Landed in Sydney on Wednesday and decided, because of a  long layover to Cairns, to explore the city and bay a bit. What a fantastic place – incredibly clean, beautiful and cosmopolitan. The architecture is a very interesting blend of classical mixed with bold and new.

The weather could’t have been better – 50 degrees F at 7:30 am, warming up to 65F by noon. Aussies are astonishingly attractive and friendly. You feel as though you’ve known everyone you speak with for years. Great folks. A bit puzzled by this store’s name:

After wandering a bit through the financial district and grabbing breakfast, I headed over to the ferry terminal to see the inner harbor by boat. Everyone said it’s a must to get the lay of the land. This classic I spied en route was towing a mint Airstream – funny to see them juxtaposed downtown in a major urban area. I immediately thought of Ward.

Here’s the Sydney Opera House as we slid by, shimmering in early morning light:

I then rode the ferry to Manley, a bedroom community and tourist haven (great combo) 25 minutes by boat from the inner harbor, due east of downtown. Manley is unique because it fronts Sydney Harbor on its west side and the Pacific Ocean on its east. Both are separated by only a quarter mile stretch of land with charming restaurants, shops and taverns scattered about. I met the most delightful couple in their eighties while sitting on a bench at the beach in Manley – both are German, having come to Australia by themselves fifty some-odd years ago, after which they made their separate ways then met and fell in love decades ago. How delightful they were to talk to and meet. I’m always so heartened to see enduring and true love.

After flying from Sydney to Cairns, I picked up my camper van and made my way to Palm Cove and Trinity Beach yesterday. Both are 20 – 30 miles north of Cairns and are well-known as escapes / havens for Cairns residents. They are each incredibly beautiful, small towns with no buildings higher than the tallest palm trees. What a great idea.

The views looking out on the ocean from Palm Cove and Trinity Beach are sublime. Both towns reminded me of Kauai in terms of their ocean views and majestic, verdant mountains spilling down to the sea when you turn around. Just a great day and time.

I’m off to Whitsunday, its islands and the Great Barrier Reef today. Really looking forward to it. I’ll post again after my visit there.

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