Hobart
The drive from the west coast of Tasmania to Hobart, Australia’s second-oldest capital city, is one of the most beautiful journeys in the world. The weather was fine and clear but quite cold when we set off from Strahan on the west coast early in the morning. We made good time to Queenstown and decided to stop at […]
Swansea
Swansea is the oldest seaside town on Tasmania’s east coast and a must-see in any itinerary. We set off along the Tasman Highway to Swansea heading towards Orford, a coastal village that is approximately 73 kilometres (45 miles) from northeast of Hobart on a beautiful sunny, if cool, day. The scenery was spectacular and I gazed […]
Launceston
Launceston, the second largest city in Tasmania, is one of Australia’s oldest. Settled in 1806, it was the first Australian city to be lit by hydroelectricity. We set off up the Tasman Highway on a sunny but cool autumn day to visit this captivating city in Tasmania’s north. We turned onto Lake Leake Road, passing Lake […]
Andamooka
The South Australian outback town of Andamooka is famous for its opals and during a brief visit to the area in 2005 we decided to explore this interesting place. Originally known as Arndoo-moka, two words from the local Kuyani Aboriginal language meaning “loaded bone” (yes, I’m a little bewildered by that one, too!), the town […]
Flinders Ranges
The Flinders Ranges stretches for over 430 kilometres (270 miles), is the largest mountain range in South Australia and we couldn’t wait to explore this magnificent piece of the outback. There are very few sealed roads in the South Australian Outback and as we approached Marree at the northern end of the Flinders Ranges we […]
Oodnadatta
The Oodnadatta Track is an Aussie icon. A stretch of dirt road that runs from Marree in the south to Marla in the north, a distance of approximately 640 kilometres (almost 400 miles), it is a journey back to the days of early European exploration. Anyone who wants to travel the Outback will, inevitably, travel on this […]
Orroroo
Orroroo is one of those sleepy little country towns on the way to somewhere else; just the kind of place we like to stay. The Orroroo Caravan Park ([star][star][star][star_half]) had had a recent upgrade and we were pleasantly surprised by what we found there. Orroroo is perched on Goyders Line, a line drawn up by Surveyor […]
Woomera
Woomera is a town where history was made and still is today and what better reason could a history buff like me need to visit this remarkable town in the South Australian Outback. The Woomera Prohibited Area is the largest land-based missile and rocket range in the western world. Until 1982 all of Woomera was […]
Camooweal
Camooweal, a stone’s throw from the Northern Territory border, is as far west as you can go in Queensland and still be in Queensland. We set off along the Barkly Highway one morning to visit this interesting outback town. Along the Barkly Highway The Barkly Highway stretches from Threeways Roadhouse, north of Tennant Creek in the Northern […]
Charleville
The Warrego Highway to Charleville is a dead straight, fairly monotonous road and no speed limit as far as we knew. We learned early to get out of the way of those roadtrain-cattle trucks that came thundering along; I started to believe that some of those truck drivers were frustrated fighter pilots! Charleville is a […]