After a satisfying bonus day in Sydney, I was ready for an adventure. Only the very little sleep (5 hours), the early wakeup, and finding an Uber on Sunday morning made it challenging to get going.. but after the last sip of coffee, I called a Bolt and finally headed to the Sydney Airport to pick up my pre-booked car.

Car relocation is one of the biggest awesomeness in Australia. The deal is a given destination, set days, and a car for $1/day. The days can usually be extended, and the route is entirely up to you. However, since the fuel is not included, I wanted to share the costs for at least one section of the trip. I originally planned to take the direct outback road from Sydney to Adelaide (and from there to Melbs), but I couldn’t find a company for plan A.. so I changed to plan B.

DAY 1 | From Sydney to Melbourne

Thanks to the many Facebook groups, two girls joined me on the Sydney-Melbourne section. We left in the morning and made it to Melbourne in ca. 12 hours. What can I say.. I could barely speak when I checked in the hostel.

Probably the most exhausting part of driving in Australia isn’t the vast distances; it’s the speed cameras. As the fines are insanely high, paying attention is best, but continuously checking your speed is extremely tiring. Despite a handy NSW camera location map, once we left Canberra, I got tired of the limitations and left the highway. It was so refreshing to drive on state roads without cameras, enjoying the scenery, the speed, and the places with funny names, like Wagga Wagga.

The other stress factor on the roads is wildlife (obviously the main reason for the speed limits). On the East Coast, you can find and sadly hit many kangaroos and koalas, so it’s always better to drive during the day and reach the outskirts of towns before dusk (they are the most active at sunrise and sunset).

The first day of my trip was all about driving with a wide range of weather, coffee, and music. After which, arriving in downtown Melbourne was kinda shocking; it felt like I had left Australia and landed somewhere in Europe. I was intrigued by this exciting new city but also felt dead tired, so after setting the time with my new passengers for the next day and getting a room upgrade, I had 7 hours of much-needed deep sleep.

DAY 2 | From Melbourne to Warrnambool

I started the day at 7 am (because I didn’t want to pay for parking in the CBD) and took a short ride. I was amazed by the difference and loved Melbs immediately. It’s much closer to my European soul than the other Aussie cities; I love the multicultural vibe and the lots of green and street art, and I couldn’t wait to see more of it.

After dropping my bag off at my future HelpX host (and meeting his super cute cats), I grabbed some breakfast in St Kilda, picked up my new travel mates, and took off to the famous Great Ocean Road.

One thing I don’t like about Victoria is the weather. I’m a tropical person, and this unpredictable, rainy weather with the cold breeze is just not for me; I’m not just weather-moody, I also hate freezing. We left the city in glorious sunshine and arrived at our first stop, Bird Rock Lookout, in the rain. From there, the Great Ocean Road felt mostly overrated and overhyped, but at least long. The view is lovely (when not obscured by trees), but after 30 minutes, it becomes boring, and then all you’re left with is the crowds and slow campervans as an experience.

When we had a lunch break in Apollo Bay, it became clear that this trip would take longer than expected, but I couldn’t speed things up, so just tried to lean in. The last mission for the day was the Twelve Apostles. It must look prettier in the sunshine because it left me unimpressed on this gloomy afternoon (and apart from a whole load of tourists, you just look at rocks).

After 4 months in Australia, I reached the apathetic let’s get out of here state. At this point, I had zero interest in the mountains, cliffs, and unenjoyable beaches. Not gonna lie; it wasn’t the most comfortable feeling, and I think my face turned into a permanent grumpy cat, too.

Having no plans gives me freedom, but this time, I also learned what it’s like to make random decisions.. with others. When I’m on my own, I don’t care much – I will sort it out in whatever way. But when I travel with people, that’s not that simple. Since we didn’t get too far that day, we had to find a place for the night; Warrnambool was the choice. The girls stayed in a hostel, but I slept in the car. I wanted to save money, but I also needed some alone time and missed sleeping by the ocean under the starry sky. All I needed.

DAY 3 | From Warrnambool to Adelaide

I woke up pretty early, but it wasn’t a romantic sunrise on the beach, just another cloudy-windy moment. Because of my time constraints, I wanted to arrive in Adelaide by the afternoon.

We considered stopping by the Grampians for a few hours, but after checking the weather situation, we turned left at Hamilton. From there, the road led straight to Victor Harbor – with silo art and rainbows and a sharp contrast in the landscape once we crossed the border between Victoria and South Australia.

After dropping the girls off at their accommodation in Adelaide, I finally arrived at the fairytale home of my friends. The funny thing is, they are the same ones who hosted me in Sydney before, they just moved in the meantime. I was warmly welcomed, had a nice dinner and conversation, and then quickly fell asleep and was looking forward to the next day when I didn’t have to drive (little did I know).

DAY 4 | Adelaide

Adelaide is the sweetheart of Australia; the city is soft, quiet, and absolutely liveable. I fell for its cuteness right after arriving.

I enjoyed the slow morning, a coffee in the backyard, and the feeling of no rush. However, I only had one day to explore the city, and I wanted to see as many things as possible. When I say things, I mean street art.

I stayed in the heart of the CBD (North Adelaide), within walking distance of everything. My first stop was a breakfast at Penny University. I didn’t really eat out during my Aussie months, so it was like a typical sightseeing tourist moment – and I liked it. These streets (with Ebenezer Place and Vardon Ave) are basically the Insta-friendly foodie center, with a wide selection and cool displays on the walls.

I love that street art in Adelaide integrates into everyday life; it’s part of the streetscape, matches the atmosphere, and is accepted as a highly decorative way of self-expression. I love hunting murals and seeing for the first time the work of artists I’ve been following for a long time. The excitement, then the absorption of the details and unique techniques, is like soul food. And Adelaide got my taste in style and colour, so walking the vivid streets in the sunshine sweetened my anti-Aussie mood.

From the university, through the Rundle Mall, I arrived at the Central Market. Somehow, I always end up in Chinatown wherever I go, and usually, that’s my favourite part of the city. The Hong Kong grocery store and the whole market are amazing; you can find everything there. Another thing I like is that Adelaide feels so spacious. The downtown is clean and organized, and even at peak times (like business lunch on Wednesday) feels empty-ish. Adorable.

My city tour took less time than I thought, so I picked up my car (this is how I didn’t drive that day) and headed to Port Adelaide; it’s a main area for outstanding murals, so I had to check it out. After taking all the photos I needed, I had no reason to spend more time around (and everything closed at 4 pm), so I drove up to North Haven (just because why not), then followed the Seaview Road to Glenelg.

The last time I saw a sunset over the sea was January, so I wanted to catch one once I was finally on the good side of the island. Despite Adelaide and its surroundings being dear to my heart, in my current state, I felt that not only the beaches but also the sunsets were boring in Australia.

After the sun disappeared over the horizon, I drove back to the city and to the Fringe Festival. The mesmerizing Aboriginal projection (Yabarra: Gathering of Light), where the trees and the river formed the canvas of lights, was beautiful and touching. Finally, I closed the day in a friendly circle with tasty Chinese food and also got a taste of the cold and freezing nights of SA.

DAY 5 | From Adelaide to Melbourne

The last and very long day. And not necessarily because of the distance but more because of my inner storm and turbulence. This time, I was alone in the car and I needed it. I said goodbye to my sweet hosts and set off around 9 am. On the way out of the city, I stopped in Kent Town to find some more murals (never enough), after which an emotional and mental breakdown kicked in. I was not prepared for that and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone before a 700 km journey.

Halfway through, after a near-death experience (note to self: don’t turn behind a road train in the opposite direction), I even stopped on an access road and screamed for 10 minutes. Well, that didn’t help, and the flies just kept coming, so I gave myself a pep talk, changed the playlist, and carried on.

The highway between Adelaide and Melbourne is easy and – unless you visit the various reserves – boring. The only cute thing I found was the Loch Iel pink lake, which I couldn’t get to due to some construction.

I arrived in Melbourne around 8 pm (the afternoon traffic is no joke) and felt like a brainwashed zombie. After missing the exit to the airport parking lot twice, I managed to drop off the car, catch an airport shuttle to the city, and then a rideshare Uber to my final destination.

5 days, 3 states, and about 3000 km of driving. Although it was physically and mentally heavy, I loved it. Even a few years ago, I couldn’t have imagined driving across Australia and doing all the things that are part of my life today.

My stay in Australia was coming to an end. There was only one place left: Melbourne.