My five favourite places from my 2021 Australian road trip
My five favourite places on my 2021 Australian road trip
I finished a 63-day road trip before succumbing to the ongoing lockdown in NSW, which has sadly lingered on longer than my four-wheeled sojourn.
For the most part, I was living out of my 2003 Honda CRV. I filmed a tour of it somewhere in the Outback which you can watch here.
The plan was there was no plan with the following few days made up as I went along.
The trip started, and ended, in Wollongong and went clockwise along the coast and up through the middle of Australia.
In total, I clocked a few ticks over 15,000km and here were my five favourite stops along the way.
And note, this list is in chronological order.
1. Tongue Point
Tongue Point is one of a couple of dozen tracks in Victoria’s most spectacular attraction, Wilsons Promontory National Park.
This was my second visit to the Prom, with the first coming around 12 months prior when I walked the Sealers Bay track with my sister.
The walk to Tongue Point, the National Park’s most westerly point, is an 8km out-and-back that takes in awesome views of Tidal River and across Darby Bay.
I was the last one to complete the walk on that particular day in May and as a reward, I was met by a chunky wombat about a stone’s throw from my car.
Cost: Free
2. The Remarkable Rocks
Kangaroo Islands as a whole was probably my favourite part of my trip and I can’t wait to get back to the South Australian gem.
The highlight of my three days on KI, however, was the hour spent marvelling at the Remarkable Rocks Flinders Chase National Park.
These are a collection of towering granite formations that, over the years, have been sculptured by the elements.
I tweeted at the time, “You could go to every art gallery on the planet and still not find anything as incredible as these.”
To think I nearly decided to call it a day after going to Admirals Arch and Weirs Lookout.
Cost: $12 entry fee for adults into Flinders Chase National Park
3. Ulura
My first visit to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park was as a young child, maybe four or five, but I have been desperate to go back for years.
There is a stack of ways to take in the centrepiece that is Uluru, be it on a bike, a segway (side-eye) or in a helicopter, but I decided to take on the base by foot.
The 10km walk takes around two to three hours if you take in the stories chronicled along the way.
Photo opportunities are aplenty, but be sure to keep an eye out for signs of where you and can’t photograph.
You can understand why this natural phenomenon is at the heart of Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara culture.
Cost: $38 for a three-day pass or $50 for an annual pass
4. Yellow Water (Ngurrungurrudjba)
Kakadu National Park is a mythical place on the rim of the Never Never.
The National Park is an ecological wonder with around a third of all of Australia’s bird species and a fifth of Australia’s mammals found in the Park.
Given it’s a vast wetland I thought it would be best to take it in on a boat tour. The one I went on was guided by an experienced Mungguy woman who was able to share her deep and lived knowledge of country.
There were heaps of crocodiles, birds everywhere and the sunset was unforgettable and it left me wanting more of Kakadu.
Cost: $99 for a two-hour cruise
5. Suncorp Stadium
Yeah, this is a change of pace.
I am a massive rugby league fan and it has often been said that the old Lang Park is the sport’s best arena.
Game 2 of State of Origin was on the week I was on the Sunshine Coast so I thought there was no better way to see the 52,500-seater than during the game’s greatest rivalry.
The cheapest seats were $130 each which is steep, but around par for the course for this level of sport.
The seat itself was in a corner and around halfway up, but fortunately, the view was first-class, especially for Latrell Mitchell’s intercept try in the 26th minute.
I was tucked in between a Queenslanders, but given the 26 zip scoreline in favour of the Blues, there wasn’t much for them to say to me while a sipped away at my Great Northern.
It would have been wicked to be there for the 2011 A-League grand final.
Cost: $130
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