Well, I think it starts by going back to the very beginning of white settlement. In America, we see that as the pilgrims and such. Upstanding proper serious people coming on the Mayflower or whatever for religious issues. Puritans. In Australia, they were convicts, pretty much dumped off here to fend for themselves. Petty thieves, …
America is the land of being indirect in what we say and being politically correct in how we say it. Very different over here. I love the signs all over Australia. Let’s just get to the point. My favorite is not here. When you go to buy cigarettes, three is no “Warning, the surgeon …
Well, I highly recommend it! Now, finding one……. Well, if you are about 500 miles due east of Perth, Western Australia, you can find the Dakota at the Lily. (www.thelily.com.au) And, if that is not enough, they have the largest stone windmill in the country as well. It is all developed and run by …
Continue reading “Ever slept in an old airplane for the night?”
Finally saw some camels! Looks like they got a bit too much heat or something? Yes, the are fake, but still pretty cool, don’t you think? The main attraction at Norseman, the end of my trek across the Nullarbor. Every gold rush town seems to have it’s own story, but this is one of the …
The Nullarbor could be crossed in two days. I chose to take 3 to allow lots of time and to be sure that I was not driving when I should not have been. Although beautiful in its own way, it is numbing in the visual sameness. And those giant road trains do come by …
On my train trips across Australia, I was very fascinated by this area. It is so huge and so totally empty. Nullarbor essentially is a modified Latin phrase that means “no trees.” And that is pretty much the case. For 450 miles. (It is exactly the same size as Nebraska, slightly larger than Washington …
Well, after taking many days to get to the Outback, now I must leave it for a few days. The route drops down into agricultural South Australia before heading off into the Nullarbor Plain. So, after all of the arid emptiness I find myself on the Eyre Peninsula right along the coast of the …
This famous mining town was my base for 2 days. Although in the same state, it is 715 miles from Sydney and definitely in a different world. Many minerals were mined here, but the chief was lead. The tailings pile from the main mine is in view from nearly everywhere in town. But, Broken Hill …
On the 4th day of driving, I did finally enter what I think of as the outback of Australia. The trees pretty much disappear, the roads get far emptier, the temperatures soar, and the horizon is limitless. For most of the next ten days or so, this will be my setting. When I note …
So far, I have stayed mostly in the mountains heading north out of Sydney. If I am ever going to get to Perth on the west coast, I need to start heading that way! So, today I drove 650 km (400 miles) of winding, 2 lane highways and byways from Denman to Cobar. And, …