Before I left Brisbane I weight my bags and counted the kilos, it’s still over 30 kg of luggage. Plus the weight of food and water, which depends on the distance I have to go to the next city. From Brisbane I cycled to Gold Coast in a day (95 km). I slept in a park at Southport. On the next morning I left Queensland and came to New South Wales. I started my first kilometre on the Pacific Highway, fortunately cycling on this Highway is legal. I couldn’t avoid this highway, all the side roads linking back to this highway. After 100 km I reached Byron Bay, where I stayed three nights in a hostel. After half a year being in Australia it was my first time that I payed for accommodation. Byron Bay is a resort which is very popular for backpackers. Most of the people in my hostel were from Germany.

My next longer stay after Byron Bay was in Port Macquarie. It took me five days to get there. On the second day when I left Byron Bay I met a french backpacker on the road. He was walking 5 days since Byron Bay and was trying to hitchhike to Sydney. I couldn’t believe that nobody picked him up and give him a lift. He was running out of water and food. I helped him out as best as I could. On the same day I met a older aussie couple in the rest area where I camped. They invited me for dinner. I felt bad getting this nice dinner by thinking on this french guy, who deserved it more then me.

After four days on the Pacific Highway since Byron Bay, I was just bored cause there was not much to see next to the road, till I met another touring cyclist. I stopped at Woolworths for shopping and suddenly a tall man stand in front of me with his randonneur. It was Andy from Scotland. He did 15.000 km in only 7 months, very sporty. We decided to go together to the next rest area. Just ten minutes after we arrived at the rest area, a french couple arrived on a tandem. Angel and Lionel started their trip 27 months ago and cycled already 48.000 km through 36 countries. This is super awesome. They have a blog in french http://frogtandem.centerblog.net. The rest area wasn’t that nice, the French favor a campsite 20 km off the Highway in a National Park. It was early afternoon, so we went all together to this National Park which was located directly on the coast. It was so great to stay with this group of experienced cyclist. What a welcome change. We found out that nobody of us liked to cycle through India, it was the most difficult country to travel. Also I found out that Andy stayed in the same hostel “Ringos Foyer” in Melaka and he also liked it. Then I’ve got another proof that the world of touring cyclist is a village. Angel and Lionel met the french cyclist Pierre and Marie in Vietnam, whom I’ve met on my trip in Turkey, Dubai and India. The bush camp were we stayed was lovely, we did the french way of paying and stayed for free. On the next morning we started all together, we had the same destination Port Macquarie. On the way we lost eachother. I found the french again and we arrived together in Port Macquarie, but Andy was already away.

In Port Macquarie I stayed in the Beachside Backpackers hostel. I payed for three nights and stayed one more night for free, because I tryed to fix some cycles. It’s a nice place, I had the feeling to be in a flat-sharing community. The German were here in majority as well. I visited a little National Park and the Koala hospital by my own. The highlight was the visit of a small wildlife park with Olga. The park is located at the highway, 12 km away from the hostel and we went there by bike. Olga isn’t used to cycle. I was very impressed that she cycled on the highway so confident. I mean, I cycled thousands of kilometre on cycle ways and country roads before I entered a highway. I wish I could take her on my trip.

After Port Macquarie I was heading to Newcastle. At the junction to Port Stephens and Newcastle, I decided to make a detour and go to Port Stephens first and I didn’t regret it. It was the most beautiful place for me on the way from Brisbane to Sydney. I stayed two nights at the Melaleuca Backpackers, where I pitched up my tent. This hostel with his nice wooden buildings is integrated to the nature. When I arrived there was only a dutch lady who did camping as well. On the next day a bigger group of backpackers came from Sydney. I enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the large Stockton Bight Sand Dunes. The best view I had from Mount Tomaree.

In the time as I arrived in Newcastle, some bushfires were out of control. In the evening smoke changed the colour of the sunlight to orange, but it was still two hours till sunset. I like the old looking buildings in Newcastle. I found a rest area close to Nobbys Beach, where I camped in a park. At the rest area I’ve met heaps of backpackers. I spent the evening with a group of Germans, Austrian, French and Aussies. It was very noisy in the night.

On the next morning I left Newcastle early and headed to Sydney. As I reached Swansea I couldn’t continue on the Pacific Highway. The road was closed, because of a big bushfire. I had to go back and drive around Lake Macquarie on the other side. To avoid to arrive via the highway in Sydney I took a ferry from Ettalong to Palm Beach. From Palm Beach it wasn’t that far to the suburbs of Sydney and as soon as I saw the signs for the cycle ways, I just followed them and reached Sydney by avoiding the heavy traffic. I was very excited when I cycled over the famous Harbour Bridge. It was the 19^th October and exactly one and a half year ago as I left my hometown Berlin.