A Zoo, a Farm, Opal Mines, a Hike in the Rainforest, and a Paradise Beach

We did a ton of things between leaving Orange, and arriving in Brisbane. From Orange, we followed Penny and Jim's advice and headed further inland to Dubbo, where it housed the Great Western Plains Zoo. The zoo has 300 hectares of bushland, with a walking/driving circuit of 6km. Antoine and I decided to walk (and were the only ones to do so!) and we were pleasantly surprised by the range of animals and their carefully deisgned habitat. Antoine was a bit skeptical about this excursion, not much of a zoo person as he is, but he still got very trigger-happy with his camera. We were lucky to have arrived early enough for their feeding hours. It was pretty fascinating seeing the giraffes run - with their long legs, it looked as if they were galloping in slow motion. The otters were super cute - zipping around in the water to catch their food before quickly hiding it behind a bush, shying from the spectators. We had an excellent day at the zoo. The weather was perfect, and we managed to see almost all the animals great and small. I suppose it wasn't the most fascinating day, but we did learn a few things about the animals and I got my chance to see cute little koalas snoozing on Eucalyptus trees. Fun fact: Koalas are not actually 'high' on the toxins of the Eucalyptus leaves, but they are simply very tired because the leaves have very low calories in them.

From Dubbo, we moved North to Anna's parents' (John and Alison) farm in Coonamble. We spent a couple of days in their remotely-located farm (where the closest supermarket was an hour's drive away, and the roads after rain were only accessible by 4WD!). But what an awesome farm it is! Their house was built in the 1920's and John is the 3rd generation to live there. Unfortunately, we arrived at the same time Mr. Storm visited, so we stayed indoors and caught up with some reading. We did manage to venture out a little bit. When the storm calmed down a little, we slipped into rainboots and made a tour around their very own dam, bringing along little Jack the dog out for a swim. We were also shown Alison's artistic creations. She was very skilled at turning metal scraps into masterpieces, and along the highway around Coonamble, you could see metal Gular birds that she had made dotted around. Alison could also make chairs or even a water feature out of old chains.

As the rainclouds started to move on, we decided that it was also time for us to get going. Our next stop was Lightening Ridge. A really unique town, with a population of '?'. The reason for the '?' is because Lightening Ridge is the place to mine for opals, and as people moved here to try their luck at striking fortune, people moved away just as quickly when they realised it was like finding a needle in a hay stack. It really felt like we had gone back in time when we arrived in this town. The Gold Rush craze was still present in the town. People wore socks with sandles, big cowboy hats, and spoke in a thick outback accent, speaking of the old times when they had fame and fortune and a wife. We joined a tour into the mines as well. And our guide, who was a miner himself, wore a big opal rimmed in gold around his opened collared neck. Howdy Partner! I suppose opals are very beautiful indeed, but my preferences still go to diamonds.

Between Lightening Ridge and Coffs Harbour (the coast), we drove 760km and passed many more interesting and unique places. For example, there was Glenn Innes, which prides itself as a Scottish town and holds an annual festival and parade complete with kilts and bagpipes. The town had also constructed their very own Stonehenge in 1992 which they call the 'Australian Standing Stones'. Very dedicated! We also made it to New England National Park. We set up camp in a free site, and made a 4 hour hike around Lyrebird Trek. It was a gorgeous hike in a rainforest lush with vegetaion and tall grand trees. The last hour of hike was pretty tough, but we made it in time for a quick dip in the freezing river and a glass of wine around a camp fire just before sunset. That night, we joined a free spotlighting tour. Two park rangers guided a group of us into the forest in the evening to look for gliding possums, bats, owls and sugar gliders. They had big powerful torches, and they were experienced enough to point out at least 10 nighttime creatures high up on the trees that night. By the end, our necks were sore from looking up so much.

The route we had taken was called the Waterfall Way. True to its name, we passed at least three waterfalls before arriving at Coffs Harbour. And back to the coastline again, there were plenty of beaches and surfers en route. 

As a summary, our small detour inland turned out to be a huge success. The fact that we had visited real Australian farms, and visited towns and small cities with true character gave us a satisfyingly alternative experience. But as we reached the coast, we were back in backpacker central. At Coffs Harbour, the beaches were swarming with surfers and sun worshippers. A beautiful place, but lacking the edge we found before. Still, the attractiveness of these shores were indisputable. The ocean was glittering and people looked so healthy and wealthy. The mansions perched on the cliffs made my mouth water! The whole drive from Coffs Harbour through to Byron Bay and into the Gold Coast was like that, the lifestyle was a tourist attraction in itself! We stayed one night in Byron Bay. Not only were we impressed by the beaches, we also paid a visit to the Lighthouse and the 'Most Easterly Point of Australia' (now we've been to the most Southern and most Eastern points!). Both locations had a panoramic view of the ocean – so vast that you could just about see the curve of the Earth.

From Byron Bay we skipped the highway and took the slightly longer, more scenic route to Brisbane, via the Gold Coast.  Needless to say, I have nothing but envy for all the gorgeous towns we passed. When I grow up, I want to live there!

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Sejour dans l arriere pays

Alors que nous venions de dire au-revoir a Jimmy et Penny, nous nous apretions deja a rencontrer d autres membres de la famille d Anna, a savoir Alison et John, ses parents.

Sur la route, nous nous arretons a Dubbo, pour visiter le plus grand zoo de l emisphere sud. En arrivant a 8 heures du matin (nous pensions qu il etait 9 heures, mais un changement d horaire recent nous a mis dans le faux), soit 1 heure plus tot que l heure d ouverture, nous sommes en fait rentres gratuitement dans le zoo, sans meme le savoir... En decouvrant notre erreur, Jen a insiste pour qu on revienne sur nos pas afin de payer notre droit d entree. Les principales attractions, a mon gout, etaient les giraffes courant comme des affolees, les hippopotames paresseux, les lions dechus de leur titre royal, les koalas bien caches et les rhinoceros feroces. On y a passe plusieures heures et pris quelques milliers de photos... Infortunement, vous ne pourrez pas les voir parce que mon appareil photos a subi une erreur de format et que nous avons perdu une bonne partie des photos relatives a cet article.

Nous avons ensuite retrouve Alison, que nous a dirigee jusqu a sa maison, a une peu plus d une heure de trajet de Dubbo, quelque part perdu dans l “Outback Australien”. Le village le plus proche se nomme Coonamble, mais ils vivent eloignes de la, ayant pour seuls voisins leurs moutons et quelques vaches. John et Alison a nouveau sont tres accueillant, et nos dinners ensemble nous auront permis de mieux les connaitre. Malheureusement, la meteo fait des siennes, il pleut des trombes d eau dehors, et nous devons rester retranches a l interieur. Lors des quelques eclaircies, Jen et moi avons fait une promenade dans les vastes etendues qui entourent la maison, nous avons ensuite eu le droit a des explications completes de John sur la maniere de tondre un mouton, puis nous avons eu un apercu des sculptures metalliques d Alison, qui fait sa reputation a Coonamble. Au final, nous avons profite d une acalmie prolongee de la pluie pour reprendre la route, apres s etre embourbes dans les chemins boueux.

Nous avons pris la direction de Lightning Ridge, village d un autre temps, qui n a pas connu de developpement technologique depuis les annees 1950... Lightning Ridge est reputee pour ses sources d Opal Noir uniques au monde, ce qui donne a ces cailloux une valeur a faire tourner la tete de beaucoup de gents... Resultat, plusieurs aventuriers se sont lances dans le metier de mineur, un peu comme la ruee vers l or des Etats-Unis quelques generations auparavant. Encore aujourd hui, ces mineurs a barbe longue pensent pouvoir faire fortnue, retranches dans leurs grottes, et la vie au village tourne autour de ce business. Je pense que la principale source de revenus, de nos jours, repose sur les recettes du tourisme. En effet, il est possible de visiter plusieurs mines pour se rendre compte des conditions de l exploitation d une mine. Nous avons fait l une de ces visites, et la particularite etait que le mineur, n ayant pas connu de succes dans la recherche d opal, s est reconverti en sculpteur, et que les parois de sa mine sont couvertes de sculptures de super heros, de caracteres de bandes dessinees, de chanteurs ou d acteurs celebres. Nous sommes restes dans le villlage une nuit, le temps de nous faire devorer par les moustiques...

Notre destination, apres ce village hippy, etait le Waterfall Way (Chemin des Chutes d Eau), qui, comme son nom l indique, passe a proximite de plusieurs chutes d eau, plus ou moins impressionnantes. La route traverse plusieures colines et vallee, ressemblant etrangement a certaines region d auvergne ou de Suisse. Avec une beau soleil et un ciel bleu, la musique a haut volume et les cheveux dans le vent, le trajet a ete tres agreable. Lors de l un de nos campings en pleine foret, nous avons ete invites par un ranger a rejoindre un groupe d autres campeurs pour decouvrir quelques animaux sauvages de nuit. Munis de nos petites lampes torches, nous avons tente l experience. Nous avons repere quelques chauves-souris et entendus quelques hiboux, mais la principale attraction etait les glider possums (possums planeurs). A decrire, le possum peut ressembler a un gros chat gris avec la queue noire, vivant dans les arbres pour echapper aux predateurs. La particularite du possum planeur est qu il a des ailes entre les pattes, un peu comme les chauve-souris, et il s en sert pour planer d un arbre a l autre, ce qui lui evite de redescendre sur terre a chaque fois qu il veut changer d arbre. Cette randonnee nocture etait une experience a part que nous avons fortement apprecie. Le lendemain, nous sommes restes dans le meme parc national pour faire une randonnee dans la foret tropicale.

Je n ai pas parle des chutes d eau parce que ce n est pas ce qu il y avait de plus interessant, et on en a deja vu plusieurs en Australie.

Enfin, notre derniere etape avant Brisbane etait la Gold Coast, paradis des surfers du monde entier, et cliché typique du mode de vie a l australienne... Nous nous sommes arretes a Byron Bay, la capitale de la surf-attitude, et ville fortement frequentee par les backpakers. Jen et moi n etions pas habilles en QuickSilver et n avions pas de tatouage ni de planche de surf sous le bras, donc nous nous sommes sentis un peu hors contexte, mais voir toute cette agitation est une experience indispensable lors d un voyage en Australie. C est egalement a Byron Bay que vous pouvez rejoindre le point le plus a l est de l Australie continentale (on ne compte pas les iles), ce qui a valu une photo que je dedicace a Jerome.

Nous avons passe l une de nos premieres journees sur la plage, au soleil, et ca a ete l occasion de voir un serpent marron (brown snake). Je dois verifier mes sources, mais je crois que c est le serpent le plus venimeux du monde, et tout le monde craint ce reptile en Australie. Generalement, on les trouve plutot dans l interieur des terres, mais ce jour la, l un d entre eux avait decide de se ballader sur la plage, au milieu de plusieurs touristes, a quelques metres de nous.

Apres Byron Bay, nous avons remonte toute la Gold Coast, en passant par les villages cotiers a residences tres prisees, et nous nous sommes arretes a Tweeds Heads pour prendre un point de vue de brisbane a l horizon. C etait notre derniere etape, juste apres la frontiere du Queensland, dont Brisbane est la capitale.

Je tiens a m excuser pour le delais de nos articles. Nous avons pris un peu de retard, mais on ne vous oublie pas. Un peu de patience...