to make them happen.
I have yet to encounter a kangaroo. But I have seen some koalas and met fascinating people who inspired me in many different ways. I also found out how annoying flies can be, especially in Melbourne. Anyone who has been there knows :) . And I am looking forward to hitting the road again soon.
Happy new year!
(the cover photo - overlooking the sunset from a Melbourne skyscraper - Eureka Skydeck. The quality of the picture may not be perfect as it is viewed from behind the glass, but hopefully good enough to get a slight sense of how beautiful the colours were in the sky).
This post was originally shared on https://www.facebook.com/notes/jakub-mikula/australia-20162017/740788326068566/
