Photo Essay: A quirky and picturesque way a local can explain all the things you need to do on a campervan road trip adventure in Australia.
There are so many ways to envisage a campervan road trip in Australia. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so we prefer to let the pictures do the story telling today.
Welcome to "23 Picturesque Reasons Why A Road Trip Adventure in Australia Is Calling You" - A Photo Essay.
Have a look and imagine that it is you hiring a campervan and hitting the road....
This is how a perfect campervan road trip looks in Australia...
1. Arrive
Sydney is one of the most common places to hire a campervan from. It has 37 campervan hire companies.
2. Sleep off the flight
The life of a Koala is pretty sweet, generally sleeping about 16-18 hours a day. You can see them in all the zoos, but it's much more exciting when you see them in the wild, which is easy to do when your off the beaten track in your campervan.
3. See the sights
Wandering around Sydney at night is a pleasure. There are so many sights that look better at night and the bridge is probably the most spectacular.
4.Check out the beach
Bondi Beach is probably the most famous beach in Australia. It's just a stones throw from the city with some of the best bars and eateries in the city. Oh, and the beach is pretty good too.
5. Go for a sail
Not every sail in Sydney is on a yacht - Sydney Opera House. Of course a harbour cruise or catching a ferry past the sails of the Opera House is a once in a lifetime opportunity for some, but you can always go and have a meal and a drink right underneath them at the Opera Bar.
6. Pick up the campervan
Now that you've seen some sights in Sydney it's time to hit the road for the campervan road-trip of a lifetime. Pick up the campervan and hit the highway.
7. Hit the road
Australia is a big place with roads of every type in every direction. This one is near The Grampians in central Victoria.
8. Don't hit anyone else
The sign kind of speaks for itself. Vehicles drive on the left in Australia, but in the heavily touristed area of the Great Ocean Road near Melbourne, there are plenty of reminders.
8. Get lost
Fraser Island is one of the largest sand islands in the world. Take your own vehicle or leave the campervan back on the mainland take a tour, but its a lot of fun to sling a car around purely on sand for a day or two.
9. Hit the road again
The Sea Bridge just south of Sydney is one of the most picturesque roads in New South Wales. The whole ocean road along this stretch is beautiful and you often find film crews shooting car ads here.
10. Do what the locals do
On the worlds biggest island, there are plenty of beaches. Most people who live near one love an sunrise walk along it. If you've parked the campervan near a beach overnight, then get up with the sun and have a morning stroll. You'll feel better all day.
11. Play a guitar
It looks a bit like a guitar but its the ocean pool at Bronte Beach in the heart of Sydney. If the waters too rough for a day, take a dip in the ocean pool and get refreshment of ocean water with the peacefulness of a pool.
12. Rock out
The biggest rock in Australia - Uluru. This monolith sits almost on the dead centre of the country and is a tremendous sacred site to the indigenous people. Given its location and its importance one wonders if this is the heart of the country.
13. See some art
The street art of Melbourne has grown from just some alleyways with graffiti to world renowned art. There are a number of these alleys hidden around the streets of the Melbourne's CBD and hours can we wiled away finding them and stopping in for some of the best coffee in the world.
14. Imbibe the local culture
Australians love a drink, so they're pretty good and making a drop of wine. The Barossa Valley in South Australia is one of the oldest and most famous wine districts in Australia. If you fancy a big bold red, then this is the place. But don't just go for the wine, the food is top notch is chefs coming from all over the world to work here. And the coffee is pretty good too.
15. Take an overdue shower
Probably one of the most popular spots in the country to visit with a campervan is Byron Bay. Sitting on the eastern most point of the mainland, it has geographical significance and is considered a tourist (and hippie) hot spot.
16. Get some exercise
Australians love a surf. There are surf schools all over the nation, stop the campervan in a town for a couple of days, take some lessons and learn an Australian obsession.
17. Work out where to go next
A confused Quokka. With so many places to go, you'll maybe get a bit confused on where to go next too.
18. Sleep out under the stars
The stars from Bombo Australia, but you can just look up anywhere out of the city and see the kind of stars you just don't get at home.
19. Work out where you are
The best thing about hiring a campervan and hitting the road is that you just don't need to know exactly where you are. The clothes, bed, food and kitchen are all in the back. Pull over, cook, sleep and work out where you are tomorrow.
20. Meet some locals
A road trip around Australia isn't the same if you don't meet some locals. Chances are if you pull up somewhere off a highway somewhere for a night or settle in a national park, you'll probably get up close and personal with some of Australia's unique wild life.
21. Get away from it all
I think the best part of a road trip is just being able to get away from, well, everyone. As a traveller from overseas, it can be maddening to always just be around tourists and other travellers. Some times you just need to chill out and experience things slowly.
22. Then hit the city again
Maybe Perth is the final destination for your road-trip. This beautiful remote city has some of the best weather in the country. And some of the best food. And some of the best beaches. And some of the best fishing.....
23. And wonder where the time went
It doesn't matter how long your road trip is, once you hand back the campervan you'll be missing it shortly after. Not to worry, watch one last sunset, have one last coffee and get back to the rat race tomorrow.
By Tim Ahern
