go-see-do guide for adventurous travellers
So what creative uses are there for a whacking great hole in the ground? A hole 3.8 km long, 1.5 km wide and 600 metres deep that can make a 680 tonne shovel look like a kitchen utensil?? Or a 166 tonne truck like a Matchbox toy??? A hole so large it’s colloquially known as the Super Pit Kalgoorlie? That’s[…]
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The lyrics of Aussie folk ballad Waltzing Matilda* are responsible for most people’s entire knowledge of billabongs**. So visiting a real one – like Marlgu Billabong – raises certain expectations. Visiting a real Billabong That’s why I found the unexpected lack of swagmen, coolibah trees, jolly jumbucks and troopers at the Marlgu Billabong, oasis in the Kimberley west of Kununurra,[…]
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Watch your coincidences, the writers manual said. Spread them out, with no more than three or you’ll lose readers. So just WHAT was I supposed to do about all the Carnamah coincidences? We arrived in Carnamah on Mum’s birthday. Coincidence #1. A distant relative I’d never met before was staying in the caravan park. Coincidence #2. The Carnamah Historical Society[…]
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Blue- and red-coloured landscapes are generally associated with other planets, abstract art or young children! But while you’re checking out all the amazing things to do in Broome you can experience a distinctive red and blue landscape for REAL! The ocean’s characteristic blue hue from white clay in the water combines with the red local Pindan rock and soil in[…]
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‘Look out for the cat snakes on the rock ledges,’ our guide warned. ‘We saw one stalking a bird the other evening’. CAT Snakes? ‘But don’t take my word for it – I failed the snake identification exam!’ she laughed. Pilchard and I exchanged glances. The previous day a gaggle of grey nomads had shown us a photo of the[…]
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The edge of the gorge was no place for a recovering acrophobic*. Despite its well-made viewing platform with solid handrails, the lookout overhung the sheer drop to the Joffre River far below, many more metres than I wanted to count**. I don’t think I’ll EVER get used to being on an overhang … But weirdly, the scare-factor just added to[…]
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‘Shark! Everyone out of the water!!’ he yelled, and I involuntarily jumped back from the guardrail high above Eagle Bluff, my movement triggered by that most primeval of Australian fears: Shark Attack!! The amphitheatre of crumbling white rock plunging down into the green shallows of the bay below from the tourist brochure HAD to be trick photography, I’d thought upon[…]
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Is high tide the best time to see the amazing rich red soil, and the coloured layers of the rocks against the astonishing blue sea at Gantheaume Point Broome? Well … maybe! Broome’s iconic point, at the northern end of the 22km white sand curve of world famous Cable Beach, is a stunning scenic masterpiece during the strong light of[…]
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Bloated from a surfeit of mango smoothies from several Ord River irrigation scheme produce outlets and cafés during a mini-heatwave, we finally left Kununurra for the day and hit the Parry Creek Road eatery-free zone. Going cold turkey was the only way to break the smoothie stranglehold, whether or not our abstinence caused the producers financial hardship. While the significant[…]
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Many Australian natural attractions with public amenities are set amidst such scenic splendour that using them is part of the sightseeing experience. But once you’ve seen it, the view will be the same every time you visit. So imagine a convenience block where the view changes a couple of times each night. And where, like a wormhole, it can transport[…]
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