1

CAMPERVANNINGthE INsIdER’s GuIdE to

IN AustRAlIA

tABlE 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 22

WhatYouCanExpectfromtheWeather 35

Wildlife 38

AboriginalAustralia 45

GettingtoKnowtheAussies 47

AussieTucker 49

Cheers! 52

50FantasticPlacestoVisit! 56

OfftheBeatenTrack 69

TenBestBeachesinAustralia 72

Speaking“Strine” 76

ItineraryIdeas 79

FinalThingstoThinkAbout 83

disclaimer: Wehavedoneourbesttoensuretheaccuracyofthisinformation,andapologiseifanyoftheinformationinthisbookisincorrectoroutdated,butacceptnoliabilityforanyconsequencesarisingfromthis.

2

INtRoduCtIoN

For generations of Australians, or

“Aussies”, setting off in the family

campervan (motorhome, travel trailer

or RV) to explore their magical country

at their own pace is the kind of relaxed,

free-spirited holiday they take for granted,

or an enviable yet quite common way to

spend a hard-earned retirement.

Ifyou’rereadingthisbook,congratulations

onmakingthedecisiontofollowintheir

footsteps!

Simultaneouslyanisland,acountryand

acontinent,Australia,nicknamed“The

LandDownUnder”isaperfectdestination

foracampervanningholiday.It’sfriendly,

uncrowded,huge,andisriddledwith

uniquebutequallywonderfultouristspots

everywhereyougo.

Australia’snoteworthyforitsunique

floraandfauna,everyimaginabletypeof

scenery,itsfriendlypeople,delectablefood

andwine,itssuperbclimateandrelaxed,

“noworries”lifestyle.

InAustraliayoucanabsorbthefascinating

Aboriginalculture,experiencesophisticated

cosmopolitansocietywithalaid-backtwist,

andtraveltoremotespotsit’spossible

nootherhumanhaseverevensetfoot

on.Campervanningisanidealwayto

experiencethisgeneroussliceofheaven

–youcantravelatyourownpaceandstop

whereveryoulike,foraslongasyoulike!

There’savastnumberofcampsitesand

holidayparksdottedalloverthecountry

toaccommodateyouandcampervansto

suitanybudget–andthere’safavourable

exchangeratetotakeyourmoneyfurther.

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.

There’sanewcaravanbuiltinAustralia

every14minutes!Andaccordingtocurrent

affairsshow60Minutes,therearemore

than325,000caravansandmotorhomes

currentlyregistered.Atanyonetime,more

than80,000ofthemareonwhat’sknownas

the“BigLap”–drivingallthewayaround

Australia.

ReadontogettheBESTadvice,tips,

tricksandsecretsonwheretogo,whatto

do,howtoplanandmistakestoavoid,to

trulygetthemostoutofyourAustralian

campervanningholiday.

3

4

AustRAlIAN GEoGRAPhy 101

Australia’shugebutonlyhasa•

populationofabout20millionpeople.

About90%ofthosepeopleliveon2.6%

ofthecontinent.

AustraliaislocatedintheSouthern•

Hemisphere,betweentheIndianOcean

andthesouthernPacificOcean.

Ithasanareaof2,966,368squaremiles,•

or7,682,300squarekilometres.

ThecapitalofAustraliaisCanberra.•

Australiaisdividedintosevenseparate•

states:Queensland;NewSouthWales;

SouthAustralia;Victoria;Northern

Australia is not just a country, but an entire continent. It’s the world’s smallest continent

and the sixth-largest country.

5

Territory,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

“Outback”whichgenerallyreferstothe

harsh,desolateinland.

Theonlythingsavingthishugedryland•

fromcompletedessicationistheGreat

ArtesianBasin.Thisenormousround

geologicalformationstretchesover

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

itareundergroundwatersupplies

thoughttobestoredbetween66-208

millionyearsago.Boreholesbring

watertothesurfaceandit’ssuppliedto

livestockandhumans.

OfftheQueenslandcoast,thefamous•

GreatBarrierReefstretchesaround

200km(1240miles)fromoffGladstone

totheGulfofPapuanearNewGuinea.

It’sthelargestcoralreefonearthandis

hometomanydifferenttypesofanimals

suchasstarfish,seaanemones,fish

(includingsharks),turtles,seaslugsand

giantclams.

Sydneyisthelargestcitywithabout4•

millionpeople.Otherlargecitiesinclude

Melbourne,Brisbane,Perth,Adelaide

andNewcastle.

LakeEyreisAustralia’slargestbodyof•

water–adrysaltwaterlakeinSouth

Australiathatcovers3,430squaremiles.

TheeastcoastofAustraliaiscoveredby•

tropicalrainforest.TheGreatDividing

Range(amountainrangethatruns

north-southdowntheeastcoast)is

whatcausesraintofallontheeast

andblocksitfromthedryinland,or

Outback.

Australiaclaimstheworld’slargest•

monolith,Uluru(formerlyAyer’sRock).

It’slocatedalmostsmack-banginthe

middleofAustralia,inUluru-KataTjuta

NationalPark.Thishuge348-metre

redpieceofsandstoneisasacred

AboriginalsiteandarguablyAustralia’s

mostfamouslandmark.

6

a 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

referredtoas“NewHolland”).

AbelTasmanwasthensentoverto•

chartthecountry.Healsodiscovered

Tasmania.TheseabetweenNewZealand

andAustraliaiscalledtheTasmanSea.

CaptainJamesCookarrivedinhisship•

Endeavourin1770andchartedtheEast

Coast.HeclaimedthelandforBritain

andnamedNewSouthWales.

Meanwhile,KingGeorgeIIIbegantosee•

thepotentialinAustraliaasacolonyfor

England’sincreasingconvictpopulation,

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.

There’snolimitontheamountof•

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.You’llgetacashrefund,orthe

amountcanbeputontoyourcredit

card.

Government and Economy

TheCommonwealthofAustraliais•

ademocracy,butitalsorecognizes

themonarchofGreatBritainas

sovereign(TheQueenofEnglandhas

thetitle“ChiefofState”andhassome

ceremonialduties)

ThePrimeMinisterofAustraliais•

currentlyKevinRudd.

Australiahasastrong,modern•

economy.

CurrencyistheAustraliandollar.•

7

Communication

MostpeopleinAustraliahaveamobile•

phoneandsocommunicationwhen

you’retravellingisaloteasier.Cheap

phoneswithPre-Payaccountscanbe

purchasedinmanyplacessuchaspost

officesandevensomesupermarkets.

Coverageisextensive,howeverthere•

areplentyofplaceswithoutcellphone

coverage.

MostcaravanparkshaveWiFiandyou•

canlinktotheinternetwirelesslywith

therightsoftwareinyourlaptop.These

“hotspots”arealsotobefoundat

McDonald’sandotherplaces.It’sbest

todoanyemailingorphotouploading

inthemaincentresasyouwon’tknow

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,

solongasthey‘vebeenenabledfor

internationalaccess.

Themostcommonlyaccepted•

creditcardsareAmericanExpress,

Bankcard,CarteBlanche,Diners

Club,MasterCard,Visaandtheir

affiliates.Usemightberestrictedin

smallertownsandcountryareasand

smallretailshops.Changingforeign

currencyortravellers’chequescan

bedonequicklyandefficientlyatmost

banks.Youshouldcashtravellers’

chequesatbanksorlargerhotelsas

itmaybedifficultelsewhere.Some

banksmaychargeasmallfeefor

cashingtravellers’cheques.Banks

willcashmosttravellers’chequesin

everycurrency.Mostwidelyaccepted

areAmericanExpress,ThomasCook,

Barclays,BankofAmerica,Visaand

MasterCard.

It’snotessentialtotipinAustralia–it’s•

uptoyouwhetheryoufeeltheservice

wasexceptional.Tippingwouldtypically

beabout10%ofthebill.

8

Measurements

Australiansusethemetricsystemand•

measurethingsinkilometres,litresand

kilograms(unlessyou’reover50!)

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

Queenslandwhichdoesn’tobserve

DaylightSavings).

Central –SouthAustraliaandNorthern

Territory:GMT+9.5andGMT+10.5

OctobertoMarch(exceptNorthern

Territorywhichdoesn’tobserveDaylight

Savings).

west–WesternAustralia:GMT+8.

Electricity:220/240voltsAC,butmost•

campervansarewiredfor12or24volts

soyou’llneedanadaptor.There’splenty

ofsunshineyear-roundsothere’san

increasinguseofsolarpowertocharge

deep-cyclebatteries.3pinplugsare

used,butsocketsaredifferentfrom

thosefoundinmanycountriesandan

adaptorwillprobablybeneededforthis

reasontoo.

Thereareveryfewfifth-wheelersin•

Australiaandmostcaravansare20

feetorless.Therearefewslide-outs

althoughsomeofthelargercampervans

dohavethem.

FuRNACEs AREN’t 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.

9

10

dRIVING oN AustRAlIAN RoAds

Australiansdriveonthe• leftsideofthe

road.Ifyouaren’tusedtodrivingonthe

leftsideoftheroad,itmightpaytorent

anautomaticcampervanandbeextra

carefulatturns.Rememberyou–the

driver–shouldalwaysbeinthecentre

oftheroad.

Alldrivers,includingvisitors,must•

carrytheirlicensewiththematall

times,althoughyoudon’tneedaspecial

licensetodriveacampervan.

Forexperienceddrivers,theblood•

alcohollevelis0.05.Provisionaldrivers

andyoungdriversmaynothaveany

alcoholbeforedriving.

Seatbeltsandchildrestraintsmustbe•

wornbyallvehicleoccupants.It’san

instantfineifyou’recaughtwithoutit.

Thepolicedospotchecksforseatbelts

anddrunkdriversregularly.

Alltrafficmustproceedinaclockwise•

directioninaroundabout.Avehicle

alreadyonaroundabouthasrightofway

overanyvehiclesentering.

Alwaysovertaketotheright.Besureyou•

canseeenoughoftheroadtocomplete

overtakingandmovebacktoyourside

oftheroad.Neverovertakeoncorners,

blindrisesorondoublewhitelines.

Whenovertakingheavyvehiclesinwet

weather,bewareofwindturbulence

andwheelspraycausingareductionin

visibility.Allowplentyofspacebehind

youwhenpullingbackinafterpassing

atruck.Truckscan’tstopasquicklyas

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 It’s sAFE.

Attrafficlights,agreenarrowmeans•

youcangointhedirectionindicated–

evenifthemainlightisred.Lookout

forthegreenmancrossingsignwhen

turningattrafficlights.Oftenyourlight

couldbegreenbutyouhavetogiveway

topedestriansbeforeyoucanturn.

Usingahand-heldmobilephonewhile•

drivingisanoffence.Ifyoudoneedto

makeortakeacall,pullovertotheside

oftheroad.

so, you’ve got your campervan and you’re ready to go! But driving on Australian roads, not to

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

than you’re 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

yourresponsibilityandifyou’reaforeign

national,thefinewillbemailedtoyour

homecountryaddress.

It’sbestnottodriveyourcampervanat•

nightoutsideoftowncentresormajor

cities.Wildlife,especiallykangaroos,

canbeverydangerousontheroads

particularlyatsunriseandsunset

(whenthey’relookingforfood).You

couldencounterallsortsofanimalson

Australianroadsincludingkangaroos,

echidnas,camels,wallabies,cattle,

emus,pigs,largesnakes,wombats,or

eagles!Theywon’tonlycomeoutatnight

either–beonthelookoutallthetime.

Shouldyoudecideyouwanttogooff•

roadit’sessentialyoudiscussthiswith

someonelocal,bothtogettheiradvice

(onweatherconditions,thebestroute,

fuelavailabilityandsoforth)andtomake

suresomeonelocalknowsyourintended

route.It’salsoagoodideatodiscussyour

intendedroutewithyourrentalcompany

regardingtheirpolicyofdrivingthe

campervanonunsealedroads.

Ifyoudobreakdowninaremotearea,•

don’ttryandgetoutandwalk.People

whostaywiththeirvehiclesareusually

locatedquicklyandeasily.Stayinthe

shade,conservewater,andprepare

effectivesignals.

watch out for wIldlIfe on australIan roads.

12

AnytravelacrossdesignatedAboriginal•

landneedsspecialpermissionfromthe

ownersinadvance.Thispermitprocess

variesfromstatetostateandcantake

uptosixweekstocomethroughso

contactthenationalparks’controlling

bodiesineachstatepriortoyour

journey.

whEN tRAVEllING IN REMotE AREAs, AlwAys tAkE A suFFICIENt suPPly oF wAtER – 5 lItREs PER PERsoN PER dAy.

Iftheroadyou’redrivingonisdusty,•

becautiousasitmaybeconcealing

potholesand/orwashouts.

It’scommonintheOutback(especially•

intheNorthernTerritory)toencounter

“roadtrains”–multi-trailertrucksup

to50metreslong.Ifyou’recomingfrom

theoppositedirectiontopassaroad

train,giveyourselfplentyofroomas

thedisplacedaircancausesignificant

buffering.Ifyou’reovertakingone,allow

atleast1.5kmsofclearroad.

RoadsinAustraliaaregenerallygood•

butexpectthequalitytochangefrom

timetotimeandalsorememberthat

therecanbeverylongstretchesofroad

betweenservicestationssoplanahead

whenyou’reinruralareasandOutback

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

distancesthanyou’reprobablyusedto.

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 company’s polIcy regardIng unsealed roads.

CAMPERVANNING BAsICs

Whenyouarriveineachnewtown,•

it’sbesttoheadstraighttotheVisitor

InformationCentre,generallylocatedin

thecentreoftown.Thestaffwillgiveyou

adviceandbrochuresonanythingthat’s

ofinterest.

Campgroundsorholidayparksin•

Australiaaregenerallyofahigh

standard.Bookingisn’tusually

necessaryexceptinpeakseason(around

Christmas/NewYearandEaster).You

canchoosetostayeverynightata

campground,orcertainnightstousethe

extrafacilities.Mostcampgroundswill

letyouusethefacilitieswithoutstaying

thenightforasmallcharge.

Thereareawidearrayofvanparksto•

choosefrom.Manyofthenewerparks

havealmostbecomeminiresorts

completewithtenniscourts,multiple

swimmingpools,minigolfcourses,

gamesrooms,cafesandrestaurants

andevenkid’sclubs.Althoughthe

facilitiesintheseparksmaybetop

notch,thepricesaregenerallyhighas

wellandtheymaynotbeinthebudget

ofmanylong-termtravellers.Atthe

otherendofthescale,thecouncil-run

caravanparksdonothavealltheextras

buttheyareusuallymuchcheaperand

offerabasicplacetostaywithpower

andamenities.

Ifyouthinkyoumaybestayinginalotof•

vanparks,itmaybeworthjoiningoneof

theholidayparkmembershipschemes.

Theschemesprovidememberswith

discountsforstaysattheirparkswhile

theparksthemselvesmustmeeta

certainsetofstandardsintermsof

facilitiesandcleanliness.BIG4Holiday

Parks,TopTouristParksandFamily

ParksofAustraliaarethreeofthe

biggestvanparkgroups.

Mostnationalparkshaveareassetaside•

forcamping.Thereareoftenshower

andtoilets,barbequesandpicnicareas,

howevertheygenerallywon’thave

facilitiesforyoutoplugyourvehicleinto

electricity.Australia’snationalparks

containsomeofitsmostspectacular

sightsand,somefeel,someofits

bestcampingspotsaswell.Although

thefacilitiesatcampgroundsinmost

nationalparksincludelittlemorethan

adroptoiletandoccasionallyatapora

picnictable,thesceneryandsenseof

beingclosetonaturemorethanmake

upforit.Thefeesareusuallyprettylow,

too.

TheNationalParksdepartmentofeach•

stateandTerritoryhasitsownsystem

intermsofentryfeesandcamping

fees.Youcangetmoreinformation

aboutaccess,availability,facilitiesand

attractionsforthenationalparksin

14

touristinformationcentres,ontheweb

orbyphoningtherelevantnationalpark

office.LinksforcheckingouttheNational

Parkwebsitesforeachstateareonthe

lastpageofthisbook.

Formany,‘goingbush’notonlyprovides•

awelcomerelieffromaccommodation

fees,italsocreatesarealspiritof

adventure.Somebushcampingareas

arewellestablishedandmayhaveadrop

toiletbutmanyhavenofacilitiesatall.

Ifyouplantogobush,ensureyouhave

adequatesuppliesoffoodandwater–

anddon’tforgetyourspade!

Localcouncillawsdon’tpermityouto•

camponthesideoftheroadinthevicinity

oftowns,howeveroutsidethetownsand

incountryareasitisgenerallyallowed.

Asageneralruleyou’reOKtoparkup

inmostplacessuchasofftheroador

byabeachorriversideunlessthere’sa

signprohibitingovernightcamping.All

that’saskedinreturnisrespectforthe

environmentandthelocals.Besensible

anddon’tparkanywherethatrestricts

others,oranywherethatmightinterfere

withnature.Alsomakesureyou’renoton

privateproperty!

Somecouncilsarenowmakingcertain•

regions“nofreecamping”zonesthough,

sojustbeawareofthis.It’susuallybest

topullofftheroadandparkbehindsome

trees.It’sgenerallylegaltodothis,butif

youaren’tsure,orhaven’tseenthesign,

youcouldhaveyourselfrudelyawakened!

Discretionusuallyhelps.

Inacountrycharacterisedbylong•

stretchesofroadacrossabigOutback

skywithfewtownsbreakingthehorizon,

restareashavebecomeanecessityfor

manydrivers.Theyaremeanttoprovide

aplacetobreakyourjourney,havearest

andthenresumeonceagainrefreshed.

Eachstatehasadifferentpolicywhenit

comestoovernightstaysatrestareas

–butallagreethatiffatigueissetting

inyoumust“stop,reviveandsurvive”.

Moststateroadauthoritiesproducefree

mapsdetailingwhererestareasareand

whetherovernightstaysarepermitted.

Therearetoomanycampgroundsin•

Australiatolistthemallhere–agood

placetostartis

http://www.australianexplorer.com/

campsites/index.html.

some bush toIlets mIght make you wonder whether It’s worth holdIng on.

15

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

stationsthroughoutthecountryforcampervanusers’toiletandwastewater.You’redoingthe

environmentafavourwhenyouusethese.

keep it Clean, Green and safe

Protectplantsandanimals–they’reuniqueandoftenrare•

Removerubbish–carryoutwhatyoucarryin•

Takecarewithfire–dousewithwaterandcheckashesbeforeleaving(preferablyusea•

portablefuelstove)

Keepstreamsandlakesclean–whenwashing,takethewaterandwashthingsawayfrom•

thesource,andletsoapywatersoakthroughsoiltobefiltered

Keeptothetracks–there’slessriskofdamagingfragileplantsandecosystems•

Respectthecountry’sheritage–manyplacesinAustraliahavespiritualand/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 you’re planning

to include tasmania in your campervan

holiday (or hire your vehicle in tasmania

and travel to the mainland), you’ll need to

cross this picturesque sea-road.

Therouteisoperatedbytwoships,Spiritof

TasmaniaIandII,whichofferanovernight

serviceinbothdirectionsbetweenStation

PierinPortMelbourneandPortDevonport

onTasmania’snorthcoast.Theygoseven

daysaweek,year-round,withextradaytime

servicesatpeaktimesoftheyear.

Theshipseachhavemorethan700

berths,or220cabinsandthetriptakes

approximately9-11hours.Campervanscan

travelontheshipsfromaroundA$93off

peakandA$134inpeakseason(subjectto

change).Thefareincreasesasthesizeofyour

campervanincreases.

Fordetailsonfaresandtimetables,gotothe

websitewww.spiritoftasmania.com.au.Due

tothevariationsinsize,youwon’tbeable

tobookyourcampervaninonline,however

therearedetailsonthewebsiteabouthow

todothis.Besuretocheckwithyourrental

companyiftheirtermsallowyoutotakeyour

vehicleontheferry.

Australiaisahugecountry,sotoenjoyyour

holiday,it’srecommendedtoresearchyour

intendedtravelroutethoroughly,especially

yourtravellingdistances.It’smuchbetter

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.

18

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.You’llalso

findmanyofyourfellowcampervanners

areAustraliansgettingoutofthecities.

Successfulcampervanningrelieson

matey-ness,atwhichAussiesexcel!

Don’tunderestimatethepowerof•

thesunevenwhenthetemperatures

aren’textreme.Infact,acombination

ofverylittleairpollutionandathinning

oftheearth’sprotectiveozonelayer

(particularlyinSouthAustraliaand

Tasmania)meanstheburntimescan

beshort.ApplywaterproofSPF30+

frequently,andcoverupwithsunhats,

clothingandsunglasses.

Ifyoudogetbadlyburnt,takean•

anti-inflammatorysuchasibuprofen,

moisturisefrequently,drinkloadsof

waterandavoidmoresun.Alsoavoid

applyingaloeveraunlessyouare

certainit’spure–manyhighly-coloured

versionsactuallyhaveahighalcohol

contentwhichfurtherdryouttheskin.

Don’ttryandtickofftoomaysightsin•

tooshortatime,oryouwillspendyour

wholetriplookingoutthewindowof

yourcampervan.

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

It’s all very well knowing where you’re going and how to get there – but it’s 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

yourneighbour’sdoor.Thatwayyou

canavoidenforcedchitchatandretain

someprivacy.

Levellingblockscanbehandyifyou•

don’tlikesleepingonanangle,but

planks(orVERYthickcardboard)are

alsoworthwhiletoplaceunderyour

wheelsasyouparkifitlookslikeitwill

getverymuddy.

Bringalltheessentials,butdon’t•

overpack.Doyoureallyneedmorethan

onepairofthesametypeofshoe?You’ll

begladforanysquareinchofextra

spacetoliveininsideyourcampervan.

Spring-typeclothespegscomein•

handyforcountlessthings–keeping

openbagsclosed,replacingthefiddly

closuresonslicedbread…andhanging

upyourclothesofcourse!Onthisnote,

clotheslinesatholidayparksfillupvery

quickly.Washyourclothesandhang

themoutatnight.

Glassestravelwellin“stubbycoolers”•

(foamcupsthatkeepyourbeerbottle

cool),orpolystyrenesheetswith

different-sizedholescutin.

Takewirecoathangerssoyoucanbend•

thehooksaroundtostopthemjumping

offtherailevenonreallybumpyroads.

Checkthealignmentofotherpeople’s•

TVantennaswhenyouarriveata

holidaypark–chancesarethey’llbe

pointingintherightdirection!

Cookdoubletheamountofanyfood•

youmake,especiallystews,curries,

stir-friesetcsoyouhaveaneasy

re-heatablemealattheendofthe

followingday’stravel.

Hunt down the lowest prices on

Australia and New Zealand Campervan Hire.

SALECampervanHireSaleFinder.com.auCampervanHireSaleFinder.co.nz

Make sure you pay less than those people parked in the campervan next door to you. Visit the home of the lowest campervan rental prices.

SALE

22

A RuNdowN oF thE REGIoNswestern Australia (w.A.)

PoPulAR PlACEs:

Perth,RottnestIsland,ThePinnacles,TheKimberley,Broome,

NingalooReef,PurnululuNationalPark,SharkBay,MargaretRiver.

23

ThisisAustralia’slargeststateinterms•

ofarea,coveringthewesternthirdofthe

mainland(fivetimesthesizeofTexas).

It’scapitalcity,Perth,isoneofthemost•

isolatedmetropolitanareasontheplanet

–thenearestcityisAdelaide(over2000

kmsaway)–infactit’sclosertoEast

TimorandJakartainIndonesiathanitis

toSydneyorMelbourne.

PerthisAustralia’ssunniestcity(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

Karriforestwheresomeoftheworld’s

tallesttreesgrow.

HeadnorthfromPerthandyou’llhitthe•

Outback.ThetopthirdofW.A.istropical

andyou’llseerainforestalongthecoast,

andendlessgrassysavannahdottedwith

kangaroosandallsortsofotherwildlife.

Southandinlandarethehugedeserts–

thebiggestintheworldapartfromthe

famousSahara.Themaindesertsare

theSimpsonDesert,theGreatVictoria

Desert,TheGreatSandyDesert,andthe

NullaborPlain.Thisregionisfamous

foritsspectacularspringtimedisplayof

wildflowers.

There’smorecoastlineinW.Athanin•

anyotherstate,muchofitbeautiful

whitesandandsparklingturquoise

water.However,manyofthenorthern

beachesarehometosharksandother

treacherouswildlife,sobrushuponyour

localknowledgebeforedecidingifand

whentoswim.

ThemostwesterlypointofAustralia•

isNorthWestCape,thelocationof

theNingalooReef.It’snotaslargeas

theGreatBarrierReefbutisjustas

spectacular,moreaccessibleandless

populated.

TherearemanyhugeminesinW.A,so•

roadtrainsarefrequentlyseen.The

opencastminesmakeforaninteresting

visit,astheyhousesomeoftheworld’s

biggestearth-movingmachinery,

truckswithhousesinthem,andtrains

kilometreslong.

Followingthemainhighwaynorthwill•

takeyoutotheNorthernTerritory,

whereasthesouthofthestateis

borderedbySouthAustralia.Offthewest

coastistheIndianOceanandbeyondthe

southernborderistheGreatSouthern

Ocean.Thenearestlandmasstothe

southisAntarctica.

24

Northern territory (N.t.)

PoPulAR PlACEs:

Darwin,AliceSprings,KakaduNationalPark,Uluru,KingsCanyon,

KatherineGorge,ArnhemLand.

25

Thisterritoryishugeandsparsely•

populated.Itspansdesertandtropics

andliesjustunderneathAsia.

Themajorityofthisregionisclassed•

asOutbackandstations,whichare

hugefarmsorranches(someofthese

stationsarebiggerthancountries!)

Thenorthernpartisknownasthe“Top•

End”toAustralians,andonlyhastwo

tropicalseasons–wetanddry.Darwin

islocatedintheTopEndandisthe

capitalofN.T.

Darwinisaveryrelaxedcity,although•

hasn’talwaysbeensolaidback.In

fact,it’sbeendestroyedandrebuilt

twice!ItwasbombedbytheJapanese

duringWWIIandthensuccumbedto

apowerfulcycloneonChristmasDay,

1974.Becauseofthis,it’snowthemost

moderncityinAustralia.

WestofDarwinistheworld-renowned•

3.2million-acreKakaduNationalPark,

famousforitsstunningsceneryfullof

waterfalls,crocodilesandmangroves,

aswellasitssacredAboriginalsites–

therearemorepaintingsonrocksand

cavewallsherethananywhereelsein

Australia.

Headsouthandyou’llgettoAlice•

Springs,N.T’ssecond-largestcity.It’s

amodernOutbackcitywithanold-

worldcharm,surroundedbydesert

andtheMcDonnellRanges.Peoplecall

thisareaofAustraliatheRedCentre

becauseofthecolourofthesand,which

isoccasionallybrokenupbywhitesalt

fromdried-upsaltlakes.There’sahuge

amountofwildlifearoundhere–you’re

likelytoseekangaroos,emus,snakes

andmaybeagoanna(ahugelizard).

Inthesouthoftheregion,almost•

perfectlyinthecentreofAustraliais

Uluru(formerlyAyersRock),arguably

thecountry’smostfamouslandmark.

Thehugesandstonemonolithisabout

halfaday’sdrivefromAliceSprings.

Continuesouthandyou’llendupin•

SouthAustralia,westandyou’llbeback

inW.A.,andtotheeastisQueensland.

NorthofN.TistheArafuraSeaandthe

nearestlandfromthereisIndonesia.

the majorIty of the northern terrItory Is classed as outback.

26

south Australia (s.A.)

PoPulAR PlACEs:

Adelaide,KangarooIsland,thecentraldeserts,FlindersRanges,

NullaborPlain,BarossaValley,CooberPedy.

27

SouthAustraliaborderseverymainland•

stateinAustralia.It’sthedriestinthe

countrybutit’sclimateisperfectfora

thrivingwineindustry.

NearAdelaideistheBarossaValley•

whichisprobablyAustralia’smost

famedwine-producingregion.Northare

thestunninglyruggedFlindersRanges.

EvenfurthernorthistheSimpson

Desert,andwestfromthereisthevast,

flatNullaborPlain.

SouthAustraliaishometosome•

interestingtowns,suchasCooberPedy

inthenorth.Theresidentsofthissmall

miningtownactuallyliveunderground

–thebestwaytoescapethestifling

heatofaboveground.Houses,church

buildings,pubsandotherbuildingsare

alldugouttolooklikegrandcaves.It’s

alsoknownasthe“OpalCapitalofthe

World.”It’sremotebutwellworthavisit.

Travellingeast,you’llreachQueensland,•

VictoriaorNewSouthWales.N.T.is

tothenorthandW.A.tothewest.The

coastlineoftheGreatSouthernOceanis

calledtheGreatAustralianBight.

thE CAPItAl CIty oF s.A. Is AdElAIdE, whICh Is sItuAtEd oN thE toRRENs RIVER. It’s NotABlE FoR Its BEAutIFul PARks whICh sEPARAtE thE CIty FRoM thE suBuRBs.

south australIa’s clImate lends Itself perfectly to wIne growIng.

28

Queensland (Qld.)

PoPulAR PlACEs:

Brisbane,GoldCoast,SunshineCoast,Noosa,AirlieBeach,

GreatBarrierReef,WhitsundayIslands,FraserIsland,Cairnsand

PortDouglas,DaintreeRainforest,Kuranda.

29

QueenslandisAustralia’ssecond-•

largeststate,anditscapitalisBrisbane,

Australia’sthird-largestcity.Tothesouth

isanotherlargecity,theGoldCoast,and

northernQueensland’slargestcityis

Townsville.

QuEENslANd’s 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

world’soldestrainforestandamazing

spotssuchasCapeTribulation,where

therainforestrunsuninterruptedtothe

reef.Uphereistheonlyplaceinthe

worldwheretwoWorldHeritageareas

existsidebyside.

InlandQueenslandismostlydesert,or•

Outback,startingfromthewestofthe

GreatDividingRangeuptotheNorthern

Territory.QueenslandbordersSouth

Australiatothesouthwestbutit’snot

arouteforcampervans,asthereareno

roads–youcancrossintoNewSouth

Walesinthesouth,however.

NorthofQueenslandistheTorresStrait•

whichseparatesAustraliafromPapua

NewGuinea,andistheendpointof

theGreatBarrierReef.Peoplewholive

ontheislandsintheTorresStraitare

officiallycitizensofAustralia.

queensland has some of the best beaches In the world.

30

New south wales (N.s.w.)

NEw south wAlEs Is AustRAlIA’s 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.

PoPulAR PlACEs:

Sydney,ByronBay,BlueMountains,HunterValley,NewEnglandregion,

PortStephens,PebblyBeach,JervisBay,Kosciuszco,BrokenHill.

31

sydney In new south wales Is australIa’s most recognIsable cIty.

Thestate’scapitalSydneyisagorgeous•

cityandAustralia’smostrecognised.

It’smuchbiggerthanN.S.W’ssecond

andthirdlargestcities,Newcastleand

Woollongong,whicharemuchbigger

againthantheremainingcountrytowns.

Whilemuchofthesophisticatednightlife•

andculturalattractionsareconcentrated

inSydney,thereareplentyofnaturaland

historicalsitesmakingtherestofthe

stateextremelyworthspendingtimein.

ByronBay,Australia’smosteasterlypoint,

hasexcellentsurfbreaksandisrenowned

foritsartsy,hippie-likeatmosphere.

InlandisthelushNewEnglandregion

(hometoNewcastle)sonamedbecause

ofitscoolclimateandBritish-looking

landscape.AroundtheGreatDiving

Rangeyou’llfindlotsofprotectedareas

ofgorges,rainforestandvalleysthatare

excellentforhikingandextremesports

suchaswhitewaterrafting.

N.S.W’stemperateclimatewithits•

warmsummersandmildwintersmean

it’sappealingyear-round.TheOutback

cangetuncomfortablyhotinsummer

though,andevenSydneymightgetthe

odd40degreeday.NSWisastateofmany

contrasts,however,andyoucanskiinthe

AustralianAlpstothesouth.

Inthestate’swestyou’llcometothe•

BlueMountainswiththeirbreathtaking

cliffs,limestonecaveformationsandlush

rainforest;evenfurtherwestandyou’ll

hittheOutback.Tothesouthliesthe

RoyalNationalPark,northistheKurangi

ChaseNationalPark.TweedHeadslies

northernmost,ontheborderofNSW

andQLD;andCoolangattasitsonthe

Queenslandside.

32

VictoriaisAustralia’ssmallestmainland•

state,withthehighestdensityoutofany

ofthestates.Itscapitalcity,Melbourne,

isAustralia’ssecond-largestcity,andis

bestknownforitsstyle,sophistication,

culture,fabulouseateries,great

shoppingandthrivingartsscene.Over

aquarterofitsresidentswereborn

overseas,makingitAustralia’smost

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,MorningtonPeninsula,

BellsBeach,Ballarat,PhillipIsland.

33

TasmaniaisAustralia’sislandstate,•

separatedfromthemainlandbyBass

Straitwhichis240kmsacross.

Tasmaniaisfamousforitsunpolluted•

air,uninterruptedwilderness,

spectacularviewsandgourmet

produce.Overonequarterofthestateis

protectedwithNationalParkstatus.

Thelandscapetothewestisrugged•

withrockycoastlines,steepmountains

anddenserainforest.LakeStClairis

saidtobeoneofthemostscenicareas

–thelocationofCradleMountainand

trekstorivalevenNewZealand’smost

picturesque.

tasmania (tas.)

PoPulAR PlACEs:

Hobart,LakeStClair,CradleMountain,PortArthur,FreycinetPeninsula,

Mariaisland.

34

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

EasternTasmaniaislessrugged,•

warmer,andmorebeachy–Wineglass

bayinFreycenetNationalParkwas

oncevotedinthetoptenbeachesin

theworldaccordingtoaninternational

travelmagazine.

Tasmania’scapitalisHobart,andis•

Australia’ssecondoldestcity(after

Sydney).Itsitsnexttoariver,abusy

harbourandimpressivemountainsand

hasitsownuniqueatmosphere.

TasmaniawasoriginallynamedVan•

Diemen’sLandbytheDutchexplorer

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.

35

whAt to ExPECt FRoM thE wEAthER

TheAustralianclimatevarieshugely,•

butbyfarthelargestpartofthecountry

isdesert,orsemi-arid–40%ofthe

landmassiscoveredbysanddunes!

Onlythesoutheastandsouthwestof•

thecountryhasatemperateclimateand

fertilesoil.

Thenorthernpartofthecountryhas•

atropicalclimate;partistropical

rainforest,partisgrasslands;andpart

isdesert.

36

ThetropicalareasofAustraliadon’t

experiencetheseseasonstypically,however.

Therearereallyonlytwoseasons:wet

(October–April)anddry(May–September).

Therightweathercanmakeorbreakyour

campervanningholiday,whetherityourtrip

isforthreeweeks,threemonthsorthree

years!Luckily,Australia’sclimatemakes

itpossibletoenjoyfantasticweatheryear

roundifyougototherightplacesatthe

righttime–althoughofcourseMother

Natureisfarfrompredictableandit’s

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

insidethatdoesn’thaveair-conditioning!)

However,itcanbequitetheexperienceto

bravetheconditionsandwitnessdramatic

electricalstorms,thunderingwaterfallsand

ragingwaterways.Ifyouareplanningto

visitthefarnorthduringthistime,takelocal

adviceaboutroadconditionsandweather

warnings.Therecanberoadclosuresin

someareas,morefrequentlythefurther

northyougo.Themostcomfortabletime

tovisittheseareas(suchasBroome,Alice

Springs,DarwinorCairns)isinthedry

seasonbetweenMayandOctober–July/

Augustisyourbestbet.

Thedry season in the northiswhen

temperaturessitataround25-30degrees

Celsius,humidityislowandthere’slittle

chanceofrain.Nearlyeverydayiswarm

andsunny,andafternoonhumiditysits

around30%.Thelowesttemperatureyou’ll

experiencewillbearound12-14degrees

Celsiusatnight,butrarelylower,andno

frostshaveeverbeenrecorded.Waterfalls

andriversdropandthelandcandryout

significantly.It’saverypleasanttimeofyear

intheseparts–“winter”inthenorthismuch

like“summer”inthesouth-butexpect

manyothertravellerstohavethesameidea,

particularlyduringschoolholidays.

Theheat in the centrecanreach45degrees

Celsiusorevenhigherinthesummer

monthsofNovembertoMayandconditions

canbehugelyuncomfortable.It’savolatile

timeandthereisalsotheriskofsudden

downpoursthatturndriedupcreeksinto

ragingrivers.It’salwaysbestnottoembark

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

37

Thecool in the centrehappensApril

toOctoberandduringthedaytimethe

temperaturescanbeverypleasant,

althoughitcangetverycoolatnight,

especiallyinJulyandAugust.There’snot

muchchanceofrainbutdon’tcountthe

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 shouldn’t be underestImated.

38

Australia’s wildlife is very unique, thanks

to its geographical isolation. some of the

world’s most unusual animals exist there.

Caseinpoint:theplatypus,anegg-laying

marsupialwithwebbedfeet,abilllike

aduck’s,andabeaver-liketail.Whena

specimenwasfirstbrought

backtoEurope,many

scientistsinsisted

itwasfake–a

mixtureof

severalanimals

sewntogether!

Anotherfascinating

monotreme(egg-laying

marsupial)istheechidna,

aspinylittlethingwithabeakandalong

stickytongueforcatchinginsects.

kangaroosareanotherprolificnative

animal–thereare45differentspeciesof

kangaroosandwallabies,ranginginsize

fromthatofahamstertothatofagrown

man.Potoroosandbettongsarethetiniest

–infact,potoroosare

oftenknownas“wallaby

rats”.

Youmightalsowant

toseeakoala,the

gorgeousfuzzy

marsupial(notabear)

withtheblacknose.Your

bestbetistoseeone

atazooorsanctuary

(theLonePineKoalaSanctuaryinBrisbane

istheworld’slargest–youcanhaveyour

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

onlyin–yes,Tasmania.It’sthe

largestmemberofafamilyof

carnivorousmarsupialsthat

includesthequoll,thenumbat,the

antechinus,thekowariandthe

mulgara.

wIldlIFE

39

BandicootsareanotherfamousAustralian

marsupial,agrayish-brownmousey-looking

creatureaboutthesizeofarabbitwithbig

ears,apointytailandalongsnout.Abilbyis

avariationofabandicoot.

Batsaboundin

theeasternand

northernedges

ofAustraliainthe

warmest,moistest

habitats.They’remostly

fruitbats,otherwiseknownasflyingfoxes;

otherwiseyoumaycomeacrossLittle

Bentwingbatsinanycavesortunnelson

theeastcoastofthecountry.

water buffaloaren’tnativebutarefoundin

theNorthernTerritory.Theywerebrought

induringthenineteenthcenturyasasupply

ofmeat,howeveraspartofaBrucellosis

andTuberculosiseradicationcampaign

from1997-2007manywereshotandthe

populationwassubstantiallyreduced.You

mightalsocomeacrossseveraldifferent

speciesofdeerinsmallpartsofthesouth

eastofAustralia,orared fox(anywherebut

Tasmaniaandthetropicalnorth).

The dingoisanativedogofAustraliaand

Australia’slargestmammalcarnivore.The

sizeofamedium-sizeddogandrangingon

colorfromcreamtotantoblack,you’llfind

themalloverAustraliaexceptinTasmania.

Neverfeedorapproachawilddingo–

theycanbeverydangerous.It’sillegal

tohavethemaspetsinSouthAustralia,

QueenslandandTasmania,andownersin

VictoriaandtheNorthernTerritoryneed

aspecialpermit.InNSWandWAyoucan

havethemunlicensed.It’salsoimportant

okeepallfoodsourcesawayandsecure

whenyouaren’teating,otherwisedingoes

willseeitasaninvitationtoransackyour

belongings!

Thereisapproximately300,000brumbies

(wildhorses)inAustralia.They’re

consideredaproblemastheycause

erosion,spreadweedsandcompetefor

pasturewithnativeanimals.Cullingto

controlnumbersisacontroversialpractice

inAustralia.

Note:Washyourhandscarefully

ifyou’vecomeintocontactwith

anymarsupialsastheycancarrya

numberofdiseasesandothernasties

suchasparalysisticks.Ifyoudo

findatickonyourbody,dabitwith

methylatedspiritsorsomeotherkind

ofnoxiousliquidandthencarefully

pullitoutwithtweezers,ensuringyou

gettheentirething.

40

Theyaren’timmediatelywhatpopsto

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,

otherwiseknownas“seacows”.

Birdsofalmosteverydescriptionfill

Australianskies–andground.Ofparticular

noteistheemu–alargeflightlessbird

that’soneoftheworld’slargestbirds(just

slightlysmallerthananostrich).They

arefarmedinAustraliaandoverseasfor

everythingfromleathertofeatherstotheir

eggs;andcanbe

foundallacross

thecontinent,

fromcoastal

regionstohigh

inthesnowy

mountainsto

thedryinland

plains.Youshould

alsobeaware

ofrunninginto

acassowary–

anotherflightless

birdthat’sfoundinnorthQueensland’s

tropicalrainforests.They’requitestunning-

lookingwithalargeblackbody,abrilliant

blueandblackheadwithabrightred

wattle,andalargehornhelmetonits

head.They’reimportantastheydistribute

seedsintherainforestfromfruitthat’s

toolargeforanyotherbirdtocarry.Don’t

approachcassowarieshowever–theyhave

thereputationasbeingoneoftheworld’s

mostdangerousbirds.Theyarebynature

quiteshybutwhendisturbedcaninflictfatal

injuriestodogsandchildren.Ifyouheara

largebirdthatsoundslikeit’slaughingat

you,that’sakookaburra!

TherearetwotypesofcrocodileinAustralia

–“freshies”and“salties”.“Freshies”or

freshwatercrocodiles,aresmallerand

41

relativelyharmless,onlygrowingupto

around3metersandsubsistingonadiet

ofmostlyfish.Thesaltwaterorestuarine

versionsaren’tsuchfussyeatersandcan

reachuptoabout6meters.

Therearemanyfascinatingtypesof

dragonsandlizards inAustralia,suchas

theThornyDevilaharmlessreptilecovered

inthornsincludingspikesaboveeacheye

thatalsohastheabilitytochangecolor.

Goannasarealarge,distinctivetypeof

lizardthattherearemultiplespeciesofand

you’llalsocomeacrossseveraldifferent

variationsofskinksandgeckos.

Australiaisfamousforbeinghometomany

differentvarietiesofsnake,fromharmless

greenandbrowntreesnakes,tothe

extremelyvenomoussuchasdeath

adders,copperheads,tigersnakes

andtaipans.Therearealsomanytypes

ofpython(whichareconstrictorsandnot

venomousbutwillstillbiteifprovoked–

whichhurts)aswellasseasnakes–most

ofwhicharevenomous.Snakesarea

protectedspeciesinAustralia,andshould

beleftalone.It’snotadvisabletoapproach

anysnake.Unlessyou’reasnakeexpert,

itcanbeveryhardtotellexactlyhow

dangerouseachindividualsnakeis.

Ifsomeonedoesgetbitten,treatevery

snakebiteasseriousevenifyoudon’t

thinkthesnakewasvenomous.Themost

dangerouseffectsaresometimesnotfelt

untillater,andsomebitesmaynoteven

hurt.Symptomsofsnakebitepoisoningcan

includedizziness,lossofvision,nausea,

sweating,headache,doublevision,blurred

vision,weaknessanddifficultyswallowing

andbreathing.

Note:Don’tswimin,orevenstand

onthebanksof,anyriver,swamp,

estuary,pondorlakeinNorthern

Australiaunlessyouknowit’s

croc-free.

Note:AlthoughsomeAustralian

snakescangivefatalbites,few

peoplediefromthemiftheygetthe

correctfirstaidandanti-venomif

needed.Alwayswearshoesand

longpantswhenwalkinginthe

bush,anddon’tputyourhandinto

hollows,cracksinthegroundor

underrockswheretheymaybe

sheltering.

42

Thepersonshouldbemadetoliedown

andcalmeddownsotheyremainstill.

Don’ttamperwiththewoundinanyway,

includingwashingit.Makesureyouremove

ringsoranyotherjewelleryastheycan

becometightifswellingdevelops.Ifthe

biteisonalimb,useabroadbandage

ortornstripsofclothingorpantyhose

toapplyatmoderatepressure(nottight

enoughtostopcirculation).Gooverthetop

ofclothingratherthanmovingthelimbto

removeit–andoncethebandageison,

keepiton.Then,keepthelimbasstillas

possibleusingasplintorsling.Don’tusea

tourniquetorsuckthewound!Also,don’t

givethepersonanythingtodrink,orlet

themwalkatall.

Callemergencyserviceson000orget

themtothenearestplacetheycanbeseen

byamedicallytrainedperson,assoonas

possible.Althoughitmightbeusefultoknow

whattypeofsnakecausedthebite,don’t

attempttocatchorkillit.Peoplehavebeen

bittenbysnakestheythoughtweredead.

Australiaalsohasmanyseaturtlesand

freshwaterturtles.Theyarequiteshybut

makegreatswimmingandsnorkelling

companions!

There’salsoanabundanceofamazingfish

inAustraliayoucanseewhilesnorkeling

ordiving,includingangelfish,clownfish,

barracuda,cuttlefish,wrassandmany

more.Fishtoavoidhowever,arestingrays,

stonefish,porcupinefish,lionfishandpuffer

fish.Don’ttouchanoctopusifithasblue

ringsonit.

InQueensland,boxjellyfishor“stingers”

arecommoninthesummermonths

(October–April).Stingernetsareplacedat

themostpopularbeachesduring“stinger

season”andit’snotrecommendedtoswim

atanyotherbeaches–butifonetouches

you,pourvinegarontheaffectedarea

straightaway.Thelocalauthoritiesusually

havebottlesoftheseplacedalongthe

beaches.Bluebottlejellyfisharealsofound

inandaroundSydney.Thebesttreatment

forthisistowashthestingwithfreshwater

thenhaveahotbathorshower.

Thereisusuallysignageforalltypesof

dangerouswildlife.

Otherwatercreaturesincludeseahorses,

seadragons,starfish,shrimp,prawns,

crabs,yabbies,crayfishandlotsmore.As

youcanimagine,Australiaisalsohome

tomanytypesofinsects,fromexquisite

butterfliestohugebeetlestovariousmoths

toexoticantstoirritatingmidgesandmore.

Alsonoteworthyarethemanyspeciesof

spider–somevenomous,somenot.There

arealsoseveraltypesoffrogsandtoads

–fromthespectacularlyprettygreentree

frogthroughtothewartyandvenomous

canetoad.Alsowatchoutforscorpions,

43

centipedesandmillipedeswhichcanand

willbite.Particularlyhorrifyingaregiant

centipedeswhichcanreachlengthsof

uptoandover16cm.Theydelivervenom

throughmodifiedclawsthatistoxicto

bothmammalsandinsectsbutisn’t

strongenoughtokillalargeanimal.They

cancauseintensepainformanyhoursto

humans–thiscanberelievedsomewhat

withicepacksbutinsomecaseshospital-

gradepainkillersarerequired.

Note:We’reruiningthefunhere,but

don’tbelieveanAustralianwhotells

youtowatchoutfor“DropBears”,

amythicaltypeofviciouskoalathat

supposedlydropsoutoftreesontop

ofyou.It’salong-runningAustralian

joketotrickhaplesstourists.Watch

out:theywilleitherswearblack

andbluethatit’strue;ortheywill

attempttousereversepsychology

bytellingyouit’smythinaway

thatmakesyoucontinuetodoubt

whetheritisornot.Youmayalso

hearaboutTasmanianTigers,which

actuallydidexistonceuponatime

butbecameextinctinthe1930s.

Even though much of Australia’s

wildlife is both fascinating and

appealing and feeding them can

be a means of having more contact

with them, feeding wild animals is

discouraged for several reasons:

Itcanleadtoagreaterthan•

normalnumberofanimalsin

thearea,puttingextrapressure

onnaturalfoodsources;

Animalscanbecomedependent•

ontheartificialfoodsource;

Increasingnumbersof•

animalsinoneareacanleadto

aggressionamongstthesame

anddifferentspecies;

Predatorslikehawksandowls•

areattractedbytheincreasein

animals,leadingtoincreased

predation;

Humanfoodisoftenhighly•

processedandmaynotbe

suitableforanimalsinthewild;

Unnaturalconcentrationsof•

animalscanbecomethefocal

pointforoutbreaksofdisease

whicharethentransmissible

tohumans.

45

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

hometotheDreamtimespirits–the

ancestraltotemicspiritsthatformed

TheCreation(ofthestars,themoon,the

ocean,land,animalsandhumans).

AustralianAboriginalsbelieveintwo•

parallelformsoftime.Oneisdaily

activity,theotherisaninfinitespiritual

cyclecalledthe“Dreamtime”.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

bothsidesdied–althougharoundten

timesasmanyAboriginalpeopleas

Europeans.Therewasevenacampaign

toridtheentirestateofTasmaniaof

Aboriginalpeople–whichworked–the

lastfull-bloodedTasmanianAborigine

diedin1876.ManyAboriginalsalso

succumbedtoEuropeandiseasessuch

asinfluenza,thecommoncoldand

smallpox,uptoaslateasthe1950s.

Theyactuallybegantodieout.

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

46

Aroundthe1920sitbecame•

governmentpolicytotakeAboriginal

childrenawayfromtheirfamiliesand

puttheminwhitefosterhomesor

churchrefuges,andsterilizeyoung

Aborginalwomen.Thesechildrenare

referredtoasthe“StolenGeneration”.

Relationsarestillstrainedbetweenthe•

280,000AboriginesinAustraliaandthe

restofthepopulation.Recently,several

actshavebeenpassedallowingthemto

reclaimsomeofthelandthatwaslost

tothem,anditwasonlyveryrecently

thatthegovernmentapologisedforthe

“StolenGeneration”.Theystillhowever

arethesinglemostdisadvantaged

groupofpeopleinAustralia.

some points to be aware of:

YouneedapermittoentersomeAboriginal-ownedland.•

Inremotecommunities,manyofthepeoplespeakEnglishasasecond•

language,ifatall.

Theirbodylanguagemayalsobedifferent,forexampletheymaynot•

immediatelymakeeyecontactwithyou.

AccesstoDreamingstoriesorsomeotherculturalpracticesmayberestricted,•

egtooutsiders,orbygender.

Picturesofpeoplewhohaverecentlydiedaren’tdisplayedandtheirnamesnot•

spokenforawhile.

Alwaysaskbeforephotographingagroup,personorresidence.•

Don’ttouchrockartorengravings.•

Someindigenouscommunitiesbanalcohol.•

Certainpartsofindigenouslandaremoresacredthanothers(ie“sacredsites”).•

Whenvisitingtheseareasaskaboutappropriatebehaviour.

thE BEst PlACEs to lEARN MoRE ABout thE INdIGENous CultuRE ARE: AlICE sPRINGs, thE REd CENtRE, uluRu-kAtA tjutA ANd IN thE NoRthERN tERRItoRy.

MostoftheearlyEuropeanstoinhabit•

AustraliawereBritishconvicts(which

possiblycontributestothegeneral

“bloke-iness”ofAussieculture).This

isthesourceofsomegood-natured

teasing(mostlyfromNewZealanders,

whointurngetlaughedatfortheir

accent;thesmallsizeoftheircountry;

andtheamountofsheepcompared

topeoplethere).AustraliansandNew

Zealandersenjoyahealthyrivalry,

althoughNZersgenerallycomeoffworst

intheendlesssportingcompetition.

Australiaissports-mad.Bothgenders•

watchalotofsport,whichisgenerally

thecricket,andsupportingtheir

“footy”team(whichreferstoeither

RugbyLeague,AFL,orRugbyUnion–

definitelynotsoccerorgridiron).Tennis,

swimmingandmotorsportarealso

popular.Theydon’ttendtoknowso

muchaboutbasketball,netball,hockey,

baseball,etc-evenifthenationalteam

aretheworldchampions.Thecountry

alsobasicallystandsstillonMelbourne

CupDay.

Australiansareveryintocars,andare•

generallydividedoverwhethertheyare

“Ford”or“Holden”men.Largepowerful

FalconsandCommodoresarepopular

andmanyaremodified.

Evenmoreiconicisthe“ute”(utilityor•

pickuptruck).It’spartofthenational

identity–tohaveauteistobeatrue

Australian.

Beerisprettymuchthenationaldrink–•

favouritesvaryfromstatetostate.

Australiansareveryproudoftheir•

nationalexportssuchasElle

MacPherson,MelGibson,Russell

Crowe,CateBlanchett,AC/DCandso

on.MostAustralianshaveseeniconic

AustralianmoviessuchasMadMax,

TheCastle,Muriel’sWedding,Crocodile

Dundee,PriscillaQueenoftheDesert

andStrictlyBallroom.

Thegeneralisedgreeting“G’day”(an•

abbreviationof“goodday”)isacceptable

touseinalmostanysituationregardless

GEttING to kNow thE AussIEs

so what’s a typical Australian like?

Well,that’salittlehardtosaygiventhenation’sunificationofsomanycultures.Aswellasthe

Aboriginalpeople,andthe“Anglo-Celts”(stillthedominantethnicitythere)therearepeople

fromallaroundtheworld–NewZealanders,British,Lebanese,Greek,Italian,Chinese,

Japanese,andDutchtonamejustafew.However,Australiastillhasanextremelystrong

identityanditsveryownculturethatwouldn’tbewhatitistodayifnotforthismeltingpotof

diversepeople.

47

ofrelationship,gender,sex,race,social

standing,weatherormood.

Australiansareveryfriendlyandhelpful•

peoplewithgoodsensesofhumourand

anaturalabilitytotelljokesandplay

withwords.Theycanseemreserved

tostartwithbutoncetheiceisbroken

everythingrelaxes.Theyareeasygoing,

butpersonalmatterstakelongerto

comeoutintheopen.

The“esky”(aplasticboxthatkeeps•

thingscool)playsavitalpartinAussie

culture–onecontainingtherightitems

cankeepanAustralianhappyfordays.It

canbeusedasaseatatfootymatches;

anoutdoorfridge;afishholderon

fishingtrips;andlunchboxesfor

“tradies”andmanuallabourers.

Australiaisbasicallyclasslessandnot•

centredaroundancestorsandthefamily

unit-theydon’treallycarewhatfamily

someonecomesfrom.

Australianssufferedthehighest•

per-capitadeathtollofalltheAllied

countriesinWWI.TheANZAC(Australia

NewZealandArmyCorps)spiritisstill

strong–aslongassportmatchesaren’t

involved.

Christmasisrightinthemiddleof•

summerandisusuallyaveryhotdayof

theyear,howeverdecorationsandcards

stillincludesnowflakes,sleighs,tinsel,

andpinetrees.Christmaslunchor

dinnerisoftenhadoutdoors.

AveryhighpercentageofAustralians•

livebytheseaandmuchofAustralia

issunnyallyearround,so“beach

culture”ishuge–goingtothebeach

onweekendsislikegoingtothemallor

doingsport.

FishingisabigthinginAustralian•

culture–thereareofcoursemany

excellentplacestofishandahuge

numberandvarietyandspecies

available.Therearerulesthough–all

statesexceptQldrequireafishing

license(whichcaneasilybeobtained).

Therearealsolimitsregardingtypeand

sizeoffishcapturedandquantity,size

andgenderofshellfishandcrustaceans

whichareallexplainedinbookletsat

anyfishingshop.Youalsoneedaspecial

licenseforaboatsover6horsepower.

the typIcal aussIe Is easygoIng and frIendly.

48

49

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.It’sreferredto

as“bushtucker”or“bushfood”.

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:

50

Modern Bushfood Industry

Thereisanoveltyvalueinbushtuckerfor

manypeopleandit’snowpartofAustralia’s

tourismindustry.Themodernindustry

makesuseofplantsindifferentwaysfrom

thoseoftheAborigines,forexamplefor

flavour,insteadofnutrition.

Bushtuckerplantsareusednowforjams,

chutneyandjellies,flavourings(eg.Lemon

Myrtle),spices(eg.MountainPepper),

drinks,sauces,colours(eg.Davidson’s

plum).

Onlyoneindigenousplant,theMacadamia

nut,hasbeenwellestablishedin

horticulture,andeventhenmostofthe

earlyworkwasdonebyAmericans.Some

AmericansevenrefertoitastheHawaiian

Nut,sinceithasbeengrownextensively

there.

Early settler Food

DuetoAustralia’syouth,all“Aussie”foods

havetraceablelinkstoothercountries,

mainlyEngland.Thesepeoplebrought

withthemtraditionalEnglishrecipessuch

asstewedchops,potatodumplingsand

jampudding.Theywereallsimplerecipes,

notrequiringcomplicatedingredients,or

costingmuchmoney,astyleofcooking

thatreflectedthemodestmeansofthe

time.Manyrecipes,inhandwrittenrecipe

books,broughttoAustraliabymigrant

womenhavebeenpassedfromonecookto

anotherdowntheyearsandstillformpart

of“traditional”Australianfood.

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-Australiaistheworld’slargestbeef

producer.

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

51

Overall,Australianseatalargevarietyof

food,consistingofAustraliandishesand

mainstreamoverseasdishes.Chineseand

Italianvarietiesareparticularlypopular,

althoughallsortsofmeals,fromBurmese

toUkrainian,areavailable.Restaurants

whosecuisineincludescontemporary

adaptations,interpretationsorfusionsof

theseculinaryinfluencesareoftenlabeled

withtheterm“Modern 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,andcalleda“pie

floater”.

sausagesalsomakeupalargepartof

manyanAustralian’sdiet.Thebasicbeef

sausagecostsaround$3akilo,andhence

istheidealfoodforanyoccasion.Although

theirnutritionalvalueisquestionable,they

arequickandeasytocookandcanbepart

ofcountlessmeals,particularlybarbecues

ofwhichAussiesareveryfond.Other

commonAussiedinnersmightbestir-fry,

roastdinners,pizza,pasta,saladsorfish

andotherseafood(makesureyoutrysome

wildbarramundi,southernbluefintuna,

andMoretonBaybugs).

52

ChEERs!whether you prefer beer or wine, chances are you’ll end up sampling some of Australia’s

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

Beer

Australiaisanationofbeer–it’spractically

thenationaldrink.It’sthemostconsumed

alcoholicbeverageinAustralia,andthere’s

nothingbetteronaswelteringdaythan

acold“stubby”(smallbottleofbeer).

Australianscandrinkitatanamazingly

rapidpace,too.

PopularAustralianbeersareVB(Victoria

Bitter);XXXX(pronounced“FourX”)which

isslightlyweaker;Carlton;andFosters.

There’salsoCascade,whichismade

fromwaterfromaTasmanianmountain.

Mostbeerrangesfromabout4.8to5.2%

percent,althoughyoucanalsoget“mid-

strengths”whichareabout3.6%.

SomeplacesusethetraditionalBritish

measurementsof“pints”andhalf-pints”.

InNSW,it’seithera“schooner”ora“midi”.

InVictoriait’sa“pot”ora“glass”.However,

anS.Aschooneristhesamesizeasan

NSWmidi,andaW.Amidiisthesameas

anNSWmidibutyoucanalsogetaneven

smallerglasscalleda“pony”.Itmayjustbe

easiertoorderitbythebottle…

wine

Thefirstgrapevineswerebroughtto

Australiain1788,andtherearenowover

550winemakersproducingworld-class

winesthroughoutAustralia.Thedemand

ishighandnewvineyardsarebeing

constantlyplanted.

PopularwhitewinesinAustraliainclude

Chardonnay,Riesling,SauvignonBlancand

Semillon.Whenitcomestoreds,it’sall

aboutCabernetSauvignon,Merlot,Pinot

Noirandtheworldwidehit,Shiraz.

Note: AlthoughSyrahwasoriginallycalled

“Shiraz”inAustraliaandSyrahelsewhere,

itsdramaticcommercialsuccesshasled

manySyrahproducersaroundtheworldto

labeltheirwine“Shiraz”.

OneofthegreatestAustraliainventionsof

packagingisthe“cask”,acartonboxwith

ataptoregulatetheamount,withnocorks

tobetakenoutorputbackin.Veryeasy,

simpleandcheap.JusttohaveanIdea,a4

litrecaskcostsaboutAU$12,andthewine

rangesfromnot-so-goodtoverygood.

Ifyouwantsomethingalittlemore

upmarket,youcanvisitoneofthecountry’s

hundredsofwineries.Australiahasabout

60wineregionslocatedacrossthecountry

53

with103“definedgeographicindications”

forwinegrowingdistrictscoveringzones,

regionsandsub-regions.

However,thefollowingtenareamongits

mostfamousanddiverse.Fromtherugged

andisolatedbeautyofMargaretRiverin

W.A.tothehistoricalhomeofAustralian

wine,theHunterValleyinN.S.W,ajourney

acrossAustralia’swineregionsisfilledwith

adiversityofclimates,soils,elevationand,

ofcourse,varietiesofwine!

1. Barossa Valley, s.A.

Hometosomeofthecountry’siconicwines,

theBarossavalleyisrenownedforitsShiraz

production.Beautifulrollinghillsanda

Mediterraneanclimatecombinetoproduce

richredsanddelicatewhitesincluding

CabernetSauvignon,Grenache,Mourvedre,

Merlot,Riesling,SemillonandChardonnay.

Thereareover50wineriesintheregion.

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.

WynnsCoonawarra

(www.wynns.com.au)

BalnavesofCoonawarra

(www.balnaves.com.au)

KatnookEstate

(www.katnookestate.com.au)

3. Clare Valley, s.A.

Thispicturesqueregionisknownasthehome

ofAustralianRiesling,anditalsoproduces

award-winningCabernetSauvignonand

Shiraz.Youcantakethepopular“Rielsing

Trail”,a27kmlongsealedtrackthatlinksthe

manysmalltownsalongtheway.

LittleBramptonWines

(www.littlebramptonwines.com.au)

Annie’sLane

(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.

3 great wineries:

3 great wineries:

3 great wineries:

54

EppalockRidge(www.eppalockridge.com)

WhistlingEagleVineyard

(www.whistlingeagle.com)

ShelmerdineVineyards

(www.shelmerdine.com.au)

5. hunter Valley, N.s.w

Australia’soldestwineregionnowhas

over80wineriesandisfamousforShiraz,

VerdelhoandChardonnay,butparticularly

foritsSemillon.HunterValleySemillons

ageparticularlywellandthegrapeshavea

distinctcitrusflavour.

MistletoeWines

(www.mistletoewines.com.au)

BrokenwoodWines

(www.brokenwood.com.au)

Capercaillie

(www.capercailliewine.com.au)

6. Mclaren Vale, s.A.

ThisregionsouthofAdelaideisBarossa

valley’srivalforthetopShirazmaker.It’s

combinationofaseasidelocationandrich

soilresultsinintenseredssuchasShiraz,

CabernetSauvignon,GrenacheandMerlot,

andstrikingwhitessuchasChardonnay,

SauvignonBlancandRieslingfrommore

than50wineries.

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.

WindanceEstate(www.windance.com.au)

CullenWines (www.cullenwines.com.au)

BrooklandValley

(www.brooklandvalley.com.au)

8. Mudgee, N.s.w

Locatedinthewesternslopesofthefamous

BlueMountains,Mudgeeisanotherof

Australia’soldestwineregions.Cabernet

SauvignonandChardonnayareitsmost

popularvarietals,availablefromarangeof

largewinecompaniesthroughtoboutique

wineries.

3 great wineries:

3 great wineries:

3 great wineries:

3 great wineries:

55

LoganWines(www.loganwines.com.au)

Farmer’sDaughterWines

(www.farmersdaughterwines.com.au)

LoweFamilyWines

(www.lowewines.com.au)

9. tasmania

Tasmania’scoolermaritimeclimate

producesstatelywineswithsuperbnatural

acid,comingfromover60wineries,some

justafewacresinsize.Specialistvarieties

includePinotNoir,Chardonnay,Riesling,

PinotGrigio,CabernetSauvignonand

CabernetFranc.

BayofFiresWines

(www.bayoffireswines.com.au)

TamarRidgeWines

(www.tamarridgewines.com.au)

Piper’sBrookVineyard

(www.kreglingerwineestates.com)

10. yarra Valley, Vic.

Consideredoneoftheworld’sfinest

cold-climatewineproducers,Yarravalley

specialisesinChardonnayandPinotNoir.

TheChardonnay,inparticular,isthemost

widely-plantedgrapevarietyduetoits

flexibility.Otherwhitewinesproducedin

theyarraValleyincludeGewurtztraminer,

MarsanneandSauvignonBlanc,whichis

oftenblendedwithSemillon.

DeBortoliWines(www.debortoli.com.au)

DominiquePortet

(www.dominiqueportet.com)

Labyrinth(www.labyrinthwine.com)

3 great wineries:

3 great wineries:

3 great wineries:

beer Is the most consumed alcoholIc beverage In australIa.

56

there are so many things to see and do in

Australia that it’s impossible to list them all.

Ofcourse,therearethemainonesthatit

wouldbeoddtonothaveonthelist,such

asSydney,thehugemonolithUluru,and

theGreatBarrierReef,butdon’tforget

thatAustraliahassomuchmoretooffer

–charmingtowns,breathtakingbeaches,

rainforestvillages,imposingmountains

andpicturesquefarmland.Followingare50

highly-recommendedspots.

1. Busselton, w.A

Acomfortablethree-hourdrivefrom

Perth,Busseltonboastssome30

kilometresofshelteredsandybeaches

withcalm,clearandsafewaters.Many

campervannersusethetownship

asabasefromwhichtoexplorethe

region’snumerousotherattractions.

ThewondersofLeeuwin-Naturaliste

NationalPark,NgilgiCaveandCape

NaturalisteLighthouseareonlyashort

driveaway.

2. Esperance, w.A.

Theblindinglywhitesandybeaches

andbrilliantturquoisewatersofthe

EsperanceareainWesternAustralia

placetheregionatthetopofmany

campervanners’bestdestinationslist.

Esperanceitselfboastsastunning38-

kilometrescenicdrivethatfollowsthe

localcoastlineandthenloopsbackinto

town.Thereareseveralidyllicbeaches

whereyoucantakeabreakforaswim

aswellassomelovelywalkwaysand

viewingplatformsforsomeincredible

coastalscenery.And,ifit’sstunning

non-caravanparkcampingspotsyou’re

after,you’reinluck.Theregionalsohas

threenationalparks.

3. Arltunga historical Reserve -

Macdonnell Ranges, east of Alice

springs, N.t.

You’llenjoyhavingalookthroughthe

ruinsofthisoldminingcommunity.

Thereisaninformationcentrethat

providesvisitorswithlotsofhistory

50 FANtAstIC PlACEs to VIsIt!

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

57

-especiallythehardshipsminers

enduredduringthegoldrush.

4. darwin, N.t.

It’sgrowingfastandisacompletely

differentplacetotheonethatwas

sofamouslydevastatedbyCyclone

Tracyafewdecadesback.It’stropical,

multicultural,relaxedandunique.The

bigdraw-besidestheweather-for

mostvisitorsisthemarketsthatsellall

sortsofAsianfoods,vegesandartsand

crafts.Plus,aNorthernTerritorysunset

islikenootheronearthand,allalong

thecoast,minipartieskickoffaspeople

bringtheircampchairsandabottleof

winetoenjoythenightlyshow.

5. Flinders Ranges, s.A.

ThefabulousFlindersisoftenportrayed

asthegatewaytotheOutbackandthat’s

exactlywhatitis.Situatedonly160

kilometresorsonorthofPortAugusta

inSouthAustralia,itsaccessibility,as

wellasitsincrediblebeauty,makethe

Flindersaverypopulardestination

duringpeakseason.TheFlinders

Rangeshasitall–ghosttownsand

ghoststories,ancientAboriginalart,

Outbackactivities,caves,canyons,

gorges,walks,opals,steamtrainsand

evenvolcanoes.Centraltothenorthern

partoftheNationalParkistheamazing

WilpenaPound,aquitespectacular

naturalamphitheatrethatisfive

kilometreswideand10kilometreslong.

6. st helens, East Coast of tasmania

Likeamini-RivierarightthereinOz!

Thistrulyisoneofthemostscenic

spotsontheeastcoastofTasmaniaand

isthegatewaytotheBayofFirestothe

northandScamanderinthesouth.You

canhavelunchinthecharmingmarina

besidetheboatsandthereisafishand

chipshoprightonthewateropenfor

lunches.

7. yamba, Nsw

Liberallyblessedwithaperfect

climate,quasi-bohemianlifestyleand

unrivalledsurfbeaches,thejewelin

Yamba’ssurfingcrownistherevered

andtreacherousAngouriepointbreak

–beginnersneednotapply.Picture

postcardpretty,Yambapridesitselfon

providingarelaxed,unpretentiousand

peacefulgetaway.

thIs ruIned farmhouse Is part of a ghost town In the flInders ranges.

58

8. lake Eyre, s.A.

InS.A.’sremoteinterior700kmsnorth

ofAdelaideliesahuge,flat,saltylake

thathardlyevercontainswater.But

wheneverthere’srain,itattractsa

wealthofbirdlifeandwildlife,including

dingoes,andisafascinatingplaceto

see.It’sthelowestpointinAustraliaso

tryingtoreachitonfootorinvehicles

canbetreacherous,somanychooseto

viewitfromtheair.Varioustoursoffer

joyridesoverthe9500km2saltpanthat

fillsornear-fillsonlyaroundfourtimes

acentury.

9. shark Bay, w.A

ThisisaWorldHeritagearea,andfor

goodreason–orseveral.Theoldest

livingthingsontheplanet(oxygen-

excretingstromatoliteswhoseancestors

goback3.5billionyearsandthey

themselvesareafewthousand)livein

thesaltyHamelinPooltothesouth.

Theareaisalsohometotheworld’s

onlymajorpopulationsofBurrowing

Bettong,RufousHareWallabies,

BandedHareWallabies,WesternBarred

BandicootsandSharkBayMice.Around

oneeighthoftheworld’sDugongsare

alsofoundhere,alongwith11species

ofendemicbirdsandeightspeciesof

endemicreptiles.

10. jewel Cave, Margaret River, w.A.

DeepinsidedazzlingJewelCavein

MargaretRiverhangsthelargestcalcite

strawstalactiteofanyshowcave(open

tothepublic)intheworld.Longerstraw

stalactitesexist,butthey’reverydifficult

togainaccessto.They’reverydelicate,

narrowandhollow,andthejewelof

JewelCaveisastaggering5.4mlong.

Aswellasbeingoneofthelargestshow

cavesinAustralia,Jewelisalsooneof

theworld’syoungest.Itsmainchamber

is90mlongand30mhighandguided

tourstakeyouthroughtheexceptional

formsandbeautifulchambersofits

uniquelyformedsoftTamalalimestone.

11. dreamworld, Gold Coast, Qld.

Aswellastheobviousattractions,

DreamworldisalsohometoFrankie,

theworld’sfirstblue-eyedkoala.Bornin

April2007andnamedaftertheequally

famousblue-eyedSinatra,it’sunknown

lake eyre Is one of the largest salt lakes In the world.

59

whetherhiseyesareduetoaremote

geneticstrandorarandomevent,but

whilekoalascanbefoundinthewild

throughoutAustralia(exceptTasmania

andW.A.),Frankieistheworld’sonly

knownblue-eyedkoala.

12. Cape tribulation, Qld.

Around110kmnorthofCairns,“Cape

Trib”istheonlyplaceonEarthwhere

twoWorldHeritage-listedareaslieside

byside:theDaintreeRainforest,the

mostancientandprimevalintheworld

at135millionyearsofage,andthe

world’slargestcoralreefecosystem,

theGreatBarrierReef.Describedasthe

“landthattimeforgot”,theDaintreeis

hometo20percentofAustralia’sbird

speciesandaround60percentofits

butterflyspecies.Thereareevenancient

speciesoftrees–liketheIdiospermum

australienseandKingfern–which

werebelievedtobeextinctformillions

ofyearsuntilbeingrediscoveredinthe

Daintree.

13. sydney harbour, N.s.w.

Therearesomanywaystoexperience

oneofthemostexcitingharboursin

theworld–cruiseonit,sailonit,swim

init,fishinit,eatonit,driveoveror

underit,viewitfromTarongaZoooran

islandinit…youcanalsowalkaroundit:

28kmoftracks,manythroughnational

parksandalongbeaches,formthe

HarbourCircleWalk.Makesureyou

visitTheRocks,thesiteofOldSydney

Town,tovisitthehistoricbuildingsand

TheRocksMarket.SydneyAquariumis

alsofantasticandtheharbourhoststhe

world’slargestannualfireworksdisplay

onNewYear’sEve.

14. the Pinnacles, Nambung National

Park, w.A.

Thesetall,jaggedlimestonepillars

aboutthreehoursnorthofPerthwere

buriedundersanddunesforhundreds

ofyearsbeforebeingexposedtothe

wind.Thereareaboutonethousandof

them(stillbeingsimultaneouslyburied

andexposed).Theymakeanamazingly

surrealphotoopportunity,especiallyat

sunset–particularlyifyouvisitbetween

AugustandOctoberwhenaspectacular

displayofwildflowersbloomsinthe

area.

15. the National Gallery of Victoria,

Melbourne, Vic.

Theinternationalbranchofthegallery

inStKilda,anditsIanPotterCentre,off

FederationSquare,combinetooffera

collectionofinternationalartincluding

worksbyRembrandt,Delacroix,Van

Eyck,Gainsborough,ElGreco,Monet,

Manet,Matisseandmanymore,not

tomentionover20roomsdedicatedto

Australianart.

16. kakadu National Park, N.t.

Eventhoughvisitinghereismuch

morecomfortableinthedryseason

(lowertemperaturesandmuchless

rain),manytravellerssaythatseeingit

duringthewet,orearlydryseasonis

theonlytimetodoso.You’llexperience

thesplendourofbrighttropicalcolours,

60

humidityandragingstormsand

waterwaysformuchmoredramatic

effect.Locatedthereare75different

kindsofreptile,26typesofbat,10,000

speciesofinsectand2000typesof

plantsplusprolificAboriginalrockart.

17. Marree Man, s.A.

Whiletherearemanyfascinating

geoglyphsinAustralia,theworld’s

biggestliesintheremotecentreofthe

southernstate,theoriginsofwhichare

stillamystery.60kmwestofthetownof

Marree,thehugedrawingontheground

isofanAboriginalmanhuntingwitha

stickandisover4kmlong.Takeaflying

tourandseeLakeEyre(no.8)atthe

sametime.

18. whitsunday Islands, Qld.

Thisdazzlingsettingnortheastof

Mackayalmostdefiesbeliefwithits

hundredsofinsanelybeautifulislands,

sparklingturquoisewater,lush

rainforest,brightcoralandpurewhite

sand.Anytimeoftheyearisequally

beautifulbutyou’relikelytospotwhales

ifyougobetweenJulyandSeptember.

19. Cape Byron, N.s.w.

Thecapeisthemosteasterlypointon

Australia’smainland,soagoodplace

tovisitifyouwanttofeellikeyou’ve

donethecountryproperly!Itdoesn’t

comefreethough–youhavetoclimb

theWorldHeritage-listedMtWarning

first.It’sthefirstplaceinAustraliatobe

touchedbythesuneachmorningandis

apopularplaceforweddingproposals.

20. Broome, w.A.

Whilethispearlingtownitselfisalittle

unspectacular,thesamecan’tbesaid

forthesurroundingareaandbeaches

withtheirclearbluewater,whitesand

andgentleswells.TownBeachatthe

easternendofthetownisthesite

ofthefamousStairwaytotheMoon,

wherearecedingtideandarisingmoon

combinetocreateamagnificentnatural

phenomenon.Onthesenights,afooda

craftmarketoperatesonthebeach.

21. Macdonnell Ranges, N.t.

Thesemountainstotheeastandwest

ofAliceSpringsofferastunningarray

ofgorgesanddifferent-colouredrock

the stunnIng whItsunday Islands are a must see.

61

formations.Themostfamousofthe

gorgesandcampingspotsarefound

intheWestMacDonnellNationalPark.

OrmistonGorgeisthemostwell-

establishedcampsiteandevenboasts

solarheatedshowers,aswellasa

visitorcentreandlive-inrangers.As

withallofthegorges,therearesome

wonderfulwalkstobeenjoyedandthere

areswimmingopportunitiesalongthe

way.

22. stanley and the Nut, tasmania

Intheruggednorthwesternregionof

TasmaniaisthelittletownofStanley,

nestledatthebaseofahugevolcanic

plugknownas“TheNut”.Ifyou’re

feelingenergeticyoucanwalktothe

topofTheNut(orjusttakethechairlift)

forstunningviewsoftheBassStrait,or

taketourstospotseals,penguins,sea

birdsandotherwildlifeclosetoStanley.

Thetownitselfis“toy-town”gorgeous

withwell-maintainedhistoricbuildings

thatlooklikedollhouses.

23. Bondi Beach, sydney, N.s.w.

Withitslifesavers,surfers,sun

worshippersandbarefootlocals,Bondi

isadefinitiveexampleofSydney’s

citybeachculture.Whilethebeachis

popular,crossCampbellParadeand

enjoyBondiawayfromthesand.Take

intheviewofthePacificfromoneof

thelaidbackoutdoorcafesortrendy

restaurantsthatservelivelycrowdswith

brunch,lunchanddinner.Watchfor

celebritiesfrombehindyoursunglasses.

Don’thaveany?Bondiistheplaceto

buythem,withanabundanceofshops

sellingthewholerangeoffashionable

surfwearandbeachaccessories,or

visitthepopularbeachsidemarketson

Sundays.

24. Port douglas, Qld.

AnhournorthofCairns,thistropical

seasidetownboastsarelaxed

atmosphere,balmyweather,superb

restaurantsandtheclosestproximityto

theGreatBarrierReefthananywherein

Australia.It’salsoclosetotheDaintree

rainforest,MossmanGorgeandvarious

otherattractions,anditsRainforest

HabitatWildlifeSanctuaryistheonly

placeintheworldwhereyoucansee

eightspeciesofkangarooinonepark

(nottomentioncassowaries,koalas,

parrots,crocsandmuchmore).

25. western Plains Zoo, dubbo, w.A.

Builtaccordingtoanopenrange

principle,WesternPlainsZookeeps

its1100-plusanimalsfromalloverthe

worldapartusingmoatsratherthan

fences.Theeffectisspellbinding:you

drivedownaroadorwalkalongatrack

andcaneasilyimagineyou’reonan

Africanplain,surroundedbywildlife

initsnaturalhabitat.Thezooisalsoa

renownedcentreforthecareofwildlife,

breedingprograms,conservation

programsandeducationfacilities.It’s

acknowledgedasAustralia’sgreatopen

plainszoo.Italsooffersaccommodation

soyoucouldskipthecampervanfor

thenightandgotosleepinatenttothe

soundoflionsroaring.

62

26. undara lave tubes, Qld.

275kmwestofCairnsaretheUndara

LavaTubes,formedsome190,000years

agowhenamajorvolcanoerupted,its

moltenlavaflowingdownadryriver

bed.Astheeruptionslowedandthen

stopped,thelavadrainedoutofthe

tubesleavingaseriesoflong,hollow

tunnels.(Onesectionofthetubes

knownas“TheWall”istheclosest

geologicalexampleonEarthofbasaltic

ridgesontheMoon,whichwerealso

formedbylavaflows).Ancientroof

collapsescreateddeep,darkandmoist

depressionswherefertilepocketsof

rainforestcannowbeseen.Visittherein

thethirdweekofOctoberwhenUndara

Experiencesputon“Operainthe

Outback”atsunset.

27. Nitmiluk katherine Gorge, N.t.

This12km-longseriesof13stunning

gorgeswithhighlyreflectivewatersand

stark,70m-highwallsispicture-perfect,

andamagnificentexperiencefromstart

tofinish.Therearemorethan100km

ofwalkingtrailsaroundthegorge,

allowingvisitorstotaketheirtimeand

meetmuchofthewildlifeabundantin

thislovelyarea,includingthefish.The

entireareaaroundKatherine,located

340kmsouthofDarwin,ischaracterised

bylimestoneformationswithbubbling

thermalsprings-andplentyof

convolutedcavesystems.

28. twelve Apostles, Vic.

Thesegiantrockpillarsthatriseout

oftheSouthernOceanarethecentral

featureoftheruggedPortCampbell

NationalPark.Theywereoriginally

createdbyerosionofthelimestonecliffs

ofthemainlandwhich,astheysoftened,

formedcavesandthenarcheswhich

eventuallycollapsedleavingstacksof

rock.Viewedfromlookoutsalongthe

GreatOceanroad,theremaynotat

firstappeartobetwelve“apostles”,

butothersarelocatedbehindrocky

headlandsandoutcrops.

29. Broken hill, N.s.w.

Aswellasbeingagreatbasefrom

whichtoexploreNewSouthWales,

BrokenHillisoneoftheworld’smost

prolificartposts–SydneymayorFrank

Sartoroncecalledit“theonlycountry

towninAustraliawithmoreartgalleries

the twelve apostles are the central feature of the great ocean road.

63

thanpubs.”Amust-seeistheSculpture

Symposium,alsoknownastheLiving

DesertReserve,whereyoucansee

hugesandstonesculpturesfrom12

differentartists.BrokenHillisagateway

totheOutbackandevenhasitsown

ghosttown.

30. Great Barrier Reef, Qld.

Thelargeststructurecomposedofliving

organismsintheworld,it’seasyto

seewhythisisafavouritesiteofdivers

acrosstheglobe.It’s2,300kms-worth

ofmesmerisingunder-seascapeof

coral,fish,molluscs,turtles,dolphins

andmuchmore.Gatewaysstretchall

thewayalongthenortheastcoastof

Australia,soyou’respoiltforchoice.You

haven’texperiencedAustraliaunless

you’veseenthismagnificentnatural

wonder.

31. Exmouth Region, w.A.

LocatedontheverytipoftheNorth

WestCape,thelocationwasoriginally

amilitarybaseinWWII,andlater

supportedanearbyUnitedStatesnaval

communicationstation.Nowadays,it’s

moreofatouristtown,andcanboast

the“rangetoreef”experience,withthe

spectacularCapeRangeNationalPark

borderingthespellbindingNingaloo

Reef.Theclimateisgorgeous,the

swimmingandfishingareincredible

andboxjellyfishdon’tventurethisfar

south.

32. Coff’s harbour, N.s.w.

ThiscityonthenorthcoastofN.S.W

isjustabouthalfwaybetweenSydney

andBrisbane.Itsmajorclaimtofame

istheiconic“BigBanana”locatedjust

northofthecityonthePacificHighway,

oneofAustralia’smostrecognisable

touristattractionsthatit’salmosta

crimenottohaveyourphototakenin

frontof.Coff’sHarbourisalsoreputed

tohavethebestclimateinAustralia

whichcombinedwithitsbeautiful

mountainousandcoastallandscape,

makesitabitofamini-paradise.

33. kangaroo Island, s.A.

ThisisAustralia’sthird-largestisland

afterTasmaniaandMelvilleIsland

andishometofantasticswimming

andsurfingbeaches,shipwrecksand

NationalParks.It’salsoasanctuary

the great barrIer reef Is lIke a neon underwater faIryland.

64

formanynativeanimalsthatwere

otherwiseunderthreatfromanimals

suchasdingoesandfoxes.Themain

townsareKingscoteandPenneshaw,

withAmericanRiverinbetweenthat

sheltersthebirdsanctuaryPelican

Lagoon.CatchtheKangarooIsland

SealinkVehicularFerryfromCape

Jervisonthemainland.

34. windjana Gorge, kimberley, w.A.

Evenifyou’renottakingtheGibbRiver

road,it’sworthtakingadetourto

seethisimpressivegorgethatoffers

stunningbushwalkingthroughthe

Outbackwilderness.Unlikemany

Kimberleygorges,it’seasilyaccessible

(onlyinthedryseasonthough)by

followinga3.5kmpaththrougha

monsoonalstripofvegetationand

permanentpoolsthatremainafterthe

wetseason.Thewallsofthegorgerise

upfromthefloodplainoftheLennard

River,reaching100mhighinsome

places.It’soneofthebestplacesfor

seeingfreshwatercrocsinthewild–

andthecampsiteisexcellent,too.

35. longreach, Qld.

Rollupyourswagandgobushat

Longreach,atownsteepedinOutback

historyandheritageinnorthwest

Queensland.Situatedabout1200

kilometresnorthwestofBrisbane,you

canvisittheAustralianStockman’s

HallofFame(atributetoAustralia’s

Outbackheroesincludingavariety

oftraditionalartefacts,electronic

displays,photographs,filmsandstories

ofbushlife)ortheQantasFounders

OutbackMuseumwhichincludesa

decommissionedQantasBoeing747.

Alternatively,there’sunbelievable

sunsets,breathtakingnightskies,vast

MitchellGrassplains,anabundance

ofuniquewildlife,andthetranquil

coolibah-linedThomsonRiver.

36. devil’s Marbles/karlu karlu, N.t.

Locatedabout114kmssouthofTennant

Creek,theDevil’sMarbles(orKarlu

KarlutothetraditionalAboriginal

owners)aregigantic,roundedgranite

boulders,somespectacularlypoised,

makingforaremarkablelandscape.

Scatteredclustersofthese“marbles”

the devIl’s marbles, or karlu karlu, are a sacred aborIgInal sIte.

65

arespreadacrossawide,shallowvalley.

Manydiversetraditional“Dreaming”

storiesintersectatandaroundKarlu

Karlu,givingitgreatimportanceasa

sacredsite.Theprecariouspilesofhuge

graniteboulders,wideopenskies,and

goldensunlightmakeKarluKarluan

unforgettableplacetovisit.TheReserve

isaccessibleallyearroundandhasa

networkofpathwayswithinformation

boardsandabasiccampingarea.

37. Cape york, Qld.

Australia’snorthernmostpointisstill

anuntamedwildernessthathasdefied

theonslaughtofcivilisation–although

somesaynotfortoomuchlonger.The

dustytrackscontrastdramaticallywith

theabundantriversystems,crystal

clearcreeksandspectacularwaterfalls.

Ifyoulovebushwalking,wildlife,fishing,

birdwatchingandremotecamping,

CapeYorkisforyou.Thegatewayto

CapeYorkisCooktown,agoldrushtown

withaninterestinghistory.Cooktownis

onlyaccessibleforcampervansbythe

inlandroad,viatheMulliganHighway

andthePeninsulaDevelopmentRoad,

andoncethereyou’dhavetorenta4WD

toaccesstheCape.Butit’sworthit.

38. st kilda, Melbourne, Vic.

St.Kildaissituatedonthecoasttothe

eastofthecityandisconsideredtobe

oneofMelbourne’smostfashionable

suburbs.Apartfromtheverypopular

beach,whichduringthesummer

monthsattractsthousandsofvisitors,

thereareanumberofotherattractions

inStKildatokeepyouoccupied.Visiting

LunaPark,builtin1912,isamust!Itis

acharminghistoricseasideamusement

parkcompletewithawoodenroller

coasterandotherrides.Forevening

entertainmenttrytheEsplanadeHotel,

whichhascomedynightsandvarious

bandsplaying.

39. Innes National Park, N.s.w.

OnthesoutherntipoftheYorke

Peninsula,InnesNationalPark

encompassesspectacularcoastal

landscapesrichinminingandmaritime

historyandisamajorwildlifehabitat

ofthearea.StartingatStenhouse

bay,there’sa$5feeforvehicles–but

fromtherethere’shoursofscenery.

There’salsoawidevarietyofrecreation

opportunitiesincludingbushwalking,

birdwatching,photography,discovering

theAboriginalandEuropeanhistory,

catch a tram to melbourne’s st kIlda.

66

fishingandsurfing.SouthAustralia’s

mostprestigioussurfingevent,the

CutlooseYorke’sSurfingClassic,isheld

inInnesNationalParkeveryOctober.

Youneedapermittocampinthisarea.

40. Fraser Island, Qld.

Theworld’slargestsandisland,Fraser

Islandcontainshalfoftheworld’s

freshwaterpercheddunelakesand

istheonlyplaceintheworldabove

elevationsof200mwheretallrainforest

growsdirectlyonsanddunes.Its

freshwaterlakesareamongthe

cleanestontheplanet,thebeachis

bothhighwayandrunway,andsomeof

thepurestbreedsofdingoeslivethere.

LeavethecampervaninHerveyBay(3.5

hoursoutofBrisbane)andtakea35

minuteboatridetothisWorldHeritage-

listedsite.

41. Moree, N.s.w.

Thisregionisknownforitshotthermal

mineralpools(discoveredaccidentally

in1895whensearchingforirrigation

water)createdfromboressunkinto

theamazingGreatArtesianBasin.

Thefamoushealingwatersaresaidto

containatleasteightdifferentminerals

andmaintainatemperatureof39

degrees.Two-thirdsofAustralia’scotton

isgrownintheMoreeregionandifyou

timeyourvisitforFebruary,you‘llsee

millionsofbulbouswhitefibresbursting

fromcottonplantsinvastfields–a

spectacularsight.ThePecanNutFarm

isanothermainattractionwhichis

located35kilometreseastofMoreeon

theGwydirHighway.

42. Cradle Mountain, tasmania

Thisisadistinctivemountaininthe

CradleMountain-LakeStClairNational

Parkandissaidtobeoneofthe

mostbeautifulplacesontheplanet.

Composedofdoleritecolumns,ithas

foursummits.Takeoneof20walking

trackstosuitanyfitnesslevel(it’sa

toughtrektothetopandtakes8hours),

seefloraandfaunafoundnowhereelse

onearth,mountainbike,flyfish,ortake

atrailonhorseback.Therearethree

lakesatthebottom:CraterLake,Lake

Wilks,andDoveLake–thedeepestin

Australia.

43. North stradbroke Island, Qld.

Knownas“Straddle”tothelocals,

thisislandisonly90minutesaway

cradle mountaIn In tasmanIa Is famous for Its pIcturesque beauty.

67

fromdowntownBrisbane(accessible

byvehicularferry)butfeelslikedays.

Theislanditselfisamixtureofrugged

coastlines,placidinlandlakes,and

unspoiltbeaches.Theeasternsideof

theislandislinedwith35kilometresof

whitesandybeaches,howeveritisonly

accessiblebyfourwheeldrive,bicycle

oronfoot.Therearenumerouspopular

campingsitesdottedallthewaydown

MainBeach.Afantastic,laid-back

combinationofpristinewildernessand

modernfacilities,restaurantsandcafes.

44. downtown Melbourne, Vic.

Australia’ssecond-largestcityis

oftencomparedtoSydneybutthey

arecompletelydifferent.Melbourne

islessflashy,muchmorestatelyand

old-world.Takeatramride(theCircle

CityTramisfreeandhasrunning

commentaryonhistory,attractionsand

famousplacesofdowntownMelbourne);

strollthroughthestunningBotanic

Gardens;orvisitoneoftwoscenic

lookoutsinMelbourne-boththeEureka

TowerSkydeckandtheRialtoTowers&

ObservationDeckhaveawesomeviews

ofthedowntownandsuburbs.

45. Canberra, A.C.t.

ThepoliticalhubofAustralia,Canberra

isaplannedcitysimilarinarchitectural

concepttoWashingtonD.C.It’s

surroundedbybushlandandishometo

comeofthecountry’sbestmuseums,

nationalattractionsandrestaurants.

46. Blue Mountains, N.s.w.

ThefoothillsoftheBlueMountainsstart

approximately50kmswestofSydney’s

metropolitanarea.Thesandstone

plateauisdissectedbydeepgorges

andthe“GiantStaircase”walkingtrack

takesyoudownacliffintotheJamison

ValleyforaviewoftheThreeSisters,

themostfamousrockformationinthe

region.Alsoworthexperiencingisthe

KatoombaScenicWorld,homeofthe

KatoombaScenicRailway(thesteepest

railwayintheworld),arevolving

restaurantandanaerialcablecar.

47. Noosa region, sunshine Coast, Qld.

ThisareaisrichinAboriginaland

earlysettlerhistoryaswellasbeinga

lovelysliceofQueenslandheaven.The

shirehasaclusterofsuburbs(noneof

whichareactuallycalledNoosa)and

the “three sIsters” rock formatIon In the blue mountaIns Is a famous australIan landmark.

68

ahinterlandregion.Spendadayon

theNoosaRiverwatchingthebirdlife,

orexploringthemountainrangeand

inlandplainswiththeirrambling

streamsandwaterfalls.Alternatively,

visitoneofthemanyfabulousbeaches

–anywherecalledthe“SunshineCoast”

soundsprettygood,right?

48. kununurra, kimberley, w.A.

Thistown’snametranslatesto“the

meetingofthebigwaters”andwateris

definitelyafeature–gorges,waterfalls,

rivers,streamsandcreeksareall

therewaitingtobefishedin,swumon,

gazeduponorcruisedon.There’salso

amazingcorrespondingflora,wildlife

andlandscapealongsideafriendly,

livelytown.

49. the olgas/kata tjuta, N.t.

Thissite,whosenamemeans“many

heads”totheAborigines,isagroupof

about30hugeroundedredrocksrising

outofthedesertplains,thehighest

ofwhichiscalledMtOlga.Liketheir

nearbyneighbour,Uluru(26kmsaway)

theyformasitesacredtotheAborigines

whichisfrequentlyfeaturedinstoriesof

TheCreation.Therocksarebestviewed

atsunsetandmanyvisitorssaytheycan

feelastrongspiritualenergythere.

50. Port Arthur, tasmania

PortArthurHistoricSiteontheTasman

PeninsulaisAustralia’sbest-preserved

andmostevocativeconvictsite.More

than30buildings,ruinsandperiod

homesdatingfrom1830totheprison’s

closurein1877provideaninsightinto

thelivesofthosewhowerepartof

thepenalsettlementincluding12,500

convicts,soldiers,civiliansandtheir

families.NearbyisPointPuerBoys

Prisonwhereyoucanwalkamongthe

remainsofstructuresbuiltbytheboys

inabushlandscapelittlechangedsince

the19thcentury.

the kata tjuta rocks are neIghbours of the monlIth uluru.

69

WithacountryasbigasAustralia,it’s

worthwhileveeringoffthebeatenpathto

experiencesomemoreunusualorremote

spots–andthereisnoshortageofthem.

1. old dadswell town, Vic.

AwonderfulspotfullofAussiehumour.

ThetownshipconsistsofaVillage

Squaresurroundedby“old”typical

Australiabuildings(whichareactually

allverytastefullyfurnishedB&Bs).

Campervannersaremorethanwelcome

topopinandtakeapeek,andyou

canovernightprovidedyouareself

contained.Youarewelcometousethe

“ShireOffice”(thepublicrestroom!).

Amust-seephotographer’sparadise

justafewkilometrespastHorsham

(travellingwest).

2. wineglass Bay, tasmania

Sooftenthemostbeautifulplacesare

crowdedwithpeoplebecausetheyare

sobeautiful.NotsowithWineglassBay

inTasmania,probablyduetothefact

thatit’sonlyaccessiblybyfoot–about

anhour’swalkoverthesteepcrestofa

hill.Fromthetopofthehillthoughare

stunningviewsofwhitesand,verdant

bushandbrilliantbluewater,sometime

populatedwithdolphins.

3. wave Rock, hyden, w.A.

Thisuniquerockformation(partofthe

northernfaceofHydenrock)sculptured

bytimeandtheelementsstands15m

highand100mlong,lookingexactly

likeahugefrozenwavethatiseternally

abouttocrash.Mineraldepositshave

coloureditinartisticstripesthataddto

thesweepingeffect,andit’ssurrounded

bysmallergranite“breakers”.It’san

impressivesiteandaspectacularphoto

opportunity,asisthesurrounding

wildlifeandbushland,andHippo’sYawn,

anotherdistinctivelyshapedformation

nearby.

4. Venom Zoo, kuranda, Qld.

Ifyou’reinCairnstakeadriveupinto

themountainstotherainforestvillage

ofKurandaanditsfascinatingVenom

Zoo–hometobeastiesyouwon’tfindin

anyotherzoointheworld.Asidefrom

oFF thE BEAtEN tRACk

wave rock makes a great photo opportunIty.

70

dailylivevenomextractions,theyalso

houseavarietyoftarantulas(someup

to17cm),Australia’stopfivevenomous

snakes,scorpions,centipedes,insects

andreptiles.Thevariousvenomsare

sentallovertheworldformedical

researchtofindcuresforsomeofthe

mostfataldiseases–soiftheseguys

aren’tyourcupoftea,perhapsavisit

herewillimproveyouropinionofthem!

5. ormiston Gorge, N.t.

AftertravellingfromAliceSpringsup

theMereenieLoopRoad,stumbling

upontheoasisofOrmistonGorge

afterdustytrailsanddryriverbeds

feelsmiraculous.Its300mredwalls

encloseawaterholeatthesouthernend

that’sperfectforanundisturbedswim.

HalfwayalongtheLarapintaTrailinthe

WestMacDonnellNationalPark,the

gorgeisjustpastGlenHelenattheend

ofthesealedroadsectionofNamatjira

Drive.

6. lake Ballard, Menzies, w.A.

NorthofKalgoorlie,BallardLakeis

abarrensaltlake–withadifference.

Scatteredover10squarekilometres

ofthelake(approximately55kmwest

fromthetownsiteofMenzies)are51

stainlesssteelsculpturesbyartist

AntonyGormleycreatedfromlaser

scansofnakedresidentsofthetown.

Thestrangelyalien-likefigureswere

thenplacedatintervalsacrossthe

blankcanvasofthemillion-year-oldsalt

lake,makingforaneerieandhaunting

installation,particularlyatdawnand

dusk.Abookoftheprocesshassince

beenpublished,calledAntonyGormley:

InsideAustralia.

7. Greens Pool, william Bay National

Park, w.A.

Justoneshiningexampleofthemany

secretspotsdottedalongthiscoast,

GreensPoolhascool,clear,emerald-

tingedwaters,andacovewithrock

pools,ashelteringshelfofgranite,

softsand,tinyislandsandperfect

snorkelling.Justalittlefurtherto

theeastofGreensPoolliesanother

specialcove,ElephantRocks,sonamed

becauseofthereddishelephantine

bouldersstrewneverywherethattake

ontheappearanceofherdofthebeasts.

DrivetoDenmark,westofAlbany,and

the venom zoo In kuranda performs daIly venom extractIons.

71

afurtherafurther20minswestofthat,

GreensPoolisatendofatrackrunning

rightthroughWilliamBayNationalPark

tothebeach.

8. dalhousie springs, simpson desert,

s.A

Thelargestcomplexofartesiansprings

inAustralia,Dalhousie’s70orsoactive

thermalspringsarefedbywaterthat

comesallthewayfromtheGreat

DividingRange,hundredsofkilometres

totheeast.Whenthemagicalliquid

eventuallygushesin,itvariesfrom

scaldingtotepid.Takeadipinthe

mainspring,whichisaboutbathwater

temperatureandalsohometofish

speciesfoundnowhereelseinthe

world:theDalhousiecatfish,hardyhead,

mogurnda,andgobi.You’llfindthem

inWitjiraNationalParkonthewestern

edgeoftheSimpsonDesertinS.A.’sfar

north,180kmnortheastofOodnadatta.

9. Burning Mountain, upper hunter

Region, N.s.w.

Originallythoughttobeanactive

volcano,butactuallyconsidered

theworld’soldestcoalfire,Burning

MountainintheUpperHunterRegionis

Australia’sonlyexampleofanaturally

combustingcoalseam(oneofonly

threeintheworld). Lessthananhour

fromthecarparkandyou’llbeatthe

sitewhereyoucansmellacridsulphur,

feeltheheatfromthe350-degree

surfaceandwatchthesmokewaftinto

theair.Lookforwedge-tailedeagles

soaringonthethermalcurrentsabove.

Interestingly,thesitemovesabout1m

southeachyear,andsinceit’salready

moved6kmit’sestimatedthatit’sbeen

burningforabout6000.It’sjustoffthe

NewEnglandHighwaynearWingenin

theUpperHunterValleyarea.

10. Gnomesville, Ferguson Valley, w.A.

Whatwasonceacoupleofgarden

ornamentssittingonaroundaboutten

yearsagohasgrownintoavirtualcityof

roadsidegardengnomes.Gardenvariety

gnomes,sports-playinggnomes,fishing

gnomes,partyinggnomesfromall

cornersoftheglobeareallleftherewith

accompanyingnamesandmessages-

infactwishesaregrantedtothosewho

addtothecollectionwhentheyvisit(and

incrediblebadluckwillbefallanyone

foolishenoughtostealfromordamage

Gnomesville).Gototheroundabout

joiningFergusonRdandWellingtonMill

RdinFergusonValley,abouta15min

drivefromBunbury.

the ever-growIng cIty of gnomesvIlle makes an InterestIng detour.

72

tEN BEst AustRAlIAN BEAChEs

Australiaisanislandcontinentwhichis

surroundedbywateronallsides,soits

borderisnotsharedwithanyothercountry.

TotheeastliestheSouthPacificOcean;

westtheIndianOcean;tothenorththe

Timor,ArafuraandCoralSeas;andtothe

souththeSouthernOceanandTasmanSea.

TheBassStraitseparatesTasmaniafrom

themainland.

Australiaboastssomeofthebestbeaches

ontheplanetandthehugecoastline

stretchesfornearly37,000km,which

includes11,011beaches,morethanany

othernation,soyouarespoiledforchoice!

MostofAustralia’scitiesandtownsare

locatedonthecoast,whichamountsto12

millionpeople,or85%ofAustralia’slucky

populationlivingwithinonehour’sdriveof

thecoastline.

Australia’scoastextendsthroughawide

rangeofclimatesfromthetropicalareasin

thenorthtotemperate/maritimeareasin

thesouth.Environmentsincluderainforest,

mangroves,estuaries,rockyandsandy

shores,cliffs,islands,towns,citiesand

coastalcommunities.It’shardtopickjust

ten,butwe’vedoneourbest…

1. Bay of Fires, tasmania

TheBayofFiresisinfactawhole29-

kilometrecoastlinethatextendsfrom

extendsfromBinalongBayinthe

southtoEddystonePointinthenorth.

Cleanwhitesand,lushforest,azure

bluewateranddramaticredrocks

combinetomakethistranquilplaceone

ofTasmania’stopattractions–yetno

oneisthere.Thereisalsoanamazing

selectionofscenicbeachcampingsites

alongawell-maintaineddirtroad.The

facilitiesconsistofacoupleoflongdrop

toilets,butit’sallfree.

2. kirra Beach, Gold Coast, Qld

Thisbeachhasformanyyearshas

beenafavouritesurfingpointfor

manybronzedsurfersworldwideand

manysurfinglegendslearnedon

Kirra’srollingbarrels.Locatedjust

abovethestatelineinQueensland’s

tasmanIa’s bay of fIres Is beautIful - and Isolated.

73

southernmosttown,KirraPointreigns

astheeastcoast’schampionmaker.

Therearechallengingwavesforthe

experiencedsurfer,aswellassmaller

wavesclosertoshoreforbeginners.

Hard-coresurferswilltellyouthatthis

beachisonlyashadowofitsformer

self,destroyedbyagovernmentsand-

pumpingprojectin2002,butthisisstill

iconicAustralia.Whentheswellisright,

you’llseeperfectbarrels(nottomention

perfectbodies).

3. Four Mile Beach, Port douglas, Far

North Qld.

PicturesquePortDouglashasbecome

aninternationalholidaymeccaandFour

MileBeachisthejewelinthecrown.

Spanning–youguessedit–fourmiles

downthesideofthepeninsulathetown

sitson,itsharesthesametropical

latitudeasTahiti,andyoucantell.The

seaisturquoise,thesuniswarm,the

palmssway,andthelow-risehotels

artfullyhiddeninthetreesdon’tspoil

anything.PortDouglas’pretty,old-

fashionedcharmandproximitytothe

reefattractsthousandsofvisitorseach

yearbuteveninthehighseasonyou’ll

alwaysbeabletofindawholesectionof

thebeachtoyourself.

4. Cable Beach, Broome, w.A.

Renownedasoneofthemoststunning

beachesintheworld,whoeversaid

sowouldberight.22kmsofblinding

whitesilicasandhemtheBombay

Sapphire-colouredwatersoftheIndian

Ocean,providingdazzlingsurrounds

forswimmingandrelaxing–justdon’t

relaxsomuchbetweenNovemberand

Marchthatyouforgetaboutthestingers

though.Thesunsetsaremagnificent,

thereisavarietyofwatersports

available,oryoucantakeoneofthe

sunsetcamelridesthatoperatedaily

alongthebeach.

5. hyams Beach, jervis Bay, N.s.w.

Famedforhavingthewhitestsandin

theworld(whichsqueaksasyouwalk)

-wearsunblockifyoudecidetostroll

alongit,becausethereflectionfromthe

sunevenonacloudydaycangiveyoua

nastysunburn!It’sfamily-friendly,the

wateriswarm,blueandclear,andthe

beachsideJervisBlueCaféisexcellent.

6. whitehaven Beach, whitsunday Island,

Qld.

OnuninhabitedWhitsundayIslandnear

theGreatBarrierReef,Whitehaven

Beachisa6kmexpanseofpure

cable beach In broome Is one of the most stunnIng In the world.

74

whitesilicasandgentlyblendinginto

aquamarinewater.Thebeach,so

dazzlingthatithurtstolookatwithout

sunglasses,canbereachedonaday-

tripfromAirlieBeachonthemainland.

Therearehundredsofsimilartropical

islandsinthisarea.

7. twilight Cove, Esperance, w.A.

TwilightCove,asthenamesuggests

comestolifeattwilightandafterdark

whenthere’safullmoon.Esperance,

smallyetbeautiful,isknownasthe

‘BayofIsles’.Widesandybeaches,

sceniccoastlinesandthepanorama

ofoffshoreislandsoftheRecherche

Archipelagoareallpartofitscharm.

TwilightCoveisonlya10minute

drivefromtheEsperancetownsite.

It’saprettyspoteveninthedaywith

stunninglybluewaterandunusualrock

formations.LocatedintheNuytsland

NatureReserve,TwilightCoveisfamous

alongtheNullarborforits70metre

limestonecliffswhichoverlookthe

GreatAustralianBight.Accesstothe

Coveisby4WDvehiclesonlythrough

theNuytslandNatureReservesoyou’ll

havetohireoneorfindsomeoneto

driveyou–butit’sworthmentioningthis

magicalspotanyway.

8. Cape leveque, dampier Peninsula, w.A.

We’vementionedBroomebuteven

furthernorthyou’llfindequallystunning

beacheswhichare,fornow,largely

remotealthoughthat’sbeginningto

change.Oneofthebestthingsabout

CapeLevequeisthatthereareno

crocodiles,nostingers,nothingtospoil

thefun.Youcanswimhereallday,any

dayoftheyear,andthat’sveryunusual

atnorthernWestAustraliabeaches.The

redrocksagainsttheturquoiseocean

arealreadystunningduringtheday,but

intheeveningsuntheyseemtoreally

glow.

9. horseshoe Bay, Magnetic Island, Qld.

Averybeautifulbeachonavery

beautifulisland.Lyingtothenorth

ofthisWorldHeritagelistedisland,

itfeelsverysecludedandfaraway

fromeverything.You’reonasmall

islandwithasmalllocalcommunity

ofaround200people.Astreetruns

alongsidethebeachwithanumber

ofholidayaccommodationplaces,

restaurants,cafesandbarssoyou

cansit,relax,haveadrinkandwatch

thewaveslappingagainsttheshore.

There’salsoHorseshoeBayLagoon(a

shortwalkfromHorseshoeBayBeach

totheLagoonEnvironmentalPark)

whereyou‘llfindawidevarietyofbirds

includingtheJabira,Brolga,andthe

NankeenNight-heron.HorseshoeBay,

andinfactthewholeisland,isanutterly

charmingplace.MagneticIslandisa

shortferryridefromTownsville(which

canonlytakevehiclesupto5min

length).

75

10. shelly Beach, sydney, N.s.w.

ManlyBeachisoneofSydney’smost

famousbutShelleyBeach(justfurther

south)facingnorth(oneofthefewon

theeastcoast)andshelteredinside

acove,isastunningplace.Catcha

ferryacrossfromCircularQuayinthe

morning–ifit’ssummer,takeoneof

theolderferries,whichalthoughare

slowerandtaketwiceaslong,you

cangoonthedeckandtakelongerto

appreciatethestunningviewslooking

backattheSydneyOperaHouseandthe

SydneyHarbourBridge.Thebeachitself

isaprotectedmarinereserveperfect

forlunching,snorkeling,swimming,

scubadivingandsunbathing,andit

reallyisstunningcomingaroundthe

cornerofthebayastheOperaHouse

andHarbourBridgewiththebackdrop

ofSydneyskylineslowlyunfoldsbefore

you.

the ten Commandments of surf swimming:

1. DoNotswimatbeachesnotpatrolledbylifeguardsorlifesavers.

2. DoNotswimoutsidetheredandyellowflagswhichmarkthesafeswimming

area.

3. DoNotswimdirectlyafteramealorundertheinfluenceofalcohol.

4. DoNotswimwhenbeachisclosed.Observethevisualsign“Danger-Reserve

closedtobathing”andtheredflag.

5. DoNotswimwheretherearenosafetyflagsinposition.

6. DoNotgetexcitedifcaughtinacurrentorundertow,butraiseonearmupand

floatuntilhelparrives.

7. DoNotstruggleifseizedwithacramp,butraiseyourarmforhelp,floatand

keeptheaffectedpartsofyourbodyperfectlystill.

8. DoNotgooutfarwhenayellowflagisflying,itmeansthesurfisdangerous.

9. DoNotswimifunsureofsurfconditions,butseektheadviceofthelifeguardor

lifesaver.

10.DoNotstruggleagainstariporcurrent,butswimdiagonallyacrossit.

A bit strong:ahurtfulremarkoraction

Arse over tit: fallover

Ankle biter:youngchild

Ay?pardon?

Aggro:aggravatedoraggressive

Apple eater: someonewholivesinthestate

ofTasmania(applegrowingstate)

Arvo:afternoon

Barbie:barbecuecookingoutdoors

Banana bender:somewholivesinthestate

ofQueensland

Bloke:Australianmale,generallyquite

rugged

true blue:genuinelyAustralian

having a blue:havingafightorargument

Battler:workshardtoearnaliving

Breakky:firstmealoftheday

you little beauty, that’s beaut: excited

approval

Bloody oath:absolutely

Bottle-o:alcoholstore

Boomer:kangaroo

Billabong:awaterhole

Bathers:swimmingcostume

Berko:angryinanunreasonableway

Bunyip:mythicalspiritcreaturefrom

outback

Boogie board:half-sizedsurfboardfor

bodysurfing

Blower:telephone

Bugger me dead! extremeshockat

something

Bugger off!goaway

Blotto:intoxicated

Bog:thetoilet

Chook:chicken

Chinwag:agoodchat

Croweater:someonewholivesinSouth

Australiawheretherearelotsofcrows

Crikey:surpriseatsomething

Corroboree:Aboriginalfestivaldance

Cossie:swimmingcostume(NSW)

Crack onto to:makeapassat/chatup

Crook:ill/bad/criminal

dunny:toilet

dinki-di:somethingoriginatingfrom

Downunder

dobber:tattletale

daggy:unfashionable

didjeridoo:Aboriginalwindmusical

instrument

docket:abill,receipt

dodgy:abitsuspect/notquiteright/badly

made

sPEAkING “stRINE”Australianlanguagehasaglobalreputationforisindividuality,phoneticsandhumourvalue.

Ithasbeenbroughtaboutbytheneedforexpressionsforthingsthathaveneverneeded

expressingbefore,soimprovisationwasusuallyused.Add200yearsofabbreviatingtothatand

youarespeakingAustralian.HereareafewexamplesoftheAustralianlanguage...

76

durry:cigarette

dacks:trousersorshorts

doona:likeaquilt,usedinsteadofblankets

(containingfeathersanddown),duvet

Esky:largeinsulatedboxtokeepfoodand

drinkcold

Fibber:liar

Fairdinkum:someonereallygenuine/really/

thetruth/good

Fair enough:OK,youareright

Fossicking:huntingforgemstones(usually

opalsorsapphires)

Footy:“AussieRules”football

Flake:sharkmeat,usedinfishandchip

shops

Galah:loud,rudelybehavedperson

Gas:UsuallyLPG,notpetrol

G’day:afriendlywelcome(sameashelloor

hi)

Goon:cheapcaskorboxedwine

Good on ya mate!youarehappywiththeir

wordsoractions

Grey nomad: someonespendingtheir

retirementtravellingroundAustralia

Gumsucker:someonewholivesinthestate

ofVictoria

hoo-roo:goodbye

jackaroo or jillaroo:traineemaleor

femaleCattleStationhand

jaffle:toastedsandwich

joker: amalepersonwhoyouareunsure

about

kip:shortrestorsleepornap

kiwi:aNewZealander

lolly:moneyORcandy

long neck:largebottleofbeer

lPG cylinders:propanetanks

Mate:friend

Matilda:sleepingbagorbedrollfor

campingout

Milk bar:conveniencestore

Min Min:mysteriouslightsatnightinthe

outback

Mexican:someonefromthestateof

Victoria

Nulla-nulla:woodenclubusedby

Aborigines(madefromveryheavyandhard

woodcalledBlackbut)

Nong:idiot

ocker:unculturedAussiethatlikesbeer,

sportandwomen

oz:Australia

Prang:automotivecrash

Pull your head in:mindyourownbusiness/

behave

Raw prawn: easytodeceive

Pearler:excellentthing

Paw-paw:Queenslandtropicalpapayafruit

Push-bike:bicycle

Righto:OK

Rellie:relativeorfamily

A ripper:it’sreallygreat

Rack off:goaway,getlost

Rapt:overjoyed

Ropable:angry

sanger:Sandwich

sandgroper: someonewholivesinthe

stateofWesternAustralia

77

stone the crows!shockatsomething

smoko:abreak,usuallysomethingtoeat

anddrink,and/orhaveacigarette

she’ll be right!everythingwillbeOK

strewth:shockatsomething

sheila:awoman(notreallyusedanymore

otherthanbyoldtimers)

snag:sausage(putasnagonthebarbie)

spud:apotato

stubby:smallbottleofbeerORapairof

men’sshorts

scallops:friedpotatocakes(Qld/N.S.W),

shellfish(elsewhere)

strine:alotofAussieslangsaidat

once/”Australian”saidinanAussieaccent

swag:canvasbagorcoveryoukeepyour

belongingsandbedrollinwhencamping

strides:trousers

slab:packof24cansofbeer

servo:service/petrolstationforcars

singlet:undershirt,vestortanktop

ta:thanks

tucker:food

tinnie:canofcoldbeeroraaluminumboat

thongs:sandalsmadefromrubber/flip

flops

true blue:reallyAustralian

tea:eveningmeal

tee up:organiseorarrangesomething

too easy:thatwentwellorIcandothat,it

willbeeasy

too right!somethingisabsolutelyright

top-ender:someonewholivesinthe

NorthernTerritory

tallie:750mllargebottleofbeer

uni:university/college

ute:utility/pickuptruck

wag:skipschool,truancy

woop woop:somewherealongwayfrom

civilization

hard yakka: hardwork

A yarn:astorythatmayormaynotbetrue

have a yarn:haveaconversation

yobbo:aredneck,aslob

Zed:Z,lastletterofthealphabet

In australIa, “thongs” go on your feet.

78

79

Planninganitineraryobviouslydepends

onwhatstyleoftraveleryouare,andwhat

typesofthingsyouwanttosee.Youmight

bearelaxedtravelerwhopreferstodrive

atarelaxedpace,allowingyourselfthe

timetostopatwhateverriverorparktakes

yourfancyontheway,oryoumaywantto

travelatafairlyswiftpace.Youmightbe

interestedinsceneryorhikingalone,or

youmaywantabalancebetweennature,

culturalattractions,andseeingthemain

centres.

Thinkaboutwhatyou’llbedoingdaytoday.

Doyouwanttobeinaholidayparkeach

night,orjustsomenights?Doyouwantto

stopatadestinationeachday,spendafew

nightsineachplace,orspendafewdays

justdriving,absorbingthesightsfromyour

van?Ifyou’retravellingwithkids,consider

whatfamily-friendlyattractionsexistin

eachplace.Beconsciousofwhetheryou’ll

wantadayhereandtheretojustrestand

relax,withouttravellingordoingstrenuous

activities.Howmuchflexibilitydoyouwant

togiveyourself?Doyouwanttoplanarigid

scheduleorplayitbyearsomeofthetime?

Alsomakesureyouconsiderinterspersing

restorrelaxationdaysafterdaysthatwill

beparticularlystrenuous,suchasaday-

longhike.Thisisparticularlyimportantif

youaredoingalongdrivethenextday.Also

bearinmindwhetheryoucandoaone-way

tripinyourcampervanandareabletodrop

itoffinadifferentcityortown.

Herearesixsampleitinerariesofvarious

typesandlengthsthatincludejustasmall

fractionofthingstoseeanddoinAustralia.

Attheveryleastthey’llgiveyouanideaof

traveldistancesandtimes-mixandmatch

andaddthemtogethertocreateyourown

perfectplan-orfeelfreetodothemin

reverse!

ItINERARy IdEAs

plan ahead to Include rest days after very long drIves.

sydney to Melbourne (N.s.w to Vic.) - 5 days

day 1.SydneytoJervisBay.Approx222km(138miles)3hours.

day 2.JervisBaytoTilbaTilba.Approx205km(127miles)2.5hours.

day 3.TilbaTilbatoGipsyPoint.Approx203km(126miles)2.5hours.

day 4.GipsyPointtoMetung.Approx225km(140miles)2.75hours.

day 5.MetungtoMelbourne.Approx312km(194miles)4hours.

tropical North (Qld) - 7 days

day 1.CairnstoAthertonTablelands.Approx70km(44Miles)1.5hours.

day 2.SpendthedayintheAthertonTablelands.

day 3.AthertonTablelandstoCapeTribulation.Approx185km(115Miles)3hours.

day 4.SpendthedayatCapeTribulation.

day 5.CapeTribulationtoPortDouglas.Approx83km(52Miles)1.5hours.

day 6.SpendthedayinPortDouglas.

day 7.PortDouglastoCairns.Approx63km(40Miles)1.5hours.

darwin to uluru (N.t.) - 7 days

day 1.DarwintoKakadu.Approx257km(160miles).

day 2. KakadutoKatherine.Approx300km(186miles)4hours.

day 3.KatherinetoTennantCreek.Approx667km(420miles)8hours.Stopatthesoothing

MatarankaThermalPoolforarestontheway.

day 4. TennantCreektoAliceSprings.Approx506km(314miles)6hours.

day 5.SpendthedayinAliceSprings.

day 6.AliceSpringstoAyersRock.Approx461km(286miles)6.5hours.

day 7.DepartAyersRock.

80

sydney to Cairns (N.s.w to Qld) - 14 days

day 1.SydneytoHunterValley.Approx161km(100miles)2hours.

day 2.HunterValleytoPortStephens.Approx65km(40miles)1.5hours.

day 3.PortStephenstoCoffsHarbour.Approx168km(105miles)2.5hours.

day 4.CoffsHarbourtoCoolangatta.Approx322km(200miles)4hours.

day 5.SpendthedayinCoolangatta.

day 6.CoolangattatoBrisbane.Approx79km(49miles)1.5hours.

day 7.BrisbanetoFraserIslandApprox200km(125miles)3.5hoursdrivethen35minute

ferryride.

day 8.SpendthedayatFraserIsland.

day 9.FraserIslandtoRockhampton.Approx318km(196miles)4hours.

day 10.RockhamptontotheWhitsundays.Approx483km(300miles)6hours.

day 11.RelaxattheWhitsundays.

day 12.RelaxattheWhitsundays.

day 13.TownsvilletoMissionBeach.Approx225km(140miles)2.75hours.

day 14.MissionBeachtoCairns.Approx140km(87miles)1.75hours.

darwin to Broome (N.t to w.A) – 14 days

day 1.ArriveDarwin.Overnight-Darwin.

day 2.SpendthedayinDarwin.

day 3.DarwintoKakadu.Approx257km(160miles)3.5hours.

day 4.SpendthedayatKakaduNationalPark.

day 5.KakadutoKatherine.Approx300km(186miles)4hours.

day 6.KatherinetoKununurra.Approx510km(316miles)6hours.

day 7.SpendthedayinKununurra.

81

day 8.KununurratoElQuestro.Approx100km(162miles)3.5hours.

day 9.SpendthedayatElQuestro.

day 10.ElQuestrotoImintjiWildernessCamp.Approx405km(251miles)5hours.

day 11.SpendthedayatImintjiSafariCampandexploretheGibbRiverRoad.

day 12.ImintjiCamptoBroome.Approx440km(273miles)5.5hours.

day 13.SpendthedayinBroome.

day 14.DepartBroome.

Adelaide to darwin (s.A. to N.t.) - 16 days

day 1.AdelaidetoWilpenaPound.Approx430km(267miles)5.25hours.

day 2.SpendthedayatWilpenaPoundandtheFlindersRanges.

day 3.WilpenaPoundtoParachilna.Approx141km(88miles)1.75hours.

day 4.ParachilnatoWilliamCreek.Approx387km(240miles)4hours.

day 5. WilliamCreektoCooberPedy.Approx166km(103miles)2hours.

day 6.CooberPedy.EnjoyadayatleisureexploringCooberPedy.

day 7.CooberPedytoUluru.Approx734km(456miles)8hours.

day 8.SpendthedayatUluruandthenearbyOlgas(KataTjuta).

day 9.AyersRocktoAliceSprings.Approx445km(277miles)5.5hours.

day 10.SpendthedayatAliceSprings.

day 11.AliceSpringstoTennantCreek.Approx510km(317miles)5.5hours.

day 12.TennantCreektoKatherine.Approx672km(417miles)7hours.

day 13.Katherine.TodayenjoyadayatleisuretoexploreinandaroundKatherine.

day 14.KatherinetoKakaduNationalPark.Approx300km(186miles)4hours.

day 15.KakaduNationalPark.TodayisfreeforyoutoexploreKakaduNationalPark.

day 16.KakaduNationalParktoDarwin.Approx257km(160miles)3.5hours.

82

Thatyouhaveacopyof,andcompletely•

understand,yourrentalagreement,eg

yourresponsibilitiesandthoseofthe

renter,aswellasyourliability

Thatyouhavegoneoverandunderstand•

ALLthecostsinvolved

Whethertheyhavea24-hournumber•

youcancallifyouhaveanyproblems

Whethertherearemanualsforallthe•

electricalequipmentandfacilities

Whetheryougetasparesetofkeys•

Whethercertainthingsincluded,such•

aswoodenlevellingblocksforuneven

sites,andextensioncablesandhoses

toaccommodateelectrical,sewerand

waterhook-ups

Whethereverythingisworkingproperly,•

egdoors,windows,appliances,controls,

fixtures,andsmokealarms

Whetherthegasbottlehasbeenfilledby•

therentalcompanyorifitneedsfilling

first

FINAl thINGs to thINk ABout

LotsofZiplocbags–forstoring•

everythingfrombottlesthatmightleak

todampclothing

Youraddressbookforpostcards•

Travelsizealarmclock•

Smallflashlightwithnewbatteries•

Pocketknife•

Sparepairofcheapsunglasses•

Onesetofclothingthatdriesfast•

Disposablecamera(justincase!)•

Small,collapsibleumbrella•

Notepadandseveralpens•

Booksandgamesfornighttime•

Carphonecharger•

things you’ll Be Glad you Brought:

Most campervan hire companies in Australia are reputable and thorough. however, there

are some important things to double check:

83