Kevin
Born and raised in Portsmouth, England, in a provincial area called Drayton. After school, college, and a year at Portsmouth Uni, studying predominantly Photography, Media and Film Studies, I left for Uni in Sheffield. Had a fantastic time 'studying' and successfully received a degree in Film Studies. Like many graduates I still had no clue as to what I wanted to actually do? After another year in Sheffield not doing much I decided to spice up my life with a move to London. nightrider_1980
Got a job at the National Film Theatre where I have spent the last 2.5 years. Since working in London I have developed a passion for travelling and with very generous holiday allowance and flexible shifts, I've used most of my spare time seeing other parts of the world (while still feeling like a tourist in London!). The best of both worlds one might say huh? This time has been great but my thirst for travel and adventure has become too much, I need more!
Two days ago I handed my notice into work and have booked myself onto a TEFL course in Thailand, I fly on the 5th Jan (now 4th Dec).
At the moment my intention is to complete the month long course and get employment as an ESL teacher in Taiwan. Then who knows?
I hope to use this blog to record my adventure, and bug my friends with updates!
Travel Blog Posts
April 12th 2009
It's the Easter holiday 2009 and again I have a free moment to retrace my steps from almost 2 years ago... A 4:45am start to the day was needed in order to complete a considerable portion of the 700km journey before the van overheated. The drive was long, dry and dusty. In Exmouth we caught-up with ourselves and explored the area around Nigaloo Reef (unfortunately Whale season was out); here I enjoyed a snorkel off the beach, before we drove down to Coral Bay. The west coast of Australia is rugged and very beautiful, beaches are empty for miles upon miles. Continuing our drive south we ended up at a little place called Hamlin Pool, renowned for it's ancient Stromatolites (the first living things on this planet that appeared 3.5 BILLION years ago; for 2 BILLION ... read more
Kakadu, Darwin and Broome
Published: February 3rd 2009Oceania » Australia » Northern Territory » Darwin
February 3rd 2009
It should be noted that it's now Feb 2009 and this is very much written in retrospect, but with London snowed under and no school today I feel the need to catch-up on some long-term projects that have began to fester, so armed with a brand new macbook, I begin the long road north.... From the red heart of Australia we put our foot down and made the long trip north passing: Renner Springs, Elliot, Newcastle Waters, Dunmarra, Daly Waters and Larrimah, 700 km of monotonous road. Eventually we arrived hot and dusty at Mataranka. We bush camped at a national parks managed site in the forest; not long after our arrival a tall man appeared from the bush and introduced himself as 'Tall Dean'. Dean was a nice chap who spends 3 months of the ... read more
August 20th 2007
Mt Isa, or ‘The Isa’ as it’s known to locals had been a wonderful home and showcase for the rodeo; we were deeply saddened to be leaving, but leave we had to. It was a long 600km drive to Tennant Creek where we stayed in a nice little campsite, before moving on the next day towards Alice Springs. En route we made a marvellous detour to The Devil’s Marbles, a cluster of boulders, made from the red rock prevalent this central, they were formed by volcanic activity many moons ago. Continuing on we passed through Australia’s UFO capital, Wycliffe Well, boasting a petrol station adorned with plastic alien figurines. We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn (the first time of many on the trip), and eventually came in from the dusty outback and into Alice Springs. Alice ... read more
Through the Outback to Mt. Isa and the Rodeo
Published: April 16th 2008Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Mt Isa
August 9th 2007
Our first stop on the road inland was in Atherton which seemed a pleasant town, then we began to get more remote and we visited Mt Hypipamee crator, which is, yep a crater. The pretty Milla Milla waterfall was our stop for lunch, before we made our way to a brilliant free camping group in the town of Ravenshoe. It was only around this time that we realised that free camping groups are prolific throughout Australia, especially away from the touristy East Coast. The site in Ravenshoe is on a fantastic old railway yard, still with railway paraphernalia scattered around the grounds, on a weekend the campers (mostly Grey Nomads) are moved on as a steam train still operates for tourism purposes. We were welcomed in by the nomads, and enjoyed our brief stay in Ravenshoe. ... read more
Magnetic Island and As Far North as We Could Get!
Published: April 16th 2008Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Cairns » Inn The Tropics
July 27th 2007
After regaining our land legs, we made our way through Bowen, then onto Townsville where we purchased camping equipment for our trip over to Magnetic Island. Nervously we left the van parked in a side street and preyed folk would leave his old ass alone. The ferry ride across was a short one and we caught a bus down to our campsite, Bungalow Bay, where we set up our tent on a nice green patch of grass. I always love the cosiness of a tent, and we regretfully left our nest to explore the Bay. It was nice enough and we enjoyed the scenery. After a challenging nights sleep, plagued by possums, a coughing neighbour, and a bouncy airbed we were up by 8am for breakfast. Deciding to seize the day we set out on the ... read more
July 18th 2007
Our first impressions of Airlie Beach was that it was a fun and vibrant town, full of travellers, and surf bums, looking to have a good time. In between the bars and restaurants, the tour agents compete for business on Whitsunday sailing packages. The choices at first are mind-boggling; classic sailor, or modern catamaran, romantic voyage, or party time, 1 night, or 6 nights…. After sifting through the glossy brochures we made our decision: The Alexander Stewart, a classic vintage sailing boat, marketed at the ‘couples market’, and the 3 day/2 night trip promised to be an eco-friendly, relaxing, experience. We booked through our campsite and even got 2 free nights camping for the deal. The Whitsunday’s are a collective of 74 islands that fringe the Great Barrier Reef, and the waters that surround them are ... read more
July 12th 2007
Our sadness at leaving Fraser Island was repressed slightly by an early morning visit to Tin Can Bay the following morning, our reason for coming; dolphins. This place is a gem, for now, as around 8am every morning a small crowd gathers by the shore, as volunteers introduce the act, and fishermen watch on bemused by the whole event. Tempted by fish, and surely the attention, a pod of dolphins, swim into the bay and happily roll in the water, and take the free food straight from your hands. The volunteer group don’t charge, provide the fish and are happy for repeat visits! Quite wonderful stuff. Our hunt for fruit picking work saw us, unsuccessfully enquire in the small township of Childers. There was nothing around after bad droughts earlier in the year, and further enquiries ... read more
July 7th 2007
A trip to Australia’s East Coast is incomplete without a visit to Fraser Island. This Island is unique as it’s the world's largest sand island, yes it’s completely made up of sand. Think of a sand bar, often more pronounced at low tide, then think of a giant sandbar which the top of, never sinks below the water, that’s Fraser Island in a nutshell. The island acts like a huge sponge, and absorbs rain, thus creating fresh water lakes and rivers, and allowing vegetation to flourish. These facts alone make a visit a must, but add to this the 4x4 adventure, unpredictable sea, and seriously dangerous and diverse wildlife, and you have somewhere really, really exciting. Leaving Bob alone outside a hostel in Rainbow Beach was sad, but he had the company of other campervans, who’s ... read more
Call Centres In Brisbane and Fishing in Hervey Bay
Published: January 7th 2008Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Brisbane
July 1st 2007
Coffs Harbour was a brief stop, but we had time to visit the quite beautifully maintained botanical gardens, and the harbour itself. The harbour was nice enough, and we fortunately saw dolphins from the harbour wall, we also soaked up the fresh sea air from Mutton Bird Island. The drive from Coffs Harbour to Byron Bay is quite nice as it actually follows the coast for some time. I was immediately smitten with Byron Bay, the town was full of surfers and old hippies, and the type of establishments here seemed to cater for a diverse clientele. The next day we checked out the beach, watching a volleyball game, cooking our lunch right there in the van. The vibe of this place was so relaxed, I wanted to stay longer, to work and live here for ... read more
Nelson Bay and the Rain
Published: January 7th 2008Oceania » Australia » New South Wales » Nelson Bay
June 15th 2007
The Hunter Valley is rather beautiful and we arrived in Cessnock, excited to be starting our trip proper, and to be in wine country. Wine in Australia is cheap and excellent, even the cheapest, nastiest stuff purchased in boxes for only a few dollars is drinkable. With the luxury of our own transport we were able to tour the region ourselves, for there are countless vineyards and all have showrooms which operate wine tasting sessions. Selecting a few randomly, we enjoyed the free wine (and cheese!), and made a couple of shrewd purchases. If you are without your own transport you can join a tour group that will drive you round until you can drink no more. A gabble of Shelas on our campsite returned legless and kept us amused with their shrieking, until it became ... read more
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