This trip to the land "down under" was my third time in Australia, and by far my most exciting experience there. I had previously been to Oz in 1998 for six weeks during October/November, and again in October of 2010 for a month. As I had just retired January 31,2017 and had no need to return after my "vacation was over", I decided to stay for the full three months which was all my 90 day visa would allow. I was joined by my nephew Sam, my sister's second oldest boy, and we drove a camper van I'd rented some 13,000 km through the country. We started on the east coast driving northward from Sydney, drove on the sand of Fraser Island, toured around Magnetic Island, and continued past Brisbane where we watched Loggerhead turtles hatch from the sand, and then on to Cairns where we made some scuba dives on the Great Barrier Reef. We then carried on to a point called "Cape Tribulation", the farthest north on the coast we went. Then we drove back south to Townsville and headed west into the interior and the outback. That, is an incredible journey unto itself. You can drive for two hours along the Flinders highway and not see another vehicle. We drove past Mount Isa, a small mining town of about 25,000 people and turned southward at "Warumungu" onto the Stuart highway and onward to Alice Springs, the geographical centre of Australia. All along that way we went through many tiny towns..."Tenant Creek", "Wilora", "Ti Tree" eventually coming to Alice Springs, the tourist hub of central Australia. It's a pretty town with numerous touristy sights, but unlike popular belief that it is right where "Ayers Rock" is located, it's actually a four hour drive to Uluru from Alice Springs. We also visited Kings Canyon near Uluru and hiked around that enormous and beautiful canyon. On our way south from Alice Springs, Sam and I had the opportunity to play golf in "Coober Pedy", the Opal mining capital of the world. We turned westward along the south coast and drove the famed Nullarbor Plain toward Perth. In Perth we bought tickets to see a game of Australian rules football. On our way back east toward Melbourne I'd never seen the stars as vivid as I did on a moonless night at a lonely stop on the Nullarbor Plain. We drove the Great Ocean Road along the south coast and visited the "Twelve Apostles" a gorgeous coastal area of rock formations in the ocean. Once in Melbourne, Sam needed to find work so I dropped him off at a hostel and then I made my way on the ferry to Tasmania where I drove the island myself in search of photographic opportunities, and, as the images attest, there were many to be had. Being on my own for as long as I was and driving the island absorbing the scenery, I fell in love with the land and people of Australia. I will be back again...
© Steve Tambosso - "The Wandering Fireman"
