https://hitchwiki.org/en/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=China-cat-sunflower&feedformat=atomHitchwiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T01:25:49ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.32.3https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Perth_(Australia)&diff=94306Perth (Australia)2019-06-26T17:43:11Z<p>China-cat-sunflower: </p>
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<div>{{Infobox Location<br />
|country = Australia<br />
|map = <map lat='-32.070938' lng='115.817871' zoom='8' view='0' float='right'/><br />
|state = Western Australia<br />
|pop = <br />
|plate =<br />
|motorways =<br />
}}<br />
'''Perth''' is the capital city of Western [[Australia]]. It's a great, chilled out alternative to the bustling cities of the east coast, with a great original music scene and some beautiful beaches. The travelers, gypsies and vagabond mecca of Perth is the small port city of [[Fremantle]], located about 30km from the CBD on the coast. (''CBD'' means Central business district, the Ozzie term for city center.)<br />
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== Hitchhiking out ==<br />
Getting out of Perth is easy. The people in WA are generally more relaxed, friendly and trusting than folks on the east coast, which makes it a great place to hitchhike. Whether it's a short trip around the South-West forests and beaches, a full blown stint across the Nullarbor to [[Adelaide]] or an escape north to [[Broome]] or [[Darwin]] for the winter, it is usually less than half an hour's wait until your first ride out of Perth. As with any city, the trick is to get as far out of town as you can using the local public transport (Perth has a train network that will take you to within cooee of all the good hitching spots). Once you're at the spot, it's usually just a hop, skip and a jump or the straight and narrow to your next destination. Check out Perth on the [http://maps.hitchwiki.org Hitchwiki Map] for some good spots.<br />
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=== To Southwest Region (Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River, Pemberton) ===<br />
__TOC__<br />
To get down to the southwest along the coast, take the train from Perth to Mandurah (if leaving from Fremantle, catch the 99 bus to the Murdoch train station and go to Mandurah from there). Once in Mandurah, walk out of the station and catch the 594 bus south at B4 platform (you can use the same ticket you had on the train) to the Miami Bakehouse (just ask the driver). They have really good pies, and there is a great hitching spot only about 500m south on the highway, with a big pullout onto some gravel.<br />
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* Note: They recently opened the Perth-Bunbury highway extending from the freeway, which means there is less traffic heading through Mandurah, however I have hitched it since the opening, and still only waited 20 minutes for a ride!<br />
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=== South to Albany ===<br />
Take the train all the way to Armadale. From Armadale train station, walk about a kilometre up the hill to the Albany Hwy/Southwestern Hwy junction (also a good alternative to get south to Bunbury via Pinjarra/Harvey along the Southwestern Hwy if you wanted). Walk about 200m up the Albany Hwy until you get to the small pulloff before the hill. See [http://maps.hitchwiki.org map] for exact spot.<br />
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=== North ===<br />
This will be a big hitch, no matter where you're headed. It can take 3-4 days to get to [[Broome]] in a car. Trucks will probably be a better option. Whether your first stop is [[Geraldton]] on the coast, or Meekatharra (I hope it isn't!) on the inland highway, it will be at least 5-6 hours, possibly more, before you arrive anywhere. Take plenty of supplies (food, water...etc) and be prepared to start out early, or not at all. <br />
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* Option 1: Take the train all the way to Midland. Then catch either the 310 or 311 bus and ask the driver to drop you at the big truck stop. These buses only leave early in the morning (around 8am), so make sure to check on the [http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au Transperth Website] for the timetables and get there early so you don't miss them! Plenty of trucks and cars fuel up at this stop, and there's even a good spot to stand on the road (if there is two of you, one can be asking at the servo while the other is thumbing on the road). You'll need to find out if your ride is heading up the coast (Brand Hwy), or inland (Great Northern Hwy), as these are two very different routes. If you just want to get north quick (to [[Broome]] or [[Darwin]]), try to get rides in trucks heading up the Great Northern, as this will cut a few hundred kilometres off the trip, however if you want to take the scenic route up the coast (Monkey Mia, Coral Bay, Exmouth) make sure to get in with someone heading to Geraldton.<br />
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* Option 2: If you want to hitchhike along the coast, you can try to start at State Route 60. Take a train to Clarkson (the most northern stop of the Joondalup line) and change for bus 484 going to Alkimos and hop off at Ridgewood Bvd After Hester Av (7 stops, I believe). Walk back 200 m to the main road passing by a petrol station on your left, turn left and follow the main road for 1.5 km until you reach State Route 60. Turn right and after 100 m there should two fairly busy petrol stations. I (single male) didn't have any problems to get a lift to the pinnacles or Jurien Bay. To be explicit: [https://goo.gl/maps/VPhRgE8FZ172 map].<br />
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Bear in mind that anywhere north of Perth is getting into desert country. Take plenty of water and know where you're going!<br />
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=== East toward [[Kalgoorlie]], [[Adelaide]], [[Sydney]] ===<br />
[[File:03052013432.jpg|thumb|350px|The hitching spot on Great Eastern Highway toward [[Adelaide]]]]<br />
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Also a big hitch, be sure to take plenty of water and supplies if you will be [[camping]]. In [[winter]] it does get cold at [[hitchhiking at night|night]] in the desert. (Even though you've never seen it be cold in Australia on the TV, it does happen. Don't tell anyone.) If you're heading for the east coast the quickest and comfiest option is with a truck if you can get one who isn't prohibited from giving lifts, one who maybe owns his own truck. You can have good luck with this just by thumbing on the roadside, as well as talking to the driver at a servo (service station) or truck/rest stop (these can be quiet though). Most trucks are carrying things to be delivered by Monday morning at their destination, so the busiest times for them leaving [[Perth]] are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday whereas you will see much fewer on a Saturday or Sunday. Trucks will not go through [[Kalgoorlie]], they cut across from Coolgardie to Norseman.<br />
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If you hitch a car they may ask if you're willing to share the driving, in which case be aware that driving on the left and through thousands of kilometers of empty road in the desert leads easily to that special kind of microsleep where one may crash in a second, so take it easy! <br />
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Getting out of Perth, take the train to Midland station, at the end of the line. From here take bus 320 and ask the driver to put you down on Great Eastern Hwy Before Park Rd A. There is a small paved rest stop area before the bus stop, where cars and even trucks can pull over easily, and good visibility of the road for some distance. Here you're out of the city already and should easily get a lift at least a few km along the road to the towns of Sawyer's Valley and Baker's Hill, which are good places to catch a longer ride as the road slows there for the townships. Further along is Northam, which the main highway bypasses (don't take a lift into the town, but rather stay on the bypass which is the highway). There is an ok spot to stand at the second turnoff to Northam, but it is just by the highway and people tend to be driving by fast. A lot of the traffic to (Kal)goorlie is worker dudes returning to work after a splash in the big smoke, easy rides, most traffic going long distance will be <12am.<br />
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The bus only goes once an hour from Midland, mostly at the half-hour but you may want to check in advance to avoid a long wait. You'll be getting off in Zone 3, so plan your bus/train ticket accordingly. Midland train station is also a famously bad area of Perth, so take care of your stuff and yourself, and don't be there at night if you can help it. But you'll be fine in the daytime and there are usually police around somewhere. Just be aware also that if you look too scruffy, drivers may hesitiate to pick you up on account of this.<br />
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== Resources ==<br />
{{nomadwiki}}<br />
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{{IsIn|Australia}}<br />
[[Category:Australia]]<br />
[[Category:E15]]</div>China-cat-sunflowerhttps://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Greece&diff=94305Greece2019-06-26T17:22:01Z<p>China-cat-sunflower: </p>
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<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Greece<br />
|map= <map lat='39.8' lng='21.47' zoom='6' view='0' float='right' /><br />
|language = Greek<br />
|capital = [[Athens]]<br />
|pop = 11,216,708<br />
|currency = Euro (€) (EUR)<br />
|BW = GR<br />
|hitch = <rating country='gr' /><br />
}}<br />
'''Greece''' is a country in [[Southern Europe]], bordering [[Albania]], [[Republic of Macedonia|FYRoM]], [[Bulgaria]], and [[Turkey]]. It is a member state of the [[European Union]] as well as the [[Schengen Agreement]].<br />
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[[File:IMG_2349.jpg|thumb|250px|Hitchhiker [[User:Whisperingofthestars|Jason]] thumbing in Greece, June 2008. His hips have seemingly turned inside out.]]<br />
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Hitchhiking in Greece can vary between very slow and very fast.<br />
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A few useful Greece-particular tips to make it faster:<br />
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1. '''Signs''' are usually very helpful. Write the closest reasonably big town - not road numbers and not a faraway destination. <br />
The Greeks generally will take your sign very literally and won't stop if they're not going that far, even if it's the same direction.<br />
Write the signs in both Greek and English.<br />
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2. '''Local roads''' during daytime can be very fast and hitched without a sign. After dark people won't be going far and many of them won't stop.<br />
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3. '''Motorways''' - Sliproads, ramps etc generally don't work well (unless you're in a big city and many cars are taking the road you need). If there's a motorway, the best (though not safest) option will be to stand on it. <br />
Officially it's illegal, and some hitchhikers have been asked to move by the police, while others have had no problems at all. It's better to stay away from tollbooths, bridges and tunnels, since you might be seen by people or by cameras.<br />
Safety-wise, there is usually room to stop, and sometimes you can walk on the external side of the fence until you get to a good point. <br />
* Petrol stations are very small and rare on motorways, so hitchhiking from one to another is not a good option. Better stay on the motorway itself.<br />
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4. '''Locals''' can give very good hitchhiking advice (locations, routes, and sometimes they'll even find the next ride for you). Make sure they understand that you're hitchhiking all the way (not just to a bus station) and tell them where you want to be today. They might be able to help!<br />
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Many Greeks seem to be afraid of immigrants. It's best not to ask too much about it as something close to racism and prejudice comes out. Greeks who have lived abroad or have travelled around seem to be much more open to picking up hitch-hikers, as are foreign tourists.<br />
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Because there are few [[highway|motorways]] in Greece, the national roads become great havens of locals and long distance drivers pouring in from the south east to west and vice versa, up into the north. Also, tolls have increased as of recently, making motorways less attractive for long distance drivers. Greek drivers will never directly ask for money. In very few cases, some might say they don't have enough to pay the tolls, or that they have not enough petrol to arrive to their destination and no money to buy more. <br />
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You can cross the border by foot!<br />
EDIT- If you´re crossing border to Turkey between Alexandroupoli and Tekirdag it´s not possible to go by foot. Between greek and turkish border there is a bridge and soldiers will tell you that you have to go by car on this bridge of course because of national security. (Checked in Semptember 2016)<br />
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It would be smart not to mention "Macedonia" as a country. Greeks call "Macedonia" the northern part of Greece. If you're going to the [[Republic of Macedonia|former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia]], and want to avoid the political conversation, just say that you're going to "FYROM" or [[Skopje]]<br />
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[[File:Greece-map-license-plates.jpg|thumb|300px|Map of licence plates.]]<br />
In summer it can get very hot in Greece, so be careful that you don't get sunburned and carry plenty of water with you. It is also wise to have a large cardboard sign which you can use as makeshift umbrella while you're waiting for cars.<br />
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== Number plates ==<br />
The number plates of Greece consist of 3 letters and 4 digits. The first 1 or 2 letters represent a state. The plates are valid for the whole life of the vehicle even if its owner moves to an other town, so you can not be absolutely sure about where the vehicle is from.<br />
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== [[Camping|Wild camping]] ==<br />
Wild camping in Greece is forbidden by law. If you camp next to hotels, organized campgrounds or other kind of tourist accommodation, their owner can call the police. [[Police]] may fine you (150 euro) during the summer months (July and August especially), so it's best to ask other wild campers when you arrive at a beach.<br />
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Compared with the other Mediterranean EU countries, there are still a lot of of beaches where you can camp for free and without police problems. You can camp freely anywhere in the mountains, valleys, hills, river beds etc. Nobody is going to chase you off.<br />
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== Cities ==<br />
* [[Athens (Greece)|Athens]]<br />
* [[Thessaloniki]]<br />
* [[Patra]]<br />
* [[Ioannina]]<br />
* [[Kalamata]]<br />
* [[Florina]]<br />
* [[Igoumenitsa]]<br />
* [[Greek islands]]<br />
* [[Kavala]]<br />
* [[Xanthi]]<br />
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== Getting away ==<br />
* To [[Ferries between Italy and Greece|Italy]]<br />
You can get a ferries from Igoumenitsa or Patra. A lot of trucks going through Igoumenitsa. <br />
Ferries are expensive and time consuming, but there is a shower and you can sleep on the deck. Crossing in the truck cab - dangerous and illegal. There are discounts for students. If you are under 25 - ask for a discount!<br />
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== Personal Experiences ==<br />
" I was just crossing Greece from Bulgaria to Turkey and I expected easy way but it was totally different. I spent there about 4 days hitch-hiking full of depressions. Greeks just didn't stop and waiting time about 3 hours wasn't anything special. For me it was the worst hitch-hiking country ever. For me Greece was even worse than Italy or Spain!" (August 2016) => Local's answer : There's a big wave of refugees since the war in Syria and people are scared. A driver could be detained for trafficking, if he's carrying passengers who entered Greece illegally. If you try NOT to look like a refugee and speak to people in gas stations, East Macedonia + Thraki could be crossed in less than 48h.<br />
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Not looking like a refugee is easily the worst advice I've heard, I look like what most people would consider a hipster and still a very nice and helpful worker at a petrol station thought that I'm an Algerian for an hour even though I've said that I'm Hungarian in Greek, just because of my Mediterranean complexion.<br />
However, I didn't have absurd waiting times but the existence of highways without good possibilities for hitchhikers to use them makes Greece easily the worst Balkans country to hitchhike.<br />
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Early September 2018: Hitchhiking to Athens seems to be extremely easy. In fact we only needed one car all the way from Thessaloniki and even on the way back people were offering us rides to Athens on gas stations and certain points. Hitchhiking north however is an absolute nightmare! Barely anyone outside the bigger cities speaks even elementary English and it seems some pretend not to as to avoid conflict. The national road not only has an exit to every village (which means people go 5km ahead like on local roads) but it's also illegal to be on it. We got displaced by the yellow inquisition multiple times for walking or hitchhiking on it so if you're not the entrance you've got high chances you'll get to meet them too. The police doesn't seem to care but these guys are ruthless. Local roads are sometimes way easier to hitchhike (From Kastro to Tragana you have a good chance to ride in the back of a pick up truck) often with nicer people but their layout is a bit nonsensical, and drinkable water isn't a standard in a big part of Greece. Overall it's not an easy journey (at least in the southern and central parts) but definitely a fun challenge! SO if you're looking to test your willpower and strength, this is the way to go! If you're looking for speed on the other hand and are going north of Athens I recommend not settling for cars that will take you to villages/smaller towns. It might seem like it's taking longer but a single truck driver is way better than spending 2 days on some national road entrances in the middle of nowhere.<br />
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November 2018: hitched from Kulata (Bulgaria-Greece border) to Thessaloniki then to Evia (Island E of Athens) solo male. Hard getting lifts, parent generation of Greeks very friendly once you've had a conversation with them; one family gave me a cornucopian meal, bought me a pack of cigarettes gave me some wine and paid for my ferry ticket. But was after 3 days of being stuck trying to hitch out of Larissa. Hitchiking from Meteora to Albanian border very hard. Getting rides on islands easier. _-*-_<br />
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{{IsIn|Balkans}}<br />
{{Template:Europe/countries}}<br />
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[[trash:Greece]]<br />
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[[wikipedia:Greece]]<br />
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[[Category:Route to Istanbul#From Greece|Turkey]]<br />
[[Category:Greece| ]]<br />
[[Category:Southern Europe]]<br />
[[Category:E75]]<br />
[[Category:Route Athens - Thessaloniki]]<br />
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[[de:Griechenland]]<br />
[[fr:Grèce]]</div>China-cat-sunflower