September 11, 2024
Mark and I have booked a 6 week trip to Australia and are thinking about the final details of preparing for the trip. What extra clothing should we take for the weather we expect? We plan to travel from Darwin in the north where it will be quite hot, to Tasmania in the far south where it will be quite cool, plus many stops in between.
The first part of the adventure will include locations in the Northern Territory where we will learn about the Aboriginal people, their history and ancient art. Look for the area called Arnhem, slightly southeast of Darwin. We also plan to visit a special museum in Darwin that features the First Nation people.
Then we will fly east to Port Douglas in Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, where we will spend four days living on a boat called Aroona. We expect to do a lot of snorkeling and maybe some scuba diving. Then the boat will drop us off at Lizard Island for a few days of R&R.
From there we will fly south to Melbourne to visit that city and experience the Great Ocean Road on the southern edge of Australia, which is at least as famous as our Highway 1 in California.
From Melbourne we will fly to Hobart in Tasmania, where we hope to learn about and meet the indigenous population, see local wild animals, and the scenery.
Our adventures continue in South Australia, just north of Tasmania, where we will visit Adelaide, Gawler Ranges National Park, Port Lincoln National Park and other sights. We will also visit Kangaroo Island and the local wildlife there.
After several days in the far south we will fly from Adelaide to Newcastle, just north of Sidney, New South Wales, to meet our friends Catherine and Martin, who will host us for a few days at their Newcastle home, and then share a week with us in Sidney. After a full collection of activities they have planned for us there, we will finally fly home via Singapore on October 28, 2024.
I hope we do not wear you or ourselves out before it is over. Do save the above maps for reference purposes as we move about the country.
Adventures with Julia 
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And remember to read Bill Bryson’s In a Sunburned Country.
His previous excursion along the Appalachian Trail resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods. In A Sunburned Country is his report on what he found in an entirely different place: Australia, the country that doubles as a continent, and a place with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. The result is a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiousity.
Despite the fact that Australia harbors more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else, including sharks, crocodiles, snakes, even riptides and deserts, Bill Bryson adores the place, and he takes his readers on a rollicking ride far beyond that beaten tourist path. Wherever he goes he finds Australians who are cheerful, extroverted, and unfailingly obliging, and these beaming products of land with clean, safe cities, cold beer, and constant sunshine fill the pages of this wonderful book.
Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide.
Am reading the book now. Thanks. I like it a lot. Julia
safe travels. Miss our chats. ❤️❤️❤️
Let’s get together in early November. Meanwhile, enjoy the blog.