My time so far

I arrived in Melbourne, north of the island of Tasmania, after a series of road trips in Australia. My first adventure, after working in Perth, took me around the southern part of Western Australia. The second, after working in rural Manjimup, was an epic drive from Perth to Darwin. Both of those were in my own car, which I sold in Darwin, as it was on its last wheels.

Following three months working in Brisbane, I made my way up the Queensland coast to Cairns via a series of coach journeys. From Cairns, I flew to the centre of the country, to Alice Springs. I then used Gumtree to find two separate adverts from fellow road trippers, which I joined, that saw me head south. First, to Adelaide via Urulu, and then to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road.

Stay or go?

I was very fortunate to have seen so much of the country up to this point, in around eight months since arriving. Arriving in Melbourne, after travel for an extended period, I had around $800 (AUD at that time equalled about £400) to my name. Clearly, it would have been sensible for me to look for work in Melbourne, as many backpackers do.

I stayed in a hostel for a few days and half-heartedly looked for work, and I saw some of Melbourne’s attractions in the meantime. The highlight for me were the penguins at St. Kilda, which probably summed up what I wanted to experience for the remainder of my time in Australia – nature and wildlife.

Going, going…

I felt my previous stays in cities, in both Perth and Brisbane, had been limiting experiences in terms of exploring, particularly when I was saving for travel. Outside of work, I spent a lot of my time in the hostel grounds. Now, with around four months left on my visa, work opportunities were limited. Furthermore, I had enjoyed my time working on an orchard in Southwestern Australia far more than my time working in a call centre in Brisbane. Almost inevitably, I made my mind up to leave the city.

I heard there was farm work to be found in Tasmania; so, I now had a good reason to keep travelling and explore what was supposed to be Australia’s answer to New Zealand. I made a rough plan to visit as many of Tasmania’s abundance of National Parks as possible. Due to my lack of cash, I decided to attempt to hitchhike and camp where possible – inspired in part by the portrayal of Chris McCandless’ life.

Gone

My trip started with the overnight ferry, from Melbourne to Devonport. There were cabins available, or sleeper chairs. I went for the cheapest option – sleeping on the floor. It was mid-October, and the ferry left the shore just before sunset, offering a nice view over the Tasman Sea. I headed out on the deck, keeping an eye out for marine life, as the sun set. The boat ride was pleasant enough, with a bar and lively atmosphere, but it also had quiet rooms to allow me some sleep before the adventure began.