The halfway mark

Time really does fly when you’re having fun…

We’re now halfway through our travels, with the land of Aus very nearly behind us as we set our sights on New Zealand. So far, we’ve travelled 3,330 miles, spending over 70 hours behind the wheel of our beloved campervan.

There have been too many breathtaking moments to name, but I’ve chosen a few highlights from the unbelievable experiences we had while cruising down the east coast of what has to be one of the world’s most beautiful countries.

Beaches, beaches and more beaches

We definitely saw, sat on and swum at our fair share of stunning beaches throughout our trip.

From tropical waters we didn’t dare swim in in Queensland, temptingly warm but full of deadly stingers…

Whitehaven Beach

Rainbow Beach

Mission Beach

Fraser Island

To the much cooler waters of New South Wales, where the big waves are rolling and listening out for the shark alarm is key…

Kirra Beach

Samurai Beach

Byron Bay

Bondi Beach

Bar Beach

Currumbin Waters

Coastal gems

Stopping off for single-night stays at little towns along the route was necessary for both of us, even with cruise control! Most (probably all) of them turned out to be pretty gorgeous.

Jervis Bay

Merimbula

Stanwell Park

Raymond Island

Nelson’s Bay

Bright lights of the city

Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne turned out to be so uplifting for this born city-dweller – you can take the girl out of the city etc, etc. While getting away from it all has been 100% needed and welcomed, the cities we’ve visited here have made me feel closer to everyone at home.

While Brisbane offered a chilled vibe, with the wonderful Queensland Museum and its surreal Streets Beach and swimming pool complex overlooking the CBD, Sydney was far more chaotic, pricey and business-centric. Melbourne was the closest match to London, with about half the crowds and double the sun.

Here are a few of our best bits from each…

Brisbane

Sydney

Melbourne

The Great Ocean Road

We gave ourselves three days to get from the surfing capital of Torquay at the start of the road to Port Fairy, and saw so much beauty along the way. Unsurprisingly, the coastal landscape was swarming with tourists just like us, eager to get a glimpse of the stunning views.

Maits Rest

Triplet Falls

12 Apostles

The Grotto

London Bridge

Mingling with the locals (humans and animals)

We’ve had the pleasure of meeting a real mixture of friendly people throughout our trip to keep things interesting, from solo travellers to families. We even got invited to dinner by an Australian couple who were staying at the same campsite as us, and were treated to a lovely BBQ.

We’ve also been exposed to plenty of Australia’s wildlife, including the creatures it’s most renowned for!

Sharing our first home

We are pretty proud of surviving two months together in a very small space and managing not only to not kill each other, but also keep our space cosy, clean and make it our own.

We cooked pretty much every single night as we couldn’t justify meals out. Resisting the delicious-smelling bakeries scattered about in every town has been torturous! On the flip side, $5 dollar bottles of Merlot have helped lift our spirits.

Island and reef tours

As I wrote about in my last blog, we had three excursions to the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsundays and Fraser Island, all of which really were worth every penny. The tour operators are incredibly knowledgeable over here and never shy to share an anecdote or five.

The Great Barrier Reef

Whitsundays

Fraser Island

Enjoying the simple things in life

Whether we were sitting in our camp chairs watching the sun go down, or trying to contain our excitement about splashing out on a bottle of fresh orange juice, travelling with the bare minimum really does make you appreciate life’s little gifts.

I made a vow to take every day as it comes, without much thought about tomorrow, meaning I’ve been able to live more in the moment and enjoy all the intricate details of my surroundings. So far, this trip has been worth every penny. I feel very lucky!

Advertisement