Australia has always loomed exceptionally large in my consciousness, calling to me again and again over the years. The only island continent – the land down under – The Great Barrier Reef,  Ayers Rock, stunning landscapes, kangaroos, Tasmania, wild and exotic creatures everywhere, cosmopolitan cities, fantastic food and wine, amazingly friendly Aussies, sunshine pretty much all the time, great surf…. and on and on.

After thinking about visiting for so long, the time has come to see and experience Australia up close. My journey will be five weeks and 5,000 miles, starting in Cairns, in the northeast Barrier Reef area, and finishing in Perth, on the southwest coast.

I’ll be traveling by camper van, my preferred method for extended road tripping. The camper I’ll be driving looks pretty swank, with bunks up and down and all the comforts. Like with Burning Girl on my Alaskan and Pacific NW sojourn, having my house on my back, so to speak, will be a very cool way to get around. No need to worry about hotels, reservations, check-in and out times and other such hassles or even whether there’ll be somewhere to stay at the end of a day’s exploring. Just befriend the locals and ask for a great spot to camp wherever I am, and find spectacular places down the road or around the bend.

The ocean coast will be my general path, although I’ll head inland whenever the feeling moves me. There’s so much to see and do on the coast that taking this route, through Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide (although my focus will be more on the wilds and small towns than the cities), should provide plenty of adventure and scenery.

My son Matt, who just finished grad school, will be joining me for eight days between Brisbane and Melbourne. When I told him of my plans, he was so excited that I had to invite him to come along. Julie is off to other adventures this summer, Mark has visited Australia while studying in New Zealand and Scott is busy with school and work this summer, so only one of my brood will be tagging along.

Here are a couple of images in advance of touching down and starting the trip (not my photos, of course). They provide a small taste of what’s to come, and the adventures that await.

My sights and experiences between Cairns and Perth will be the subject of my rambling as things unfold. Enjoy the ride – I hope to convey a true sense of what I see and learn on my journey through my photos and narrative.

If you’d like to stay abreast of the trip, just click the “Follow” icon in the bottom right corner.  Also, starting with my next post, all photos will expand when clicked on.

Part of the joy of this kind of trip is not knowing exactly what lies ahead. Spontaneity rocks, and the unexpected usually provides the greatest surprises and most fun, as with life in general. My next post will be from down under…

Rich