Australia by Red Nomad OZ
Pennington Bay, Kangaroo Island

Beauty and Bushfires: Exploring Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Kangaroo Island Bushfires Choking back tears, he told me “I looked out over the plain and howled. It’ll take a long time to recover, and it probably won’t be in my lifetime”.   I was talking to David, a now-retired guide who had spent 15 years conducting eco-tours in Flinders Chase National Park and the adjoining Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection[…]

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Phillip Island offshore from Norfolk Island

My TOP 10 Favourite things to do on Norfolk Island

A week on Norfolk Island should give you just enough time to realise that a week on Norfolk Island isn’t nearly long enough. Whether or not you’re an amateur photographer/twitcher duo like us, on the prowl for amazing natural attractions, unusual birds (feathered) and scenic loos in exotic locations, chances are you won’t be able to fit it all in.[…]

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Ochre Pits near Lyndhurst, South Australia

Larrikins, Landscapes and Loos! Lyndhurst South Australia

If you’re passing through Lyndhurst when nature calls, you can’t miss this little Outback Beauty – it’s right on the highway next to the Lyndhurst town sign. That’s how I knew it couldn’t possibly have been there back in 2013 when I first went to Lyndhurst. So after crossing my legs for 25 km (15.5 miles) while driving back from[…]

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7 Wonderful Walks in Innes National Park

Sand dunes and shipwrecks.  A wild and windswept heli-pad. Magnificent cliffs, an old wooden railway transport line and exotic lighthouses. Historic ruins and a sailor a long way from home.  None of these are visible from the entrance to Innes National Park. And you can’t see them from the ~30 km of road winding through the park. To discover the[…]

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The Bizarre Back-of-Beyond Bakery – Farina, South Australia

STOP PRESS!  2020 Farina Bakery Update:  Due to COVID-19 the Farina Bakery South Australia will NOT be operating in 2020.  However, the Farina historic township and Farina campground will be open and can be visited in line with South Australian state government border closures and travel restrictions.  The sign shimmered through the haze of dust and heat like a mirage.[…]

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Under the Canopy - Tree of Knowledge, Barcaldine

Aussie Icons #5 – Tree of Knowledge Barcaldine Queensland

When the 200-year-old Tree of Knowledge was poisoned shortly after being included on the National Heritage List on Australia Day 2006, I was appalled. Yet another historic Aussie landmark fallen victim to the disregard sometimes shown for our heritage. But although the tree’s demise was disappointing, I was also resigned to its fate. Because when a tree dies, it’s gone for[…]

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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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Mining Machinery, Irvinebank

Off the Tourist Trail #6 – Irvinebank, Queensland

As an antidote to the Atherton Tableland mist and drizzle, Irvinebank was working just fine. A few kilometres beyond Herberton, we’d crossed the range to clear skies, warmth, and a spectacular setting – another universe far, far away from yet another day of dampness. Just what Dr Pilchard ordered! Sadly, no bakery but the monster plate of chips accompanying the[…]

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OZ Top Spot #5 – Kanyaka Ruins, Flinders Ranges, SA

What happens in a world where resources are divided equally, with equal opportunity for developing and managing them through good times and bad, and with an equal chance of success or failure? No, I’m not paraphrasing ‘Imagine’, writing the manifesto for a great big new mining tax or plotting a new version of ‘Monopoly’! But visit the Kanyaka Station ruins[…]

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