After a few day's at our friend's Sabrina on the Gold Coast and having seen our first Australian animals of legend - which even included a tree-climbing roo! - we collected our car, a 99 Mitsubishi Pajero. Tom is thrown in deep straight away driving thru Brisbane crazy traffic jams but for sure he manages alright. 

We leave Sabrina's good care for the North as we plan to do a bit of a touristic trip prior we leave south to start wwoofing. Our car isn't equipped yet so we'll have to stay in hostels. We start with a 7 hour drive. Pfiou! And with night falling around at not even 6pm. On the road, the signs start quizzing us to prevent us from falling asleep. Time to stop. It will be Gladstone, in a backpacker's hostel that brings us back a few years. our twenties with some local micro-brewery beers on top!

Next step? You see it in introduction to this post! We sail off from Airlie Beach on a catamaran for a one day exploration of the Whitsundays Islands. On the picture, Whitehaven Beach. Words are lacking to describe this incredible landscape, this white sand that squeaks gently under your flip-flps and stays fresh to the touch, with its incredible texture competing with the crystal blue waters. One cannot help but feeling poetic there. We complete the day with some snorkelling around the nearest coral reefs. There are less than before but the colours remain extraordinary with amazing parrot fish and myriads of little brightly coloured fishes wearing their most extravagant gowns in this play between sunrays and crystal clear water reflections and rainbow touched corals.

To end of little touristic escapade in northern Queensland, we make our first visit to the eco-village of Crystal Waters, descending from a community created in the 70s. We are curious to see how it has faired since then, if you are too, click here to find the articles about all the places we have visited so far!

These first days are full of discoveries. The roadsare huge and distances very different. The cost of living is pretty high even with the euro being strong. It is the beginning of the trip so we do have some extra expenses such as car insurance and some camping gear we'll try to sell at the end. It is also a travelling bit so there are expenses. We tell ourselves this will be caught up by our volunteering time. We get pulled over by the police, driving 70 on a 50km/h road through a little western village. As in the movies, the policeman arrives torch in hand and checks out our cloth line hanging in the back with freshly washed thanks to our portable handwashing bag, says something about oughting to not spend money on fines (160 AUD!) but rather on holidays and lets us go without paying the fine! Thanks mate! We stay overnight not too far from there in a very typical motel which probably doesn't see many non Australian tourists. It is typical, not glamorous but still friendly enough. We back the car into another by accident and the guy says it's nothing, we put his plate back on and drive on. Thanks mate!

Back to Sabrina's where Shaun transforms our car in a small mobile house with a rooftop tent, mobile fridge and camping chairs. The next day we leave for a boating expedition around Surfers paradise where we try and spot whales but end up enjoying the view on a sea turtle. We then try unsuccessfully to catch some floodies in the sandy shores just for the fun of throwing a line really. Next time Shaun leaves at dawn and comes back with a beautiful red snapper (beautiful according EU standard means small according to Austrlian's!). Next, we are preparing a small trip of a few days altogether on Fraser Island, the biggest sand island on Earth. An incredible time which we spend enjoying our time together in this out of the world place. Discover it in video below!

Lifetime memories with lifelong friends!

After Fraser, we go back to the Mary Valley, this very green Queensland region which contrasts so much with Central Queensland, all dry though very famous as a cattle grazing region.

Central Queensland et la capitale du bœuf australien

Some thoughts about the practical effects of free market and capitalism. Click Here to find out all the Alterculteurs community thoughts

Jampot Creek Farm

Our first volunteering! In a very nice farm inpired by biointensive methods from North America! With Damien, a set designer for shows who became half-time farmer! Discover through a video!

Back to our main operating base! Sabrina's! We take the chance to pass by Brisbane which we hadn't seen yet and go meet a freshly arrived French couple, Ben and Elo. With their one-year working holiday visa, they have a project similar to ours so we had to meet up! We visit the Northey Urban City Farm, rather a community garden than a farm, it animates the neighbourhood life. As we couldn't find a guide, we stroll along the place. It's beautiful but not very productive since the soil is contaminated by asbestos so the veggies need to be grown in elevated beds. That is a lot of work and effort for a farm! But it is a very well located place to meet up for a coffee, garden together, make children discover a bit about nature (so long as they wash their hands after playing in the dirt!) and it is also a social endevour as they hire long-term unemployed people. We go back to Sabrina's to service the car and spend a bit more time with our good friends! It is not everyday that you can do so when you live 15000 km appart! Nevertheless, the moment to say goodbye (and see you soon!) arrives.

Southbound it is and slowly this time! We start with Byron Bay, famous hippy place that became the capital for chic bobo type lifestyle. Flash visit as everything there is super expensive and it is raining anyways.

We leave for Nimbin, the new hippy capital where the day after nearby the weave and mend festival will be held in a permaculture garden. Nimbin is like a little countryside Amsterdam. The main street is packed with hemp-promoting shops and organic shops as well as nice little cafés, some restaurant and an art gallery. Nice and relaxed atmosphere!

The festival is mainly by and for women. Circles of women under tipies or stretched canvas are gathered on big mats and weave together plant fibers to make baskets, coasters for glasses or pots and decorations. There are still a few men around. Time slows down as we weave the fibers surrounded by ongoing conversations and bird songs while the variable weather pushes us to huddle together under the sheltered spaces. Strange experience. We leave this place with a bit more knowledge, some sensations, a meditation and a mixed-hemp-weeds-banana leaf fibers glass coaster.

These last days we find out that even with the tent on the roof, we still need to pay for the camping! And the fee is pretty variable according to the place. Whatever. In South West Rocks, we decide for a nice little camping spot facing the sea. A nice walk along the pier and a good dinner in the kitchen campground after a beautiful hot shower announces a perfect night. Unfortunately, the wind raises and lasts throughout the night!

Even with our efforts to reduce the wind intake, there are still some bits that flap around in the storm. Not much sleep even if the one we do get is good.

The next day, we visit Hat Head for a small 3-4km hike on the seashore high up. magnificent views! We even get to see a whale with its baby swimming past going south. The water is crystal clear and the sun is shining. We cross paths with a roo which stops intrigued by us and then a mother roo with its baby popping out his head frm the pouch. Not very impressed by our presence. We see many-coloured birds. Just another ordinary day in Australia of course! This night, learning from the last, we think to find a place sheltered from the wind, like a road rest area and on top it will be free this way. We set camp in a place on the way to our next wwoofing. There are toilets and picnic tables, it'll do for the night. Then again! Bad luck! A truck with some fridges on probably stop near ur after the night has fallen and leaves its engine on for the whole time! It only leaves a few hours later dead in the night. What an amazing silence afterwards! 

Next is Bombah Point Eco-Cottage! We tell you more about this fabulous place and the rest of our adventures in the next newsletter!