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THE END OF THE ROAD
After living in the slow lane for the last 12 months, the concept of life in the big smoke is just too much to bear for these two travellers.
We have rented a house at Red Hill; a kind of try-before-you-buy idea for 12 months before we make a big commitment to a new house. So, the van will shortly be on the market and the nomadic life becomes a little more stable.
it may be difficult, but to wrap this blog up properly, it is only fair to do one last “best’-of”. Here goes:
BEST BEACH: Ah, so many to choose from. Hill Inlet at Whitehaven has to win though - ridiculously beautiful and unlike anywhere else we have ever seen in the world.
FAVOURITE OVERALL DESTINATION: A close call between Coral Bay, Byron Bay and the Kimberley. We have made no secret of our love of all things aquatic at Ningaloo Reef and Coral Bay, or the laid back charm of Byron, but the Kimberley was a bit of a creeper. We didn’t realise what a beautiful and uniquely Australian landscape it is until we came back to the east coast.
OVERRATED DESTINATION: Sure - there are plenty of places we couldn’t go back to again, but there really was nowhere on the trip that we regretted visiting - all part of the experience.
BEST TOURIST EXPERIENCE: This one we can’t answer. Would love to have said the whale sharks, but there were so many amazing things - from Kakadu cruising to the scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles, it is just too hard to pick.
BEST CAMPGROUND: Contos in Margaret River, Seal Rocks in NSW, Noosa North Shore and Red Bluff in WA had all of the elements of the perfect campground covered.
A couple of new categories for the final wrap up as well.
WHERE WE WILL LIVE WHEN WE WIN TATTSLOTTO: Yallingup, WA. Sunshine Beach or Noosa North Shore. Byron Bay and Palm Beach in Sydney. Any or or all those will be just fine thanks.
OUR RECOMMENDED HOLIDAY THAT EVERYONE MUST DO AT LEAST ONCE: An itinerary that a few European tourists seemed to take would be a brilliant way to experience some of the best parts of our holiday in a relatively short time. You fly to Darwin, hire a fully equipped 4WD camper and drive across to Broome. On the way you pass through Kakadu, Litchfield national park, El Questro, Windjana Gorge and all of the adventure that goes along with the Gibb River Rd, the Bungle Bungles and then onto Broome, with a side trip up Cape Leveque. In just a couple of short weeks for a relatively small cost, what you can see is unparalleled anywhere. Just a suggestion!
KMS COVERED: 32,839
Not quite sure there is much to blog about from Red Hill, so that may just be the last blog for now. Yes, it is a bit cheesy to finish off with a quote, but having read it somewhere this week, it sums up our thoughts on this year perfectly:
“Don’t get too busy making a living that you forget to make a life”. Amen to that.
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SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2011
Yeah, welcome home. We had intended to spend the last week at Wilson’s Prom, but the lovely Victorian weather put an abrupt end to that.
The challenge now is to get out of holiday mode and into get-organised mode. Lots to do to sort out the old house and find a new one. Hopefully we can get back to the Prom after the house settles, just to finish the trip off as we intended.
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FRIDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2011
Holy cheeses, we’re back over the border.
This would ordinarily be where we write the NSW wrap up, but let’s just save time and award all of the best-ofs to Byron Bay. To be fair, ending the trip quickly has fast forwarded through a fair bit of the state, but we have a sneaking suspicion that Byron would have won most categories anyway.
KMS driven: 3056
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TUESDAY 15 - THURSDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2011
Kangaroos let their joeys back in the pouch as long as they are still drinking from them. This giant joey at Mimosa Rocks, near Tathra, really seems to be overstaying his welcome.
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MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2011
Choosing to do the coastal walk from from Tamarama to Bondi on a 36 degree day was probably not a great idea. Throw in the annual sculpture festival and a few hundred school kids and tourists, and it wasn’t as pleasant as expected. Luckily a big brunch overlooking the beach and an afternoon swim redeemed the day.
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SUNDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2011
Inevitably a trip to Sydney ends up with a wistful longing to move here and enjoy the jaw dropping scenery on a daily basis. Let’s face it - Sydney beats Melbourne hands down in the “glistening sun on the water” category. Then you remember that to purchase views like this one at glorious Palm Beach requires a hell of a lot more dollars than we can rustle up. We’ll settle for takeaway coffees and the Sunday papers on the beachfront and continue to dream…..
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SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2011
We decided to jump back into consumerism today with a visit to the centre of Sydney and the retail wonderland of the new $1 billion Westfield. Admittedly, Zara was the biggest drawcard, but proved to be mayhem. A trip back on the Manly ferry to our northern beaches caravan park soothed the frazzled nerves.
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TUESDAY 8 - FRIDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2011
After 10 months on the road, we can spot a good campsite when we see one. Must have beach and bush setting, preferably flushing toilets and hot water showers. No jumping castles, mini golf or concrete slabs required. Seal Rocks fit the bill perfectly. The only downside is that everyone else knows it too - what is a midweek empty paradise apparently becomes very busy on a nice weekend, so we are out of here.
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SUNDAY 6 & MONDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2011
Crescent Head on a sunny day is like a step back in time to the 80s. Kids flying kites, dogs on the beach, the smell of sausages sizzling, and icecreams melting in the sun. Not a wine bar, day spa or espresso machine in sight. We think it’s ace.
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SATURDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2011
Not only did this snake emerge from the water where I had been swimming moments before, it also had it’s slimy little eye on my towel.
