Jules Claire

31st July 2008 - 21st August 2008 Picton - Kaikoura - Christchurch - Arthur's Pass - Franz Josef - Fox Village - Wanaka - Arrowtown - Queenstown - Milford Sound - Dunedin - Naseby - Moeraki - Akaroa - Christchurch The recent stormy weather had had no effect on the amazingly smooth three hour ferry journey across the open sea from Wellington in the North Island to Picton in the South but had caused considerable damage to the roads in this region. The main road from Picton to Christchurch was closed due to several landslips along the route. Alternative roadways had much the same problem so we were pretty much stranded here for the day at least. We booked into one of Picton's less classy campsites and discovered later the entire site had been evacuated the ... read more

15th June 2008 - 11th July 2008 Kununurra - Broome - Exmouth - Cossack - Coral Bay - Monkey Mia - Kalbarri - Northampton - Hutt River - Pinnacles - Fremantle - Perth Arriving in Western Australia from the Northern Territory you immediately enter the Kimberley area, "a region the size of Poland often romantically described as Australia's last frontier". Not sure about the size but it is about as romantic as Poland! We spent three days travelling through this tedious terrain that is probably best explored by four wheel drive. It's the place to see the famous 'Bungle Bungles Massif' (what is a 'massif'?). This too is only accessible by four wheel drive so we had to settle for the 'mini bungles' at Mirima National Park in Kununurra. This was a poor substitute but about ... read more

2nd May 2008 - 23rd May 2008 Holbrook - Milawa - Beechworth - Glenrowan - Benalla - Melbourne - Philip Island - Great Ocean Road - Grampians - McLaren vale - Kangaroo Island - Adelaide The most direct route from Sydney to Melbourne is via the Hume Highway, or 'Ned Kelly Country'. Ned Kelly is the legendary bushranger who has been compared to Robin Hood in that he stole from the wealthy - but then he forgot to give to the poor. He also killed a few policemen but despite these indescretions he is still widely associated as a symbol of freedom and resistance against authority of the late 1800s. Each town along the highway seems to have some connection to him and exploits it to the maximum! One town that doesn't however, is Holbrook. They ... read more

2nd April 2008 - 17th April 2008 Ingham - Lucinda - Bellenden Ker Range - Cairns - Port Douglas - Atherton Tablelands - Tully - Cardwell - Townsville - Agnes Water / Seventeen Seventy - Bundaberg - Childers - Hervey Bay (Fraser Island) - Big Pineapple - Australia Zoo - Brisbane The Bruce Highway is the main road along the East Coast and has been our companion since leaving Brisbane. Having travelled north in excess of 2,000km thus far we were now firmly in the tropics and beginning to feel the heat. We were also beginning to notice the crocodile warnings next to rivers, creeks and even the sea! After leaving Bowen we headed towards Townsville stopping at Home Hill to buy some lunch where we stumbled upon a rest stop complete with free hot showers ... read more

6th March 2008 - 16th March 2008 Luang Prabang - Phonsavan - Vang Viang - Vientiane Our one hour flight from HaNoi to Luang Prabang was in a small and less than third full aircraft with pschyadaelic seat covers. It was a little bumpy but not too bad and the inflight meal was lovely. The airport at Luang Prabang was equally small and it took less than five minutes and about thirty paces to go through customs and collect our bags from the only luggage carousel. It did have an ATM though which was useful, although both $US and Thai baht is accepted in conjuction with the Laos Kip - which can get confusing! After checking into our guesthouse the first thing we did was buy an awesome iced ring donut with hundreds and thousands from ... read more