…living in and dreaming of…

arriving in christchurch after midnight, there was little else to do after assembling the bicycle then to get some hours of sleep in the designated rest area. bicycle touring seems to be so popular in new zealand that they even have a bicycle assembly area with a bike stand to assist while piecing the bike together again. after a sunny week in melbourne it was considerable colder and the sunshine was replaced by a constant drizzle.

i’d already heard about the earthquake which hit the city in february but was still surprised about how much of the city center is still closed. some streets look like a part of a ghost town or movie set.

others are busy with workers and heavy machinery to stabilize buildings or tear those down which are beyond repair. after the earthquake the city council invited citizens to contribute with their ideas to the rebuilding process. it is still to be seen how many of these ideas see the light of reality but it already helped the spirit in christchurch despite the growing number of people leaving the city or even the country.

once again i found a host here to stay for the first two days. so i had some time to get accustomed to the new country, people and currency, to organize maps, a new zealand phone number and some supplies. since i fly out of christchurch as well i was able to leave some gear at my hosts place to lose weight before starting over the highest pass of the south island, the arthur’s pass.

since i arrived in australia i was looking forward to this city and at times it looked like i won’t have the time to see it. so i was glad to spend at least my last days in oz here. a couple of people from the farm in hillston were also in town and i met up with phil and david to have the first drink. it reminded me a bit of berlin to get a beer at the shop around the corner and just pick a spot somewhere outdoors, in this case a sport stadium at victoria park, and to have a good time while enjoying a drink without going to a bar.

the next day we went for a ride through the city. melbourne can’t compete with european cycle capitals but has quite some bicycle paths to offer and there are far more people riding then in any other city i’ve been in australia. after a break for lunch at lentil as anything, a pay what you feel restaurant, in abbotsford…

we went to ceres, a community center which has a bike kitchen workshop. just one part of their many activities.

people donate bikes and parts which are repaired and being put together by volunteers or their prospective new owners.

on my last day we went again to lentils for a vegan feast and again made a short visit to ceres where nyssa, who i met while cycling in queensland, works. it was a lovely day and it felt a bit unreal to be leaving so soon to new zealand. that is why i was running rather late before i left and made my way to the airport. after the train was delayed for half an hour, i tried to cycle all the way. but all roads led to a freeway where no bicycles are allowed and the traffic is not inviting either. in the end i was getting a taxi and was still late. but the staff at the airport were super helpful and made it possible for me to reach the gate in time. a rather hasty departure but that is no news.

i felt rather like cycling for a few days and then spending the last days in the big city than the other way round. so i took a train out of melbourne to frankston and started cycling to sorrento from where the ferry to queenscliff starts across the port phillip bay. there was such a heavy wind that i was already thinking about taking another train to the other end of the great ocean road. as combined with the narrow road it became a safety issue. after talking with some locals who expected the wind to subside within the next days i stayed for a night at the caravan park in breamlea. i had a nice chat with the lady who manages the place and in the morning i was pampered with coffee and breakfast and didn’t have to pay for the site. whoever is planning to cycle the great ocean road is well advised to do some research online as the tourist information doesn’t seem to know about the cheapo or free camping spots along the way. the caravan parks in breamlea and peterborough offer a discount for solo travellers.

not the whole distance of the great ocean road offers a view of the ocean. but especially the part south of lorne is going directly along the coast and offers wonderful views while riding.

after spending the night at johanna beach and quite a climb in the morning to get back to the road, i was rewarded with this view.

it was only a short climb from here to lavers hill, the highest point of the great ocean road. from there it is mostly downhill and then only over rolling hills past the places of interest which are responsible for the the international reputation of this coastline. the twelve apostels, the arch and the london bridge being the most famous.

after 20 days of working and one week on the bike, i finally had a rest day in peterborough. now i’m on my way back to melbourne. a flight is booked for the 5th of december to christchurch on the the south island of new zealand.

sydney turned out to be an exciting but also an expensive place to stay. i decided to go inland for the cherry season and arrived in hillston which is about 500km west of sydney.

the camp ground was already buzzing with people and the season about to start. after filling out the paper work and getting my picking card, i started a couple of days later. the first days were rather discouraging. i think as in most picking jobs experience is essential to make some money. experienced pickers are usually helpful with some tips and some encouragement to keep up the motivation which is as essential as the technique. after a week i was earning enough to make it easier to get up before five in the morning.

hillston can be described as a nice country town or as utterly boring. there’s is a swimming pool next to the camp ground which was filled up after some days for the season but nobody seemed to care to open it. in the end we had to come up with our own ideas to keep ourselves entertained. the most popular activities included cherry long throw while the opposite had to catch it with the mouth. the record stands at thirty meters. and since it got really hot during november and the doors to the swimming pool were still closed, water bomb fights had an increasingly number of participants. usually it works like the cherry throwing with two people facing each other with one filled balloon each. one try each while the other musn’t move or the person gets chased down with a whole bucket of water. so most people prefer not to move.

one evening the french community offered free crêpes for the whole crew, which were served with cherries for those who still not had enough after a day of picking. we were told that our employer would give us five days notice before the season ends but one day while we were picking word got around that this would be our last day of work. after an afternoon of planning and packing, a farewell party at the nearby lake, almost everyone left the next morning and our little village vanished. i would have preferred a couple of days of additional work but now i have the time to cycle the great ocean road and to explore melbourne before leaving australia.

on the second day in sydney i went to the office of peda pod, a velo cab service which got its idea and the first bikes from berlin. thanks to alex for pointing me in that direction. i had to pass a small exam and afterwards drive once around the block which more or less completed the small training. the next day i went to the city with tonka and stefan which was supposed to be the big training but after the first customers arrived, there was no time for instructions. a map of the cbd had to do for now. there were usually enough breaks in between customers to catch one’s breath and have a chat while waiting at the circular quay.

just across the street we could watch people getting out of their comfort zone for a charity project to get children off the street.

tonka was keen to give it a go but 1500 dollars seemed a bit dear for someone who is ‘only’ a cab driver. on the weekends there are enough customers but during the week it was hard to make some money in addition to just cover the costs for accommodation and food.

on the night from saturday to sunday we were booked by a couple for their wedding. we should pick up the newlyweds and their closest relatives at midnight from the opera house with a special decorated bike. our fleet in front of the opera.

we had to wait a little longer for the party to end but with this view of the harbour bridge that didn’t matter too much.

i was driving the parents of the bride. the father had a tower of presents while the mother was balancing a bouquet of flowers on her lap during the short ride to their hotel. the missing space to store luggage and the weight of the bikes itself might be the major drawbacks of the velo-cab. the next generation which is in production saves one third of the weight which will help to make this sustainable transport more attractive. and maybe someone comes up with a nice roof rack.

after 2 years and 15 weeks and i guess around 40.000 pedalled kilometer, i arrived in sydney. the last meters on the ferry from manly landing at the circular quay between opera and the harbour bridge.

the manly ferry being that not so small ship on the right with the harbour bridge towering over it.

i planned on leaving sydney by train and checked in the yha next to the central station. the building is the former baggage department and some of the rooms are restored or rebuilt coaches on the platform zero with their windows going out to the platform number one where the trains to melbourne depart.

there’s not the soothing movement as if the train would be moving but one is not forgetting travelling even while sleeping here.

i choose a route following the coastline for most parts after leaving byron bay. after working in tully which was 3okm from the sea and brisbane also not being famous for its beaches, i was missing the ocean and had plenty of opportunity for a swim despite the water’s dropping temperature on my way south. the road is rarely going directly along the coast which not always makes a scenic ride but keeps the beaches unspoiled by parking lots or promenades lined with shops.

even between newcastle and sydney, the most populated area of australia there are plenty of national parks with camp sites and despite the growing flow of traffic on a growing number of lanes it wasn’t too difficult to find a safe route on a push bike.

and after a couple of days of riding the distance to sydney was shrinking…

to bypass some heavy traffic there is the possibility to take a passenger ferry instead of following the main road around some of the bays. the last meters being a highlight as the ferry from manly takes one directly into the heart of sydney.

after a good memory from the siTigun café in georgetown on penang, malaysia, i was lucky to get another recommendation for a place where good coffee and bicycle culture meet. this time in sawtell just south of coffs harbour, a place called ‘split’. the café is linked to a bicycle store, organizes group rides and has some bicycles on display like this cinelli build.

and even has its own trikot…

not every bar or café allows people to recharge their electronic equipment while enjoying a coffee. here that’s no problem and there is free wi-fi too.

since the east coast is rather busy with people on a camping trip, there are lots of signs to prevent hordes of campers to stay just anywhere. still some seem rather superfluous…

hardly readable at, this sign is not only standing in the middle of the forest but is also surrounded by a small lake.

some of the free rest areas were shut down or at least closed for overnight stays after some groups misused this places as a permanent residence and in some cases robbed other people passing through. as a result the tone got rougher sometimes.

this is rather the exception. mostly people don’t mind people camping and receive travellers in a friendly manner.

the first people i ran into were three buskers from ireland offering me some ice cream. a good start. and after a long time without any places in the worldtourguide, byron bay is home of the rails/ railway friendly bar, the recommendation from dorit.

there is live music on every night. mostly folk,  blues and roots rock music. a very australian experience and a timeless one which seems to be untouched by the change of time that swept over byron bay in the last years and decades.

after the music ended we were wandering through the streets looking for more. which we found with team ireland which i met on my first day here.

really good boys and full-time, whole-hearted buskers. we played until the last pub closed, for the people on their way home and on until we had the streets all to ourselves. a good night!!