Yarra Valley
Welcomed with a cup of tea and a warm hug, we were immediately invited to go camping the upcoming weekend. There was no way we would turn down such an opportunity. We got to know each other a bit in the afternoon and during dinner and after that, we set off to collect some throw-away food from different stores. Grocery stores are required to dispose of food approaching its best-before date, but this doesn’t mean the food is bad. John and Judy, who volunteer at a food bank, ensure that the food is collected, neatly stored, and displayed for those in need. I think it’s noble to dedicate time to such efforts, and I was honoured to join John on Thursday evening and Friday morning. It was fascinating to see how everything works, and I was happy to lend a hand. Let me tell you, stores throw away an incredible amount of food and other items just because the packaging is damaged. After visiting only two stores that morning, we managed to fill an entire trailer.
That Friday evening, not knowing what to expect, we followed them on a nearly 3-hour drive to the camping spot. The last 40 minutes were on a gravel road, and although we drove a bit slower than our Australian friends, we finally arrived. This place was stunning! No service, no lights, no electricity, just beautiful nature and wildlife. This is something you rarely find in Belgium anymore. Best of all, we were almost completely alone, except for some friends of our host family. Over the weekend, we relaxed and enjoyed the time away from mobile service. After a short hike in the area, Arnaud decided to take a swim in the river with the others. Although it was 30 degrees outside, the water was cold, so Delphine stayed dry. One of the families took us to a small tunnel inside a rock, once used for gold mining. They advised us to wear Crocs or slippers, but Arnaud stuck with his boots?! He had to pull off a few tricks but managed to keep them dry, quite impressive.
In the evenings, they lit a campfire to keep us warm and cook meals. And you know what? For us, this is one of the best things in life. Sitting around a campfire with warm, kind people, talking about the most random things and eating simple yet delicious food. We exchanged stories about Australian and Belgian nature, wildlife, and culture, which was incredibly interesting. Next to that, we found out that one of the families has a strong interest in wildlife and told us they keep snakes at their home. True to Australian hospitality, they invited us to visit in the coming days. So yeah, maybe we’ll see some big snakes up close and in a safe environment.
They say the weather in Victoria is unpredictable, and they’re not wrong. Like we said earlier, it was 30 degrees on Saturday but we woke up Sunday to the sound of thunder. We found ourselves in the eye of a storm, with thunder, lightning, and rain, a lot of rain. Packing everything as quickly as possible and returning home was the only option. On the way, we stopped for some fresh meat pies, a traditional Australian dish. There were several options, including pork, beef, vegetables… Not an easy decision but we went for the pork/mushrooms and beef pie, delicious! We’ll definitely try to make them at home someday! Also, they had the largest muffin we’ve ever seen!
The house is nestled in the Yarra Valley, about an hour from Melbourne. It’s a peaceful, yet not completely quiet, place. Every day, we hear the sheep, cockatoos, kookaburras, and other birds. While working in the garden, we saw many beautiful birds flying around. Once again, we didn’t encounter spiders, snakes, or other scary animals. The most annoying animal in this country are the flies. Whenever you walk outside, these flies swarm around you, often going straight for your mouth and eyes in search of moisture.
After finishing our daily work, we explored nature in the Dandenong Ranges. We visited the Alfred Nicolas Memorial Garden and the Dandenong Botanical Gardens and drove alongside the Puffing Billy railway. We didn’t see the Puffing Billy train in action but that’s alright. At the end of our drive, we paused at Cockatoo Station to try to spot black cockatoos. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any, but we did stumble upon an echidna, a spiny anteater. It was such an adorable sweet little animal! We loved it! Further beyond the Dandenong Ranges lies the Redwood Forest, a man-made forest with enormous, towering trees. It was interesting to see, though smaller than we had imagined. You could clearly see that the forest was planted, but there was no information at the entrance. We were told the trees were planted here in Australia because there was a disease in the region where the trees grow originally and they were afraid they would go extinct. Not sure if the story is correct, but it does make a good story.
Do you remember our camping friend with the pet snakes? When we asked if we could still visit, their hospitality showed up once again, and we were invited for dinner. Entering the home, we immediately saw some reptile terrariums in the living room. Little did we know that the real big guys lived outside in cages. One cage housed multiple lizards and red-belly black snakes. The second cage contained two enormous scrub pythons. If you are wondering, yes they are venomous and yes, for some reason, we went inside the second cage. These snakes live in the wild here in Australia and were captured by the owner. We were so relieved not to encounter them during any of our hikes. The sound of them hissing right next to us gave us goosebumps.
Inside the terrariums were some cute shiny frogs and two green tree pythons. The green tree pythons aren’t venomous. When they’re born, they are yellow, but as they grow, they turn a vibrant lime green. With their friendly appearance, we were convinced to hold them for a few seconds. Another item checked off our bucket list-holding a real snake!
Earlier, we talked about some Australian food but we didn’t really dive into the Australian kitchen yet. A lot of their food is similar to Belgium cuisine. Supermarkets here are very similar, you will quickly find what you need. They even have Aldi! Australians love their meat, peanut butter, and Vegemite. We tried Vegemite at the beginning of our stay in Australia, but it’s not for us. It is impossible to explain or compare the taste, but it’s very strong and definitely not sweet. ur host family also introduced us to a unique dish: “reef and beef.” It’s a steak with shrimp on top. Something we are not used to but not bad at all. After weeks of travelling, we’ve started to miss some Belgian foods, like a broodje préparé or really good bread.
We had some amaizing days during the weekend which we will touch upon in the next blog, but already wanted to reveal our new hair styles!
