Trip Preview - New South Wales & the ACT (Part 6 of 7)

Welcome to all joining the Vicarious Walkabout. Up, up, and away! We are climbing from Victoria into New South Wales, past Mt. Kosciuszko in the Snowy Mountains. Mt. K is something over 2000 meters high, which means it would be one of the higher mountains in some US state not known for especially high mountains, like Pennsylvania or New Mexico., but not California, Colorado, or Alaska. Regardless, as we depart East Gippsland (and maybe Raymond Island near Lakes Entrance), we'll have a nice day's drive into Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).


Canberra has a lame reputation among Australians. Odd thing about capital cities - there are lots of capital cities that are straight up major cities such as London, Paris, Rome, Berlin (now), and most others. Still, several capitals out there were developed so as not to offend the existing major cities: Brasilia (not Rio or Sao Paulo), Bonn (back in the day), Ottawa (not Toronto or Montreal), and several boring US state capital cities like Harrisburg, PA (not Pittsburgh or Philly) and Columbia, MO (midway between St Louis & Kansas City). Even Washington DC was a little swamp that had the sole selling point of not clearly being located in the North or South back when it was created. Just look at a map: Canberra was obviously set up by a committee as a way to keep Melburnians and Sydneysiders content that the other side was not winning. Canberra is its own territory (the A.C.T.), much as Washington was set up as its own district (District of Columbia) so as not to give Virginia or Maryland an unfair advantage among states. So Canberra was set up in an empty field in New South Wales and it remains a very large park-like city that could be easily confused for a large museum if anything I've read is correct. Thus, Alex and I will drive into Canberra and see if it and its parks & lakes catch our (collective) eyes. Let me brief here: the photos and maps of Canberra look lovely, but the word on the street is that Canberra has less going on than Akron on a drizzly November day. I hope the photos point to a good story, but if not...



We're heading through another valley into the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains take their name from the mist from the eucalyptus trees, which create something of a blue haze. It is (once again) a part of Australia that I've been to and it is (once again) a part of Australia worth seeing again. The focal point in the Blue Mountains is the Three Sisters (image from Blue Mountains site) - a rock formation as noteworthy as any in a country with lots of noteworthy rock formations: Ayers Rock, the Devil's Marbles, Bungle Bungles, and the Twelve Apostles so far. Basically it is three rock columns that happen to be near a real city, so the odds are better that a tourist will see the Three Sisters than the Devil's Marbles. I digress. We will drive through these mountains and drop through some suburbs into Sydney.

Sydney and Melbourne are the two big cities of Australia - you know that. I've already said that Melbourne is a sports crazed, cultured, old-school city. I compared it to Boston, but in a US context, New York is not a bad comparison either. Sydney and Melbourne are natural rivals, so if Melbourne is Boston/NY, guess who LA is? That's right. The shallow, business-oriented, fast-growing, good weather, get-on-that-surfboard city is Sydney. With a bay every bit as beautiful as San Francisco's, Sydney has got the natural beauty to go with its "superficial" success. OK, that is the caricature. They are both great cities. Melbourne is a bit more of a cafe city while Sydney is a city with a few more big skyscrapers. Both are great cities that make my personal top 5 on earth (along with SF, LA, and a big cluster competing at #5 including Denver, San Diego, London, Cologne, and Madrid). The point here is that Sydney has a great downtown, shopping area, park, bar/restaurant/touristy area (the Rocks), and beach city (Bondi). According to a coworker in the know, the Bondi to Cogee Beach hike is worth the effort and we may do that. One place that we've never been to is Manly. Masculine in name, it seems to be a rednecky version of Bondi. That should be fine. Bondi is much like Manhattan Beach or Redondo Beach. Known for surfing (a la Huntington Beach in the OC), it also is populated with several upscale restaurants, bars, and other retail establishments. My half day there needs to be supplemented with a few more hours near Bondi. Between downtown and Bondi, Kings Cross is the seedy place to go to have a few too many beers or otherwise get into some trouble. If Alex is down with it, we'll go there en route to or from Bondi. If there are no toddler-friendly biker bars or tattoo parlors, we'll just go through it by day and be vicariously "bad". Anyhow, it can't be overstated, there is a lot to do in Sydney and we will soak it up (image thanks to SydneyAustralia). Once again, I will feel a sense of normalcy facing traffic.








Once we leave Sydney, Alex and I are heading to Port Macquarie. Naturally, we'll milk Sydney, Bondi, Manley, and that region for all it is worth, but starting the night of March 8, we'll be at the Wyndham Resort on Flynn's Beach for a week. Port Macquarie is a little resort town in northern NSW.

As an aside, we got a bit more info on how Alex would handle long drives this past week. If you've made it this far, you are surely curious how good a road warrior my co-pilot is. The three of us drove down to San Diego for Christmas and the weekend(s), logging just over 1300 miles in 9 days (about the same pace we'll see in Oz: 10,000 miles in 60 days). Although I got in some work, we spent the rest of our time hanging out with family and going around the greater San Diego area: SeaWorld, LegoLand, Temecula wine country, and so forth. Net net, Alex was great. He was cool on the long stretches, in spite of the fact that he was awake almost the whole time. I must confess that he is rather officious and demanding on music selections. For example, he demanded Hootie and the Blowfish because he knows the name "blowfish" from a sushi restaurant. I have no idea what I am in for when he is five years older, let alone a teenager. Whoa, that sounds like a whole different blog. At least I know I can pacify him with "Let Her Cry" if push comes to shove in a month or two.


As usual, I've completely lost the plot. Pt Macquarie is a good place for us to kick back: warm water, nice beach, not yet far enough north to be into saltwater croc or box jellyfish territory... just kickin it. Our place is about a block off the beach. We may take day trips inland or to nearby towns, but we will mostly take full advantage of several days without the need to drive. This is where the temperate zone of coastal Victoria and mountainous NSW (pre-Sydney) starts to transition into tropical climates. If I am behind on my posting to this blog, this would be the place to catch up and post images. I could be off base here, but it seems like Pt Macquarie (and the northern part of NSW) will be kind of like coastal South Carolina - hot, humid, not quite Floridian (er, Queenslander) tropics, but clearly on the way there.


Anyhow, this is where we go from the part of Australia where people live (Melbourne & Sydney) to where people vacation (the northern half of NSW & then the Gold Coast & Brisbane). Coffs Harbour and Tweed's Head punctuate the rest of NSW before we get to Queensland - both are also tiny resort towns, home to surfers, hippies, and retirees. Again, we may hit these town on day trips to facilitate jumping straight to Queensland if we feel like it. Or we may just enjoy hanging out. Regardless, NSW will take us from serene and empty to ultimate urban to our own private Corona commercial on a Pacific beach about as far from San Francisco as one can get while staying on the same ocean.

Next up: our final preview, as we hit Queensland from the South - seeing all the coastal destinations en route to Cairns.

Trip Preview - Victoria (Part 5 of 7)

Now we are into what could only be called "the meat of the schedule". In the first month of the trip, we have gone covered about 70% of our journey. In the second month, we'll slow it down and smell the roses a little. (In our last state, we were smelling the Shiraz).






Shortly after we enter Victoria, we'll be on the Great Ocean Road. This is perhaps the most beautiful drive I have ever been on - better than the Pacific Coast Highway South of Monterey if only because it is straighter (avoiding vertigo for passengers and frustration with crawling behind slow cars for the drivers). We will follow along a route of sweeping views, tiny little towns, cliffs, and other dramatic drop offs. Last time I came through, I took a helicopter tour of the "Twelve Apostles" (image compliments of Victoria tourism). If Alex asks for a helicopter ride, we may go for it (I liked it last time). Otherwise, we will just enjoy the view. There is also "London Arch" - formerly known as "London Bridge", this was a ridge eroded to the point of being a bridge until it collapsed one day a couple decades ago, leaving a startled visitor on the newest island imaginable. So this windswept beautiful drive is just ideal for driving an hour, stopping, walking around, getting back in the car, and continuing on our way (repeat as necessary).


And what is the reward at the end of this long and winding road? Only one of the greatest cities on the planet and quite possibly a visit with my wife, Alex's mom, and the missing partner on this venture - Aneta. Let's start with the visitor first. If Aneta's schedule at her firm permits, she will join us in Australia for a few days. The ideal would be Melbourne as it is a large, cosmopolitan city, it is the mid-point of our trip, and a city that she knows well because of a study she did there in 2001. It goes without saying that both Alex and I will miss her greatly. She will likely make a CD so that Alex can hear her voice and hear a little Bulgarian every day. Additionally, (as I mentioned a few states back) I will keep a photo of her in the car's front passenger seat. Alex likes pointing to the passenger seat in cars and saying "mama" when she is not there, since he knows mama generally sits there. With the photo, we can have a comforting token of continuity. If you've made it this far you can imagine how much Alex & I would enjoy seeing a familiar face (and how much I would enjoy adult conversation at this stage).


So what makes Melbourne so good? Well, it is a large, cultured, attractive, temperate city. The closest US comparison is Boston but with good weather (this is certainly subject to debate and I like Melbourne far more). The defining characteristic is the Yarra River running through the city. On the south bank are several of the nicer hotels and the giant Crown entertainment/casino complex. On the north side is most of the downtown. Along the river on the south bank lies an attractive park. You can bike up and down the river- a few kms away, well into the suburbs, is the much larger Yarra Bend park. This is a great walking city. Whether we're staying south of the river or in the heart of the city, you can get most places in less than a mile. Federation Square is a new entertainment/shopping/architectural statement (thanks again for the image, Victoria tourism). There is a large Greek quarter (yes, the food is great). There is lots to keep Alex entertained and even more to keep me entertained. From shopping areas to outdoor cafes to museums to older architecture, walking around Melbourne you'll find a vibrant, attractive, fun city.



Melburnians are sports crazed (reinforcing that Boston comparison, except I might actually support Melbourne's teams) and have a rather nice, large stadium - the Melbourne Cricket Grounds. I saw a World Cup qualifier game there. Much like Americans, Australians really don't care about soccer and see it as an exotic game played by everyone else. They even have the decency to call it "soccer" - the national team is called the "Socceroos" (although there is an effort afoot to rebrand the sport as "football"). Like Americans, they are pleased that their team is good at it, but they do not discuss last night's soccer game over coffee nor do they stage violent riots in the wake of soccer results. Legit sports worthy of comment are Aussie Rules Football, rugby, and cricket - while I don't personally follow these sports I must commend their choices because they translate well to the sports I do follow (football, football, and baseball). In Melbourne they also make a big deal of the horse races once a year. I don't know if we'll get the chance to see any sports (our timing is bad for everything but cricket), but if we do Melbourne would be a good place to do it.

We will take a few days here. Exactly how many will depend on whether we're spending time with Aneta. There are more things to talk about - St Kilda (city beach), Yarra Valley wines (a step down from Western Australia and South Australia), etc. Regardless, I will be in a great city, a familiar city, and a city with 3.5 million. In short, I will feel very much at home here.

Next up, we'll go to our family friendly destination of Phillip Island (yet again, thanks to Victoria tourism for the image). Phillip Island is about an hour or so south of Melbourne. This is a windswept island where Penguins run on shore every night. Aneta and I saw this once before. Alex will go absolutely nuts. There is a beach (as you can see), but if the temperatures are anything like last time, that won't be a destination. We'll go to the koala center - those sleepy, cuddly-looking, apparently ill-tempered animals are cute to look at.

After Phillip Island, we will go up the coast towards an area called the Lakes District. That just sounds pretty and relaxing. Should be a nice drive along the southeast Victoria coast. We'll cruise through a couple little towns like Sale and Lakes Entrance. Lakes Entrance is a seaside resort town.

Moving on up the coast, we will enter a region called East Gippsland. Is it just me or does that name just sound made up? "Hey, where are you going?" "I'm off for East Gippsland" It sounds like a cross between "I have no idea", "a galaxy far far away", and "somewhere extremely remote". Much like Timbuktu, East Gippsland does actually exist despite sounding mythical or made up. Anyhow, shortly after Lakes Entrance, we will turn inland and start heading towards Canberra through East Gippsland. It appears to be forested, rolling hills working their way up to mountains. As mountains go, these are not Alps or Andes or Rockies, but they are mountains on the order of some of the lower Appalachians. Although several places that we will pass are called "Snowy" (Snowy River, Snowy Mountain), we are not expecting any snow. It is all relative - if something ever sees snow during the course of the year, that makes it "snowy" in Aussie terms (think of it as "snowy like Nashville"). I will be very surprised if I am seeing snow on the last day of February in Southeast Australia (flipping that to US terms, that is like seeing snow on Labor Day). Nonetheless, the drive from Phillip Island across the Lakes District and East Gippsland should be the coolest (temperature-wise) stretch of this trip. As we drive across East Gippsland and rise up into these mountains, we will be done with Victoria and cross into Australia's most populous state New South Wales.

In our penultimate preview, we will explore Canberra, the Blue Mountains, Sydney, and the coast of New South Wales.

Trip Preview - South Australia (Part 4 of 7)

All right mate. We've made our way past the mid-way point (kilometer-wise) without meeting too many Aussies to date. We find our protagonists rolling across the Nullarbor. This section of coastline is also referred to as the Great Australian Bight. Whatever we call it, when Alex and I cross into South Australia we will find it every bit as empty and remote as we did Western Australia. The thing is, we will still be two days away from Port Augusta...which is still another day away from what the rest of us would call "civilization": Adelaide, Barossa Valley wine country, and what not. This will be a cool sort of final run of absolute emptiness. From Esperance to Pt Augusta, I may pass less than a car an hour for four days. I will also pass a few "Road Trains" - those extra long articulated tractor trailers. Apparently when you pass a three-trailer-truck on a narrow road with gravel & sundry stones kicking up, it has an effect on you. All I know is that any stretch of road so long, so empty, and so desolate to make me think of golfing (see my Western Australia entry if this makes no sense) has got my attention. Will I get any radio reception? Will I find myself singing along to every CD in my collection? Will Alex sing harmony? Will I start picking up radio signals from Antarctica? If I do get Antarctica stations, what language would it be in? To revisit a theme from the end of my Western Australia blog entry, the Dakotas will seem far more urban to me after this little jaunt in the Outback. Don't let the green color in the map above confuse you, it is pretty dry and dusty West of Pt Augusta (and for several days preceding it).

So after driving for a little while across "Road Warrior" empty stretches, I will gently ease my rental car into Barossa Valley. The first sound you will hear from me will be "Whew". If I can get this far without any sort of automotive breakdowns, I will be very, very happy. From Adelaide (Barossa is an hour from Adelaide) to Cairns, I will never be that far from humanity. In the middle of the Nullarbor or somewhere between Broome and...umm.... anything...let me just say that there are worse places than somewhere near (or past) Adelaide. Prior to Adelaide, there are lots of places I could feel actual peril in a mechanical breakdown (if I weren't so darn well prepared with food, water, and so forth). After Adelaide, it rates under "inconvenience". Thus, the second exhale you'll hear is that of Alex's loving mother and my adorable wife Aneta. By the way, she just had a birthday (not sure what year - must be 29 or so), so if you feel the desire to write a comment, be sure to wish her a happy xth birthday (it rhymes with "dirty phive"). In a related story, I should experience my birthday while I am somewhere in South Australia (rhymes with "dirty eight") on February 17. Naturally, thanks to being 17 hours ahead of California, I will be older faster and it will be the end of my birthday by the time you folks in the US wake up.

Did I mention Wine Country? Yeah, some of the best wine country on earth is in South Australia. The first one we'll see is Clare Valley. Clare is nice, but to me it is kind of like some of the second tier California districts. Hey, Santa Barbara or Mendocino or Temecula or even Cucamonga are all well and good... but they aren't Napa or Sonoma. Well, I look forward to Clare, but it is the same way someone bent on buying a German car looks forward to test-driving an Audi or VW. Barossa Valley is next and Barossa is the BMW and the Porsche. Barossa is the home of Penfolds Grange - the finest wine on earth (in my eternally humble opinion) and the M3 of this overdone analogy: a bold, marginally rough, ambitious, raw version of perfection. Grange is a densely extracted Shiraz aged in American Oak. Let's go ahead and look past the inconsistency that I use French oak on my own wine and celebrate how awesome Grange is for using American Oak (since I like Sarkozy, any rude references to the Frenchmen have to predate Spring '07). While my Preslav Heritage Estate wine is pretty good (Silver medal, California State Fair - I never fail to mention it), Grange is my benchmark and I hope that I may one day meet it.

Peter Lehman is very good wine as well. I had the good fortune of meeting Ian Hongell, the Sr Winemaker at Peter Lehman a month ago at an event hosted by "the Jug" (an Australian skewing and thus interesting-to-me wine shop here in San Francisco). Peter Lehman Clancy's is an excellent blend that I really like. At 1/10th the price of Grange, I have had more Clancy's anyhow.

The point here is that Barossa is my vision of heaven (or at least a neighborhood in heaven) - arguably (yes, I will accept that it is arguable) the best wine on earth served to me by relaxed people with Australian accents. Jacob's Creek, Penfolds, Peter Lehman, and about 40 other brands and blends appeal to me. They offer the best price/ quality ratio on earth - and that is with the US dollar in the tank. With a normal strong dollar it gets better! Their wines are a robust combo of bold flavors, fruit, and strong tannins. Oh, in case you are curious, the people are interesting as well. They have "olde" Germanic-looking homes and German ancestry in what was a sleepy farm community. Aneta and I flew from Perth to Melbourne and could not get a direct flight on Qantas. We were told we would have a 3 hour layover in Adelaide, so I asked for a 7 hour layover instead. I got my wish and we got to fly in, rent a car, drive up, taste a little, drive back, and fly on. This time, after crossing 3/4 of South Australia, I will have no question in my mind that I will have earned my place in Barossa Valley. Thus, I may look for a tour with someone else to do my driving so that Alex and I may experience Barossa to its fullest. Think about spending 4 days alone on the loneliest stretch of asphalt you've ever seen - then showing up in wine country: I'll be chomping at the bit.

OK, after Barossa, we'll swing through Adelaide - an hour away. Adelaide is near Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale wine districts. I plan to skip both, but in the spirit of football season, I reserve the right to call an audible. Adelaide is called the "city of churches". People from Lynchburg, Virginia (including one of my best friends on earth) will recognize the "city o' churches" moniker. No, that is not the Jack Daniels Lynchburg(Tennessee), it is the Jerry Falwell Lynchburg(VA). My brief experience with Adelaide (contrasted with more extensive Lynchburg, VA experience) tells me that the name is legit and the town would not easily be confused with South Beach (Miami). Alex and I will surely visit Adelaide, but if my brief, perhaps unrepresentative visit is accurate, it is sort of the Oakland surrounded by Napa, Sonoma, and other points of interest (without gangs or Raider-fans, as if there was a difference between those two groups). If so, we'll keep it short. If not... well, I will have more to post. At the very least, Adelaide is home to the first Starbucks that I will see outside San Francisco. Not that I am already anticipating it, but 21-23 Rundle Mall, Adelaide is the address and I doubt I will pass through Adelaide without stopping by. Regardless, I will quickly move on to Coonawarra.

Coonawarra is the second best wine region (in my eternally understated opinion). Alex will surely offer a willingness to evaluate their apple juice. Meawhile, I will happily share my thoughts on their vino. I have high hopes that by this point in South Australia, I will have learned an Aboriginal phrase for "goofy-looking guy with purple teeth and a red-headed kid". Regardless, I have a certain confidence that I will be filling the trunk of my rental car with some quality grog while endearing myself with the locals thanks to my good will ambassador Alex.

So we'll get through Coonawarra and find ... the coast. Yes, the constant theme of this whole trip, we will leave Coonawarra and head for water and the fine region of Warnambool at the Victoria state line. Much like Western Australia South of Monkey Mia, a key selling point of the South Australia waters are that they lack box jellyfish, salt water crocodiles, and all sorts of exotic means of death. As such, we may find a way good beach somewhere along the line. Now, we'll still be cautious out there and the water might be cold since the Great Southern Ocean sits between southern Australia and Antarctica. Still, I kind of like my odds once we've minimized the opposition to just sharks.

South Australia is known for being reserved and sophisticated (by Australian standards). Must be the wine. Anyhow, this will likely be a memorable state and a transition from "empty Australia" to the part where the people are.

In our next venture, we will discuss Victoria - from the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne to the penguins of Philip Island... Victoria will be a cool and fun change of pace.

Trip Preview - Western Australia (Part 3 of 7)

Now here we go: we've gotten through most of the jungle and a little desert, but now we've got a lot of open road ahead of us. This is a big state, so it will be a long preview. Western Australia is the size of the Western US with a mere 1.8 million (1.3 million in one city). Although there are hardly any people, that does not make the driving go much faster.

We will enter Western Australia at Kununurra. At the start, the landscape is a mix of jungle and bluffs - mountains, but not extremely high. Shortly, things will dry up and offer a mix of arid and semi-arid. The first noteworthy landmark we'll pass is the Bungle Bungle range in Purnululu National Park. This is a really strange looking sandstone mountain range in which the mountains themselves have rings - as if a topographic map was drawn on top (see image, all of my images in this preview are gently lifted from the Western Australia tourism site). As an aside, Western Australia and Queensland have the best state tourism sites - I mention this not only to appeal to their lawyers in case they don't take kindly to my use of the images, but also as an FYI in case you consider visiting. The Great Northern Highway - Highway 1 - will take me near the Bungle Bungles, but the road does not go through them and I am not going to drive up into the hills. Sorry, I've got places to go and a child to entertain. I will feel like we are remote enough in a state that makes Montana seem urban - there is no need to take a dirt road during rainy season in a Camry (or comparable vehicle). Speaking of Highway 1, it will more or less take me from Cairns across Queensland, Northern Territory, and the length of Western Australia to the South Australia state line.

The most remote places I have ever driven are eastern Montana (into western North Dakota), I-80 between Reno and Salt Lake City, and Western Australia between Perth and Albany (SE of Perth on south coast). That third one is the only time I have not seen any oncoming traffic for an hour. You start wondering if they closed the road and you missed the sign. In all of Western Australia, by far the most populated part of the state outside Perth is the southwest corner of the state. This should give you a sense of what we're looking at in the northern end of the state.

Moving on, we will cruise west towards Broome. We will skirt along the northern edge of the Great Sandy Desert. South of that, there is the Gibson Desert followed by the Great Victoria Desert. This is one reason I will not turn left (until I get to the coast) and I would not find anything if I did. There is so much desert from the north coast to the south coast that they needed to name three separate deserts in there. Aside from the northern coastline, it is just desert the whole way south. The scale is simply unreal. I'll get to the southern edge of the Great Victoria Desert in a few paragraphs in the Nullarbor. Just know that this is why much of Western Australia is essentially uninhabited. Broome is the only town worthy of the name along the coast between Darwin and Perth. Put this on an American map: Minneapolis is Darwin (with less than 100k people), San Diego is Perth (almost to scale), and there is a town of 20k around Boise called Broome. Alex and I will get a clear sense of what the term "the ends of the earth" really means. If I ever went into the witness protection program, this would be one of the towns I would think of. And yet I'll pull into town and be able to get online, get phone reception, and have everything I would have pulling into some town along the freeway. Being on the edge of the Indian Ocean, the climate is generally hot and sunny. As someone who loves sunshine, this will be really nice.

So from Broome we will follow the coastline all the way down to Perth. In between, there is one stop I am really looking forward to: Monkey Mia. Monkey Mia is a resort at which guests get to spend time with our intelligent mammal friend... the dolphin. No, there are no monkeys at Monkey Mia. "Monkey" was simply the name of the first boat to arrive at this location in Shark Bay. At Monkey Mia, wild dolphins actually show up for feeding three times a day. Alex will get to go out in the water and pet the dolphins. He loves water and we will finally be able to wade into the salt water (no crocs, no box jellyfish). Shark Bay sounds like it would be a restaurant next to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, but it is amazing in the National Geographic/ Discovery Channel sense. It is a relatively shallow bay that resembles the conditions in which some scientists believe life began: relatively saline, calm water, warm year-round. For that reason it is just about the only place on earth that stromatolites grow. These look like unusual rock formations, but are actually a sort of primitive coral forming right on the water's edge. Kind of a cool concept and rather humbling, if you think about it. Nearby, there is also a beach with no sand. Much like cheeseless pizza, this strikes me as a concept worth hearing about but I remain sceptical that I will be sold on the idea once I experience it. The beach is covered with nothing but shells - millennia upon millennia of shellfish living and passing on to create a massive deposit of small white shells. It is right off the main road, so we'll check this out for sure. The Monkey Mia resort itself looks pretty cool, but we will get the most fun from just swimming with the dolphins a couple times. Again, guests and their kids can be involved in the feeding, including petting the dolphins. There are rules - you can't have any sunscreen on because it will hurt the dolphins' eyes - but we'll have a heckuva a time. Then we will drive about 8 hours south to....

Perth! I am a city person. Obviously - given this trip - I am not opposed to open spaces. Still, after about 2 weeks without seeing oncoming traffic, without seeing more than 20 people at a time, without any selection of restaurants, possibly without espresso (oh the humanity!) it is safe to say that I will be VERY HAPPY to see Perth. Unlike every point since Sydney Airport, I have actually been to Perth before, so I will get a dose of familiarity as well. Perth is a very modern city with a harbor on the Swan River just a couple miles from the Indian Ocean. There is a cool restaurant district, not unlike North Beach in San Francisco. Alex and I will stay at a nice hotel using points - maybe a Hilton, maybe a Westin - and we will stay in the same place for a couple nights. It will be very cool.

First thing, I will take the car to a local version of Jiffy Lube (or Hertz if they'll look it over). We will have come about 5,000 miles/ 8,000 km and I really don't want the car to break down in an inopportune moment. While we're on the subject, I've gotten some questions about my travel precautions. Yes, I will travel with at least a week's worth of water and plenty of food at all times. Alex & I will wear sunscreen and some sort of mosquito repellent, and we'll even buy those goofy fly nets that you can put on your hat. To those who have no idea what I am talking about, Australia has more than its fair share of flies - the persistent, land on the same spot on your lip kind of flies. In response, Australians have these mini-nets you can put on your hat - keeping flies off your face and neck. Last time I skipped it because they look ridiculous, but waving your hands around in an agitated manner looks ridiculous too.

So we'll take half a day wandering around Perth, probably in the late afternoon/ evening. It's a good city. We will also probably do some sort of cruise up the river. Aneta and I did that and visited a pretty good winery called Taliancic. Depending on the options, we may choose a more kiddie friendly version. We'll see. Speaking of kiddie friendly, we will probably go to Rottnest Island. This reminds me, not nearly enough explorers were good marketers. "Shark Bay" may sound challenging or intriguing, but Rottnest Island? Rotting Nest? Yeah, let's go have a picnic there! It gets better, it is actually from a Dutch explorer, so it means "Rat Nest Island". It was named this because there was a marsupial that the Dutch guy confused for a rat. Fact remains this is apparently a beautiful island with white beaches, no cars, and great for a day out. We'll see how it fits in, but it is on the preliminary itinerary.

Perth is connected to Fremantle, maybe 10 miles away. Fremantle was an old port city that has ultimately merged with Perth as Perth has grown. Fremantle has an old fort, mostly 2-3 story buildings, no skyscrapers, and for lack of a better comparison it looks kind of like Charleston, South Carolina or the French Quarter. This will also be a nice place to spend a few hours.

Once we've had a few days to unwind and refresh in Perth, we'll be off for a day in Margaret River. Margaret River is the premier wine region of Western Australia, located 3-4 hours south of Perth. It has a unique microclimate as the Indian Ocean meets the Great Southern Ocean and it is ideal for several wine varietals. There is a string of little towns reminiscent of Sonoma county (to me, at least). There are plenty of activities such as surfing and lighthouses to run around - Alex will like this place and if he's enjoying it (and we're feeling lucky) we may stay an extra day around here. At the very least, we will have lunch in Margaret River, visit a couple wineries, and then continue on towards Walpole. Walpole is known for the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk. At the Treetop Walk, you go up on an elevated steel mesh walkway that is a couple hundred feet high and walk amongst the tree tops (see image, thanks again Western Australia tourism), and you can look straight down to the forest floor. Don't worry - it is enclosed on the sides, it is kid friendly, and Alex will have fun here. This region should also be know for a series of unpronounceable town names: Nornalup, Manjimup, Gnowangerup, ... so I will simply refer these towns collectively as "after Margaret River".

So after Margaret River (and after Walpole), we'll get to Denmark. On a previous trip, Aneta and I stayed the night in Denmark and it was instructive about how most of Australia outside Sydney & Melbourne works - and how likely we were to spend much time outside those cities in the future. Denmark is a town of 7,000. It has its own little tourist office in town. Every accommodation listing (motels, bed & breakfasts) chose to describe itself in romantic terms: quaint, quiet, secluded, isolated... Well, after not seeing many towns on our drive down, Aneta wanted people. As each B&B described itself as more remote than the last, it resembled a horror movie to her and all Aneta could think was "nobody will hear you scream". She asked for a hotel with a lobby (preferably a marble lobby and lots of people). If you are not familiar with 7,000-person villages near Nornalup, there are no hotels with lobbies. We settled on a place offering a few rooms. There were in fact other guests and we still got cornered on a dock by a kangaroo. It was really nice in a quaint, quiet, secluded, isolated way. Aneta & I enjoyed ourselves, but we both became acutely aware that while my wife can feel equally at-home in most any setting on the globe: the Balkans, London, New York, Latin America, or Melbourne...she fits in anywhere like a native. Well, Denmark, WA was a bridge (or an empty road) too far. It is like the moment when I realize I have put too much spice on my food - both I and those eating with me realize that it is a rare and special moment.

This area - Southwest Australia - is cooler (temperature) than anything we've seen so far and anything we will see again until we enter Victoria. Cool breezes come in off the ocean and Albany (despite the name making me think of New York) feels very much like a touristy fishing village in New England. Albany is also where the overlap with my previous visit ends. We'll follow a beautiful coastline to Esperance. Esperance is a decent-sized town (maybe 20,000) on the water and the last town for about 1000 miles. From here, after a relatively populous southwestern corner of Western Australia, we will dive back into one last stretch of the great empty. If you are looking at the map, it is due south of Kalgoorlie. From Esperance, we will drive north about half way to Kalgoorlie and turn east - ultimately following the coast to the state line along the Nullarbor.

The Nullarbor is a nearly 1000 km (600+ miles) straight open plane stretching from the southern edge of the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia into South Australia. The name is from Latin, translated roughly as "No Trees". This sparse tract of land is home to the longest golf course on earth. There are 18 holes located about every 30 miles. You pay at the first and just show your scorecard at each subsequent hole. Drive up, pull out your clubs, play a hole, and get one with it. Certainly this could be a good way to stay alert as you drive across a vast, open expanse. If I remotely cared about golf, this would be a cool "merit badge" to brag about to my friends. In reality, even if I brought clubs, I would be searching for lost balls and discovering strange, new, and exotic animals to scare me while chasing Alex into the desert. There are giant sand dunes and the attached photo shows a sand dune overtaking what had been the telegraph station in Eucla. Even by Australian standards, the Nullarbor is pretty remote. Eucla is located at the state line with South Australia, and that's where we'll stop this preview (and probably stop for the night - there are not many options!).

The next chapter will cover South Australia - finishing up the Nullarbor and getting to the best wine country on earth.

Trip Preview - Northern Territory (Part 2 of 7)

Alrighty then - out of the jungle and into the desert. Somewhere along the line as I leave Queensland and enter the Northern Territory, things will go from hot and wet to hot and dry. The Northern Territory is twice the size of California and packed with no less than 200,000 people. No, I am not missing any zeroes. One fifth of a million people sounds better. Either way, traffic won't resemble California (outside the Mojave Desert). That scale is important, because you may wonder how I could spend two months in Australia and never get to Ayers Rock/ Uluru. When I drive into the Northern Territory, I'll go due West until I get to Tennant Creek before going North.

From Tennant Creek, it would take no less than three days to drive via Alice Springs to Ayers Rock and back. Living in North America that seems close (after all, I'll be in the same state!), but nobody in San Francisco thinks they are similarly close to the Bonneville Salt Flats (or that it is worth a drive to Utah & back just to go see the Salt Flats). Thus, while I have no doubt that I "should" see Ayers Rock, Alex and I have elected that the extra three days of desert are not on the agenda for this trip. Starting in Tennant Creek, Alex & I may actually drive about an hour south to a place called the Devil's Marbles. This is one of those odd places in the desert where rocks form strange shapes, big rocks sit on small rocks in a way that resembles old Road Runner cartoons. From what I can tell, it is an interesting place for one person to pose next to a big rock and an another takes the picture. I am not sure Alex will play along, but we'll see. I caution that we "may" drive it, because after a few longish days on the road or with bad weather, we may not feel like the 2 hour detour.

From there, we'll drive another day and a half North to Darwin. Most of the way, we'll be rolling through a scrubby red desert. Then it will turn into lush jungle. Arguably one of the most impressive National Parks on earth will show up to my East as I approach Darwin. It is called Kakadu National Park - a picturesque landscape and idyllic setting to watch birds or see crocodiles. We may go there on a day trip from Darwin - if the tour is soft and kid friendly enough. Despite my frequent references to the lethal animals, seeing them close up in the wild while managing an inquisitive (or oblivious) toddler presents challenges that may take away from the fun in seeing such animals. As an aside, it is still the Wet season and we are traveling where it gets wet. If it is really wet, we will call an audible and skip Darwin altogether. I have no desire to start any of my entries with "I knew that I should probably not do it, but I kept driving into the the swamp during this tropical storm..."

If all goes to plan, we will take a day or two in Darwin. First off, I will just want to find an espresso drink or have a choice of restaurants. I'll also want to load up on supplies that I could not find in Cairns or along the way. Also, after traveling several days on end, Alex and I will want a day or two not in the car. And there might be some good TV.

Super Bowl 42 will be on February 3 in the US, so February 4 in Australia. I should be in Darwin on February 4. If the Steelers are playing, I will find a way to watch it for sure. If they are not, I may choose to watch it regardless. During the NFL season, one of the major networks in Australia typically plays a "game of the week" on Monday morning. Presumably, this is for US expats to TiVo the game while they are at work. Given the regular season scheduling, I think I'll be able to find the Super Bowl. This trip starts after the college football season because 1) College Football is better than Pro Football, and 2) It is nearly impossible to see College Football outside the United States, while Pro Football remains quite accessible. Aneta and I were in Toronto around New Year's once. Lovely country that time of year. We have some good friends up there, but you'll notice that part of the Anglosphere did not lure me back this January. Anyhow, watching the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day involved over an hour of phone calling. That was Toronto - I thought they got Buffalo, New York stations! By leaving Jan 24, I only risk missing Pro games - as opposed to the certainty of missing College games had I left earlier.

Back to Darwin. Unique among Australian cities, I really don't know what to expect here. Darwin is closer to East Timor and Indonesia than to any city in Australia - closer than Alice Springs, let alone Sydney. It will likely be the closest thing to a Southeast Asian city that I'll see: tropical, sweltering, maybe a little seedy. I am just not sure. What little I've heard and read is sketchy, but I simply do not have any measure of confidence in how it all nets out. At the very least, I am certain that I will be able to get online and post here (if I lack access in the days leading up to Darwin) and I will get mobile phone reception.

We'll leave Darwin, go South to Katherine and West to Kununarra and points beyond in Western Australia. On the southern end of Kakadu, Katherine has tremendous natural beauty including the Katherine Gorge. It looks to be mostly jungle from Darwin to the state line. Then things get really empty.

So what in the heck are Alex and I going to do all day? So far we should be making good time, thus spending a lot of that time in the car. My plan is that Alex and I will get up early to eat and play a little before we hit the road. Timing will depend to some degree on sunrise (usually later in summer when you are closer to the equator, earlier as we go South). So let's say sunrise is at 7 and we get up at 6am - we'll play around and then eat until 7-7:30 then hit the road. In the car, we'll have a photo of Aneta (in the passenger seat) and a CD with Mama speaking to Alex. If we have radio reception, that may take precedence, but for much of the drive, we'll just have CDs. Alex will get a heavy dose of Daddy's (mostly 80's) music along with some Bulgarian children's songs. He is an excellent passenger and we will stop on the way to get out of the car, move around a bit. I'll have a big cooler that we'll load up with ice every morning. I still have not decided if I should leave it in the trunk or in front of the passenger seat. Either way we'll have plenty of water, some juice, some single-serving milk containers, and some food that does not melt or spoil when the car gets warm. I'll talk with him and because we will get up early and stay up late, he should nap quite well in the afternoon (say 1-5). We'll eat dinner when we get where we're going and stay up until 9 or maybe 10. His normal schedule goes 7-1, sleep until 4, then go to bed at 8. This will go 6-1, sleep until 5, then go to bed at 9. We'll see. The first half of the trip will involve much road time, but there will be more playing and smelling the roses from Perth onwards.

It was brought to my attention by one of the growing throng of loyal readers that the map only shows big towns, so I should be clearer where I am going when possible. To backtrack, in Queensland, I plan to drive due West from Cairns until I almost hit water (Gulf of Carpentaria) to Normanton, south until I am parallel with Townsville (or the word "Northern" in Northern Territory), and West again into the Northern Territory. Somewhere around the "E" in "Northern" is Tennant Creek, maybe down to the last R in Territory to the Devil's Marbles, then right back up via Tennant Creek and a straight(ish) line to Darwin. Back down via Kununarra and out to Western Australia (overland to Broome, then along the coast all the way to Perth - but I am getting ahead of myself). One other reader commented that these entries are kind of long. Yep. When I'm out there, my daily entries will be far shorter.

Next Entry: Western Australia - nearly half the size of the continental US but with only half a million outside Perth.

Trip Preview - Queensland (Part 1 of 7)

Having worked for America's Premier Sports Annual for a decade, I know the unbridled joy that people get from seeing what is supposed to happen - knowing full well that it won't play out that way. Now any 2 month trip is bound to have a few hiccups, but ya gotta have a plan so you know how far off the mark you are (and so you don't miss your flight home).

Alex has been a good flyer, but anyone who has sat within five rows of a 2-year old on an intercontinental flight knows what that part of my trip looks like. In fact, I would venture a guess that you (dear reader) are probably smiling right now at the knowledge that you will not be anywhere near row 38 on United 863 January 24 or wherever they put me on Qantas 926 (Jan 26). On the marginally interesting side, I will never experience January 25, 2008. I leave on the night of the 24th - it stays dark a while - and the sun rises on January 26. Now, admittedly I will get all 41 hours of March 24, so I can live with that tradeoff. Even United got a little mixed up on the way back: my itinerary actually lists us departing LA for San Francisco at noon then departing Sydney for LA a few hours later at 2:15PM. By the time I get on that second flight, I may be a bit disoriented myself.

Mon, Mar 24, 2008 - Los Angeles, CA (LAX) to San Francisco, CA (SFO)
United 0556
Depart: LAX 12:00 PMArrive: SFO 01:13 PM
Non-stop1h 13m 735 337 miles traveled
Fare basis code:WHXRTBooking class: WEconomy500 Award miles
Mon, Mar 24, 2008 - Sydney, Australia (SYD) to Los Angeles, CA (LAX)
United 0840
Depart: SYD 02:15 PMArrive: LAX 09:46 AM
Non-stop13h 31m 744 7,483 miles traveled
Fare basis code:WHXRTBooking class: WEconomy7,487 Award miles

This seven part series will preview the various legs of the trip by state (or territory): Queensland (Cairns and points West), Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales (and Australian Capital Territory), and finally Queensland (Brisbane to Cairns).

So, onward! We'll get a midsize car from Hertz - no 4x4, no temptation to cross that slightly swollen creek. Put me in a Camry and I'll know my place vis-a-vis nature. The nice thing is that there is a limit on how much they can charge for a child car seat: 5 days $50, 2 months... $50. Other than that we are not exactly saving money on the rental car. I've driven on the left (intentionally) a few times. The first time, I terrified my passengers in England by leaving a nice margin between myself and the middle of the road but not much between the passenger seat and the parked cars. Oh well, I never hit anything so I will call that a win. Last two times in Australia, it was a breeze once I got out of the parking lot.

We'll land in Cairns in the afternoon on Australia Day. Best I can tell this is something like the 4th of July: festivities, fireworks, and an opportunity to process a few pints (while being sure it is a patriotic domestic brew). Alex and I will - without a doubt - be ready to hit the streets of Cairns and bring our respective A-games. It will be festive and we'll be so happy to be on the ground that we will probably enjoy that afternoon & early evening ...for about 2 hours, when we realize we got no sleep on the flight. To that end, we will stay at the Hilton Cairns for three nights. One, I am Diamond elite with Hilton so they'll give us a good room (hopefully). Two, it was a deal. Three, I'd like a couple good beds to get over jetlag. Four, it is on the beach next to the marina and the lagoon in the center of the cool part of town. Actually, that should be point one. The benefit of the lagoon it is a little body of water that it has no box jellyfish. Despite being on the beach, we will not be touching the salt water in Cairns. At the risk of turning this into the World's Most Dangerous Places blog, allow me to expand on that point: box jellyfish are these tiny jellyfish that are essentially invisible. There are other even smaller ones - their name escapes me at the moment. They are both equally lethal and show up in the summer - as in January (Southern Hemisphere). Oh, and saltwater crocodiles do in fact show up on beaches (typically attacking from the water's edge). Now saltwater crocs probably do not appear on city beaches all that much, but I want to be clear that the water around Cairns does much to keep one on one's toes. We'll get to some beaches... but not here.

Cairns is in the state of Queensland. Queensland is kind of like the Florida of Australia. People from big cities vacation here. Its population is growing as people retire here. It is hot & humid, which I like. Most people know it as the home of the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately, while I am certain he could do as well as any toddler, Alex has not yet passed his SCUBA certification and I have not figured out how we could get out to the reef together. For now at least, the Great Barrier Reef is not on the agenda. As for the rest of Queensland, we'll be back to Queensland as we drive back to Cairns and I'll cover the it in more depth then (part 7).

The Risk-Aversion portion of my mind is focused on one thing during this segment: the rain. It will rain a lot in January. One thing that could extend our stay in Cairns would be a typhoon. Ever since I lived in South Carolina, I have loved thunderstorms (at least while I am in a safe, dry place). Something tells me I may get to experience one in Cairns. Because of the rain, our emphasis in Queensland may be outrunning a front and driving out of Queensland. Effectively, there are no people West of Cairns (mountains then jungle). For that matter, it is less than populous until Perth, but that is a few states away. The only segment of the trip that has a decent chance of being affected by weather is this one, so now you know what I am thinking about. There are two roads that can take us out of Cairns to the western edge of Queensland: one goes straight West to Normanton then South to Cloncurry and West to Mt. Isa and Camooweal, the other option is South to Townsville and then West to Cloncurry, etc. Both would be beautiful routes - mountains, jungles, open spaces. Bear with me as I use movie examples to help illustrate the landscape. If you haven't seen Crocodile Dundee or Mad Max lately, no worries. If you recall the Australia parts of Crocodile Dundee movies, that is what this stretch of the drive will look like. Actually, the "Walkabout Creek" pub used in Crocodile Dundee is a little South of Cloncurry in McKinlay. Please don't ask how I know this. Anyhow, it will take about two, maybe two and a half days to get from Cairns to the state line. If the weather is good, it will be an amazing drive and I'll post great pictures. If not, I'll just get on with it and post great pictures from the desert in the Northern Territory.

But first we have to actually visit Cairns. In our three days in the Cairns area, we will take one day to drive up to Port Douglas and maybe on towards Cape Tribulation (absolutely gorgeous jungle next to the mountains, resort town, more beautiful scenery). Aside: Pt Douglas is just north of Palm Cove on the map above - I have no idea why Palm Cove "made the cut" to be on that map. We will also take a train up to Kuranda. The train to Kuranda is supposed to be a great ride and one of many places that Alex should enjoy. Finally, we'll spend a day in Cairns - shopping and just walking around town.

Cairns is a tiny town, but it is the last town (the northeastern-most city) and the only town for a few hundred miles. Think of it as a Key West (the end of the line) or a tropical Bismark, North Dakota (a dot on an empty part of the map). Since it has tourists, Key West might be more appropriate. Many trips to Australia start or finish here (naturally mine does both), so if anything I've read is accurate, I should find a disproportionately high number of big box retail stores here. While in Cairns we'll load up on supplies for our travels (bottled water, food that does well in the heat, an Australian phone, first aid and a roadside repair kit, maybe an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), etc). We may be warm, but we'll never go hungry.

Last point: you can follow along with this route on Google Maps or Google Earth. Google Earth shows a few photos here and there of what things look like in various places. The map on the top of this page is good for the big towns, but most of the villages, dorfs, two horse towns, and gas stations that I name will not make the national map. Just about the only reservations (until Part 6) that I have are those first three days in Cairns. The rest will involve playing it by ear, so projected town names are directional guesstimations, not solid targets. The approximate plan: Jan 26-29 in Cairns, drive to Normanton on the 29th, Mt Isa or Camooweal on the 30th.

Part 2: Northern Territory, how I think I'll keep Alex entertained, and where we'll watch the Super Bowl

WHY do this?

After the first of the year, I am going to have to change jobs from a position that I very much like (at a company I absolutely love) to something that keeps me in town. I hope to stay with the same company, but I am not sure it can be done. My wife and I both travel for work and it is simpler for me to make the change so that at least one of us is in the same place as our toddler Alex at all times. Before jumping into whatever comes next, I would like to take an epic trip. As long as someone is always with the little guy, it can be done. My wife Aneta, with boundless patience and trust, is cool with this.

So why Australia, of all places? Well, first off, I just happen to love Australia - the people, the culture, beaches, wine country... I could go on. Second, it is developed and stable, so I can stay on paved roads without much concern for rebels or malaria. There is something to be said for that. As a loving parent traveling with a 2-yr old, my tolerance for risk is marginally lower than a college student trekking across Bhutan or hitchhiking through the Congo. Third, it will be summer there and I like hot weather, so the Southern Hemisphere has a real advantage.

What about all those scary critters in Australia? Yes, I am aware that seemingly every non-marsupial animal in Australia has enough venom or lethal force to take out a small town. Given how many small towns remain in Australia, they must be rare for the most part. However, two of these animals have my utmost attention: salt water crocodiles and box jellyfish. There is a common theme among these predators - water. As a result, it is fair to say I will be circumspect regarding any body of water north of Brisbane that is too large for a shower curtain. As tempting as a dip in a muddy roadside billabong in Queensland may be, I'll try my best to hold off. Frankly I am more focused on doing my driving when it is light so I can avoid those hopping marsupials.

Why not Europe? Europe is cool, but I've been around most of Europe. In winter, Europe is just a little too cool for my tastes. Additionally, I like wide open spaces - an Australian specialty - but Aneta doesn't. If my wife was joining us for the whole trip, she would never put up with the fact that maybe 50,000 people live along the 2-week route I'll take from Cairns to Perth (with the exception of one town: Darwin, which is still smaller than Rancho Cucamonga, California). So if I want to see that stretch of earth, I better do so without her. We have an excellent chance of visiting the odd corners of Europe that I've missed so far (such as Ireland, Finland, Portugal, & Greece) as a family, but zero chance of going to Monkey Mia or driving across the Nullarbor together. She'll meet up with us in one of those places that more closely resembles San Francisco.