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Thick Black Line. An odyssey
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Thick Black Line. An odyssey

SpringWandererによる108日間のアドベンチャー もっと詳しく
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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    Back to Waikiki

    2017年5月31日, アメリカ ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    That's it ... my Hawai'i adventure is over. Rental car returned intact. And exhale...

    My last Airbnb host gave me a bag of the juiciest lychees as I left - dee...lish!

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    Hello Sydney!

    2017年6月3日, オーストラリア ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After a couple of quiet days in Waikiki, a long flight and a nimble skip over the international date line, I'm now back in Oz for the final phase of my trip.

    Brr! After the fierce sun and humidity (but also very strong breeze) of Honolulu/Waikiki, autumnal Sydney is a bit of a shock to the system.

    Pardon my language, but I'm staying in a complete shit-tip of a hostel. Only 2 nights (max - I'll see how I feel tomorrow and may cut my losses and move on). Such a contrast with HI Waikiki which was spotlessly clean.    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    41311

    When in Sydney ...

    2017年6月5日, オーストラリア ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    I'm only here for 1 day so sorting out my itinerary hasn't been complex. 2 iconic sights conveniently located next to each other. I'd never felt any interest in seeing Sydney Opera House, so what a revelation today has been. It really is astonishing. Utterly captivating architecture and not at all the shape I thought it was - how amazing is that! I'm deliberately not posting some pics.

    This afternoon I took a fast ferry out to Manly and after a bit of a wander around found myself in the very agreeable 4 Pines micro brewery 🙄    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    Cairns - tropical north Queensland

    2017年6月6日, オーストラリア ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Woo hoo! I'm very excited to be here. Cairns is a very attractive place to fly into; a beautiful coastline and lush green hills.

    However I just got a timely reminder from my host's brother that there are crocs everywhere: STAY AWAY FROM THE WATER! It'd be a shame to get this far only to be a snappy snack so I'll heed his warning 🤔もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
    1

    Cairns

    2017年6月7日, オーストラリア ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Oh well finally I've lost the plot. It was bound to happen sometime. Said goodbye to my Airbnb host this morning, packed my bags, was just about to ring for a taxi down to Britz Campervans, checked the time I'm picking it up. 11:30 as I remembered. But TOMORROW!!! It's clear on my planner, just not in my brain ... oops!

    All my bookings, apart from a campervan pitch for tonight, are correct so no big deal other than disappointment at having to wait a day!    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
    233

    Camper!

    2017年6月8日, オーストラリア ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Not much physical movement, but all has changed 😎

    I've only driven a few miles to get supplies and get to my first site. It was quite an adventure with all sorts of clonks and crashes going on behind me as things slid around inside cupboards. Also turned out I hadn't secured the fridge door properly. I've literally just spotted a little peg that holds it shut. Another steep learning curve!

    I'm at a regular holiday park tonight - a good place to try things out with some help at hand.

    PS. Go UK! Do the right thing! When I was in Tokyo I managed to make arrangements for a proxy vote - thanks proxy ☺    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    12277

    Cairns to Palmer River Roadhouse

    2017年6月9日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Oh it's been lovely to get back into the Australian bush. I decided to head towards Cooktown, which is far north as I'm planning to go. The route from Cairns winds up through Kuranda National Park - the oldest rainforest on the planet then I turned onto the Mulligan Highway which will take me the rest of the way.

    That first part was quite taxing - a winding uphill road with lots of traffic on my tail, so I can't say I enjoyed that, but the Mulligan Highway is a delight. I drove past a few places I'd like to stop, just because I didn't have time to throw the van's anchor out, but I'll be retracing my steps in a few days because this is the only paved road this far north in the Cape York Peninsula (the eastern part of Australia that nearly joins on to Papua New Guinea).

    I stopped at the Palmer River Roadhouse overnight. Hardly anyone else was there, so I almost felt like I was alone in the bush 😎 (apart from the showers and electric feed!)    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    On to Cooktown ...

    2017年6月10日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    I had another fantastic drive today through stunning scenery.

    By chance I find myself in Cooktown during the annual Discovery Festival. The town is named after Captain Cook who beached the Endeavour here to make hull repairs after running aground on the Great Barrier Reef during his first exploration.

    Just out of interest, because it's pretty mind-boggling, Cooktown has a population under 3000 and the massive Shire of Cook (area 41,000 square miles, compared to England's 50,000) has a population of about 5000. Correct, 5000. I'd read that Cooktown gets about 26,000 visitors pa and couldn't understand why that was so remarkable - now I understand!    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    Cooktown re-enactment

    2017年6月11日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Today was the annual reenactment in Cooktown of the first encounter between the Guuyu Yimithirr nation and the crew if HMB Endeavour. They aim to tell the story from both perspectives, which results in a richer account. I'd say there were a couple of thousand people watching. It's an accident I'm here just now ... a very happy accident.

    The word kangaroo comes from the language here (and that period of encounter) ... gangurru.    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    Mount Carbine via Split Rock (nr Laura)

    2017年6月12日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    I've taken the next step this evening, staying at Mount Carbine unpowered - so van-wise the same as if I stopped in the bush... I'm working towards it.

    What a spot this is! There are any number of birds, by which I mean at least 100, squawking their evening squawks (pink cockatoos and a flock of things that fly fast - some sort a parakeet I think, but I have no signal so can't look them up), and the sun is about an hour away from slipping behind the hills. To top it all, after quite a long drive today, I've cracked open the mango wine as a little aperitif 🙄 The woman at the mango winery recommended chicken or seafood. I have crackers and cream cheese 😎

    Today I left Cooktown and rather than heading directly south took a detour (S then NW) to the Aboriginal paintings at Split Rock just outside Laura. I'm very glad I did because it was another beautiful drive. Part was quite agricultural then it all turned bush again. At one point, on the left were fields full of wheat or some cereal in those big rolls, and on the right a banana plantation. Bit of a crazy mix!

    Seeing the paintings, which are a steep clamber up a well made path, reconneced me with my Heading Bush trip back in April. There wasn't much information but I imagine they were teaching caves. No pics of the art because the Aboriginal people ask that none are taken.

    Roadkill count (fresh): 11 kanga, 2 wild pigs    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    Mossman Gorge and Daintree

    2017年6月13日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    I headed up to the Daintree area today, which is essentially the ancient (world heritage) rainforest on the other side of the mountains to where I was yesterday, 'where rainforest meets reef'. I stopped off for an unexpectedly arduous walk at Mossman Gorge, then drove round to take the chain ferry across the Daintree River. The only other access to this area is to come down directly from the north (Cooktown area) by 4WD. I heard someone doing that yesterday got stuck in a creek crossing and their 4WD went up in flames. That's why I went the long way round!

    So now I'm well and truly in cassowary country. So frustrating to hear people saying 'oh yes they're everywhere' when I've seen nothing. On the other hand you never really know what people have seem - a couple I bumped into again at Mossman said they'd seen a lot, but what they saw were only 12" tall ... hmm, seems unlikely 🤔    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    To Port Douglas

    2017年6月14日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    I winkled myself out of bed at 6:30 and hit the road up to Cape Tribulation, and the end of the tarmac, for beakfast. An excellent plan, though the part where I was rewarded with a cassowary sighting didn't work out.

    Having got as far north as I could I worked my way back down the Daintree Forest (UNESCO world heritage site) back to the ferry. Without a doubt the highlight was spotting a Boyd's forest dragon (uncommon). Another case of 'how did I do that?'

    I'll add photos when I get some bandwidth.    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    The Great Barrier Reef

    2017年6月15日, Great Barrier Reef ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    Why did I come to Port Douglas? To get a reef trip 😎
    I could wait until I'm further south but Tropical Cyclone Debbie caused a lot of damage down there, so today was the day.

    I went for a full day trip with Wavelength to the outer reef - that's 90 mins each way and 3 snorkels. The great thing that's different about Wavelength is they have marine biologists on board who give a couple of entertaining and informative talks during the day. Just fab!

    I'll do even more pics when I have more power and better internet, whenever that is!    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者

    Port Douglas to the Atherton Tablelands

    2017年6月16日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Had it been warmer with clear skies I would have headed south on the coast road, which is supposed to have stunning views, but it was wet and cold with poor visibility so I took an inland route to this area, known as the Atherton Tablelands which is a giant volcanic (😆) plateau. It's cooler up here, with lots of waterfalls, some volcanic features, very fertile, and ...platypus. I can't cross my fingers enough!

    I'm staying near Herberton which is known for its historic village, but it could be known for the Spy and Camera Museum 😎 which is a proper enthusiasts place - quirky and stuffed full of cameras ranging in size from one used to map Australia to a KGB buttonhole spy camera. Never expected that!    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    11111

    Platypus!!

    2017年6月17日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Well that wasn't so hard! I went to the
    Australian Platypus Park outside Tarzali, had a very informative little tour, then waited. That's all it look. They have 10-12 platypus living wild in their lake, so sooner or later one will appear - a real, live peculiar little creature. Fab! I really never expected to see one in the wild.

    When I finally tore myself away I did a local tourist drive calling in at 3 very lovely waterfalls, all roughly the same height because they are in the same ancient lava flow.

    Nice relaxed day. I need to get my skates on now and head south!

    Hey sis, some Q&A for you:

    Q: What do you call a cat that's got into difficulties playing ice hockey?
    A: A puck-filled flatty puss

    Q: What do you call a cat that has dined hansomely on a water bird?
    A: A duck-filled fatty puss

    With thanks and eternal love to E.G.Power Esq.    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    4113

    Seen one!

    2017年6月18日, オーストラリア ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I can't believe it - I'm so pleased! As far as my trip goes, this is the icing on the cake.

    I'd heard there were cassowary at Etty Bay so I worked it into my route today. It turns out that it's a very pretty place with a lovely swimming beach. My plan was to have lunch there but went for a nose around first.

    I was just lining up to take a pic of yet another info board about cassowary when ... a cassowary walked past behind it!! I couldn't believe my luck, I've been trying so hard to find one, but there are no guarantees so I'd been managing my disappointment too.    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    Adventure down the Gregory Highway

    2017年6月19日, オーストラリア ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    I've been pondering how I want to head south. Last night I still had 1400 km (870 miles) to Brisbane taking the most direct route down the Bruce Highway which follows the coast. It's the most popular tourist route. But my heart yearns for the outback, for kangaroos and emus (though I did see my first live kanga yesterday near Mission Beach - hoorah!)

    So I have decided to take the more inland route, and have just arrived in Charters Towers, 204 km from my site last night, where I pick up the Gregory Highway. It's a well-used road, so I'm not doing anything risky, but it's about 470 km (292 miles) to Emerald which is the next town. There are basic pull-offs to stay overnight, so it feels more adventurous 😎

    Once I get to Emerald I'll decide whether to head more directly towards the coast or, if this is as much fun as I hope, carry on on the inland route. I think most of the traffic will be heading north as Aussies head away from the winter cold.

    Update
    The drive down the Gregory Developmental Road was all I hoped - beautiful bush all the way, hardly any traffic and most of it heading N against me. Joyous 😎
    I found my overnight spot - a pull-in off the road called The Old Dump, so I wasn't expecting anything glamorous, but I got everything I'd hoped for - space, feeling connected with the red dust, then a lovely dark night sky and the Milky Way.    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    Through Emerald to Sapphire

    2017年6月20日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Another big driving day. Once I winkled myself away from my overnight spot I carried on down the Gordon Development Road, over the Tropic of Capricorn, to Emerald then another 50 km W to the gem fields of Sapphire. More of that later!もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    Fossicking for sapphires!

    2017年6月21日, オーストラリア ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Well if you'd asked me a couple of days ago what I'd be doing on Wednesday I can guarantee I would not have said 'I'll be fossicking for sapphires', but that's exactly what I did today!

    I knew I was coming to the gem fields area - settlement names like Sapphire, Rubyville, Emerald - though that last one is supposedly after the Emerald Isle rather than gems, but I'd come in the hope of seeing wallabies at my camp site and had no idea I was stumbling into a subculture.

    I've had a fabulous day. I went to a place, the Miner's Cottage, that supplies a bucket of 'wash' for $15 and you sort through it. The advantage is that you have some to show you what to look for. They also supplied tea, scones and drinks of chilled water, essential fossicking supplies 😉

    Honestly I thought it was a bit of a mug's game and I'd fossick (rummage through the wash) and find nothing, but I've had a great time and found loads of blue, green, yellow and a red sapphire - the latter is commonly called a ruby!! People come back year after year and I can see why. The regulars all have jewellery made with stones they've found. I think I've gained some insight into gold rush fever! The hunt can be addictive. What a day! 😎    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    Central Grasslands

    2017年6月22日, オーストラリア ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Another lovely drive, this time through the Central Grasslands region of Queensland. Think savannah and you won't be far wrong.

    I love the colours. Maybe I'm here at a particularly good time - a lot of grasses seem to have their seed heads, so there are rusts and purples and shades of green and gold, grey and silver in the gum trees. Reminds me there was lilac in the sugar cane flowers when I was on the coastal plain.
    Utterly magical - again my soul is soothed ☺

    I'm not sure that photography is the medium to capture the subtle beauty here, but anyway ...    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    To Cania Gorge

    2017年6月23日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Well it was a chilly old morning - 5 or 6C. Brr! As I've been making my way S over the last few days it's become noticeably colder.

    It's 10am now, I've been going 3 hours so I've stopped at a huge grassy rest area for tea and cake (bought a few minutes ago in Biloela) and the temp is up to 22C and the sun feels strong on my skin (appropriate action taken!)

    Later: I'm staying in Cania Gorge because some people I met at Sapphire Caravan Park said it's good for wildlife. I imagined a rather narrow, dark place, but it's much broader than I expected, so nice and sunny.

    I have fresh wallaby poo (I assume, I'm no expert) right outside my campervan door. I call that good news!

    More good news is that I'm only 330 miles from Brisbane. Phew!    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    At Cania

    2017年6月24日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    I got my kangas 😊 There seems to be a mum and 2 joeys hanging around the park. I glimpsed them last night, and again this morning. Then I'd just swept out the van, stuck my head outside and they were right next to me! They hopped off a bit before I could grab my camera but we're fine with me creeping up on them.

    This afternoon I did some local walks and this evening I've had the pleasure of a wine tasting put on by the site , followed by a wood-fired pizza. Sleep now!    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    15111

    Boondooma Homestead + lucky sightings

    2017年6月25日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Another great day. I feel so lucky that so much has gone right for me.

    Leaving Cania Gorge I called into the picnic area at the S end to check out a burrow in the creek bank I'd spotted yesterday - I'm sure it's a platypus hole, and it's been smartened up recently. But still no sighting.
    It was a nice morning - dew on the grass and the sun just coming up over the Gorge wall, so I decided to do the 300m Picnic Area walk. It runs along the creek, but most of the time you can't see the water through the vegetation. Most of the time. I can't believe my timing was so fortunate ... I saw a male platypus swim across the creek - that's a 10/10 sighting - utterly natural 😆

    I'd decided to take another slightly-out-of-the-way route down Highway 75 to a place called Boondooma Homestead. En route an eastern grey kangaroo (like those at Cania) bounded across the road about 200m in front of me. 4 hops, and no looking RLR. Again that's a cast-iron wild sighting, and not so close as to cause me any worries. When I picked up the van in Cairns I realised the reason they offer rollover insurance is because people swerve to miss kangas. I didn't take it (more expense 😯) so they told me not to swerve!

    This evening I'm at Boondooma Homestead which is a C19 cattle property - if it was in the UK it'd be owned by the National Trust. It's gradually being restored and furnished. One of the guys i met was brought up there. It's been an interesting and friendly stop, and I was the only overnighter - they can take 700 vans for large events!    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    To Esk

    2017年6月26日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    This is my final spot before I drive to Brisbane to drop off my van on Wednesday then fly on Thursday.

    I have just 67 miles to go and that's quite a relief - this has been utterly brilliant but I'm tired! I've done 2016 miles so far.

    Today's highlight was also sad at the same time. I saw an echidna, but dead at the side of the road. I only got a glimpse, but I saw its spines and snout.
    I read that their young are puggles. Sounds cute.

    I also stopped off at the Peanut Van in Kingaroy and hopefully will get my haul through customs.

    Oh, the temp this morning was 2C!! 25C now, but brrr, that really was a cold start.    もっと詳しく

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  • SpringWandererThick Black Line. An odyssey旅行者
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    Day in Esk

    2017年6月27日, オーストラリア ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    As an employee here said, this place is eskellent!

    I was taken out to lunch by the lady in the next pitch, along with her dog and parrot (in a special backpack). She's an ex-psychologist who use to specialise in a field I'm very interested in. Very lovely of her.

    This accidental meeting feels like a bridge between the 15 weeks of my trip and my new life when I get home ☺    もっと詳しく

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