Travel around the countryside...

road trip

We have travelled a few places around the world in past years..and we are now seriously thinking of doing a trip around Australia.

I have noticed there are numerous members who have travelled extensively by motorhome, campervan and car.. 

Are there places you have been that have made an impact on you that you would reccommend, I particularly like villages with old world charm and historical interest, and beaches. mountains and streams and churches and wildflowers.

It's nice to get peoples opinion as to their own experiences rather than looking up mr Google and reading referrals..

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:) Your kind and wonderful helpers above have made some great suggestions. Here's the map.

Don't miss ANYTHING and keep us posted!!

Thankyou R&R.

Its very early days yet as we have a lot of commitments to tidy up before we even think of taking to the road...but its all in the planning..

All the suggestions are awesome. I am now sorting through them and picking what appeals to us from the selection..There sure are some well travelled seniors on this site..and the comments are very appreciated..

Image result for thank you animated

 

How will you be traveling Cranky --- I did mine via Caravan -- nothing really fancy but no unpacking and packing and you know everything is clean -- unlike motels etc

Hopefully by motorhome PlanB..I agree ,it ruins a holiday packing and unpacking...

Open the cupboards ,shove it in and leave it there..lol

One motorhome coming up Cranky, you'll need it and the car will be very useful for those hard to get to places. I'll come along and be driver

Image result for luxurious rv with garage for car

Also great Cranky because you are able to stop where you like and don't HAVE to be at a place you can stop in the bush of a night -- love doing that -- all on your own with no one around.

With so many wonderful suggestions Cranky...you'll need one of these...

Image result for horse and waggon

Driver optional!

Could this be classifed as 'horsing' around?

Yes please Thea..Can you deliver it ASAP..

Now I'm excited...:)

Hehe Cranks, so you'll be missing for a couple of years? Will take that long in Thea's caravan!

 

 

Totally love that Ray, I actually have rellies who are Romanies and traveled a fair few country miles on a Vardo, putting together bunches of lavender...

Fabulous life then, not so good now though..times have changed..

If  you happen to be in our neck of the woods near Newcastle

It would be worth your while to drop into

Hunter Valley Gardens

Very pretty Abbi, that grass is like carpet... :)

Abby I find HVG very formal and although of course they are so well done -- I do not like formal gardens at all ---

Yes Plan B

It is a very structured typically a European Garden like most ot that type of garden, but it makes a very pleasant interlude after driving around the bush.

Hi Cranky Oh how I envey you, I have traveled through most of Australia, I do know I started out in a Holden panel van and came home in a bedford cfs motor home with lots of pictures.

Unfortunatly due to a accident during my trucking years I remember nothing of it, go out there enjoy everything you see, we have a country like no other

Why on earth would you envy me Stewie, you have had some incredable adventures and even though you cant remember it, you know you have done it..

We have a while to go before putting plans into action, and as we are not in any hurry, we can mull over all the great locations the lovely members have suggested and pick the best.

But at the moment the wildflowers are definately calling me....:)

Pleased to share some favorite places I've visited

Qld

Paronella park - just south of cairns;   Magnetic island - easy to travel on ferry with car;  Herberton historic village, short drive from Atherton,  cobald gorge just south of Georgetown;  Normanton, the Gulflander 125 y.o. train;  Blackall, great RV friendly town & fabulous pool $2.00 entry!  Karumba sunsets

 

NT

Devils marbles;  Mataranka, hot springs stream (we of the never never);   Kakadu (I didn't really like Litchfield) free tours by park rangers 

WA

Lake argyle - infinity pool at caravan park resort !!!  ;    Wyndham - sunsets looking at five rivers, stunning;   Cable beach - sunsets watching camels walk along beach;  Broome - staircase to the moon, around July - photo opportunities several days of months around this time - new moon; coastal towns I liked Coral Bay, Kalbarri.   New Norcia a drive from Perth - stunning old town run by monks, church service amazing;  Hyden wave rock;  

 

Nullabour - playing golf from Kalgoolie across to ceduna 

 

SA

Cooper peedy - underground churches & drive to see dog fence, mailmen run;  Wilpena pound - 

 

VIC, TAS haven't done a lot there so far, enjoyed driving through Victoria 

 

NSW - my home state, all eastern coast is lovely, especially like yamba, foster;  Armidale in autumn - trees are stunning;  Moree - hot pools;  Parkes in January for Elvis festival;  Tamworth in January for country and western;  Glenn innes - Celtic festival may (if I remember correctly);  

 

We are so very lucky in Australia to have such beautiful and safe places to visit. 

Oops forgot

Cape York and day trip to Thursday island.  (didn't try and squeeze horn island in on the day trip, horn island has lots of WWII history stuff I believe).  

On drive to tip enjoyed bramwell cattle station for a night stop over, buffet dinner (I didn't have this) but as well, free entertainment and a bar to buy drinks.  

Weipa - stunning sunsets over gulf of Carpentara.

Sounds fascinating Cindy

Have you any pictures from your visits ?

Heavens above Cindylou, Where haven"t you been?...

Thats a heck of a lot of travelling. lucky you..

I guess rearing a very large family puts a bit of a spoke in my wheel and we have not had the opportunity to see much of Australia. 

But never the less ,all good things come to those that wait .

Thankyou for your input...It all sounds great.

Oh boy do I have photos Abby...

And yes cranky, done heaps...3 big jaunts and lots of smaller ones in between.

1.  Headed to broken hill from nsw east coast, then south via Petersborough (great train display / show),  then down to south Australia, port Augusta, up to Wilpena pound, then north, woomera, great free camp (Bon Bon) to cooper Pedy, then up to border, hang a left and headed to Uluru, the backtrack to kings canyon, then north to Alice springs, north to tennnant creek, ( devils marbles) then turn left heading to mt isa (underground hospital a grat visit), Julia creek - great free camp rv friendly town, hughendon, (porcupine gorge - steep climb down, killed my legs coming back up), winton (dinasour centre excellent), Longreach (qantas museum, stockman hll of fame), blackall (love this town), charlieville, Roma, moree, Tamworth the headed to coast then home... 3 months approx)

 

2.  Big loop, north revisiting above places, at tennnt creek headed north daly waters pub (great shows at night),  mataranka, Katherine (gorge is stunning), Edith falls just out of Katherine (stayed 2 nights), then north, turning at pine crek to Kakadu, jabaru fabulous (pricey entry fee to enter this area...rangers do check to see you have paid), then headed to Darwin via Adelaide river (jumping crocs), Darwin (great markets), south to Litchfield (didn't really love it much), back to Katherine, headed to western Australia, lake argyle easy detour, kunanura, another little detour to wyndham, headed east towards derby ( didn't do Gibbs river road - very tough road, no regrets this decision),  Geickie gorge think near Fitzroy crossing - very reasonably priced, broome.

 

oops forgot bungle bungles - stayed in park nearby, did a tour into bungle bungle, no regrets 50km road into it was vile didn't want to risk our vehicle

Then down west coast, lovely monkey Mia a bit pricey and touristy, whole of west coast lovely, not a lot of free camps (new norcia outside Perth is a must do)

Anyhow, hyden wave rock excellent, Esperence pretty, then headed across nullabour (golf - again a bit pricey, card is purchased visitor centre Kalgoolie then stamped at the different places on nullabour - I believe this feature is supposed to have helped lower accident toll ?). Good fun anyhow and you get a certiciate at either end.  

Then back through south australia, port Augusta, great ocean road, tathra was a very pretty town on east coast.   Didn't spend a lot of time in south Australia, Victoria, we were tired !   Time of trip 5 months

 

3. Trip north to cape York, inland going through previous places we've visited (oh well),  anyhow after redoing bits went to cloncurry, then north  (road difficult - single lane of bitumen, have to move off completely for big road trains, got a stone chip on windscreen)  then to normanton (huge huge croc statue) -  train great 2hour trip, then onto karumba, prawns seafood and sunsets (I ate more than my share of 4x and prawns on a sunset tour $80 each).  

Then headed across gulf savannah, road pretty tough, single lane of bitumen most of way, stopped Georgetown (fab gem display at information centre), cobald gorge 70 km rough dirt road to gorge, ok but still...stayed at gorge, then back up onto gulf savvanah road to lava tubes just past mount surprise - stayed at lava tubes, I enjoyed more than gorge...then onto Innot hot springs, then Atherton, the straight up peninsula development road (PDR)  to cape York (seisa) wild horses up there - I didn't expect that.  Road conditions heading up to cape odd, some sections bitumen ladt Laura, then corrugations, stayed in tent at roadhouses 24.00 a night for 2, archer river roadhouse great hamburgers...bramwell cattle station great stop, )24.00 for 2, entertainment, at Cale York did day trip to Thursday island - heading back down PDR did detours, took time to look around, weipa, stayed at roadhouses, then went to Cooktown (stayed at nearby lions den hotel)

Then port Douglas, cairns, paronella park (heritage listed attraction - a crazy Spanish guy built this attraction 1913, odd castle, great gardens, trees, waterfall, stayed night and did amazing walking night tour)  then Townsville, magnetic island, rockhampton, day trip to Agnes water a must do, then onto yappon before returning to rockhampton (great gardens and free zoo).  Harvey bay, ferry across to Frazier island (4x drive vehicle only), then down coast - east coast of Australia stunning. On way down coast stopped new Italy  museum / lunch stop ( has been modernized)   This trip about 3 months 

Have done lots of other trips but the above trips are the biggies...

I love Australia 

 

Correction, Agnes waters is near the town of 1770 - we stayed at Agnes waters for a couple of days and drive to 1770.

So many places can be confusing

CindyLou -  I can see the song "I've Been Everywhere Man" would suit you down to the ground. My only claim to fame is, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville, Broken Hill .  Not like my boys who have travelled the world a couple of times.

It would be wonderful to see some of your photos CindyLou :)

Abby would live to share but unfortunately I'm not overly tech savvy and don't know how to do it !!!  

 

 

Cranky, thought you would be interested to see this as the lake is starting to go blue.

It starts off in Spring as Turquoise and then goes to blue.

Kids dish the science behind the Blue Lake's spectacular colour change

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-11/kids-dish-the-science-behind-the-blue-lake-colour-change/8016798

Thats so beautiful Sandi, Thankyou,

It was interesting to see how a child sees the lake as well, 

I'll go with the cutie who said " "I remember, this guy had this blue drink and he said it was the blue lake water and I believed him," said student Clayton, laughing.

Such innocence..lol

Thought you would like that.

Yes I remember similar things like these kids.  Especially with one Uncle.

I also loved the sinkhole near there also lovely gardens there now and lots of Possums and other critters too

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