Fell into a coma in Cooma

Cooma is the gateway to the Snowy Mountains. This mountain range is the highest on the Australian mainland. Mount Kosciuszko rises to 2,228 meters. Mawson Peak is the highest point of the Big Ben volcano on Heard Island, which has belonged to Australia since 1947. At 2,745 meters, it is thus the highest point in Australia. However, there’s also Mount McIntock in the area of Antarctica claimed by Australia. It’s 3,490 meters high, though the Australians themselves list it as 3,492 meters. So as you can see, it’s not so easy to determine the highest mountain in Australia. What we can say for sure, though, is that it can get brutally cold at night in the Cooma area. We barely survived the night in our campervan. Luckily, the sun is already very strong, and when it rises in the morning, you can warm up again very quickly. A hot cup of coffee speeds up the warming-up process significantly.

Snowy Mountains, Australia

We’re heading to Canberra, the capital of Australia. Many people we told about our plans to visit Canberra advised us against it. “There’s nothing to see,” they said; “it’s a planned city with absolutely no charm.” Well, the city was indeed designed on the drawing board. It’s a modern city with many high-rises, generously spaced across a vast area. The government district is separated from the city center by the Molonglo River. The numerous parks are laid out over large areas. All in all, they didn’t skimp on space. A huge shopping center right in the middle of the city dominates the downtown area. As a result, there isn’t much going on in the pedestrian zone. Mount Ainslie, on the outskirts of the city, offers a beautiful panoramic view of the entire city. Despite all the naysayers, we actually quite liked Canberra.

Downtown Canberra, Australia

Modern high-rises in Canberra, Australia

Cityscape with Parliament Hill, Canberra, Australia

We drive back through Namadgi National Park to the Snowy Mountains. Via Adaminaby, we reach Buckenderra on Lake Eucumbene, a dammed lake that’s very popular with Australians for fishing. At the campground, we also encounter kangaroos for the first time, right in front of our campsite.

A kangaroo right in front of our campsite in Buckenderra, Australia

The next day, we reached Jindabyne via a 90-kilometer-long gravel road. Here, too, the lake of the same name is dammed. Not far from Jindabyne, Kosciuszko National Park begins. If you want to drive through it, you have to pay. A day pass costs around 17 AUS$. To stay overnight at the various campgrounds, you have to register in advance. We drove all the way to Corryong, which is located outside the park. Here, we spent the night right next to the golf course. The town offers free overnight accommodations, which was easy on our wallet.

Campsite right next to the golf course in Corryong, Australia

The next day, we drive south from Corryong toward Omea. The route takes us back into the mountains and over a pass. Today, we have another 70 kilometers of gravel road ahead of us. Omea also has a campsite, right on Livingstone Creek, which the city provides free of charge. There are even hot showers here. At the Golden Age Hotel, we meet a German woman from Brandenburg who is traveling and working in Australia for a year. We were very happy to meet a fellow countrywoman.

After 60 km, the paved road just ends, and the route continues like this.

From Omea, we drive via Cassilis to Paynesville. The King-Cassilis Mine is an old gold mine that was in operation until 1915. Since then, the equipment has been left to rust away. The mine is located a bit off the road and isn’t all that easy to reach by car. But once there, you find a place of decay that reminds you that everything is fleeting and nothing lasts forever. Certain areas are off-limits due to contamination. Back then, gold was extracted from arsenic-bearing ores—such as arsenopyrite—through calcination, or roasting. What remained was a fine, sand-like residue that’s also laced with heavy metals like mercury, lead, and antimony. This stuff is just lying there in the middle of the forest. The good thing is, you can easily recognize the sand by its unnatural pink, red, or deep purple color. I probably don’t need to mention that this sand is not harmless. We didn’t see any colored sand, but we didn’t go looking for it either.

King Cassilis Gold Mine, Australia

In Paynesville, we took the ferry over to Raymond Island. Here, you can observe koalas in their natural habitat. Most of the time, they sleep in the fork of a eucalyptus tree. But we were lucky enough to come across a wide-awake little fellow as he crossed the road. With his eyes wide open, he stared at us, as if to ask, "Where did you guys suddenly come from?” In any case, spotting a koala on Raymond Island is guaranteed. However, the night in Paynesville was similar to the one in Cooma, with a strong southerly wind. Here, too, we fell into a deep sleep from the cold. The 3°C at night felt like sub-zero temperatures because of the cold wind.

Sleeping koala on Raymond Island, Australia

An awake koala on Raymond Island, Australia

From Paynesville, we continue on to Tidal River. Tidal River is located in Wilson Promontory National Park and, together with South Point, marks the southernmost point of the Australian mainland. This is where we come across our first wombat. These animals are nocturnal and don’t emerge from their burrows until dusk. On top of that, a few parrots have absolutely no respect and pounce on the leftovers from our dinner.

Wombat at Tidal River, Australia

An intrusive fellow at dinner (The colorful one)

But we’ll remember this night, too. The lesson of these freezing cold nights: Gaby doesn’t keep us warm at all. Anyway, we’re looking forward to next week, to Melbourne, and to the fact that it’s supposed to get warmer. Until then, may there always be fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.