2tABle oF Contents

Introduction 3

MapofAustralia 4

AustralianGeography101 4

AustralianHistory101 6

EssentialAussieBasics 7

DrivingonAustralianRoads 10

HandlingYourCampervan 13

CampervanningBasics 14

CrossingBassStrait 17

DrivingDistances 17

InvaluableCampervanningTips 19

ARundownoftheRegions 21

WhatYouCanExpectfromtheWeather 34

Wildlife 37

AboriginalAustralia 43

GettingtoKnowtheAussies 45

AussieTucker 47

Cheers! 50

50FantasticPlacestoVisit! 54

OfftheBeatenTrack 67

TenBestBeachesinAustralia 70

SpeakingStrine 74

ItineraryIdeas 77

FinalThingstoThinkAbout 81

MoreHandySitestoCheckOut 82

3introduCtion

ForgenerationsofAustralians,or

Aussies,settingoffinthefamily

campervan(motorhome,traveltraileror

RV)toexploretheirmagicalcountryat

theirownpaceisthekindofrelaxed,free-

spiritedholidaytheytakeforgranted,oran

enviableyetquitecommonwaytospenda

hard-earnedretirement.Ifyourereading

thisbook,congratulationsonmakingthe

decisiontofollowintheirfootsteps!

Simultaneouslyanisland,acountryand

acontinent,Australia,nicknamedThe

LandDownUnderisaperfectdestination

foracampervanningholiday.Itsfriendly,

uncrowded,huge,andisriddledwith

uniquebutequallywonderfultouristspots

everywhereyougo.

Australiasnoteworthyforitsunique

floraandfauna,everyimaginabletypeof

scenery,itsfriendlypeople,delectable

foodandwine,itssuperbclimateand

relaxed,noworrieslifestyle.

InAustraliayoucanabsorbthe

fascinatingAboriginalculture,experience

sophisticatedcosmopolitansocietywith

alaid-backtwist,andtraveltoremote

spotsitspossiblenootherhumanhas

everevensetfooton.Campervanningis

anidealwaytoexperiencethisgenerous

sliceofheavenyoucantravelatyour

ownpaceandstopwhereveryoulike,for

aslongasyoulike!Theresavastnumber

ofcampsitesandholidayparksdottedall

overthecountrytoaccommodateyouand

campervanstosuitanybudgetandbest

ofall,theresafavourableexchangerate

totakeyourmoneyalotfurther.

MAny PeoPle sAy thAt A

CAMPerVAn holidAy is the Best,

iF not the only reAl wAy to Meet

AustrAliAn loCAls And see the

essentiAl AustrAliA.

TheresanewcaravanbuiltinAustralia

every14minutes!Andaccordingto

currentaffairsshow60Minutes,there

aremorethan325,000caravansand

motorhomescurrentlyregistered.Atany

onetime,morethan80,000ofthemareon

whatsknownastheBigLapdrivingall

thewayaroundAustralia.

ReadontogettheBESTadvice,tips,

tricksandsecretsonwheretogo,whatto

do,howtoplanandmistakestoavoid,to

trulygetthemostoutofyourAustralian

campervanningholiday.

4MAP oF AustrAliA

AustrAliAn geogrAPhy 101

Australiashugebutonlyhasa

populationofabout20millionpeople.

About90%ofthosepeopleliveon2.6%

ofthecontinent.

AustraliaislocatedintheSouthern

Hemisphere,betweentheIndianOcean

andthesouthernPacificOcean.

Ithasanareaof2,966,368squaremiles,

or7,682,300squarekilometers.

ThecapitalofAustraliaisCanberra.

Australiaisdividedintosevenseparate

states:Queensland;NewSouthWales;

SouthAustralia;Victoria;Northern

Australia is not just a country, but an entire continent. its the worlds smallest continent and

the sixth-largest country.

5Territory,WesternAustralia;and

Tasmania(theseparateislandoffthe

south-eastcoast).

Italsohastwomajormainland

territories,theNorthernTerritoryand

theAustralianCapitalTerritory.

Australiaalsohasseveralminor

territories;thefederalgovernment

administersaseparateareawithinNew

SouthWales,theJervisBayTerritory,

asanavalbaseandseaportforthe

nationalcapital.

Australiahasthefollowing,inhabited,

externalterritories:NorfolkIsland,

ChristmasIsland,Cocos(Keeling)

Islands,andseveralmostlyuninhabited

externalterritories:Ashmoreand

CartierIslands,CoralSeaIslands,

HeardIslandandMcDonaldIslandsand

theAustralianAntarcticTerritory.

Themajorityofrainfallfallsinathin

stripalongthecoast,leavingthe

majorityofthecountryaridanddry,

vulnerabletodroughtsandbushfires.

MostofAustraliaiscomprisedofthe

Outbackwhichgenerallyreferstothe

harsh,desolateinland.

Theonlythingsavingthishugedryland

fromcompletedessicationistheGreat

ArtesianBasin.Thisenormousround

geologicalformationstretchesover

inlandN.S.W,S.A,QldandN.T.Beneath

itareundergroundwatersupplies

thoughttobestoredbetween66-208

millionyearsago.Boreholesbring

watertothesurfaceanditssuppliedto

livestockandhumans.

OfftheQueenslandcoast,thefamous

GreatBarrierReefstretchesaround

200km(1240miles)fromoffGladstone

totheGulfofPapuanearNewGuinea.

Itsthelargestcoralreefonearthandis

hometomanydifferenttypesofanimals

suchasstarfish,seaanemones,fish

(includingsharks),turtles,seaslugsand

giantclams.

Sydneyisthelargestcitywithabout4

millionpeople.Otherlargecitiesinclude

Melbourne,Brisbane,Perth,Adelaide

andNewcastle.

LakeEyreisAustraliaslargestbodyof

wateradrysaltwaterlakeinSouth

Australiathatcovers3,430squaremiles.

TheeastcoastofAustraliaiscoveredby

tropicalrainforest.TheGreatDividing

Range(amountainrangethatruns

north-southdowntheeastcoast)is

whatcausesraintofallontheeast

andblocksitfromthedryinland,or

Outback.

Australiaclaimstheworldslargest

monolith,Uluru(formerlyAyersRock).

Itslocatedalmostsmack-banginthe

middleofAustralia,inUluru-KataTjuta

NationalPark.Thishuge348-metre

redpieceofsandstoneisasacred

AboriginalsiteandarguablyAustralias

mostfamouslandmark.

6a wwI anzac soldIer statue In sydney.

AustralianAboriginesrefertothe

beginningoftimeastheDreamtime

(whichisoftenthecontextforalotof

traditionalAboriginalart)

Australiawasoriginallypartofa

supercontinentcalledPangea,which

eventuallysplitanddriftedapartinto

twopiecescalledGondwanalandand

Laurasia.Gondwanalandtheneventually

brokeaparttoo,creatingSouthAmerica,

Africa,India,Australia,NewGuinea,New

ZealandandAntarctica.

Australiaoncehadlargepre-historic

animals(likeeverywhereelse)butthey

wereintheformofgiantmarsupials

suchasawombatthesizeofahippo,and

10-foot-tallkangaroos!

ThefirstpeopletoreachAustraliaand

chartitscoastlinewerethePortuguese,

inabout1536.Throughoutthe1600s,

manyDutchshipsthefollowed(itwas

referredtoasNewHolland).

AbelTasmanwasthensentoverto

chartthecountry.Healsodiscovered

Tasmania.TheseabetweenNewZealand

andAustraliaiscalledtheTasmanSea.

CaptainJamesCookarrivedinhisship

Endeavourin1770andchartedtheEast

Coast.HeclaimedthelandforBritain

andnamedNewSouthWales.

Meanwhile,KingGeorgeIIIbegantosee

thepotentialinAustraliaasacolonyfor

Englandsincreasingconvictpopulation,

andthefirst800weresentoverin1787.

Goldwasdiscoveredin1852,causing

aninfluxofimmigrantsfromEurope,

AmericaandChina.

Thelastoftheconvictswerebroughtover

in1868,bringingthetotalto168,000.

Australiaproclaimeditselfthe

CommonwealthofAustraliain1901,

butfoughtwithNewZealandalongside

BritaininthefirstandsecondWorldWars

andalongsideAmericainKoreaand

Vietnam.

Itwasonlyin1992thatalawwaspassed

allowingAboriginestoreclaimtheir

government-ownedland.

AustrAliAn history 101

essentiAl Aussie BAsiCs

Visas, Customs and Quarantine

AlltravellerstoAustraliamustcarry

avalidpassportorsimilartravel

documentandalltravellersexcept

holdersofAustralianandNewZealand

passportsneedavisatoenterAustralia

(avisacanbeobtainedfromyour

nearestAustralianhighcommission,

embassyorconsulate).

TheElectronicTravelAuthority(ETA)

whichcanbeissuedonthespotbya

travelagentreplacesthetraditionalvisa

andisbecomingincreasinglyavailable

throughtravelagents.

Everyonecanbringsomegoodsduty/

tax-freeintoAustralia,andadultsover

18canalsobringalcoholandcigarettes

ortobaccoproductsduty/taxfree.The

articlesmustaccompanyyouthrough

Customsandhavetobeforpersonal

use.

Theresnolimitontheamountof

Australianand/orforeigncashthat

youcanbringintoortakeoutof

Australia.However,amountsofmore

thanA$10,000(orequivalentinforeign

currency)mustbedeclaredonarrival

anddeparture.

Ondeparture,youcanclaimarefundof

theGoodsandServicesTax(GST)and

WineEqualisationTax(WET)thatyou

paidongoodsboughtinAustralia.The

refundongoods(notservices)costing

$A300ormore(onthesamereceipt),

onlyappliestoitemscarriedashand

luggage.TouristRefundSchemebooths

arelocatedinthedepartureareasof

internationalterminalsafterpassport

control,whereyoumustshowyour

passport,internationalboardingpass,

taxinvoicefromtheretailer,andthe

goods.Youllgetacashrefund,orthe

amountcanbeputontoyourcredit

card.

government and economy

TheCommonwealthofAustraliaisa

democracy,butitalsorecognizesthe

monarchofGreatBritainassovereign(The

QueenofEnglandhasthetitleChiefof

Stateandhassomeceremonialduties)

ThePrimeMinisterofAustraliaiscurrently

KevinRudd.

Australiahasastrong,moderneconomy.

CurrencyistheAustraliandollar.

Communication

MostpeopleinAustraliahaveamobile

phoneandsocommunicationwhen

youretravellingisaloteasier.Cheap

phoneswithPre-Payaccountscanbe

purchasedinmanyplacessuchaspost

officesandevensomesupermarkets.

Coverageisextensive,howeverthere

areplentyofplaceswithoutcellphone

coverage.

MostcaravanparkshaveWiFiandyou

canlinktotheinternetwirelesslywith

therightsoftwareinyourlaptop.These

hotspotsarealsotobefoundat

McDonaldsandotherplaces.Itsbest

todoanyemailingorphotouploading

inthemaincentresasyouwontknow

wherethenextplacewithwireless

internetwillbe!

Thetelephonecountrycodefor

Australiais61,andoutgoing

internationalaccessis0011.

Payphonesarered,green,goldor

blue.Onlylocalcallscanbemade

fromtheredones,buttheothershave

InternationalDirectDialling.Youcan

buyTelstraphonecardsatnewsagents,

supermarketsandchemists,andthere

arealsocreditcardphonesatairports,

citycentrelocationsandmanyhotels.

Money

YourATMcardmustcarryeitherthe

CIRRUS,PLUSorSTARinternational

ATMmarkortheInterlinkorMaestro

POSmark.Youshouldcontactyour

bankathomeforinformationon

availabilityandservicecharges.ATM

cardscanbeusedinAustraliaatboth

ATMs(AutomaticTellerMachines)

andatparticipatingretaillocations,

solongastheyvebeenenabledfor

internationalaccess.

Themostcommonlyaccepted

creditcardsareAmericanExpress,

Bankcard,CarteBlanche,DinersClub,

MasterCard,Visaandtheiraffiliates.

Usemightberestrictedinsmaller

townsandcountryareasandsmall

retailshops.Changingforeigncurrency

ortravelerscheckscanbedonequickly

andefficientlyatmostbanks.You

shouldcashtravelerschecksatbanks

orlargerhotelsasitmaybedifficult

elsewhere.Somebanksmaychargea

smallfeeforcashingtravelerschecks.

Bankswillcashmosttravelerschecks

ineverycurrency.Mostwidelyaccepted

areAmericanExpress,ThomasCook,

Barclays,BankofAmerica,Visaand

MasterCard.

ItsnotessentialtotipinAustraliaits

uptoyouwhetheryoufeeltheservice

wasexceptional.Tippingwouldtypically

beabout10%ofthebill.

Measurements

Australiansusethemetricsystemand

measurethingsinkilometres,litresand

kilograms(unlessyoureover50!)

Whenwritingthedate,themonthcomes

second,eg23/11/2009.

Thedecimalpointisadot,notacomma.

Temperatureismeasuredindegrees

Celsius,notFahrenheit.

Miscellaneous

TheofficiallanguageisEnglish,but

Australiahasalargepercentageof

minoritiessuchasGreek,Italian,

Chinese,Germanandsoon.Thenthere

aretheindigenousAboriginaldialects.

Themaininternationalairportsare

Sydney,Melbourne,andBrisbane,

followedbyPerth,Adelaide,Hobart,

DarwinandCairns.Eachstatehasat

leastoneinternationalairport.

Australiaspansthreetimezones:

standard east-Queensland,NewSouth

Wales,VictoriaandTasmania:GMT+10,

andGMT+11OctobertoMarch(except

Queenslandwhichdoesntobserve

DaylightSavings);Central South

AustraliaandNorthernTerritory:GMT

+9.5andGMT+10.5OctobertoMarch

(exceptNorthernTerritorywhichdoesnt

observeDaylightSavings);west

WesternAustralia:GMT+8.

Electricity:220/240voltsAC,butmost

campervansarewiredfor12or24volts

soyoullneedanadaptor.Theresplenty

ofsunshineyear-roundsotheresan

increasinguseofsolarpowertocharge

deep-cyclebatteries.3pinplugsare

used,butsocketsaredifferentfrom

thosefoundinmanycountriesandan

adaptorwillprobablybeneededforthis

reasontoo.

Thereareveryfewfifth-wheelersin

Australiaandmostcaravansare20

feetorless.Therearefewslide-outs

althoughsomeofthelargercampervans

dohavethem.

FurnACes Arent used in CAMPerVAns in AustrAliA, rAther the units Are wArMed with eleCtriC heAters, or trAVelers sit outside By A CAMPFire. the exCePtions Are the Very lArge ClAss A MotorhoMes iMPorted FroM the stAtes.

10

driVing on AustrAliAn roAds

Australiansdriveonthe leftsideofthe

road.Ifyouarentusedtodrivingonthe

leftsideoftheroad,itmightpaytorent

anautomaticcampervanandbeextra

carefulatturns.Rememberyouthe

drivershouldalwaysbeinthecentre

oftheroad.

Alldrivers,includingvisitors,must

carrytheirlicensewiththematall

times,althoughyoudontneedaspecial

licensetodriveacampervan.

Forexperienceddrivers,theblood

alcohollevelis0.05.Provisionaldrivers

andyoungdriversmaynothaveany

alcoholbeforedriving.

Seatbeltsandchildrestraintsmustbe

wornbyallvehicleoccupants.Itsan

instantfineifyourecaughtwithoutit.

Thepolicedospotchecksforseatbelts

anddrunkdriversregularly.

Alltrafficmustproceedinaclockwise

directioninaroundabout.Avehicle

alreadyonaroundabouthasrightofway

overanyvehiclesentering.

Alwaysovertaketotheright.Besureyou

canseeenoughoftheroadtocomplete

overtakingandmovebacktoyourside

oftheroad.Neverovertakeoncorners,

blindrisesorondoublewhitelines.

Whenovertakingheavyvehiclesinwet

weather,bewareofwindturbulence

andwheelspraycausingareductionin

visibility.Allowplentyofspacebehind

youwhenpullingbackinafterpassing

atruck.Truckscantstopasquicklyas

cars,especiallywhencarryingheavy

loads.

when driVing on A Multi-lAne

roAd, keeP to the leFt-hAnd

lAne whereVer PossiBle. MoVe

to the right to oVertAke And

then MoVe BACk to the leFt

onCe its sAFe.

Attrafficlights,agreenarrowmeans

youcangointhedirectionindicated

evenifthemainlightisred.Lookout

forthegreenmancrossingsignwhen

turningattrafficlights.Oftenyourlight

couldbegreenbutyouhavetogiveway

topedestriansbeforeyoucanturn.

Usingahand-heldmobilephonewhile

drivingisanoffence.Ifyoudoneedto

makeortakeacall,pullovertotheside

oftheroad.

so, youve got your campervan and youre ready to go! But driving on Australian roads, not to

mention driving a CAMPerVAn on Australian roads, may be an entirely different experience

than youre used to.

11

Ifyouhaveanaccidentwheresomeoneis

killedorinjured,itshouldbereportedto

thepoliceatonceorwithin24hours.In

WesternAustralia,anyaccidentmustbe

reportedtothepolice.

Inmoststates,themaximumspeed

limitonfreewaysandmajorhighwaysis

100kphandlocalurbanlimitsrangefrom

50to80kph.IntheNorthernTerritory

therearehighwaysthatarefreeofany

limits.Allspeedlimitsareclearlymarked

andallstatesusespeeddetection

equipmentincludingmobileandstatic

speedcameras,alongwithredlight

cameras.AnyfineincurredinAustraliais

yourresponsibilityandifyoureaforeign

national,thefinewillbemailedtoyour

homecountryaddress.

Itsbestnottodriveyourcampervanat

nightoutsideoftowncentresormajor

cities.Wildlife,especiallykangaroos,

canbeverydangerousontheroads

particularlyatsunriseandsunset

(whentheyrelookingforfood).You

couldencounterallsortsofanimalson

Australianroadsincludingkangaroos,

echidnas,camels,wallabies,cattle,

emus,pigs,largesnakes,wombats,or

eagles!Theywontonlycomeoutatnight

eitherbeonthelookoutallthetime.

Shouldyoudecideyouwanttogooff

roaditsessentialyoudiscussthiswith

someonelocal,bothtogettheiradvice

(onweatherconditions,thebestroute,

fuelavailabilityandsoforth)andtomake

suresomeonelocalknowsyourintended

route.Itsalsoagoodideatodiscussyour

intendedroutewithyourrentalcompany

regardingtheirpolicyofdrivingthe

campervanonunsealedroads.

Ifyoudobreakdowninaremotearea,

donttryandgetoutandwalk.People

whostaywiththeirvehiclesareusually

locatedquicklyandeasily.Stayinthe

shade,conservewater,andprepare

effectivesignals.

watch out for wIldlIfe on australIan roads.

12

Whentravellinginremoteareas,always

takeasufficientsupplyofwater5

litresperpersonperday.

Any trAVel ACross designAted ABoriginAl lAnd needs sPeCiAl PerMission FroM the owners in AdVAnCe. this PerMit ProCess VAries FroM stAte to stAte And CAn tAke uP to six weeks to CoMe through so ContACt the nAtionAl PArks Controlling Bodies in eACh stAte Prior to your journey.

Iftheroadyouredrivingonisdusty,

becautiousasitmaybeconcealing

potholesand/orwashouts.

ItscommonintheOutback(especially

intheNorthernTerritory)toencounter

roadtrainsmulti-trailertrucksup

to50metreslong.Ifyourecomingfrom

theoppositedirectiontopassaroad

train,giveyourselfplentyofroomas

thedisplacedaircancausesignificant

buffering.Ifyoureovertakingone,allow

atleast1.5kmsofclearroad.

RoadsinAustraliaaregenerallygood

butexpectthequalitytochangefrom

timetotimeandalsorememberthat

therecanbeverylongstretchesofroad

betweenservicestationssoplanahead

whenyoureinruralareasandOutback

regions.

multI-traIler trucks known as road traIns are common In the outback.

13

Checkwithyourindividualcampervan

company,butgenerallyyourinsurance

willbedeemedinvalidifyoudrive

onrestrictedroads.Itwillvaryfrom

companytocompany,butusually2WD

campervanscanonlybedrivenon

sealed/bitumenroads,withtheexception

ofwell-maintainedroadsleadinginto

holidayparksandwell-maintained

roadsonKangarooIslandinSouth

Australia.4WDvehiclescanusuallybe

drivenonrecognisedunsealedroads

butmayneedwrittenpermissionfor

thefollowingremoteareas:Simpson

Desert,GunbarrelHighway,Strzelecki

Track,CapeYork,theBungleBungles,

OodnadattaTrack,BirdsvilleTrack,

WarburtonRoad,CapeLeveque,Tanami

Track,ThePlentyHighway,Kalumburu

RoadandGibbRiverRoad.

Norentalvehiclesaregenerallyallowed

on:theCanningStockRoute,thelasttwo

kilometresoftheLennardRiverGorge

Road,theLostCityinLitchfieldPark,

CapeYorkbetweenDecemberandMay,

andtheTelegraphsectionoftheroadto

CapeYork.

Campervansaretallerthanmost

passengervehicles,soknowthe

clearanceheightrequiredandconsider

thingslikeservicestationcanopiesand

low-hangingbranches.

Somehighwayseitherrestrictor

recommendnon-useforvehiclesovera

certainlength,soresearchwhichroads

youcantravelandhowtoaccessthem.

Alwaysbearinmindthatcampervans

areheavyandrequirelongerbraking

distancesthanyoureprobablyusedto.

Ifyouaregoingtotowsomethingbehind

you,considerwhetheryourcampervan

cancarrytheextraweightupsteep

mountainsorslipperysurfaces.Make

surethehitchattachmentissecure,

andalsoconsiderthetotallengthofthe

campervanandattachmentcombined.

Beforeeachlegofyourtrip,makesure

youthoroughlycheckthefollowingon

yourcampervan:electricalandplumbing

systems;integrityoftheLPGtank;fluids,

brakesandtyres;angleofmirrors;and

hitchandcouplingsystemifthereisone.

hAndling your CAMPerVAn

check your rental companys polIcy regardIng unsealed roads.

CAMPerVAnning BAsiCs

Whenyouarriveineachnewtown,

itsbesttoheadstraighttotheVisitor

InformationCentre,generallylocatedin

thecentreoftown.Thestaffwillgiveyou

adviceandbrochuresonanythingthats

ofinterest.

Campgroundsorholidayparksin

Australiaaregenerallyofahigh

standard.Bookingisntusually

necessaryexceptinpeakseason(around

Christmas/NewYearandEaster).You

canchoosetostayeverynightata

campground,orcertainnightstousethe

extrafacilities.Mostcampgroundswill

letyouusethefacilitieswithoutstaying

thenightforasmallcharge.

Thereareawidearrayofvanparksto

choosefrom.Manyofthenewerparks

havealmostbecomeminiresorts

completewithtenniscourts,multiple

swimmingpools,minigolfcourses,

gamesrooms,cafesandrestaurants

andevenkidsclubs.Althoughthe

facilitiesintheseparksmaybetop

notch,thepricesaregenerallyhighas

wellandtheymaynotbeinthebudget

ofmanylong-termtravellers.Atthe

otherendofthescale,thecouncil-run

caravanparksdonothavealltheextras

buttheyareusuallymuchcheaperand

offerabasicplacetostaywithpower

andamenities.

Ifyouthinkyoumaybestayinginalotof

vanparks,itmaybeworthjoiningoneof

thecaravanparkmembershipschemes.

Theschemesprovidememberswith

discountsforstaysattheirparkswhile

theparksthemselvesmustmeeta

certainsetofstandardsintermsof

facilitiesandcleanliness.BIG4Holiday

Parks,TopTouristParksandFamily

ParksofAustraliaarethreeofthe

biggestvanparkgroups.

Mostnationalparkshaveareassetaside

forcamping.Thereareoftenshower

andtoilets,barbequesandpicnicareas,

howevertheygenerallywonthave

facilitiesforyoutoplugyourvehicleinto

electricity.Australiasnationalparks

containsomeofitsmostspectacular

sightsand,somefeel,someofits

bestcampingspotsaswell.Although

thefacilitiesatcampgroundsinmost

nationalparksincludelittlemorethan

adroptoiletandoccasionallyatapora

picnictable,thesceneryandsenseof

beingclosetonaturemorethanmake

upforit.Thefeesareusuallyprettylow,

too.

TheNationalParksdepartmentofeach

stateandTerritoryhasitsownsystem

intermsofentryfeesandcamping

fees.Youcangetmoreinformation

aboutaccess,availability,facilitiesand

attractionsforthenationalparksin

touristinformationcentres,ontheweb

orbyphoningtherelevantnationalpark

office.LinksforcheckingouttheNational

Parkwebsitesforeachstateareonthe

lastpageofthisbook.

Formany,goingbushnotonlyprovides

awelcomerelieffromaccommodation

fees,italsocreatesarealspiritof

adventure.Somebushcampingareas

arewellestablishedandmayhaveadrop

toiletbutmanyhavenofacilitiesatall.

Ifyouplantogobush,ensureyouhave

adequatesuppliesoffoodandwater

anddontforgetyourspade!

Localcouncillawsdontpermityouto

camponthesideoftheroadinthevicinity

oftowns,howeveroutsidethetownsand

incountryareasitisgenerallyallowed.

AsageneralruleyoureOKtoparkup

inmostplacessuchasofftheroador

byabeachorriversideunlesstheresa

signprohibitingovernightcamping.All

thatsaskedinreturnisrespectforthe

environmentandthelocals.Besensible

anddontparkanywherethatrestricts

others,oranywherethatmightinterfere

withnature.Alsomakesureyourenoton

privateproperty!

Somecouncilsarenowmakingcertain

regionsnofreecampingzonesthough,

sojustbeawareofthis.Itsusuallybest

topullofftheroadandparkbehindsome

trees.Itsgenerallylegaltodothis,butif

youarentsure,orhaventseenthesign,

youcouldhaveyourselfrudelyawakened!

Discretionusuallyhelps.

Inacountrycharacterisedbylong

stretchesofroadacrossabigOutback

skywithfewtownsbreakingthehorizon,

restareashavebecomeanecessityfor

manydrivers.Theyaremeanttoprovide

aplacetobreakyourjourney,havearest

andthenresumeonceagainrefreshed.

Eachstatehasadifferentpolicywhenit

comestoovernightstaysatrestareas

butallagreethatiffatigueissetting

inyoumuststop,reviveandsurvive.

Moststateroadauthoritiesproducefree

mapsdetailingwhererestareasareand

whetherovernightstaysarepermitted.

Therearetoomanycampgroundsin

Australiatolistthemallhereagood

placetostartis

http://www.australianexplorer.com/

campsites/index.html.

some bush toIlets mIght make you wonder whether Its worth holdIng on.

16

keepIng to tracks prevents fragIle ecosystems from damage.

what to do with rubbish and waste

Mostholidayparkswillhavearubbishandwastecollectionfacility.

Thewebsite http://www.sanidumps.com/sanidumps_australia.phphasalistofdump

stationsthroughoutthecountryforcampervanuserstoiletandwastewater.Youredoingthe

environmentafavourwhenyouusethese.

keep it Clean, green and safe

Protectplantsandanimalstheyreuniqueandoftenrare

Removerubbishcarryoutwhatyoucarryin

Takecarewithfiredousewithwaterandcheckashesbeforeleaving(preferablyusea

portablefuelstove)

Keepstreamsandlakescleanwhenwashing,takethewaterandwashthingsawayfrom

thesource,andletsoapywatersoakthroughsoiltobefiltered

Keeptothetracksthereslessriskofdamagingfragileplantsandecosystems

RespectthecountrysheritagemanyplacesinAustraliahavespiritualand/orhistorical

significance

17

Crossing the BAss strAit

gettIng to tasmanIa means crossIng the bass straIt.

the Bass strait is the channel between the

mainland and tasmania. if youre planning

to include tasmania in your campervan

holiday (or hire your vehicle in tasmania

and travel to the mainland), youll need to

cross this picturesque sea-road.

Therouteisoperatedbytwoships,Spiritof

TasmaniaIandII,whichofferanovernight

serviceinbothdirectionsbetweenStation

PierinPortMelbourneandPortDevonport

onTasmaniasnorthcoast.Theygoseven

daysaweek,year-round,withextradaytime

servicesatpeaktimesoftheyear.

Theshipseachhavemorethan700

berths,or220cabinsandthetriptakes

approximately9-11hours.Campervanscan

travelontheshipsfromaroundA$93off

peakandA$134inpeakseason(subjectto

change).Thefareincreasesasthesizeofyour

campervanincreases.

Forfurtherdetailsonfaresandtimetables,

gotothewebsitewww.spiritoftasmania.

com.au.Duetothevariationsinsize,you

wontbeabletobookyourcampervanin

online,howevertherearedetailsonthe

websiteabouthowtodothis.

Australiaisahugecountry,sotoenjoyyour

holiday,itsrecommendedtoresearchyour

intendedtravelroutethoroughly,especially

yourtravellingdistances.Itsmuchbetter

totravelataleisurelypaceandstopat

whicheverattractionsyoulikeratherthan

spendingeachdaycoveringhugedistances.

Whencalculatingtravellingtimeitis

importanttotakeintoconsiderationthe

needtoreducespeedthroughthemany

townsandcities.Youwillalsoneedto

consideradverseroadandweather

conditions,aswellasroadsthatmaybe

windingratherthanstraight.Aimtocover

approximately150-250kmperday.

Alsoremember,driverfatiguecausesmany

crashesinAustralia.Whendrivinglong

distances,stopandrestevery2hours.

driVing distAnCes

adelaide brisbane canberra darwin melbourne perth sydney

adelaide 2062 1204 3024 725 2707 1424

albury 913 1545 343 3937 310 3620 563

alice springs 1534 2946 2680 1490 2259 3933 2958

ballarat 616 1765 762 3640 109 3323 982

bendigo 641 1632 642 3665 149 3348 862

birdsville 1202 1619 2153 2246 2470 3293 2129

brisbane 2062 1268 3399 1686 4363 982

broken hill 509 1553 1073 3127 820 2810 1174

broome 4271 4646 4975 1875 4996 2258 5112

cairns 3384 1697 2922 2885 3008 6050 2679

canberra 1204 1268 3917 653 3911 286

darwin 3024 3399 4170 3749 4163 3994

geelong 862 1760 727 3852 74 3410 947

geraldton 3131 4787 4335 3739 3856 424 4555

kalgoorlie 2188 3634 3392 4760 2913 597 3465

katherine 2710 3085 3856 314 3435 3718 3588

mackay 2666 979 2204 2913 2290 5275 1941

melbourne 725 1686 653 3749 3432 873

mildura 397 1671 807 3421 554 3104 1027

mt gambier 454 2071 1068 3478 482 3161 1288

newcastle 1599 807 461 3819 1048 4159 175

perth 2707 4363 3911 4163 3432 3984

port augusta 308 1754 1512 2716 1037 2399 1585

port hedland 4831 5178 5536 2482 5057 1625 5609

rockhampton 2329 642 1867 2954 1953 5199 1624

sydney 1424 982 286 3994 873 4131

tennant creek 2040 2440 3186 984 2765 4622 3010

townsville 3038 1351 2576 2541 2662 5911 2313

wagga wagga 959 1285 245 3672 438 3666 465

distance Chart

road distances between major cities, in kilometres. the distances are based on the most

direct route, not necessarily the most practical.

19

inVAluABle CAMPerVAnning tiPs

Takesoftandcollapsibleluggage,not

rigidsuitcases,tofitintheoftensmall

storagecompartmentsincampervans.

Baggageareasattheinternational

airportsarepatrolledbysnifferdogs

whosepriorityisactuallyfinding

fruitandvegetables,notjustdrugs!

Forgettinganappleinyourbackpack

cancostyouaninstantfine.

TwoAussiefavouritesthatarehighly

accessiblewhentravellingaremince

pies(aflaky,high-caloriemeatpie),

andbatteredfishandchipswrapped

inpaper.Approachbothwithcaution

unlessyoubroughtelasticpants!

Getoffthewell-troddentouristroutes

andinteractwiththelocalstodiscover

partsofAustraliathataregenerally

reservedforlocalknowledge.Youllalso

findmanyofyourfellowcampervanners

areAustraliansgettingoutofthecities.

Successfulcampervanningrelieson

matey-ness,atwhichAussiesexcel!

Dontunderestimatethepowerof

thesunevenwhenthetemperatures

arentextreme.Infact,acombination

ofverylittleairpollutionandathinning

oftheearthsprotectiveozonelayer

(particularlyinSouthAustraliaand

Tasmania)meanstheburntimescan

beshort.ApplywaterproofSPF30+

frequently,andcoverupwithsunhats,

clothingandsunglasses.

Ifyoudogetbadlyburnt,takean

anti-inflammatorysuchasibuprofen,

moisturisefrequently,drinkloadsof

waterandavoidmoresun.Alsoavoid

applyingaloeveraunlessyouare

certainitspuremanyhighly-coloured

versionsactuallyhaveahighalcohol

contentwhichfurtherdryouttheskin.

Donttryandtickofftoomaysightsin

tooshortatime,oryouwillspendyour

wholetriplookingoutthewindowof

yourcampervan.

battered fIsh and chIps are all too tasty and easy to eat every day.

its all very well knowing where youre going and how to get there but its the little things

that can make or break a campervanning holiday!

20

posItIon your campervan so you and your neIghbour both have prIvacy.

Whenparkingataholidaypark,

unspokenetiquetteistopositionyour

vansoyourslidingdoordoesnotface

yourneighboursdoor.Thatwayyou

canavoidenforcedchitchatandretain

someprivacy.

Levellingblockscanbehandyifyou

dontlikesleepingonanangle,but

planks(orVERYthickcardboard)are

alsoworthwhiletoplaceunderyour

wheelsasyouparkifitlookslikeitwill

getverymuddy.

Bringalltheessentials,butdont

overpack.Doyoureallyneedmorethan

onepairofthesametypeofshoe?Youll

begladforanysquareinchofextra

spacetoliveininsideyourcampervan.

Spring-typeclothespegscomein

handyforcountlessthingskeeping

openbagsclosed,replacingthefiddly

closuresonslicedbreadandhanging

upyourclothesofcourse!Onthisnote,

clotheslinesatholidayparksfillupvery

quickly.Washyourclothesandhang

themoutatnight.

Glassestravelwellinstubbycoolers

(foamcupsthatkeepyourbeerbottle

cool),orpolystyrenesheetswith

different-sizedholescutin.

Takewirecoathangerssoyoucanbend

thehooksaroundtostopthemjumping

offtherailevenonreallybumpyroads.

Checkthealignmentofotherpeoples

TVantennaswhenyouarriveata

holidayparkchancesaretheyllbe

pointingintherightdirection!

Cookdoubletheamountofanyfood

youmake,especiallystews,curries,

stir-friesetcsoyouhaveaneasy

re-heatablemealattheendofthe

followingdaystravel.

21

A rundown oF the regionswestern Australia (w.A.)

Popular Places:Perth,RottnestIsland,ThePinnacles,TheKimberley,Broome,

NingalooReef,PurnululuNationalPark,SharkBay,MargaretRiver.

22

ThisisAustraliaslargeststateinterms

ofarea,coveringthewesternthirdofthe

mainland(fivetimesthesizeofTexas).

Itscapitalcity,Perth,isoneofthemost

isolatedmetropolitanareasontheplanet

thenearestcityisAdelaide(over2000

kmsaway)infactitsclosertoEast

TimorandJakartainIndonesiathanitis

toSydneyorMelbourne.

PerthisAustraliassunniestcity(which

issayingalot!).Thetemperaturesreach

above40degreesCelsiusinsummer,

althoughitswintersaremild.Theheatis

dryinthesouthandhumidinthenorth.

Perthisahandsome,moderncity

withfantasticparks,greatswimming

andsuperbsurf.TheSwanRiverruns

throughthecityandmostresidents

definethemselvesaseitherlivingNorth

orSouthoftheriver.Theriverflows

intotheIndianOceanatthePortof

Fremantle,anotherbeautifultownwith

greathistoricbuildings.

DrivingsouthoutofPerthtakesyouto

townssuchasAlbanyandEsperance,

withthisregionclaimingsomeofthe

bestbeachesintheworld.SouthWest

Australiaisalsohometopartsofthe

Karriforestwheresomeoftheworlds

tallesttreesgrow.

HeadnorthfromPerthandyoullhitthe

Outback.ThetopthirdofW.A.istropical

andyoullseerainforestalongthecoast,

andendlessgrassysavannahdottedwith

kangaroosandallsortsofotherwildlife.

Southandinlandarethehugedeserts

thebiggestintheworldapartfromthe

famousSahara.Themaindesertsare

theSimpsonDesert,theGreatVictoria

Desert,TheGreatSandyDesert,andthe

NullaborPlain.Thisregionisfamous

foritsspectacularspringtimedisplayof

wildflowers.

TheresmorecoastlineinW.Athanin

anyotherstate,muchofitbeautiful

whitesandandsparklingturquoise

water.However,manyofthenorthern

beachesarehometosharksandother

treacherouswildlife,sobrushuponyour

localknowledgebeforedecidingifand

whentoswim.

ThemostwesterlypointofAustralia

isNorthWestCape,thelocationof

theNingalooReef.Itsnotaslargeas

theGreatBarrierReefbutisjustas

spectacular,moreaccessibleandless

populated.

TherearemanyhugeminesinW.A,so

roadtrainsarefrequentlyseen.The

opencastminesmakeforaninteresting

visit,astheyhousesomeoftheworlds

biggestearth-movingmachinery,

truckswithhousesinthem,andtrains

kilometreslong.

Followingthemainhighwaynorthwill

takeyoutotheNorthernTerritory,

whereasthesouthofthestateis

borderedbySouthAustralia.Offthewest

coastistheIndianOceanandbeyondthe

southernborderistheGreatSouthern

Ocean.Thenearestlandmasstothe

southisAntarctica.

23

Popular Places:Darwin,AliceSprings,KakaduNationalPark,Uluru,KingsCanyon,

KatherineGorge,ArnhemLand.

northern territory (n.t.)

24

Thisterritoryishugeandsparsely

populated.Itspansdesertandtropics

andliesjustunderneathAsia.

Themajorityofthisregionisclassed

asOutbackandstations,whichare

hugefarmsorranches(someofthese

stationsarebiggerthancountries!)

ThenorthernpartisknownastheTop

EndtoAustralians,andonlyhastwo

tropicalseasonswetanddry.Darwin

islocatedintheTopEndandisthe

capitalofN.T.

Darwinisaveryrelaxedcity,although

hasntalwaysbeensolaidback.In

fact,itsbeendestroyedandrebuilt

twice!ItwasbombedbytheJapanese

duringWWIIandthensuccumbedto

apowerfulcycloneonChristmasDay,

1974.Becauseofthis,itsnowthemost

moderncityinAustralia.

WestofDarwinistheworld-renowned

3.2million-acreKakaduNationalPark,

famousforitsstunningsceneryfullof

waterfalls,crocodilesandmangroves,

aswellasitssacredAboriginalsites

therearemorepaintingsonrocksand

cavewallsherethananywhereelsein

Australia.

HeadsouthandyoullgettoAlice

Springs,N.Tssecond-largestcity.Its

amodernOutbackcitywithanold-

worldcharm,surroundedbydesert

andtheMcDonnellRanges.Peoplecall

thisareaofAustraliatheRedCentre

becauseofthecolourofthesand,which

isoccasionallybrokenupbywhitesalt

fromdried-upsaltlakes.Theresahuge

amountofwildlifearoundhereyoure

likelytoseekangaroos,emus,snakes

andmaybeagoanna(ahugelizard).

Inthesouthoftheregion,almost

perfectlyinthecentreofAustraliais

Uluru(formerlyAyersRock),arguably

thecountrysmostfamouslandmark.

Thehugesandstonemonolithisabout

halfadaysdrivefromAliceSprings.

Continuesouthandyoullendupin

SouthAustralia,westandyoullbeback

inW.A.,andtotheeastisQueensland.

NorthofN.TistheArafuraSeaandthe

nearestlandfromthereisIndonesia.

the majorIty of the northern terrItory Is classed as outback.

25

south Australia (s.A.)

Popular Places:Adelaide,KangarooIsland,thecentraldeserts,FlindersRanges,

NullaborPlain,BarossaValley,CooberPedy.

26

SouthAustraliaborderseverymainland

stateinAustralia.Itsthedriestinthe

countrybutitsclimateisperfectfora

thrivingwineindustry.

the CAPitAl City oF s.A. is AdelAide, whiCh is situAted on the torrens riVer. its notABle For its BeAutiFul PArks whiCh sePArAte the City FroM the suBurBs.

NearAdelaideistheBarossaValley

whichisprobablyAustraliasmost

famedwine-producingregion.Northare

thestunninglyruggedFlindersRanges.

EvenfurthernorthistheSimpson

Desert,andwestfromthereisthevast,

flatNullaborPlain.

SouthAustraliaishometosome

interestingtowns,suchasCooberPedy

inthenorth.Theresidentsofthissmall

miningtownactuallyliveunderground

thebestwaytoescapethestifling

heatofaboveground.Houses,church

buildings,pubsandotherbuildingsare

alldugouttolooklikegrandcaves.Its

alsoknownastheOpalCapitalofthe

World.Itsremotebutwellworthavisit.

Travellingeast,youllreachQueensland,

VictoriaorNewSouthWales.N.T.is

tothenorthandW.A.tothewest.The

coastlineoftheGreatSouthernOceanis

calledtheGreatAustralianBight.

south australIas clImate lends Itself perfectly to wIne growIng.

27

Queensland (Qld.)

Popular Places:Brisbane,GoldCoast,SunshineCoast,Noosa,AirlieBeach,Great

BarrierReef,WhitsundayIslands,FraserIsland,CairnsandPortDouglas,Daintree

Rainforest,Kuranda.

28

QueenslandisAustraliassecond-

largeststate,anditscapitalisBrisbane,

Australiasthird-largestcity.Tothesouth

isanotherlargecity,theGoldCoast,and

northernQueenslandslargestcityis

Townsville.

QueenslAnds CliMAte rAnges FroM suB-troPiCAl uP to troPiCAl in the north, And this CoMBined with soMe oF the Most stunning, oFten unCrowded BeAChes in the world MAke it A PoPulAr holidAy destinAtion For Both AustrAliAns And oVerseAs Visitors.

Themostfamousgeographicalfeature

ofQueenslandistheGreatBarrierReef,

whichisknownasoneofthenatural

wondersoftheworld.Around2000kms

long,ithassomeofthebestdivingand

snorkellingintheworldduetoitsrich

marinelifeandsome900beautiful

tropicalislands.Particularlyspectacular

aretheWhitsundayIslandswhicharea

must-see.

IntheupperpartofQueensland(known

asFarNorthQueensland,orF.N.T)lies

DaintreeNationalPark,hometothe

worldsoldestrainforestandamazing

spotssuchasCapeTribulation,where

therainforestrunsuninterruptedtothe

reef.Uphereistheonlyplaceinthe

worldwheretwoWorldHeritageareas

existsidebyside.

InlandQueenslandismostlydesert,or

Outback,startingfromthewestofthe

GreatDividingRangeuptotheNorthern

Territory.QueenslandbordersSouth

Australiatothesouthwestbutitsnot

arouteforcampervans,asthereareno

roadsyoucancrossintoNewSouth

Walesinthesouth,however.

NorthofQueenslandistheTorresStrait

whichseparatesAustraliafromPapua

NewGuinea,andistheendpointof

theGreatBarrierReef.Peoplewholive

ontheislandsintheTorresStraitare

officiallycitizensofAustralia.

queensland has some of the best beaches In the world.

29

Popular Places:Sydney,ByronBay,BlueMountains,HunterValley,NewEngland

region,PortStephens,PebblyBeach,JervisBay,Kosciuszco,BrokenHill.

new south wales (n.s.w.)

new south wAles is AustrAliAs Most PoPulous stAte And oFFers A huge VAriety oF things to see And do BeAutiFul CoAstline, world heritAge PArks, MountAin rAnges, outBACk, snow And skiing, And the Bright lights oF the City.

30

sydney In new south wales Is australIas most recognIsable cIty.

ThestatescapitalSydneyisagorgeous

cityandAustraliasmostrecognised.

ItsmuchbiggerthanN.S.Wssecond

andthirdlargestcities,Newcastleand

Woollongong,whicharemuchbigger

againthantheremainingcountrytowns.

Whilemuchofthesophisticatednightlife

andculturalattractionsareconcentrated

inSydney,thereareplentyofnaturaland

historicalsitesmakingtherestofthe

stateextremelyworthspendingtimein.

ByronBay,Australiasmosteasterlypoint,

hasexcellentsurfbreaksandisrenowned

foritsartsy,hippie-likeatmosphere.

InlandisthelushNewEnglandregion

(hometoNewcastle)sonamedbecause

ofitscoolclimateandBritish-looking

landscape.AroundtheGreatDiving

Rangeyoullfindlotsofprotectedareas

ofgorges,rainforestandvalleysthatare

excellentforhikingandextremesports

suchaswhitewaterrafting.

N.S.Wstemperateclimatewithits

warmsummersandmildwintersmean

itsappealingyear-round.TheOutback

cangetuncomfortablyhotinsummer

though,andevenSydneymightgetthe

odd40degreeday.NSWisastateofmany

contrasts,however,andyoucanskiinthe

AustralianAlpstothesouth.

Inthestateswestyoullcometothe

BlueMountainswiththeirbreathtaking

cliffs,limestonecaveformationsandlush

rainforest;evenfurtherwestandyoull

hittheOutback.Tothesouthliesthe

RoyalNationalPark,northistheKurangi

ChaseNationalPark.TweedHeadslies

northernmost,ontheborderofNSW

andQLD;andCoolangattasitsonthe

Queenslandside.

31

VictoriaisAustraliassmallestmainland

state,withthehighestdensityoutofany

ofthestates.Itscapitalcity,Melbourne,

isAustraliassecond-largestcity,andis

bestknownforitsstyle,sophistication,

culture,fabulouseateries,great

shoppingandthrivingartsscene.Over

aquarterofitsresidentswereborn

overseas,makingitAustraliasmost

multi-culturalcity.

Melbourneisknownasthecultural

capitalofAustralia,andthereisan

endlesstimetableoffoodandfilm

festivals,artexhibitionsandmusical

offerings.Thecityalsohostsmanylarge

eventssuchastheAustralianGrandPrix

andtheMelbourneInternationalFlower

andGardenShow.

OutsideMelbourne,regionalattractions

includePhillipIslandwithitsfamous

penguinparade,thevastsandstone

ridgesofTheGrampians,andthe

spectacularGreatOceanRoadfrom

whichyoucanviewdramaticrock

formationssuchasthefamousTwelve

Apostles.

InlandVictoriaislargelyfarmland;

northernVictoriaborderstheAustralian

Alps.

Victoria (Vic.)

Popular Places:Melbourne,GreatOceanRoad,TheGrampians,Mornington

Peninsula,BellsBeach,Ballarat,PhillipIsland.

32

TasmaniaisAustraliasislandstate,

separatedfromthemainlandbyBass

Straitwhichis240kmsacross.

Tasmaniaisfamousforitsunpolluted

air,uninterruptedwilderness,

spectacularviewsandgourmet

produce.Overonequarterofthestateis

protectedwithNationalParkstatus.

Thelandscapetothewestisrugged

withrockycoastlines,steepmountains

anddenserainforest.LakeStClairis

saidtobeoneofthemostscenicareas

thelocationofCradleMountainand

trekstorivalevenNewZealandsmost

picturesque.

tasmania (tas.)

Popular Places:Hobart,LakeStClair,CradleMountain,PortArthur,Freycinet

Peninsula,Mariaisland.

33

many anImals, lIke the tasmanIan devIl, are unIque to the state.

EasternTasmaniaislessrugged,

warmer,andmorebeachyWineglass

bayinFreycenetNationalParkwas

oncevotedinthetoptenbeachesin

theworldaccordingtoaninternational

travelmagazine.

TasmaniascapitalisHobart,andis

Australiassecondoldestcity(after

Sydney).Itsitsnexttoariver,abusy

harbourandimpressivemountainsand

hasitsownuniqueatmosphere.

TasmaniawasoriginallynamedVan

DiemensLandbytheDutchexplorer

AbelTasman,butitsnamedwas

changedin1856.Tasmaniahasa

fascinatinghistoryduetoitspastasa

Britishpenalcolony.

tAsMAniA is teeMing with wildliFe (the Most FAMous Being the tAsMAniAn deVil) MuCh oF it sPeCiFiC to the stAte due to its isolAtion. there Are VArieties oF kAngAroos And PossuMs, For exAMPle, thAt Are only Found in tAsMAniA due to its Cooler And More MountAinous CliMAte.

34

whAt to exPeCt FroM the weAther

TheAustralianclimatevarieshugely,

butbyfarthelargestpartofthecountry

isdesert,orsemi-arid40%ofthe

landmassiscoveredbysanddunes!

Onlythesoutheastandsouthwestof

thecountryhasatemperateclimateand

fertilesoil.

Thenorthernpartofthecountryhas

atropicalclimate;partistropical

rainforest,partisgrasslands;andpartis

desert.

Igde^XValZi

Igde^XValZiVcYYgn

HZb^Vg^Y

9ZhZgi

HjWigde^XVaYgnhjbbZg

=jb^YhjWigde^XVa

=jb^YdXZVc^X

35

ThetropicalareasofAustraliadont

experiencetheseseasonstypically,however.

Therearereallyonlytwoseasons:wet

(OctoberApril)anddry(MaySeptember).

Therightweathercanmakeorbreakyour

campervanningholiday,whetherityourtrip

isforthreeweeks,threemonthsorthree

years!Luckily,Australiasclimatemakes

itpossibletoenjoyfantasticweatheryear

roundifyougototherightplacesatthe

righttimealthoughofcourseMother

Natureisfarfrompredictableandits

entirelypossibletogetacloudy,rainyweek

inPortDouglasinAugust,oraheatwavein

MelbourneinOctober.

generally speaking, though

Thewet season in the north(above

thetropicofCapricorn)iswhenheavy

monsoonrain,cyclones,flashfloods

andoccasionallyevenhurricanesoccur.

Thehightemperaturescombinedwith

sometimes100%humidity(althoughan

averageofabout70%)canalsomakeit

uncomfortabletobeoutside(oranywhere

insidethatdoesnthaveair-conditioning!)

However,itcanbequitetheexperienceto

bravetheconditionsandwitnessdramatic

electricalstorms,thunderingwaterfallsand

ragingwaterways.Ifyouareplanningto

visitthefarnorthduringthistime,takelocal

adviceaboutroadconditionsandweather

warnings.Therecanberoadclosuresin

someareas,morefrequentlythefurther

northyougo.Themostcomfortabletime

tovisittheseareas(suchasBroome,Alice

Springs,DarwinorCairns)isinthedry

seasonbetweenMayandOctoberJuly/

Augustisyourbestbet.

Thedry season in the northiswhen

temperaturessitataround25-30degrees

Celsius,humidityislowandthereslittle

chanceofrain.Nearlyeverydayiswarm

andsunny,andafternoonhumiditysits

around30%.Thelowesttemperatureyoull

experiencewillbearound12-14degrees

Celsiusatnight,butrarelylower,andno

frostshaveeverbeenrecorded.Waterfalls

andriversdropandthelandcandryout

significantly.Itsaverypleasanttimeofyear

inthesepartswinterinthenorthismuch

likesummerinthesouth-butexpect

manyothertravellerstohavethesameidea,

particularlyduringschoolholidays.

Theheat in the centrecanreach45degrees

Celsiusorevenhigherinthesummer

monthsofNovembertoMayandconditions

canbehugelyuncomfortable.Itsavolatile

timeandthereisalsotheriskofsudden

downpoursthatturndriedupcreeksinto

ragingrivers.Itsalwaysbestnottoembark

onlongwalksorstrenuousactivitiesduring

thefullheatofdayandalwaystakeahat,

sunscreenandplentyofwaterwithyou.

RemembertheOutbackisprettyfarfrom

civilisationifanyoneneedsmedicalattention.

the seasons are as follows:

spring:September,October,November

summer:December,January,February

Autumn (Fall):March,April,May

winter:June,July,August

36

Thecool in the centrehappensApril

toOctoberandduringthedaytimethe

temperaturescanbeverypleasant,

althoughitcangetverycoolatnight,

especiallyinJulyandAugust.Theresnot

muchchanceofrainbutdontcountthe

occasionaldownpouroutcompletely.

Thesummer in the south(southofthe

TropicofCapricorn)isafantastictime

ofyear,althoughitcangetuptoaround

40degreesCelsiusinsomeplacessobe

preparedforheat!Thelowestrainfalland

highesttemperaturesgenerallyoccur

betweenNovemberandMarch,andthe

daysarelongertoo.

Thewinter in the southcangetprettywet

andcold,especiallyintheareasfurthest

south,suchasTasmaniaandlocations

onthesouthcoast.Inthesubtropical

regions,wintersareoftendryanddaytime

temperaturesmild,ifalittlecrisp.

extreme weather condItIons In the outback shouldnt be underestImated.

37

Australias wildlife is very unique, thanks

to its geographical isolation. some of the

worlds most unusual animals exist there.

Caseinpoint:theplatypus,anegg-laying

marsupialwithwebbedfeet,abilllike

aducks,andabeaver-liketail.Whena

specimenwasfirstbrought

backtoEurope,many

scientistsinsisted

itwasfakea

mixtureof

severalanimals

sewntogether!

Anotherfascinating

monotreme(egg-laying

marsupial)istheechidna,

aspinylittlethingwithabeakandalong

stickytongueforcatchinginsects.

kangaroosareanotherprolificnative

animalthereare45differentspeciesof

kangaroosandwallabies,ranginginsize

fromthatofahamstertothatofagrown

man.Potoroosandbettongsarethetiniest

infact,potoroosare

oftenknownaswallaby

rats.

Youmightalsowant

toseeakoala,the

gorgeousfuzzy

marsupial(notabear)

withtheblacknose.Your

bestbetistoseeone

atazooorsanctuary

(theLonePineKoalaSanctuaryinBrisbane

istheworldslargestyoucanhaveyour

phototakenwithonethere)butbewarned

theysleep20hoursadaysohemaynot

beawakefortheexperience.Koalasfrom

southernareasareabout30%biggerthan

Queenslandkoalas.

PossumsareeverywhereinAustralia

particularlythecommonbrush-tailed

possum,oftenfoundtheminsuburban

gardens.Therearealsolesscommon

variationsofpossum,includinggliders

(flyingpossums).

wombats

aresturdy

marsupials

weighingupto

36kg,withbig

bluntheads,

shortnecks

andbigclaws

fordiggingburrowsandtunnels.

Youwillhaveheardoftasmanian

devils,acat-likecreaturefound

onlyinyes,Tasmania.Itsthe

largestmemberofafamilyof

carnivorousmarsupialsthat

includesthequoll,thenumbat,the

antechinus,thekowariandthe

mulgara.

wildliFe

38

BandicootsareanotherfamousAustralian

marsupial,agrayish-brownmousey-looking

creatureaboutthesizeofarabbitwithbig

ears,apointytailandalongsnout.Abilbyis

avariationofabandicoot.

Batsaboundin

theeasternand

northernedges

ofAustraliainthe

warmest,moistest

habitats.Theyremostly

fruitbats,otherwiseknownasflyingfoxes;

otherwiseyoumaycomeacrossLittle

Bentwingbatsinanycavesortunnelson

theeastcoastofthecountry.

water buffaloarentnativebutarefoundin

theNorthernTerritory.Theywerebrought

induringthenineteenthcenturyasasupply

ofmeat,howeveraspartofaBrucellosis

andTuberculosiseradicationcampaign

from1997-2007manywereshotandthe

populationwassubstantiallyreduced.You

mightalsocomeacrossseveraldifferent

speciesofdeerinsmallpartsofthesouth

eastofAustralia,orared fox(anywherebut

Tasmaniaandthetropicalnorth).

The dingoisanativedogofAustraliaand

Australiaslargestmammalcarnivore.The

sizeofamedium-sizeddogandrangingon

colorfromcreamtotantoblack,youllfind

themalloverAustraliaexceptinTasmania.

Neverfeedorapproachawilddingo

theycanbeverydangerous.Itsillegal

tohavethemaspetsinSouthAustralia,

QueenslandandTasmania,andownersin

VictoriaandtheNorthernTerritoryneed

aspecialpermit.InNSWandWAyoucan

havethemunlicensed.Itsalsoimportant

okeepallfoodsourcesawayandsecure

whenyouarenteating,otherwisedingoes

willseeitasaninvitationtoransackyour

belongings!

Thereisapproximately300,000brumbies

(wildhorses)inAustralia.Theyre

consideredaproblemastheycause

erosion,spreadweedsandcompetefor

pasturewithnativeanimals.Cullingto

controlnumbersisacontroversialpractice

inAustralia.

note:Washyourhandscarefully

ifyouvecomeintocontactwith

anymarsupialsastheycancarrya

numberofdiseasesandothernasties

suchasparalysisticks.Ifyoudo

findatickonyourbody,dabitwith

methylatedspiritsorsomeotherkind

ofnoxiousliquidandthencarefully

pullitoutwithtweezers,ensuringyou

gettheentirething.

39

Theyarentimmediatelywhatpopsto

mindwhenyouthinkofAustralianwildlife,

howeverthecontinentishometoupto

200,000wilddromedarycamels.Thousands

ofthemwereimportedintoAustralia

between1840and1907toopenupthearid

areasofcentralandwesternAustralia.

Theywereusedforriding,andasdraught

andpackanimals,andtosupplygoodsto

remoteminesandsettlements.

AustralianandNewZealandfur sealsare

commonlyseenaroundthesouthcoast

ofAustralia,andAustraliansea lionsto

thesouthandwest.Otherseamammals

includemanykindsofwhales(killerwhales,

falsekillerwhales(thereisadifference!),

pilotwhales,bluewhales;SouthernRight

whales,dwarfminkewhales,finwhales,

humpbackwhales,seiwhales,andsperm

whales);dolphins(common,pantropical,

striped,andbottlenose);anddugongs,

otherwiseknownasseacows.

Birdsofalmosteverydescriptionfill

Australianskiesandground.Ofparticular

noteistheemualargeflightlessbird

thatsoneoftheworldslargestbirds(just

slightlysmallerthananostrich).They

arefarmedinAustraliaandoverseasfor

everythingfromleathertofeatherstotheir

eggs;andcanbe

foundallacross

thecontinent,

fromcoastal

regionstohigh

inthesnowy

mountainsto

thedryinland

plains.Youshould

alsobeaware

ofrunninginto

acassowary

anotherflightless

birdthatsfoundinnorthQueenslands

tropicalrainforests.Theyrequitestunning-

lookingwithalargeblackbody,abrilliant

blueandblackheadwithabrightred

wattle,andalargehornhelmetonits

head.Theyreimportantastheydistribute

seedsintherainforestfromfruitthats

toolargeforanyotherbirdtocarry.Dont

approachcassowarieshowevertheyhave

thereputationasbeingoneoftheworlds

mostdangerousbirds.Theyarebynature

quiteshybutwhendisturbedcaninflictfatal

injuriestodogsandchildren.Ifyouheara

largebirdthatsoundslikeitslaughingat

you,thatsakookaburra!

TherearetwotypesofcrocodileinAustralia

freshiesandsalties.Freshiesor

freshwatercrocodiles,aresmallerand

40

relativelyharmless,onlygrowingupto

around3metersandsubsistingonadiet

ofmostlyfish.Thesaltwaterorestuarine

versionsarentsuchfussyeatersandcan

reachuptoabout6meters.

Therearemanyfascinatingtypesof

dragonsandlizards inAustralia,suchas

theThornyDevilaharmlessreptilecovered

inthornsincludingspikesaboveeacheye

thatalsohastheabilitytochangecolor.

goannasarealarge,distinctivetypeof

lizardthattherearemultiplespeciesofand

youllalsocomeacrossseveraldifferent

variationsofskinksandgeckos.

Australiaisfamousforbeinghometomany

differentvarietiesofsnake,fromharmless

greenandbrowntreesnakes,tothe

extremelyvenomoussuchasdeathadders,

copperheads,tigersnakesandtaipans.

Therearealsomanytypesofpython(which

areconstrictorsandnotvenomousbut

willstillbiteifprovokedwhichhurts)as

wellasseasnakesmostofwhichare

venomous.Snakesareaprotected

speciesinAustralia,andshouldbeleft

alone.Itsnotadvisabletoapproach

anysnake.Unlessyoureasnakeexpert,

itcanbeveryhardtotellexactlyhow

dangerouseachindividualsnakeis.

Ifsomeonedoesgetbitten,treatevery

snakebiteasseriousevenifyoudont

thinkthesnakewasvenomous.Themost

dangerouseffectsaresometimesnotfelt

untillater,andsomebitesmaynoteven

hurt.Symptomsofsnakebitepoisoningcan

includedizziness,lossofvision,nausea,

sweating,headache,doublevision,blurred

vision,weaknessanddifficultyswallowing

andbreathing.

Thepersonshouldbemadetoliedown

andcalmeddownsotheyremainstill.

Donttamperwiththewoundinanyway,

includingwashingit.Makesureyouremove

ringsoranyotherjewelleryastheycan

becometightifswellingdevelops.Ifthe

biteisonalimb,useabroadbandageor

note:Dontswimin,orevenstand

onthebanksof,anyriver,swamp,

estuary,pondorlakeinNorthern

Australiaunlessyouknowits

croc-free.

note:AlthoughsomeAustralian

snakescangivefatalbites,few

peoplediefromthemiftheygetthe

correctfirstaidandanti-venomif

needed.Alwayswearshoesand

longpantswhenwalkinginthe

bush,anddontputyourhandinto

hollows,cracksinthegroundor

underrockswheretheymaybe

sheltering.

41

tornstripsofclothingorpantyhosetoapply

atmoderatepressure(nottightenough

tostopcirculation).Gooverthetopof

clothingratherthanmovingthelimbto

removeitandoncethebandageison,

keepiton.Then,keepthelimbasstillas

possibleusingasplintorsling.Dontusea

tourniquetorsuckthewound!Also,dont

givethepersonanythingtodrink,orlet

themwalkatall.

Callemergencyserviceson000orget

themtothenearestplacetheycanbeseen

byamedicallytrainedperson,assoonas

possible.Althoughitmightbeusefulto

knowwhattypeofsnakecausedthebite,

dontattempttocatchorkillit.Peoplehave

beenbittenbysnakestheythoughtwere

dead.

Australiaalsohasmanyseaturtlesand

freshwaterturtles.Theyarequiteshybut

makegreatswimmingandsnorkelling

companions!

Theresalsoanabundanceofamazingfish

inAustraliayoucanseewhilesnorkeling

ordiving,includingangelfish,clownfish,

barracuda,cuttlefish,wrassandmany

more.Fishtoavoidhowever,arestingrays,

stonefish,porcupinefish,lionfishandpuffer

fish.Donttouchanoctopusifithasblue

ringsonit.InQueensland,boxjellyfish

orstingersarecommoninthesummer

months(OctoberApril).Stingernetsare

placedatthemostpopularbeachesduring

stingerseasonanditsnotrecommended

toswimatanyotherbeachesbutifone

touchesyou,pourvinegarontheaffected

areastraightaway.Thelocalauthorities

usuallyhavebottlesoftheseplacedalong

thebeaches.Bluebottlejellyfisharealso

foundinandaroundSydney.Thebest

treatmentforthisistowashthestingwith

freshwaterthenhaveahotbathorshower.

Thereisusuallysignageforalltypesof

dangerouswildlife.

Otherwatercreaturesincludeseahorses,

seadragons,starfish,shrimp,prawns,

crabs,yabbies,crayfishandlotsmore.As

youcanimagine,Australiaisalsohome

tomanytypesofinsects,fromexquisite

butterfliestohugebeetlestovarious

mothstoexoticantstoirritatingmidges

andmore.Alsonoteworthyarethemany

speciesofspidersomevenomous,some

not.Therearealsoseveraltypesoffrogs

andtoadsfromthespectacularlypretty

greentreefrogthroughtothewartyand

42

venomouscanetoad.Alsowatchoutfor

scorpions,centipedesandmillipedes

whichcanandwillbite.Particularly

horrifyingaregiantcentipedeswhichcan

reachlengthsofuptoandover16cm.They

delivervenomthroughmodifiedclawsthat

istoxictobothmammalsandinsectsbut

isntstrongenoughtokillalargeanimal.

Theycancauseintensepainformanyhours

tohumansthiscanberelievedsomewhat

withicepacksbutinsomecaseshospital-

gradepainkillersarerequired.

note:Wereruiningthefunhere,but

dontbelieveanAustralianwhotells

youtowatchoutforDropBears,

amythicaltypeofviciouskoalathat

supposedlydropsoutoftreesontop

ofyou.Itsalong-runningAustralian

joketotrickhaplesstourists.Watch

out:theywilleitherswearblack

andbluethatitstrue;ortheywill

attempttousereversepsychology

bytellingyouitsmythinaway

thatmakesyoucontinuetodoubt

whetheritisornot.Youmayalso

hearaboutTasmanianTigers,which

actuallydidexistonceuponatime

butbecameextinctinthe1930s.

EventhoughmuchofAustralias

wildlifeisbothfascinatingand

appealingandfeedingthemcan

beameansofhavingmorecontact

withthem,feedingwildanimalsis

discouragedforseveralreasons:

Itcanleadtoagreaterthan

normalnumberofanimalsin

thearea,puttingextrapressure

onnaturalfoodsources;

Animalscanbecomedependent

ontheartificialfoodsource;

Increasingnumbersof

animalsinoneareacanleadto

aggressionamongstthesame

anddifferentspecies;

Predatorslikehawksandowls

areattractedbytheincreasein

animals,leadingtoincreased

predation;

Humanfoodisoftenhighly

processedandmaynotbe

suitableforanimalsinthewild;

Unnaturalconcentrationsof

animalscanbecomethefocal

pointforoutbreaksofdisease

whicharethentransmissibleto

humans.

43

ABoriginAl AustrAliA

Around300,000Aboriginalpeoplein

around250tribes(eachwiththeirown

territory,beliefsandlanguage)already

livedinAustraliawhenCooklanded

theretoclaimitasBritishland,andhad

beenforatleast60,000years.History

bookstheorizetheyweredescended

fromIndonesianmigrants;the

Aboriginalbeliefisthattheyhavebeen

theresincethedawnoftime.

Thepeoplewerenomadichunter-

gatherers,linkedtotheirancestralland

bysacredsites.Thesesacredsitesare

hometotheDreamtimespiritsthe

ancestraltotemicspiritsthatformed

TheCreation(ofthestars,themoon,the

ocean,land,animalsandhumans).

AustralianAboriginalsbelieveintwo

parallelformsoftime.Oneisdaily

activity,theotherisaninfinitespiritual

cyclecalledtheDreamtime.Whatever

happensinthedreamtimeestablishes

thevalues,symbols,andlawsof

Aboriginalsociety.Itisbelievedthat

peoplewithspecialspiritualpowers

hadcontactwiththedreamtime.The

Dreamtime,orTheDreamingcanalso

refertothetimewhentheuniversewas

createdaswell.MuchAboriginalart

depictsstoriesandsettingsfromThe

Dreaming,andAustralianAboriginal

mythsareoftentraditionallyperformed

acrossAustralia.

WhilerelationswithearlyEuropean

settlerswereinitiallypeaceful,

resentmentandconflictbetweentwo

polaroppositewaysoflifeeventually

ledtobattleinwhichmanypeoplefrom

bothsidesdiedalthougharoundten

timesasmanyAboriginalpeopleas

Europeans.Therewasevenacampaign

toridtheentirestateofTasmaniaof

Aboriginalpeoplewhichworkedthe

lastfull-bloodedTasmanianAborigine

diedin1876.ManyAboriginalsalso

succumbedtoEuropeandiseasessuch

asinfluenza,thecommoncoldand

smallpox,uptoaslateasthe1950s.

Theyactuallybegantodieout.

the australIan aborIgInal people have been there for at least 60,000 years.

44

Aroundthe1920sitbecame

governmentpolicytotakeAboriginal

childrenawayfromtheirfamiliesand

puttheminwhitefosterhomesor

churchrefuges,andsterilizeyoung

Aborginalwomen.Thesechildrenare

referredtoastheStolenGeneration.

Relationsarestillstrainedbetweenthe

280,000AboriginesinAustraliaandthe

restofthepopulation.Recently,several

actshavebeenpassedallowingthemto

reclaimsomeofthelandthatwaslost

tothem,anditwasonlyveryrecently

thatthegovernmentapologisedforthe

StolenGeneration.Theystillhowever

arethesinglemostdisadvantaged

groupofpeopleinAustralia.

the Best PlACes to leArn More ABout the indigenous Culture Are: AliCe sPrings, the red Centre, uluru-kAtA tjutA And in the northern territory.

some points to be aware of:

YouneedapermittoentersomeAboriginal-ownedland.

Inremotecommunities,manyofthepeoplespeakEnglishasasecond

language,ifatall.

Theirbodylanguagemayalsobedifferent,forexampletheymaynot

immediatelymakeeyecontactwithyou.

AccesstoDreamingstoriesorsomeotherculturalpracticesmayberestricted,

egtooutsiders,orbygender.

Picturesofpeoplewhohaverecentlydiedarentdisplayedandtheirnamesnot

spokenforawhile.

Alwaysaskbeforephotographingagroup,personorresidence.

Donttouchrockartorengravings.

Someindigenouscommunitiesbanalcohol.

Certainpartsofindigenouslandaremoresacredthanothers(iesacredsites).

Whenvisitingtheseareasaskaboutappropriatebehaviour.

MostoftheearlyEuropeanstoinhabit

AustraliawereBritishconvicts(which

possiblycontributestothegeneral

bloke-inessofAussieculture).This

isthesourceofsomegood-natured

teasing(mostlyfromNewZealanders,

whointurngetlaughedatfortheir

accent;thesmallsizeoftheircountry;

andtheamountofsheepcompared

topeoplethere).AustraliansandNew

Zealandersenjoyahealthyrivalry,

althoughNZersgenerallycomeoffworst

intheendlesssportingcompetition.

Australiaissports-mad.Bothgenders

watchalotofsport,whichisgenerally

thecricket,andsupportingtheir

footyteam(whichreferstoeither

RugbyLeague,AFL,orRugbyUnion

definitelynotsoccerorgridiron).Tennis,

swimmingandmotorsportarealso

popular.Theydonttendtoknowso

muchaboutbasketball,netball,hockey,

baseball,etc-evenifthenationalteam

aretheworldchampions.Thecountry

alsobasicallystandsstillonMelbourne

CupDay.

Australiansareveryintocars,andare

generallydividedoverwhethertheyare

FordorHoldenmen.Largepowerful

FalconsandCommodoresarepopular

andmanyaremodified.

Evenmoreiconicistheute(utilityor

pickuptruck).Itspartofthenational

identitytohaveauteistobeatrue

Australian.

Beerisprettymuchthenationaldrink

favouritesvaryfromstatetostate.

Australiansareveryproudoftheir

nationalexportssuchasElle

MacPherson,MelGibson,Russell

Crowe,CateBlanchett,AC/DCandso

on.MostAustralianshaveseeniconic

AustralianmoviessuchasMadMax,

TheCastle,MurielsWedding,Crocodile

Dundee,PriscillaQueenoftheDesert

andStrictlyBallroom.

ThegeneralisedgreetingGday(an

abbreviationofgoodday)isacceptable

touseinalmostanysituationregardless

getting to know the Aussies

so whats a typical Australian like?

Well,thatsalittlehardtosaygiventhenationsunificationofsomanycultures.Aswellasthe

Aboriginalpeople,andtheAnglo-Celts(stillthedominantethnicitythere)therearepeople

fromallaroundtheworldNewZealanders,British,Lebanese,Greek,Italian,Chinese,

Japanese,andDutchtonamejustafew.However,Australiastillhasanextremelystrong

identityanditsveryownculturethatwouldntbewhatitistodayifnotforthismeltingpotof

diversepeople.

ofrelationship,gender,sex,race,social

standing,weatherormood.

Australiansareveryfriendlyandhelpful

peoplewithgoodsensesofhumourand

anaturalabilitytotelljokesandplay

withwords.Theycanseemreserved

tostartwithbutoncetheiceisbroken

everythingrelaxes.Theyareeasygoing,

butpersonalmatterstakelongerto

comeoutintheopen.

Theesky(aplasticboxthatkeeps

thingscool)playsavitalpartinAussie

cultureonecontainingtherightitems

cankeepanAustralianhappyfordays.It

canbeusedasaseatatfootymatches;

anoutdoorfridge;afishholderon

fishingtrips;andlunchboxesfor

tradiesandmanuallabourers.

Australiaisbasicallyclasslessandnot

centredaroundancestorsandthefamily

unit-theydontreallycarewhatfamily

someonecomesfrom.

Australianssufferedthehighest

per-capitadeathtollofalltheAllied

countriesinWWI.TheANZAC(Australia

NewZealandArmyCorps)spiritisstill

strongaslongassportmatchesarent

involved.

Christmasisrightinthemiddleof

summerandisusuallyaveryhotdayof

theyear,howeverdecorationsandcards

stillincludesnowflakes,sleighs,tinsel,

andpinetrees.Christmaslunchor

dinnerisoftenhadoutdoors.

AveryhighpercentageofAustralians

livebytheseaandmuchofAustralia

issunnyallyearround,sobeach

cultureishugegoingtothebeach

onweekendsislikegoingtothemallor

doingsport.

FishingisabigthinginAustralian

culturethereareofcoursemany

excellentplacestofishandahuge

numberandvarietyandspecies

available.Therearerulesthoughall

statesexceptQldrequireafishing

license(whichcaneasilybeobtained).

Therearealsolimitsregardingtypeand

sizeoffishcapturedandquantity,size

andgenderofshellfishandcrustaceans

whichareallexplainedinbookletsat

anyfishingshop.Youalsoneedaspecial

licenseforaboatsover6horsepower.

the typIcal aussIe Is easygoIng and frIendly.

47

Grub,a.k.atucker,a.k.afoodisabigpartof

Australianculture,althoughithasrelatively

fewnativefoods.Itsmoderncuisineidentity

ismadeupofintertwiningstrandsof

Aboriginalculture,traditionalBritishfood,

andotherculturalinfluencesthathave

arrivedheresince.

indigenous Australian Food

AustralianAborigineswerehunter-

gatherersandselectedfoodwhichwas

availableandateitfornutritionalpurposes.

Therewerenorefrigerationorstorage

containers.Localknowledgeofwhichplants

wereedible,palatable,ordelicious,aswell

asthebesttimeforharvestandpreparation

methodswerepasseddownbywordof

mouthtothenextgeneration.Itsreferredto

asbushtuckerorbushfood.

Nativemammalsandbirdssuchas

kangaroo,wallabyandemuwereregularly

huntedandkilled.Althoughanimalswere

sometimesthrownstraightonthefire,

severalfoodpreparationtechniqueswere

known.Otherfoodsthatseemlesspalatable

tomodernurbanAustralians-suchas

grubs,lizards,snakesandmoths-were

greatlyvalued.

Bushfoodssuchasberries,rootsand

nectarswereavitalpartoftheAboriginal

dietinmanyareas.Oftentheserequired

advancedpreparationtechniquesto

neutralisetoxinsandtomakethem

palatableandnutritious.Incertaincoastal

areas,shellfishwereplentifulandeasily

harvested.Aboriginalsalsocaughtfishin

theoceansandriversusinghooks,spears

andfishtraps.

Aussie tuCker

lemon myrtle: freshleaf,orgrounddried

leafoftheLemonMyrtletree

Mountain Pepper: groundleaforberries

ofthemountainpeppertree

native spinach: warrugulgreens,anative

spinachgrowingincoastalareas

Bush tomatoes: smalltomato-likefruits,

alsocalleddesertraising

Macadamia nut: nativeofAustralia,now

growninotherplaces

wattle seed: Asmall,oval,blackvariety

oftheAcaciaseed.Wattleseedisusedin

manyfoodsincludingrice,soups,meat

rubsandbakedgoods.

damper: atraditionalbreadmadewith

groundseedsandcookedinthecoalsof

thefire

yabbies: alittlefreshwatercrustacean

thatlurksonthebottomofstreams,

lakesandinfarmdams

traditional Bush tucker ingredients might include:

48

Modern Bushfood industry

Thereisanoveltyvalueinbushtuckerfor

manypeopleanditsnowpartofAustralias

tourismindustry.Themodernindustry

makesuseofplantsindifferentwaysfrom

thoseoftheAborigines,forexamplefor

flavour,insteadofnutrition.

Bushtuckerplantsareusednowforjams,

chutneyandjellies,flavourings(eg.Lemon

Myrtle),spices(eg.MountainPepper),

drinks,sauces,colours(eg.Davidsons

plum).

Onlyoneindigenousplant,theMacadamia

nut,hasbeenwellestablishedin

horticulture,andeventhenmostofthe

earlyworkwasdonebyAmericans.Some

AmericansevenrefertoitastheHawaiian

Nut,sinceithasbeengrownextensively

there.

early settler Food

DuetoAustraliasyouth,allAussiefoods

havetraceablelinkstoothercountries,

mainlyEngland.Thesepeoplebrought

withthemtraditionalEnglishrecipessuch

asstewedchops,potatodumplingsand

jampudding.Theywereallsimplerecipes,

notrequiringcomplicatedingredients,or

costingmuchmoney,astyleofcooking

thatreflectedthemodestmeansofthe

time.Manyrecipes,inhandwrittenrecipe

books,broughttoAustraliabymigrant

womenhavebeenpassedfromonecookto

anotherdowntheyearsandstillformpart

oftraditionalAustralianfood.

Modern Cuisine

Australianfoodtraditionshavebeenshaped

bypeoplewhohavesettledinAustralia.

Inthe19thandespecially20thcentury,

foodbegantoreflecttheinfluencesof

MediterraneanandAsiancultures.There

are,however,anewseriesofuniquely

Australianfoodsemerging.Thingslike

kangarookebabs(yes,theyeattheir

nationalanimal!)andcrocodilesteakare

gainingpopularity,andAussiesarealso

inventingmoreandmoreoftheirown

recipes.AlargeinfluenceonAustralian

foodsistheavailabilityandlowpriceof

meats-Australiaistheworldslargestbeef

producer.

tradItIonal aborIgInal bush tucker uses IngredIents such as grubs and ants.

49

Overall,Australianseatalargevarietyof

food,consistingofAustraliandishesand

mainstreamoverseasdishes.Chineseand

Italianvarietiesareparticularlypopular,

althoughallsortsofmeals,fromBurmese

toUkrainian,areavailable.Restaurants

whosecuisineincludescontemporary

adaptations,interpretationsorfusionsof

theseculinaryinfluencesareoftenlabeled

withthetermModern Australian.There

aremany,manysuperbrestaurantsfullof

innovativeandskilledchefs.

Therearea

smallminority

ofwholly

Australian

products,such

asVegemite

(verysaltyyeast

spread),which

therestoftheworlddetests;Pavlovas

(meringuecoveredinwhippedcreamand

fruit)-althoughKiwiswillhotlycontest

theoriginsofthis;andlamingtons,

chocolatecoatedcubesofspongecake,

rolledindesiccatedcoconut.Itissaid

thatLamingtonswereinventedinthe

QueenslandGovernmentHousekitchenas

acreativeuseforstalespongecakeand

theyarenamedafterLadyLamington,the

wifeoftheGovernorofQueenslandfrom

1896to1901.

Anzac

biscuitsare

sharedwith

NewZealand

andarehard,

crispycookies

madewith

oatsandmolasses.

Togetanideaabouttheimportanceof

themeat pieinAustralia,thequantityof

meatisregulatedbylawandcannotbe

inferiorto25%ofthetotalweightofthe

pie.Competitionstofindthebestmeatpie

makerinAustraliaiscarriedoutannually

andcanbring

prestigeand

bigbucksto

thewinners.In

SouthAustralia

smallpiesare

sometimes

servedinvertedonabedofpeasoup,

coveredintomatosauce,andcalledapie

floater.

sausagesalsomakeupalargepartof

manyanAustraliansdiet.Thebasicbeef

sausagecostsaround$3akilo,andhence

istheidealfoodforanyoccasion.Although

theirnutritionalvalueisquestionable,they

arequickandeasytocookandcanbepart

ofcountlessmeals,particularlybarbecues

ofwhichAussiesareveryfond.Other

commonAussiedinnersmightbestir-fry,

roastdinners,pizza,pasta,saladsorfish

andotherseafood(makesureyoutrysome

wildbarramundi,southernbluefintuna,

andMoretonBaybugs).

50

Beer

Australiaisanationofbeeritspractically

thenationaldrink.Itsthemostconsumed

alcoholicbeverageinAustralia,andtheres

nothingbetteronaswelteringdaythan

acoldstubby(smallbottleofbeer).

Australianscandrinkitatanamazingly

rapidpace,too.

PopularAustralianbeersareVB(Victoria

Bitter);XXXX(pronouncedFourX)which

isslightlyweaker;Carlton;andFosters.

TheresalsoCascade,whichismadefrom

waterfromaTasmanianmountain.Most

beerrangesfromabout4.8to5.2%percent,

althoughyoucanalsogetmid-strengths

whichareabout3.6%.

SomeplacesusethetraditionalBritish

measurementsofpintsandhalf-pints.In

NSW,itseitheraschooneroramidi.In

Victoriaitsapotoraglass.However,an

S.AschooneristhesamesizeasanNSW

midi,andaW.AmidiisthesameasanNSW

midibutyoucanalsogetanevensmaller

glasscalledapony.Itmayjustbeeasierto

orderitbythebottle

wine

Thefirstgrapevineswerebroughtto

Australiain1788,andtherearenowover

550winemakersproducingworld-class

winesthroughoutAustralia.Thedemandis

highandnewvineyardsarebeingconstantly

planted.

PopularwhitewinesinAustraliainclude

Chardonnay,Riesling,SauvignonBlancand

Semillon.Whenitcomestoreds,itsall

aboutCabernetSauvignon,Merlot,Pinot

Noirandtheworldwidehit,Shiraz.

Cheers!whether you prefer beer or wine, chances are youll end up sampling some of Australias

characteristic liquid fare. note: the legal drinking age in Australia is 18.

beer Is the most consumed alcoholIc beverage In australIa.

51

note: AlthoughSyrahwasoriginallycalled

ShirazinAustraliaandSyrahelsewhere,

itsdramaticcommercialsuccesshasled

manySyrahproducersaroundtheworldto

labeltheirwineShiraz.

OneofthegreatestAustraliainventionsof

packagingisthecask,acartonboxwith

ataptoregulatetheamount,withnocorks

tobetakenoutorputbackin.Veryeasy,

simpleandcheap.JusttohaveanIdea,a4

litrecaskcostsaboutAU$12,andthewine

rangesfromnot-so-goodtoverygood.

Ifyouwantsomethingalittlemore

upmarket,youcanvisitoneofthecountrys

hundredsofwineries.Australiahasabout

60wineregionslocatedacrossthecountry

with103definedgeographicindications

forwinegrowingdistrictscoveringzones,

regionsandsub-regions.

However,thefollowingtenareamongits

mostfamousanddiverse.Fromtherugged

andisolatedbeautyofMargaretRiverin

W.A.tothehistoricalhomeofAustralian

wine,theHunterValleyinN.S.W,ajourney

acrossAustraliaswineregionsisfilledwith

adiversityofclimates,soils,elevationand,

ofcourse,varietiesofwine!

1. Barossa Valley, s.A.

Hometosomeofthecountrysiconic

wines,theBarossavalleyisrenownedfor

itsShirazproduction.Beautifulrollinghills

andaMediterraneanclimatecombine

toproducerichredsanddelicatewhites

includingCabernetSauvignon,Grenache,

Mourvedre,Merlot,Riesling,Semillonand

Chardonnay.Thereareover50wineriesin

theregion.

three great wineries:

HobbsofBarossaRanges

(www.hobbsvintners.com.au)

SonsofEden(www.sonsofeden.com)

Penfolds(www.penfolds.com.au)

2. Coonawarra, s.A.

Thisregionhasalayeroflimestonesitting

beneathitsrichsoil,andwhenthetwo

combinetheyproduceCabernetSauvignon

grapesthataresecondtonone.Other

varietalsthathavewonawardsintheregion

areShiraz,MerlotandChardonnay.

three great wineries:

WynnsCoonawarra

(www.wynns.com.au)

BalnavesofCoonawarra

(www.balnaves.com.au)

KatnookEstate

(www.katnookestate.com.au)

3. Clare Valley, s.A.

Thispicturesqueregionisknownas

thehomeofAustralianRiesling,andit

alsoproducesaward-winningCabernet

SauvignonandShiraz.Youcantakethe

popularRielsingTrail,a27kmlongsealed

trackthatlinksthemanysmalltownsalong

theway.

three great wineries:

LittleBramptonWines

(www.littlebramptonwines.com.au)

52

AnniesLane

(www.annieslane.com.au)

WilsonVineyard

(www.wilsonvineyard.com.au)

4. heathcote, Vic.

TheMtCamelrangeofmountainscreatesa

coolerclimateinthegrape-growingperiod

inthisregion,resultingingrapeswithtaste

andlongevity.Theregionisfamousfor

Shirazbutrecentlywinemakershavebeen

mixingsmallamountsofViogniergrapesto

giveitanextradimension.Othersignature

varietalsincludeCabernetSauvignon,Pinot

Grigio,andRiesling,andItalianvarieties

SangioveseandNebbioloalsogrowthere.

three great wineries:

EppalockRidge(www.eppalockridge.com)

WhistlingEagleVineyard

(www.whistlingeagle.com)

ShelmerdineVineyards

(www.shelmerdine.com.au)

5. hunter Valley, n.s.w

Australiasoldestwineregionnowhas

over80wineriesandisfamousforShiraz,

VerdelhoandChardonnay,butparticularly

foritsSemillon.HunterValleySemillons

ageparticularlywellandthegrapeshavea

distinctcitrusflavour.

three great wineries:

MistletoeWines

(www.mistletoewines.com.au)

BrokenwoodWines

(www.brokenwood.com.au)

Capercaillie

(www.capercailliewine.com.au)

6. Mclaren Vale, s.A.

ThisregionsouthofAdelaideisBarossa

valleysrivalforthetopShirazmaker.Its

combinationofaseasidelocationandrich

soilresultsinintenseredssuchasShiraz,

CabernetSauvignon,GrenacheandMerlot,

andstrikingwhitessuchasChardonnay,

SauvignonBlancandRieslingfrommore

than50wineries.

the barossa valley Is one of australIas most famous wIne regIons.

53

three great wineries:

BriniEstateWines

(www.briniwines.com.au)

GemtreeVineyards

(www.gemtreevineyards.com.au)

TapestryWines

(www.tapestrywines.com.au)

7. Margaret river, w.A.

Whilealltheclassicvarietalsarewell-

representedinthisregion,Margaret

Riverwinemakersaremostnoted

fortheirCabernetSauvignons.The

breathtakingcoastalsceneryistheperfect

accompanimenttotheextensiverangeof

winestylesincludingShiraz,Verdelhoand

SauvignonBlanc.

three great wineries:

WindanceEstate(www.windance.com.au)

CullenWines (www.cullenwines.com.au)

BrooklandValley

(www.brooklandvalley.com.au)

8. Mudgee, n.s.w

Locatedinthewesternslopesofthefamous

BlueMountains,Mudgeeisanotherof

Australiasoldestwineregions.Cabernet

SauvignonandChardonnayareitsmost

popularvarietals,availablefromarangeof

largewinecompaniesthroughtoboutique

wineries.

three great wineries:

LoganWines(www.loganwines.com.au)

FarmersDaughterWines

(www.farmersdaughterwines.com.au)

LoweFamilyWines

(www.lowewines.com.au)

9. tasmania

Tasmaniascoolermaritimeclimate

producesstatelywineswithsuperbnatural

acid,comingfromover60wineries,some

justafewacresinsize.Specialistvarieties

includePinotNoir,Chardonnay,Riesling,

PinotGrigio,CabernetSauvignonand

CabernetFranc.

three great wineries:

BayofFiresWines

(www.bayoffireswines.com.au)

TamarRidgeWines

(www.tamarridgewines.com.au)

PipersBrookVineyard

(www.kreglingerwineestates.com)

10. yarra Valley, Vic.

Consideredoneoftheworldsfinest

cold-climatewineproducers,Yarravalley

specialisesinChardonnayandPinotNoir.

TheChardonnay,inparticular,isthemost

widely-plantedgrapevarietyduetoits

flexibility.Otherwhitewinesproducedin

theyarraValleyincludeGewurtztraminer,

MarsanneandSauvignonBlanc,whichis

oftenblendedwithSemillon.

three great wineries:

DeBortoliWines(www.debortoli.com.au)

DominiquePortet

(www.dominiqueportet.com)

Labyrinth(www.labyrinthwine.com)

54

Therearesomanythingstoseeanddoin

Australiathatitsimpossibletolistthemall.

Ofcourse,therearethemainonesthatit

wouldbeoddtonothaveonthelist,such

asSydney,thehugemonolithUluru,and

theGreatBarrierReef,butdontforget

thatAustraliahassomuchmoretooffer

charmingtowns,breathtakingbeaches,

rainforestvillages,imposingmountains

andpicturesquefarmland.Followingare50

highly-recommendedspots.

1. Busselton, w.A

Acomfortablethree-hourdrivefrom

Perth,Busseltonboastssome30

kilometresofshelteredsandybeaches

withcalm,clearandsafewaters.Many

campervannersusethetownship

asabasefromwhichtoexplorethe

regionsnumerousotherattractions.

ThewondersofLeeuwin-Naturaliste

NationalPark,NgilgiCaveandCape

NaturalisteLighthouseareonlyashort

driveaway.

2. esperance, w.A.

Theblindinglywhitesandybeaches

andbrilliantturquoisewatersofthe

EsperanceareainWesternAustralia

placetheregionatthetopofmany

campervannersbestdestinationslist.

Esperanceitselfboastsastunning38-

kilometrescenicdrivethatfollowsthe

localcoastlineandthenloopsbackinto

town.Thereareseveralidyllicbeaches

whereyoucantakeabreakforaswim

aswellassomelovelywalkwaysand

viewingplatformsforsomeincredible

coastalscenery.And,ifitsstunning

non-caravanparkcampingspotsyoure

after,youreinluck.Theregionalsohas

threenationalparks.

3. Arltunga historical reserve -

Macdonnell ranges, east of Alice

springs, n.t.

Youllenjoyhavingalookthroughthe

ruinsofthisoldminingcommunity.

Thereisaninformationcentrethat

providesvisitorswithlotsofhistory

50 FAntAstiC PlACes to Visit!

the busselton jetty Is the longest wooden pIer In the southern hemIsphere.

55

-especiallythehardshipsminers

enduredduringthegoldrush.

4. darwin, n.t.

Itsgrowingfastandisacompletely

differentplacetotheonethatwas

sofamouslydevastatedbyCyclone

Tracyafewdecadesback.Itstropical,

multicultural,relaxedandunique.The

bigdraw-besidestheweather-for

mostvisitorsisthemarketsthatsellall

sortsofAsianfoods,vegesandartsand

crafts.Plus,aNorthernTerritorysunset

islikenootheronearthand,allalong

thecoast,minipartieskickoffaspeople

bringtheircampchairsandabottleof

winetoenjoythenightlyshow.

5. Flinders ranges, s.A.

ThefabulousFlindersisoftenportrayed

asthegatewaytotheOutbackandthats

exactl