21.-23.03.2018 EDEN
The first thing I did in Eden was visiting the Killer whale Museum. It was really interesting to hear the story of the cooperation of the whalers with the orcas to catch bigger whales: The (unofficial?) “Law of the Tongue” stated that the orcas would help the whalers, as long as they got the lips and the tongue of the whale they caught afterwards. They would group up and chase the much bigger whale into the bay of Eden, alarm the fishermen and help them catch and kill the poor creature. This relationship was highly romanticized by the storytelling in the museum, however it was also made very clear that Australia is a non-whaling country now. The exhibition also covered quite a bit of Eden’s general history as well as Aboriginal trading routes in Australia, the rise and fall of the tuna canning factory in Eden, Australia’s role in the two world wars, the history of Morse code…
After spending a few hours (I’m not exaggerating, it was huge) in the Killer whale Museum, I headed for the lookout at the other end of Eden. It was seriously beautiful, I loved the view and walking a bit further into the bush, I saw a still accessible mini-island, where two guys travelling the country by bike were camping (probably not quite legally).
Joshua had gifted me a tent the day before, since I couldn’t make out proper accommodation in Eden (no couchsurfing hosts and the cheapest hostel at $70) and so I went on the quest to find a nice campsite. I found one for $20 per night and set up my tent, then relaxed a while in the relatively warm meeting room, until I met a guy who invited me to play Assassin’s Creed on his X-BOX in his pavilion tent, which of course I did (while talking to him obviously).
I woke up in the morning thanks to a charming parrot concert in front of my tent, paired with the sweet sweet barking sounds of two mini dogs chasing them around. My neighbour then invited me over for coffee and we had a nice chat. After chilling talking a hot shower and chilling in the sun, I went to Bega to meet Joshua again, because I forgot a few things at his place. Since we were already there, we then visited the cheese factory in Bega. It wasn’t the most interesting thing to spend ones day doing, but still a nice experience. The cheese they had out for tasting weren’t all too special, so we had ice cream instead.
I later went back to Eden and chatted with my neighbour again, then worked on some stuff in the meeting room, until the X-BOX guy from the day before came in and eventually borrowed me his (absent) daughter’s mattress. Ir was a bit too large for my tent, but sooo much more comfortable (& warm) than sleeping on the ground directly.
The next morning I returned the mattress, had coffee at my neighbour’s and made my way to Genoa, to meet Rik.