The Cardamom Pod..

Hey there!

- Australia -

Part 6: The Cardamom Pod

In this post I will point out an amazing restaurant which is located in Broadbeach, Gold Coast.
"The Cardamom Pod" only serves vegetarian or vegan dishes and focuses on using mainly organic and local products. Choosing a dish there is tough, since everything looks incredibly delicious. Their assortment ranges from fresh salads over to juices, hot meals and exquisite vegan cakes. If I successfully caught your attention, you can have a look at the menu here.

I especially liked the Kofta balls (deep-fried chickpea puree), the buttery Jasmine rice and the Tofu Salad. For dessert I would definitely recommend a slice of the delicious chocolate cheese cake; also don't miss out on one of the freshly made juices.

So if you're ever around the Gold Coast, make sure to pay a visit.

Shop 1 / 2685 Gold Coast highway 
Broadbeach 
QLD 4218
Australia

Next up: Tucked away in the bush

Greetings from Steph

The Hinterland..

Hey there!

- Australia -

Part 5: The Hinterland of the Gold Coast

On the weekend my friend took me to the Hinterland of the Gold Coast for a hike. We drove to Binna Burra in the Lamington National Park which is located near the border of New South Wales.
Our track led us along the sacred Kweebani cave of the Yugambeh people who had inhabited the Gold Coast and its Hinterland before the Europeans arrived in Australia to take their land off them.

On our hike we saw a lot of ancient Antarctic beeches, Eucalyptus trees and epiphytic plants that must have been growing there for hundreds and hundreds of years. The rainforest was lusciously green and seemed so untouched. We listened to the exotic birds singing their songs and heard the trees creaking because of the heavy wind. Moreover the air lacked any traces of human pollution and was incredibly refreshing.

As we were walking in the bush, it was hard to believe that only a few kilometres eastward, our human impact had created such a different and dirty environment. We returned to the Gold Coast after we had completed the circuit and had taken the beautiful view in up in the mountains.
I definitely preferred (and would recommend) wandering around in the forest compared to spending time in the loud and busy streets of Surfer's Paradise.

Find out more about the Lamington National Park here.

Next up: A contrast to the Hinterland

Greetings from Steph

Sailing..

Hey there!

- Australia -

Part 4: Gold Coast

Last Thursday I went on a little sailing trip with my dear friends from New Zealand.
Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of wind most of the time, so we couldn't speed as much as we would have liked.

We started our trip in Southport and sailed along the coast, passed famous Sea World on the way and turned around eventually.
There was a beautiful sunset as you can see in the photo which would have been best to be enjoyed from the ocean.

The Gold Coast is very busy and noisy. There are many high buildings, a lot of restaurants, shops and  touristy attractions. Most of the theme parks in Queensland can be found along the Gold Coast.
I don't like visiting any of these parks, since I find them a bit dull and believe that they are solely aimed at maximising profit. My friend Eliza, who has been living here for almost 2 years describes the city as consumption-oriented.

However there are some really great places around here. You can read about some of them in the following posts.

Next up: The Hinterland

Greetings from Steph

Precious Paradise..

Hey there!

- Australia -

Part 3: Noosa

The other day I went on a roadtrip with some friends going up to Noosa, which is located in the North of the Sunshine Coast. To me the town had always seemed very peaceful and laid back, but also quite stylish and expensive (e.g. Hastings street).

The best spot in Noosa to enjoy a nice cup of coffee would be a place called "Bean Drop" which is located at 75 Noosa Drive. The baristas are very friendly and relaxed and the place has got quirky little things everywhere, take a look at the door handle for instance. There are also great photographs inside, taken by the Aussie photographer Keith (check him out here).

After the obligatory cup of hot chocolate we headed to the National Park of Noosa. The ocean looks magical and is so incredibly inviting. However it was quite cold, so I only dipped my toes in for a while. There are many bush turkeys strolling along the beach there and as you walk through the bush you should always look out for koala bears. They are pretty shy and unfortunately very rare, so we didn't see one as we walked around the park.

Along the coast of Noosa, you can spot many surfers trying to catch waves. The surf wasn't very good, however I am not used to seeing any waves at all, since the Baltic Sea does not have as much strength as the Pacific Ocean, of course. It was still somehow calming to watch the waves break as they reached the shore.

We eventually made our way back to the car to have a picknick in the park. When I was stuyding abroad in Australia, I loved to visit Noosa for the day. Throughout my stay in Australia now, I will definitely come back at least once more to take in the beauty of the Sunshine Coast.

Next up: Sailing on the Gold Coast

Greetings from Steph

The Sunshine State..

Hey there!

- Australia -

Part 2: Sunshine Coast

Since last Thursday I have been staying at the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. This is where I used to go to school as an international student so I wanted to return to see my old host family and the surroundings.

As I arrived at Mooloolaba with my friend who had driven up to the Coast as well, I was completely taken aback by the familarity of the place I had lived at for nearly 10 months.
Everything kind of looked the same and I managed to find my way around without opening up a map just once.
I remembered all the shops that I used to go to and where to get the best sushi right next to the beach. It sort of felt like I had never left the place, since it hadn't changed a tiny bit.

Of course what did change is that many of my friends had moved away. Also because I had spent a lot of time with my fellow international students, I couldn't meet up with them, as they had all returned to their home country many years ago.

Anyway, I pushed myself to get out of the house every day to take in the beautiful beach and nature which would not present itself to me in Germany in the exact same way. I went for long walks and runs on the beach, because it is practically my host family's "backyard". In these past days I probably learnt to spend time alone and to make this time valuable.

I have to say, I had missed the friendliness that you will recognize around Australia if you come from Germany. It is completely normal to smile at a stranger passing by or to ask a check out worker at a supermarket "how are you going?"
In addition to this most people around here wouldn't get off a bus without saying thank you to the bus driver. We could learn a few things about communication from the Aussies, that's for sure.

Next up: Noosa

Greetings from Steph

It's been a while...

Hey there!

I am back. Back to report from one of the greatest and most liveable places on our well-beloved planet earth.

- Australia -

Part 1: Brisbane

Currently I am spending my holidays (in between the end of school and the beginning of university) in my second home, Australia.
Since I came here as an international student to attend a High School on the Sunshine Coast (Queensland), I wanted to return eventually. I've made great friends back then, who I am now seeing again during my time in Downunder.

I did pause blogging and taking photographs for quite a while, but now my inspiration and especially motivation have returned.

So I will simply start off this post with summarising my experience so far.

I arrived at Brisbane airport Tuesday night, where a friend of mine picked me up. As I arrived at his place, I went straight to bed to kill off my jetlag (I had only dozed off occasionally within 25 hours).

On the next day we just caught up with the latest news and went out to a Chinese restaurant with his dear mother. I never knew that you can basically deep-fry anything you like. I had some of the deeply missed Honey Chicken and tried deep-fried ice cream for the first time (it is amazing, trust me).

Later on I met up with two of my Aussie High School friends (with who I stayed with for two nights) and we had a great time catching up.

The following day we started exploring Brisbane. What surprised me the most in Brisbane is the steepness of the streets. Where I come from (Northern Germany) everything is flat, which explains my astonishment...
We headed to Southbank which is near the CBD of Brisbane. I especially love the flower-seamed walkway that leads through the Southbank Parklands. We had lunch at the Mexican restaurant Guzman y Gomez and visited a market which had been organized in front of Queen Street (Brisbane's central shopping street).

In the afternoon we drove up to Mount Coot-tha to watch the sun go down and take a look at the skyline.

The day was then topped off with a delicious meat pie and another chat with the girls.

Next up: Sunshine Coast

Greetings from Steph