August, September and most of October 2024
As it was Monsoon season in Malaysia, Shawn and Ally decided to keep out of the way by exploring Australia by land. They had considered doing it on Imagination, but it would have added an entire year onto their circumnavigation and so while they were home in the UK for 3 weeks July into August, Shawn set to work finalising an itinerary and booking all the necessary transfers, hotels and excursions etc, which was no mean feat. Him doing all of that allowed Ally maximum time to spend with her children, grandson, parents and other family members which was massively appreciated by everyone. It has not been an easy task summarising 9.5 weeks of exciting adventures and experiences into a concise few paragraphs, but Ally has done her best. From Victoria to Western Australia and then the Northern Territory ( NT) by plane, bus and hire car, she and Shawn then returned to Victoria ( Phillip Island) to pick up a Ute with roof top tent belonging to very special friends to explore central Australia within the NT, Queensland, New South Wales and back to Phillip Island. Throughout their time in the country, there was very little time for sitting around which means there is far too much to write about in too much detail with so many fabulous highlights.
They arrived in Melbourne, Victoria, on the 19th August having flown with a budget airline with no inflight entertainment. Luckily, they both slept most of the 8 hour flight having only returned to Malaysia from the UK a couple of days beforehand. After some exploring on foot for a day, they went on a long day excursion from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road, the largest war memorial in the world, enjoying the commentary of the enthusiastic bus driver as they went. They stopped at various places and got to see their first glimpses of Koala, Kangaroos and Echidnas.
Next was Western Australia, where after a very short stop in Perth, they travelled up to Exmouth on an overnight coach which was an experience in itself as the bus was full of folks from all walks of life. They spent a few days there at a lovely hotel and went snorkelling on Ningaloo Reef ( which was a bit disappointing and the water soooo cold!). They had wanted to go on a whale shark excursion, but with prices between $450 and $550AUS each, they sadly had to give up on that idea. They did however, see plenty of whales breaching off the coast as they spend time resting in the coastal region on their migration.
Next was a 5 day tour of the Karijini National Park with driver, Jackson and one other couple. They visited small towns along the way, climbed down into and then through gorges, bathed in the very cool waters, took in wonderful views and stayed overnight on cattle stations, campsites and hotels and ate lots of pies…they never knew how much Australians love their pies! They hired a car for a couple of days on their return to Exmouth and explored the coastline in that area, hiking along Yardies Creek where they encountered a very noisy colony of fruit bats hanging in low lying bushes at the waterside. Next it was down to the national park that includes Monkey Mia for a few days, where dolphins come into the shallows daily, sometimes numerous times. Tourists are given information about the conservation efforts in the area and about the dolphins themselves as they swim up and down the beach. No one is allowed to be in the water with the dolphins during the talk and everyone is told not to approach them and even leave the water if they come in at other times of the day outside of the official talks. We felt that was a bit over the top as the dolphins were free to come and go as they pleased and if they chose to come in close to humans in the water, it would be because they were curious and wanted that interaction, although guess there will always be those that will try to ride them etc. They spent a few hours out on the water on a catamaran to look for Dugongs which they did manage to see, but their time on the surface was very fleeting so they were easy to miss. The brisk breeze across the bay was chilly and unfortunately, the weather took a turn and the wind picked up even more as clouds came in with a little rain and a sudden powerful gust snapped the main halyard!
Next, it was back down to Perth by coach, quickly followed by a flight back to Melbourne. They had a lovely couple of hours catching up with Ally’s cousins and their families that evening, before flying up to Darwin in the Northern Territory the following day for an excellent 3 day tour of the Kakadu National Park and Litchfield with guide, Becs ( who is British and from a town just 30 miles away from Ally and Shawn’s hometown!). This time, there were 2 other couples and a single lady with them and during this trip they visited some ancient Aboriginal sites with many rock art sites that were used to teach children skills and to tell stories. They went on a river trip to observe crocodiles with superb and hilarious commentary from guide, “Meatloaf”, and they saw giant 45 year old cathedral termite mounds and 100 year old magnetic termite mounds, slept in permanent tents, swam in beautiful waterholes, made and ate food together, watched sunsets from the top of rocky outcrops and learnt a heap of stuff from Becs who just seemed to know absolutely everything about the history, culture, flora and fauna in the Top End. It was an incredible trip that Ally and Shawn highly recommend if you ever get to visit that area.
They were back down to Melbourne as soon as that tour finished and this time, they were picked up by Evie, the daughter of friends Kev and Elaine, and taken to Phillip Island. Kev and Elaine joined Ally and Shawn onboard Imagination as crew for the Micronesia to Northern Mariana leg in March and had very generously offered the use of their Ute complete with roof top tent when they heard Ally and Shawn’s plans to visit Australia for a couple of months and what they wanted to do in that time. They were still on their travels when Ally and Shawn arrived, but told them to make themselves comfortable in their home while they shopped and packed the vehicle ready for the next part of their trip the following day. Late morning on the 14th September, they drove out of Phillip Island in rain and hail and after stopping to purchase an electric cooler and some lunch, they drove for several hours before stopping for the night. It was very cold, so they quickly made a wrap for dinner and took it up into the tent to eat while watching some tv on a laptop. That night and the following night, they slept fully clothed as morning temperatures were at -2 degrees C!! As they drove through South Australia, stopping at the Coober Pedy Opal Mines sign for a photo, and again at Nessie in the salt planes, and on up to central Australia in the Northern Territory over 3 days, they encountered Kangaroos, Emus, and Possums as well as goats, cattle and wild horses. They arrived at the campsite near Uluru ( formerly Ayers Rock) mid afternoon on the 17th September and once they had checked in and had a coffee, they drove to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to watch the sunset at Uluru. It was a beautiful evening for it and as the sun was setting behind them, the colours changed to all shades of autumn and the moon began to rise behind Uluru…..definitely something very magical about that. After a good nights sleep, Shawn and Ally returned to Uluru to do the 11.6km base walk. It was a really nice (but hot) walk along a red sandy track and at every turn, the shapes and shadows gave something interesting to marvel at. The sheer size of Uluru, standing tall in an otherwise flat landscape, is mind blowing considering it is just one solid rock. In some areas, photography is not allowed as they are sacred sites and there are caves and wall art along the way, too. Climbing to the top was banned in October 2019, some say it was for safety reasons, others say that it was as part of an agreement when the land was returned to the indigenous people. Which ever it is, Ally was very relieved having seen the well trodden path up the steep, slippery rock face!
Completing the base walk in 3 hours, Ally and Shawn stopped for lunch on the way to Kata Tjuta ( formerly The Olgas), another rock formation where they did another walk to a viewpoint before returning to the campsite. The next day was an early rise and departure for the 3.5 hour drive to Watarrka (aka Kings Canyon). This area is arid but gorgeous and Ally and Shawn climbed around 600 steps up so that they could do the much talked about and recommended rim walk, which they thoroughly enjoyed. A disappointing short visit to Kathleen Springs followed (due to no recent rain) before checking into a new campsite on a cattle station and having camel burger ( for Shawn) for dinner at the onsite restaurant. The 20th was another interesting day which saw Ally and Shawn drive to Gosses Bluff. Although this area is of aboriginal significance, it is also where a 1km wide comet hit earth, 142 million years ago with 1 million times more energy than the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima, creating a crater 20km in diameter – hard to get your head around that! After a quick visit to Alice Springs, a night camped in a layby and a very early start, they crossed over into Queensland at 15.30 on the 21st, stopping for their most remote night of the trip….only cattle and goodness knows what else out there! Driving in the outback can be hazardous as Kangaroos/Wallabies, Cattle, wild pigs, emus and sheep lack road sense, with the roos being the worst of all – Ally and Shawn saw 100’s of dead ones of all sizes on their travels. Luckily the 4 or 5 that jumped out in front of them either did so at a good distance away or very quickly hopped away. It felt almost surreal to be driving through that vast wilderness, with the experience being indescribable and unforgettable.
One day into the drive to their first destination in Queensland, Cape Tribulation, the scenery changed dramatically from red, dusty and dry, to green, and lush with rolling hills very much like the British countryside. The campsite was great and Ally quickly signed up for a bucket list horse ride along the beach that afternoon accompanied by an interesting guide named Jerry who was full of information about the local area. That evening, Ally and Shawn went for a walk along a nearby jungle boardwalk to try and spot nocturnal creatures. Apart from several small huntsman spiders and a stick insect, they disappointingly didn’t spot anything else. Next was Cairns after a couple of other stops along the way. The highlight of this area was a long day trip to the outer reef of the Great Barrier Reef. Shawn did 3 days over the course of the day and Ally enjoyed 2 snorkels as the water was a little warmer than WA, but still a little cool. The fish here grow to huge sizes and there were some healthy areas of coral. Shawn was very pleasantly surprised as when he visited in the early 2000’s, much of the reef was bleached. Over the next few days, they travelled down the coast, visiting Malanda hoping to spot tree kangaroos ( unsuccessfully) and then Airlie Beach which has a wonderful holiday vibe about it with many bars with live bands, restaurants and cafes. It was from here Ally and Shawn did a trip out to the Whitsundays which included a walk up to a viewpoint overlooking the stunningly beautiful Hill Inlet where the almost pure silica sand is swirled around by the tides creating ever changing patterns beneath the turquoise water.
On the 3rd October, they arrived in a very remote area to the SW of Rockhampton where they spent 1 full day and 2 nights with Ally’s niece and her partner. What a treat it was to see the land they had bought and to hear of their exciting development plans as they all sat around a camp fire with a drink in the evenings. They were the perfect hosts, preparing wonderful meals and showing them some of the surrounding area which included a visit to a crocodile farm which was formed to protect the wild crocs from being poached for the fashion trade as their numbers dropped dangerously low. It was hard and very sad to say goodbye. On the 6th it was another dream come true for Ally as they visited Australia Zoo. It’s a great place and the live presentation in the huge arena is very cleverly integrated with video footage of Steve and Terri Irwin, which was actually quite emotional. It was a full day and they could have gone back the following morning as they didn’t quite get around to seeing everything. On the 7th October, they enjoyed a walk at the Glasshouse Mountains before driving on to stay with a friend of Shawn’s and her husband for one night. It was good to have that catch up and they enjoyed their time with them and were very well fed and watered. It was then on to Brisbane where, over the next couple of days, the weather became overcast and very wet intermittently. It didn’t stop them doing anything and they had a great time doing a river cruise with tea/coffee and scones provided. On the 10th, they enjoyed the Skywalk ( treetop walk) in the Tamborine Mountain area before continuing on to Byron Bay in New South Wales. Here, they spent time driving to several creeks to try and spot platypus, but they were unsuccessful. On the morning of the 12th, they did a good walk up to the lighthouse, watching breaching whales as they went and that afternoon Shawn had a 2 hour surfing lesson.
The journey continued to Sydney where Ally and Shawn stayed in a hotel for a few nights as there are no campsites near to the city centre and they didn’t want to have to keep packing up the tent and driving in. It was a brand new hotel and the staff were brilliant….breakfast was also included which is always a bonus. With the train station being a 20 minute walk away, it made getting into the city centre and beyond, quick, easy and reasonably priced, plus, the trains are double decker, so plenty of room even in rush hour. It felt surreal to Ally as she glimpsed the Harbour Bridge for the first time and then the Opera House. They spent some time walking around that area and then through the nearby botanical gardens before returning for a whale watching trip with lunch included. With the weather having been so unsettled over the previous few days, once we got out from the protection of the harbour, it wasn’t long before that free lunch reappeared for many of the passengers which detracted from the experience rather and although we did see whales, the tumultuous waters made it tricky and uncomfortable. The following day, Ally and Shawn were back on the trains and buses, both of which use the “tap on, tap off” method of payment and they visited Bondi Beach. The weather wasn’t fantastic, so they walked along the prom with Ally, once again, being quite excited to see it in person having watched the Bondi Rescue programs on tv and the rips that cause so many of the problems were very easy to see. There were some surfers enjoying the waves, but part of the beach had been closed due to the appearance of mysterious brown balls of who knows what. We have since read that these things closed a few beaches and were found to contain cooking and motor oils and human faecal matter amongst other things. Gross. Next followed a visit to Manly Beach via ferry from Sydney Harbour and another walk along the prom watching surfers negotiate the waves with whales breaching in the distance.
The Blue Mountains were the destination for the 17th October and Ally and Shawn walked along a picturesque path from Katoomba to Scenic World , taking a cable car across to the entrance and then an extremely steep ( 52 degrees) and slightly worrying, but short “railway” ride down into the valley where there was a coal mine many years ago. They enjoyed a forest boardwalk which was great for kids as there were various moving and roaring dinosaur models lurking amongst the foliage. Eden followed, and they were celebrating their Whale Festival so there were various festivities taking place. This small town was once a whaling town and they had a family of killer whales in the bay that would assist in the catching of the whales by herding the whales deeper into the bay and alerting the fishermen of their arrival by leaping and splashing about in the water. Ally and Shawn enjoyed looking around the museum in the town and listening to music on the green where various stalls were set up, returning in the evening for some more live music and then fireworks. With their adventures nearing the end, it was time for Ally and Shawn to head back down to Victoria and Phillip Island where they arrived on the afternoon of the 20th October. This time, Kev and Elaine were back from their own travels and it was so, so lovely to see them again and everyone had a wonderful evening in the “front bar” of their home, sitting around the fire in the company of neighbours enjoying a BBQ dinner. Ally and Shawn spent the 21st unpacking the Ute and then giving it a good and thorough clean, inside and out before going out that evening to experience the famous Penguin Parade. It was wonderful to see the smallest penguins in the world make their way out of the water as darkness falls, waddle up the beach and then make their way back to their nest, it was just a shame that the crowds couldn’t stick to simple rues of remaining seated and not using any screens which spoilt the view for those seated behind, but once they all disappeared to see the penguins on the boardwalk the groups emerging from the water were clear to see. Packing and weighing was the order of the day for the 22nd, followed by a lovely walk along the nearby beach at the Collonades and then a very pleasant final evening with Kev and Elaine. Kev very kindly rescheduled his work commitments to drive Ally and Shawn to the airport on the 23rd and it was so hard to say goodbye. Kev and Elaine are wonderful, generous, gracious people and Ally and Shawn look forward to a time when they can spend time together again. Thank you both so much for allowing them to use your vehicle to facilitate their dream of seeing as much as they could during their time in your gorgeous country and thank you for not being too mad at Ally when she broke the news that after driving more than 10,000km, she managed to prang your car through a stupid mistake with just 2 days to go until they returned it to you – she’s an idiot! What a superb adventure they have had!
The flight back to Singapore seemed to take forever. It was a daytime flight and with no entertainment, the 8 hours were hard to fill. Ally and Shawn were picked up at the airport and driven across to Malaysia and they finally got back to Imagination at around 10pm. The next week was an exceedingly busy one as they worked 12-13 hour days to get Imagination ready to return to sailing and to receive next months oncoming crew.
