From VIC via NSW to ACT

VIC, NSW, ACT... wtf?

confused already? No worries, VIC stands for the State of Victoria, NSW for New South Wales and ACT is the Australian Capital Territory and we passed through them within a week. Our car has now about 1500km on the clock. We aimed for Canberra as a second stop where we would like to stay for a bit longer and it is about one and a half week now since we are here.

Just the two of us and our fellow Skippy

Shepparton (VIC)

But just going straight is not how we wanted to discover Australia. So, went north first to Shepparton in the northern end of Victoria State. Our visit to Shepparton was quite spiritual. No, no drugs! Our host Sandra, an amazing host who gave us more than just a room, told us a lot about how to drive around in the bushlands and when are the best times not to drive if you want to avoid contact with local kangaroos. We had long chats, tarot sessions and discovered our first huntsman spider.

Unfortunately, I can not really tell much about the city itself. Most of the time, we came to the centre when it was already dark and walks we did only in the close neighbourhood. 

Wodonga (VIC)

As we learned that we shouldn't drive at sunset because kangaroos, wallabies and wombats are highly active and often cross streets without looking to the left and right, we waited until it was dark before we hit the road to Wodonga. Wodonga and its sister city Albury are just separated by the Murray River. It was a two and a half-hour drive and during the ride, when nothing seemed to be around anymore, no cities, no villages just nothing, I pulled the car over, quit the highway, turned the lights off, asked Kadri to get out of the car with me for a moment to just watch the sky.

We have never seen so many stars, the milky way so clear and the Southern Cross so bright! It was unbelievable. 

Later we arrived at Keith and Julia's place in Wodonga. None of us will forget this visit. We had so many great chats, a freaking comfy bed and a f**king sauna! Yes, a SAUNA in Australia. Ok, at this point I must be completely honest with you, when Kadri looked for places in Wodonga/Albury, she found this place with sauna, my first reaction: "I am sold, book it!" - Price was fair and so we booked their place and we do not regret our choice. It was one of the best AirBnB's we had so far in Australia. We were overwhelmed by their hospitality and kindness.

Wodonga is a really nice city and looks very fresh in the centre. It does not take long to lose your way once you exit the city in the wrong way but even that rewards you with amazing green landscapes and country roads.

Beechworth (VIC)

From Wodonga, we set sails for a day trip to the Woolshed Falls and the town Beechworth.
Beautiful country roads were ahead, sunny weather and a clear blue sky. A beautiful day was about to start. Beechworth and the nearby Woolshed Falls became very important in the 1850s. The time of the great Victorian Goldrush.

During the year, it is not always certain that Reedy Creek got water. The last weeks there had been quite dry but we got lucky and we could enjoy a stunning view and a very relaxing time on the rocks of the falls.

Later on, when the sun was about to set, we went to Beechworth. This town leaves you with the impression of being somewhere in a wild west town in America. A typical goldrush town that kept this charm over the years and it hopefully will in the future. Beechworth is also the home of a famous local bakery - the Beechworth Bakery, which does some of the best meat pies and Lamingtons in the region!

Furthermore, Beechworth is very much connected to the famous Ned Kelly, a bushranger who turned rouge and fought the system. He and his gang did some mischief in the region. So it is no surprise that Ned Kelley is still everywhere in town. The local Beechworth Craftbeer Brewery refers via its logo to the iron mask he whore, the bakery offers yummy Ned Kelly pies and so on.

Albury (NSW)

We spent one afternoon in Albury, the city which is located on the northern side of Murray River. Comparing to Wodonga, Albury seems much bigger, busier but it is actually not. However, a few things that we discovered is, that the famous Beechworth Bakery has spread to here and that there is the NORD bakery, which offers Scandinavian style bread.

After our four-night stay, we followed Hume Hwy, made a stop in Gundagiand, continued to Yass and turned south to Canberra, where we are now since about 2 1/2 weeks. However, this is a whole new chapter and will be put into another post.