April 17th, 2010
They say it’s wrong to judge a book by its cover, but there’s another cliché that should ring true: don’t judge a car by the number of airbags.
Almost all new cars on sale in Australia today have airbags but, despite these worthwhile safety features, crash protection varies markedly from model to model.
Of course, all cars must meet a minimum crash safety standard set by the Federal Government, but the emphasis there is the word “minimum”. The regulations regarding crash protection have not been revised in more than a decade.
This is part of the reason the [...]
November 27th, 2009
It’s a sign of the times when just about every major city in Australian today has road tolls in one shape or other, generally on the most useful roads & freeways. If you’re an inter-state or overseas traveller with a hired car then paying for these tolls needs to be done within a certain time frame of travelling to avoid penalties, not only imposed by the Toll Service but also rental car provider.
A Quick Guide to Australian Road Tolls:
Sydney:
Sydney operates one of the most extensive networks of Toll Roads and Bridges in Australia. All use electronic e-tags [...]
November 6th, 2009
ROCKHAMPTON is the Beef Capital of Australia – and the world – so they tell me, with over 3500 head of stock going out of Rocky every single week.
The drive up from Bundaberg is a good one. Good roads and great areas to pull off the road, too, when those wonderful road trains almost mow you down. You will not see anywhere else in Australia the sheer numbers of cattle roaming the roadways. Obviously not too safe when you are driving, but certainly great scenery!
Upon arrival in “Rocky” we were invited to visit the Gracemere Saleyards on one [...]
August 5th, 2009
The great thing about cruising in a campervan to Coffs Harbour is that you can either do it from Brisbane or Sydney, therefore offering two very different journeys to enjoy. For us, we chose the Sydney option and while it would take about seven hours maximum with no stops, we spent five days negotiating the route along the Pacific Highway, a great option for some diverse stop-overs along the way.
Newcastle
First port of call was Newcastle after a leisurely two hour cruise. This city is one of extremes – a rougher element stemming from its early days as a [...]
July 28th, 2009
Australian Capital Territory – a place with artistic flair
The drive north from Lakes Entrance in Victoria was a hard slog in some places, especially in a campervan. It’s about a five-hour drive but, funnily enough, the time just seemed to fly by. There isn’t a lot to stop and see along the way, but a myriad of surprises awaits in Quenbeayan!
Did you know that Quenbeayan is one of Australia’s biggest art towns? We certainly didn’t! This part of Australia is home to some of our most talented artists. We went to the Bilk Workshop and The Artists Shed. [...]
July 24th, 2009
Melbourne to Lakes Entrance
We decided to check out our own “doorstep” and spent a few days looking around the Dandenongs, within an hour’s drive from Melbourne’s CBD. It’s a leisurely cruise in the campervan, too, with loads of great sites as you wind your way up these hills east of the city. It’s such a beautiful place in Autumn. You just have to go to the Cuckoo Restaurant, it’s a damn good day out. Great food and very entertaining. We parked the vehicle and took the Puffing Billy (pictured) up there – a place I haven’t been since I [...]
June 2nd, 2009
Well what a trip this one was! We were told by many avenues – one being a good map, the others by mouth – that our trip from Geraldton to Busselton would take approxiamately five hours … 9 1/2 hours later, we finally see the “Welcome to Busselton” sign! At first I thought it was a mirage.
Geraldton is a must-stop place. It’s under-rated from what you read about it as it really is a place with so much going on that you do really have to stop and stay a while. Built on the successful seafood industry, it’s [...]
May 25th, 2009
The journey
What a drive this was! A total of 531km in 47-degree heat and and the air-conditioning wasn’t working. Worse still, we had it quoted in Alice Springs to fix for a whopping $3100! Fortunately, we got it fixed for $434 in Broome.
While in Alice Springs, dinner at the Outlander Steak House is a must. They have 2kg steaks and I finished mine in 42 minutes, which was a mighty achievement. It is very funny watching people try to do it, so just make sure you eat dinner first as it can be quite off-putting. [...]
