"Waiting for love in despair"
It is the flower language of jacaranda
When hearing about jacaranda for the first time, most people will think that
This romantic name matches the blue romantic flowers
But this is not the case
The scientific name of Jacaranda is Jacaranda
Deciduous tree
Flower color ranges from lavender to deep purple
annual flowering time
Like a shy girl
Enough to bring visual shock to the viewer
↑Grafton town streets

The "examination flower" of the University of Sydney

Friends who are familiar with Tu'ao must know
Every October to November is the time when Australian jacarandas are in full bloom.
Purple jacaranda tree next to the Magic Castle at the University of Sydney
It has also become one of the favorites of tourists
Jacaranda is also known as the "examination flower"
This goes back to 1928
Professor Eben Waterhouse, University of Sydney
At the corner of The Quadrangle, the oldest teaching building
Planted this famous jacaranda
When the sky full of purple petals are flying on campus
Exam season is here
Legend has it that if the jacaranda blooms
If you haven’t started reviewing yet
I was accidentally hit on the head by a flower petal
But you’re going to fail the class!

Jacaranda Town: GRAFTON

If Sydney’s jacarandas have already fascinated you,
Then the small town of Grafton in New South Wales will definitely take your breath away.
Another name for this town
It’s called Jacaranda Town
Because here,6500 jacaranda trees were planted
It's like a fairy tale place
Incredibly beautiful
The town holds the Jacaranda Festival every year in early November.
The day I arrived was the last day of the Jacaranda Festival
Although there are no more tourists
But the scenery is quite comfortable
This is a beautiful and thrilling story about her and me
(Danger, please do not imitate)
It takes an overnight drive from Sydney to Grafton
I took my favorite Greyhound bus and embarked on a flower-viewing trip alone.
When I opened my eyes in the morning, I saw the green landscape
There are many kangaroos that were hit on the roadside
They may also be confused
Obviously jumping happily
Why was it knocked away?
The Greyhound bus station is where I get off every time I arrive.
It is also the pick-up point for the next destination.
Therefore, the accommodation you book must be close to the station.
after all
I hold more than 30 kilograms of luggage...
(Note: This lays a deep foreshadowing for the embarrassing journey ahead)
This small town is very worrying.
There is no youth hostel that I love
The nearest hotel still requires me to walk 4 kilometers.
Walkable motel
But he was young and energetic at the time
That’s all
A few days before departure, I booked the remaining six beds in the hotel.
↑Exterior view of the motel
I walked more than two kilometers on the highway with a similar cheerful pace.
Going around all the roads and alleys
Finally arrived at the hotel (pictured above)
It can be obtained from the picture
There is also a liquor store on the first floor:)
Walking in the door with anticipation
Live TV of football match hanging on the wall
Some grandpas are eagerly buying lotto tickets
Some grandpas were drinking and chatting at the front desk
There is also a grandpa sitting on the sofa on one side watching the game comfortably.
This floor is like a classic small town senior citizen bar!
As soon as I walked in, I nodded to them.
One of the grandpas enthusiastically helped me call the front desk.
Checked in quickly on the second floor
Already sweating profusely, I immediately bought a bottle of beer
Moved a wing chair to the door of the bar
Learn from the old man next to you in the shade
Leaning on a chair, drinking a small beer, blowing in the wind, and looking at the street scenery
(Inner OS: This little life is really fun)
Soon I started chatting with my grandpa all the time.
When I say that I am a backpacker, I come here specifically to see the flowers.
Then grandpa looked at Google Maps
He explained it street by street and gave me a guide to viewing flowers.
I feel more confident and ready to go~

The long road to flower viewing

This town is so beautiful that even a small road is covered with flowers.
The town is divided into two parts by the water system
If I want to see more flowers, I have to walk across a bridge
Then walk around the town along the Jacaranda street route
↑Scenery on the bridge
The scenery seen from the bridge makes me feel like this is a paradise
Suddenly I understand why many elderly people choose to retire here.
Ahhhhhhhhh it’s so beautiful!
There was a handsome Australian young man riding a bicycle passing me on the bridge.
We smiled and greeted each other
Smile from the heart to strangers
is one of the most important lifestyle lessons I learned here
Just walk off the bridge and see the graffiti wall here.
What immediately comes into view on the wall is a portrait of an aborigine.
(If you want to know more about the stories of aboriginal people, you can read the previous article hehe)
Then cross a small road
I set my pace very slowly, very slowly
I just want to try my best to enjoy this colorful path
wonderful wonderful
Went to the street and appeared
A magnificent purple fairy tale
There are flowers under your feet~
A street with only a few tourists
Very comfortable to walk on
No one will disturb the peace of the hike
On the way, I was pleasantly surprised to meet a jacaranda making ice cream.
It was made by a kind-hearted old man himself
Two knives for one
This tastes so delicious (suck)
There are also cute clothes on the street
It has a big print on it
I love jacaranda~
This is the most famous Jacaranda Street
Personally, I suggest that you can choose to hike on the side path on this street.
It will feel better when walking
I feel tired after walking
Take a seat under the largest jacaranda tree in the town park
took out my kindle
Eat some snacks to replenish energy while reading a book
sat for a while
My head is full of flowers
After a while, an Australian girl came towards me.
She is a staff member of the local tourist center
A survey on tourists is ongoing
I happily filled out a questionnaire
Tell her I'm a tourism major
Questionnaires are also often distributed at scenic spots for surveys.
So everything is very familiar hehe
Walked around the town for four hours
I'm ready to go back in a hurry
I collected the two jacaranda petals on the ground
Tucked into my excerpt
Hope it goes with the closed old yellow paper
While the fragrance lingers
Keep growing up with me
There are still huge trees in the town
Return to the hotel in the evening and cook a salted fish
A hotel with few rooms
Guests who came back earlier also quickly became familiar with each other.
There is a young lady from England and a young man from Germany.
My little brother goes to the nearby farm to pick fruits every morning
Work is over at two or three o'clock in the afternoon
I often buy a bottle of beer and sit on the balcony in a daze
There is also a girl from Singapore
The two of us chatted in English for a long time before we realized that the other party could speak Chinese.
This is the second time she has returned to Grafton
She said, the flower season has arrived
Living in this small town is a pleasure
So she will live here for a long time
Until the jacaranda fades
Maybe I walked too much today
I fell asleep at eight or nine o'clock and the next day came in the blink of an eye.

People on an embarrassing journey: I got out but can’t leave

This hotel has an amazing external staircase
It’s specially prepared for backpackers like us.
There is an iron door between the stairs and the living room on the second floor.
The hotel owner gave me the key to this iron gate the night before
Tell me to open the door and just hang the key inside.
Because the hotel only opens at 11:00
So this operation is quite user-friendly!
I woke up happily the next morning
Pack my suitcase and hiking bag
I'm getting ready to leave on time at 8:30
We have reserved 2 hours for the journey from the hotel to the station.
Although the road is long and difficult
But I’m smart enough to stay long!
then
I opened the iron door and hung the key inside
Then he dragged out the more than 10 kilogram mountaineering bag and put it on the stairs outside.
I was about to continue dragging the suitcase out
Discover
Door……
It's locked! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
What to do with my suitcase? ?
I called out to my friends inside
I found that the room is too far away from this door and no one can hear it.
I walked outside the hotel and walked around twice more.
Didn't see a single person
I tried contacting the owner
However, the phone is at the front desk and no one answers...
When I circled around the garage for the third time
heard a little noise
I immediately asked my friends inside for help
It turns out that this is the boss, who happened to come to repair the car today...
The boss smiled and said to me
You are our hotel
The second person ever to lock himself out
Then he kindly helped me move my suitcase down.
….
This is the first part of my embarrassing journey today
At this time
There's only an hour and a half left until departure time

Next, it will be even worse

After getting more than 30 kilograms of luggage, I immediately dragged all my belongings
Go to the station
The hotel is about 4 kilometers from the station
There are about 500 meters of quiet rural roads
There is 1.5 kilometers of noisy road
There are also more than 2 kilometers of highway
Take a taxi?
nonexistent
No Uber here
I went through all kinds of hardships and got to the highway
Already exhausted, I struggled to drag my suitcase
Discover
Can't drag it anymore
There is only a small path of less than one meter next to the wide highway.
It's covered with stones
Take two steps and click
Take two steps and click
I put my hiking bag across the suitcase
Two hands dragging on the road
If it's stuck, pull hard.
The suitcase tilts in an impressively elegant manner
Declare war on me: I can’t walk
Different from the comfortable weather when we arrived
The scorching sun this day is burning my skin
I finished my water quickly
Terrible, really terrible
Less than 50 minutes left
I still have 2 kilometers of gravel road to tow.
At this time, someone must want to ask me about my psychological activities at that time:
I thought so:
I may not be able to do it
There are only two roads before me now
First: Try your best to catch up with the car and continue the journey for the next week
Second: I went back, but there was no place to stay and the accommodation was fully booked.
And I have to walk this road again
Besides, transportation and accommodation at the next few stops will be cancelled.
I’d better work harder and work harder.
If you really can't keep up, forget it.
So I immediately took out my headphones
Connect to the Bluetooth of your phone and play "Wang Gang Tells Stories"
I clearly remember this is a story that happened in a village
Son ran away from home
My parents have been looking for it for many years
Then he suddenly appeared again... and brought a wife with him
The more I listen, the more I want to laugh
A very fast car speeds past me
I laughed while dragging my luggage on the gravel road on the highway
Half an hour passed
I still have more than 1 kilometer to go
obviously
I may not be able to do it
Sad, disappointed and helpless
Just when my eyes are dull and exhausted
Suddenly a white off-road vehicle slowed down on the highway
He turned around and stopped on a lawn not far in front of me.
then
An Australian guy with an angel halo on his head walked down.
he is shining
He is smiling at me...
He walked up to me and asked me
"Do you need help"
"YES!!!"
He said that he also happened to go to the station to find a friend
Then I moved my luggage to the trunk without saying anything.
I sat in the car
Thank you with tears in your eyes
at last
caught up with the car
Brother, help me take down my luggage
The grandparents waiting for the bus greeted us cordially
I suddenly feel
came alive

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