What makes travel experiences special are where you find yourself away from the popular tourism spots to experience the local culture. And that’s what we discovered in Croydon, far north Queensland with their annual annual Poddy Dodgers Festival. “Poddy Dodgers”, you may ask? It’s a local term we discovered, meaning the same as cattle rustling. That’s what made the place famous in the 1980’s when rustlers stole around six thousand cattle. It wasn’t the first ...…[read more]
Blog Posts
The Savannah Way, one of the world’s great adventure drives takes you 3,700 kms across the very top of Australia. From Broome in Western Australia, through the Northern Territory, across to Cairns in northern Queensland, the trip includes five world heritage areas. This iconic journey though not well known by its name, forms part of Highway One that circumnavigates Australia by road. In fact we didn’t realise we had already done half the Savannah Way ...…[read more]
“What are they and why? They’re everywhere. Never seen them on the mainland.” It’s been an interesting point of discussion as we’ve made our way around Tassie. We’re are on an island after all we thought, so you’d expect down here on an island under Downunder there would have to be some cultural differences. After all Australia is an island itself and apparently they reckon we’re a bit different to everyone else! But as multi ...…[read more]
Sometimes the simple things in life can give you more than you bargained for. Like a cake. This week was Helen’s birthday. We decided it’s time to take the family tradition of celebrating her birthday with her Ginger Fluff Sponge cake, one step further. #FluffOff, an online cooking class to further share the love! We don’t normally pack cake tins when we go camping. So, since arriving in Tassie, the quest has been to find ...…[read more]
We’re really a tribal lot. Whether it’s a footy team, a walking group or a photography club, we like hanging out with people with similar interests. That’s what took us to a “mini” Active Campers Campout in Targa. Not only do you get to meet and make friends with likeminded people, but it’s the value of sharing ideas. For starters the Myrtle Park campgrounds for the campout was stunningly beautiful. Mountains in the distance provided ...…[read more]
I had just sent my 89 year old mother a photo of the camp-site we had discovered for the night, here on the north east Tasmania coast. It was one of those really special spots. The surrounding sand dune and forest wall offered a welcoming shelter from any threatening wind. But it was the outlook across the white sandy beach, literally a stones throw distance away, that made it unique. Secluded enough to literally feel ...…[read more]
The car was as good as self-driving us down the Hume Highway. Adjusting our speed to the vehicles around us while auto steering our way along the highway. Not quite self-driving but close to it. And it’s just a ute. A basic farm ute we happen to mount our camper on. Fast forward a few days after crossing Bass Straight on the ten hour ferry trip, we are in Tasmania. The west coast wilderness. But, ...…[read more]
If you want to get away from the never ending caravanning crowds and congested parks, there’s really a simple solution. Head a couple hundred kilometres in land. For example, that’s what the Wool Wagon Pathway offers. You won’t necessarily end up like the poor vehicle in the above photo, but it may be just one of many different sites and experiences you’ll have off the road less travelled…. The Wool Wagon Pathway is an outback ...…[read more]
Unprecedented. Who would have ever thought it would come to this. We were making our way south, waiting at the tee junction to get back onto the great northern highway. We wondered if there had been a sudden evacuation warning further north. Caravan after caravan after caravan streamed past one after another until eventually we could finally join the convoy. Roadhouses were more like a staging ground for the scores of caravans refueling and regrouping ...…[read more]
It has a reputation for destroying tyres and totally wrecking caravans. Such is the 660km long Gibb River Road in northern Western Australia. A road trip not to be undertaken lightly but one high on the bucket list of many seeking a great outback adventure. It’s a trip that encapsulates the real sense of Australia. People overseas will ask, where is the best place in Australia to visit. If you want to feel like home, ...…[read more]