It's with sadness that we write the final chapter of our amazing adventure around Australia. Our one piece of advice is that it is a misconception that you have to be a grey nomad to travel around Australia. Infact, we think that it is better being younger as it allows you to do and see as much as possible. The number of times we heard from octogenarian friends we met on the road "we wish we had done this when we were your age" was extraordinary.
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| Sorry to anyone queasy. After telling about how James' finger got caught in the door on the last blog, many people requested a photo. Here it is. Those same people that requested a photo from when we visited Nudie Hot Springs, your request has been declined. |
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| Some friends near our campsite just south of Townsville. We were preparing to head to Winton in Western Queensland to see some Dinosaur Stampede Footprints (James was singing the Jurassic Park theme song a lot). |
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| 5 hr drive west towards Winton, car making a weird spluttering noise, boot deciding to not open again (after paying $590 in Cairns for a new latch) and 4 hrs back to near where we started at Charters Towers so we could be near a mechanic. Challenging day, but more importantly, we had to give the Dinosaur footprints a miss (James more disappointed than Min). |
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| Grumpy Min. Boot not opening meant we had to unbolt the cargo barrier (again), unpack the entire boot, and open the boot from the inside. |
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| Neenish tarts are proven to help overcome grumpy episodes. |
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| As is James' new favourite herbal tea varietal. It's the citrus tang of the mandarin that makes it so special. |
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| Min made James pose for this one. Very funny Min. |
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| The beautiful Balding bay on Magnetic Island, just off the coast of Townsville. |
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| Radical bay, Magnetic Island. |
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| Castle Hill, overlooking Townsville, towards Magnetic Island. |
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| Bowen caravan park insisted on giving a key to access the toilets and showers. Unfortunately, James accidently left his pants (with key in the pocket) in the shower. Fashoning a device using a tent pole and a towel, after 30 minutes of trying, he nearly got the door open via the side window. Just as he was about to have success, a grey nomad came to use the toilet, opening the door and reporting James to the police. |
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| We made tracks down to Byron bay over the next couple of days. Despite huge crowds, Byron is as beautiful as ever. |
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| Eastern, Western and Northern most points on Australian Mainland. Tick. Min obviously not too impressed by this achievement. |
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| James getting in his 'model mindset' prior to wedding photos. |
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| Our wedding venue, Newrybar. |
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| Hitched. |
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| Our good friend Charlie doing an amazing Kevin Bacon impersonation on the dance floor at our wedding. |
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| "No Min, I can't at all understand why you are having second thoughts about saying I do" |
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| Encountering rain at Port Macquarie. If living in the outdoors for the last year has taught us anything, it's that towels offer better rain protection than umbrellas or raincoats. |
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| Back outside Dad's place, where we left for Alice Springs just over 1 year ago. |
Having finished our trip, we thought we'd like to give awards to certain things from throughout the year. We often played this game to prevent any awkward silences in the car.
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| Best Flora: The Boab. |
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| Best Fauna experience: This Wombat crossing the beach river in front of our campsite, near Arthur River, Tasmania. |
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| Best spot for a tea and chips: Branco's lookout, El Questro, The Kimberley. |
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| Best camping meal: Capsicum Ole (Ole!) |
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| Most scenic camping spot: Coffin Bay NP, SA. |
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| Crapiest camping spot: Katherine Gorge caravan park (this was a close one between here and Port Hedland). |
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| Most scenic toilet: Turkey flat campsite, The Kimberley. |
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| Best novelty, oversized animal: The Big Lobster, Kingston, SA. |
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| 2nd best novelty, oversized animal: Rooey II, the Nullarbor. |
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| 3rd best novelty, oversized animal (a surprisingly big category): The Penguin, Penguin, Tasmania |
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| Most sandflies: Cape Leveque, WA. |
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| Most flies: Flinders Ranges, SA. |
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| Best National Park: Karijini, WA. |
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| Most underrated National Park: Kakadu, NT (seems odd but we met a lot of people who said Kakadon't... idiots!) |
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| Best hike: Jatbula Trail, Katherine Gorge to Edith Falls. |
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| Best town name: Bing Bong, NT. |
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| Best drive: Out to Bachsten Bush Camp on the Munja track, The Kimberley. |
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| Best adopted hobby: Birdwatching (it was close between this and herbal tea drinking but given James' previous fear of birds, this one seems more remarkable). |
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| Best camp oven achievement: Pineapple cake. |
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| Best pub: The Innamincka Hotel, north east SA. |
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| Most annoying thing to happen to the 4wd: Boot hinge disintergrating, making it impossible to open from the outside. |
So that's it! Our Russell Coight Adventures are on hiatus for now... but there will be more to come.
