The best Australian sunset spots are easy to find.  Road-trip almost anywhere downunder, and sooner or later the three main conditions for a great sunset – wide open spaces, big sky and a prop (or two) – will come together.  According to me, anyway.

Don’t know where to find the best Australian sunset spots?  No problem!  Over the years I’ve discovered a lot of staggeringly scenic sunset viewing locations around OZ, so sit back, relax and let me show you my favourites – and therefore the best Australian sunset spots – complete with links to stories about each of the destinations for your reading pleasure.

You’re welcome!  Enjoy!!

1. Hopetoun, Victoria

After a long day on the road a few years ago, we stopped at Hopetoun, a small Murray Mallee town in Western Victoria. It’s not far to Wyperfeld National Park and the extensive Silo Art trail runs right through it.  Hopetoun was such a good base for exploring this part of the Mallee we ended up staying a few extra nights.

In the evening, retreat to Lake Lascelles on the edge of town. The excellent campground with powered sites and free camping is a great place to relax as the sun sinks down behind the lake.

Discover more of the magic of Hopetoun and the Murray Mallee HERE!

2. Ballina, New South Wales

The Northern Rivers Region of north New South Wales is a treasure trove of sub-tropical rainforest, beautiful beaches, amazing coastal scenery, hinterland towns, whale watching and a totally relaxed vibe.  Most visitors head for Byron Bay, Australia’s easternmost point, but Ballina, just a few kilometres south, is equally scenic but far less touristy.

Yes, it’s on the east coast so the sun doesn’t set over the sea – but the massive breakwall at the mouth of the Richmond River was almost purpose built to watch the sun sink over the town and (almost) into the water.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Ballina over the years – read about some of my early adventures in the Northern Rivers Region HERE!

3. Lake Moogerah, Scenic Rim Region, Queensland

South-eastern Queensland’s Scenic Rim Region is an extensive network of spectacular rocky peaks and mountain ranges formed by long-ago volcanic activity.  Several national parks showcase the area’s best features, and its small towns provide a focus for regional produce.

Nestled amidst this wonderland of natural attractions is the man-made Lake Moogerah.  As well as being fun to explore and an excellent base from which to discover the region, the lake is a sensational sunset (and sunrise) viewing spot.

It’s easy to spend a week or more in the Scenic Rim – find out how to do that HERE!

4. Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

The 700 km (434 mile) long coastline of South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula is full of magnificent swimming and surfing beaches, rocky cliffs, clear blue waters, white sand and lighthouses.  There’s a reason it’s known as the Shipwreck coast!  The numerous scenic public loos are painted with murals that showcase the region’s attractions and history.

The coast is dotted with many sunset viewing spots, but my personal favourite includes the stunning silhouettes of the Wattle Point wind farm wind turbines!

For more of the attractions and scenery that give the Southern Yorke Peninsula its magic, go HERE!

5. Five Rivers Lookout, Wyndham, Western Australia

Western Australia’s Kimberley region is full of rocky mountain ranges, wide open spaces and massive tidal rivers.  The small town of Wyndham has all these features in abundance, and from its most well-known attraction, five rivers (and two scenic loos!) can be seen.  Yes, really!

It’s not easy to get all five rivers in one photo, as the vista is too broad for all but the widest of wide angle lenses.  But the view at sunset makes the lookout a worthy addition to the best Australian sunset spots.

The town of Wyndham isn’t just about the lookout, however – read all about its other attractions HERE!

6. Thargomindah, Outback Queensland

Remote Thargomindah has the distinction of being the third town in the world (after London and Paris) to have hydroelectric street lighting.  While this fact is celebrated with a three-flag display, there’s virtually no other resemblance to Thargo’s sister cities.

With wall to wall outback scenery on offer, Thargomindah provides a full-on genuine Outback experience. That includes taking in a sunset at the artesian bore, although there are plenty of other wide open spaces and big skies if a steamy sunset isn’t your thing.

It’s been awhile since I visited Thargomindah, but you can read all about it in the guest post I wrote for Rocky Travel HERE!

7. Hay Plain, Deniliquin, New South Wales

A massive plain the size of Denmark isn’t necessarily the easiest place to spot a rare bird the size of a quail, but that’s exactly what I was looking for on the Hay plain near Deniliquin in central New South Wales.  Luckily, the town of Deniliquin is on the banks of the Edward River, and near the Murray Valley National Park.  These provide some alternative attractions for those who are unsuccessful in (or don’t care about) locating the birds.

Spotting a killer sunset is a cinch with a plain and sky this big – it’s even better with a bit of cloud or a tree to set off the amazing colours.

Find out whether my rare bird hunt in Deniliquin was successful HERE!

8.  Victoria River, via Timber Creek, Northern Territory

Known as Australia’s wildest river, the Victoria River near the small town of Timber Creek is chock-a-block full of crocodiles.  Take a 70 km (43 mile) round trip by purpose-built boat down the river to see more crocodiles per kilometre than any other croc-spotting tour in OZ!

The trip also includes a bus tour introducing features of the township and surrounds en route to the boat.  It’s easy to spend an extra couple of days exploring the region to discover some of the elements of its intriguing history for yourself.  The sunsets are spectacular from the high lookout point above the town, but even more so from river level as the sun sinks behind the Yarrambin ranges.  With luck, it’ll be closely followed by a moonrise!

Read more about my adventure cruising with crocodiles on the Victoria River from Timber Creek HERE!

9.  Lake Cullulleraine, Victoria

When we stopped at the tiny settlement on the shores of Lake Cullulleraine about 58 km (36 miles) west of Mildura, we were just looking for a place to set up camp for the night.  What we found was a place so relaxing, we used it as a base to explore the area around the city of Mildura for a few more days.

When that got to be too much, we hung out at the caravan park, walked around the lake and watched the sunsets.  And took photos.  Since then, Lake Cullulleraine has been our preferred stopover point when passing through the area.

My first two visits to Lake Cullulleraine, with more about what we discovered to see and do there, can be found HERE and HERE!

10.  Broken Hill, New South Wales

Often referred to as the ‘Accessible Outback’, bitumen roads lead all the way to the mining town of Broken Hill in the middle of a desert in the middle of nowhere.  The clear light, intense colours of rock, earth and sky and dramatic shapes and silhouettes have inspired many artists.  It’s not hard to see why at dusk when the desert is bathed in a golden glow.

Several museums in town detail the history of the area, and display samples of the minerals found in the area, and the Living Desert reserve just out of town showcases the desert landscape.  The Living Desert Sculpture Park is also the best place for sunset viewing, and the prime locations are staked out well in advance.

Find my story about my trip to Tibooburra and Cameron Corner via Broken Hill HERE!

11. Lord Howe Island, New South Wales

OK, at 700 km (~420 miles) north-east of Sydney, Lord Howe Island isn’t exactly a road-trip destination.  This tiny, eco-friendly island is a sub-tropical paradise full of amazing natural attractions, unique wildlife, staggering scenery and world exclusives.  It’s an action-adventure kind of holiday destination, where hiking, snorkelling, walking, kayaking, boating, fishing, and diving are key activities.

At the end of the day, when everything slows right down to island time, a killer sunset is almost impossible to avoid. That’s why it deserves a place on any list of the best Australian sunset spots!

It’s easy to spend a week on Lord Howe Island – find out how HERE!

12. Bruny Island, Tasmania

OK, ok – so this isn’t actually a full-blown sunset.  But do yourself a favour anyway, and take the short drive south from Hobart to Kettering and catch the ferry to Bruny Island.  There’s nothing much between this unspoiled little gem and Antarctica, so expect wild and rugged terrain, magnificent scenery and an amazing selection of wildlife.

Take a cruise past the second-highest sea-cliffs in the southern hemisphere and through towering rock stacks while dolphin-spotting, bird-watching and getting up close to a grunting mass of Australian Fur Seals for an unforgettable experience.  Then chill out down by the wharf while awaiting the ferry back to the Tasmanian mainland and watch the sunset over the D’Entrecasteaux channel.  If the ferry doesn’t turn up early, that is!

My Bruny Island cruise adventure was one of my all-time favourite Aussie tours ever!  Go HERE to find out why!

13. Cadney Park Homestead, South Australia

Most road-trippers don’t see Cadney Park Homestead, a roadhouse about 153 km (95 miles) north of Coober Pedy on the Stuart Highway, as a destination in its own right.  But as gateway to the spectacular Painted Desert, deep in the South Australian Outback, it’s worth staying for a couple of nights.

There’s the added bonus of a superb sunset, especially when the cloud rolls in.

Read more about my Cadney Park stopover and trip to the Painted Desert HERE!

14. Broome, Western Australia

In Australia’s far northwest, the town of Broome has a unique history and culture based around pearling.  Its easy to spend a week or two – or even longer – exploring its distinctive natural attractions.  But it’s standing room only during the Australian winter when visitors from the south flock north in search of warmth.

The intense colours of the sea, sky and red Pindan soil that characterise Broome’s landscape fade into insignificance at sunset when the sky fills with astonishing colour.  The sky show is best viewed from Gantheaume point where the sun sets over the sea.

Find out why Broome is so popular during the Australian winter months HERE!

15. Derby, Western Australia

Derby Jetty is the best place to watch the phenomenon of the highest tidal range in Australia – up to 12 metres difference between high and low tides.  At low tide, the jetty is well out of the water and the mud flats below are exposed.  At high tide the water almost laps at the top of the jetty.  Any time of tide can be a good time for crocodile spotting.

The jetty is also one of the best Australian sunset spots around as the sun sinks below the waters of King Sound and the sky and water lights up.

Read more about Derby’s massive tides HERE!

16. Farina Station, Outback South Australia

Farina was once a town set up to support a large wheat growing region, but relentless drought and a non-permanent water supply caused the venture to fail.  That’s what happens in the middle of the driest state of the driest continent on earth.

Nowadays, the abandoned township is on Farina Station, and is slowly being restored.  The repairs are funded by the old Farina bakery, operated by volunteers for several months during the Australian winter.  That alone is a good enough reason to visit, but the sunsets from Anzac Hill above the campground make it doubly worthwhile.

I first discovered the Farina Bakery a few years ago now, but I’ve been there several times since. Read about my first visit HERE!

17. Karlu Karlu/Devils Marbles, Northern Territory

From the Stuart Highway, about 412 km (256 miles) north of Alice Springs, the Devils Marbles are an unmistakable tumble of various-sized rocks scattered over the surrounding plain.  The Indigenous name – Karlu Karlu – translates as ’round boulders’, and the rocks feature in local Indigenous lore.

At sunset, the marbles glow in the evening light, when the colours become even more impressive.

Exploring the Devils Marbles is a fun part of touring Central Australia.  Take a look at some of the region’s other attractions HERE!

18. Sydney, New South Wales

Finding the next super Aussie sunset isn’t limited to road-tripping the more remote areas of the Outback.  There’s always an opportunity waiting, as I found when flying into Sydney at sunset with the atmosphere full of bushfire smoke, creating an almost post-apocalyptic panorama.

Of course this shot was just good luck for me, but I wouldn’t have got it at all if my camera wasn’t easily accessible.  Finding a good sunset shot is also possible on the ground in Sydney – and there are lots of other good reasons to visit.

Find out how I made the most of a Sydney layover with four hours between flights HERE!

19. Sanctuary Lakes, Melbourne, Victoria

While I don’t spend a lot of time hanging out in big cities, I can still appreciate the photographic opportunities they bring.  While staying in Melbourne’s west, I was lucky enough to be at the wetlands near Sanctuary Lakes in the late afternoon, with an uninhibited view of the Melbourne skyline, lit up by the setting sun behind me.

Visiting a large city doesn’t necessarily have to mean exploring attractions in the CBD or even suburbia!  I got to explore a completely different side of Melbourne where I’m betting not many others have been.  Where?  Go HERE to find out!

20. Darwin, Northern Territory

Australia’s northernmost capital city, Darwin, enjoys a laid back lifestyle that keeps visitors coming back for more.  Bombed in World War II and devastated by a cyclone in 1974, the city has many natural and historical attractions to explore.

The popular Mindil Beach markets are a great place to purchase a picnic from the many stalls and watch the sun sinking into the Timor Sea.

Other Darwin attractions can be found HERE!

Everywhere I go on my Aussie travels is another opportunity to find a great sunset spot. So keep watching – I’ll be adding more as I find them!

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There are even more of the best Australian sunset spots I’ve discovered in my travels right HERE on Flickr!

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The post Best Australian Sunset Spots … and the stories that go with them! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

I was WAY too young to remember much detail from my first Aussie road trip.

I’m a road-tripper from WAY back!

But the photo of me and my sister on the Mt Kosciuszko summit in the good old days when you could actually drive almost to the top of the highest point in OZ is a dead giveaway.

That trail-blazing family adventure holiday was the first of many Aussie Adventures on many thousands of kilometres on roads covering much of Australia I’ve had since then.

SO … that gives me some serious road-tripper cred, right? RIGHT???

Well, not quite.

Because although I’ve been on lots of different variations of the great Aussie road-trip, there’s one version missing from my repertoire. That’s the great Aussie sea-trek – and it’s all about cruising in Australia.

What makes a good road trip?

Australia’s vast distances make turning your holiday into an Aussie Adventure easy.  It’s absolutely the best way to a) see a LOT of Australia up close; b) see a LOT of your travelling companion/s up close; c) see a range of attractions from the ridiculous to the sublime as you trek from A to B; and d) make unforgettable memories – all in one (sometimes life-changing) (and mostly BIG fun) journey.

IMHO.

Changing the top three trip variables – Transport, Accommodation, Budget – will majorly determine the type of journey you have. The secondary trip variables – Distance, Stopovers, Travelling Companions – will determine just how life-changing and fun it really is!

Of course I don’t know how far you want to travel, how many stopovers you’ll take, and with whom you’ll choose to travel – that’s all up to you. But take a quick squiz at this snapshot of five Aussie Adventure trip variations – all with different choices of transport, accommodation and budget.

Yep, they’re all several kinds of fun, but only YOU will be able to tell which would be the MOST fun for you and your travelling companions.

#1 – The Relationship-Tester

Self-drive, take your own accommodation – tent, camper, caravan – and save money by staying in no- or low-budget camp-grounds for a ‘no frills’ Aussie Odyssey. Long days on the road, then setting up camp with limited facilities and planning meals each night means you and your fellow travellers will be together 24/7.

Lower costs make this option good for a longer trip, or even a Big Lap (right around OZ, geddit?) but it won’t take much to turn ‘Relationship-tester’ into ‘Relationship-breaker’ if your travel buddies aren’t as committed to pitching in and helping out as you are!

#2 – The Cop-Out

Self-drive, but when you’re done driving for the day, stay in a motel, cabin, cottage, B&B, farmstay, guesthouse – or go glamping! Staying in smaller towns will help keep costs down AND you can contribute to the local economy by eating out at the local pub, cafe or bakery. Or all three. You’re still spending 24/7 with your travel companions, but there’s not so much post-driving work to be done at the end of each day.

Try this option for trips with more accommodation choices in towns along the way such as Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, especially if you don’t like booking ahead.

Actually, this one’s only called the ‘Cop Out’ by people who’ve survived #1. That’s because they want YOU to suffer by roughing it as much as they did.

#3 – The Half-and-Half

Yep, this is exactly what it sounds like. Fly/train/bus there, then hire a car and drive back. Or vice versa. You can even use your own car if you drive across the Nullarbor then put it (and yourself!) on the Indian Pacific to get back home. Or fly to Darwin, hire a car and drive home.

This one’s best if time is limited, because although it’s more expensive, you can fit a LOT more sightseeing into your adventure because you’ve got a LOT more time on the road!

This option is also sometimes called the ‘Cop Out’ by people who’ve survived #1 or #2.

#4 – The Outsource

When your own vehicle isn’t up to the road standard of your proposed adventure route, there’s no shame in saving it (and costly repairs) by outsourcing the transport and booking an all-inclusive tour in a suitable or sometimes purpose-built vehicle. This one’s best for treks like the Gibb River Road – 600 km of tyre-shredding rocky road surfaces, rugged river crossings and endless bull dust – impassable in a standard car.

It’ll cost more, but you won’t have to do any planning as meals and accommodation are provided. Sure, you can’t choose your travelling companions, but you won’t be with them 24/7 unless you’re sleeping in a dormitory!

This option is also known as a ‘Major Cop Out’ by people who’ve survived #1, #2 or #3.

#5 – The Sea-Trek

Switch your transport from car to ship, your tent for a stateroom and the dodgy highway for the sea when your Aussie Adventure is an Australian cruise.

You’ll still travel thousands of kilometres and have sightseeing stopovers in interesting places along the way.

BUT …

your transport is an all-purpose eating, entertainment and exercise area, purpose built for recreation while you’re on the road at sea!

If, like me, you know very little about cruising, take a look at Celebrity Cruises 13 day/12 night Great Barrier Reef Cruise from Sydney to Cairns and return as an example of what to expect.

With stopovers in Newcastle, Airlie Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas, Willis Island and Brisbane, the cruise covers a good cross-section of the east coast and offers a range of shore excursions.

What’s the Difference?

In comparison, spend the same 13 days driving the 2400 km (1500 miles) each way from Sydney to Cairns, and at 400-500 km per day you’d spend 9-10 of those days in the car.

Afraid you’ll max out the budget?

Compare the total costs for fuel, accommodation, food, entertainment, vehicle wear and tear and sightseeing you’d have on a 12-night road trip with the one-off up-front cruise cost covering everything (except on-shore excursions) and you’ll find the gap isn’t as large as you think.

There’s only one way to find out if the Sea-Trek really IS the new road trip – so next time you’re aboard, look out. That redhead languishing in the lounge, champagne cocktail in hand, just might be me!

Disclosure: This post was prepared in partnership with Celebrity Cruises and contains a sponsored link. All cruise photos are courtesy of Celebrity Cruises.

The post Road Trips, Sea Treks and your next Aussie Adventure! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

The creativity gene passed me by. So did most (all?) of the essential abilities and skills required for success at the Arts. And being described as ‘artisan’, ‘inventive’ or ‘patient’ is about as likely as me ever winning the Archibald Prize.

So back in the dark ages when I picked up my first (film) camera and peered through the viewfinder, I had an epiphany. I could actually see things through it I’d never noticed without it.

I’d found a portal into the secret world of … well, whatever I was looking at. Without it, the world was flat and ever-so-slightly dull. But through the lens, colours seemed brighter, patterns appeared, and details became endlessly fascinating.

And the magic of the minutiae came zinging down the lens like a coded message glimmering through the mirage that separates me from that other world.

Sometimes so close I can almost understand it.

Or at least attempt to catch it.

The urge to explore the language of that secret world – where nothing speaks more strongly than the trees – casts a spell so compelling I spend hours trying to capture it. And for one brief moment I can channel what it is to be a true artist.

And when the trees speak their secret language in the shimmering sunlit swirls of melaleuca reflections in a tannin-stained lake, time passes too quickly before the moment is gone forever.

The interior tells of times gone by too in the red rings of age, the cracks of weathering and a record of the blades that saw this monster fall.

And on the surface, the bark and its startling abstractions of texture, colour and pattern. Are any two the same? Who knew the native Australian Eucalypt is the only genus in the world with species representing all regions and habitats from sea level to the snow line?

Above, a leafy canopy throws a filter over the sky, rendering the harsh sun bearable through its colours and patterns. And the tree’s secret language translates the play of light into a message of comfort and peace.

The trees, with their movement, their life and their magic, surround a wind-rippled pool and turn its darkened depths into a scene of such perfect abstraction I’d never have had the imagination or patience to paint.

Limbs bleached by the sun and weathered by rain radiate from the trunk of a tree, hugging the earth where it fell. Am I the only one to see its dramatic design in this lifetime? Its remnants will still mark the land once I too am dust.

No, age is no barrier to the language of trees. Weathered and worn, and now giving life to other living things as they sink into the oblivion of the Aussie bush, their colours now muted as they blend with the forest floor.

A strangler fig grows large as the tree it grasps grows weak in the brutal cycle of the natural world where each has a role in creating that dynamic collective of flora and fauna we call the rainforest.

And even where the trees don’t grow, they influence the landscape as their image flickers over forest streams, throws a backdrop for the birds and ripples round the river banks creating the glorious watercolours of the Aussie bush.

Then the trees speak again in the random structures of their fallout. How would that bushland look without the attractive asymmetry of random trunks, the enigma of interwoven branches, the harmony in the patterns they create?

A sensation of colour marks the entrance of spring.

And against that blue BLUE Aussie sky, the trees speak of growth, of survival, of life.

I may never fully decipher the secret language of the trees. But what I see through my lens is a glimpse of its meaning.

Want MORE?

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RED: Pilchard and I could live on the road in Australia for a year for that – our last big road trip cost about $67 per day for travel and accommodation (ie fuel and campsites). And that was one of our more expensive trips! It does help to have your own camper, caravan or even tent!!

1. Uluru
2. Kata Tjuta
3. Perry Sandhills (via Wentworth, NSW)
4. Simpson’s Gap (via Alice Springs, NT)
5. Chamber’s Pillar (via Alice Springs, NT)

RED: An ‘organic’ trip schedule means we usually have the luxury of being able to spend extra time if we find a place with more than we bargained for. I’m sure you’ve read my TOP 7 Aussie Road TripHazards – what’s the worst thing for you?

ANNE: Many routes are long, tedious and boring! On our return journey we went via the Hay Plains which I found very uninspiring.

RED: For starters, there isn’t much RED!!

The post RED Alert #11 – InspiRED by Pretraveller! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Want MORE?

Check out the ALL different 2012 Aussie 12 days of Christmas HERE!!

And … for those who care about such things, here’s the details:

• 12:  A selection of Medals from the Melbourne War Memorial Museum display, Victoria
• 11:  OK … so there’s more than 11 wind turbines at Wattle Point Wind Farm, Yorke Peninsula SA – but I only counted the ones in the front row!!  The BIG ones!!
• 10:  Some of you might count these South Australian Flinders Ranges Peaks and get a different number.  I get 10 … so 10 it is!
• 9:  I only counted the significant Mallee trunks in the Swan Reach Conservation Park, SA!
• 8:  While there are only 6 arrows on the sign before the last stretch up Mt Kosciuszko, NSW (OZ highest mountain), I considered the altitude and location also to be points of interest.  So sue me!
• 7:  Seven Mile Beach at Lennox Head, NSW.  Yes, back in the dim, distant past, we also used the imperial measurement system.  Some place names reflect this!
• 6:  If you count the strata layers in this hill on the Bararanna Gorge Walk in SA’s Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary and get a different number, you’re just not doing it right!  Try again!!
• 5:  Australia Telescope Compact Array via Narrabri, NSW – also the site of Australian Scenic Public Toilet with the BIGGEST view (ie of the whole universe).  There are actually 6 – but the other one is several km away.  Besides, I’d already found something with 6!!
• 4:  Turtle Cakes made by my awesome sister-in-law L!  Jealous?  You should be!!
• 3:  Seals basking on SA’s Goolwa Barrages near the Murray River Mouth that stop salt water from the sea going further up the Murray River.  I don’t think the seals care.
• 2:  I’m not sure of the correct scientific name for these orchids in South Australia – but down here we call them Bulldogs!
• 1:  I’d like to think this was a Christmas beetle with colours like these!  But who knows?  Certainly not me!!

The post 12 Days of Christmas … AUSSIE Style! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Visit Innes National Park on a fine day and if you don’t end up with a photo that looks close to the one above, you’re just not trying!

But joining the ‘Entrance to Innes National Park’ photo club isn’t the only reason to visit this smallish 9400+ hectare National Park.  It’s around 300 km from Adelaide on the toe of the ‘ill shaped leg’ (take the link to see it on the map) that is South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula.

Although I’d been here several times over the last few years, we had never actually stayed there until now. We left the camper trailer at home and stayed in the restored Engineers cottage in historic Inneston for a few days, right inside the park with entry fees included in the tariff.

If only I could say that this meant getting up early for sunrise shots, but alas …

However, being on site made our exploration MUCH more leisurely!

So let me give you my updated insider’s TOP 7 things to do – a true traveller’s teaser taste of all that’s GREAT about this FAAAABULOUS spot!

1.  The Wildlife

Thanks to a close encounter at Inneston, I know EXACTLY what to do if attacked by an emu! Just raise your hands above your head, and walk backwards until you get to a place where you can run like hell!!

You might have to forget the photo …

Getting a little too close to an emu with chicks during spring hatching season isn’t recommended. In a civilised gender role reversal rarely seen elsewhere in the animal kingdom, it’s the male who sits on the eggs and cares for the young – the female is long gone by then!

But hard core twitchers* come here for the rare Western Whipbird – the reason for the park’s proclamation in 1970, it’s virtually the whipbird’s southernmost limit and one of the few habitats preventing it from being a Western Australian endemic. It’s also a known nesting area for Malleefowl with regular sightings in and around Inneston.

And if you don’t see a kangaroo somewhere in the park, don’t bother buying a lottery ticket … you’re obviously the world’s most unlucky person!

2.  The Scenery

If magnificent (and nearly empty) beaches, rugged rocky cliffs, towering sand dunes, coastal vegetation, jewel like islands, lakes and wild coastlines leave you cold, then Innes National Park probably isn’t for you.

But while you’re gazing out over the Great Southern Ocean at a cliff top lookout, bear in mind that if not for the sea spray, waves and curvature of the earth, you’d be able to see clear to Antarctica!

3.  The History

The four clans of the Aboriginal Narungga nation maintain strong cultural links to the Yorke Peninsula area, and the historic campsites and shell middens found in the park.

Charted by Matthew Flinders over 200 years ago, the remains of civilisation from the area’s early 1900’s settlement are scattered throughout the park, including the not-quite-ghost-town of Inneston, unsurprisingly established by William Innes. In its heyday, Inneston’s Gypsum mining, with a port at nearby Stenhouse Bay supported a peak population of around 200.

Interpretive signage along the Investigator Strait Shipwreck trail tells tales of the treacherous rocks, reefs and unpredictable weather that sank many ships. Down on Ethel beach, the ever-diminishing remains of the Ethel, wrecked in 1904, show how dangerous these waters can be.

4.  The Lighthouses

And that’s where the lighthouses come in! There’s good reason why the lighthouses at Cape Spencer (see photo above) and West Cape – both accessible by short walking trails – are still operational, with Cape Spencer lighting up the night sky a short distance from our accommodation at Inneston.

But the unusual designs of all-metal West Cape and rectangular Cape Spencer lighthouses AND the amazing vistas from Cape Spencer over the cliffs and out to the Althorpe group of islands (where the Althorpe Island lighthouse overlooks 6 shipwrecks) and the panorama from West Cape across Pondalowie Bay (see photo below) make them worth re-visiting at any time of day!!

Which is the best?? It’s a near thing – but its scenic public toilet to die for (Yes! It’s in MY BOOK!) gives West Cape the edge!

5.  The Wildflowers

It’s worth visiting the park in a good season just for the bright RED Cocky’s Tongue lining the roads. And the RED Correa.

But believe it or not, there are also a few NOT RED wildflowers in Spring (Sept-Nov down here!) and half the fun of a walk in the park is finding them.

Heavily perfumed and delicately coloured Freesias are everywhere – especially in what were once the settled areas,

their beauty a compelling argument against getting rid of non-natives!

If you’re lucky enough to visit in spring, be warned! Wandering the tracks around Inneston can put you in quite serious danger of wildflower overload!

6.  The Beaches

Just how many miles of empty, unspoiled beach stretching off into the middle distance can you take? While access to some of the beaches may take a little effort with steep and treacherous tracks, who wouldn’t want to try to make it down to Browns Beach?  Where yes, there ARE two other people …

Or to explore the Ethel Wreck (see photo above)??

But I’ll leave it to you to decide if a bad weather day makes the West Cape beach more or less of an attraction!!

7.  The Walks

Exploring Innes National Park on foot is one of the best ways to experience everything.

Wander the 11 km round trip Gym Beach walk or the 4km return Royston Head hike for wildflowers, amazing coastal scenery and beaches. Do the 1 km loop West Cape Headland hike right past the lighthouse and that awesome view. Walk through Inneston and along the Thomson-Pfitzner Plaster trail for a taste of history, wildflowers and wildlife, and the short South Cape lighthouse walk for scenery.

And do the Stenhouse Bay Lookout walk for ALL of the above.

Yes, it’s SO sounding like you’re going to need to spend more than a day here, right? And given my total lack of photo manipulation skills, this really IS what it looks like. So if it seems as if the jewel-like Innes National Park with its bountiful natural attractions is just a little too good to be true, then my work is done.

But I don’t think I could prove electronic photo theft of my first shot given the omnipresence of ‘Entrance to Innes National Park’ shots on the web!

* Twitcher = Birdwatcher! Go figure!!

Want MORE?

• Walks of Innes National Park
• Innes National Park, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
• Inneston Heritage Accomodation, Innes National Park
• Yorke Peninsula in 7 Days – my Rocky Travel guest post
• More photos of Innes National Park and Yorke Peninsula on Flickr

The post The Jewel in the Toe – Innes National Park, South Australia appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

There are only a few small obstacles standing between me and international superstardom as a painter.

Things like talent, aptitude and skill. Patience. Vision. Technique and vision. Ability and patience. Artistic temperament, creativity and patience.

And a pathological inability to starve in a garret. Or starve anywhere …

So I got all excited when I saw how this reflection of trees in the almost still waters of the Dunkeld Arboretum Lake looked through my viewfinder. One click to enhance the colour with my camera’s ‘Magic’ setting. Another couple of clicks to crop away some of the water. Et voilá!

Maybe I can pretend to be an artist after all.

Although I’ve been in training for this moment for awhile. Holding up my camera and pressing the shutter button to capture the picture perfect beaches, intense RED rocks, killer sunsets and AMAZING landscapes of Australia can get a little tedious.

So I started looking for distractions alongside the standard landscapes that I tend to shoot. And found the abstract swirl of water around the Point Turton Jetty on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula! Be very VERY grateful I haven’t produced a calendar of the many shots of the ever-changing water patterns I took … yet!!

But as I trawled my photo archive from the last 12 months, I found further evidence that my obsession with water abstractions was alive and well. Who knew water could be so many colours? Like the muted shades reflected in Gulf St Vincent Gulf from this Sultana Point Sunset?? Especially with that touch of yellow ochre which my ever-despairing art teacher told me would lift my pedestrian and dull paintings so long ago … I SO get it now, Mr D!!

So while I’ll never be an artist I’ve taken the liberty of calling this my ‘Watercolour’ series. I’ll never be done with my usual jealousy-inducing shots of the endless sun, sand and surf of the (often empty) Australian beaches – but the swirl of the sea moving over the coloured sand beneath caught my eye. And while this is the least colourful of my series, it’s probably the most delicately nuanced.

See? I CAN do arty-speak when I need to!!

Quite different – but just as irresistible to my wandering eye – was the mass of lily pads gently floating above the North New South Wales rainforest reflections that emphasized the depths of Rocky Creek Dam.

And on Mt William in the Victorian Grampians the addition of water makes the already impressive colours of the ‘Magic’ enhanced rocks lining the summit road GLOW!

Down south, and the red waterweed on an irrigation channel on the Tolderol Reserve near Milang is offset by the startling blue of the water and green of the vegetation. But I’ll leave it to you to decide whether or not the overexposure adds to the overall ‘artistic’ colours and composition …

Yes, there’s a fine line between abstract art and photographic error!!

Capturing early morning light through the refractions of dew drops dangling from grasses, trees, flowers, leaves – and yes, even reeds – has been done to death, I know.

But not by me!!!

Cliché or no, I AM quite proud of the tiny corner of Lake Ainsworth near Lennox Head in Northern New South Wales I’ve made my own. The abstract refractions of a light breeze rippling the melaleuca reflections in its tanin-stained late afternoon waters beneath a blue BLUE sky is one of my favourite photographic AND artistic moments.

With the possible exception of this unintentionally monochromatic shot of eucalypts reflected in the iconic Snowy River – which I’ve named ‘Black Poles’ in homage to renowned abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock and the Australian connection to his iconic ‘Blue Poles’!

I’m sure you can see the resemblance!

Right??!!

Thank you for allowing me these few moments of self-indulgent artistic pretence!

If you want to read more about ME, head over to Pretraveller where you’ll find my interview with the FABULOUS Anne!!

The post Australian Watercolours made EASY! appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Hazards of Travel in Australia

Wild, rugged mountains. Ancient, arid deserts. Weird, wonderful wildlife. Magnificent beaches, lush rainforests, untamed islands. These – and other amazing wonders – are just part of everyday life in the mystical, magical land of OZ!

What could possibly go wrong??

Most of the time, nothing. But road-tripping round Australia isn’t always beaches and bakeries, sunlight and surf, RED rock and rainbows … hazards of travel in Australia are everywhere.

And the scare factor increases considerably when seen through the eyes of a ‘world’s greatest coward’ contender!

Yes, that’s me.

However, just because I’m easily frightened doesn’t make me wrong, right? So for a cowards-eye view, let me show you some of the top hazards of travel in Australia!

But be warned! All you REAL adventurers out there just MIGHT find the dark side stuff that scares me rigid rather lame …

1 Heights

The almost unbearable urge to give in to gravity on the edge of a precipitous cliff, narrow ridge or soaring pinnacle makes me weak at the knees.

Watching people (like Pilchard above!) stand on the edge of sheer drops without qualms gives me the cold shivers.

Perhaps the contrast with the ultra-flat parts of Australia makes the heights more obvious. Or maybe the absence of safety railings in remote spots underlines the danger.

OR … it could be that I really AM a coward!

But avoidance isn’t an option if I want to see the sights or take the pix.

So after years of blanking out steep drops, my pointless clutching at railings or even rocks has abated.  A bit.  Although the magnetic downdraft I feel when I’m standing on the edge hasn’t!

2 Snakes

In a country where threats like deadly box jellyfish and blue-ringed octopi, voracious sharks and crocodiles, giant ants and redback spiders, stonefish and stinging leaves stalk the land, singling out snakes as objects of fear doesn’t really make sense.

Although with 9 of the world’s 10 deadliest land snakes alive and well down here perhaps it does …

My extreme ‘flight’ reaction works just as well on non-venomous species perhaps there’s something other than the threat of imminent death in play.

I try to put it in perspective. Death from snakebite isn’t all that common.  However, the risk of death rises exponentially when the snake is being handled. So do as I do – leave it alone, and run like hell!

For a run-down of some of Australia’s OTHER deadly pests, go HERE!

3 Bogans

According to the Australian Slang Dictionary, a Bogan is ‘a person who takes little pride in his appearance, spends his days slacking and drinking beer’.

Not worthy of being in the top hazards of travel in Australia, you say?

Well … just wait ’til these benign behaviours intersect with ‘disturbed camping’ and ‘extreme intoxication’ and ‘reverberating music’ and ‘sleep deprivation’.

Then you could end up with a twenty-something low rent loser whacked out of his brain in the middle of a remote but crowded campground playing Aussie group Redgum’s I Was Only 19 at full bore on his quadrophonic car stereo while simultaneously playing Elvis AreYou Lonesome Tonight? on his way-too-expensive-for-a-bogan supersonic caravan stereo system.

Singing along with first one, then the other as if they went together.

At 3:00 am.

He was still passed out when we left the next morning which is why his tyres remained intact and the crocodiles in the creek below remained unfed!

But I still wonder how such a young bloke ended up with a brand-new $50,000+ caravan of a make and model that NO ONE ELSE under 60 owns. Or wants. Maybe it’d be worth checking the missing-grey-nomad register back where he came from …

4 Extreme Sports

While watching para-gliders drifting lazily downwards against a backdrop of storm clouds makes for marvellously melodramatic shots, for me it’s an awful amalgam of #1 and #6.

And if I’m going to break my neck, I’d rather do it the all-natural old-fashioned way than diving into a pool with an elastic rope around my ankles (see #1 above!).

Anyway, road-tripping Australia’s vast distances in challenging conditions is virtually an extreme sport in itself!

Besides, I already participate in the most extreme sport on the planet.

Running through the inhospitable Aussie bushland laden with heavy equipment; crawling through swamps (sorry, ‘wetlands’) in eyeball-shrivelling heat or pouring rain; comparing field observations with an encyclopaedic wealth of conflicting data; negotiating ‘roads’ in remote wilderness; and the psychological ability to deal with the sometimes appalling social skills of its more experienced practitioners are just a few of the challenges the extreme sport of – yes – BIRDWATCHING presents.

It’s nothing to do with cowardice – I just don’t have the time – or energy – left for anything else!

Don’t believe me?  Check out what happened when I went hunting the wild Plains Wanderer HERE!

5 Being ‘Caught Short’

Thousands of kilometres of road-tripping takes its toll in more ways than one. And despite the plethora of both male and female ‘relief’ products on the market, nothing beats finding a divine dunny when you need one.

Maybe that’s why I’ve got such an affinity for Australia’s Scenic Public Toilets (click HERE to check out the ones I’ve found so far!).

While the scare factor is pretty low compared to, say, snakebite or death by duelling musicians, continually crossing one’s legs is just plain AWKWARD!  That’s why I’m calling it one of the hazards of travel in Australia …

And that’s why I’ve introduced a unique Tour of Australia via its most AMAZING Amenities with my book “Aussie Loos with Views!”.I’ll just keep publishing my handy guide to the most scenic loos in OZ!

Is it so wrong to combine doing your business with pleasure??

6 Roads

Putting the ‘road’ into ‘road-trip’ isn’t always as easy as it sounds.

While vast distances, extreme weather, rugged conditions and wild animals take their toll on the 913,000 km of Aussie roads (of which nearly 560,000 km of which are unsealed) the real problem is economics.

At least that’s the reason some regions give for tyre-shredding road surfaces, mud slicks, swimming pool-sized potholes and once-temporary traffic hazard signs that seem to have become permanent.

And if not for rail network closures AND mining activity increases in many rural and remote areas, there’d be a LOT fewer road-related hazards from the semi-trailers.

Although those grey nomads who use experimental driving techniques with their semi-trailer-sized caravans and truck-sized tow vehicles sometimes give the semis a run for their money in the “hazards of travel in Australia” stakes!

Either way, leaving home without Automobile Association membership means a road emergency miles from anywhere can bring your road-trip to a grinding – and expensive – halt!

7 Sensory Overload

Ho hum … another day on the road, another panorama of staggering scenery … an Aussie road-trip can really leave you jaded!

I’ve seen a LOT of Australia’s abundant – and varied – natural attractions. And photographed them for my blog. But I’m SO not done yet! Not when I keep finding places like THESE!

OK, so I’m biased. But not without good reason!!

Well, that’s MY list. And yes, I’m sure it leaves my inarguable coward-contender status undamaged!!

But what have I missed?  What are the worst hazards of travel in Australia for YOU??

BUT … before you tell me …

… in a remarkably serendipitous parallel universe kinda thing, I found THIS separate but related set of Aussie travel tips about what NOT to do in Australia from blogger LC over at her blog Birdgehls.  Check it out – I bet you’ll LOVE it

The post Hazards of Travel in Australia appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

The splendiferous sun sank into the shadowy waters on this balmy OZ winter’s evening with a sensational splash of colour.

With a range of up to 12 metres (39 feet), the tidal phenomenon is best viewed against the backdrop of the LOOONG jetty – and its street lamps – while crocodiles and sharks lurk in the muddied waters below.

So imagine how the King Tides that flood the whole car park would look!

The signs warning against falling from the wharf don’t detail the selection of fates that await – at low tide, there’s only the mud many metres below to break your fall.

At high tide, you’re MUCH more likely to survive the plunge – but the strong currents are waiting to carry you off to the crocodiles!

Want MORE?

• Derby, Western Australia
• Red visits Tunnel Creek via Derby, Western Australia

The post The HIGHEST Tide in OZ! Derby, Western Australia appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.

Once upon a time – WAAAAAAY back in the dim, distant world of 1989 – Ballina’s tail-less BIG Prawn sat atop the West Ballina transit centre and restaurant. Inside, visitors could climb up into its head and view a distorted world through the thick perspex of its concave eye. Over time, as businesses came and went below, the passive prawn’s exotic colouring faded from the original cooked-prawn red to pink, then finally a ghastly, ghostly white.

20 years later, after reports it was suffering from crustacean concrete cancer, the local council approved its demolition.

What were they thinking??

Yet, while some – especially those with good taste and refinement – see Australia’s notorious Big Things as trashy and tacky kitsch, for better or worse they’re a part of the Aussie culture.

Which should give non-Australians a disturbing idea of our national condition … but I digress!

To us Aussies, it’s quite normal to wander through a landscape awash with giant fibreglass and concrete objects that almost – but not quite – represent actual fruit, animals and people.

But to actually destroy one?

Our inbuilt nationalistic tendency to defend the underdog kicks in!

That’s possibly why nearby coastal town Yamba’s 2012 takeover bid was thwarted and the shrinking shrimp received a stay of execution demolition order!

Locals from Ballina, in Northern New South Wales and an hour’s drive south of the Queensland border, weren’t going to give up their placid prawn without a fight.

After all, watching the Prawn Trawlers head down the Richmond River, across the churning waters of its treacherous Bar and out through its mouth to sea for a night of fishing is one of the joys of walking Ballina’s twin breakwalls. It’s even more exciting watching the trawlers return to cross the bar through a mountainous swell in seas so heavy I’ll never to complain about the price of seafood again!

With Ballina’s inaugural Prawn festival date of November 2013 fast approaching, it somehow seems right for the Big Prawn Ballina to remain.

So when hardware giant Bunnings tapped into the community outrage with a masterful blend of goodwill, expedience and positive publicity by writing a new lease of life for the controversial crustacean into its development proposal for the site on which it stood, the shiftless shrimp’s future was assured.

And in a lucky break for the Big Thing loving public – and quite possibly Ballina’s international tourist industry – the Big Prawn Ballina has not only been preserved, but given a makeover.

Now, after being moved to it’s final resting spot, raised 3 metres so its brand-new tail would fit underneath, and repainted to a mouth-watering shade of cooked-crustacean salmon pink, the Big Prawn is BACK!

And although the finishing touches were still being applied on this rare rain-free Northern Rivers afternoon, the pulchritudinous prawn looks better than ever!

Want MORE?

• Ballina, New South Wales
• Northern Rivers Region, New South Wales
• More Aussie BIG Things
• See MY PHOTO in the Little Aussie Book of BIG Aussie Icons!

The post The Controversial Crustacean! Big Prawn Ballina, New South Wales appeared first on Australia by Red Nomad OZ.