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McDermotts Travel Oz
McDermotts Travel Oz

McDermotts Travel Oz

We haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on our list. Read more🇦🇺Sydney
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  • McDermotts Travel OzEyre Peninsula SA 2026Traveler
    Rubber Ducky overtaking

    Broken Hill NSW

    December 31, 2025 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    I spy with my little eye… Nothing for the next 456 km!

    After a short stop at Cobar’s finest coffee shop (you know it’s the place to be when the local law enforcement were all out for their morning brew too) we hit the road heading west: destination Broken Hill.

    The drive offered few highlights, unless you count goats. Plenty of goats. Also the occasional emu and kangaroos, the latter mostly in the form of road kill. Goats, by contrast, appear to possess a basic sense of self preservation, sensibly vacating the roadway at the sound of an approaching vehicle. Kangaroos evidently tend to do the opposite, hopping directly into danger. If only they could move backwards instead of having to go around 🤦🏽‍♀️

    The impact of the feral goats is unmistakable with the so-called ‘umbrella’ trees stripped bare at goat height, with only a forlorn upper canopy surviving beyond their reach.

    After a quick set up at Broken Hill Tourist Park we made tracks for Pro Hart’s gallery, before returning for a refreshing swim and relaxing happy hour 🍻🥂

    And of course in the countdown to midnight we headed into town for the local NYE party hosted by Broken Hill City Council in Sturt Park. It’s times like these you realise you’re city entitled when the performer asks “who’s from a farm” and his first song is titled “No working during drinking hours” LOL 😂 #theytriedhard

    Happy New Year! 🥳    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzEyre Peninsula SA 2026Traveler

    Cobar NSW

    December 30, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    An uneventful travel day for us, arriving in Cobar by early afternoon. The boys are already salivating tonight’s mining town pub meal at the Great Western Hotel.

    Our route here took us through Dubbo, Narromine (where we stopped for the obligatory photo with the Glenn McGrath statue) and Nyngan, again stopping to pose for a pic with the Big Bogan. Turns out the ancillary bogans (aka the McDermott boys) have grown bigger since our last visit in 2021 😆

    Surprisingly the Cobar Caravan Park is as busy as we’ve ever seen it across our three previous visits. Who knew summer road-tripping in the outback was actually a thing? We’d assumed only mad men, McDermotts and Giffneys would be brave, or foolish, enough to attempt it.

    It’s a scorching 39 degrees, but thanks to Anth’s creative plumbing we’re sitting cool enjoying happy hour under our outdoor aircon misting hose.

    We made a quick detour to Fort Bourke Hill Lookout for some mine gazing before retreating to the pub for dinner. You know you’re an out-of-towner when you have to describe your request for a bottle of rosé as “the pink one”, and Josh’s ask for a midi of beer was automatically poured in a schooner glass because “what’s that?” 🤣🤦🏽‍♀️    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzEyre Peninsula SA 2026Traveler
    1

    Wiradjuri Country NSW

    December 29, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    This morning we toured the Wellington Caves site, starting with an educational fossil dig 🧐, followed by a tour of Cathedral and Thunder Caves.

    The fossil discovery lab was an interesting experience as we indulged our inner palaeontologist while nodding thoughtfully at explanations we mostly translated as “this is very old and very important.” A bit like Indiana Jones, minus the boulders, snakes and personal heroics 😆

    The Cathedral Cave was a pleasantly cool respite, complete with some great acoustic properties. Josh stepped up to lead a gutsy rendition of Advance Australia Fair to demonstrate the finer resonance, before we literally felt the sound as the tour group collectively beat their chests in the Thunder Cave.

    This afternoon, Anthony and the boys played a round at the adjacent golf course. For $55 all up including green fees, club hire and a golf cart between the four of them, they have declared Wellington Golf Course the best ever. Or maybe it was because Ryan (almost) landed a hole in one! #easilypleased 😁    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzEyre Peninsula SA 2026Traveler

    Wellington Caves NSW

    December 28, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We made a slow start and an even slower run over the mountains, finally making it to our first stop at Wellington Caves around 4 pm. I think we’ve scored one of the best sites in the park: spacious, shady, and with our own picnic table. Perfect for our first holiday happy hour 🍻🥂

    The kids enjoyed time in the air conditioned games room, followed by a round of ‘Worst Case Scenario’, while Dan, Helen, Anthony and I explored the Japanese Garden and celebrated a belated Happy Christmas! 🎄    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzEyre Peninsula SA 2026Traveler

    Ready to Roll

    December 28, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We’re ready to roll on our Jaws2 road trip!

    This time last year we visited Port Lincoln with the express goal of cage diving with Great White Sharks. As the sharks missed the memo that time, we’re stubbornly heading back to cash in Calypso Star's "see sharks" guarantee 🤦🏽‍♀️ It does have a faint Groundhog Day quality to it: same general destination and planned shark dive experience. But this time we’re mixing things up, because nothing says adventure like convincing yourself a slightly different route makes it a whole new experience 😁

    Port Lincoln here we come, again…    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzMacMasters Beach Winter 2025Traveler

    Terrigal NSW

    July 10, 2025 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    How to maximise $5 each (no change given) at the Terrigal lolly shop (I can confirm not a cent was wasted!) followed by how many teenagers does it take to build a basketball ring? 😆

  • McDermotts Travel OzMacMasters Beach Winter 2025Traveler

    Copacobana NSW

    July 9, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Whale watching at Captain Cook lookout. A lovely afternoon walk along the beach and up one very steep hill. Happily at least five whales entertained us as reward for our exertion 🐳

  • McDermotts Travel OzEaster - Anzac 2025Traveler

    One Mile Beach NSW

    April 25, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Anzac Day xx

    Sadly a wet morning kept us indoors. But our veterans were front of mind as always on this special day.

    As the morning matured into a sunny day we headed for One Mile Beach, with a short detour up Gan Gan Lookout.

    The beach was fabulous with consistent waves providing just the right amount of excitement without any current. We spent a good few hours enjoying the last of summer.

    Returning to the vans our happy hour rolled into dinner, followed by some star gazing as the lights went out.    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzEaster - Anzac 2025Traveler

    Fingal Bay NSW

    April 24, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Loving the last days of ‘summer’ 🤩

    After a cooked breakfast, the skies cleared and we headed to Fingal Bay one of our favourite beaches. After an energetic swim, Dan, Helen, Anthony and I walked the length of the beach out the the spit and back before heading back to the van for a late lunch and quiet afternoon.

    Later in the evening us adults walked down to Zenith in Shoal Bay for a fire a cooked seafood platter, whilst the kids got takeaway pizza and ate in the park opposite. Nice that were can trust them to look after themselves now.    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzEaster - Anzac 2025Traveler

    Coffs Harbour NSW

    April 22, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Having anticipated rain we headed to Coffs Harbour for the day expecting to find indoor activities, but happily it turned out BOM was wrong so we pivoted to check out the good old Big Banana (again).

    After finally reaching the front of the queue, then waiting some more for a red bellied black to snake to be cleared from the track, we rode the short and somewhat slow toboggan down the hill. Definitely no comparison to the thrilling Thredbo slide!

    An iconic frozen choc coated banana later and we were off to explore the marina jetty and Fisherman’s Co-op for lunch, before the boys hit their way through 150 golf balls at the local driving range.

    To finish our stay in the Nambucca Valley we took advantage of schnitzel night at the Nambucca RSL Club.    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzEaster - Anzac 2025Traveler

    Urunga, Bellingen & Dorrigo NSW

    April 20, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Happy Easter 🐣

    After a cooked breakfast and an obligatory Easter egg hunt (never too old) we headed for brunch at the Old Butter Factory in Bellingen. I highly recommend the scones, but no so much the watermelon juice.

    After a quick sqiz through town, we headed on up the road, the bit the hadn’t washed down the hill, to Dorrigo where we explored the Rainforest Centre and iconic skywalk. Unlike our 2018 attempt, this time the skies were clear and we could see out over the canopy. Actually somewhat underwhelming.

    Next up we quickly checked out Dangar Falls before heading back down the mountain to Urunga where we stopped for a refreshing swim at the new Lido - it would have been good at a higher tide. Nevertheless the boys had fun and we wandered out the 800m boardwalk past the breakwall, through the mangroves and out to the ‘elephant graveyard’, a washed up collection of driftwood on the beach front.    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzEaster - Anzac 2025Traveler

    Valla Beach NSW

    April 18, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Nostalgia much!

    It’s been 30+ years since I’ve been here, and apart from some new subdivisions heading in and more permanent park residents, Valla Beach Resort is still very much as I remember from a kid.

    After a quick set up we headed over the ‘new’ footbridge to the beach - only to discover enormous 4+ metre waves barrelling into shore. The constant RFS aerial patrol confirmed swimming was not an option!

    Instead, a leisurely stroll along the beach to the lagoon entrance, where we enjoyed a swim and explored the rocky outcrop at Valla Beach.

    We ended a genuinely Good Friday with fish and chips at Nambucca Heads.    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzEaster - Anzac 2025Traveler

    Buladelah NSW

    April 17, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Escaping Sydney before the masses tomorrow!

    After a bit of traffic congestion to get out of Sydney, we found our way to free camping (well, cheap camping) at Buladelah Showgrounds, with dinner at the Bowling Club next door. A great little overnight stop.Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzPort Lincoln SA 2025Traveler

    Home Sweet Home

    January 18, 2025 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Where the Blue Gums are growing and the Murrumbidgee’s flowing beneath the sunny sky…

    Before hitting the road for our final leg to home we enjoyed a slow cooked breakfast from the original Niagara Cafe in the main street of Gundagai. First established in 1902, it has a fascinating history, including once hosting wartime Prime Minister John Curtin and his War Cabinet for a hearty midnight meal of steak and eggs in 1942. And yes, we can confirm it still offers old fashioned service!

    Gundagai really is more than just a dog on a tucker box. Who knew?

    As we neared Sydney we found the rain and cold that we had otherwise avoided for our entire trip. We feel very blessed for the amazing weather we’ve had until now when it really doesn’t matter. We’re just grateful to be home safely having enjoyed a wonderful time away 🥰

    P.S. We definitely haven’t missed the Sydney traffic or impatient city drivers. Give me the country any day!    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzPort Lincoln SA 2025Traveler

    Gundagai NSW

    January 17, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    On the road to Gundagai… we stopped at the quaint little heritage town of Rutherglen to round out our tour of east coast wine regions. This trip, we’ve now covered the Riverina, Barossa, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra and Rutherglen Regions. Mmm😋🍷

    Just a quick stop this time at two of the most identifiable wineries - DeBortoli Estate and Campbells Wines, the latter being a trip down memory lane for Dan and Helen who celebrated Claire’s arrival with a bottle of their ‘Liquid Gold’ over 16 years ago xx

    For lunch we checked out Parker Pies in the main street of Rutherglen. Although not cheap, we all agreed they were possibly the best pies we’ve had anywhere in the country, or at least on par with Mt Barker Bakery in WA. So good, we definitely recommend if passing through 😋

    Tonight we’re at Gundagai Tourist Park in an undercover drive-through ensuite site. It’s a bit of a novelty, kind of like camping in a carport, though I have to admit not very outdoorsy. In our defense we booked it when they were predicting the supercell that smashed the east coast two nights ago. It would have been perfect in a storm, but happily our run of ideal summer weather continues. “Positive vibes” to the end.

    We ended the night with Dan’s Amazing Road Trip ‘Have You Been Paying Attention’ quiz where we all recounted our favourite experiences.    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzPort Lincoln SA 2025Traveler

    Thong Tree VIC

    January 16, 2025 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    We’ve previously painted a rock on the Port Macquarie breakwall, now under the cover of darkness we’ve added to the Thong Tree on the Echuca River Walk.

    Thanks to Josh for donating his old blowouts. It doesn’t get more Aussie than that! #mcdermottstraveloz #leavingourmarkRead more

  • McDermotts Travel OzPort Lincoln SA 2025Traveler

    Moama NSW

    January 16, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    After a much needed sleep in, we slowly found our way to the iconic Aussie Beer Shed & Heritage Farm Museum on the outskirts of Echuca, showcasing an eclectic collection of memorabilia from beer cans and all things beer, to old Aussie household items, old petrol bowsers, a Coca Cola collection, old farm machinery, a car shed and even a partially restored WW1 canon.

    The introductory tour by owner and self professed lunatic Neil Thomas was entertaining with quirky stories and audience participation. The kids learnt the truth about pokie machines experiencing first hand the unlikely chances of winning - except for Josh who somehow defied the odds 🤦🏽‍♀️ Apparently the one old demonstration machine, despite daily activity, hasn’t paid out a jackpot in the past 20 years!

    Among the 20,000 odd beer cans from Australia and around the world, we did giggle at the Tennent’s Lager Lovelies range from the 1960s and 1970s. The evocative cans remain one of the most popular promotional campaigns of all time, combining sex appeal with beer in a way that has never been matched - and hopefully never will! I did have to wonder if it was just a coincidence that my name appeared twice 🫢😉

    It was a truly unique tourist attraction rated No. 1 on TripAdvisor 🤨 Plus did I mention I found both how to manage men and the key to happiness 😁 #wheninechuca

    We spent the afternoon at Moama Beach, a lovely recreation reserve on the NSW side of the Murray River, before celebrating our last night in the twin border towns at the American Hotel where ironically we had one of the best Aussie beef steaks of the trip!    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzPort Lincoln SA 2025Traveler

    Murray River NSW

    January 15, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Today was a real mixed bag of experiences. This morning we explored the Port of Echuca, a living monument to the 1870s when it was the third largest port in Australia, outside Sydney and Melbourne. We even took an authentic paddlesteamer cruise down the river aboard the Pevensy with its original steam engine just as it would have been in ye olden days.

    The historic wharf itself is impressive, towering approximately 10m above the waterline with multiple deck options to accommodate the changing river levels. It originally extended 332m in length in the 1880s but was reconstructed in later years following realignment of the river.

    On returning to the vans we were confronted by an unknown stank, until we discovered the caravan park was conducting free camel rides right next to our campsites. What else were we to do but join the fun - just “don’t bring me down Bruce” 😆🐫

    This afternoon Anthony and the boys hired e-bikes and headed out to the confluence of the Campaspe and Murray Rivers before crossing back over the bridge into NSW to check out Moama Beach. Interestingly, we learnt that following Federation the State border was set at the high water mark on the Victorian side, hence the river itself is technically wholly within NSW.

    We ended the day with dinner at the Shamrock Hotel ☘️ It’s the home of 101 Parmas including the ‘Parmageddon’, a monster 5-stack parma of Biblical proportions where you can win an “I survived Parmageddon” t-shirt if you finish the entire offering. Sensibly we didn’t try, though there’s a possibility one of us may have survived 😝 @Josh    Read more

  • McDermotts Travel OzPort Lincoln SA 2025Traveler
    Mt Sturgeon11

    Echuca VIC

    January 14, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We couldn’t leave Mt Gambier without trying ScRoll Queen - apparently it’s a Victorian/South Australian thing. A warm savoury scroll served as breakfast while the sweet ones were saved for lunch. I sense a business opportunity in NSW - Yum!

    After crowd sourcing some route info and confirming the recent bushfires were under control, we took the scenic route to the south of the Grampians, a striking mountain range rising out of the middle of sheep and cow paddocks. They definitely made for an impressive backdrop to our travels.

    The route had us zig zagging our way across country Victoria connecting the dots between small towns. In contrast to South Australia most of the dots actually warrant their place on the map with pretty leafy main streets and stately heritage buildings. We stopped for lunch at Ararat under a shady tree with a friendly free range chicken - right outside the hospital for the criminally insane. A perfect photo opportunity, even if J Ward was closed for intakes 🤪

    Somewhere after Ararat our GPS had a conniption sending us on a series of sub-optimal backroads through parts of Victoria we never knew we needed to see!

    At the mercy of the navigator, we eventually rolled into Echuca around 4:30 pm where the awesome NRMA Echuca Holiday Park will be our home for the next three nights. I’m getting Mildura vibes - it’s still 30 degrees at 10:00 pm!    Read more

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