When we were sitting around in Port Macquarie several weeks ago, trying desperately to put together something vaguely resembling a plan, we thought we struck gold. Daintree National Park, a double dose of World Heritage natural sites (Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef) enticed us from very near to the top of Australia. Far North Queensland sounded exotic, remote, and full of wild things. In short, it was everything we were looking for. Without much thought given to expense, distance, etc., we set out, enjoying ourselves along the way but always heading towards the main goal, “the Daintree.” more»

After packing up and rolling out of Carnarvon National Park bright and early, we had our sights set on making it to Townsville. If you’ve got your maps out, that’s a hefty 750 kilometers to cover in one day. Traveling at 110 kph, the maximum speed limit on most stretches of highway, that’s 7 hours of driving. more»

Hooray! We finally saw some roos! They’re just as crazy as I’d thought. Mostly because they can hop so fast but they’re totally suicidal (or not too swift in the head). more»

Our continued efforts to find some summertime conditions led us further up the coast, out of New South Wales and eventually into “sunny” Queensland. Brisbane made for a sensible stop, despite what some Brisbaners we met in Vietnam told us: “It’s a great city to live in,” they said, “but not worth visiting.” Well, never to be deterred by mere modesty, we rocked up hoping for a respite from winter and a few days of cosmopolitan living, Queensland style. more»

We weren’t sure whether or not we’d actually make it to Byron Bay a couple of days ago. Our “plan” has turned out to be incredibly flexible, making it uncertain where we’ll be at any given time. That kind of freedom is great, but it creates constant decisions, some of them split-second. It was one of those “Do we turn off the Pacific Highway or not?” decisions that led us to Byron Bay, instead of continuing up to Brisbane and Queensland in search of warmer weather. The reason? Whales, of course. more»

Along the east coast of Australia, you can’t help but bounce back and forth from the beautiful and dramatic sea to the stunning hinterland of forests and mountains. After Port Macquarie, it was time to hit the woods for a good old fashioned camping trip. more»

The koala is a ridiculous animal. It looks like a plush toy, but it could rip your face off in no time. Yep, the koala is high on our list of animals we expect and are expected to see in Australia. more»

The North Coast of New South Wales is gorgeous! We’re currently in Port Macquarie, soaking up the incredible sea views and relaxed grassy parks while we figure out what’s next. more»

Local tourism authorities highly recommended checking out the colony of flying foxes in a rainforest nature preserve in Wingham, NSW. It was well worth the side trip. Check out the hundreds of large, loud bats hanging from the trees, as we did, without having to watch out for all the poop, or guano, or whatever you want to call it. more»

Our tour of duty got off to a slightly rough start, as we picked up the van on a day of heavy wind and rain in Sydney. The nearby Blue Mountains were sure to be too rainy to enjoy, so we figured we’d escape the stormy, cold city and head north, perhaps taking in some wine tasting in the Hunter Valley. Over two hours later, we had barely traveled 100 kilometers in heavy traffic and increasingly violent storms. We got word that the lower Hunter Valley was flooding, and an elderly couple had been swept off the road in their 4WD vehicle. more»