Author: Mrs A
To conclude our top 20 locations on our lap of Australia, our final 5 leave Western Australia and take us in to SA and NSW. These locations were surprising in that we had reasonably low expectations and were delighted by what we found there.
Again, these are in order of visiting rather than ranked in any way:
1. Streaky Bay – Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
Reason: This was our first stop after having crossed the Nullabor, and our first taste of oysters since leaving Sydney back in May. It was spring when we reached Streaky Bay, and the weather was not quite settled. We had some fabulously warm mornings, but the afternoons often whipped up with quite a blustery wind. Nevertheless it was a great location to introduce us back into semi-civilisation, with a 10km coastal cycleway to explore, and some interesting road trips to natural landmarks. Quite a unique location.
2. Port Lincoln – Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
Reason: We visited this location purely so I could go cage diving with Great White Sharks (a bucket list item and well worth the trip – I chose the ethical option with Adventure Bay Cruises). We originally booked in at the caravan park there for two nights, but loved it so much we stopped longer. Port Lincoln as a town has some great little restaurants, fabulous seafood and plenty of services. A short drive away is Lincoln National Park, home sea eagles, osprey and fur seals you can snorkel with, and numerous picturesque beaches. A flat cycleway follows the coast around into town and along to the marina (and possibly beyond), great exploring with plenty of birdlife. We really enjoyed our time here.
3. Clare Valley, South Australia
Reason: Anyone who knows us well (and our love of fine wine) will probably question why this fits as a surprising visit. Well the fact is we almost left on the first night due to the cold damp weather, but we were pleased we stuck around. The rail trail is a great drawcard here, relatively flat and guiding you to some fabulous tastings. The visitor information centre is award winning, and if you are there on a Friday night they do a wine tasting with $5 glasses of wine and $25 bottles and a cheese and nibbles plate – a brilliant way to meet your fellow campers and taste some local fare.
4. Tanunda – Barossa Valley, South Australia
Reason: Of course the wine was fabulous – we had some great fun cycling around the area which is pretty flat with some off road cycleways, and great tastings. Highlights were Artisans of Barossa, Izway and the Taste of Eden. It was also our first opportunity to taste Vietnamese food in a long while at FermentAsian – a restaurant with a veritable bible of wine on offer – more than 1000 bottles. We settled for one!
5. Cowra – New South Wales
Reason: Cowra is just an hour from Orange which we have visited on many occasions, but remained a blip on the map for more than 18 years. This time we picked up some literature about it while visiting Forbes, and thought it sounded lovely. As usual we laughed about what the differences were likely to be from the marketing material (often towns read like quaint French villages but disappoint horribly!). Cowra actually exceeds expectations! Surrounded by rolling hills (making the cycling a bit more of an effort than we’d been used to!), lots of interesting history surrounding the Japanese POW camp and some stunning gardens, Cowra also boasts a wine bar with fabulous selection of local beers and wine, and some great places to eat out. We loved the Indian restaurant – we’d put it up there among the best we’ve been to in Australia! The campsite was delightful too, grassy and shady, hosted by a lovely couple who became friends. Definitely worth a visit.
And that concludes our top 20 locations around Australia so far! We’ll be setting off again in two weeks, first to the Sapphire Coast, before doing an about turn and heading north through to pastures new. We’re looking forward to more (hopefully positive) surprises on our horizon…
Where can you find these locations?
Reason: This was unexpectedly beautiful. It was somewhat of a trek from Carnarvon on the coast, but well worth it. Some great walks, spectacular scenery and the serenity was unparalleled. We enjoyed a fabulous evening around the shared campfire exchanging stories and were awarded with a certificate for completing the escarpment walk! Another few hours’ drive from here is Mount Augusta which we didn’t make, but some of our fellow campers were heading out there for a dinner hosted by a famous chef. Definitely keep an eye out for that one if you’re in that direction – would be a great incentive to do the climb…
Reason: We heard about this location while chatting around yet another campfire and decided to head on over. Aussies among our readership may have heard about this place on Australian Story. It’s run by a young couple who are trying to make a difference to the ecology of the station, recovering damage to the land done in the 1930s. Very few people were camped there – just 4 or 5 caravans alongside the river, and Mr A and I walked for miles without seeing another human being. The history is fascinating, and we can hardly imagine the hardships of the first settlers dealing with 40+ degrees and little to no water or shelter.
Reason: The day after I came out of intensive care, Mr A brought me here to recover. It was the perfect location. Fresh air, walks of any length, peace and quiet. I could read, doze and generally recover while he popped out on his bike to ride parts of the Mundi Biddi cycleway which winds its way though the forests here. Camping cat was very happy also! Another location rich in wildlife, flowers and great scenery – we enjoyed some glorious walks here too. Mr A even did a ride-paddle here.
Reason: We had to include Busselton in this because of a) the great cycleways there – you can go for miles off road along the coast, extremely picturesque and b) our first night there we went for an early evening beverage opposite the jetty and made friends with Anne and Chris, owners of Brash Vineyard. We followed up an invitation to visit them and had an incredible tour and tasting, a highlight of our region’s visit. We camped at Big Valley, a sheep station just outside of Margaret River with rolling hills and a bike ride through the woods through to the village. We did some great tastings while there, and made some more friends we later caught up with in Adelaide. The Saturday morning markets were fabulous (and we saw an old friend from Sydney there!) and we felt that MR would be definitely up there as a place we could live, should we not have Curl Curl as our home! Make sure you stop at Bunbury Farmer’s Market on your way to or from Perth…you’ll see why when you get there….
Reason: Now this does break the rules a little bit as it is on the coast, but the majority of our activity here was inland. We stayed at a great campground on the river mouth, surrounded by rail trail cycleways which we made the most of. We didn’t realise Denmark was a wine region until we got there, and of course joined a tour to explore some of the offerings. We could have definitely spent a lot longer here, especially once we had seen the SupaIGA supermarket – definitely the best we had seen in the whole of Western Australia. Put it on your visit list!
Reason: We headed up here because of numerous recommendations to visit Cape Leveque (the tip of the Dampier Peninsula), but we would say the whole Peninsula is well worth a visit. Pristine beaches, warm waters (we didn’t see any crocs other than on Mr A’s feet) and perfect weather day after day. We stayed at Middle Lagoon, swam in the waters at Lombadina and also camped at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm. Our only regret was leaving the caravan behind and taking only a tent – you shouldn’t always listen to advice on the road. The Zone would have easily made it up there with some careful driving.
Reason: While this is a popular spot (many south WA residents park up here for the whole winter), once you move about 200 metres away from the campsite you are totally alone. Miles and miles (more than 80!) of pristine beach, hundred of shells, great sunsets. We loved it here. It was also our first real experience of grass in a long while (yes, small delights!) – we had an unpowered campsite (plenty of solar and they provide you with water) and just loved the cycling. We didn’t have Princess Tassie with us at this point, but the campground at Eighty-Mile Beach allows cats but no dogs! Another reason to like it!
Reason: The only reason to visit Exmouth is for its natural wonders, in particular Whale Sharks. We had the most magical experience swimming with two Whale Sharks on our day out. These gentle giants feed on plankton and travel along with their mouths open, slow enough for us to swim alongside them in our masks and snorkels – just incredible. I also did two dives on the Navy Pier there, some of the best diving since Byron Bay. And finally we managed one night in Cape Range National Park – it is otherwise fully booked – fabulous wildlife, snorkelling and paddling. We wished we could have got longer in here.
Reason: Well surely the photos speak for themselves? This was an incredible find – we booked in for two nights and stayed a week. Some people spend months here (though we suspect they don’t do much washing!). We were camped right beside Ningaloo Reef, turtles popping their heads out all along the beaches, whales breaching out beyond the surf break, spectacular powder soft sand and warm waters. We still miss our view now! This is located just south of Coral Bay (which we suggest you avoid like the plague – wall to wall tourist parks, cheek by jowl – yuck!)…
Reason: We had no idea this area was so stunning or we would have camped in here. Instead we visited as a day trip from Denham. It requires a 4WD and tyres to be let down, but the national park provides compressed air at the entrance so you can re-inflate on your way out. We went kayaking in Big Lagoon and drove up to Cape Peron on the very tip. From there we could see a fantastic array of sea life including sharks and mantas swimming past. On the beaches, hundreds of pied cormorants lined up, apparently a sign there were tiger sharks about. The lookout was a long slow drive through sand dunes to reach, but so worth it. The dolphins at Monkey Mia (at the bottom of the cape) had commenced our day, not as twee and touristy as we had feared…definitely worth a look if you’re in the area!
Reason: We just had to sneak this one in because we had such a lovely time here. Kalbarri is within about 6 or 7 hours drive of Perth, so popular with the locals, but remains a sleepy little village. We ate dinner at one of the best restaurants we had found since Sydney (Upstairs), hiked in the national park and kayaked on the stunning waters. We were on a bit of a time limit to get down to Perth at this point, otherwise would have definitely stayed longer and done more paddling on the lower Murchison River. Lots to do and see here.
Reason: Spectacular, inspirational scenery, incredible colours, great walking. We were there outside of the school holidays so it was quiet, and nothing overcrowded. We walked and walked all day, in beautiful temperatures, marvelling at the amazing scenery. It has stuck with me still. It’s so hard just to select a few photos from this location!
Reason: While other gorges in the Kimberly such as El Questro, Emma Gorge, Bell Gorge, Mitchell Falls are definitely up there, and certainly we enjoyed hiking up them and swimming in the waters, Barnett River Gorge stands out for us because it was so peaceful. We arrived just as a tag along tour of backpackers was departing and enjoyed the whole afternoon just the two of us, relaxing in the cooling waters and watching a massive saltwater crocodile cruising up the deeper section from a lookout. Some great memories there. There are no signs off the main road to reach this, you just have to trust in Google Maps directing you down a dirt track through dusty dry grassland.
Reason: Again, in contrast to other locations along the Gibb, this was so quiet and unspoilt by crowds. We had booked this way in advance and after changing our dates around, thought we had lost our booking here. Fortunately they still had us in the schedule and allowed us to head on down. It is run by the Wilderness Society and restricted to a maximum of 30 campers or caravans on the whole property. Much of the time it was just the two of us, and we had an awesome day paddling down Diamond Gorge on our inflatable kayaks, and there were many birds to be seen. It was a fabulous learning experience in a spectacular location.
Reason: We arrived here with low expectations. Windjama can be reached without travelling down the Gibb River Road and does not require a 4WD. We thought it would be full of people and overcrowded like many other places, but although the campground did get busy, it was not crowded in the gorge itself. We hiked into the gorge through a crack in the rock late afternoon and were bowled over by the incredible light. It has a feeling of power and spirituality, somewhat like walking into a grand cathedral, the walls towering overhead and the late afternoon sunlight reflecting off the sandstone. The feeling we had when first entering was renewed the following morning when we hiked in with our breakfast and a flask of tea. This is a very special place.
Reason: What an adventure this was! We had originally just booked a day trip, but everyone we met along our travels told us to stay at least one night, and so we did. Definitely to be recommended! We flew from a tiny airport near Derby across to the top of the Kimberley, landing on the water near our boat. The warm waters there are not friendly for swimming in, full of dangerous saltwater crocodiles and sharks. But we stayed mostly dry (other than my snorkelling with the Tawny Sharks) and leaped on board a smaller boat to whizz through the flooded bays and observe the waters rushing out with the tide. Definitely a location not to be missed! This trip ended with me in the emergency room at the Derby Hospital (you’ll have to read the blog for that story!) but that didn’t spoil my memories!
And so we farewelled the Cummings family and headed down the Blue Mountains to our next stop, Katoomba. We were off to visit Jennie and David, another couple of English folk happily living in Australia who had also the good fortune to purchase a Zone RV caravan – number 57. Jennie was there to wave us into the parking spot and provide us with visitor passes, and quickly ushered us into their home near the three sisters for a cup of tea and a chat.
We stopped off for a quick drink and a chat, before heading on through the narrow car lined streets to Curl Curl. We have to say that the streets of Forestville were the most challenging roads we had driven on in the whole of Australia – a combination of cars on both sides of the street, narrow roads, hills and bends!
We calculated our total mileage for this trip – 22,478km – that’s about 14,000 miles for you counting in old money. Fantastic. We’re pretty chuffed with all we have learned along the way and what an incredible adventure we have had. So far. After tonight we head back into our house for about 7 weeks, and then the cat will be away again to explore more of this beautiful country…we hope you will join us too!
We stopped there a couple of hours as the showers got heavier and Tassie did a bit of exploring.
All this wine tasting had worked up an appetite and a very timely text from friend Karen gave us a list of recommendations. We decided to call into Agrestic Grocer. It turned out to be right next door to the Badlands Brewery, the beer Mr A had enjoyed at The Oxley Wine Bar in Cowra, and they offered a tasting paddle from the bar.
After lunch we picked up some vegetables for tonight (Woolworths ‘the fresh food people’ this time) – again disappointed by the poor quality of fresh produce available – bendy carrots, soft runner beans, under ripe strawberries and nectarines – not what we expected at all.
Thankfully once you are in the Canobolas Caravan Park the aspect brightens up…a little. We decide to only pay for one night and see what we think.
We strolled, admiring the views and marvelling at how comfortable the 33 degree day felt amongst all this green and water.
We decided to enjoy lunch in the café at the gardens (sadly not Japanese food – the only menu nod to the inspiration was a miso soup!).
After all this learning, we thought it should be time to go and try some local wine. We headed to a winery on our way back to Cowra, but sadly the cellar door was only open at the weekend. Such a shame. Hopefully the Orange wineries will be more welcoming over the next few days…yes, I know, another wine region in our future!
…And so to our final evening in Cowra. We again enjoyed the company of Keira and Glenn for a few beverages while our Weber cooked up our butterflied pork. We shared a few stories along the way, Mr A lamenting that I will never let him have a chain saw. Our close friends will know why…and so do Glenn and Kiera now.
All packed and ready to go – or so we thought – until I try to level the van – the air suspension had sprung a leak again. Not thinking it was Saturday I called the service line at Zone and immediately got a perky voice on the line asking how they could help. Now that is super service for a manufacturer to provide weekend service cover as well. Warms your heart it does.
The hosts Keira and Glenn were so helpful and welcoming, nothing too much trouble for them. Now why can’t every park be like this? A real cracker.
We then went on to the POW camp itself. Not much was left to see, the info boards again though told a harrowing story of several thousand POWs crammed in to the camp, with the last prisoners not being repatriated until 1954!
