We traveled for nine months without a car using public transportation and an occasional taxi. However, it would be very difficult to travel around Australia without a vehicle. We saw very few buses and much like the United States everyone has their own car. Since we enjoy camping, renting a camper van seemed like a good way to travel. With Mike as our fearless pilot and me as our novice navigator (yes, we made a number of wrong turns that sent us around the block or into a u-turn) we set off on our 1,750 mile (twenty-two day) journey across the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia from Sidney to Adelaide via Melbourne. Australia is a massive country with a land mass almost as big as the continental United States. We likened our trip to a road trip along the pacific coast through California, Oregon and Washington. It is fall in Australia so the weather was chilly, overcast with a little bit of rain.

Sydney Harbor is the beautiful heart of Sydney. The harbor is considered one of the most beautiful in the world and we would agree. Second only to Hong Kong, Sydney Harbor has the largest volume of ferry traffic in the world. On our harbor cruise we saw the iconic Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge along with Bondi Beach and the maritime museum.  The ship is a replica of James Cook’s Endeavor that he used to explore much of the Pacific Ocean.  Most of the harbor has been redeveloped from the historic shipping and storage areas to restaurants, shops, residences and tourist attractions like the aquarium. During the cruise we saw a group of people climbing the outside of the Harbor Bridge. We would have loved to try it but between Mike’s bad knees and the $188 per person cost, we decide not to.

Leaving Sydney we headed west along the coastal highway and stayed in the small beach towns of Jervis Bay and Eden. This area has rugged, rock ledge coast and the beautiful, golden ninety-mile beach. Outside of Eden we screeched to a halt because we saw kangaroos on the golf course. Thinking this might be our only chance to see wild kangaroos we stopped to take pictures (I was nervous they were going to jump me from behind). Little did we know that kangaroos are as common as squirrels and that we would see plenty before our trip was over. In Eden we rented bikes to tour the overlook park and scenic harbor. Promontory Point promised bush tracks (hikes) through the forest and coastal area. But two days of hard rain and wind scrubbed that plan and we headed for Melbourne.

Melbourne is considered the sports capital of Australia with huge stadiums for the soccer, rugby, and australian rules futbol teams. As tennis fans we could not leave Melbourne without seeing the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park where the Australian Open Tennis Tournament is played.

Although we saw many road signs to watch out for Koalas we never saw any in the wild. So we went to the Healesville Animal Sanctuary just outside of Melbourne. In this intimate park we were able to see kangaroos, emus, koalas, Tasmanian devils, dingos and platypus close up. The koala was in the park hospital (we were about three feet from him).  He had been found along side the road with injuries that included a broken nose. He seemed to be feeling fine, placidly eating eucalyptus leaves. The Tasmanian Devils were very nervous and two of them got into a screeching fight with each other.

From Melbourne we headed into the hills and cliffs of the Grampians National Park. Although the small community of Halls Gap is only about 1,800 feet in elevation there are vast views of the valleys below. We took a couple of hikes, one to see a small waterfall and the other to the Balconies viewpoint.

There was a mob of kangaroos and a flock of cockatoos in our camper park. We got our fill of Kangas as they poop everywhere so you have to be careful where you step. The Cockatoos make an annoying screeching sound as they fly from tree to tree. Mike had the idea to feed them some nuts. We discovered that’s a bad idea as he feared for his life when they overtook him.

Leaving Halls Gap toward Adelaide we traveled through rolling hills of ranch lands and forest farms. This time of year the fields and rolling hills are brilliantly, hurt your eyes green and covered with cattle and sheep as far as the eyes can see. We saw the forest farms in both New Zealand and Australia. This is where trees to be harvested for lumber are planted close together in straight rows like an orchard. The lower branches are stripped from the trees so they grow as a single straight trunk.

On the way to Adelaide we visited Old Tulum Town that was created by moving 105 old buildings from all over Australia creating a whole historic community. The town includes shops, homes, services, vehicles and a school, church and cemetery. What was especially interesting is that each building is fully outfitted for what it represents. The tailor’s shop has period sewing machines, fabric and notions. The mercantile has shelves full of product containers, period clothing and historic items. The school has original desks, books and supplies. The homes have all of the furnishings and features of the type of house it represents. The trapper cottage is outfitted differently from school teacher’s house. The most amazing thing was how clean and organized each of the buildings were. We met the owners who have a constant maintenance of effort to keep this ghost town so clean and in good repair. Mike swore he felt spirits as we visited the buildings.

While in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide we used their excellent bus, train and tram systems. We enjoyed taking public transportation so we did not have to move or find a parking space for the camper van. We found very luxurious camper parks everywhere we went. Australians were always willing to be helpful and friendly. Traveling in Australia is much like the United States so after three weeks we were ready to head for Bali, Indonesia for a more exotic culture.