The Big One

Submitted: Monday, Nov 13, 2006 at 23:29

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Aandy(WA)

Just a word or two of advice to the forumites who regularly post about a trip around Australia. Don't get too uptight with planning and packing. It really is no big deal and you will find plans will start changing the moment you leave home. All you really need to do is decide whether you are going clockwise or anticlockwise. Anti will give you a tail wind across the Nullabor and will be shorter as you are always closer to the centre of Australia. Clockwise will have you on the beach side of the east and west coasts which gives better views. We have done it a number of times and always simply pack clothes for hot, cold, wet and dry and enough food for a few days and head off. There are supermarkets and fuel everywhere! Plans will be made on the way. By way of example we planned on one trip to spend a night at Bowen. When we got to Airlie Beach we were told about the park at Horseshoe Bay and stayed there for a fortnight!! Mind you for trips like the CSR or the Simpson, we plan food, water, fuel, equipment and so on in detail, but a trip around Oz - relax and enjoy it!!!

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Reply By: Aandy(WA) - Monday, Nov 13, 2006 at 23:32

Monday, Nov 13, 2006 at 23:32

Horseshoe Bay is close to Bowen as referred to in my original post.

AnswerID: 204775

Reply By: Ozrover - Monday, Nov 13, 2006 at 23:58

Monday, Nov 13, 2006 at 23:58

Aandy, I finish up at work on Friday, but don't leave until April!
The wait is going to kill me!!

Jeff

AnswerID: 204784

Follow Up By: T-Ribby - Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 09:33

Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 09:33

My My, Hey Hey

Terry R.

FollowupID: 464705

Follow Up By: Ozrover - Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 13:09

Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 13:09

Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Rust never sleeps - Roma theatre Sydney 1979!

Signs of old age! : )>

FollowupID: 464756

Reply By: Glenn WA - Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 00:02

Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 00:02

Sounds familiar, I took off from Perth once for a wedding in Mt Isa, thought I'd have 6 mths off, spent the next few years exploring, working in Qld. Got home 3 yrs later. Loved every day of it.

AnswerID: 204785

Reply By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 00:20

Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 00:20

Agree with you Aandy (see I can), when we did our trip between May and August we spent longer at some places and dodged others, in the end shaved 3 weeks off because of the very cold miserable weather and so I'd have some free time before going back to work (peed of about having to do that). Whilst we had a rough itinerary we weren't stuck by it. If we had we would never of stopped at Daly Waters which is a must for anybody heading down the middle. Packing cloths was the worst hassle- hot and cold gear. Stuff we left behind because we didn't ned it at the time or wouldn't fit in the vehicle we ended up buying.
As you say relax and enjoy. Trouble was I was too relaxed and enjoyed it too much that it's now hard to get back into the throws of work and we've been home 3 mths.

Dunc
Make sure you give back more than you take

Lifetime Member
My Profile My Blog Send Message

AnswerID: 204788

Reply By: Recyled Teenagers - Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 00:46

Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 00:46

Ah!!! cant wait we are going to through caution to the wind in end of March a travel around this great island of ours just on our pension and hope to get a little bit of work on the way to pay for our trip. thanks for you info and if anyone else has some ideas of work or things to take please let us know. the wife can cut hair and sow and make costume jewerly and I can do handyman work and i can cook

George n Trish

AnswerID: 204796

Reply By: gav99x - Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 08:19

Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 08:19

"Anti will give you a tail wind across the Nullabor and will be shorter as you are always closer to the centre of Australia."

Won't be much shorter, less than 20m ;)

Distance across the country as the crow flies travelling anti-clockwise = (say)~4000 km
Distance across the country as the crow flies travelling clockwise = (say) ~4000.008 km (difference being the width of a lane x 2 @ 4m)

Circumference anti clockwise = pi (3.14157) x 4000 = ~ 12566.28 km
Circumference clockwise = pi (3.14157) x 4000.008 = 12566.30 km

Obviously the perimeter of the country isn't a circle but interesting theory.

AnswerID: 204818

Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 08:44

Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 08:44

Such detail is a bad sign of your sanity. :o)
I think you need to prove that practically and head off straight away.
Go now, don't wait, you may think about it too much. :-)

As an aside, I have been known to also analyise these things too far as well. And only dream of going. Next year, always next year.

FollowupID: 464696

Follow Up By: gav99x - Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 08:50

Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 08:50

LOL

From your lips to god's ears oldplodder ;)

But for time and $ we would be gone tomorrow (wouldn't we all!)

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Follow Up By: Bilbo - Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 18:35

Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 18:35

",,,,But for time and $ we would be gone tomorrow (wouldn't we all!),,,,,,,,,,"

My missus wants ME gone so she can get the $ and she reckons it's about bloody TIME!!!

Bilbo

FollowupID: 464836

Follow Up By: Mick - Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 20:46

Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 20:46

As the man said gav99x, it will be shorter to travel anticlockwise. Why do you repeat and explain what he said - IT WILL BE SHORTER!!! I think you need a holiday.

FollowupID: 464880

Reply By: Alloy c/t - Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 18:53

Tuesday, Nov 14, 2006 at 18:53

And I have quote in my head but cannot remember the author "Tis the journey that is of import , not the destination or planning as these are easily changed." pretty sure that it was from Jules Vern ??

AnswerID: 204940

Follow Up By: Member - bill - Wednesday, Nov 15, 2006 at 07:09

Wednesday, Nov 15, 2006 at 07:09

So true, my husband was totally reliant on medical oxygen & he drove around Australia pulling a caravan, when told he had only 3 months to live, he is still alive after the unselfishness of a wonderful organ donor.
The journey was awesome, we had some terrible days, but we expected that, but kept going, he said he wasn't going to be a "Christopher Reeve". He wanted to live so much. We had a most wonderful time, met lots of special folk who we keep in contact with still today. There was no preparation, no planned journey.
The whole journey will be done again, this time without oxygen bottles & concentrator, there is a funny side to the trip, his brother was checking the van boot out when we returned home, he couldn't find the caravan wheel brace, yes, we travelled OZ without a wheel brace!! We consider ourselves very lucky.
We have recently purchased an off road van & recently we started bush camping around Victoria & N.S.W., can't wait to further our journeys.

FollowupID: 464958