We initially had planned to do the Breadknife – Grand High Tops walk the next day. But we had a bit of a slow start in the morning and decided to do the shorter bush walk up to Fan’s Horizon from where we enjoyed a fantastic view over some of the great features of the Warrumbungle National Park. On the way back to the camp ground we stopped into Siding Spring Observatory where we got to see the telescope and another stunning view over the Warrumbungles.

On the way back to Sydney we stopped in the Hunter Region to taste some more wine. This experience left me a bit disappointed as most of the places felt very commercial and were done up like shiny flagship store, not like working wineries… Robyn Drayton from Robyn Drayton Wines was the stand out of the day. I’m already looking forward to a special occasions to enjoy her famous white port with a slice of lime.

For the night we had booked ourselfs into a lovely Bed & Breakfast in Mudgee, Suzi’s Hideaway, where we were very well looked after. For dinner and some great beer we visited the Mudgee Brewing Company. They just celebrated the one year anniversery of the restaurant. I can highly recommend their Porter. The next day we visited a few wineries in the region. At Lowe we got to taste some fantastic organic wines and the view from the estate over the region is not to be missed either. At di Lusso Estate we did more wine tasting and eat some very tasty pizza for lunch before getting on the road again to head to the Warrumbungles.

From Mittagong we enjoyed a great drive winding through the mountains before arriving in Wombeyan Caves. In Wombeyan Caves we stopped for some lunch and went for a self-guided tour through the Fig Tree Cave. As it was still early in the day we kept driving through the mountains before setting up camp at Dingo Dell. The next day we enjoyed some more great 4-wheel-driving through the mountains before arriving at Kanangra Wall. At the lookout we got to see a great view and the magnitude of the wall before going on a walk onto the plateau.

On the way home we stopped at Pulpit Rock for a last, impressive look at the Blue Mountains.

A few weeks ago I entered one of the photos from our trip around Australia into the Intrepid Travel Photography Competition and I am very pleased to announce that my picture has been selected as ‘Photo of the Month’ November.

My image is in the running for the annual grand prize! I will keep you posted.

Number Crunching

I’m already back a few weeks now but I finally got round to doing some number crunching.

In 94 days I traveled 21,351km by car and bought 2,961 litres of diesel. On average we traveled 227km a day, wheres the largest distance we traveled in a day was 615km. We spent $4,259 on fuel and on average a liter cost $1.44. The cheapest fuel was $1.16 per litre and the most expensive was $2.2o (at Rabbit Flat Roadhouse). We used about 14.2l of fuel per 100km and it cost about $2o in fuel to travel 100km. Including the car servicing and repair cost (that were quite high) this goes up to $42 per 100km. Quite a bit of money…

Outstanding Equipment

Throughout our trip we have used a lot of equipment and we are proud to say that we didn’t pack too much useless stuff, and that there wasn’t really anything missing. A few pieces of equipment were quite outstanding and you might be interested what we never would leave at home.

1. Bruce – We had a few breakdowns but our Toyota Landcruiser 80 series still makes it to the top of the list. We simply couldn’t have done it without it and despite everything we would buy it again.
2. SPOT – An easy way to let everybody know where you are and that you are fine. And in an emergency it even can save your life. Simply brilliant.
3. Tyre Pressure Monitor – It has already paid for itself by saving more than one tyre. Combined with our tyre repair kit we could fix most punctures before we had to change the tyre.
4. Camp Oven – Some of the best dishes came out of it.
5. Biji Barbi – It’s always nice to have a clean, non-rusty BBQ plate.
6. Jimmy’s Thunderbox – No comment.
7. Shovel – Without one you can’t survive in the bush. Ok, maybe you could but it is a lot easier with one.
8. Baby Wipes – The easiest way to keep hands clean on the road.
9. HEMA Maps – Great value for money and everything important is on it. Plus they kill flies really well!
10. NRMA Premium Care roadside assistance – Yes, it was well worth it.

Memorable Moments

After traveling the country for more then 3 month we where left with some great memories and stories. Some of the most memorable moments were:

• Breakdown on Cape Leveque Road – We almosty lost our front wheel.
• Mambi Island on the Lower Ord River – First my dad caught a barramundi and then we had to evacuate because of a bushfire, crossing a croc infested river in pitch black darkness.
• Crossing the Pentecost River – Very Australia.
• Traveling the Old Telegraph Track – Simply breathtaking.
• Breakdown in Clare – What a great place to break down.

Somehow it seems that great adventures are made out of a few breakdowns, a bit of trouble and a few scary moments. We consider ourselves lucky as we only ever had material damage; never an accidente and nobody ever got hurt.

Great Places

On our trip we have visited some spectacular places and met some amazing people. Some of the places we think you should visit if you ever going to travel around Australia:

• Cape Leveque – One of the prettiest places in the World (I know it’s a big call. Just visit and decide for yourself.)
• Fruit Bat / Elliot / Twin Falls (Jardine River National Park) – A breathtakingly pretty spot. And if you take the Old Telegraph Track it’s even a fun drive.
• Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungle) – Simply spectacular! And make sure you go for a helicopter ride.
• Broome – What an amazing little city. Sunset on Cable Beach with a nice bottle of sparkling is a great end to the day. Or see a movie at Sun Pictures.
• Clare Valley – Simply a great experience and a beautiful place. Try some nice wines at Skillogalee, Kilikanoon or Tim Adam Wines. Or go for a tour trough the Seven Hill Winery.

I’m already thinking about where I could go next. On this trip we have seen so many amazing places but we have also learned that there are many more out there and quite a few we want to see again.