The Route So Far

Sorry about the total lack of photos in this section. Developing, printing, and scanning photos here is incredibly expensive, and I don't want to haul 475 kilos of prints back to Canada, when I could bring 475 kilos of fine South Australian weed instead.

It's been one hell of an adventure. I've been insanely irregular in my e-mailing to my friends, and this is the first time this site has been updated in nine months. I'll be doing a proper update of the entire site in exquisite detail when I get back to Canada. For the time being, here's what I've done so far. The chronology is accurate, though the exact dates may not be.... Sorry, but you'll just have to deal with it.

W E S T E R N   A U S T R A L I A NOV. 3RD 1999 TO FEBRUARY 29TH 2000

Flew in Caught the awesome Telstra Rally Australia Worked on an unfinished job for a client back in Canada for 2 months Lived in a hotel for the entire time I was working on the job Learned how to SCUBA Dive (PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water certification) Spend Christmas alone and utterly lonely Had a fairly cool New Years 2000 Finished the bloody job (that made me heaps of cash and pretty much paid for this entire trip to Australia, so I shouldn't complain) Shipped my notebook to Sydney and started travelling properly Shot up to Exmouth for some fantastic diving Back to Perth Headed South from there to check out South Western W.A. Back to Perth, checked out the cool Perth Mint for more gold than I've ever seen (and handled) in my entire life On the train to Kalgoorlie (a mining town where distant relatives of mine lived about 100 years ago)

S O U T H   A U S T R A L I A MARCH 1ST TO MARCH 10TH, 2000

Bus from Kalgoorlie to Adelaide 4WD trip to Kangaroo Island -- brilliant Back to Adelaide

V I C T O R I A MARCH 11TH TO MARCH 26TH, 2000

Rented a car, and drove to the Grampians for some bushwalking Drove to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road Arrived in Melbourne with impeccable timing -- right at the beginning of Formula One Race week, and a public and school holiday. Melbourne was super-packed, and I had to get a bus to Philip Island just to get a place to camp. Learned to surf (well, took and introductory surfing lesson -- but it's so awesome and I want to do a lot more of it) Back to Melbourne Rented another car and headed down to Wilson's Promontory for more bushwalking Back to Melbourne to organise tons of stuff for Tasmania

T A S M A N I A MARCH 27TH TO JUNE 13TH, 2000

Ferry from Melbourne to Devonport Overland Track -- 5 day bushwalk Hobart Port Arthur Mount Field West -- 1 day Mount Eliza and Mount Anne -- 2 days Pindars Peak Attempt -- 2 days, aborted Frenchman's Cap -- 5 days Federation Peak Attempt -- 1 day, aborted South East Cape -- 1 day South East Cape, again -- 2 days Freycinet National Park and Wineglass Bay -- 2 days Cradle Mountain -- 1 day Walls of Jerusalem -- 2 days Lobster Falls Meander Falls -- 1 day Split Rock and Split Rock Falls Central Plateau Western Arthur range -- 3 days Mount Eliza and Mount Anne attempt -- 2 days, aborted Devonport to take the ferry back to Melbourne

4 W D   F R O M   M E L B O U R NE   T O  D A R W I N JUNE 14TH TO AUGUST 8TH, 2000

Answered ad on the hostel notice board asking for people to join up on a 4WD trip to the Simpson Desert (one of the three most difficult 4WD tracks in Australia) Decided to do this instead of heading to Sydney Off to Adelaide to start the trip via the Great Ocean Road again Did a bunch of stuff in the Flinders Ranges north of Adelaide since we happened to be there anyways, including the SkyTrack -- the longest 4WD track in the Flinders Ranges on the shortest day of the year Talked out of crossing the Simpson Desert by a 4WD operator in Quorn Decided to do the Oodnadatta track instead Lake Eyre South Coward Springs Lake Eyre North Coober Pedy Dalhousie Hot Springs. Met some people here who convinced us our vehicle was up to scratch and should be able to cross the Simpson Desert without great difficulty Crossed the Simpson Desert via the French Line (straight across) to Birdsville in 3 days Contemplated routes back to Alice Springs. Decided to just head straight back across the Simpson, via the Rig Road (loopier) this time Had some pretty hairy moments during the 2nd crossing; like nearly running out of fuel, and coming very close to destroying the suspension on three separate occasions Made it out alive and in one piece, bummed some fuel, and made tracks for Uluru etc. (Ayers Rock) Hit Lambert's Centre of Australia along the way Truck broke down right at Erldunda (the road that heads out to Uluru), got a tow to Alice to fix the car, and headed back towards Uluru Sunrise at Uluru Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) Sunset at Uluru Kings Canyon Alice Springs Devil's Marbles Daly Waters Pub Mataranka Thermal Pools Total Eclipse of the Moon Bitter Springs Canoeing in Catherine Gorge Edith Falls Cutta Cutta caves Kakadu -- the classic Northern Territory national park. Many scenes from the Aussie classic "Crocodile Dundee" were filmed here. Gunlom Falls 2nd degree burns from boiling billy water Maguk (or Barramundi) Gorge Yellow Waters and the 1st croc I've seen here Jim Jim Billabong Twin Falls -- base (4WD 100km, hike 1km, swim 1km up river) and top (2 km hike) Jim Jim Falls -- still with water flowing Ubirr -- amazing aboriginal rock art and a world-class sunset across a floodplain Jabiru -- the main town in Kakadu Nourlangie Rock Alligator Billabong -- wild horses, wild pigs, lots of birds, and lots of splashing at night 4 Mile Hole -- 100 000 000 insects (in my dinner!), crocs everywhere Darwin, a cool sunset, and the Mindil Markets (where I learned how to crack a stock whip and bought a great kangaroo leather hat) Litchfield -- another park near Kakadu, but not as good in my opinion (MUCH smaller, and too touristy) Magnetic termite mounds Florence Falls Bluey Rockhole Wangi Falls for another awesome sunset 4WD to The Lost City 4WD to Sandy Creek Falls Cascade and Curtain Falls Tin mine Barry Springs Darwin Poetry in your Lunchbox

Q U E E N S L A N D AUGUST 9TH TO OCTOBER 2ND, 2000

4WD along the Carpentaria Highway from Daly Waters (south of Darwin) straight over to Cairns Hitch and bus South to Brisbane to meet up with a friend Northbound again up to Noosa Hervey Bay -- gateway to Fraser Island Fraser Island -- 4WD on the largest sand island on Earth Oz Experience bus for a few days Bundaberg and Bargara Dingo and the Naomi Hills Cattle Station -- cool Airlie Beach Luxury three-day all-inclusive sailing/snorkelling/chillin' out cruise on board the "Iluka" One highlight was visiting Whitehaven Beach -- the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my entire life. Cardwell -- "Gateway to Hinchinbrook Island" Hinchinbrook Island -- almost completely untouched rainforest island with a fantastic 32km trail along most of the eastern side of the island (the Thorsbourne Trail) -- magnificent Hitch from Cardwell to Mission Beach -- stayed at the lovely Treehouse hostel Bus to Cairns 3 day dive trip on the Great Barrier Reef Rented a car and checked out a bunch of stuff in the Atherton Tablelands (immediately west of Cairns) Bus to Brisbane

N E W   S O U T H   W A L E S OCTOBER 3RD TO PRESENT

Used remainder of Oz Experience (yetch!) credit to get from Brisbane to Sydney Finally arrived in New South Wales (the state Sydney is in) for the first time. The cool thing is -- most people do Australia the exact opposite way around (fly into Sydney), and most people haven't covered half the terrain. So many people I've met aren't at all planning on doing Western Australia, South Australia, or Tasmania. That's a damn shame. My message to these people: just cuz Oz Experience doesn't go there doesn't mean it's not awesome. Try to be a little more independent!!!!! Nimbin -- weed capital of NSW. Extremely disturbing Bellingen -- stayed here for one night, went on a short walk through a park, and saw hundreds upon hundreds of fruit bats in the trees -- all screeching and flapping around and flying from one tree to another when you came near. Quite cool. Nundle and the Dag Sheep Station -- went on a tour of the station, saw how sheep were sheared, sheared a sheep, had a great night at the disco. Sydney (note: it's incredibly disturbing how similar Sydney looks to Toronto. Virtually identical. Same buildings, lots of one-way streets, etc. Spent three days sorting out a place where I could set up my notebook for internet access and work on a quick job to make some money, now that I'm completely broke Wrote up this list Typed the last line there, and then these nine words you're reading right now.

I N   C O N C L U S I O N . . .

So yeah, I've been keeping busy. It'll probably take me another year to fill in all the information and throw in all the photos for all the stuff I've done. Gimmie some time....

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