Australia by Red Nomad OZ

Don’t Miss This!! Daintree River Dawn Cruise, Far North Queensland

The third-hardest part of a Daintree River dawn cruise is selecting one. The second-hardest part is rising well before dawn to get there. But the hardest part of all is getting off the boat when it ends over 2 hours later! Yes, it really is that good!  Although now you’re thinking the pictures look a bit dull, right?  Well …[…]

Read more

Signs #4 – Loud and Proud!

You gotta love a town that puts its money where its mouth is!  This sign, at the Barcoo River crossing into Isisford, Central Western Queensland, leaves visitors in no doubt as to the town’s allegiances. Regular readers will already know Isisford as not only the historic site where Isisfordia Duncanii was discovered, but also a massive embarassment for me – read about[…]

Read more

Weird Stuff #1 – Mt Molloy, Queensland

Did a double-take while wandering down Mount Molloy’s main street after a burrito at the Mexican cantina!  Maybe we’d had too much chili?  Was that REALLY a dinosaur in the trailer??  The most logical explanation was, of course, that we’d somehow strayed into a parallel universe … But no, the dinosaur was apparently the centrepiece of the ‘Christmas in July’ street[…]

Read more
Entrance to Innes National Park, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

Favourite Place #5 – Innes National Park, Yorke Peninsula, SA

It’s a mystery to me why Innes National Park (INP) isn’t on any Top 10 Australian National Parks lists. At the south-western tip of Yorke Peninsula’s ‘toe’ (you’ll see what I mean on the map) its wild and remote beauty is unique. BUT … perhaps the unparalleled coastal scenery, historic buildings, walking trails, shipwreck sites, deserted beaches, fishing, lighthouses, wildlife[…]

Read more

Australia’s Scenic Public Toilets #6 – West Cape Lighthouse, SA

Innes National Park on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula has (arguably!) some of the most magnificent coastal scenery in the country. Any amenities in such a setting are duty bound to be scenic, and these eco-friendly composting toilets are no exception! Artfully placed among the dunes below the West Cape Lighthouse, the conveniences are somewhat protected from the strong winds that signs in[…]

Read more
The Big Park Bench, Broken Hill, New South Wales

Only in OZ #4 – The Big Park Bench, Broken Hill, New South Wales

So you’re in a mining city, on top of the slag heap.  What’s up there? No, it’s not a trick question – but it MAY be a trick answer!!   Unless mining towns are different where you come from … Broken Hill, half an hour over the South Australian border into New South Wales, boasts a killer slag heap with a stupendous view[…]

Read more

OZ Top Spot #2 Frankland Islands, Cairns, Far North Queensland

We marked our 2009 return to Cairns after 10 years by finding a patch of ‘absolute virgin territory’ – no mean feat given the many attractions we’d seen on several previous visits. BUT … a tour to the sensational Frankland Islands – arguably the most misspelled place name in these parts – was a superb reminder of why we keep coming back to Far[…]

Read more

Signs #2 – Huh???

Other Australian signs may have more punchy graphics and wording, but this sign, found on a fence in Cooktown, definitely wins the ‘Huh???’ award. The fence surrounds a plot of land with an unremarkable building next to a service station on the outskirts of town, from which the sign is clearly visible.  At first glance, it looked like a pretty standard ‘keep[…]

Read more