Australia by Red Nomad OZ
Whale with calf at Head of Bight, Nullarbor Plain, South Australia

Wind, Water and the Lost Art of Whale-Sexing!

The dry, dusty and unseasonally hot wind that had kept our fuel consumption at an all time high swept us out of the car, whistled around our ankles and bent us double until anchored by our lunch bag we landed in the shelter shed. With any luck, being behind the windbreak would stop our sandwiches filling with sand. Despite the[…]

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The 3-Car, 2-Beach, One Fine Day!

Sometimes, not planning turns out best. And sometimes the planets align and fabulous weather, bizarre experiences, brilliant destination and perfect moments all come together on one fine day … Fine in every sense! And the sky!  The glorious sky!!  Yes, Innes National Park at the very southern end of South Australia’s York Peninsula was already one of my favourite places.[…]

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The Red Devil, Minlaton, South Australia

Aussie Icons #3 – The Red Devil

According to my train buddy* G, the longest ever recorded chicken flight lasted for 13 seconds.  Ironic then, that one of Australia’s most unsung aviators drew his early inspiration from experiments with measuring chook** wingspan relative to their flight! A world exclusive wasn’t what I expected when I visited Minlaton on South Australia’s York Peninsula. But the Red Devil, a Bristol M.1C[…]

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Cooper's Creek, Outback Queensland

Aussie Icons #2 – Cooper’s Creek

Studded with campfires in the late evening dusk, the creek banks were alive with the sounds of trucks thundering across the bridge, beer cans popping and that combination of braggadocio, loud laughter and hi-jinks peculiar to any random group of three Aussie males on a boy’s own adventure. Yes, Cooper’s Creek earned its Aussie-rite-of-passage status in the June 2009 week[…]

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Swimmers Beach, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

7 Days … on the Southern Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

South Australia’s Southern Yorke Peninsula (SYP) can get pretty tedious – day after ho-hum day of blue skies, mile after punishing mile of spectacular coastal scenery, more and yet more (almost) deserted beaches. Seal and dolphin watching, fishing, museums, shipwrecks, snorkelling, surfing, wildflowers, markets and country shows. A well preserved, documented – AND fascinating history. And it all comes with arguably[…]

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Aussie Icons #1 – Largs Pier Hotel, Largs Bay, South Australia

OK, so now you’re looking at the photo and thinking yep, Red Nomad OZ has finally lost it.  What’s so iconic about an ordinary (albeit attractive and well preserved) Aussie seaside pub?? Well, this isn’t just ANY Aussie seaside pub – this is the Largs Pier Hotel!  Yeah, so?  I hear you ask. The Largs Pier Hotel is the stuff[…]

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Traveller SHAME Files #4 – The Hills are Alive!!

I can’t wait to see the most recent addition to South Australia’s ‘anti-hoon’ laws enacted! For those unfamiliar with laws peculiar to this sometimes draconian state, legislation penalising certain automobile related behaviours – such as drag racing, laying rubber and doing burn-outs – can result in the offender’s vehicle being impounded or confiscated. That’s the simplified version, anyway. And while[…]

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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[…]

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Troubridge Lighthouse, Troubridge Island, South Australia

Favourite Place #4 – Troubridge Island, SA

You’d think Troubridge Island and lighthouse would already be several years into a conservation program to preserve this unique South Australian heritage icon, but the SA State Government has different priorities.  The costly shrines to its self indulgence are in urban areas where the votes are, meaning this unique spot is at risk of being lost forever. Think I’m being a little melodramatic? The fine[…]

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