Leaving Australia

Leaving Australia we recount numerous memories, some worth repeating and others wishing to forget. Visiting 5 of the 7 states, driving over 10, 0000 kilometers, hanging with locals on the inside and a few left in the outback, skimming the surface and diving below, we realize that Australia is just too big even with three months to travel. We made a good effort driving, hiking, and biking as much of the country that time would allow, but ended up exhausted with travel and concede that we needed more time.
Nonetheless, we rate ‘Australia on wheels’ a five star experience, giving us the skills needed to feel confident moving on with our long term diverse travel. We have learned a great deal about ourselves and our limitations, however attribute much to those whom we have met along the way.

Their ancestors may have been a bunch of convicts, but the Australian people are extraordinarily kind and helpful. We always felt safe and were taken care of by a host of friends and complete strangers alike.

If you come for no other reason, the array of rare, exotic and intriguing animals is an attraction of its own. Unlike anywhere else, the abundant presence of wildlife just outside the city center and at times within, is really an unexpected appeal .

A country for all kinds, the climate is diverse and unpredictable. You can take your pick of untouched beaches, forests and ski mountains, moist warm tropics, or dry painted deserts.
Take your pick but then, Take Your Time.

We’re saving some of the best stories to share, when we’re joined around the patio fire, in your company. For now we’ve compiled a few of our personal highs and lows.
Not every day is picture perfect and some days are beautiful beyond words.

A collection of some the Best and Worst of our travels
according to Brian and,,, according to Brenda

My FAVORITE Day?
BRIAN- Diving the Great Barrier Reef
“It’s been a long time aspiration to dive into this amazing world under the sea with countless new coral and hidden sea life.”
BRENDA- Surfing on the sunshine coast
"My ideal travel dream, including well tanned shoulders, warm sand and good surf. Beach bumming at it’s best."

Most DIFFICULT moments to overcome?
BRIAN- First day learning left side driving, in the middle of a new city
“Twenty minutes in a new car, in a new city in a new country, we accidentally got lost in Melbourne Central during rush hour. Never felt so awkward, dangerous and flustered beyond belief.”
BRENDA- A rodent phobia mental meltdown
“After pretending to be brave for three months, the built up hysteria finally let loose.”

My FAVORITE Wildlife?
BRIAN-The unique Kangaroos and Wallaby’s
“Because we were camping most of the time, I was able to experience wildlife close up observing boxing wallaby’s, mating kangaroos, and baby Joey’s coming out of their pouch.”
BRENDA- The display of colorful parrots
“The skies are a rainbow of color as these laughing, chirping, singing and squawking birds fill the trees everywhere we go.”

My LEAST FAVORITE Wildlife?
BRIAN - The huge amount of annoying and biting insects on the beaches
“We spent too many nights scratching itchy welts from the sandflies, midgies, mozzy’s, and giant blowflies.”
BRENDA- All the screaming, hissing, growling, hopping animals that shriek at me when I go pee at night.
“Because I’m afraid of the dark and afraid of things screeching in the dark, I’m not keen on possums, kangaroo rats, betongs, bandicoots, and devil marsupials lurking anywhere near my bum.” And…(Yes, still complaining) “All the rest of the small marsupials and rodents that have long pointy tails and scatter, run or hop anywhere near me including those rare, protected, endangered, and otherwise. They hang out near my pillow, climb in the car with me, run over my feet, hiss at my bare bum, follow me to the kitchen, pop up under pans and have subsequently turned me into a lunatic.
To all rodent looking things, I give a Unforgiving, Merciless, “FAREWELL.”

The BEST of living in a Van?
BRIAN-The freedom and ease of pulling up anywhere and calling it home.
“Home is a blue lagoon one day and a tropical rainforest the next.”
BRENDA- The art of simplified living
“I’m learning how to make the smallest imprint by needing less and using the least amount of resources.”

The WORST of living in a Van?
BRIAN- Having to live inside the van when the weather is bad
“I can’t sit up in bed, stand to change clothes, and there’s no place to prepare food when it’s windy and rainy.”
BRENDA- The feeling of living in a coffin
“At night, I stare at a ceiling just a foot above my head and then spend another 12 hours driving under the same roof.”

Most EXCITING moments?
BRIAN- Fishing the Great Barrier and getting a huge mackerel on the line. “The biggest fish that ever got away from me. A fair fight I lost, but may the best one win.”
BRENDA- Stranded on an island, camping under a forest fire
"Waking at 2am to a ranger shouting, “Grab your valuables and go now. There is a massive forest fire behind you.” With no where to go, 500 campers staggered around all night with their valuables in hand (which for the younger ones, meant their beer and boom boxes.) An all night party broke out under a red glowing night sky, awaiting daybreak to retrieve our belongings and take the first ferry off the island."

WORST Camping?
BRIAN- The concept of camping Easter weekend anywhere in Australia
“Every family in Australia actually pays a lot of money to stake 10ft of ground near a beach or forest even when it’s overlapping 600 other campers. It’s a huge country, can’t they spread out?”
BRENDA- Arriving late to a parking lot and preparing dinner and washing up in a fish cleaning station.
“So tired of camping and tired of living in sub-standard situations, at some point I throw my hands up in futile appeal.” (Brian on the other hand proceeded to take his am shower in the smelly, scaly mess.)

BEST Camping?
BRIAN-Pebble beach campground in New South Wales
“We settled in with troops of kangaroo lounging beside us at the beach with fluorescent birds surrounding the camp. There’s a walking track, virtually empty beach, turquoise waters and then cooking over the campfire make a perfect camping experience for me.”
BRENDA- Luxury camping in the high plains of Dargo
“OK, it wasn’t really camping, but we did cook our meals over the fire. Besides, I've never liked camping anyway.”

Biggest DISSAPOINTMENT?
BRIAN - Entrance Fees to see so many of the naturally made landscapes
“We are on a travelers budget, not a tourist budget.”
BRENDA- The lack of Aboriginal culture in most of Australia
“It is clear that the settlers and the natives have a long way to go to successfully blend their cultures.”

Most IMPRESSIVE thing about Australia?
BRIAN- The use of government spending to improve quality of life
“Think for a moment. The country of Australia has about the same amount of tax paying citizens as the state of New York. For a huge country, they have used the average tax dollar to enhance the quality of life for it’s citizens. America spends it's highest percentage of tax dollars on a massive military force, but can’t educate it’s children. Australia has provided social medicine, higher education opportunities for all, similiar social services, retirement plans, and still the promotion of the family itself is prioritised in all of Australia.
BRENDA- The friendly Welcome
“We all can learn from this culture to be more helpful and considerate to foreigners who are lost in the city or lost in translation. The helping hand and comforting reception makes even the difficult days easier.”

A special Thank You to all our Friends

"Thank you for making Australia feel like home."

To: Jo & Richie, Bruce & Janice, JB, Greg, Craig, Vic & Lorainne...

We appreciate your exceptional hospitality. Thank you for giving us a roof and space to stretch out of the van. We expect and look forward to returning the favor when we're home.

To: All the above... and Simon & Amanda, Pat, Mary, Naomi & friends, Cole, Mel & Joey, Jamie, Jill & Tim, for sharing your world, your homes, your time and your love with us.

Thank you for the barbies, camping, bowling, water skiing, hiking, biking, fishing, innertubing, pubbing, home cooked meals and emotional support.

You all have made our trip unbelievably perfect! Thank You

Australia on Wheels

Driving Miss Daisy -
As I ascend into the beautiful morning sky, with a lump in my throat and another in my pocket, I gaze through the oval window of the airplane and see Daisy below. She looks fantastic in her new red coat, but lonesome without me. Glancing once more, sadly I realize that I will probably never see her again.

When I first envisioned a trip to the land of Oz, I pictured us touring the outback in a state of the art motor home, designed by humvee We’d have all the comforts of home and still be able to forge rivers only Crocodile Dundee would attempt. So, back to reality and an old Volkswagen budget, traveling these highways and byways of Australia would take more logistic planning. Our research showed our transportation choices to be:
A.) Flying (too expensive and you miss everything in between)
B.) Trains (Strangely twice as expensive as flying)
C.) Buses (Too rigid a schedule and on the same tourist trail we try hard to avoid)
and finally D.) Renting a campervan (An option we’d consider)

Australia has a multitude of motor home and campervan rental agencies to choose from. Within our budget most popular, is called Wicked Vans. These are older tradesman vans that have been converted to campervans with a bed and some old camping gear thrown in. These vans are unique because each one has a different wild paint job. Some are painted with rock band or cartoon graphics, others remind me of the 60’s when LSD influenced many of the van paint jobs. Since Brenda wouldn’t be seen in many of these outlandish vehicles, (especially the ones that have a distorted Avis to Anus “We like it harder” company logo on the back) we decided that buying a van, would be cheaper than renting and our most economic option. We’d use it as our home and transportation, then sell it at the end of our Aussie travels.

A perfect plan!

I’ve bought and sold many vehicles at home so this should be a piece of cake. With our Aussie friends’ advise and the use of his car to explore Melbourne’s many suburbs, we were on a quest to find the perfect van. But, there are all kinds of new Aussie rules to contend with, in the used car market. An exhausting week later we were still struggling with insurance, inspections and interpreting thick Aussie accents saying things like, “No worries mate, you’ll get used to that” when third gear popped out at 40mph, or vans with smells that your dog would stray from. We were getting kind of worried until our luck finally changed from lemons to roses.

There she was, a rose in a bed of thorns. A fine vintage 88 Mitsubishi express van, flawless creamy white exterior with windows all around. Fresh and clean inside and completely empty except two front seats. She probably lived a plush city life as a delivery truck, and there were some dried up flower petals under the seat, we’ll assume she delivered flowers and call her Daisy. Daisy has a 5speed tranny bolted to a 4 cylinder petrol burning engine that turns almost fully treaded tires. Every light, button, knob, and switch works perfectly plus her past partner kept a diary of immaculate service records. She’s love at first sight and the price is right. But I still had to see if I could rev her up and make her purr? Unlike the aggressive salesmen in the states, we had to seek out a lazy lot attendant to take Daisy for a ride. He simply handed me the key, and we were on our first date. It’s my luck that our Aussie mate had a certified Mitsubishi doctor friend, just a few blocks away. While on our test date, we pulled in his shop and he examined all her parts. He confirmed, “She’s in great shape for an old gal who’s been around the block.” The only thing she could have a problem with at her age, is a timing belt, (and I was thinking we all could use a new belt at this age.) He could re-belt her tomorrow, and I said, “Lets do it.” A short ride back to the dealer to do the paper work, and our three month affair began.

With some retrofitting, Daisy became our home on the road. With a trip to Bunnings warehouse (Aussie's Home Depot) we bought the materials to make a bed, kitchenette, storage areas and mounted additioanl water tanks on the front. Next we began to gather tools, camping supplies, bedding, ect. from Melbourne’s Opp Shops (Oz version of thrift stores) and soon we were ready to start our new life together. Three months with Daisy went too fast as all our travels seem to do. I gladly lubricated her moving parts and in return she kept us protected from the elements, warm at night and delivered us safely to each destination along our 10,000 km journey together. As we spent all our mornings, days and nights together, Daisy took on the characteristics and comforts that make up a home, making it difficult to think of ending our relationship.

Now at our final destination, and plane ticket in hand, reluctantly I understand she has to go. It’s time to sell out.
However it’s not as easy as we think. The cold winds of winter that followed us up the coast, have pushed many other self propelled tourists to the same warm, backpacker mecca of Cairns. It is now a buyers market, with many desperate plane ticketed travelers all needing to sell their beloved Aussie exploring vehicles. Every hostel and public notice board in town, is weighted with flyers posting, “Must sell my exceptional campervan NOW,” and prices slashed well below market value. I learn from locals, that after weeks of disappointment, other despairing travelers were abandoning their vehicles at the airport. Of course, it was a dream to profit from my beloved Daisy, in order to finance our next adventure, but my dream is over. Now, it’s time to get serious and try to recover something, rather than loose it all.

The strategy is in place. Bren, makes really nice flyers to accompany all the other nice flyers and we spend days posting all the bulletin boards in town. The internet classifieds are covered, and finally we get Daisy all dolled up, accessorize her windows with colorful For Sale signs and place her in town where the backpackers hang out. On the third day, my hand phone rings. No one ever calls me here in Oz, so it must be for Daisy. I answer, “Hello” Her suitor questions, “Is this the owner of the van for sale?” I confirm a bit too excited, “Yes it is!” With authority he informs, “This is constable Lester and you are breaking the town council law of selling a vehicle on public land. You will have to remedy this situation now.” Frustrated, I concur “Yes sir!” Holy crap, the days progressively are getting harder.

Our next plan is forming and early in the morning we take Daisy looking her ‘Sunday best’ out to the old drive in. All the other hopefuls in town have their shiny and new vehicles lined up for the Cairns Sunday Car Market. Sometimes it feels good to be in the same boat with other people. This time it feels like the Titanic. There are plenty of people trying to sell their campervans, but nobody in town is buying campervans. After a long day, it turns out to be a good party anyway. We meet nice people from all over the world agreeing that misery does indeed, enjoy company. Driving away discouraged, I have a vision looking down from an airplane window. Parked in front of the airport with keys dangling from her ignition, and my finances dangling close to extinction, Daisy appears to be a very expensive date. I call the airlines and add another week to our ticket. We’re not quitters. We will find the right match. Sure we will. Positive thoughts will create positive things.



With the advertisement in the weekend paper showing no results, the car market a failure, the internet full of spam and the bulletins boards filled up, we take a day off and make a trip up the mountain with our friend. Dutifully leaving Daisy near the highway, but far enough from the town center, we feel confident of good exposure without pestering constables walking by.
Half way up the mountain, my hand phone rings. I answer more apprehensively this time, “Umm, Hello.” A stern voice asks, “Is this the owner of the van for sale ?” Gulping I say, “Umm, Yes.” He introduces himself, “My name is Peter and I’m looking at your van on the side of the road. Did you know that the council has taped a warning to the wind shield? Besides that, it looks nice and clean. Would you be willing to take $4000 dollars cash for it, and sell it today?” I can’t believe it, but answer, “Ya, I guess so.” If this Peter guy is real, than we will get the same price we paid for Daisy, a much needed surprise. Making arrangements to meet later, I hang up the phone and begin thinking ahead. I realize without Daisy, I won’t have a bed or a home this coming week. Suddenly the pain of parting with her is becoming a reality.

Wait, my hand phone rings again. It must be Peter changing his mind. “Hello“ I answer. It’s a new suitor on the line and he asks, “Is this the owner of the Mitsubishi van for sale?” Not sure how to answer the question, I reply, “Kind of.” He tells me, “I saw it in town the other day and it looks perfect. Would you be willing to take, $4000 for it?” When it rains, it pours, and when it blossoms, it flourishes. This new, knight in shinning armor, wins over Daisy. We negotiate a delay in sale, so that we won’t be homeless while waiting for our flight. I am completely convinced that, positive thoughts do create positive things.

So with the relief of a job well done, and no worries, we get to enjoy a week doing all the things other carefree backpackers do. We bike, hike, swim, fish, have pies, and go for dives. Then, the day comes when we have to take Daisy to her new guy. He has arranged a fresh new makeover for her, and I’m proud that she will have an easy retirement, living at the Cairns International Airport as a service van. A week later as I watch her disappear, I notice that she’s already lost her girlish look. Daisy has taken on a distinguished appearance as she’s been re-coated in bright red with a sleek jet plane logo on her side. Even though I still catch myself looking at other cute, little Mitsubishi’s, my heart remains loyal to Lil’ Miss Daisy.
The one who was simple but stylish, small but strong, always dependable and against all odds, stuck to her values.

We found Nemo at the Great Barrier Reef

The largest living and growing structure on Earth

The Great Barrier Reef

Fishing on The Reef with Friends

Enough fish fillets to feed a few families eh?

About 60lbs of fish, and most of it caught on hand lines.