Uberlanding

Around Australia and then a bit further

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Yay! We did it! After catching up with Alex, Caity and their awesome bunch of friends, we headed north from Cairns to “the Tip”. Along the old telegraph track we went, one of Australia’s most iconic and allegedly difficult four wheel drive tracks. Now, this track is apparently extremely tricky and a great four wheel drive adventure, we had very little trouble. This might be due to our collected experience, our copious amount of common sense and patience or simply our freakishly good looks, but no car got damaged, we lost one licence plate and won a few grey hairs during the deeper water crossings but all in all, this was a highlight of my trip so far.

Having a bunch of people that all like four wheel driving, know what they’re doing and are able to help each other out makes a world of a difference. But enough words,here are some of my favourite picture

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Met these guys along the way. I called them “Draught Punk”

Where to from here?

Crossing the Pascoe River on the Frenchmans Track

Crossing the Pascoe River on the Frenchmans Track

Tree climbing is great!

  Whats the old telegraph track?

Basically the leftovers of the original telegraph track that was used to connect Cairns with Thursday Islands. Morse Code was used to communicate from 1880ish until 1962 when microwave towers replaced the telegraph line.

Back in the days the mailman for Cape York used this old track to deliver the mail across the Cape, this was a six week round trip by horseback.

Today the Old telly track is used mainly by four wheel drive vehicles, regular cars can use the gravel road that leads along the track.

There are plans to have the entire road up to the tip covered in bitumen by 2020, some say it will make the roads safer but also have detrimental impact to the region due to increased tourist traffic.

  Cape York, Four Wheel drive adventure to the northernmost point of Australia – Week 28 Yay! We did it! After catching up with Alex, Caity and their awesome bunch of friends, we headed north from Cairns to "the Tip".

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When I messaged my friends Al&Jen in Darwin to see if they’d be around when I am in town Jen asked, “Will you be here for Territory Day?”. I had no clue what that was, a quick internet search helped me answer her question – FIREWORKS AND BOOZE IN THE DRY SEASON (What could possibly go wrong..) so my answer was “Yes yes and double yes!”.

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A good bonfire on the beach helps to clean up the fireworks later

A local resident lighting a bumble bee (it’s somewhat of an art to get them to fly!)

Light and RUN!!!

East Point Beach, fireworks are on as soon as the sun sets

East Point Beach, fireworks are on as soon as the sun sets

The low tide made for great reflections

Apart from pictures that don’t exactly do the fun we had justice here’s also a bit of history on what it’s all about:

The NT used to be part of South Australia

Territory Day celebrates the Northern Territories move to self-government from 1974, to be realized in 1978

The first Territory Day was celebrated on July 1, 1978 with around 6000 Territorians at the Cenotaph in Darwin

Fireworks were first introduced in 1980

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Apparently a family spent $3000 on fireworks

The legal timeframe for private fireworks is between 6pm and 11pm

Technically all unused fireworks has to be returned to a WorkSafe office by the 2nd of July – sure..

Over 200 tonnes of fireworks are blown up on Territory Day

Some people have homemade fireworks, with not ideal outcomes

On average around 20 people per year are headed to emergency on Territory Day, not bad all things considered

Look at this crazy bunch !

Directing fireworks away from the beach

And yes, this is FUN!

Fireworks don’t always go up

There’s about 15 public fireworks displays throughout the NT

Mindil Beach fireworks was beautiful to watch from across the bay

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find how much the government spends on fireworks each year

Small and big fireworks

Having a bonfire helps dispose of empty firework shells

Of course firework shells aren’t always empty

Last but not least – after a few beers trying a handstand seemed like a great (and definitely entertaining!) idea

In 2014 the NT Government consulted Territorians about the future of Territory Day. There were and still remain strong views on both sides of the private fireworks debate, but many Territorians love being the only Australians to still enjoy the privilege. (source)

Happy Territory Day, Fireworks in Darwin! Week 24 When I messaged my friends Al&Jen in Darwin to see if they'd be around when I am in town Jen asked, "Will you be here for Territory Day?".

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Little did I know that writing a travel blog is actually hard work. Taking pictures, notes, formatting pics, uploading, downloading, typing… hard to have any actual traveling left at the end of the day, I tell ya! So with the car in the workshop and close to another 20 pineapples down the drain, I have some time on my hands to update the blog and share a few pictures (if you’re not Australian, you have to do some googling on the pineapple part).

Track up to Mt Hart

So, the GIBB RIVER ROAD. What a crazy patch of land. To be honest with you (I’m always honest, honest), I expected it to be a lot worse. After having done a few 4WD tracks in the Victorian high country, one particular crazy trip on the Parmango Road in 2015 near Esperance and the Dampier Peninsula I expected “the Gibb” to be tougher.

Hula Sharon did not survive the drive, just like the handbrake and one rotor

Not to say I wasn’t positively surprised, the corrugations were still a pain and the seats in the Troopy are prone to cause some long-term damage to your body when spending too much time in them I suspect.

Aaaaanyway, here are some pictures with a few stories, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed the experience in these first few days (more to follow!).

  Hundreds of termite mounds along the way

Big trough for stock just before Derby

Boab tree just before Derby with a sad story of serving as prison for indigenous people back in the days

Roads looking good for us

Woke up on the first morning and had a horse staring at the troopy

Boab trees found in the Kimberley region

Firewood is important! Try collecting it OUTSIDE of national parks

Red DUST everywhere

Dust and dust and dust

It’s not unusual to see cattle right on the road (and not moving for you either..)

We had no reception, so we tried the drone as cell phone tower – IT WORKED!!

Corrugated, dusty roads for miles and miles

Tunnel Creek entrance

Tunnel Creek – Exit

Tunnel Creek – View when looking up

Tunnel Creek midway point (collapsed)

This was only the first two days, into the Gibb River Road and Tunnel Creek. Here are another two days and then I’ll save the rest for a later post.

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Windjana Gorge entrance from the top

Freshwater croc sunbathing

Windjana Gorge

Windjana Gorge used to be an old old reef

Crocs can swim faster than you do

Damper made in camp oven is THE BEST!

Entrance to Windjana Gorge

Be croc smart!

Sooo many freshies

Little grub thingy

Freshwater crocs, only 3 metre away

Freshwater crocs, only 5 metres away

Freshwater crocodile and I

There’s many beautiful small things on the Gibb River Road!

Crocs look weird when walking!

Green buttock ants (I call them that, science probably doesn’t)

Millions sitting under a leaf, waiting for dinner > us.

Little crawling caterpillar

This legend! Was doing a charity run with 30 others along the Gibb on POSTIE BIKES!!

Windjana Gorge

The Gibb River Road

We had no reception, so we tried the drone as cell phone tower – IT WORKED!!

This rock looks like Queen Elizabeth apparently

Corrugated, dusty roads for miles and miles

I loooooove water crossings!

Strangler fig wrapped around old boab tree

Strangler fig wrapped around old boab tree

A good looking road to Mt Hart

This was Windjana Gorge, absolutely beautiful! And a short trip to Mount Hart. We didn’t stay there, just drove in, had a look around, quick dip and kept driving on, so much more to see!

Gibb River Road kick off. Troopy Adventure Time, Crocodiles and Windjana Gorge in Week 20 Little did I know that writing a travel blog is actually hard work. Taking pictures, notes, formatting pics, uploading, downloading, typing...

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What to do when you step on a cobbler fish with poisonous spikes. Back in Week 6!

What to do when you step on a cobbler fish with poisonous spikes. Back in Week 6!

It’s late February, we are staying at Cosy Corner near Albany. Probably one of the most beautiful free campsites around town. But this post is not about that, it’s about my foot drama and pain! Unfortunately after our morning swim, I stepped on something spiky under water. I felt a sharp sting and hobble footed back to shore…  Consulting the locals I was told it’s likely a cobbler fish, a…

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We venture further and more remote in Australia and meet fewer people. But the people we do meet are taking the same route and so you meet many times across several thousand kilometres.

You swap stories, news and information about the road ahead or the one just travelled. We have met some really awesome folks so far and also seen some impressive set ups for travelling Australia and the world.

Here’s a cool car owned by the lovely Werner and Herta from Germany. They built this thing 20 years ago and have been travelling on and off in it across the globe. I like this one a lot and hope you do, too. Cool four wheel drive cars and lovely people  We venture further and more remote in Australia and meet fewer people. But the people we do meet are taking the same route and so you meet many times across several thousand kilometres.

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Troubled car and a quick hello from 80 mile beach

Troubled car and a quick hello from 80 mile beach

Just a quick hello to let you know that we’re still on the road. The travels got the better of me and so my writing has fallen behind a fair bit. Months even! So here’s a quick one to share with you. We found a troubled car today in 80 mile beach. Apparently it drove too far out two years ago and never came back. Stuck here forever because no one will come pull it out. On our way out we met two…

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Look, we made beer!

Look, we made beer!

Just a quick hello to share with you our arrival in WA. We made it across the Nullarbor safe and sound. Then we met up with friend Sophie. Then we made BEER! Okay, we didn’t make beer, but we stayed at Lucky Bay Brewing for a couple of nights and packaged beer. We also tasted (lots) of it, it is delicious! When you get to Esperance make sure to visit Nigel & Robyn who run the place and are all…

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I survived the man flu ! And then we left Launceston and had an amazing time in Tasmania! We also managed to find a pic of our seal buddy above and thought you’d like to have a laugh.

So, TASMANIA! This Australian island state is truly wonderful. The state is named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, who made the first reported European sighting of the island on 24 November 1642. It’s roughly the size of Ireland, if you haven’t been to Ireland, this information doesn’t help you, sorry.

Tasmania’s “Last of the Aboriginals”, she looks so pissed because she has every right to be

It was also colonized by the Brits, they arrived and swiftly went on to wipe out several thousand aboriginal Tasmanians in very grim ways. One story in particular, of Truganini, was especially saddening. Not so wonderful after all.

Ok, this got dark pretty quickly, but I’d rather mention it, than pretend it’s been always unicorns and rainbows over here. Now you know. Let’s move on.

    We only booked ouselves in for 3 weeks and thought we’d get bored quickly. We were wrong! Beyond every corner is something new to discover here in Tassie (apart from more grim stories). As mentioned in Week 1 we started off with the Bay of Fires. From here we went to Derby, via the Little Blue Lake.

The Little Blue Lake, it’s blue because it was an old mine and there’s acidy water in it. Maybe don’t skinny dip here..

Weird moss near the Little Blue Lake, it probably glows in the dark..

Derby was definitely one of our favourite camp spots, very very quaint!

Further on to a hike where we got completely lost. We backtracked and evaded being on the news as your classic German backpacker disaster story.. Ralph Falls are allegedly the most beautiful waterfalls in Tasmania, maybe only beaten by Russel Falls which we plan to see in the next week.

The figurines were carved out of the tree branches and lacquered to preserve them

One of the war memorial life size figures we came across

Another war memorial wood cutting guy, amazing handywork

Loved this warning site with some political lore on it..

Along the 4WD track to Ralph Falls is a hidden mine, you can’t go in (un)fortunately

Walking boards to protect local flora and even fauna

More weird moss and grass, it’s amazing what you see when you stop and look at the small stuff

This is on top of “Cash’s Lookout”, but it could also be the titanic..

Ralph Falls! Go here if you’re in tassie!

Cheeeeeeese! We love cheese!

Freycinet National Park

We ventured on towards Freycinet National Park. It’s a magical place to watch the sunrise, go for a hike and explore wine glass bay. Oh and to be a feast for mosquitos, so you better come prepared.

On the way back we took a quick detour to Bluestone Bay, a beautiful spot you can only get to with a 4WD like ours or a regular car that you really hate and / or want to damage badly.

A roo and a little roo if you look closely

That one time I woke up before Lydia to see the sunrise!

Sunrise from Isaac’s Point

Bluestone Bay, amazing place, hard to reach without a decent 4WD and lift kit

Bluestone Bay has huge marble marbles

Bluestone Bay rock pool

Cheesy selfies for the family

Wine glass bay before a 30 minute hike down

After a 2hr hike I took a quick dip into wine glass bay

Wine glass bay, I love Kookaburras, they are like noble birds acting like cats, not gaf :)

  Are we there yet?

Now you probably think “wow, what a week!”, well, that was just Sunday to Tuesday…

We stayed for a few days at Alex & Jo’s place near Castle Forbes Bay, thanks a bunch for having us. We had an amazing dinner and Lydia raided Alex’s wine cellar (she regretted it the next day, ha!) ;)

I also got some exercise in by helping Alex splitting wooden logs. I have no idea how he manages this by himself and I am truly impressed!

Here’s a quick look into the next three days and then I’ll probably just put another post up later because it’s simply just too much for one big post and I’m on holidays after all, so I can do that right? Right! Enjoy! M

Tasmania is cool! But it’s also very cold.

These cheeky birds nested around the house. When you come close they give you the angry stare!

This is a teaser for a separate post about the amazing Hastings Caves!

Lydia made a new friend!

Thanks Alex, for letting us visit for a couple of days, it’s been beautiful!

Inky! Shy at first, then endless cuddles!

Me working with Alex on slitting big wooden logs, tough work, even with the hydraulic log splitter!

Venturing through some bush land in tassie whilst avoiding tiger snakes (we saw none!)

Beautiful view from Alex and Jo’s place!

One day, we’ll have a reading window like this :)

Thistles, they look great but are a pest and if you don’t get rid of them they triple in numbers for the next year..

Lydia retired my thongs (flip flops for you brits / americans!) I loved these but they had to go..

How beautiful is Tasmania? And here’s Week 2! I survived the man flu ! And then we left Launceston and had an amazing time in Tasmania!

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Hi Mum, hi friends! We’re off!

The first week was, to be absolutely honest with you very very nightmarish. The ferry ride over on the Spirit of Tasmania was nice and calm.

Almost inside the ferry

The belly of the beast

Bye bye, Melbourne!

But then I decided to import the flu with me from our trip to Germany. With 39.2 degrees fever, Lydia took me to a hospital and I got some emergency meds. So the first week was very slow going.

What to do when you have flu symptoms

Markus, not a happy camper

The great thing is, when you arrive at a hospital and have just been on an international flight, they put you on a fast track. The good news – it wasn’t SARS or similar, the bad news, it was a terrible case of man flu, 10 days the Doc said..

Old Mac’s Farm right in Launceston

Policemans Point

Old Mac did not tell us about the 5am train..

To recover we spent the better half of the first week in Launceston at Old Mac’s Farm (E-I-E-I-O-cough-cough-wheeze..) until I was able to travel again. Once able to travel we met up with Matt (his blog is here, go follow him!) We met up at Myrtle Park, just a tad bit north of Launceston.

Myrtle Park and catch ups with Matt

Matt designed these fire pits and they’re awesome!

We used the camp oven to make an awesome chilli!

After a few days here we went on to the East. We explored the Bay of Fires and parts of the Great Eastern Drive. If you come to Tasmania, DEFINITELY go see the Bay of Fires. Blue water, white sand beaches and the colours are just amazing!

Found half an abalone at Policemans Point

Lydia relaxing at Policemans Point

The Gardens, Bay of Fires, TAS

The Gardens, Bay of Fires, TAS

The Gardens, Bay of Fires, TAS

WOW! That was only week one. Next week my birthday is coming up, we’re visiting some of Lydia’s friends in Castle Forbes Bay and will explore some caves in the South and and and… :)

And we’re off, this is Week 1 Hi Mum, hi friends! We're off! The first week was, to be absolutely honest with you very very nightmarish.

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Fridge project part 1 - quiet nights

Fridge project part 1 – quiet nights

Imagine you have the perfect travel fridge. It keeps your beers crisp and cold, your steaks last for days and everything is great! Except.. It isn’t.  Our trusty 32 litre Engel fridge is around seven years old. It still works absolutely fine. But it is noisy at night and there’s no temperature gauge on it.  We want cold beers and good sleeps, so far we only have the beers.. So know what?  How can…

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This week marks our anniversary when Lydia and I met for the first time! We decided to treat ourselves and Das Troopie to a movie night.

It was a bit chilly, so we packed up a few cushions, sleeping bag, and snacks, of course.

The Village cinema in Melbourne’s suburb Coburg is one of only three left in Victoria. It was first opened in 1965 and has three screens, with a capacity for around 850 people. The sound used to be available through speakers you’d hang on your window, nowadays you just tune into a radio frequency and adjust the volume.

Best seats in the house!

We just reversed in and got comfy

Doesn’t get any better than this!

What about food & drinks?

There’s a diner that serves popcorn and your usual cinematic snacks but if that isn’t your thing they also let you order delivery to the entrance. Just make sure you plan your pizza delivery on time. Our delivery was running late and I had to sprint to collect it during the first 20 minutes, sporty. Oh, you can also bring drinks, just be sensible if you have to drive home after the movie :)

Once it gets dark the screen is awesome! (also, credit roll)

Would I recommend this?

YES! This was my first time EVER in a drive-in cinema. I almost wished I would have done this much much earlier. On the other hand, I got to do this at the right time with the right person. Happy anniversary! Xx

Happy anniversary troopy date This week marks our anniversary when Lydia and I met for the first time! We decided to treat ourselves and Das Troopie to a movie night.

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Currently, we are working on a new setup for the Landcruiser Troopcarrier. The old setup in the VDJ78 didn’t give us enough storage space. We also wanted to have more room in our “lounge” and stretch out for those bad weather days.

We started off with a fancy new plan using SketchUp. SketchUp is free and can be learned in a few hours. Well worth the effort because I’d rather measure many times and cut once when building this. Using this tool you also get an idea of what will fit where and how to assemble things. Nice!

Have a look at the drawings and check out the video below!

Troopy storage and rear setup Currently, we are working on a new setup for the Landcruiser Troopcarrier. The old setup in the VDJ78 didn't give us enough storage space.

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Whilst the modification projects are progressing, Lydia reminded me, that it’s important to get out of the house and not just spend my first week off under the car, screwing around, literally.

So off we went on a quick half-day trip across Melbourne. Funny, I’ve lived here for seven years now and this is the first time I found or took the time to go.

The Brighton Beach Boxes

They are basically exactly that. Boxes or huts, right on Brighton beach, apparently some of them have been here since 1862 and one of them sold for over $250,000 this year. Anyway, they’re good for a quick wander, a few great snapshots, collecting a few shells and whilst you’re at it breathing in some salty ocean (well, bay) air.

Remember to take a breather every now and then

Go see the small stuff around. Just because “it’s always going to be there” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go and see it, right? Right!

Make time for the little things, even or especially if they are “too close”.

Brighton Bathing Boxes, Melbourne Whilst the modification projects are progressing, Lydia reminded me, that it's important to get out of the house and not just spend my first week off under the car, screwing around, literally.

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You know how time drags on and on when you are looking forward to something? Yeah? Well, not in my case. This came around much faster than I expected.

Thursday was the last day in the office

and I had not one but TWO send-offs. One by my colleagues in my firm and the second by my the client team I worked with for the last few months. Needless to say, my liver needs a bit of recovery time, urgh.

I want to share with you the farewell gift my team made, not only because it was awesome, but also because it’s too funny not to share it!

Check out these gift wrapper drawings!

Best team I have worked with all year ;)

Thanks so much team, it’s been great!

You’re a truly amazing and thoughtful bunch, which is a rare find and I am glad we met and hope we meet again. “Man trifft sich immer zweimal!” as the Germans say.

(And yes, I am a massive board game nerd and have already played a few rounds)

So what’s next?

Well, our Facebook page is up and running, you can check it out via www.facebook.com/uberlanding. Go do it now, so you know what we’re up to.

And then the water tank project is on, creating more sleeping space, adding more storage space oh and a lift. 4 weeks to go for all that, easy, right? We’ll see, stay tuned :)

Farewell, see you in one year! You know how time drags on and on when you are looking forward to something? Yeah? Well, not in my case.

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For New Years 2015/2016 we went to Byron Bay and volunteered at the Falls Festival. This meant for us that we were in “Info Team 3”. Our job? We had to tell people where water tanks and toilets are, what bands play on what stage and other bits and pieces.

Falls festival camping setup

Us two

Snack time

The entire Falls Festival area is amazing to see. Three different stages, plenty of gigs to see and a weird, yet entertaining small area with performers that remind me of Fringe festivals in Adelaide or Melbourne.

Thilo Cutman

Thilo testing his %%

Awesome milk crate dude

Captain Morgan pirate ship

Outdoor pools

Weird, yet funny festival performer

Weird, yet funny festival performer

Free breathalizer tests and a relatively tight handle on alcohol consumption (which a few people complained about heavily to us, sorry, we didn’t make the rules..)

Weird Al Yangkovic

Party pics

Party pics

All in all not a bad trip and for three days walking around and helping out we got free entry, perfect camping close to the entrance and if you stay until the end there’s apparently a primo staff-afterparty which we did miss out on. Maybe next year, right? :) Byron Bay Falls Festival 2015/2016 For New Years 2015/2016 we went to Byron Bay and volunteered at the Falls Festival. This meant for us that we were in "Info Team 3".