Nobody likes going home after a great holiday. It means the end of a fun carefree lifestyle, seeing new places, trying new food, spending time out of the tiresome routine of life and out of our normal comfort zone. It means back to work, back to school, back to paying bills, back to the boring old same-o same-o. But in our case the whole situation is magnified a hundred fold … Continue reading →
Of all the great Aboriginal words that mark the site of towns, places or things in Australia one of my favourite words was Nullarbor. It just has a fantastic ring to it and is great fun to say. And now we have the exciting opportunity to cross that vast desert plain across the south-central part of Australia referred to simply as The Nullarbor. Unfortunately we also learned that the word Nullarbor … Continue reading →
We stood on the smooth sloping granite outcrop, strong winds trying to knock us down and huge waves crashing on both sides of us. It was a loud, almost violent and yet beautiful scene – the magnificent Southern Ocean crashing into the unmovable Australian continent. It was our first close up view of the Great Australian Bight, one of the most well known and dramatic pieces of water touching Australia.
Continue reading →We had a plan, more or less, to leave Perth after the mighty Cruiser passed its 20,000 kilometre check, and turn east back towards Sydney. That’s nothing less than a drive of about 5,000 kilometres, give or take, with a lot to see along the way. We calculated we had about 14 days to cover this ground and pack in as much as we possibly could. And despite all these … Continue reading →
It’s all very well to be irresponsibly wandering around Australia and posting a few blogs to describe the journey but where in the heck have we been? A friend of mine mentioned in a mail that it all sounded great but he actually had no idea where we were. And to be fair, sometimes neither do we. But after many weeks had passed we finally lashed out on a $6 … Continue reading →
In 1629 the pride of the Dutch East Indies Company fleet, the mighty Batavia, a ship of unprecedented size and scope with the most experienced captain and over 350 people on board, hit the reefs of what is now known as the Abrolhos Islands off the coast of Western Australia. The ship eventually sank, lives were lost but most people made it to the small nearby islands under the most … Continue reading →
What sort of a name is Monkey Mia for a place that is famous for feeding dolphins? And if it’s so well known for dolphins why is the water called Shark Bay? Did a European really set foot here 150 years before Captain Cook? Why is Steep Point so geographically important? And what the heck is stromatolite? Finally, why is the entire peninsula a UNESCO World Heritage listed place? These … Continue reading →
The colourful fish were swimming below us, oblivious to our movement above them or our loud breathing through our snorkels. We love our snorkelling and have done it in many interesting places but we’ve never snorkelled like this – letting the strong current pull you along the shoreline as you pass over healthy coral and a wide array of beautiful fish. This is the Ningaloo Reef, a huge barrier reef … Continue reading →
The first thing most Australians will know about the Pilbara is the mining and in particular the infamous Wittenoom asbestos mining operation of years past. Others might know it for the Hamersley Ranges, the mountain range that runs through the region and over many eons has created almost unlimited iron ore as well as some spectacular mountains. The Pilbara is also known for two towns with interesting names – Tom … Continue reading →
We’ve enjoyed huge servings of wide rivers, flat savannah woodland, huge cliffs, high waterfalls, refreshing plunge pools, beautiful boabs, snapping crocodiles and long dusty red roads on this trip. But one feature of Australia that we’ve missed is beaches. Australia is justifiably famous for its beaches but we’ve only dabbled in them on this trip. Until now, that is. Because our arrival in Derby on the northern coast of Western … Continue reading →
It’s hard to get your mind around the fact that the rugged rocky mountain range in front of you was at one time on the bottom of the ocean floor. Even more so, it made up a huge reef system which ancient underwater creatures called home. And yet here we are, in dusty fly-infested 35 degree desert heat seeing these grandly sculptured mountain cliffs, twisted shapes and crustacean fossils in … Continue reading →
The western end of the Gibb River Road is dominated by the dramatic King Leopold mountain range, the first true mountains we had seen in some time. Part of an ancient sea bed that has risen over the eons, this rocky range is said to be over two billion years old, making them some of the oldest rocks in the world. The main features of this mountain range are high … Continue reading →
Honeymoon Beach is the northern most point you can drive to in Western Australia. We woke from our quiet beach camping spot to a beautiful sunny morning, getting early shade from a huge boab tree that had grown to its monstrous size on the edge of the sandy beach. This was a symbolic turnaround point for our trip, the north-west corner of our journey, and from here it was all … Continue reading →
Every self-respecting Australian four wheel driver, traveller, soft adventurer or dreamer has heard of the Gibb River Road. The Gibb – as it’s fondly referred to – cuts a northerly arc between Kununurra in the east to Derby on the Western Australian coast. It’s rough and dusty track runs for about 700 km and was originally built for the huge road trains that moved cattle and goods from remote stations … Continue reading →
Western Australia is overwhelmingly the largest state in Australia, roughly the same size as the US west of the Rockies, with a proud independent streak in their nature and unique culture. In the last ten years or more WA has been home to the huge resource boom, principally mining and offshore drilling, which has driven the Australian economy and saw it through the global financial crisis with barely a blip. … Continue reading →
We pulled the mighty Cruiser up next to this extraordinary tree and took the mandatory photo. There are some amazing trees in the world with all sorts of unique sizes and features, survival tactics, special characteristics, flowers, nuts, leaves, roots, barks and the list goes on. But when it comes to unique features, I mean really special, different, crazy and a bit weird, nothing beats the boab tree. And we … Continue reading →
We knew from our homework that Litchfield National Park, which lies within a couple hour’s drive of Darwin, was a beautiful and popular park sometimes overshadowed by the more famous Kakadu. And we had also been warned that it is best not to visit Litchfield on a weekend because it is such a popular escape for people from Darwin. But timing and bad fortune had its way with us and … Continue reading →
Julie and I had not been to Darwin for 37 and 20 years respectively. So maybe it’s changed a bit, right? The city was named after Charles Darwin, was a key point in the settlement of the north, bombed 53 times by the Japanese, almost wiped out by Cyclone Tracey and now a prosperous middle-sized town with well-tended parks and its own territory-within-Australia culture. We loved it.
Continue reading →Kakadu deserves its reputation as one of the most unique places in Australia. Its rich biodiversity of flora and fauna, its human history spanning more than 40,000 years, its unique relationship between the weather, plants and animals and its stunning geographic features makes it truly special. We tried to absorb as much as possible but three features really stood out for us – the stunning rock art in three unforgettable … Continue reading →
Many of the places in Kakadu, as in most of northern Australia, have both an Aboriginal name and a western name. This is not uncommon as the two worlds continually adjust their relationship and naming rights become a key issue. For instance, Ayers Rock is now Uluru, Katherine Gorge is now Nitmiluk and the Bungle Bungles are now Purnululu. In Kakadu most places have two names and this causes a moment … Continue reading →
When we started planning for this trip, if you can call it planning at all, there were two areas we wanted to make sure we saw as thoroughly as possible – Kakadu and the Kimberley. Kakadu National Park is a vast area roughly south and east of Darwin in the Northern Territory and west of monstrous Arnhem Land. We finally made it after more than 20 years of talking … Continue reading →
The temperature was getting close to 35 degrees, the only relief being the infrequent bits of shade behind scraggy gums and the outback breeze that blew across the land. We kept pushing on, determined to reach our goal, hoping the heat wouldn’t make us turn back. And then, almost unexpectedly, we came to the lookout, the end of the trail, and below us in both directions was the steep red … Continue reading →
When venturing into the surf or rivers of the Northern Territory you always have to take heed of the many signs warning you of the possibility of crocodiles. Freshwater crocs, which are more prevalent in the rivers, are harmless and shy – they will usually swim away quickly if accidentally confronted. But saltwater crocs, which are also seen in fresh water, are a completely different story. They are aggressive and … Continue reading →
Arnhem Land is a vast part of the Northern Territory, bigger than many countries and at the very heart of the origins of civilisation on this continent. Today it is owned and managed by a range of Aboriginal clans that have occupied this land for tens of thousands of years. But visiting this land is not easy; there are permits to obtain, incredibly long dirt tracks to drive, restrictions on … Continue reading →
The Northern Territory is marked by vast unmarked and uninhabited spaces, long dusty roads and as we learned, beautiful sunsets. But as we slowly moved north, sometimes very slowly, we were on the hunt for lost cities. We knew about them, we had read about them and we were getting closer. But bad roads and beautiful places slowed us down until we finally found what we were looking for.
Continue reading →The vast spaces around the Gulf of Carpentaria are famous for crocodiles, barramundi and…well…vast spaces. We left Cape York and headed toward the Gulf across long dirt tracks, frequent water crossings, endless Aussie scrub and a relentless dust that found its way into every nook and cranny of our truck, our equipment and ourselves. There’s no escaping the dust, that’s for sure, but it comes as part of an overall … Continue reading →
The remote unpopulated areas of Australia are usually divided up into huge stations which generally run cattle or sheep over vast distances. They feature dry scrubby land, unreliable water and a harsh hot climate. These stations represent a core foundation of how Australia prospered in years past and makes up an essential element of Australia today. The people who live in these remote outback locations are honest hard working tough … Continue reading →
Some corners of Australia are almost forgotten due to the immense size and scope of the continent. One area we had spied on an earlier trip which we felt needed more exploration was the uninhabited area north of Cooktown in far north Queensland called Cape Melville. Covered by untracked national parks and Aboriginal land the Cape is often overshadowed by its much bigger brother Cape York. But in one of the … Continue reading →
Our days north through Queensland travelling on a series of the inland country roads reminded us of how huge Australia is. We constantly underestimated the progress we could make on a day of driving, despite our relatively early starts and willingness to do long hours in the mighty Cruiser. Of course we were delayed occasionally by taking photos of the beautiful scenery, stopping in community markets in small country towns … Continue reading →
The big Land Cruiser slowly rolled down the driveway and pulled out onto our street. With that momentous movement it started a journey we had been dreaming about for almost 20 years and had feverishly been preparing for the last four weeks – a three month circumnavigation of Australia. The opportunity had come sooner than we expected and with less run-up for preparation but here we were driving down our … Continue reading →
Everyone loves weddings. And the closer you are to the lucky couple the more exciting the big event is and the more meaningful is the occasion. For the father of his only daughter it doesn’t get more special then when he walks her down the aisle. And so it was for me, one of the proudest moments of my life when Anna and I slowly walked through the middle of a … Continue reading →
The best time of year to be in Bangkok is December and January. Magnificent Christmas decorations fill every store and span every street in an annual attempt to remind millions of Buddhists to buy numerous gifts and eat too much with their family and friends. The weather is relatively cool and the city takes on a relaxed holiday atmosphere. And every year at this time we leave Bangkok and go … Continue reading →
The more birthdays you have, the less you count them and the less you celebrate them, right? And if you’re in the 50-somethings, like I am, there’s no need to get carried away with wild attention-getting activities. But a recent business trip to Sydney meant I was with our three kids for my birthday and we all got together for a memorable day together.
Continue reading →We are probably destined never to spend a Christmas in Thailand which is a real shame because it is such a festive season and the Thais know how to do festive better than anyone, even if it isn’t officially part of their religion. But our destination for the festive season was Sydney, a much anticipated break to reunite with our family and friends, put on a few kilos and enjoy … Continue reading →
30 October….Family, sport and travel seem like three good ways to fill one’s leisure time and that’s pretty much what we’ve been doing lately. Unfortunately we’ve also had to deal with the massive flooding in and around Bangkok as the late season heavy rains have swamped all rivers and canals and the people of Northern Thailand have suffered enormously as a result.
Continue reading →12 January, 2011….In Thailand less than 1% of the population is Christian so you would logically think that Christmas would be a total non-event in this country. Well, think again. At least here in Bangkok where consumerism, capitalism and entrepreneurialism are driving so much growth Christmas is seen more as an excuse to gather with friends and family, go shopping and spend money. Does it have any religious significance – … Continue reading →
