Tête en bas

I don’t want to make things go faster. I just want the life in the van to find its own pace. We’re not in an emergency, and I don’t want to try to make everyone move quickly. Instead, I preferred to take it easy. The day starts in joy and happiness, and a lot of crepes.

The beginning of the day is not really different of the day before. Landscape is still the same, monotone. It’s nice to drive a lot.

Adelaide is quickly behind us. It was not planed to stop there, and driving threw just confirm me that there was no real reason to do so anyway.

When leaving the city, we follow the ocean for a little while. But we all know that he’ll soon disappear. After Port Augusta, we’ll turn right, on Stuart Highway. Ocean will then be only a souvenir. For a very long time. We decide to stop a last time on the shore, just the time to say bye to the ocean, et to try to put a toe in the water. Way to cold !

We continue with an other detour, to see a gorge Ben strongly suggest. We understand when we arrive there. The mountain is amazing. We take the time for a small walk that make every body happy. We even include a little climbing time, to have a better view from the height.

Back to the van, we take sometime to talk about the end of the day. Port Augusta is the last real point to buy food. After that, we’ll be in the middle of nowhere. Next town will be Coober Pedy. And it’s small. And it’s far. We have to buy all the food we’ll need in the next few days. In order to make it simple, I suggest that we split the different lunch and diner. One or two people will take care of them. Grocery and cooking. Quite efficient. Not so fast… A team start buying food, while I go behind the grocery with Cassie, to check the bin.

I heard after dumpster diving a little while ago, and tried for the first time with Bernt in Hobart. I was quite surprise by the quality of the food we found. This time, we get out of the bin with lots and lots of breads, a dozen of crescents, and a few bananas. Bread is just perfect, as we all agree that the option “sandwich while driving” was the perfect lunch.

Grocery stop take more time that I though, and I start feeling impatient. But we’ve been definitely saving on money. The day before, I was a little bit worried when I discovered that a full tank of gaz lasted for only 400 km. I think that the tank was not completely full. But to be sure, I started driving slower. Driving 85/95 instead of 100/110. Despite a not stop rising of the diesel price ($1.50 at the beginning, $1,96 at the end) we end up (including reloc saving) aping $75 each. Quite proud of me, as I’ve never seen a ride share between Melbourne and Alice Springs for less than $150. And the food? $45 each. For 5 days. We can all be quite proud of that to!

Grocery finally done, everybody back in the van, we go back on the road. To start the Stuart Highway. A road sign. A right curve. And the pleasure of hearing the GPS saying “in 1,212 km, turn left”.

Night has started for a little while. We want to enjoy as much landscape as we can. We keep on driing for an hour, before stoping on a rest area. Van is quickly in night mode, and we still have some time to talk quietly, before going all to bed, as the wise children we all are.

As we slowly get use to the van, and to each other, we try to do as much road as possible. But the day started late, et there was a couple of stop to do on the road. Eating time, grocery time, eating time again… the landscape is nice, but nothing really different. We ended up stoping the van on a quite rest area. Small camp fire, quiet chat, and starts photography.

It’s the story of a canadian girl, an american guy, an indonesian girl, an australian girl, an australian guy and a french and canadian guy, who are in a campervan. Sounds like a joke, but it was not one. It was one of the most audacious sociologic experiment I ever tried. Gathering 6 peoples, who doesn’t know each other, and let them leave all together in the same van. Traveling 2,278 km in less than 5 days. Being sure that everybody is happy, and enjoy the trip. Yes, it was really audacious…

Once a year, my father organize an event called “les dragonneries”. This event gather thirtyish people during a long week end. Once, I heard him says that one of the reason he was proud of this event, was because it gathers peoples from all different kind of environment. People who would never meet if it was not of this event. It’s probably when I heard my father telling that that I start finding those “sociologic experiment” interesting. I tried some of those a few times, at a very small scale. It was one of the idea behind this trip. There was, of course, the wish to travel from Melbourne to Alice Springs keeping the cost as low as possible. But there was also a clear willing of getting to know others, in order to understand them.

Rachel.

Joshua.

Cassie.

Ben.

Indri.

And I.

Something in common? We all want to go to Alice Springs. We don’t want to spend to much cash. Nothing else. Randomness (or my subconscious, who knows!) wanted that we were three guys and three girls. Everybody seems to be happy about that, as if we were feeling that it will bring a kind of balance. And we will definitely need balance! As the organizer, my goal was simple: I wanted this small trip to be a good souvenir for everyone, and avoid as much tension as possible. No suspense at this time: this was clearly achieve, way over the expectations!

The meeting was on saturday morning, at 10 AM, at Totenham train station. Five minutes walk from the place were we had to pick up the van. To my surprise (there were couchsurfers involve!) no one was more than 10 minutes late. I knew everyone, a little bit. I met everyone quickly during the week. But it was the first time everybody gather at the same place at the same time. Knowing everybody a little, I was anticipating everyone roles. Planing how the tasks would be shared. Who would react how. We discovered, with Cassie and Rachel, that everyone respect the stereotype from his own country (countries for one of us).

Taking the van was an easy thing. The girl who take care of me was the same, one more time. She knows me quite well by now… it was the 3rd time after all.

He didn’t take long before the van was full with backpack and people. To my own pleasure, Rachel was the first one to take the copilot seat. In this trip, we were two with no plan for after the festival. Two who were thinking we might want to travel a little bit together after that. It was the perfect opportunity to get to know each other.

Rachel helped me to discover something about me I didn’t know, and definitely didn’t expect. I lived in Quebec for 10 years. During those 10 years, I’ve kept saying “Canada, I don’t know what it is. I’ve always been in contact with Quebec”. When I traveled to British Colombia (where Rachel come from), I realized that those people at the far hand of the country where not so much different than “us” in Quebec. A few months later, when I was driving across Canada, I realized that if British Colombia and Quebec where quite the same, all those between were definitely different. Strange feeling… that I discovered again with Rachel. As I did, she was trying to avoid tension, and make everybody happy. I felt that we were following the same stereotype. We were both… canadian. I was not french anymore. Neither was I quebecer. I discovered a citizenship I didn’t know I had. Rachel and Cassie both told me a couple of time that they never met any french like me. Maybe because from my french side, I just keep the passport. And some roots, really deep, and really localized.

He didn’t take me a long time to understand that there will be two different way of life in the van. The cabin, quiet and relaxing, and the van, in the back, more lively and on a party mood. In my previous relocation, I was alone with Iris, who didn’t really like to be in the back on the van when moving. As we were only two, it was quite easy to stop when one of us need something. With 6 people, it was definitely an idea to forget. Quickly, all passenger started to leave there seat, moving around. Moving, grabbing something to eat, watching from an other window, enjoying the back seat (transform to a bed for the first night, and until the end of the trip).

I liked this feeling. I liked to have those two difference feeling. Having people happy and partying in the back, and talking and relaxing in the front. When copilot started to change, I wondered if being in a front was a punishment (obliged to spend some time with the driver who doesn’t speak so much) or a reward (enjoy the landscape, relax, take it easy…). Links have been created quickly. And strongly. No one was has been forget in the process. The small family was doing well.

My role, I already knew it, was obvious. Anyone who know me knows that I always end up in this “position”. I was the father, the organizer, the driver. The one who has to think about everything, check that everything is okay, and that the van keep moving. All that was stressing me, a little. I know how slow a 6 persons group could be. I know how difficult it can be to move a group, even as small as this one. I was expecting to spend most of my energy doing that. I didn’t plan that I was going to be helped in my task. Cassie mothered all of us, checking that everyone was feeling okay. Rachel was definitely the older sister, who supervise everyone in the family, because parents are to busy. She took care of me, providing me with sandwich/water/music each time I had a special little query. Perfect copilot, available pour short little chat sometime, and sometime quiet, reading her book or writing. Ben was the teenager in crisis. Passionate by energy, electricity, battery and solar panel, he was giving as much information as anyone want to listen to. And disappear from time to time when someone disagreed with him. Josh, as a preteen, tried to take is room to. To show that he existed, and can tell interesting things to. Indri was the youngest one, quiet, trying (and managing!) to take her place in this crazy family.

Don’t think I’m saying what I didn’t say. I had great time with everyone. I would not have swap anyone for someone else. The result was not perfect, but was really inspiring. But there was still a question remaining. What was going to happen in Alice Springs? When a group form, a dynamic starts. And usually stop at the end. Everyone was it’s own plan at the end of the adventure. I had to find an other couchsurfer, Cassie was going to a friend. So was Ben. Josh had already booked a hostel. Rachel was a little bit lost, thinking that we were going to have the van for the festival. And Indri had no idea what she was going to do next. We could have stop at Alice Springs, everyone going on his own after that. That’s what I was feeling. When Cassie said that we could have a debrief dinner, I was sure. Once everyone settled down, I was not sure if it was a good idea to see us again so soon. I was thinking that everyone might need to breath alone for a little while…

It’s not really easy to sum up 5 days of interaction between 6 people without writing pages. It’s not really easy to describe the trip either. But it’s coming… soon.

As the photographic workshop last saturday went really well, I decided to organize an other one tonight. It was my way of saying “bye” to Melbourne. The theme for this evening was “light painting and fire photography”. As I didn’t have any fire artist close enough, I ended up being at the same time teacher, photograph, and model. That was a nice evening, with a nice group of couchsurfer. And yes, definitely a good way to say “bye” to Melbourne.

Even better, as I decide to eat some inspiring food after that. Yes, that’s exactly what it is. Fries, gravy and cheese. And the menu definitely says “Poutine”. Soon, Quebec will conquer the world!

I had a plan. A quick list of think I wanted to see and do in Central Australia. But there was just a little thing that didn’t fit perfectly. A date that was not the best one. I just managed to change it. Everything seems to fit together now. Sounds like a lot of planning (until the end of may) but… hey… why not!

This is where I am going. In this complete and total orange emptiness.

We arrive in Alice Springs on the 2nd of May. Alice Springs is on B. On the 4th, we’re moving to the Wide Open Space festival (A). Back to Alice Springs, on the 7th in the morning. Seems that we’re going to do a couchcrash in Alice Springs on the 7th. Couchcrash? When a whole group of couchsurfer arrive together at the same place. Usually coming with fun and laugh and great time. 8-9-10-11 will be used to discover Uluru (C) and Kings Canyon (D). Part of the amazing landscape that we can see there. On the 12, I’m coming back south, to Coober Pedy. Coober Pedy is the world capital of Opal production. A city in the middle of nowhere, where most house are just dig in the ground. One of the first book I red, written by Colin Thiele, this australian writer that make me discover Australia when I was 11 or 12, is happening in a place like that. I’ll be staying in this piece of emptiness until the 24th of may. Yes, an other Helpx mission there. In a kangaroos orphan. Helping kangaroos, and learning to play didgeridoo. On the 24th, I’ll be heading to Oodnadatta (F). Small little village, far from everything. Because my friend Marilyne had lived there for 5 months when she was in Australia. And I just want to have a look, because of what she told me.

After that? I don’t really know yet. I’ll be definitely looking for a job. And I have the feeling that staying for a little while in such a remote place as Oodnadatta could be nice. Or a little bit less remote, like Alice Springs. Or I’ll go on the north west coast, to see my friend Fan Fan again.

Now, there’s still something you might not realize, as you don’t have any scale on the map. The distance between B (Alice Springs) and C (Uluru) is 500 kms. And 900 kms from Uluru to Coober Pedy. Looks really small and close, on this picture, isn’t it?

That’s what it looks like in Australia. G is Melbourne. 2,200 kms from Alice Springs (B). Who said Australia was a big country?

So… you have a well known brewery, and your next beer will be ready soon. As you’re one of the trendiest place in town, with an amazing decoration in an old warehouse, you could just put a little poster “Quiet American no available”. Yes, that would be simple.

Or you can advertise “Quiet American is coming. First kegs will be on us. Free beers from 4:30 to 6 PM. So, now it’s completely different. Then, if you have couchsurfers spreading the information, you’ll have this gathering of 30 peoples, from everywhere on earth, sharing… hum… a few beers.

When I first so the date of the event, I decided that I was going to drink to celebrate. Or to forget. Sometime, when a shop advertise something free, they have a long waiting list, or they’ll find other way to reduce there cost as much as they can. At the Little Creatures Brewery, they do thing the good way. The good thing about having two hands is that you can hold two beers. I quickly forget that I was suppose to forget something, and just start having fun, talking with people. New peoples, new meeting… I like Melbourne couchsurfing community.

And as if free beer was not enough, they decide to add some free food to!

I wanted to discover the Little Creature drinking hall for a little while. The place is amazing, atmosphere is really nice, and the staff is great. I would be more than happy to go back there!

This evening was also an opportunity to meet Cassie, Rachel, Josh and Indri. We talked about the upcoming road trip. Everything was well, and I do have the feeling that it’s going to be a great experience !

And hey… I suppose I had to try at least once to walk back home because it was to late for the last tram?

Oh… and if you’re wondering if the beer was good… yes, it was. A great one. But I should have write my feeling after the first glass, to have a good description!

Richmond results are now official. The dream will have to stop here. Another one. As usual, I suppose it’s for the best… I’ll see… the good news for all the readers is that this blog will stay bilingual. I like it this way.

So… what’s next?

Plan B is already on the rail. Next saturday, I’m leaving Melbourne. I booked a relocation van a little while ago, heading to Alice Springs. 5 days to drive 2,200 kms. But I won’t be alone. The campervan is a huge one, with room for 6 persons. And it is full. Cassie, Josh, Indri and Rachel, 4 couchsurfers, and Ben, the guy I met a few days ago at the prom. 5 days with 5 almost complete strangers. This is going to be a really interesting experience.

Desert has been calling me for a little while now. After the first time I drove through an amazing never ending emptiness in New Mexico, I discover that desert could be such an awesome place… so quiet… just perfect, sometime, to be alone. To much dreams had fall apart on the last few months. Keeping quiet for a little while, just relaxing, just by myself sounds the thing to do at the moment. Putting my ideas back together.

I might not be that much alone… I have a friend, Mara, in Alice Springs. We first met in Melbourne, for christmas. It will be nice to see her again. And there’s also Fan Fan. I met her in Hobart. She’s somewhere on the north west coast. Could be nice to visit friends… there’s also one or two other possibilities… who knows?

And there’s also the Wide Open Space festival. Starting on the 4th of may.

Desert is coming…

I wasn’t sure if I was to come back today or tomorrow. I have to be back by 3PM tomorrow, as I’m organizing a couchsurfing event… as hitch hiking is not always very reliable, I was feeling that coming back on friday was safer. And at the same time, Daniel told me that they were planing to drive back to Melbourne today too. So it all sound like a good reason to start packing my stuff…

I was eating my breakfast (I had to replace bread by almond biscuit… that was just perfect with my chocolate spread!) a guy in a surf suit come to me. He seems to be surprised that I didn’t have a car. We talked for a while… I tell him my plan to go to Alice Spring soon (the reader will have more news soon about this). He seems to be very enthusiastic. We keep talking, I take his phone number and email address, wish him a great day, and tell him bye. He’s name is Ben, he is an engineer  and inventor. He drive a van fueled with fried oil, with a solar panel. I’m looking forward seeing him again!

I’m ready to leave. Backpack on my back, I just have a nice little hike to do before I go. Lilly Pilly Gully. It’s the name of a tree we can find in wet forest. We saw a couple of them in Tasmania. I heard that this walk was nice and quiet. And Daniel was also planing to do it. Could be a great timing to meet them again, and see if they are leaving.

There’s no blue van at the parking… but I meet them a little bit after that, and they confirm that they will be leaving soon. I can find them in the parking. I do the walk quickly. There’s nothing really inspiring there. Except this group of old people, with whom I have a great little chat.

I still can’t find the blue van when I’m back to the parking. Don’t really know what to do… are they already gone? Lets start walking… maybe someone will take me. Or maybe they will arrive…

I’ve been walking for a little bit more than 10 minutes when the first car stops. In ten minutes, I saw less than 10 cars. The way back, a succession of nice meeting, confirm me that hitch hiking in Victoria is as easy than it is in Tasmania.

It started with this surfer, in his fifties, who gave me a 30 kilometers ride, and tell me that I should go to Fish Creek, not to Foster.

Then, there was this farmer, in his forties. He told me than Foster was better, because it’s on the highway. He is going to Foster, but is ready to make a little detour to Fish Creek for me. Foster and the highway sounds good for me.

Then, it was this old woman, who apologies for taking me only up hill, because she was not going any further. But she offered me two amazing mini muffins. And wished me good luck. And concluded by “god bless you”.

The young guy, who stopped a little while after, blow in a Breathalyser 5 minutes after I get onboard. If it might worried some, it didn’t worry me. Because the thing didn’t start biping. And the car didn’t explose. So he was probably clean. Anyway… the beer bottle, on the front seat, were all full.

The next guy was a sikh. When I sat in his car, he told me that his friend advised him not to stop for stranger. That was not safe. But he doesn’t believe that. He’s sikh, and according to the sikh faith, God is everywhere, in everyone, as he explained to me later. So, I can guess than God is in me to. Now, I’m asking you this question: if you see God, hitch hiking on the side of the road, you’ll give him a ride, right?

He dropped me, after a really interesting religious chat, at a train station, where I was able to catch a train to go back to Megan and Tao house. Really happy by this small three days adventure.

I was supposed to have a good night, in order to wake up early, and in good shape. But the wind has been blowing. Without stopping. All night. And my tent has this bad habits of shaking and being really noisy in the wind. I almost didn’t sleep, and when I feel good enough to start moving, it was past 10 already.

The Prom remind me Freycinet in Tasmania. Nice peninsula, with a few mountains/hills for the view, a couple of awesome bay, and a long overnight hike. The one I was supposed to do. Unfortunately, it means a 21 kilometers hike for today. Knowing that the sunset is at 5:30PM, I definitely didn’t have the time to do it. After a little while, trying to find what to do, I decide to take my backpack. I’ll sleep… hum… somewhere.

The walk start following Norman Bay beach, where the campground is.

After the beach, the path start going up. Just a little. Because of Mount Oberon. Nice little mountain over the peninsula. It’s usually possible to hike to the summit, but because of massive flood last year, there is a couple of closed path in the Prom. I keep on walking.

My backpack is to heavy. I don’t understand why. I feel a lack of energy and motivation. Those, I know why. Would definitely have enjoy a few more hours sleeping… so I take my time and, when I arrive at Little Oberon Bay, I even take a little break, to enjoy the beach.

I’m not sure. I don’t really want to go any further. I know that I won’t have the time/energy to go where I was planning. If I go further, it means that all I’ll be able to do tomorrow is to walk my way back. I choose a compromise. I leave my backpack behind a rock, et walk up to the next beach. I’ll come back later, sleeping again in the main campground, so that I have sometime tomorrow to explore other part of the park. I like this option.

I like Oberon Bay, a few kilometers after Little Oberon Bay. The weather, despite of the grey sky and the fog, give amazing effect. I know it won’t look good on a picture, so I take all my time to enjoy. It’s cold. I don’t mind. I like it.

Happy of that little extra hike, I walk back, take my bag, and come back to the campground. The Prom is nice but, according to me, far away to be as amazing as Freycinet. But yes, it was just a short preview, under a bad weather. In a perfect world, I’d have to come back for 5 or 6 days in the area…

It’s still quite early, and I have some time to walk around the campground. There’s a nice little river, with a nice little bridge. I sit on a rock, on the other side, to play the flute. Until I realize that, in the sand bellow me, there’s lots of mini crabs, walking everywhere. So cute !

Sunset… I take a few extra photo. The light is just perfect, and the beach is a great place to enjoy it. In the background, mount Oberon remind me mount Freycinet. I really hope I’ll be able to see the view from the top one day…

I stop by Daniel and his girlfriend again. They are quite surprised to see me, as I was supposed to sleep far away from here. We talk for a little while. Time passes slowly. Clouds are gone. Stars starts shining. I wish them a good night, in order to eat some food, and take a couple of picture. And hopefully, after that, get some sleep. There’s no more wind. It will definitely help.

The sky is perfect. Absolutely clear. The result is amazing. I’m happy.

I walk back to my tent. Hear some noise inside. Open it.

I don’t know why wild animals in Australia like my breakfast so much. Maybe it’s easier for them to open a plastic bag with bread, than a beef can… I guess…

Anyway… if possum is a easy to frighten animal, the wombat is placid, and will ignore you. He was happy eating my bread, and didn’t care moving from where he was. And a wombat is a pretty heavy animal! I tried to push him… with no success… I didn’t want to go… and when you see there claws, you want to be a little bit careful. I don’t really want to fight with him. I just want to sleep…

After a little while, Mister Wombat finally decide to go. Well… there’s no more bread. Only can. No reason for him to stay I suppose. Virginie was laughing at me because of the possum. She now has an other reason…

Anyway… I have my tent just for me. Time for me to jump in my sleeping bag and fall asleep with no problem!

The day starts slowly. I have a hard time putting everything together to start moving. But finally, I manage to be active at the end of the morning. Backpack on my back, I walk to the train station. This is going to be quite a long ride. Starting with 2 hours of train, in order to reach the furthest suburb of Melbourne, and from here, hitch hike the next 160 kilometers.

Going through the never ending suburb of Melbourne is all but inspiring. But the train finally arrives in Pakhenam, its terminus. My backpack is a little bit to heavy. I don’t know why, but I’ll have to deal with it. I start walking. That’s the very first time I’m hitch hiking on the mainland, and I’m wondering if it will be as easy as it was in Tasmania. The first car to stop, less than 10 minutes after I started walking, make me think that it’s going to be an easy ride, even if he just gives me a 15 kilometers ride. The second vehicle won’t even stop: he was already parked on the side of the road. A blue van flashes his lights as I’m trying to understand which way I had to go. Daniel, the driver, tells me that they are going… to Wilson Promontory. His girlfriend, an other name that I forget, is just doing a quick stop at the bakery. Ten minutes later, we’re back on the road, via the touristic drive. Seating in the back on the van, I can’t really talk with them. I’m to far. Can’t really take photos either. It’s not a problem. I still have a few exchange, and I just enjoy the landscape. They are coming from Darwin area. They are both german-australian. In holiday in Victoria for a few weeks before flying back to the northern territory.

We arrive at the Prom just on time to see a nice sunset and catch a few pictures.

Wilson Promontory is one of the favorite place of lots of Melbournian. They are proud of the Prom, and talk a lot about it. And I was quite curious to see what it looks like. Being close to the city make the Proms a very popular place, and the park offers a giant 450 places campground. But off season, during the week, it just mean that you’ve got plenty of room just for you, and that you might eventually heard your neighbor if he starts screaming. That’s perfect. Daniel and his girlfriend find a little spot for the van, and invite me to come back later to spend the evening with them. It’s quite windy down there, so I decide to try to find a place sheltered by the tree.

When the tent is ready, I take 5 minutes to catch the last sun light on the beach.

And I go back to the travelers in the blue van. They welcome me with a glass of wine, and we spend a short evening talking about all and nothing. Small, simple little moment, as I like them. At some point, they say that they are planning to go back to Melbourne in two or three days. Just a perfect timing for me!

Little bit later, I’m rolled in my warm sleeping back, on my thin air mattress, under a shaking tent. It’s not even 8PM, but I’m tired, and I’m planning to fall asleep early, as I have quite a long day planed for tomorrow !