Destination: Australia
There are [6825] stories and [89788] photos from Australia
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Latest stories from Australia
Sun, 10 Dec 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [655]
WEATHER ALONG THE COAST OF SOUTH Australia has been hit or miss—and we’ve been missing. This isn’t the Robe we remember—sunny days swimming on Long Beach, succulent lobsters just off the boats and oysters fresh from the sea. It’... Read more >
Mon, 5 Feb 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [579]
BATEMAN’S BAY IS ABOUT HALFWAY BETWEEN Mallacoota and Sydney. It also happens to be about the only place along the South Coast with halfway affordable lodging at this time of year. Our AirBnB is a bit shabby but works as a base for exploring South ... Read more >
Thu, 7 Dec 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [435]
THE MURRAY RIVER, THAT IS. Connie pointed out that not only had we rolled on this same river in 2004, we had been on the same Paddle Vessel Rothbury . As I recall, that trip included lunch at a winery, this one just cruised through Murray Lock 11 and ... Read more >
Tue, 12 Dec 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [419]
THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD, A “MUST-DO” AUSTRALIAN roadtrip is considered to be one of the most spectacular driving routes in the world. It runs almost 250 kilometers westward from Torquay to Allansford, ten minutes from our AirBnB in Warrnambool.... Read more >
Sat, 10 Feb 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [395]
THE BEST PLACES TO STAY AREN’T ALWAYS at the beach. Tim’s AirBnB in the bush-town of Wandandian is idyllic; green fields, towering eucalyptus, chickens, horses—even Soxy, the affectionate English Chocolate Lab. I wish every host put ... Read more >
Sat, 13 Jan 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [380]
HOODED PLOVERS ARE ENDEMIC TO AUSTRALIA—this means they are found nowhere else in the world. Fewer than 7000s—possibly only 3000—individuals all live along the sandy beaches of South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales.... Read more >
Sat, 27 Jan 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [375]
OFFICIALLY AUSTRALIA DAY CELEBRATES the day Australia was “discovered,” January 26, 1788—roughly the equivalent of Columbus Day in the US. Indigenous Australians vehemently disagree—they have been in Australia for 60,000 years ... Read more >
Thu, 1 Feb 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [371]
SOMEONE FOLLOWING OUR ZIG-ZAG ROUTE might think we suffer from terminal Attention Deficit Disorder. Yes, it would have made more sense to come directly from Bairnsdale to Mallacoota near the Victoria-NSW border. But Mallacoota is a popular holiday destination ... Read more >
Wed, 22 Nov 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [356]
IF OUR ACCOMMODATIONS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE at this rate they’ll rival Mar-A-Lago by the time we reach Melbourne! Christie’s Beach comes with everything except good weather—three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms, a great kitchen and even ... Read more >
Fri, 1 Dec 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [349]
WE HAD NEVER HEARD OF AUSTRALIA’S FOSSIL Mammal Sites World Heritage Area and all this while it’s been right under our feet! The constant drip…drip…drip of rainwater filtering through porous limestone over hundreds of thousands ... Read more >
Wed, 1 Nov 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [330]
WILPENA POUND IS THE CENTERPIECE of the Park. Although it looks like a volcanic crater it is really a natural amphitheater formed by two mountain ranges. (Don't ask how, we're not geologists!) The more intrepid can hike or backpack to the rim, 13.5 km ... Read more >
Thu, 2 Nov 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [318]
WITH APOLOGIES TO GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS, we had to “ferry ‘cross the Murray”—there just isn’t a bridge at Waikerie. Instead, a vehicle-carrying cable ferry crosses to and fro twenty-four hours a day— hin und zuruck, ... Read more >
Sat, 16 Dec 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [311]
WE RETURNED TO THE PORT CAMPBELL area on Wednesday in search of some of the local birds. It took a bit of help from Mark, a ranger at Port Campbell National Park, but we were able to locate a gorgeous Beautiful Firetail along an obscure dirt track. Later ... Read more >
Sat, 20 Jan 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [306]
IT WAS BLOWING A GALE when we arrived at MacLeod Morass Wildlife Reserve yesterday. The wind on the water and the scutting clouds made for some good photos but poor birding. When the wind threatened to blow us off the boardwalk we decided it was time ... Read more >
Sun, 19 Nov 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [305]
WE ARE BACK TO CIVILIZATION, for whatever that’s worth. Both Ports Augusta and Lincoln are actually small towns with fewer than 12,500 residents and hardly count. Now Adelaide, where we are resting our heads, is a real city! One point three million! ... Read more >
Wed, 24 Jan 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [294]
SUNDAY WAS OUR LONGEST DRIVE YET—450 kilometers from Bairnsdale through Victoria and New South Wales into the Australian Capital Territory. This is the final week of the Christmas school break and lodging at holiday destinations are scarce and ... Read more >
Thu, 18 Jan 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [291]
AS ROAD TRIPS GO, THE GREAT ALPINE ROAD isn’t as well known as The Great Ocean Road—heck, we were all the way to the charming town of Myrtleford before we even realized we were on it! But for our money the 300+ kilometer Great Alpine Road ... Read more >
Thu, 30 Nov 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [286]
KEITH IS HARDLY MORE THAN A WIDE SPOT in the road—two roads actually, the intersection of A8 and A66. The drive from Murray Bridge was nothing to write home about—only the “Silo Art” in Coonalpyn was worthy of a stop—and ... Read more >
Sat, 4 Nov 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [285]
MALLEEFOWL ARE PERHAPS THE MOST ICONIC BIRDS in Gluepot and second to the Black-eared Miner as the most endangered. Malleefowl are large birds, growing to nearly two feet and weighing five pounds. Although they are strong flyers they rely more on their ... Read more >
Wed, 17 Jan 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [275]
WE WERE A BIT SKEPTICAL ABOUT STAYING at the Old Crossroads Store—it’s hard to imagine what once was a 1930s general store as an AirBnB? Surprise, not only is it a slice of Wangaratta history, the Crossroads Store is charmingly well-appointed.... Read more >
Sun, 3 Mar 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [258]
IT WAS NICE TO SLEEP IN A BED that wasn’t rocking after nearly three weeks afloat. Chiltern, our final AirBnB in Australia, is a charming cottage surrounded by lush gardens in the beautiful Blue Mountains of New South Wales. It’s spacious ... Read more >
Mon, 20 Nov 2023 | By graynomadsusa | Views [254]
THERE ARE SEVERAL BIRDING “HOTSPOTS” not far from our base in Adelaide. Not all were easy to find, Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary was barely accessible and Barker Inlet Wetlands along side the busy M2 highway was most definitely urban.... Read more >
Tue, 9 Jan 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [248]
IN A STROKE OF PURE GENIUS, if I may pat myself on the back, I booked a room in Sanur for our last day in Bali. We had no intention of spending the night, just a chance to get out of the heat, shower and change clothes before our midnight flight from ... Read more >
Thu, 11 Jan 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [245]
IF WE EVER MOVE TO AUSTRALIA—not unthinkable considering the political climate back home—Victoria would be our first choice, probably a suburb of Geelong, a place like Newtown. Just an hour from Melbourne and half that from some ... Read more >
Thu, 7 Mar 2024 | By graynomadsusa | Views [237]
AS WE CONTINUED OUR SEARCH for the elusive Rock Warbler on Wednesday, we were side-tracked not by the Three Sisters but by three Superb Lyrebirds scratching and pecking in the leaf litter along Cliff Walk Trail. We watched until an irate Kookaburra strafed ... Read more >