We are over half way home. A quick change of planes in Dubai and as the trip has come towards its end, Nareesa and I have inevitably turned thoughts to home and reflected on what has been the most magical 2 months. We are looking forward to seeing family and friends (even if they are not looking forward to seeing us).
So on the plane from Perth, with tongue firmly in cheek, I've looked back on the highlights and a few lowlights of the trip.
So the votes have been cast and counted, the results are in and I am delighted to announce the winners of this years “Okkers”...
Best place: This is a hard one, the Nullabor is a magical place, with more stars in the sky than grains of sand in the Whitsundays, but it is narrowly awarded to the Red Centre - ok not quite a single place, more a vast territory, but it is just so different to home that I loved it. Yes, the Queensland coast is absolutely beautiful but it is somehow a bit more familiar and the red centre just isn’t! I could have pinpointed Uluru, but somehow it is the overall vastness and apparent emptiness that made it such an a experience.
Best single day: And the winner is…the catamaran out to Great Keppel Island. What a just fabulous single day - thanks again to C&J and the bunch of crazies they call mates! Pristine warm waters, spectacular views and even a bit of fog first thing in the morning to give it dramatic effect. The endless booze might have helped too!
Best experience: Not Nareesa's pick but its my blog so overall, this goes to Great Southern Rail. In many ways this was the original hook on which the trip was planned - to cross the Australian continent by train. Hard to pick between the Ghan and the Indian Pacific, but the experience of drifting slowly through outback Australia on a slightly rickety train is hard to beat. An eclectic group of people met, from all corners of the globe and some gobsmacking scenery - and free booze and excellent food. A great mix!
Best meal: Fish & Chips, straight off the boat, in Bowen. Yes we had many “better” meals, and certainly more expensive. A special mention to the barramundi in The Vineyard in Hervey Bay, and the steak in Thala Beach Reserve, but for fresh, tasty, cheap and just, well … wonderful, it is hard to beat food that fresh! And eaten on a rickety table overlooking the boat that brought it in, while fighting off the seagulls!
Best person met (people we already knew are excluded from this category): It has to be Mad John from the Pink Panther in Larrimah. Barking mad, collector of electric kettles (yes, really), but kind and friendly, full of stories and at pains to ensure he didn’t insult anyone, despite taking the piss most of the time. We gave as good as we got!
Best driving day: This one is a bit of toss up between the winding road of the Daintree, with the cute ferry crossing of the river and the endless roads of the Stuart highway. In the end I am going for the drive to Uluru - it was our first experience of driving in the outback, avidly looking for kangaroos, partly to just see them and partly to make sure we didn’t hit one! Sadly we saw far too many dead ones, but the sheer scale of the place as we left Alice Springs (not exactly a metropolis) became increasingly apparent as we covered mile after mile on what at first sight seems unchanging road. And then the view at the end of it! Magical!
Biggest let down: The tour at Broken Hill, admittedly in part because the train was a bit late, was a bit pants! In fact we opted out when we discovered it didn’t include the magnificent miners memorial or the sculpture park. In fact, there were at least two things really worth seeing in Broken Hill, and the tour went to neither of them!
Biggest hangover: Yeppoon - yes Cameron you are getting the blame for this one! And that is despite the efforts of my mate Gareth in Sydney (he should get a special mention as he flew all the way from Auckland to try to pickle my insides). Arriving in Yeppoon late afternoon, I had beer in my hands before I could sit down. Not surprising then that by 1am, sitting outside by the fire I was talking total bollocks and the next morning was bit hazy! But I do admit the last day in Sydney was a bit of a mess too - but probably more for Sue!
Best hotel: Another close call, but despite the luxury of the Thala Beach it goes to the Veriu Central in Sydney, which pound for pound, in a major international city is one of the best I have ever stayed in. Fantastic bed, lovely staff and a great bar, with free coffee, pastries and fizzy water thrown in. And close to the CBD, a stones throw from a local station. And it was cheap. What’s not to like.
Best reunion: It was great to meet up with Louise and Mike in Sydney, but again, this is my blog, so who else but my old mucker Jones. Gareth and Sue it was so good to see you - Nareesa probably told you I was like a big kid with a new toy when you arrived at the hotel in Sydney. Nothing wrong with loving your old mates, I say!
So that is it, signing off (although I might put up a few more pictures when I have sorted them)...till the next one!