Aussie Touring Bucket List
I would love to hear what places are left on your Aussie Touring Bucket list. Post your TOP 3 in the comments section near the bottom of the page.
GO ON! DON’T BE SHY!
We have been to some seriously amazing places in our travels and done some amazing things. But there are so many places to go and things to see, we will never see them all. I’d love to tell you about some of my fondest memories we have had so far traveling around Australia in our camper trailer.
1.) Swimming in the Murray River
After travelling many days along the Murrumbidgee River camping beside it and swimming in it, we knew we were getting closer. The Murrumbidgee flows into the Murray River. Our first glimpse of the Murray River was at Mildura, where we crossed over it via a bridge. It’s such a grand looking river, unlike any other river in Australia.
At Mildura, there were beautiful big trees on the river bank, with their leaves draped into the water. There were all kinds of boats, including heaps of houseboats too. But we didn’t stop in Mildura. We still had a long drive to go to get to Punyelroo, near Swan Reach in South Australia.
On the way there, we either saw or crossed the Murray River several times. The river is the lifeblood of such a vast region along it’s banks. There were literally thousands of vineyards that we drove past that get their water from the Murray River. It’s amazing that there is any water left after the hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of farms and vineyards irrigating from the Murray River. The Murrumbidgee was exactly the same, with enormous amounts of irrigation.
Lucky she is such a mighty river. The Murray is vast and wide at Punyelroo, which is a popular waterskiing spot. Once we had arrived and setup, it was late in the day and near sunset. This is the moment I finally got to swim in the Murray. With a beer in my hand and my dog Harry swimming beside me we basked in the amazing Murray River.
2.) Catch a Northern Territory Barramundi
I’ve already written a post about when we caught our first NT Barramundi. It was on our first trip to the Northern Territory and Jazz and I were both lucky enough to get one. Although Jazz’s one was bigger, which she will never let me forget.
3.) Climb Mount Warning
We are not exactly the fittest people around, but a few years ago we did it. There are sooo many steps. And the round-trip up and back took us several ours. We still had sore legs several days later, but it was worth it. The view is just magnificent and it’s something we had always wanted to do.
Mount Warning is the first place to see the sunrise each day from anywhere in Australia. Some people even walk up in the early hours of the morning while it’s still dark just to see the sunrise. I’m sure it’s amazing.
4.) Drive around the racetrack at Bathurst
This bucket list item far exceeded our expectations more than any other. We knew that we could drive around the track, because for most of the year it is simply a public road with houses and farms etc. But it was nothing like that.
When we turned onto the track, we were blown away that you were even allowed to do this. It’s setup as a racetrack all year round. Not like the usual street circuits of the Gold Coast and Adelaide Clipsal 500. All of the advertising banners and overpasses were setup. Major works had just completed on the bitumen, so it was black, clean and perfect. No lines. It’s in “ready to race” condition.
Jazz was an awesome passenger. She didn’t say a word and let me commentate the whole track, naming every part of the track as we went through it. The cutting, Skyline, Forrest’s Elbow, Conrod Straight and The Chase. Even though we completed the track in about 10 minutes at the 50 km/h speed limit, it is something I’ll never forget. It took Jazz hours to calm me down afterwards.
5.) Driven “up the guts”
From Adelaide to the Northern territory, straight through the middle. On this trip we saw Lake Ayre, Coober Pedy, Uluru, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek. It’s a big trip, and for a lot of the way there is just straight, boring roads.
There are still so many things still on our bucket list of touring around Australia.
Just to name a few:
1.) Go to the Birdsville Races – Iconic Australian outback horse races.
2.) Stand on the tip of Cape York – The most Northern point in Australia.
3.) Swim on the Great Barrier Reef – This is something that I have done a couple of times before. But Jazz has never done it, and we would love to enjoy this experience together.
I would love to know what places are left on your Aussie Touring Bucket list. Post your TOP 3 in the comments section below.
