Epic Trip to Australia Part 2

4. Mainland Australia - Victoria and New South Wales 31 January to 21 February 2025

We could not update our travel blog because of technical issues and the internet. Now we are back home and have completed it, and call this update part 2.

6. Sydney

17 February 2025

Lisa:

Today was our last morning in the campervan. Thanks to the heating, it was nice and warm in our campervan during the night, apart from when you came too close to the van's metal walls, as it had no insulation. Dave had to wake me up at 7 am as I was so tired and could have slept on forever. But we had to finish packing, have breakfast, and then drive for two hours to drop off our campervan just outside of Sydney. There were no problems with the drop-off. The damage to the windscreen from a stone thrown up by one of the road trains on the way to the Blue Mountains was covered by our insurance. We informed them of the campervan's many (minor and major) faults but assured them that otherwise, we had a great time. Then Dave booked us an Uber taxi to the hotel in Sydney because there was a strike on the trains.

We arrived safely at our hotel, The Mantra Sydney Central in Haymarket. We enjoyed immensely having space to move about and sit more than two feet apart. Dave no longer needed to fear hitting his head on a cupboard and gladly walked upright. You no longer had to squeeze past the other and suck in your stomach when you wanted to change position or go to the toilet or the dining/sleeping area. We quickly settled in, and then it was time to explore Sydney. My sandals were about to fall apart, and here was the time and place to get new ones in one of Sydney's many outdoor clothing shops. I had admired the sandals of a woman in Apollo Bay. They were Keen Sandals, a famous American brand. And after a few visits to some outdoor clothing shops, we found a pair of "Keen Whisper Sandals", in my size, on sale, and at half price too. They cost a third of the price I would have had to pay in the UK. A bargain, indeed. They fit perfectly. The colour, black, wouldn't have been my first choice, but I can live with it. I left my old sandals behind, although they did not accept them as part-payment. 😊

With my new bouncy sandals and after a coffee break, I felt well-equipped to walk for miles to see the many sights of Sydney. First, we walked around the city centre. Then we took the tram towards the Wharf and got off at the end of the line at Circular Quay, where we admired the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the iconic Sydney Opera House. Unfortunately, the sun was at the wrong angle, so we would have to return at another time of day to photograph the Sydney Harbour Bridge in its full glory. Still, we enjoyed the sights and atmosphere immensely, especially walking along the Quay in glorious sunshine. People sat outside along the harbour front, enjoying drinks in the many bars. When we left the hotel at midday, it was 10C, but now it was a comfortable 22C, and I slowly took off my fleece layers.

We liked Sydney's relaxed atmosphere with its beautiful architectural mix of old houses, big and small, and modern buildings. We went up and down by tram and watched the scenery and the many people moving about their business. Then, back in Haymarket, we strolled through Chinatown and shared delicious Thai meals: chicken curry and pork with vegetables. Yummy. Then, back home at the hotel, we tried to watch TV without success as the programmes seemed worse than in England.

Dave:

We're up at 06:00, showered, packed, breakfasted and drove out of the campsite

at 08:10. They were right, the temperature did drop to 6C, and we were thankful that

our campervan did have heating. Katoomba Falls was at 1,000m, and the road that

led onto the main highway, through the narrow suburban streets, was steep and

twisty. The dual carriageway toward Sydney was also steep in places, with many

bends. The speed limit was 100km per hour with the occasional 110km. When we

passed a school, there was a compulsory speed limit of 40km until 09:30 on school

days, which was strictly enforced. The nearer to Sydney, the busier the roads

became. Our TomTom guided us along congested motorways and toll roads. We arrived at the Apollo campervan depot in the southern suburbs of Sydney at 10:30. We swiftly passed through all the documentation. Our list of all the faults we'd found was documented. The campervan was checked, and the only fault they found was the cracked windscreen caused by the stone from a passing road train.

I ordered an Uber taxi, which arrived 5 minutes later at 11:10. The taxi was a Tesla, and we were very impressed by such an advanced all-electric vehicle as we were driven into the centre of Sydney. The taxi cost AUD54 (£27) and we were dropped oﬀ outside the Mantra Sydney Central Hotel at 11:45, our home for the next three nights. We were allocated room 806. It was nothing special, but it did have a microwave, cooker, fridge and a balcony. It was sunny, 22C and very windy. Too windy for us to use the balcony, and the view we had was over the rooftop of the oﬃce block opposite, with a dozen air-conditioned units softly whirring. The big plus was, we were located right in the centre of town, next to Chinatown.

After we'd unpacked, we went for a walkabout as Lisa wanted to replace her old worn-out sandals. We were impressed with the cosmopolitan central district of the city of Sydney. It felt right, had a feel-good factor, was easy to walk around and had an impressive public transport system of trams and buses. Lisa found the Keen sandals that she wanted and got a new washbag, too. We celebrated by going for a coﬀee and afterwards returned to our hotel.

We picked up a map of the central district and, at 17:00, took the L3 tram from just outside our hotel up to Circular Quay, which took 20 minutes.

Sydney has a tap-in and tap-out system with your credit card to pay for all public transport journeys. The tram terminated at Circular Quay, and from there, it was only a 5-minute walk to the famous Sydney Opera House. What a photo opportunity, especially as we had sunshine, a cloudless sky and the light was just right for taking photos of the Opera House but not of the famous bridge. The area teemed with people just like us, soaking up the atmosphere and gazing in awe at the architecture, not only of the clam-shaped roof of the Opera House itself but of the equally famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. We've seen both many times on TV; even so, to see them physically was unbelievable. Our cameras couldn't do them justice. We first walked through the grounds of Government House with its huge trees and lush-green lawns and down the steep stone staircase and took a leisurely stroll around the walkway surrounding the Opera House.

The place was so vibrant, full of life, and warm as the wind had dropped. We ate a fantastic meal at a nearby Thai restaurant and then at 21:00, returned to our hotel. It was warm enough to walk around without a jacket. We drank a glass of wine and tried, unsuccessfully, to find something decent to watch on television, gave up and went to bed.

18 February 2025

Lisa:

We got up early in the morning, and after breakfasting on the leftovers from our campervan and continuing our writing, it was time to book our seats for the flights to Hong Kong and back to London. Being members of Cathay Pacific Airlines, we had the benefit that we could book our seats 48 hours in advance. This was important as we found on previous long haul flights that if you are late checking in you could finish up, as we did, in the last row of the aeroplane, where the seats don't recline, next to the toilets, and when the airline had run out of the popular menu, you had no choice but to accept anything that was left. This time, we were determined to book early to get decent seats. But what we thought was a 5-minute exercise ended up taking over an hour. The system had allocated us seats we did not want, where families with babies are usually seated, and it was impossible to change them. We received an error message at least 15 times. We finally managed to get the seats we wanted only due to our persistence. It was time to leave the hotel as we were tearing our hair out because of the stress, so we decided to take it easy and relax for the rest of the day.

We took a tram to Circular Quay and a ferry to Manly Beach. It was warm, the sun was shining, and it was a great opportunity to take in the rays and enjoy the warmth, which we had missed so much in the rest of Australia. Manly Beach was nice, and we had a tasty snack of chicken and halloumi wraps and coffee and tea in one of the lovely backstreet coffee shops. We chose them because the top-rated restaurants on the beachfront were outrageously expensive or offered simple but overpriced fish and chips, which we could get in England every day. However, the key attraction was the ferry ride along the Sydney Harbour, passing the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We had stunning views from our ferry and took lots of photos.

We had to get back and change in time as we had a special date, which was the highlight of our Sydney trip. After we had booked our Australian holiday in autumn, for some reason, I clicked on Facebook, which I had not used for a long time. I found a message from one of my doctor colleagues, Khine, with whom I had worked closely in Myanmar in the Ministry of Health in 2018 when David and I worked as volunteers for VSO for seven months in Myanmar. Khine had been very supportive of me and my work. She was the only colleague who spoke English well. We held several workshops in local communities together in preparation for a nationwide health literacy strategy proposal. Afterwards, we kept in contact, even after the military coup on the 1st February 2021, when the military ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. But soon, Khine had to go underground, and suddenly we lost contact.

I did not know whether she was alive or dead. I did not dare to try and contact her via Facebook for fear of putting her in even more danger. Now, on Facebook, there was a post of her on that day with photos of skyscrapers, but without any further comments. She was alive. But where was she? I used her old email address, hoping it was still active and my email would reach her. And indeed, she picked up my message a few hours later and responded. She had to go into hiding for almost a year because the Military Government had brought charges against her that would have put her in prison for life. Still, she was able to get out of Myanmar and go to Australia on a humanitarian visa. She was now living with her husband in Sydney. What? I could not believe it! According to our travel plan, we will finish our journey in Sydney by the end of February, and we could then meet up again. I emailed our travel plans, and we agreed to meet. Great!

We were overjoyed when we met. We spent two evenings together and over a Chinese dinner, she told us what had happened to her; how she had escaped and how she was living now. She promised to write her whole story for our blog, but all in due course.

Dave:

Maybe it was the strange bed or the bedroom, but we were both awake from 01:30 until 03:00. We managed to fall back to sleep. I woke at 07:00 and wrote my diary and downloaded photos. As Cathay Pacific Airline members, we were allowed to check in 48 hours before our flight, so 11:05, we started the check-in procedures. We told ourselves never again as the procedure was prone to errors and far too complicated. We'd thought we had finished, only to be informed that something was wrong and that we'd have to start all over again. Many times, we booked our seats, and each time, they reverted back. Finally, we were successful. Grrrr! It took us over an hour to check-in and book our seats for both flights back to London. The time had flown by, and it was now midday.

We took the tram to Circular Quay and a ferry from Wharf 3 to Manly as there was a beach and we wanted to get in a little sunbathing in. The ferry took 40 minutes, and it was only a 5-minute walk from the Manly Ferry terminal to the beach. We were hungry and found a small cafe for a cappuccino for me and a pot of tea for Lisa. We also bought a rather nice chicken wrap for me and a halloumi toastie for Lisa. After so much travelling, lying on a beach and soaking up the sunshine felt good. We retraced our journey and arrived back at our hotel at 16:30, which gave us enough time to shower and change before we met Khine, Lisa's colleague from Myanmar, and her husband at 17:00. They took us to a Thai restaurant, whose speciality was a tabletop barbecue. First, we ordered several jugs of beer, and then the barbecue unit was placed in the centre of the table. It had a one-ringed burner, and a small gas canister was used to heat the burner. A metal hat with a broad rim was placed over the flame. Water was poured into the rim, which resembled a moat around a castle. Baby squid, mussels and Pak Choi were placed in hot water and on the hot rounded metal top of the hat, we put sliced beef, pork and chicken using our chopsticks. It was a rather unusual way to eat, and it was a little fiddly, but it did taste rather nice. They had to leave at 20:30 as they had a long drive home and both had to work the next day. Even so the time was short, we managed to talk a little about their escape from Myanmar into Thailand. They spent 18 months there and were finally accepted by Australia on humanitarian grounds and had only been in Australia for the last year.

19 February 2025

Lisa:

The next day, the weather was sunny and warm again. Finally, in the last three days of our 60-day journey, I could unpack and wear some of my summer dresses. Dave and I went by bus to the world-famous Bondi surfing beach, which, according to Dave, is shown each year on Xmas on UK TV, when people are surfing on the beach and eating their Christmas turkey in the heat, in contrast, in the motherland, the UK, people celebrate Christmas, sitting beside the fire, wrapped up warm in jumpers because of the cold.

While sitting on the beach in the sun, we felt the warmth on our bodies, and we splashed in the water. Now, we felt like we had finally arrived in Australia. That was what we had expected all along. We made the best use of our last hours in the sun in Australia.

Bondi Beach is famous for its surfing and high waves. It is also a bit posh and pretentious. We, therefore, took the bus back to Sydney and had a tasty late lunch of Cajun chicken wraps in one of the many cafes in Haymarket, where the coffee was also excellent. We then strolled through the streets of Haymarket, visited a big market hall, and took in the easygoing atmosphere of a modern city with its many parks, benches, outside seating areas and shops and restaurants.

In the evening, we met again with Khine and her husband and discussed over a meal in Chinatown what they thought the future would hold for them and what options they had.

Dave:

I was awake at 04:30, wrote my diary at the desk and tried not to wake Lisa. At 07:00 we showered, had breakfast and did a bit of packing, as tomorrow we were flying back to London. At 08:45, we left the hotel to make our way to the famous surfers' paradise, Bondi Beach. We took the tram to Circular Quay, and from there, it was a 2-minute walk to the 333 bus stop that would take us there directly. They'd got the weather forecast wrong, and instead of a sunny, cloudless day, we had partial cloud. The bus ride was very enjoyable, and we got an overview of the streets of central Sydney and the suburbs during our 40-minute journey. Bondi Beach was a lot smaller than I expected.

We explored a few streets before heading to the beach and spent a few hours on the beach sunbathing and diving through the pounding surf. At 14:00, we took the 333 bus back to town and got oﬀ at the Museum Station. On the walk through the streets back to our hotel, we stopped at a lovely cafe and shared a Cajun chicken wrap with our cups of tea and coﬀee.

We had a bit of time to spare, so we walked into Chinatown, through busy Paddy's Market and got back to our hotel at 16:00, which left us just enough time to shower, change, do a bit of repacking before meeting Khine and her husband once again. This time they came by train so they could drink and not have to drive. They arrived at 17:30 and took us to a pub called 'Cheers'. The beer was good, and we shared some pub food. We left at 21:00 and said goodbye to them at our hotel. They took the train home, and we tried to find something to watch on television as we finished oﬀ the bottle of wine we'd started last night. At 21:45, we gave up and went to bed.

20 February 2025

Lisa:

Today is the 59th day of our travel, and it is the day we go back home. It will be a long day and a long night until we arrive at London Heathrow: a 9 1/2 hours flight from Sydney to HongKong, then 5 1/2 hours waiting time at Hong Kong Airport. Then, at 11 pm, a 14 1/2 hour flight from Hong Kong to London Heathrow. I bet we will be tired and shattered when we arrive. But that's the price to pay when you are travelling. I am not complaining.

As I usually can't sleep on a plane, I had much time to pass. I spent the time writing on the text of our travel blog, and watching a few good films, some I had seen many times, such as "The Constant Gardener", but also the new movie "Conclave", a political thriller with Ralph Fiennes about the election of a new pope. I managed to concentrate on playing a few Soduko games and even got a few hours of sleep on the way to Heathrow.

Dave:

We'd set our watch alarms for 06:00 and were both awake a few minutes before. We'd showered, packed and breakfasted on the croissants we'd bought yesterday and were ready to go at 07:30. We checked out and at 08:00 I ordered an Uber taxi to take us to the Sydney airport, T1. It was cloudy, had rained overnight and the roads were wet when our taxi arrived at 08:10. He dropped us at the airport at 08:45. The ride cost AUD41.83 (£21.14). Even though the airport was very busy, we quickly passed through bag drop-off and were just as fast through security. This was a well-organised and efficiently run airport. Once we'd been processed, we went for a coffee and waited to be called for our flight. We were on the 11:05 Cathay Pacific Airways flight CX 162 to Hong Kong T1, with a local arrival time of 17:30. The flying time would be 9 hours and 25 minutes. We took off a few minutes late, made up time and landed at 17:10, 20 minutes early. At 22:55, our next flight was Cathay Pacific Airways flight CX25, with a local arrival time of 05:30 at London's Heathrow Airport T3. The flying time was 14 hours and 35 minutes. We took off on time and landed at 05:10, 20 minutes early. Then back home with the tube.

21 February 2025

Dave:

Our flight must have been one of the first into Heathrow airport as there were no queues at immigration and passport control. Our luggage arrived at the carousel at 05:55. Yes, we'd had a swift passage through the airport. Unfortunately, we couldn't use our freedom passes on the London Underground system as it wasn't yet 09.00, so we used our credit cards instead. A signalling problem on the underground meant we had to get off the Piccadilly Line at Acton Town, take the District Line to Embankment and then the Northern Line to Belsize Park. We walked into our flat at 08:30 and found the fridge full of goodies, including homemade loaf and apple cake supplied by our friends Ursula and Jon, who'd looked after our flat in our absence. Such a thoughtful treat from such good friends!

We'd been travelling for 35 hours and 15 minutes. We managed to sleep a little on both flights, but travelling economy on such busy long-haul flights does get rather tiresome. The food they serve on economy class flights, whilst very welcome, does leave a lot to be desired.

Back home - what are our thoughts about our latest adventure?

Lisa:

That's the end of our epic 60-day Australia trip. We saw many amazing things and had fantastic experiences, both positive and negative. The varying landscapes and the incredible wildlife in Tasmania, the many interesting people we met on the road, the Great Ocean Road, the National Parks, like the Wilsons Prom, Grampians and the Blue Mountains, will be imprinted in our minds forever. Everywhere we went, including the cities and small towns as well as the countryside, was awesome.

Of course, as newcomers to travelling with a campervan, we had to get used to that lifestyle. The freedom of the open road was great. But living in a confined space was challenging, at times, and would have been easier in warmer and less windy weather conditions, where you can spend more time outside. When something went wrong in the campervan, which often did, it was stressful, and this is not something you come across when staying in a hotel. But, thanks to Dave, all problems were solved quickly. Going out for a meal was costly (when being on the road for 60 days) and less attractive, but it was not necessary as we could cook better ourselves. We loved the fresh fish and seafood. But this involved regularly stocking up on food and planning ahead for those days when we were in remote areas without a nearby well-stocked supermarket. We both are fond of shopping in places we don't know. Strolling through markets and supermarkets gives us both great pleasure as there is so much you can learn about a country and its people by the food people buy.

As we travelled light (me 14 kg and Dave 16.8 kg, of which most were charging cables), the amount of clothes you carry is limited, and one has to do lots of washing and wear the same clothes. Towards the end of our trip, I sometimes felt an almost irresistible urge to throw away most of my clothes and indulge in shopping for something new. I didn't, apart from the sandals - and I didn't need to. As Dave often reminds me, a full wardrobe is waiting for me at home. I just needed some patience and not retail therapy.

The very weak internet at the campsites and in general was driving us crazy. The internet was okay to access social media and get emails, but it was not good enough for more sophisticated activities, such as uploading text and photos onto the blog. By the end, I had to give it up and postpone uploading onto the blog until I returned home.

Despite the bad or sometimes absent internet, we tried to keep ourselves up-to-date with the news of what was happening back home and around the world. And lots has happened since we left home on Christmas Eve, most of it quite worrying. When we did not have internet, it felt strange, being cut off from the outer world, and we worried about missing important information. But in a way, it also felt relaxing and stress-free, as there was nothing we could do about it.

Despite the challenges, our trip was great, and the 60 days went very quickly. We tried to include in our travel plans some downtime, but those days were quickly filled up again because there was so much interesting to see. Now, at the end of our trip, we are exhausted and feel like we need a holiday. Not joking.

Would I do this again? Certainly, tomorrow, if possible. Not necessarily to Australia, as it is a very long journey, and there are many more fantastic places to see. If possible, I would prefer to go somewhere warm and less windy.

Dave:

How do I feel after travelling on this adventure for 60 days? There were times that tested our patience, such as not being able to download our photos or send email messages, because many of the campsites we stayed at had no internet or internet with a very weak signal. Our campervan was one of the smallest in the range, and this was our choice because of its manoeuvrability. We needed to park in towns and supermarket carparks when we needed to resupply. Also, we both drove the campervan, and many of the roads we travelled along were very narrow and twisty.

We'd covered 3,700+kms in Tasmania and 2,700kms in Victoria and New South Wales, a total of 6,400+kms, or just under 4,000 miles, so fuel consumption needed to be taken into account too. On the open road, our campervan was good and had great visibility. However, the practicalities we had every night of having to convert the rear bench seats into a double bed and every morning converting them back again, had its moments. Then, there were problems associated with cooking and living in such a confined space. The simple fact of squeezing past each other, especially whilst the other person was cooking, would've tested the patience of a saint. We're still talking to each other and don’t have any knife wounds, which means we must be very tolerant. In fact, we were so tolerant and well-behaved that we gave each other medals for having passed the very stiff survival course and sometimes going that extra mile. The scar tissue on my head has slowly recovered and was greatly helped by me, taping teatowels over the sharp edges above the cooker and head-height shelves and cupboards.

Like the campsites that promised us they had a wonderful internet, the Apollo rental company made promises too. We were disappointed with both rental campervans in Tasmania and the Australian mainland. As mentioned previously, there were many faults. The main problem with the Tasmanian campervan was the broken toilet cassette, which was time-consuming to resolve. The main issue with the Melbourne campervan the problem sourcing their smallest campervan that we had ordered and paid months in advance. It took them several hours to find one and I don’t think they’d had time to check it out as we found it had a few niggeling problems, which were annoying but fixable.

I was pleased to find that the assumption, you’d fall off the world in Australia, being on the other side of the world, was a myth.

Would we do it all again? Yes! Give us a few days to recover, to wash our clothes, and for me to buy another pair of Speedo swimming trunks to replace the ones I left behind.

4.4 New South Wales – The Blue Mountains

14 February 2025

Lisa:

At 8 am, we set off on our long drive to our next destination, the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, NSW. The distance from Halls Gap is almost 1200km, and the estimated driving time is 11 1/2 hours by car, but with our campervan, it would take much longer. We have not booked any accommodation as we didn't know how the roads were and how far we would travel in a day. However, we'd calculated 2 days to cover the distance. It's a long drive, and we decided to take it easy and change drivers every 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

This was a good decision because it soon became both a tedious and challenging drive. It was challenging because you always had to look out for kangaroos who could suddenly jump out into the road. The many roadkills squashed on the side of the road were evidence of this. The animals frequently cross the road during the day but are usually most active between dusk and dawn. So, one has to watch out for these little buggers, of which some are quite big. We prefer not to hit them, but if we did, they'd do a lot of damage to our campervan.

Tedious drive along ruler-straight roads passing kilometres of flat yellow fields

The drive was tedious because of the landscape and the road. We passed kilometres of flat yellow fields of straw or grass, sometimes a few black cows or sheep grazing on them, hardly any houses or traffic, apart from a few oversized road trains. The roads are straight, perhaps every hour or so a small bend. The quality of the road is something to get accustomed to. Sometimes, the heat had cooked up the tar and the surface was broken, or the hard shoulder had broken away, or there was only one lane that had to be shared with the oncoming traffic. When this happens, each driver moves half of the car off the paved road onto the gravel and, after passing, back onto the paved road again. Easy, when you know what to do and when you drive slowly so that the pots and pans and cutlery don't get thrown about. Our tea and coffee breaks were greatly appreciated.

Few villages and towns were on the way, but there was a network of many little roads, and even the highways were not dual carriageways. Our TomTom navigator system constantly wanted to send us off course to even smaller roads, possibly looking for the shortest route, but that would have even taken longer. With a combined effort, in addition to TomTom's directions, we followed the Google Maps road on my iPhone and moved forward. GPS is good, but when it or the mobile signal failed, we had to drive blind, hoping we were still on the road towards our planned destination. How good were the olden times when you had a proper road map in your hand and could see where you were going?

Back in Halls Gap, we had asked in the tourist information centre what the best way was towards Sydney, which is in the direction of the Blue Mountains. Nobody could tell us, as they had never driven so far or left the state of Victoria. Happy to help, they proudly gave us a map of Victoria, which was only for the first three hours of our journey. But we managed.

From Halls Gap, we drove through little towns like Marino and Donald, stopped for coffee in Swan Hill at midday and bought supplies for the evening dinner. At 3 pm, we stopped in Hay to refuel but had difficulties finding a cafe because they were already closed. We found a bakery that was just about to close, who took pity on us and gave us coffee and tea to take away, but we could sit on their bench outside. When we left, they wished us a good evening. At 3 pm? When do they go to bed? We continued driving as it was still too early to stop for the day, and we needed to get as many kilometres behind us as possible on the first day.

From 5 pm onwards, we started looking for any of the free campsites along or near the highways listed on the app that we downloaded from our Campervan rental agency. Most looked dodgy, and so we continued. In Australia, it is illegal to stay with your campervan overnight anywhere. You must stop at a dedicated site. Shortly before 6 pm, I phoned one of the official campsites on my app. They were closed already for the day (closed at 5 pm), so we had no choice but to continue, constantly looking out for kangaroos that might decide to join friends for dinner on the other side of the road.

The clouds got darker and darker, and as we drove on, we came through an area where the road was wet. It must have rained recently as the road and the fields were water-logged. I could only hope the kangaroos did not want to get wet feet and would stay where they were. Finally, at 7.15 pm, we arrived at an overnight rest stop for trucks, campervans and caravans that looked trustworthy and had good reviews on the app, the Marsden Rest Area. They had picnic tables and benches and also toilets. The picnic site was waterlogged, so it was unusable, and the drop toilets were unusable, too. Luckily, with our campervan, we had our own toilet and were self-contained.

We cooked a lovely Valentine's dinner of barramundi fish from the supermarket in Swan Hill. We toasted to our successful journey, and not having hit a kangaroo (or roo, as the Australians say) with a nice glass of red wine, sitting in our campervan next to the highway while the huge road train trucks rattled past by. I wondered whether we could sleep at all with all that noise, but after 11 hours of driving, this was not a problem. I slept through and woke up at 6 am, ready for the next part of the journey.

Dave:

The wind had sprung up overnight. I was awake at 05:30, read my emails and checked the latest news. At 06:30, I made Lisa a cuppa. After breakfast and emptying the toilet cassette, we set oﬀ for the Blue Mountains at 08:00. Even though there were a few clouds around, we had an incredible sunrise. We had a long couple of days ahead of us as we headed east towards the Blue Mountains. We would have to find somewhere to spend the night in a designated rest area, as campervans are not allowed to overnight by the side of the road in Australia. We had no idea where, as this would depend on the road and traﬃc conditions. We chose a more northerly route to avoid going through the Melbourne suburbs, so the distance was a bit longer, around 1,200km.

This drive oﬀered an opportunity to experience the diverse landscapes of southeastern Australia, from the rugged beauty of the Grampians to the lush vistas of the Blue Mountains. We gradually left the ruggedness of the Grampians behind and then drove for hours through the mind-numbingly vast emptiness of the flat, listless, straw-coloured landscape. Once again, the empty roads were ruler-straight and seemed to go on forever. We each drove for two hours before changing to break up the monotony. At noon, we'd reached Swan Hill, where we stopped in a Woolworths supermarket to buy fish for tonight's dinner. No microwave or kettle as we wouldn't have power, only our two-ringed gas stove. We had a coﬀee in the adjoining cafe and continued our journey along the A20, Sturt Highway. At 15:15, we stopped to refuel in a small town called Hay and, once again, had a coﬀee break before continuing along the B64. We were now travelling along a busy highway, and there were huge road train juggernauts barrelling along at the maximum speed of 110km/hr.

What is a road train? Road trains are essential for transporting goods across vast and remote landscapes. These impressive vehicles consist of a powerful truck pulling multiple trailers, allowing the eﬀective movement of large quantities of freight over long distances. Very impressive indeed until you get behind one and need to overtake it.

Ahead, we could see the clouds gathering, and the nearer we came to the clouds, the wetter the roads and surrounding fields became. Thankfully, the rain clouds were going in the same direction as we, and we were on its trailing edge. We passed a few oﬃcial rest areas, but they looked seedy or iﬀy, and we drove on. It was 19:15 when we pulled into the very wet Marston Rest Area Northbound, a vast gravel area with a picnic table and metal cabinets containing two toilets. I assumed one was for women and the other for men. A wooden ramp accessed the drop toilets. The smell inside was something else, but the biggest worry was the possibility of a snake popping it's head out of the toilet and biting your bum. Interestingly, they both had full rolls of toilet paper. We cooked a starter of broccolini with boiled potatoes, followed by the barramundi fish steaks we'd bought earlier, prepared in a frying pan with onions and tomatoes. It was delicious! Our beer and glasses of wine never tasted better! We were both asleep by 21:30.

15 February 2025

Lisa:

After breakfast, we continued our journey at 8 am. The nearer we came towards the Blue Mountains, the landscape changed. After the town of Cowra, we entered the hills, and the flat yellow fields changed to green hills. More bends in the road made driving more enjoyable. The traffic increased, and soon, there were more cars than lorries on the road. We still had another 5 1/2 hours to go. At 11 am, we stopped for coffee and a Quiche Lorraine in a community cafe in Blayney and sat on their terrace to warm up in the late morning sun. Then we continued, and finally, at 1.30 pm, we arrived at our (pre-booked) campsite, the Katoomba Falls Tourist Park.

As soon as we had settled in and refreshed ourselves with some juice and yoghurt, we went out to explore. The area of Katoomba has many walks leading to waterfalls, through a rainforest and many lookouts into stunning scenery. There is so much to see and to do. There are walks for every ability. We decided to walk along the Prince Henry Cliff Walk to the Katoomba Falls and Echo Point towards the Three Sisters, famous rock formations. We immensely enjoyed the walk and the beautiful views, but we were disturbed by the fact that we had to share the path and viewing points with hundreds of other tourists, most of whom were driven to the relevant viewing points by bus, rushed there to take a photo and then back to the bus. No wonder; it was the weekend after all. Bad planning on our part, but we wanted to fit it all in - and we had only a few days left. Only when we walked further, away from the most popular tourist spots, and later in the afternoon when the buses had left, driving the tourists back to Sydney, could we relax and enjoy the views undisturbed.

View of the Three Sisters and the Jamison Valley

At 6.30, we went home and prepared a delicious meal using almost all of our supplies as we had to return our camper on Monday.

Dave:

It seemed like we were trying to sleep by the side of a Heathrow Airport runway because of the thundering whooshing noise of the passing road trains. Around 04:00, the noise eased oﬀ a little and increased as dawn approached. My watch showed a temperature of 14C; even so, it felt cold in the campervan. There was a slight problem with the 12-volt battery-operated interior lights; the toilet light was just a dim glow, cured by switching oﬀ and on the main power supply. The sun was shining as we drove off and continued our journey at 08:15. Gradually, the flat straw-coloured landscape gave way to a hillier landscape, and the colour green started to return the more easterly we travelled. It seemed months had passed since we'd seen trees, bushes and green fields. We took a welcome coﬀee break in a busy cafe in Blayney. We were now in the Blue Mountains, and the roads were busier as we slowly climbed higher into this popular mountainous tourist area. We arrived at Katoomba Falls Tourist Park, our home for the next two nights, at 13:30, a drive of just under five and a half hours. It was a very nice and well-maintained campsite and was fully booked. Yes, a very popular site. We connected our campervan to the water, electricity and waste outlet and checked the site before making a welcome cuppa. Once we'd recovered from our drive, we went oﬀ to explore the area.

The combination of Katoomba Falls and the Jamison Valley makes for one of Australia's most breathtaking natural landscapes, drawing nature lovers, photographers, and adventure seekers alike. Katoomba Falls is a stunning tiered waterfall located in the Blue Mountains National Park. It plunges over sandstone cliﬀs into the lush rainforest below, creating a spectacular sight, especially after heavy rain. The falls are illuminated at night, adding a magical touch to the landscape. Visitors can access spectacular views of Katoomba Falls from various lookouts, including Scenic World Skyway and the Katoomba Falls Round Walk, which weaves through the temperate rainforest and oﬀers multiple vantage points. Below Katoomba Falls lies the Jamison Valley, a vast and dramatic expanse of wilderness. The valley is part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and is characterised by its towering sandstone cliﬀs, deep gorges, and thick eucalyptus forests that produce the region's famous blue haze. It is home to diverse wildlife, including lyrebirds, wallabies, and echidnas.

One of the best ways to experience the valley is through its extensive network of

hiking trails. Scenic World, one of the top attractions in the Blue Mountains, oﬀers

rides such as the Scenic Railway, the world's steepest passenger railway, which

descends into the valley below. This is an unforgettable way to experience the

region's stunning landscapes, including Katoomba Falls, the Three Sisters, and the

Jamison Valley. It features four main attractions:

1. Scenic Skyway: A glass-bottom cable car that glides 270 meters above the

Jamison Valley, oﬀering panoramic views of Katoomba Falls, the Three Sisters and

Mount Solitary. The glass floor gives a thrilling perspective of the valley below, but

there are also solid-floor sections for those who prefer a less daring experience.

2. Scenic Railway: Known as the steepest passenger railway in the world, the Scenic Railway has a 52-degree incline as it descends through a cliﬀ tunnel into the valley below. Visitors can choose diﬀerent seating angles, from a standard ride to the more adventurous cliﬀhanger setting for an extra thrill. This steep railway originated from the coal mining days of Katoomba and was used to transport the miners and coal and shale up and down from the mine. Coal mining in Katoomba was a relatively small industry compared to the larger coalfields in the Hunter Valley and Illawarra regions. However, coal and shale mining did play a role in the early development of Blue Mountain's economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

3. Scenic Walkway: A 2.4km boardwalk through the lush Jamison Valley rainforest oﬀers a peaceful walk among ancient trees, ferns, and remnants of Katoomba's mining history. The walkway is suitable for all fitness levels and provides a chance to experience the valley's rich biodiversity up close.

4. Scenic Cableway: The largest cable car in the Southern Hemisphere, the Scenic Cableway gently descends 545 meters into the Jamison Valley, providing sweeping views of Orphan Rock, Mt Solitary, and the Ruined Castle rock formation.

We'd decided to take a more intensive tour the next day, so we followed the most popular trail today. This took us along the very edge of the cliﬀ. We stopped many times at the lookouts to admire and photograph the stunning views, especially of the Three Sisters and Echo Point, where Queen Elizabeth Lookout is situated, so named after her Australian tour in February 1954 where she viewed the Three Sisters and the Blue Mountains from this very spot.

The tourist buses drop their passengers oﬀ at the beginning, and they walk along the side of the cliﬀ, stopping to take photos of each other at the lookouts, and the tourist buses meet them in the car park beside Echo Point. You can only imagine how extremely busy this viewpoint was.

Stunning views of the Jamison Valley below

We returned the same way we came, and when we returned to the campsite at 18:30, we had a long chat with our new neighbours. They were Australian-born and were on an extensive three-month road trip around Australia. This was a serious road trip. They drove a big Toyota SUV with a boat on top, which towed a twin-axled, extending side, top-of-the-range caravan. No half-measures for these Australians. We drank our beer outside at our small table and also had our first course of corn husks outside. However, when the sun went down, the temperature dropped, and we had to eat our second course of fajitas inside. We were in bed at 22:00 and kept the heating on all night.

16 February 2025

Lisa:

Today is Sunday, and we had hoped many people would go home early and the tourist attractions would be less crowded. As we soon found out, this was not the case. Many people from Sydney come for a day trip in their cars or with tour buses. And there were many of them. We decided to have an easy day and follow the touristic route to explore this area of the Blue Mountains. We bought a ticket to Scenic World, one of the Blue Mountains' most popular attractions, which Dave had already described in more detail above. This included three rides: We went with the Scenic Skyway over the Jamison River Valley to enjoy the dramatic view of the Three Sisters and Echo Point, a stunning rock formation. Then, a ride down into the valley with the Scenic Railway, the world's steepest passenger railway, partly through a tunnel. (The area was once used as the Katoomba Coal Mine, and the Katoomba Scenic Railway was originally part of a network of rail lines built to bring coal and kerosene shale from the mines up to the railhead.) We then walked through the lush greenery of the rainforest along the boardwalks and rode upwards again on the incredible Scenic Cableway.

It took us all afternoon to get through this programme, partly because we enjoyed the scenery and took many photos. However, most of the time, we spent queuing for the next ride, as the system and staff were overwhelmed with the number of visitors. The Scenic World sites closed at 5 pm, and everyone had to make sure they were back on time, which meant judging the length of the queues; otherwise, they would have to take the steep climb out from the valley floor or stay behind with the creepy crawlies in the beautiful but deserted valley floor.

We managed to get back well before 5 pm and then walked again, away from the crowds, along the walkway towards Echo Point and took the opportunity to repeat some of our photo shoots, this time lit by beautiful sunshine.

We spent the evening packing, cleaning and cooking our last supper in our campervan. We had hoped to be able to enjoy our last dinner outside in the fading sunshine, but no chance. The wind got up, and it cooled down to 7C. That night, we had to put the heating on one final time. This was summer in Australia. Unbelievable! However, according to our Australian neighbours, they had an unusually cold summer in Australia this year.

Dave:

It was a cold night. When we got up, the sun was shining, and the temperature was only 9C, but it quickly warmed up. We breakfasted outside and then wrote our diaries and sorted photos until noon. We did some packing as we were driving into Sydney the next day to drop oﬀ our campervan at the Apollo depot. It was a cloudless dawn, but the clouds appeared mid-morning, and it was cold until the clouds parted and the sun came back at 13:00. As time was short, we decided to go the full Monty and pay AUD 115.20 (£58.32) for our two Scenic World tickets. We would cross the gorge on the Scenic Skyway, travel down the Scenic Railway, take the Scenic Walkway and finally take the Scenic Cableway back to the top to take the Scenic Skyway back to where we started from. We would then walk around the Katoomba Falls area to the other lookouts. In theory, that was our plan. The reality was a diﬀerent matter.

There was a long queue to take the Scenic Skyway to the other side. Before taking the Scenic Railway, we had to queue to buy our Scenic World wristband tickets. Having bought them, we had to join another queue for the Scenic Railway. This took over 30 minutes, surrounded by screaming babies and children. It was very annoying and time-consuming. The train ride down was well worth the wait and was spectacular as it was so steep. I can only imagine what it must have been like for the miners, all those years ago, as our brief journey was sanitised for the tourists. Time was our worst enemy. We had so much to see and so little time. We did a shortened version of the Scenic Walkway, and the views of the mine and the trees from the wooden walkway along the floor of the lush Jamison Valley were amazing. Once again, we had to queue for over 30 minutes amongst screaming babies and children, testing everyone's patience to take the Scenic Cableway back to the top. And what views did we have as we glided slowly to the top!! We were annoyed with Scenic World, the queues and the other tourists who seemed to lack social skills or spatial awareness. However, after some time, we both agreed that the whole Scenic World encounter was well worth the crowds, the queues, the screaming babies and the feral children.

This is just a small selection of our photos.

Afterwards, we took the same trail as we'd taken the day before because we had a cloudless blue sky, and we wanted to replace the photos we took beneath the cloudy skies of yesterday. When we returned to our campsite at 18:00, the sun had dropped behind the trees, as did the temperature. The weather forecast for the evening was for clear skies, light winds and a temperature of 6C. Never believe all the hype that during our English winter, it's the height of summer in Australia! This was our last night in the Blue Mountains, and we had to have our heating on all night.

4.3 The Grampians National Park

12 February 2025

Lisa:

The next day, we left the coast and the Great Ocean Road behind and went inland into the mountains. Our next destination was the Grampians National Park. At the start of our journey, we'd read in the newspapers about bushfires and the severe destruction in the Grampians. We also met a couple from Belgium who told us they had to leave the Grampians National Park because the bushfire was nearing their campsite. When we enquired in one of the tourist information centres as to whether it was now, 8 weeks later, safe to visit the area, staff assured us that it was safe in the Eastern side of the Grampians, Gaps Hall, where we wanted to go. But bushfires could easily flare up again; we had to be on our guard. They urged us to download the Grampians Emergency App, which would keep us informed about the latest state of the bushfires and when and what actions to take. When we approached the Grampians, some roads leading further into the National Park's centre were closed. Our app warned of new fires in the centre of the Grampians but indicated the eastern part was still okay. This, however, could change rapidly.

We had a coffee and tea in the small town of Dunkeld and then drove on. The deeper we came into the mountains, the more we could see the damage the fire had done. It was surreal driving along the road for over 40 km, through forests with blackened trees, burnt-down tree stumps and bushes. We stopped several times to take photos. We were horrified by the extent of the fire damage.

However, it was amazing that while you would assume everything was dead after the fire, on many trees and bushes, new green leaves were growing, new shoots and signs of life and survival. That gave us hope, and our depressed mood lifted. Nature has a habit of repairing itself.

New growth - Nature has a habit of repairing itself.

We arrived in the small town of Halls Gap, had another coffee, and visited the local tourist centre to explore the area and the walking opportunities. Then we set up camp in the Halls Gap NRMA Campsite. This site was okay, but the amenities were a bit dated and could do with a bit of love and tender care. The weather was great - blue sky and warm, no wind! We quickly went for a walk to make the best of the weather, as the forecast for the next day was rain. From the many available walks in the area, we chose a moderate 2 1/2 hour walk, passing by the Clemetis Waterfalls, which unfortunately did not have any water as it was the height of summer. It was already mid-afternoon, and the temperatures were in their mid-30s. So, we decided, instead of walking the whole way to Chautauqua Peak, which would take us probably another 3 hours there and back, to continue until we came to a lookout from where we had stunning views of the mountains, the lake and the river next to our campsite.

Stunning views of the Grampians National Park

On our campsite were many kangaroos grazing on the green grass, mainly during the night, as one could see on the many piles of kangaroo shit all over the campsite. I was aware of this, but must have overlooked a dollop on the way back from the washroom facilities as I unknowingly stepped into it with both feet. As a result, there was kangaroo shit all over the floor of our campervan. How very annoying!!

This evening, we enjoyed our dinner outside, as it was warm and there was no wind.

Dave:

In the morning, sea mist had drifted in and obscured the sun but quickly cleared when we drove out of town towards our next destination, Halls Gap in the Grampians. The roads were ruler straight, and we drove through a flat landscape of tall straw-coloured grass with the occasional herd of cattle or stock (as they say hereabouts) that chomped on the grass.

As we progressed further inland beneath a cloudless blue sky, the heat increased, and we could see hills in the distance. My mind wandered, and I realised one colour was missing - green. We stopped for a coﬀee break in a small town called Dunkeld. It is a pleasant town, if somewhat small. The young waitress who served us was from Preston, near my home town. The distant hills became the Grampians National Park.

Driving into the Grampisans Nationial Park

There had been a major bushfire a month or so ago, and we drove between burnt-out, decimated bushland on both sides of the road and the hills beyond for over 40km. We stopped often to record the destruction. Amazingly, some burnt-out bushes had new growth sprouting from the branches. The power of nature to renew itself was impressive to see.

Warning signs inform about the fire risk in the area

We arrived in the town of Halls Gap at 14:00 and stopped to check out the shops and the information centre to see what walks we could do. I bought a neoprene stubby holder for myself, and Lisa bought a boomerang as a birthday present for her brother Hans. A stubby is a bottle of beer. You put your beer in a stubby holder to stop your hand from warming the beer. Ideal for our summer BBQs.

We continued to the NRMA Halls Gap Holiday Park campsite, where we'll spend the next two nights. The amenities were okay, but as we found with other NRMA campsites, they could do with a little sprucing up. The temperature app on my phone registered 37C. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, nor even a hint of wind. At last, we had some good weather. We had a short rest and then walked towards the Chautauqua Peak. It was too late to walk all the way to the peak, but we did manage to visit the Clemetis Falls, which was bone-dry, and continued upward to a viewpoint that overlooked the town. At 37C, it was a hot walk, and we were constantly looking for snakes in the bush beside the track. The views were wonderful, and we took several photos and then walked back. As we passed the village's grassy cricket oval, where kangaroos were feasting on the grass, we had a long chat with a guy who was here for a long weekend with his son and his grandchildren. Once again, we found the friendliest of the people we met were the ones who'd emigrated to Australia as children with their parents. He was originally from Holland and was married to a woman from Scotland. The walk took three hours, and when we got back, we caught up with our photos and diaries in our air-conditioned campervan.

At 19:30, it was still 35C as we sat outside at our table, drank beer, and watched the sun go down behind the mountains. There were plenty of flying bugs, too, so we had to smother ourselves in anti-mozzie cream. We ate our microwaved corn husks outside, and the smell brought dozens of white parakeets. At first, they were cute, but after a while, they became a nuisance by begging and squawking beside our feet or watching us from the roof of our campervan. What a noise they made, especially at sunrise or sunset, as do the other flying creatures. We had to be careful when visiting the shower block of kangaroo shit, too, from their nocturnal wanderings around the campsite.

There had been very few occasions when we could sit outside in the evenings during our Australian adventure, but tonight had been one of those nights. We ate our chicken Fajitas, savoured the hot, windless night and wondered when the next time we'd be able to sit outside in temperatures of 33C+. After our meal, we retired inside our air-conditioned campervan and were fast asleep by 22:00.

13 February 2025

Lisa:

When we woke up, it was cool and cloudy. Such weather is good for walking but not for photography. What a difference to the day before and what a disappointment. We went on a 4-hour round walk to the Pinnacle Lookout. The Pinnacle is one of the Grampians National Park's most iconic lookout points, offering panoramic views of Halls Gap, Lake Bellfield, and the surrounding valleys and cliffs. Considering Dave's knee, we decided to do the shortened pinnacle walk instead of the longer 8 km (7-8 hours) walk and started off from the Wonderland Carpark. Our path led us through interesting rock formations called the Grand Canyon, as they were similar but on a much smaller scale. Then, we walked through Silent Street, a narrow gorge with steep steps, before we crossed a rocky area and reached the Pinnacle Lookout, from where we had fantastic panoramic views over Halls Gap and the surrounding mountains.

Steep steps through the Silent Street Gorge

The walk was enjoyable because of the rock formations and because we met many other friendly walkers and chatted along the way. They were from Switzerland, Germany, Holland, England, and France. It was an international (primarily European) atmosphere of like-minded people. We told each other stories of our travels and our experiences and even touched on the recent worldwide political changes. It was astonishing how easygoing it was to talk to each other. We often felt we were not so at ease when talking to entrenched Australians. Was it the different culture? Yet, it seemed more natural to talk to Australians who had been travelling or working in Europe or had left with their parents at a young age. We found we had something in common and were on the same wavelength.

Despite talking, we looked everywhere but did not see any of the promised wildlife like kangaroos or wallabies, although one guy reported seeing a snake, which made us all look very careful where we stepped. We took many photos, and although the sky was not as blue as the day before, the views were impressive. Then, the black clouds in the sky threatened to burst, and we quickly went down the mountain and reached the campervan just before it started raining.

It had stopped raining in the evening, and we were determined to stay outside for our wine and dinner, but then it turned cold, and we had to go inside.

Dave:

The weather had changed overnight. The wind had picked up, clouds had been gathering, and the temperature had dropped to a more reasonable 28C. We breakfasted outside and afterwards caught up with our diaries and photos.

Halls Gap oﬀers various walking trails catering to diﬀerent fitness levels and interests. As we only had one day, we chose The Pinnacle Lookout, a return walk of 4.2km. It was classed as moderate to challenging and would take around four hours. Before we started the walk, the cutlery drawer kept flying open on the bends. So it was out with my multi-tool to retighten the screws. Another job done.

This iconic walk began at the Wonderland Carpark. It led us through unique rock formations, such as the Grand Canyon (a smaller-scale version of the American one, which featured impressive rock walls and formations) and Silent Street (a very narrow towering gorge that added a unique charm to the walk) before reaching the Pinnacle Lookout. And what panoramic views we had from there over Halls Gap and the surrounding landscape!

Stunning views from the Pinnacle Lookout over Halls Gap and surrounding landscape

This walk was just one of many in the surrounding area of Halls Gap and words cannot describe the notable sites on the way up and also on the way down. The walk was challenging for my knee, especially the walk back down. As we neared the end of the walk, we noticed a few drops of rain. Ten minutes later we were back at our campsite.

Today at the Pinncacle Lookout - tomorrow we move on.

The clouds started to evaporate after a drop of rain, which allowed us to sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy our beer whilst having a game of dominos. There was a Dutch couple in the camper beside us, and we had a goodly natter with the lady as she made her way to the campsite kitchen. Once again, we had a starter of microwaved corn husks, followed by Fajitas and a glass of wine and by 20:30, we were tired and watched a music video in bed. Tonight, we needed no air conditioning as the temperature was 23C.

4.2 The Great Ocean Road

5th February 2025

Lisa:

We set off early on Wednesday morning, shortly after 7 am, as we had a long drive before us. Our next destination was the Great Ocean Road. It would take us at least 5-6 hours. We enjoyed the drive through forest and bush, along the coast and inland, and passed yellow fields with straw and fields with grass where cows were feeding. Instead of driving back to Melbourne and getting stuck in the traffic, we followed a scenic road along the coast towards Sorrento, a charming seaside town, from where the Searoad Ferries crosses over to Queenscliff.

When we drove through Sorrento which its lovely historic limestone built houses that date back to the 1860s, the period the town was built, I would have liked to stay for a while. The small town looked relaxing; it felt like a place where you would love to spend a few days of holiday. Alas, we didn’t have time; we had a ferry to catch. We arrived at the ferry shortly before it took off. Unfortunately, there was no more space for a vehicle of our height (3m), so we had to wait an hour for the next one. Never mind! We used the time to get a coffee and tea from the kiosk and wanted to drink it sitting on the benches outside in the sunshine. But the cold wind quickly changed our minds. So we had our drinks inside the van, protected from the wind.

The ferry crossing was a peaceful 45-minute cruise. The sun was shining, but unfortunately, again, the cold wind made it unpleasant, and the only way to hide from it was if one went inside the boat. However, we didn't want to do that because the view of the blue sea and the blue sky was stunning. So I wrapped up warm.

In Queenscliff, we continued our journey to Torquay, which is the start of the famous Great Ocean Road. Here we stocked up with essential food, wine and excellent fish. Then we drove on and arrived mid-afternoon at our destination, the Big4 Anglesey Holiday Park. It had excellent facilities. The showers were clean, and instead of a tiny shower cubicle as we had on most of the campsites we'd stayed at, one had a suite with a toilet, washing basin and a shower unit with a big area to dry yourself off. Even a heater on the ceiling was welcome in the mornings and evenings when it was chilly. The washing machines and dryers in the launderette were new and everything was clean and well looked after. What luxury! Unfortunately, we only stayed here for two days.

Dave:

We were up at 06:15. The night before, it was so hot we should've switched on the air conditioning. What a diﬀerence 24 hours makes. Last night, it turned cold, and we had to close all the windows and the top hatch. There was another egg problem, and the shops and supermarkets were in short supply. We had an eggless breakfast and left the campsite at 07:15. We had a long day ahead of us to reach Anglesea, where our next Big4 campsite was. We'd decided to drive to Sorrento and take the ferry across Melbourne Bay to Queenscliﬀ. This would avoid having to drive through Melbourne. The cost of the ferry for us both and the camper was AUD 125 (£62.83), a concessionary fare for people of 'mature years'. This cost was oﬀset by the savings we made on fuel by a shorter distance and by not using Melbourne's expensive toll roads.

From Queenscliﬀ, we drove to a vast Coles supermarket in Torquay to restock. What a fantastic supermarket this was. We bought squid tubes, large black tiger prawns, Barramundi fish, fruit, sweetcorn husks and plenty of vegetables to last us for the next 3 or 4 days. This supermarket had eggs! Next door to the supermarket was a bottle shop where we stocked up on wine and beer.

Clouds had returned during the day; even so, it was still hot. We arrived at Big4 Anglesea Holiday Park at 16:00, and our designated parking site was first class, as was the site itself. After we'd settled in, we walked into the small town, bought a set of dominos and stopped in a cafe for a well-deserved cappuccino. On our way back to the site, the clouds evaporated, and the sun appeared.

At 19:30, the clouds had returned; it was cool and windy too. We drank our beers in the camper and decided to eat inside as it wasn't pleasant outside. The big black tiger prawns starter never tasted better, and so too the squid tubes in onions, tomato, and peppers smothered in garlic paste.

6th February 2025

Lisa:

The next morning, wrapped up warm, we had breakfast outside, flanked by a group of cockatoos. They were cute and I tried to take some pictures of one of them drinking water from a leaking water tap. While I enthusiastically took pictures of them, a service buggy stopped outside the shower area to supply fresh towels. The driver, a member of staff, scared away two of the cockatoos that had ascended on his vehicle, calling them a pest. Only later did I understand his comments after we also experienced how persistent and pushy these birds were, constantly begging for food and making lots of noise.

We explored the lovely, sleepy town of Anglesey, walked along the river, and strolled along the vast beach. Anglesey is known for its stunning beaches with beautiful coastal views, crystal clear waters and a relaxed vibe. At the beach one can find fascinating rock formations along the coastline. They consist of weathered sandstone and limestone cliffs, which have been shaped by years of wind and wave erosion. Anglesey is also known for its coastal walks. We decided to do a walk that covered several bays. We walked along the beach and returned via the cliff path, which gave us excellent views of the bay. It was fascinating and we could not get enough of it. At midday, we had a picnic with sardines and bread. At a beach cafe, we had the best cappuccino for a long time.

On this day it was hot, 32C, lovely. That’s the way I like it. At the end of our beach walk, once we were back at Anglesey Beach, we went for a splash into the sea. The water was cold but refreshing and it felt good. When we got out, we let the heat of the sun dry our wet skins.

In the evening, we cooked an excellent Barramundi fish and ate it outside on our table, wrapped up warm as it was getting cold again. But we were determined to sit outside. So far, we have had only a few evenings on our Australian trip where it was warm enough to have our dinner outside. It was a wonderful relaxing day. I would have stayed there for much longer, but we had to move on to the next part of the Great Ocean Road.

Dave:

We both had another poor night's sleep. Maybe it was the wind that continuously battered the campervan during the night. We breakfasted outside, together with several white cockatoos chirruping in the branches of the tree above, and whilst we did, the sun appeared. Lisa took a load of washing to the onsite launderette, and whilst we waited for it to finish, we answered emails, wrote our diaries, downloaded photos and updated our travel blog. At 11:00, we set oﬀ to walk along the Anglesea river bank to the beach. We walked along the golden beach, beneath a brilliant blue sky, across the bay to Point Roadknight. We stopped and had a long natter with a guy with his drone. He was working for a government department and was mapping the coastal erosion of the area. Many people were on the beach, especially the surfers at Point Roadknight. The cliﬀ corrosion we passed and the rock formations on the peninsula were spectacular, as was the breaking surf - another surfers' paradise. We walked around the rocky peninsula, across a sand dune, back to the bay we'd recently walked along and found a place beneath a shady tree, as the sun was so intense. We sat down on the curb to eat a lunch of tinned sardines with a slice of bread. A bit later, we came across a surfers' cafe and stopped for a welcome cappuccino.

View of the Anglesey Beach from the Cliffs

We took the Roadknight walking track back. The dirt track kept to the cliﬀ inside the bush, and the partial shade made a welcome relief from the sun. We took a small dirt road that led down to the beach. This was for the lifeguards in case of an emergency. We left our kit beside the three female lifeguards, went for a welcome swim, and sunbathed afterwards. I could see why Australians love the beaches so much.

In the evening, the wind had dropped, and it was a pleasure to sit outside for dinner. We had microwaved sweetcorn in its husk, smothered in butter and salt for a starter, followed by barramundi fish steaks marinated with onions, peppers and tomatoes. We were tired after a busy day and, by 21:30, were fast asleep.

7th February 2025

Lisa:

This morning, we left early to drive to our next stop on the Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell. As we saw on Google Maps, our next destination was a small town with only a general store rather than a big supermarket. So, we needed to stock up on fish in Anglesey. Alas, they only had frozen or sad-looking, expensive fish in the supermarket. We bought a few black tiger prawns that looked fresh. The friendly guy at the checkout recommended we try the butcher's shop in town, as he also sold fish. When we entered the butcher's shop, the older lady behind the counter gave us a dirty look. She obviously did not like tourists. I pointed to one of the fish (a white filet) and asked what kind of fish this was. "That's a fish" was the answer. Okay, and what fish is that, pointing to small long filets? Answer: "That's a fish. They are all fish." I had to giggle. That was not the answer I was looking for. I wanted to know whether this fish had bones, where it came from, whether from Australia or Vietnam, as many of their fish do. What type of fish it was. We looked at each other and were unsure what to make of her, whether she was thick or simply rude. Then her phone rang, and she answered it. We were just about to walk out of the shop when a young lad appeared behind the counter with a big smile on his face. We bought white fish filets from him (we still don't know what fish it was) that should last us for the next few days, and he gave us a lemon for free because we had bought 20 AUD worth of fish. A lady customer, presumably to make up for the rude behaviour of the old dragon shop owner, tried to search on her phone to show me what fish we had just bought. She could not find it, so we thanked her for her efforts anyway and left the shop. The old dragon was still on her phone when we left.

We continued our journey west towards Port Campbell. This was the famous Great Ocean Road, which had many viewing points to stop along the road. Unfortunately, we could not stop everywhere as we had a long way to drive to our next destination. We met lots of tourists at each stop, keen to take photographs and selfies. Each time, there was a race to the sites because of the limited parking spaces. We saw many good sites with excellent views. We stopped at the famous lighthouse at Airley's Inlet, and shortly after in Apollo Bay for coffee and a scallop pie. The road then led inland through the beautiful rainforest of the Otway National Park, and when the road came back to the coast, we stopped at Castle Cove for a sardine picnic lunch. Shortly before we arrived at Port Campbell, we stopped at the Twelve Apostles National Park Visitor Centre and admired the 'Apostles', a collection of limestone stacks of which only seven remain (one collapsed, but there were never 12; it's possibly only a nice story to attract visitors).

The weather became windy and unpleasant, and we were happy when we arrived at our campsite, the NMRA Port Campbell Holiday Park, where we could warm up with a cup of tea. Again, it was too cold to have our dinner outside, but we immensely enjoyed our tiger prawns and the fish, whose species we still didn't know, with the lemon given to us by the lovely lad.

Dave:

We were awake at 06:15, so we made a brew and read the latest news on our phones. We had breakfast of poached eggs, which made a welcome change from fried eggs, with the added benefit of not having to clean the frying pan afterwards as the campervan didn't have a spatula, only a large ladle. We planned where to stop on our way to our next campsite, the NRMA Port Campbell Holiday Park in the town of Port Campbell. We refuelled, emptied the toilet cassette and set off.

Australia's famous Great Ocean Road stretches 243 km along Victoria's southwest coast and is one of Australia's most iconic drives. Renowned for its breathtaking coastal scenery, lush rainforests, and dramatic limestone formations, it combines natural beauty with rich history. It was built by returned WWI soldiers between 1919 and 1932 as a war memorial. The road symbolises resilience and remembrance. The purpose of the road was to provide post-war employment and to honour the soldiers, with the project showcasing engineering feats through manual labour.

We stopped many times along the spectacular, narrow, twisting road to take photos and admire the views. Many stretches of this road had been hewn out of the cliﬀ face, and I could only imagine what courage it must've taken over 100 years ago to undertake such a task. We stopped for coﬀee and a delicious scallop pie in the busy tourist town of Apollo Bay and bought a wooden spatula from a small supermarket. More fried eggs for breakfast! The Great Ocean Road (GOR) progressed inland through the rainforest and emerged at Castle Cove, where we lunched on our favourite dish - tinned sardines with a slice of bread. The GOR then turned north and continued inland through the rainforest. It rejoined the coast just after Princeton, and shortly after, we stopped at the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park Visitors Centre. This was a huge car park to accommodate those who wanted to see the world-famous Twelve Apostles. It must've been world-famous because there was coach after coach of Chinese, Japanese, Indians and many other nationalities. China and Japan must've been empty, as they all seemed to be in Australia. At each and every photo opportunity, they got so close they would literally rub shoulders with us. Beside the car park was a helicopter pad with four helicopters landing and taking oﬀ. We saw Chinese and Japanese people queuing, and they paid AUD175 to take a 15-minute helicopter ride over the coast to see the 12 Apostles and many of the other equally famous landmarks. They seemed to have more money than sense because the weather was cloudy and extremely windy.

We arrived at our campsite and hooked up next to another campervan. We had a long friendly chat with the people next to us, who were originally from England. We'd met many people who originally came from the UK, and we got along well with them. Perhaps it was the English accent, as they noticed that we were English/Europeans and not Australians.

The wind had increased, and it was cloudy and cool as we toured our campsite to find out where all the amenities were.

8th February 2025

Lisa:

On Saturday mid-morning, we walked to the village. There was a sports event with many spectators on the beach of the bay. We went there to find out what was going on. It was the annual local sea swimming competition, where the swimmers had to swim twice all around the bay. The water was icy cold, and it was a challenging task because of the storm, the many rocks, and the incoming tide. Because of the unusually stormy conditions, the swimming route had been cut from three lapses to two. The spectators greeted every swimmer who completed the course, ran out of the surf, up the beach and crossed the finishing line with great applause. There were several groups of swimmers of various ages and abilities. The competition continued long after we left.

We had things to see: We drove back along the Great Ocean Road and admired the rock formations and bays. Pounded by wild seas and fierce winds, the soft limestone cliffs of the coast of Port Campbell National Park and the Bay of Islands Coastal Park have been eroded over thousands of years and sculptured the cliffs into rock stacks, arches, and islands. Many ships have been stranded on this rocky coastline, giving the bay the name the shipwreck coast. The area is well-organised, and the beautiful sites are accessible via walkways and viewing platforms. It was fascinating walking along the walkways above the cliffs and seeing the various formations of rocks and grottos surrounded by stormy water. Like hundreds of other tourists, we visited places such as London Bridge, the Grotto, the Bay of Martyrs and the Bay of Islands. Dave will describe in more detail the sites we visited. We then had a short break in a cafe in Peterborough to warm up before we continued to visit other sites.

Dave:

I was awake at 06:15, and it had been a cool and very windy night. Thick clouds greeted us and the forecast was for much of the same throughout the day. There was a short, sharp shower as we breakfasted. After we'd written our diaries and checked emails, we took a short walk through the campsite's back gate to the beach. A yearly swimming competition was in progress between the surrounding towns' long-distance sea swimming clubs. Four markers were placed in the bay and the competition was to see who was the fastest to run through the surf, complete two circuits of the markers in the bay and then swim back through the surf and run up the beach to the finish line. The route had been shortened because of the wind, the sea swell and the outgoing tide. If you were to see the rough sea and pounding surf, you would say these people were mad. Having said that, there were 25 people on surfboards, several boats and Marshalls watching from the jetty,

plus three lifeguards in the water to support them if the tide and the surf got the better of them. Brave souls indeed, and they were well supported by the crowds.

We drove further west along the Great Ocean Road and stopped at various viewing areas of famous sites within the Port Campbell National Park, London Bridge, The Grotto, and the Bay of Islands Coastal Park; Bay of Martyrs, Bay of Islands and Boat Bay. Every single one of the famous places we stopped took our breath away and were greatly enriched by the gales, the stormy seas, the dramatic colourful cliﬀs and the lowering skies. Afterwards, we drove back to our campsite, and it remained cold, windy and cloudy. Around 19:00, the weather turned really miserable and we had frequent spells of showery rain. Our campsite, usually busy with children racing around on bicycles and people sitting outside chatting, eating and drinking, was as quiet as a tomb.

We chose to stay for three days at the NRMA Port Campbell Holiday Park because it was an excellent base for exploring the most popular highlights of the Great Ocean Road. Here are the must-see sights that we visited:

1. Twelve Apostles (10 min drive). The most famous landmark along the Great Ocean Road, these limestone stacks rise dramatically from the ocean. Best viewed at sunrise or sunset.

2. Loch Ard Gorge (5 min drive). A stunning cove with turquoise waters, towering cliﬀs, and a tragic shipwreck history. You can explore several walking trails and viewpoints and nearby is the small cemetery where they buried some of those that perished.

The Story of the Loch Ard Shipwreck (1878).

The Loch Ard, a three-masted clipper, sailed from England to Melbourne when it met disaster on 1st June, 1878. Three months into the voyage and just days away from its destination, the ship was caught in heavy fog near the coast. Before the crew could react, it struck a reef near Muttonbird Island, close to what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge. Of the 54 people on board, only two survived. Eva Carmichael (18), an Irish immigrant travelling with her family and Tom Pearce (18), a ship's apprentice, who managed to swim to shore and then returned to the sea to rescue Eva. Tom found shelter in a cave, later helping Eva reach safety. He eventually climbed the cliﬀs to seek help from a nearby homestead. Despite public hopes for a romance between the two survivors, Eva returned to Ireland, while Tom went on to a successful naval career.

3. Gibson Steps (10 min drive). Descend the 86 steps down the cliﬀside to the beach for an up-close view of the limestone stacks and massive cliﬀs.

4. London Bridge (London Arch) (10 min drive). A naturally formed rock arch that once connected to the mainland before partially collapsing in 1990.

5. The Grotto (12 min drive). A picturesque rock formation where a sinkhole meets the ocean, creating a natural rock pool.

6. The Arch (8 min drive). Another rock formation shaped by the sea, oﬀering a great photo opportunity.

7. Bay of Martyrs & Bay of Islands (15-20 min drive). Less crowded than the Twelve Apostles but equally stunning, these coastal viewpoints showcase dramatic rock formations and endless ocean views.

Here is a selection of our photos of these sites:

9th February 2025

Lisa:

It had rained at night, and the campsite was muddy. It was windy and cold, and further rain was forecast. That's not how we imagined Australia. We had dreamed of spending most of our time outdoors and having breakfast and dinners outside in the sunshine. But now we spent most of the time indoors in our little cramped campervan because it was too cold and windy to stay outside. Never mind. We are here, and we make the best of it.

The day before, a lovely lady in the Port Campbell Visitor Centre suggested what was interesting to do in the area. So, this morning, Sunday, we went back to the Twelve Apostles National Park Visitor Centre and walked down the Gibson Steps to see the formation and the cliffs from the beach. We then admired the Razorback rock, whose name comes from its jagged, narrow form. After that, we explored the rock formations on the western side of Port Campbell, which is equally beautiful but less known and less visited by tourists. Afterwards, we visited the site of the Loch Ard shipwreck, whose story Dave will describe.

In preparation for this trip, we had searched for information on the Great Ocean Road and most photos showed the stunning rock formations against a bright blue sky. That is what we expected to see. Yet, what we’ve got is quite a different picture: grey skies, rain, storms, wind, and sea mist. After the first disappointment, we changed our mindset and began to photograph these famous sea stacks against the background of stormy seas, when the gales smashed the waves against the rocks, which best explains how the erosion of the twelve Apostles and other limestone rocks came about.

We were very impressed with each site and admired the colour of the rocks, the dry, wild and sturdy bush vegetation on top of the cliffs. We were also looking for wildlife but could not find any, possibly because there were too many tourists during the day. Yet, having said that, I found Dave sitting on a bench on one of the viewing platforms looking at his photos, and he had not noticed that an echidna (an Australian type of porcupine) was walking towards him. I photographed her, but when Dave moved, she quickly disappeared underneath the boards of the boardwalk.

Tomorrow, we will continue our drive west along the Great Ocean Road, which ends in Warrnambool.

Dave:

There was a disco nearby, and at 01:30, the noise of drunken youths was deafening. Maybe that was the aftermath of the swimming competition? No wonder the Australian police had forbidden drinking in public places. At 07:00, there was a leaden sky, and the wind continued to blow. I woke Lisa and made a brew. It had rained overnight, and people had left or were in the process of leaving the campsite. I checked the temperature on my watch, and it was 18C, but it felt like 13C.

We retraced our steps and drove oﬀ to explore the other famous sites to the east of Port Campbell: Gibson Steps, Lock Ard Gorge and the cemetery where they buried some that perished in the shipwreck. From there, we drove back to Port Campbell and found a coﬀee shop for a cuppa and a meat pie. Delicious! Afterwards, we drove to Timboon, a small inland town. The wind continued to blow, and the sky threatened rain as we walked around exploring the town. There had been a farmers market, but when we arrived it had just ended. We got back to the campsite at 16:00. The site was almost deserted as most people had come for the weekend. The weather improved, and the rain eased off, but the wind continued to blow. The internet was still down on the campsite as it was for the whole town.

10th February 2025

Lisa:

We had an early start as we wanted to get to our next destination, Port Fairy, where the weather forecast predicted sunshine and a temperature of 25C. That sounded much better than the 18C (but felt 13C) in Port Campbell. We quickly wanted to get away from the bad weather and from this campsite, which was muddy and neglected. We stocked up at a big supermarket in Warrnambool, just after the Great Ocean Road ended at Allansford, and it was still cold and windy when we drove on.

When we approached Port Fairy, the sun came out, and we entered a charming little coastal town. It has stunning beaches, rugged cliffs and a relaxing atmosphere. The town centre has beautiful historic buildings dating back to the 19th century. We strolled along the main streets, which have many shops and cafes. We had tea and coffee in the old Bakehouse, famous for its scallop pies. They were delicious. Then we made our way to the campsite, which was much nicer than that in Port Campbell. The shower and toilet areas may have been dated, but were pleasant and clean. We immediately felt at home.

Unfortunately, it was still very windy, but at least the sun was out. We went for a drive to explore the area and walked along a coastal path on Griffith Island, a popular spot for nature lovers and known for its walking trails, stunning views of the surrounding coastline and historic lighthouse. We accessed the island via a causeway and walked along the coastal path over black rocks and sandy beaches to the lighthouse, which had been built in 1859 and is still operational today. We walked around it and enjoyed the views. It was sunny but very windy, so we did not linger for long.

We returned to our campsite, and after dinner, I persuaded Dave to play a game of dominos, which I had bought in a shop in Anglesey a few days ago. He won; every time. That's annoying. I have to practice to win.

Dave:

The wind had dropped a little overnight, but it was still overcast. At 08:15, we drove out of the campsite towards our next destination, the Big4 Port Fairy Holiday Park in Port Fairy. It was as though a weight had been lifted from our shoulders as the campsite, which had seen better days, had a depressed air about it, which wasn't helped by the gloomy weather. We drove through Peterborough toward Warrnambool, where we stopped just before 10:00 at a Coles supermarket in a large shopping centre to restock. We were counting down the days before we dropped oﬀ the campervan at the Apollo depot in Sydney and estimated what we would need. Too little and we'd be thirsty and hungry; too much and we'd have to throw it away. We'd booked two more campsites, but there was no guarantee they would have general stores, nor in the nearby towns.

We continued through a monotonous, lifeless landscape on roads as straight as rulers beneath a cloudy sky. We drove into Port Fairy to get an overview of the town, and as we did, the sun appeared - a good omen. We parked on the main street to explore and check out the town's IGA supermarket and were impressed with it. We asked if they sold scallop pies, and they didn't, but the lady we asked told us who sold them - the old Bakehouse around the corner and also added that they were the best in the world. Quite a statement. We sat at an outdoor table and ordered their 'best in the world' scallop pies and cups of tea and coﬀee. Yes, they were very good indeed.

We drove to our campsite, checked in and set up camp.

What a diﬀerence between this camp and our last one. We were back to a landscape of green open spaces and clean facilities. It is a very well-run campsite indeed.

After a short rest, we drove back into town beneath a blue cloudless sky and parked by the jetty. The map we were given at our campsite reception showed a 3km walk around a small island, which also featured a lighthouse. The island was called Griﬃth Island and was home to a colony of short-tailed shearwater birds, also known as mutton birds by the whalers who frequented this island years ago. They called them mutton birds because of their meat and oil. This was the birds' breeding season, and we had to keep to the dirt path. In parts, we had to walk along sandy beaches and small coves - thankfully, the sea was at low tide. It was a wonderful walk, albeit bracing, as the gale-force wind was so strong we couldn't

wear our sun hats for fear of losing them. The island was also partially protected by black reefs, which produced tremendous waves as the surf crashed into them.

When we got back to the campsite, we completed our daily tasks of diaries and photos. Afterwards, Lisa cooked the black tiger prawns and ling fish fillets we'd bought from Coles supermarket. Delicious!

11th February 2025

Lisa:

We woke up to a beautiful day with sunshine; even the wind had dropped. After breakfast, we went back into town. During our time in Australia, we had good experiences with the staff in Tourist Information Centres. They know their area and are always keen to offer information and recommendations. So in Port Fairy, too. Equipped with maps and a list of recommendations, we left the centre and explored the little town and its beaches. Unfortunately, we missed their annual Jazz Festival, which happened over the last weekend. It was one of the few days during our trip when the sun was shining, and it was warm and not too windy. Therefore, after walking around town a bit, we opted to spend the afternoon on the beach.

We found a beautiful little sheltered beach with the wonderful name of Pea Soup Beach, and here we settled for a few hours. We took in the sun and the warmth and splashed in the water. The water was not very deep, and swimming was limited, but we immensely enjoyed our time there. Soon, it was time to go back. We walked around the beautiful Griffith Island one last time, visited the lighthouse, and afterwards returned to the campsite.

Dave:

I woke at 06:45 and Lisa shortly after. Lisa put a load of washing in the campsite's washing machine whilst I prepared breakfast. There was less wind today; it was warmer, and the sun shone out of a cloudless sky. We drove to the Tourist Information Centre to see what was on oﬀer and afterwards shared a scallop pie in the Bakehouse, together with a brew.

There are four Pea Soup beaches in town to choose from, and we chose Pea Soup Beach number 1. This was a sheltered beach and protected by the dark rocky reefs. We spent a few hours swimming and sunbathing until 15:30. This was our last afternoon in Port Fairy, and we decided to walk around Griﬃths Island to visit the lighthouse one last time. The colony of short-tailed shearwater must've been nearing the time of migration, for they were very active. The 3km walk around the island was wonderful, especially as the wind had dropped and the views of the blue sky and the Southern Ocean breakers crashing against the black reefs took your breath away.

Yes, it's a town you'd want to return to.

4.1. Wilsons Prom National Park

31 January 2025

Lisa:

The journey back to Melbourne was not as smooth as we'd expected. We had a few arguments with the Airline, Jetstar. We had booked, via Trailfinders, an economy return flight from Melbourne to Hobart. On the way out with Virgin Airways, there were no problems, but the rules had changed on the way back with Jetstar. They allowed only 7 kg of hand luggage and were adamant about it. This was a problem for us, as our hand luggage was 8.5kg (me) and 10.5kg (Dave). We wore everything we could, like hats, scarves, earphones, and jackets.

However, we were still over the limit with our expensive camera gear, lithium battery packs, and cables. Our point of argument was that you are not allowed to put Lithium batteries into the hold luggage, and we did not want to have our cameras thrown around in the hold. We had purchased 20kg of luggage space in the hold with our tickets, which we had not used up. (I had 14 kg and Dave 16.8 kg.) All negotiations and arguments did not help. We had to pay AUD 150 (£75) for the two of us. It was not a great amount; even so, we felt cheated, as there was no problem on the flight to Hobart. We felt this was not a friendly, relaxed sign of Australian hospitality. Did I see a sign of satisfaction on the Jetstar lady's face when I handed her our card to pay? Yes! That's the problem sometimes when you book a cheap flight. Not so cheap after all.

That evening, we commiserated with an excellent Barramundi fish dinner and a bottle of Australian red Shiraz at our Holiday Inn airport hotel in Melbourne.

1 February 2025

Dave:

After an excellent breakfast in the hotel, I ordered an Uber taxi for 09:15, and by 09:30, we were dropped oﬀ at Melbourne's Apollo campervan depot. There was a queue at the check-in desk. We completed all the necessary paperwork with the very eﬃcient manager. We explained the problems we had experienced in Tasmania, and he refunded us a day's campervan hire and apologised that he couldn't do more. There was another wait whilst they washed and checked our campervan since we'd so many problems with our previous one. Great. At 11:30, our campervan was ready and waiting for us outside. We went to inspect it, but there was a problem. This campervan was 7m long. We insisted on a 5m campervan, as that was the one we'd ordered way back in the summer. The smaller one was more manageable and easier to park in supermarket carparks, and Lisa would feel uncomfortable driving the bigger campervan. They didn't have the smaller 5m van. Several phone calls were made; it took another two hours before they sourced one. We drove away at 13:30 and had to stop to refuel, as our package was to start with a full fuel tank and return with an empty one - another delay. We kept the receipt and will get a refund when we return the campervan to the Appollo depot in Sydney.

We relied on our TomTom to guide us through Melbourne to our next destination: Big4 Wilsons Prom Holiday Park. As we drove through Melbourne, there were many toll roads, and the traﬃc was horrendous. There was an accident on the motorway, and the traﬃc ground to a halt. We inched along and saw many ambulances, fire engines and police cars. An Apollo campervan had smashed into a car. The front nearside of the campervan had taken the full force of the impact, and the driver's side of the car it had hit had been pushed in. We immediately thought of the people in front of us at the Apollo Depot who'd just driven oﬀ in similar campervans. Shortly after, Lisa found a Coles Supermarket on her mobile, so we took a short detour and stocked up with some excellent fish, vegetables and wine from the adjacent bottle shop. We arrived at the campsite at 18:15, and it was very windy.

It had gone 20:00 by the time we'd hooked up, unpacked our cases, and put away our supplies. We drank a beer and cooked a starter of microwaved corn cob husks, followed by black tiger prawns and pink ling fish. That really hit the spot after a very busy and tiring day. We watched a music video and, at 22:15, were fast a sleep.

Lisa:

This campervan they gave us was 7m long and would stick out everywhere we parked it. I would not be comfortable driving such a big monster around the small roads of the National Parks. The lovely people at Apollo thought they were doing us a favour and that we would be pleased about the upgrade and having more space in the van; they could not understand that we did not want it. We insisted that we wanted what we had ordered - a 5m long mini campervan. But, they did not have one amongst the long row of campervans parked outside. Unbelievable!

Amongst the fleet of campervans was no Apollo mini to find?

The staff frantically searched, phoned, and emailed to find such a campervan. Eventually, after 2 hours, they found one. There was no time to wash it, so we took it as it was and quickly drove off as we were running out of time and still had another four hours of driving to reach our next destination. It was a high miler, rattling, and, as we realised later, had a few faults, and some things did not work. But there was no way of us complaining, as this was the size of campervan we'd originally ordered.

It took a long time to get out of Melbourne and fight through traffic jams in the city and on the motorway as it was a weekend. I phoned the campsite to inform them that we were running late. No problems. After paying the remaining fee per phone, they gave me instructions on the site's access codes and facilities. We arrived shortly after 6 pm at the Big4 Wilsons Prom Holiday Park. It was very windy, and it had just started to rain. Our site was directly on the beach. In the safety of our campervan, we could see the surfers sailing up and down the waves, enjoying the gales and the rain. Weird people, these Australians.

2 February 2025

Lisa:

The next morning, it stopped raining, and we had breakfast outside, gazing over the bay. Eating outside was a rare occasion for us as it was often too cold or windy. After breakfast, we explored the area and walked through a forest trail to Duck Point. The 20 or so dark birds we saw in the distance did not look like ducks. They elegantly held their heads high, and as we came nearer, it turned out they were black swans gliding through the waves - no sight of any ducks at Duck Point.

In the early afternoon, the sun came out, and it was hot. We drove into the Wilsons Prom National Park and into the Tidal River Area. The drive was incredible, leading through kilometres of bushland and gentle hills. From there, one can take many walks around the National Park. We went to the Tidal River Caravan Park. The caravan site was busy and fully booked. We were glad we had not chosen this site beside the Tidal River, which was the only campsite within the National Park. The campsite had 484 sites and was packed with huge pickups, huge caravans and huge campervans.

As we heard later, the Australian Government had only recently decided to waive the fees for all national parks in mainland Australia until June. So, many people took the opportunity to explore the National Parks on weekends and holidays, and staff in these parks, shops, and restaurants were overwhelmed by the number of visitors and could hardly cope.

At the dump point, we had to wait to be able to use the water hose to rinse our toilet cassette as the only water source was hogged by a group of young Australians with what looked like an expensive deepsea fishing boat who cleaned their boat and gutted their recently caught fish with the water running on full. Have you never heard of using water responsibly? I mumbled under my breath. As this is the height of summer in Australia, most campsites display signs asking everyone to please save water as water is scarce and to stick to a maximum of three minutes when showering. Never mind. After 10 minutes of waiting, Dave got impatient and asked to use their hose for a second. Reluctantly, they handed it over.

At the Tidal River Information Centre, we collected information about the various walks we could do over the next few days. We wanted to buy a bottle of water in their general store, but the price of AUD 8 for a 500ml bottle put us off. Not that we couldn't afford it, but it was the principle. Yes, we are tourists, but didn't want to be ripped off. In the General Store in the village of Yanakie near our campsite, the litre bottle of water only cost AUD 1.50.

On the way back, we stopped at a few viewing points and admired the stunning views of the various bays, which had blue water and an even bluer sky. At one of the viewing points, we met again the Indian family that had invited us earlier and generously shared their lunch with us. We then drove home and cooked the delicious fish we'd bought on the way down from Melbourne.

Dave:

The wind had dropped when we woke, the sea was calm and we could see in the

distance sea fog. We showered, caught up with our diaries and had breakfast

beside our campervan, looking out at the distant mountains on the other side of the bay. We took a short walk through the bush, which brought us out by the beach, from there we walked to the end of a small sandy peninsula and then back along the beach.

At the tip of the peninsula, we talked to a couple out walking their dog. They were originally from England, and we had a good natter to them. It was wonderful to be out walking again. It was hot, and there were extreme heat warning alerts and a big sign on their reception door to tell us the Government had issued warnings of bushfires, so no fires were allowed on the campsite.

At 13:45, we drove down to Wilsons Prom National Park to check out the walks in the area and to find out where their 'Dump Ezy' station was, as our campsite didn't have one for some reason. To empty our toilet cassette, we had to drive 26km to this one or to the town of Foster, the same distance to the north. There was a huge campsite in Tidal River, and it was fully booked. It was such a big site, they even had an outdoor cinema. This was a major area for walking, and it was very hot. We were amazed at all the many young girls who walked around with full makeup, false eyelashes and skimpy bikinis. I don't think they'd been out walking the trails. We checked out the campsite's only general store to see if they sold fish. They had none. They had crazy prices for everything. What a joke!

An Indian family was sitting at a bench beneath a covered area, having lunch that smelled delicious. They saw us looking at them, invited us over and oﬀered us small plates of Indian lamb curry and chicken. They were originally from Mumbai. We couldn't resist, and it was delicious. It reminded us of our time in Pune. We thanked them and left them to their delicious picnic.

Shortly afterwards, we drove back and stopped at one of the many viewing platforms beside the road. Who should be there but this Indian family? Their young children sat in the cars looking at their phones whilst the parents and grandparents took in the views. The Granny was so pleased when we thanked her again for the delicious curry. When we returned, we showered, had a cold beer, and cooked another delicious fish meal.

3 February 2025

Lisa:

The following day, we woke up looking at a lovely dawn through our van window. It soon clouded over but was still warm. We decided to explore the nearby towns and villages. In the nearby town of Foster, we went to the tourist information centre and let them inspire us what to do. The ever so friendly staff recommended their favourite places to visit, which is what we did. We drove through dry bush areas along the beaches of Yanakie, walked over the rocks of the Walkerville Bay, strolled to the Cape Liptrap Lighthouse in the Cape Liptrap Coastal Park and stopped at many lookout points to have a view of the many bays with their distinctive vegetation and landscape within the Wilsons Prom National Park. On the horizon, we could see dark rain clouds approaching, and from time to time, we could feel a slight drizzle, but the weather held. It was a very relaxing day.

Dave:

There was a wonderful sunrise, and we took photos of it from the open window. We decided to do the same bush-beach walk as yesterday. Afterwards, we showered and cooked breakfast, eating inside because of the many flies. The clouds had returned, but it was still hot. We drove to Fish Creek but didn't stop as there was nothing interesting. We continued onward to the town of Foster. It was a lovely town and one of those towns that felt just right. We found a supermarket and topped up our supplies and then found a lovely cafe opposite for an iced Vietnamese coﬀee (normal iced coﬀee, but with the addition of condensed milk) for me and for Lisa a pot of tea. We went to an information bureau to find out what we could do in the area. We then drove to Walkerville to find the famous Lime Kilns. We couldn't find them and only found a not-very-picturesque rocky beach. We then drove to Cape Liptrap lighthouse. This 9km drive along a dirt road brought back memories of Namibia and the rough washboard dirt roads. The side door kept springing open onto the safety latch, but when it did, a buzzer alarm sounded. This happened numerous times during the drive. When we got to the lighthouse car park, I got out my multitool pocket tool kit and adjusted the door during a shower of rain. The views of the sea and the gathering storm from the lighthouse were fantastic, and we took many photos.

Despite the showers, the temperature was 33C. We continued onwards to Sandy Point, a long sandy surfer's beach. We checked our compasses, and due south from here was Burnie, the place we drove through on the northern coast of Tasmanian. We took a shortcut back, refuelled in Yanakie, and got back to the campsite at 17:45. We showered and were glad it was windy, for the wind kept the flies away. We wrote our diaries and travel blog, had broccolini followed by fish for dinner and were fast asleep by 22:15.

4 February 2025

Lisa:

Again, we woke up to a stunning sunrise and went for a walk through the bush and back along the beach, and again, it clouded over.

We drove down to the Tidal River and from there up the hill to the car park, the starting point of a 3-hour round walk to the top of Oberon Mountain. The car park was packed, and one car was already waiting for early walkers to return and free up parking space. It was our neighbour from the campsite. He finally gave up waiting and decided to return later and do something else. We continued to wait and had an unpleasant encounter with an Australian family who snitched a parking space freed up just when they arrived. Anyway, we then moved some red traffic cones by half a metre so we had enough space to squeeze our campervan in, although we were parked outside the dedicated parking spaces. Later, when we returned, many more had followed our example, moved the red cones, and parked all along the road towards the car park. No problem.

We then started our steep uphill walk through the rain forest towards the top of the mountain. It was a hot and sticky day, and we were glad to walk in the shade occasionally. The many persistent and big flies were irritating, and we constantly flapped our hats to scare them away. I got bitten several times, and the bites itched horribly. These flies are called March flies. But they were early, and only a few. Imagine how it would be in March at their high season. Finally, we reached the top and were rewarded with fantastic views. Many people were sitting on rocks enjoying the view, and it felt good after a strenuous walk. The way back was quicker; luckily, Dave's knee held out well.

Stunning views from Mount Oberon in the Wilsons Prom National Park

We then drove along the long winding road through the National Park, visited some more viewing points, and had a picnic in one of the outlooks, which had a fantastic view over the bay and Bass Strait. Afterwards, we went to the Squeaky Beach (named so because when you walk on them, the shoes make a squeaky noise). This beach is supposed to be one of the best beaches in Australia, and the bay is striking with a long golden sandy beach. Quite a few people were in the water, splashing in the waves. The sun had come out, and it was hot. Lovely! We also went into the water. It was cold but very refreshing, and it felt good. That's what we were hoping for in Australia. Later in the evening, the wind came up, and it got colder again. The short summer was over.

Dave:

We had a poor night's sleep, maybe because it was too hot in the campervan. We stuck to our early morning routine: a walk through the bush and return via the beach. We decided to take the most popular walk in the park, a walk to the summit of Mount Oberon. We set oﬀ around 10:00 and arrived 30 minutes later at the Mount Oberon car park. The car park was full, and we waited for a space. 10 minutes later, a utility vehicle arrived at the same time as a couple who had returned from their walk to the summit. As they started to drive toward the now free parking space, I said we were here first; the lady in the passenger seat simply smiled and moved into the space the car had just driven out of. That's Australian hospitality for you.

The Grade 4 hike to the summit of Mount Oberon was a steady uphill climb, and the complete circuit of 8km took about 3 hours. This hike is the highlight of Wilsons Promontory National Park, and the panoramic costal views are something to die for. From the summit, you have vistas of the Tasman Sea, the oﬀshore islands and the park's mixture of bush and forest clinging to the sides of the steep surrounding hills.

Relaxing after a steep walk to the summit of Mount Oberon

It was indeed a steady, sweaty slog to the top, but the stupendous views were well worth the eﬀort. It was amazing to see how many people could cram onto the top of the boulders, taking photos of the views. The last part of the climb was a scramble between huge rocks and boulders. We started the hike beneath a cloudy sky, and when we reached the summit, we were bathed in sunshine.

When we returned, we drove to Squeaky Beach, so named for your shoes squeaked as you walked across the sand. We spent over an hour on the beach sunbathing and trying to swim in the relentless pounding surf. We would've loved to stay on the beach longer, but we had to be careful of the fierce afternoon sun on our delicate white skin. The conditions were perfect - sun, sea and lazing on the beach. We finally felt that this was the Australia that we'd visualised.

When we returned to the site we had to clean our towels and rucksacks and dry our sandals as a huge wave had come in whilst we were sunbathing and drenched them. We showered and wrote our diaries, and whilst we did, the clouds rolled in, and the wind picked up. When we removed the 13amp plug of our kettle from one of the upside-down power sockets, it was covered in sticky maple syrup. We investigated and found the shelf directly above the power-socket was covered in maple syrup. The previous people who'd rented the campervan must've spilt a jar of syrup and not cleaned it up properly. The 35C+ heat had caused the syrup to melt and run down the cable and into the power-socket. Lisa cleaned it up, and for the moment, it was okay. Another thing to report when we return the camper in Sydney. We ate inside our camper as it was too cold and windy to eat outdoors.

Epic Trip to Australia Part 2

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