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Darwin, Litchfield, Adelaide River – Northern Territory

A gallery of images from our time in Darwin, back in Mid April. Wow it feels like such a long time ago now. What a great week it was, to show Anna some (more) of the great wonders of Australia, beginning with the huge Saltwater Crocodiles, on the Adelaide River, the amazing freshwater creeks and swimming holes of Litchfield National Park, and Fog Dam, where I have never been, but certainly was a good time to visit with water levels at nearly their highest, it was absolutely bouncing with life. Lastly, Parap Markets, where the south east asian food influence is arguably at one of its greatest in the entire country. Being so geographically close to our neighbouring countries in Darwin, its fantastic to be able to head down on a Sunday and taste what it has to offer. Try Mary’s laksa, its great. Special thanks & CONGRATULATIONS to our good friends Ethan & Petra for their wedding just this weekend gone. We are sorry we couldn’t make it, but was so good of those guys to look after us while up north.

Posted 1 year, 2 months ago at 3:16 pm.
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Point Nepean – Victoria

Point Nepean – Gallery

Attached is a gallery of Point Nepean, which is a place on tip of the Mornington Peninsula. On my recent trip home, I was able to show Anna this place, and surrounding areas that I grew up with. It’s an amazing thin strip of land that was used throughout the last century, particularly in WW1 and 2 to as a defense position against ships attempting to enter Port Philip Bay, the body of water that serves as a the main shipping lane to Victoria, and in particular Melbourne. Point Nepean was closed to the public for many years, although I do have hazy memories of sneaking in here with school friends to swim and hideout in the tunnels that were forged during wartime eras. Since its reopening in 2006, I haven’t visited, and so with the weather on our side, we made a day of it. Some of the photos show my Mum and her partner Rick, as well as my sister Bec, and her son Phoenix, as well of course as Anna taking in the surroundings. If you ever get a chance to visit the Peninsula, try to get down there and check it out, it’s a pretty amazing place, one for which I am lucky to have grown up with on my doorstep.

Posted 1 year, 2 months ago at 3:13 pm.
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A Scarred Wilsons Promontory

Gallery – Wilsons Promontory

The Australian bush is renowned for its bushfires. It’s a term that is famous worldwide and evokes images of black charcoaled trees, huge red fire trucks pumping water, and smoke filled horizons, reducing visibility to less than the length of a back yard pool. And yet, despite this imagery of all things destruction and tragedy, it’s easy to forget that this is a totally natural phenomenon that happens, and is vital for the ongoing survival and regeneration of the beautiful bush land we call our own.

Walking through the lush green rainforests, and tea tree filled scrub of Wilsons Promontory 2 years ago, it would have been hard to imagine that such an occurrence could happen here. But in hindsight, and on seeing the impact, suddenly it becomes frighteningly clear just how easy and quickly in fact this can happen. Apparently the fire started with a dry storm that occurred in the East of the park near Sealers cove. A lightning strike started a small fire that in the first few days was thought to be easily containable. As the unpredictability of the wind and raging temperature gauges was soon to show, and had shown many times before, this would not be the case for long. Over a period of the next three weeks, the fire burnt seemingly uncontrollably throughout the park, devastating nearly a massive 50% of the entire national park, whose size for those who are unaccustomed with the Prom, is similar to that of the space between London’s M25 ring times two.

I was lucky enough to get down to the prom just a week or so after the last smoldering of a red gum stump had been snuffed, and this being one of my all time favorite spots ever since being a child and coming here with my family, I have seen this contrast of the lush green that existed on every visit prior. Driving in the 60 or so kilometers from the entrance of the national park to tidal river, it’s a full hour of continual jaw dropping as you pass each corner, the landscape once rich in green canopy cover now a colorful mix of reds, blacks, browns, and greens. Just when you think the line of the fire will finish, you come around another corner, and again the horizon stretches in a haze of charcoal stumps protruding out of the scarred ground. And yet despite this seemingly barren landscape, new growth appears. Grass trees have already sprouted new growth, a testament to the hardiness that this Aussie bush enjoys. In actual fact, I am told that some species of plants only germinate in the spring following a bushfire, making it one of the most amazing times to visit, and see things that you otherwise ordinarily wouldn’t.

The Tidal River camping area was completely saved following a strategic intentional burn of some other areas of the park. Taking advantage of favorable weather conditions, the CFA (Country Fire Authority), whose professionals came from all over the country, were able to salvage the key tourist attraction area. For 80% of visitors, this means the same old prom. For the four days we were there, the stunning views, and activities in places like Norman Bay, Squeaky Beach, and Mt Oberon, were vistas more than enough to keep us entertained. Whiling away the hours on the beach with a Frisbee and a cold beer is a past time that certainly wasn’t affected, and we took full advantage of that.

So whilst I had wanted to walk Sealers Cove overnight, I feel as though I got a view of the Park that I may never see again. Understanding that this natural occurrence is one of rejuvenation and revival rather than pure destruction, to me, only adds to the wonders of Wilsons Promontory.

Posted 1 year, 2 months ago at 7:00 am.
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Fraser Island – Just go there

GALLERY OF PHOTOS FROM FRASER

As a child there were places in the world that I heard about, or saw pictures of, that held a magical sense of mysteriousness that would never leave me until I got there. In some of those places that magic even stays with you long after you leave. I remember growing up and a friend of mine returning back from holidays with his family after a 2 week adventure on Fraser Island. His smile beaming at me as he told me about camping on the beach and driving through the rainforest, the excitement rubbed off on me as if I had been there too. It wasn’t until was 28 years old that I would have the chance to see this place in its full glory, so you can imagine the anticipation of the whole experience, when I learned I would have the chance to navigate this natural beauty – just me, my partner and our hired Nissan Patrol.

Now let’s get this straight. This is not a holiday you can do on tight budget. Hiring a car capable of negotiating this place is expensive, and when you consider what these things have to go through, you can understand why the cost is what it is. My wallet came out significantly lighter particularly once you factor in the fuel associated with being on a remote, no roads in sight, island for 5 days. But as we drove up the eastern beach northbound the very first time, any concerns I might have had regarding the cost of this holiday disappeared in front of me as the scope of the worlds largest sand island became vividly apparent. With my partner Anna almost wincing in nervousness, the car sailed along the sand with waves lapping slowly against the shore just to our right, and glorious sand dunes that seemed to blend seamlessly with the Australian red sunset I have come to love on our left.

It’s quite scary at first. This is a trip where failing to plan when and where you go might leave you grounded for 6 hours until the tide recedes. There is plenty of information to help you on your way, but you wouldn’t be the first tourist to make a mistake that could truly end up in disaster, as proven by the recent tragedy involving a troop carrier full of backpackers that actually happened the same week I was there.

But that initial nervousness very quickly turns into the most exciting dream of challenging driving skills for any man (or woman) who dares attempt it. From the moment you engage that stick into 4WD, and unlock those hubs, you can take that vehicle to places you never thought possible for a car. Cruising along the beach, in front of us we encounter a stream pouring down out of the bush and into the ocean. Seeing the cars in front of us gives you enough confidence to go for it, and the learning curve is steep but fast. Don’t crawl through, find a steady speed and the right gear, and go for it. As the water splashes up the side of the cars, I can start to understand the magic of this place my friend was talking about all those years ago.

Whilst for me this trip was becoming more and more about the driving, the camping experience is a large part of this trip as well. Setting up for the evening, the value of what we have paid for becomes even more apparent. These vehicles are kitted up just for this type of thing, and I am absolutely amazed at not only what you can fit, but the convenience of the set up and how that is adapted to carrying out the stuff that you need to do. Tents, cooker, shelter, sleeping bags, pillows, and even utensils are all provided in neat easily accessible location. There is even a fridge that we chock full of goodies, to make the trip that much more pleasant. It’s pretty basic, but a nice steak or a hearty stew seem to taste that much better when you are away from home. With an upside down carpet of stars almost bright enough to lighten the sky, it’s very easy to sit and drink wine, reviewing the map, and discussing the options for tomorrows drive, the prospect of what’s to come seems all the more exciting.

Every journey is completely different and offers a new challenge, where concentration on the track ahead is a must. Sand corrugations vary and can come from nowhere, tree roots that if handled incorrectly could blow a tire, rock formations that demand the slow precise driving skill that comes after only a couple of days behind the wheel seem more fun than anything else. At the end of each drive, a different location offering a variation of breaks from rock pools to lakes, to rainforest treks, or just beautiful beaches.

One such location, the famous Lake Mckenzie had us waiting for half an hour for a car park. Not exactly what you expect when you have been driving through the forest for the last 3 hours, it’s an obvious reminder to how popular this place really is. The water is the brightest azure blue, and totally fresh, it takes only a moment to slip out of that t-shirt, pour on some sunscreen and dive in; the water refreshingly cold is a great respite to the hot sun this area of the Sunshine Coast is famous for.

But this is just one location of many the island has to offer, and to detail them would take the week I was there. I can only retell the point that made the ‘magic’ I talked about come to life for me. It occurred after navigating the cross country journey through lush rainforest to the western beach; where just before we arrived I saw what appeared to be a shallow crossing in front of me. Now I don’t advocate not testing depth before crossing, and in this situation it truly was an accident. Approaching the creek, the mental calculation I did in my head was quick, but thorough. The brown water appeared passable, and tracks showed that cars had done it before me, so forward I went, in 4WD low which halves the gear to engine ratio giving more power but less speed in those tricky situations. The car ploughed forward, and the water immediately came up over the bonnet of the vehicle. With no time to re-evaluate the crossing, I continued forward with the same momentum, my heart pumping with adrenalin at the stuff I had seen only in documentaries happening to me, right now, under my full control. Like a bulldozer, the car pulled through to the other side, the steam where the water made contact with the hot exterior of the radiator, rising in front of us.