Discover a unique golfing experience in Australia, where you can play on affordable courses alongside – golf with Kangaroos. My journey takes a brief pause here, with surprises, encounters, and preparations for the next leg to Sydney.
A Well-Deserved Rest
For the first time on this journey, I stayed two nights in the same place. After a long stretch on the bike, I needed a break to rest, switch out my tires, and clean off the mud and dust from my bike. My time in the “wilderness” was coming to an end.
My GPS now shows exactly 1,000 km to Sydney, and tomorrow, I’ll head back toward the coastal towns. After nearly three weeks, I’ll finally sleep in a real bed. Friends reached out to let me know their son lives in Gold Coast, and I could stop by. Initially, I thought we’d just grab a beer and I’d move on, but after speaking with him on the phone today, he kindly offered me a place to stay. There was no way I could politely decline.
A Morning of Golf and Kangaroos
This morning, I traded my bike for golf clubs and swapped cycling for a different sport. I spent a relaxing few hours at the local golf course. In Australia, golf is surprisingly affordable—an 18-hole course costs around €20, much cheaper than back home, where you’d pay more for just 9 holes.
The course was nearly deserted; I only came across three other people and twelve kangaroos lounging on the greens. I was told there are koalas in the area too, but I wasn’t lucky enough to spot one.
A Curious Neighbor
Next to my tent was a caravan that seemed permanently parked and well-worn, owned by a scruffy man in his fifties. He greeted me warmly and offered some unsolicited advice: I should move my bike from where it was leaning against the main building and park it next to his caravan instead. His reasoning? To prevent it from being stolen.
Judging by his gestures and demeanor, I couldn’t help but suspect he might have more experience with the “other side of the law” than with preventing theft. I explained to him that my bike was GPS-protected and reassured him that I wasn’t worried. Now, I just hope he doesn’t give me a reason to worry.
A Surprise Slovak Greeting
Later that evening, while I was working on my bike, I heard an unexpected “Dobrý deň!” (Good day!). The voice belonged to an Australian woman who had spotted the Slovak flag on my bike. She explained that she had visited Slovakia and remembered how to greet people in Slovak.
She’d vacationed in the Tatras, although pronouncing the word “Tatry” proved to be a challenge for her. It was a lovely and unexpected encounter that made my evening even more special.
