Posts from our time in Australia.
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
To put the final bow on our 100 Day Adventure, we thought it’d be fun to reflect on our trip “favorites.” Destination It’s probably not surprising that our favorite destination on this trip was safari-related, as that was the part of the trip we were most excited for. This particular destination featured a day of both morning and sunset safaris, interrupted only by some time at our remote tented camp inside a national park.
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
It was right back into the fire as soon as we returned to the US, so wrapping up the trip posts has taken a back seat. Sorry! Well, here are a few final posts from our last several days exploring the country. -S 🇦🇺 Wilson’s Promontory National Park Along the way Grampians National Park A wall in Melbourne the night before our return journey
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
One of the highlights of our time on Raymond Island in Australia was enjoying an enchida browsing around for a late lunch (enchidas and platypuses are the only living mammals that lay eggs). We must have spent 30 minutes just watching this guy waddle around and sniff around in the dirt. -S 🇦🇺 Here’s a short clip:
Kampsite Kangaroo 🇦🇺
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
It’s been a bit since we posted the first part of our drive on the Great Ocean Road, but here’s the second half—the portion that includes the famed Twelve Apostles and other sea stacks. While we enjoyed the stops we made along this stretch—though unfortunately, some of the spots we were most excited about were closed—it was also quite crowded. Very, very crowded. We also found it funny that there were lots of “Australia drives on the left side of the road” signs as reminders for all the tourists.
Monday, March 3, 2025
We rented a Euro Mini campervan from Apollo, picking up in Sydney and dropping off in Melbourne. We wanted something small and generally parkable, but also fully self-contained, a requirement to boondock in Australia. Overall, the vehicle worked fine for us. After two months of hot weather, we loved having the AC at night. Because it only works when on shore power, we sought out powered sites for all but one night of the trip.
Friday, February 21, 2025
It’s our last night in the campervan, and it sorta feels like the last night of the trip, too. But we still have two nights in Melbourne, followed by a full week in French Polynesia. We spent an hour or two sitting outside, gazing up at the incredible starscape late last night in Grampians National Park, talking a bit about the trip so far. One of the questions we asked each other was, at this late stage of our epic trip, how much longer could we go in the campervan?
Although we are currently sitting on the beach waiting for the Australian Blue Penguins to come ashore, I found this guy hiding under the boardwalk! -J 🇦🇺
Thursday, February 20, 2025 →
Because it wouldn’t be a Scott roadtrip without a stop at some sort of roadside oddity or “World’s Largest” thing… -S 🇦🇺
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 →
Given our experience roadtripping around Australia, I can only assume that the word “kangaroo” is an ancient aboriginal term for roadkill. -S 🇦🇺
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 →
How do you deal with a sinkhole (or two) in the middle of your town? Well, you make them into garden parks! -S 🇦🇺
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
We started our first of two days driving the scenic Great Ocean Road, often regarded as one of the world’s best coastal highways, and one of the most remarkable war memorials, too. A largely community-driven project, it served numerous purposes: a memorial to the fallen (Australia experienced the highest casualty rate of any nation in the Great War), an employment project for returning soldiers who needed work, and a way to connect isolated coastal communities and opening up the coast for tourism and development.
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 →
The branches/needles on this tree appear to grow….upward?! -J 🇦🇺
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Australia’s Parliament House is located in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The unique building, opened in 1988, has two large curved walls, separating the building into four quadrants with grass covering parts of the roof. Interestingly, instead of towering above the ground like most capital buildings, this one seems to emerge from the ground…its intended design. -J 🇦🇺
Love this sundial mural in the tiny town of Foster -S 🇦🇺
We had an excellent afternoon of wildlife viewing along the Koala Trail yesterday. More photos and video to come! -S 🇦🇺
Street art in Canberra -S 🇦🇺
Tonight’s campsite views. -S 🇦🇺
Saturday, February 15, 2025 →
We stopped to stretch our legs on the East Gippsland Rail Trail and to check out O’Grady’s Bridge, one of the old wooden rail trellises. This one dates to 1916, and the line was closed in 1987. -S 🇦🇺
Saturday, February 15, 2025 →
Genoa Creek Falls, Croajingalong National Park
-S 🇦🇺
Saturday, February 15, 2025
Making our way inland towards Canberra, we stopped at two sets of short walks to magnificent falls. -S 🇦🇺 Carrington Falls, Budderoo National Park Fitzroy Falls, Morton National Park
Saturday, February 15, 2025
After returning to the Blue Mountains for the morning, we finally made our way back towards Sydney for the “start” of our drive towards Melbourne, where we’re returning the campervan in a little over a week. Royal National Park Our first stop was Royal National Park, just south of Sydney. There wasn’t specific we wanted to see or do there, except to pay homage to its very existence. You see, its claim to fame is being the second national park in the world, just a few years behind the incomparable Yellowstone.
Saturday, February 15, 2025
In places where swimming might be a bit dangerous, many communities in Australia have built rock pools. These are public swimming pools built into shoreline rock adjacent to the ocean (and often naturally refilled with seawater during high tide) that offer residents a safer—and quite scenic—swimming experience. -S 🇦🇺
Friday, February 14, 2025
The Blue Mountains west of Sydney are renowned, and they didn’t disappoint! Here are some shots from our time there. -S 🇦🇺 A quintessential view of the Blues—a waterfall cascades off a rocky escapement towards the thick forest below, punctuating what is an expansive vista. A rare selfie Scroll down to see what this waterfall looked like about 30 seconds later… I’m not sure what it was about these trail blocks, but I really enjoyed taking photos of them.
Friday, February 14, 2025
Here are some other sites around Sydney we happened upon while we wandered. -J 🇦🇺 First and foremost, the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. (Don’t worry, there are more photos of the Opera House below!) We ran across this ornate iron canopy that only said “Keep The Pavement Dry.” Apparently this is an old drinking fountain with an admonition against “sloppy drinking.” It was 1 of 8 installed in Sydney during the mid-1800s.
Friday, February 14, 2025
The full day we had in Sydney was rainy, so we visited a few museums. One was the Hyde Park Barracks (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), which was an interesting overview on Australia as a convict colony. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Britain transported many of its convicts to Australia and they became the labor force that eventually built modern Sydney and Australia. The Barracks opened in 1819 as a dormitory to house male convicts, especially those who had just arrived.
Look at the size of those feet! An Australian Purple Swamphen. -J 🇦🇺
Thursday, February 13, 2025 →
We finally found a great brewery! We had already enjoyed a pour of Mountain Culture Brewing in Sydney, later grabbing some cans from the liquor store for our campervan. But yesterday we found the actual source! The sign does not lie. We may have even snagged a few additional cans as well. -S 🇦🇺
Saturday, February 8, 2025
Despite the terrible weather we had the entire time we were in Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands, we did make it out to the Great Barrier Reef for a snorkel. (So yes, Scott finally used his snorkeling mask he has hauled all over the world!) Although the weather made for cloudy and dark water, we still saw many amazing fish and different corals. Looking forward to coming back to the Whitsundays to see the beautiful beaches and seeing more amazing marine life.
Saturday, February 8, 2025
We had a long layover in Brisbane, so we booked a tour that included a river cruise from the central city to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary—apparently, the first (since 1927!) and still leading sanctuary for these endangered animals. The cruise featured prerecorded interpretative commentary, which was more interesting than we had expected. While you’re not passing important attractions on the ride, you do learn about the river and city. Most of the scenery, at least after you get out of the central city, are the backyard docks of residences—some historic, some elegant, but most nice but ordinary.