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Post by chech on Jul 29, 2021 12:27:20 GMT
As things slowly find a new normalcy, I'm looking ahead to 2022. Besides storm chasing next June, I booked a photo tour around Illulisat, Greenland in Sept 2022. I'll stop in Iceland on the way. Any plans for next year?  |
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Post by Oz-T on Jul 29, 2021 22:41:18 GMT
Great to hear from you, Chech. I don't know much about Greenland, but I suspect that this may be waiting for you there.... ![]()   Good luck with 2022. Down here, any international travel seems to be an ambitious project at the moment, so it's pretty much domestic travel for the foreseeable future. We had our own long road trip a couple of months ago, driving 14,000km. 2022 will probably see us doing a couple of short trips interstate, although we have a constant problem of some states closing their borders to prevent infidels people from outbreak states away.  The world has gone mad. |
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Post by chech on Jul 30, 2021 10:40:54 GMT
LOL. I was in Greenland in 2016. The stop in Illulisat was only 12 hours but it deserves a week. Where did you go on your staycation? I suspect I'll be limited to North America and Europe for the next couple years. My province was on par with New Zealand when it came to controlling the border and our premier is a doctor, so mandates were like getting orders from your own doctor. Life has been relatively normal with only 1400 cases and 7 deaths in a population of 500,000 and approaching 90% vaxxed. I'm double vaxxed with Pfizer now, so Europe will be open to me.
Next week, I'm finally going to visit a part of my own backyard with a drive to Gros Morne National Park and then right up to the tip of the province to visit the site of the only confirmed Viking landing in North America at L'anse aux Meadows.
But no matter how hard I try, I wouldn't be able to do 14,000 km. Wowza!
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Post by Owen on Aug 1, 2021 20:19:38 GMT
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Post by Oz-T on Aug 3, 2021 7:30:44 GMT
"Where did you go on your staycation? ...... But no matter how hard I try, I wouldn't be able to do 14,000 km. Wowza!"
There wasn't a lot of 'stay' in this staycation, Chech! This was the longest caravan holiday we've ever attempted. From Victoria, we headed into South Australia, then north up the Stuart Highway (which basically bisects Australia right up the middle). That leg alone, from Adelaide to Darwin, is 3,000km and about 35 hours of driving, over five days. That's a massive 22 degrees of latitude so it really is noticeable: the daily temperature in early winter changes from a 16C high in the south, to 32C high in the tropical north. It's also the dry season at the 'Top End' so the days and nights are mainly cloud-free - I especially wanted to do some astrophotography of the Milky Way well away from the lights of cities and towns.
We had done this same trip to Darwin six years earlier, but stopping a lot more for sightseeing then - so this time we skipped all that and just kept moving. We've been caravanning for 30 years and I've coached Mrs Oz in towing so she shares the driving now. After a few days in sunny Darwin we headed west to Broome for a few days, then down the west coast to Perth. Then down to Albany, Esperence and Kalgoorlie, before heading 1,400km across to Ceduna, crossing the Nullabor Plain in the process. This crossing is considered a 'rite of passage' and an outback achievement. In doing so, we went through a 90 mile (146km) stretch of absolutely straight road without a single deviation.
Other than the days spent in caravan parks in Darwin and Broome, most of the nights were 'free camping', which comprises a rest area on the side of the road where we could stay overnight. Our caravan is well equipped with a proper kitchen and with battery power, so we were comfortable with sleeping and cooking. We enjoy getting to a site in time to watch the sunset, view billions of stars at night, then wake up to a brilliant sunrise next morning. Many of the travelling days were 600km but we handle that easily, being used to the long distances on this vast continent. And we met many fellow campers along the way, and quite a few characters. It's a lot of driving and this would not appeal to many people, but we're used to it and the trip went well.
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Post by chech on Aug 4, 2021 0:30:56 GMT
WOWZA!! I would do that in a heartbeat...and did when storm chasing, but I wasn't driving. Nice to have your kitchen following you the whole way. I'll just have me, my Corolla and a jar of peanut butter. Did you visit Wave Rock?
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Post by Owen on Aug 4, 2021 2:57:54 GMT
Destination WA - Pathways to Wave Rock Western Australia is full of many incredible road trips, with a trip through the Wheatbelt being a fantastic lesser known journey. youtu.be/l_Wse8C8z9Y ~ 4:06 ~ Destination WA ~ www.youtube.com/c/DestinationWA/videos~~~ One of Australia's biggest waves is also the furthest from any ocean - Wave Rock rises 15 metres above the outback plain. Over 2,700 million years in the making, today it's a popular tourist destination.
Located near the Wheatbelt town of Hyden, getting there from Perth is a pleasant 340-kilometre drive (approximately three to four hours) through picturesque rolling farmlands to wide vistas of wheat and canola fields.
This 110-metre long multi-coloured granite cliff is shaped remarkably like a huge wave about to crash onto the bush. Pose on the rock face and surf the giant wave or see it from a different perspective by following the walk trails around the base and over the top.
After winter rains, you'll be surrounded by a sea of dazzling colour as Western Australian wildflowers bloom in their billions.
Nearby, a collection of over 450 ancient rock paintings cover the walls of Mulka's Cave, telling the story of a local Aboriginal legend.
Just outside Hyden, the wildlife park invites you to meet its koalas and white kangaroos, with the Wildflower Shop and Cafe offering souvenirs and refreshments. ~~~ www.westernaustralia.com/en/Attraction/Wave_Rock/56b266fb7b935fbe730e63bc |
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Post by Owen on Aug 4, 2021 3:23:56 GMT
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Post by Oz-T on Aug 4, 2021 4:40:24 GMT
Yes, the kitchen was right behind us all the way. And also the pantry, bedroom, dining room and all our stuff. It was one of those holidays where we had a core itinerary, but with enormous flexibility, so we often stayed at places that we decided upon maybe an hour before arriving.
The closest we got to Wave Rock (Hyden, WA) was 200km from the main highway. We almost did this, but the 400km round trip would have taken four hours so we eventually decided not to detour there. And a band of heavy storms that lasted days would have made the Wave Rock trip a bit unpleasant.
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Post by Owen on Aug 4, 2021 4:55:34 GMT
Australia’s North West The Pilbara region of Western Australia is twice the size of the United Kingdom, ~~~ with some of the world’s most stunning ancient and natural landscapes dating back millions of years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvVq0f26CYU&t=1s ~ 2:36 ~ Destination WA ~ 1 August 2021 ~ |
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Post by Owen on Aug 4, 2021 5:52:04 GMT
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Post by Owen on Aug 4, 2021 6:31:31 GMT
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Post by Owen on Aug 4, 2021 7:11:35 GMT
www.youtube.com/channel/UCiBxVDBp2uMSgSo-123t9pQ/videos ~ JustCrusin with Mick & Sally Colours of Inland Australia ~ 2008 ~~~ Nothing appeals better than the colours of inland Australia. At the right time of the day around golden hour, the areas of central Australia seem to shine. ~~~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BZbwonqJ5g ~ 2:07 ~ November 2020 ~ 3.5 days in a Road Train ~ It’s Back ~~~ Join Mark and myself as we take you on our 3 1/2 day weekly Road Train run from Adelaide in South Australia up to Darwin in the Northern Territory before returning back to Adelaide to complete the 6,000km plus round trip. We leave on the Wednesday night and return on the following Sunday morning, so jump aboard and enjoy the ride. ~~~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyhKoJ7qwKQ ~ 16:13 ~ March 2021 ~ Wilpena Pound & Flinders Ranges South Australia ~~~ Wilpena Pound and the surrounding Flinders Ranges located in South Australia offers spectacular scenery with it's wide gum lined creeks and Ranges. There is an abundance of wildlife from kangaroos, emues and bird life.. After a good winter rainfall in the area it is easy to see why the early settlers thought they could grow wheat in the area. ~~~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd9TpBcpFnc ~ 2:33 ~ December 2020 ~ Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, Victoria ~~~ youtu.be/zPjJd5hIj2w ~ 1:45 ~ Wildflowers WA (Western Australia) ~~~ youtu.be/8931w3-kMUg ~ 1:48 ~ NT (Northern Territory) 2016 ~~~. youtu.be/iCgZfDKJQOI ~ 5:35 ~ Adelaide Zoo Walk Around ~~~ youtu.be/38B1OFdPo24 ~ 4:51 ~ South Australia (SA) Silo Art & the Riverland ~~~ This trip was organised to give our newly purchased Mitsubishi ASX a good run in the country to see how it performs on the road so we decided that we would travel to Renmark with it and stop the night in the Renmark Hotel. As a benefit of being in the Riverland, we took advantage of the location to check out some of the local Silo Art that was in the area, being Waikerie and Paringa Silos. On our way home we toured via the township of Farrell Flat to have a look at the train that formed part of their town’s Silo Art. ~~~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV9I5YqlLWs ~ 15:46 ~ Crossing the Simpson Desert South Australia ~~~ youtu.be/aJC6VKCw6iY ~ 14:50 ~ Victoria’s Great Ocean Road ~~~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANiGNYUrXQU ~ 2:11 ~ Grampians National Park (NP) Victoria ~~~ youtu.be/xyIk75M_ViA ~ 2:16 ~ Houseboat Holiday 2018 ~~~ youtu.be/S6bJrulBEJU ~ 12:16 ~ Houseboat Holiday 2020~~~ youtu.be/FK2FT4f0JrA ~ 12:xx ~ Bolto Reserve - Mannum South Australia. ~~~ Mannum is approximately 99 kilometres east of Adelaide on the mighty Murray River. There are two camping areas just over the river at Mannum, on to the right of the ferry and the other to the left. We elected to stay in the Bolto Reserve which was the one to the right as you cross the river on the ferry. ~~~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZt9Z0kclzQ ~ 10:03 ~ May 2021 ~
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Post by Owen on Aug 4, 2021 16:31:12 GMT
Please Note: Mrs Oz-T’s customised ‘bush bashing’ outback touring vehicle wil be described soon….. Our Tow Vehicle - Holden Colorado ~~~ A quick run through of how we have set up our Colorado as a touring vehicle.~~~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgGDKjDLDHU ~ 10:22 ~ Sept 2020 ~ Caravan Walk Around - Traveller 21' 6" Full Height ~~~ We have been asked to do a walk around of our caravan so we have finally found time to show you what we have. Our caravan is a 21.5 foot Traveller on road caravan which we had built from new. We did have a pure sine wave inverter fitted during the build and hard wired to two double power points, something that we would do again for sure.
The main things that we have changed in our caravan since we have had it are the following
1: Added more solar (never have too much)
2: Fitted a Truma gas heater.
3: Fitted a grey water tank
4: The way we fill and use the water from our three onboard water tanks.
A video of how we fill our tanks can be viewed here www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUg2qfIwhiE&t=0s
5: Fitted a Sat King Promax satellite TV
Music in the video is available from EPIDEMIC SOUND
www.epidemicsound.com
When All Else Fades~~~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3lHbKSjCSQ ~ 16:39 ~ July 2021 ~ |
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Post by Oz-T on Aug 5, 2021 23:35:08 GMT
Good work with all those links, Owen. They do give a good overview of what we did on our trip, including all the roadhouses and what the free-camps look like. Now I wish I had a drone to capture those overhead photos! For anybody interested. in the following clip at 20 min 45 sec you see an aerial view of the jetty at Streaky Bay, SA. We stayed nearby in early June and I spent an hour fishing on that jetty, just near where the sailboat is pointed - and yes, I did catch fish (which totally freaked out our little puppy who we took on this trip). www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIYsypxyQrE ~ 23:16 ~ June 2021 ~ Just cruisin with Mick & Sally |
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Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
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Post by Pauline on Jun 11, 2022 23:33:11 GMT
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Post by Owen on Jun 15, 2022 9:14:05 GMT
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Post by Owen on Jun 20, 2022 10:51:46 GMT
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