Having come through sub-tropical rainforests, learned to drive on the other side of the road, squished squeaky sand between our toes at beach towns, slept in the chilly high-altitude tablelands, fossicked for treasure in opal mining towns, driven through the great outback, and hiked through yet more national parks, before seeing the ocean again along the great ocean road, we feel we’ve managed to see a small but pretty diverse chunk of this wonderful country of Australia.
This post was originally published in 2008. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.
And having seen the critters at night, gone into the opal mines, caught some yummy fish for dinner, listened to the mining bells chiming through Broken Hill, toured the inside of a Royal Flying Doctors emergency plane, and enjoyed the hospitality of oh so many people we have come across, we also feel we’ve managed to meet a few of the characters that live here and get a feeling for the pulse of the place.
So when set with the task of leaving something with the van; something that characterizes our trip and says something about us, we were torn.
Do we leave a chunk of opal we fossicked for? Nah. It’s mostly potch, and if you don’t look closely you’d think it’s just a rock with some shiny blue stuff.
Do we leave some fish? Nope. Caught it and ate it already.
Do we leave sand from our squeaky beach? Rather not. Gets between your toes something fierce.
How about a kangaroo, since we got close enough to pet one? No can do. I doubt that future ambassadors would appreciate this furry friend as a travel companion in the van, despite its cuteness.
Click Here to read the rest of this post and find out what we left with the World Nomads Ambassador Van to leave our mark. Thanks World Nomads for six unforgettable weeks!
I heart donkeys!