Gavin and Michelle

There’s something fascinating about Coober Pedy … For a start there are only two elements - earth and air. Water doesn’t get a look in and there’s not enough trees for a fire to take hold. The fascination starts before you even get there. All of a sudden the desert becomes a lunar landscape with mounds of dirt in every direction; the 250,000 mullock heaps make a big impression. It is illegal to back fill the mine shafts so it’s a very dangerous place to go walking. In town, there’s not a blade of grass, just dirt and more dirt. It has a bit of a wild west feel about it and there’s definitely no fancy malls or any frills, just basic necessities, and of course all the opal shops. There are more opals for sale ... read more

Picture a small bush town with lots of leafy gum trees, add a good measure of aboriginal art, a dash of trendy cafes, a sprinkle of cosmopolitan flavour and a pinch of sophistication, and you’ve got the very likeable, unpretentious Alice Springs, a town as lovely as it’s name. We loved simply walking around town and being part of it all. The aboriginal art impressed us as did the price it was bringing. There are more art galleries here than anywhere else in the world within the same sized area. Being a country boy from way back, Gavin has always loved the didgeridoo and wanted to play. You guessed it, he bought one. How embarrassingly touristy is that! We’ve both had a couple of lessons and so far we’ve learned how to play some rude noises. ... read more

WOW. How great is Darwin! The city is surrounded by beautiful blue water and parks along the water's edge for miles and miles. Because the view isnt blocked by houses or buildings, the whole place is stunning. The tree-lined streets are wide and there are open areas and parkland everywhere. What a lovely relaxed city it is. Sandy and Andrea flew up for a short break (it was so good to see them) and Andrea's parents gave us all a very warm welcome which made our stay even more enjoyable. One of the highlights of our stay was the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. The exotic aromas of foreign delicacies and the local cuisine of buffalo, crocodile and kangaroo, trendy arts and crafts, live entertainment in a beautiful beach setting, all on a balmy evening in the ... read more

Still continuing along the Gibb River Road, there have been many other lovely places we’ve scrambled over rocks in the heat for hours, to see. The swimming pools have clear cool water fed by waterfalls that are all different - Manning, Adcock, Galvin and Barnett Gorges. At Ellenbrae we found a very unique homestead camp ground with heaps of character, but girls, you’d love the facilities! There is a roofed area for a BBQ and a donkey (for the city slickers, that’s to heat water for the shower) where you have to light the fire yourself. It has character plus, but the one toilet and one shower open straight off this area and both only have head high walls and a shadecloth curtain for privacy! Needless to say you have to time your visits carefully and ... read more

We hit Broome and the fabled Cable Beach! We set up camp and rushed off to find the famous camels silhouetted against the sunset and the miles and miles of white pristine beach. We drove around looking for Cable Beach but we couldn’t find it. The one and only beach we could find was nice with some rocks and a lot of people, but nothing super special. Eventually the penny dropped…when we saw the camels. The 4x4s were congregating on the beach, chairs unfolded, bottles of wine opened, cameras ready. The sand was greyish and quite coarse and some flat waves tried hard to break. People were waiting everywhere for something to happen. We waited too and really tried hard to be enthused - really, we did. Oh well. Broome is modern and trendy with almost ... read more