Standing at the limit of an endless ocean
Stranded like a runaway, lost at sea
City on a rainy day, down in the harbour, Watching as the gray clouds shadow the bay
- Icehouse - Great Southern Land
Aboriginal Australians are known to have lived on this continent between 40,000 and 70,000 years ago. In Jack Hills, Australia, rocks as old as 4.4 billion years were known to be found. This makes Australia one of the oldest piece of land on Earth. Whats interesting about this continent is that it is cut off from the rest of the land mass making it very unique in terms of its flora and fauna. The artistic, spiritual and musical traditions of this land are as earthy and primitive as can be. Travelling through Australia, I felt this primal connection to the land. There is this sense of vastness that is overwhelming. Although a modern country, travelling by road gave me the feeling that the rest of the world does not really exist the way it does.
I caught my first glimpse of Australia from the plane in the early hours of 12th June. Having taking a midnight flight from Kuala Lumpur, I had fallen asleep as soon as the plane took off. I found myself waking up when the first rays of the sun hit my window. Wiping the grogginess from my eyes, I looked out to see a vast, red and barren land. I quickly fell back into a light sleep. Three hours later, the landscape had still not changed. Just minutes before we landed into Sydney, rolling hills came into view making way for the city of Sydney.
Sydney is a vibrant city, full of life and energy. The light and sound festival - Vivid Sydney was on from the 27th of May to the 18th of June. There were large-scale illuminations, laser lightshows and 3D-mapped projections which gave the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour bridge a very surreal feel transforming the city into a nighttime wonderland.
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| Vivid Sydney |
The next day was spent on Manly beach. The ferry ride from Circular Quay to Manly took about 30 minutes and was accompanied by lovely views of suburban Sydney.
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| Sydney Harbour |
Our next destination was the quaint city of Adelaide. The capital city of South Australia is home to the Adelaide Oval which houses the Don Bradman collection. This is an enchanting little city where on the first day, we walked from one end to the other through the shopping centre, stopping for a refreshing coffee on the way. An early dinner and a warm bed made this day very relaxing.
The next morning, we decided to take a day tour to Hanhdorf - Australia's oldest surviving German settlement. The drive to this little town takes us through the Adelaide Hills with the aptly named Mt. Lofty being the highest peak.
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| View from Mt. Lofty - Adelaide Hills |
Hanndorf is about a 30 minute drive from Adelaide and this little town with a unique "village feel" is very popular with visitors from all over Australia and abroad. Stepping into Hahdorf felt like stepping into a little German town a hundred years ago. We had a lovely lunch at Handorf Inn
(a lip-smacking butter chicken with basmati rice, if you must know) and a stroll through the charming souvenir shops lined along the main street.
The most exciting part of my journey was the two-day road trip from Adelaide to Melbourne through the Grampians National Park. The tour bus with 10 passengers and the tour guide Tim set off from Adelaide in the wee hours of 16th June. A smattering of English students, an elderly Australian couple and a Dutch girl were part of the group. The reason I mention this is because the company and the conversations made this tour especially interesting and memorable.
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| A quick stopover at River Murray. |
The bus departed from Adelaide at 6 am. We stopped by River Murray around 8 am for a little break. The crisp, cold morning air in the golden sunlight refreshed the sleepy bones and we were on our way to the Grampians.
The Grampians National Park is home to Kangaroos, Wallabies and Koalas. We reached our rest house in the Grampians in the dark and didn't get much of a view. The next morning, I was in for a treat when I walked out of the room and caught sight of dozens of kangaroos hopping about right outside the door. I realised we were surrounded by mountains on all sides - a fact that I hadn't realised the previous night. The Grampians came with their own set of tales and legends told by the Aborigines of the area.
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| The Grampians Hotel - surrounded by mountains, shrouded in clouds. |
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| The kangaroos outside the room. |
That day was a feast for the eyes, as we travelled along the Great Ocean Road. We stopped at several breathtaking places like the Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge and the 12 Apostles. As the day came to an end, we reached Melbourne.
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| Loch Ard Gorge |
Although we were in Melbourne only for a night, it somehow felt very familiar. It felt like I had been there before and I am sure I will be there again. I can't say much about Melbourne because I saw very little of it.
The next morning, we were off to Hamilton Island (Queensland), a tiny little island in the north-eastern part of Australia. Hamilton Island was a somewhat exclusive island where you might go to see the coral reefs. Every holiday home on the island came with its own golf car (buggy). A lovely 3 days spent in Hamilton Island refreshed us. The visit to the Coral Reef was somewhat dampened by the stormy weather. Yet, it was definitely worth the visit.
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| Catseye Beach - Hamilton Island |
From Hamilton Island, it was back to Sydney for a day or two. I left Australia with the lines still running in my head -
Looking everywhere 'cause I had to find you
This is not the way I remember it here
Anyone will tell you its a prisoner island
Hidden in the summer for a million years.
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