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.

After an eventful last few days I’m finally back in Sydney. Judith and Patrick will now continue travelling by themselves and drive the car back to Sydney, hopefully in one piece.

I have spend 3 month and more then 21,000km on the road. I have seen some of Australia’s most amazing landscapes and met some of the loveliest and most helpful people.

I simply had the trip of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hope that this will be the last crazy trip I embark on in my life. All I’m saying I had a fabulous time.

A very special thanks goes to my partner Simon. Without him this would have been impossible.

We were stuck on another 90km of sand track with a broken front axle which meant that the car wasn’t driving anywhere anymore. And to make matters worse we were a very very long way from any mobile phone reception.

The only way to get this car back to Broome without doing any further damage was to organize an off-road tow truck. Marianne hitched a ride back to Broome to get this all organised while Judith and Patrick stayed with the car potentially camping one night in the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere. Not exactly what they had in mind when they planned their ‘Australian Adventure’.

By 11pm they where all safely back in Broome and we were all very happy that nobody was harmed. The next day Bruce got half the front axle replaced but is now back to his hold self.