Anchorage (Alaska) to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 2007
AN OVERLAND ADVENTURE AROUND AUSTRALIA
18 WEEKS = £2495 + £1495 local payment
Due to these expeditions being governed by the wet season which affects travel in the north, we will run two trips in 2008: the first running clockwise from Sydney and the second running anti-clockwise from Sydney. This will ensure we get to see all the highlights of Northern Australia during the dry season.
First tour start date in Sydney: 3rd February 2008
First tour end date in Sydney: 8th June 2008
Second tour start date in Sydney: 15th June 2008
Second tour end date in Sydney: 19th October 2008
Overview
Australia is a vast land of contrasts and to experience it fully there is only one way to travel it – overland!
From the dazzling Sydney Opera House to the Rock in the red centre, from the pristine white sand beaches of Western Australia to the crocodile infested rivers of Kakadu, and from the remote tracks of the Cape York Peninsula to Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, this expedition covers the continent!
Click here to see a detailed route map
You can also download the route map as a PDF
Highlights
- Snowy Mountains
- Wilson's Promontory National Park
- Tasmania
- Great Ocean Road
- Uluru (Ayers Rock)
- Gunbarrel Highway
- Southern Forests
- Coral Coast
- Gibb River Road
- Bungle Bungle National Park
- Katherine Gorge
- Kakadu National Park
- Gulf Of Carpentaria
- Cape York Peninsula
- Great Barrier Reef
- Cape Tribulation
- Fraser Island
- Gold Coast
What's Included (and What's Not)
We of course realise that not everyone is going to visit every ruin, raft every river and hike every trail along the way, so we have left most of these activities as optional and therefore kept the payment to a minimum.
Included
- Services of your tour leader/driver
- Use of our own expedition vehicle and equipment
- Diesel, mechanics, shipping and any other costs relating to our truck
- Ferry tickets
- An average of two meals a day while camping
- All camping and hotel costs
- All entry fees to National Parks that we visit in the truck as a group
Not Included
- Personal travel insurance
- Personal spending money
- Visas
- Border taxes
- Lunch
- Meals while in hotels
- Entrance fees to optional sites and parks
- Any optional activities
- Any unforseen contingency route expenses
- Any flights
- Tents
Proposed Itinerary
Our proposed itinerary is here to give you a rough idea of where we will be going and what we will be doing during our expedition. This itinerary is the ideal route we would like to take providing all climatic and political situations are acceptable during the time of our travels. Obviously things can change and everyone must be prepared to take an alternative route if necessary.
For those joining the second 2008 expedition please note that your trip will basically be the reverse of the itinerary below.
Our expedition begins in Sydney and our first couple of days are spent heading south along the coast exploring a few of the more remote beaches and national parks. Veering inland we visit the Snowy Mountains and Australia’s highest peak, Mt. Kosciuszko. These highlands are famous for their summertime rafting, walking and wildflowers and skiing in the winter.
Back on the coast, Wilsons Promontory NP offers excellent bushwalking and pristine white sand beaches and it is probably here that we will see our first kangaroos and koala bears.
We continue on to Melbourne where we have the chance to enjoy the city’s cultural attractions before boarding the ferry that takes us over to Tasmania where we firstly explore the historic towns of Derby and St.Helens. Freycinet NP gives us a chance to kick back for a while and enjoy the beautiful beaches and wonderful Wineglass Bay.
On the Tasman Peninsula we visit the famous convict ruins at Port Arthur before reaching Hobart, Australia’s 2nd oldest city. A walking tour is the best way to explore this historic city and take in the splendour of the colonial architecture, open air markets and walk-in breweries.
Southwest NP is an isolated untouched wilderness home to virgin temperate rainforest, jagged mountains, rare fauna and flora and wild rivers making this, our next stop, the perfect place to enjoy the hiking trails, river rafting, caving and camping.
In the northwest we visit Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair NP to enjoy the spectacular mountain peaks, deep gorges and turquoise lakes that are best explored on day outings.
Up on Tasmania’s north coast a 20 minute hike leads us up to ‘The Nut’. This outstanding volcanic rock formation offers superb views over the region and is our last stop here before catching the ferry back over to the mainland.
We now travel along the Great Ocean Road, a spectacular coastal drive with plenty of short nature excursions to enjoy before reaching Adelaide. Here we can sample some of the country’s best wines and relax in the leafy suburbs before the beginning of our journey north into the barren outback.
Veering off the highway we follow the magnificent Flinders Ranges up to Maree and the start of the Oodnadatta Track. This desolate dirt road will take us past Australia’s smallest town, William Creek, as well as Oodnadatta’s famous Pink Roadhouse.
In the red centre we can whet our whistles in the remote outpost of Alice Springs and also obtain our permits to travel west through the Aboriginal lands where a 4x4 track will lead us along the MacDonnel Ranges. Out here we can explore the region’s awesome canyons, swimming holes and meteor craters and the desert also teems with wildlife including regular sightings of camels, dingo, horses, kangaroos, donkeys, huge monitor lizards and a variety of brightly coloured birds.
This track ultimately brings us out to Australia’s iconic Uluru (Ayers Rock) where we have the day to marvel at the world’s largest monolith as well as visit the nearby Kata Juta (Olgas) rock formations which offer great hikes through amazing canyons.
Continuing westwards we now encounter the most remote desert tracks of our entire expedition. The Gibson Desert is an unforgiving place but this barren wilderness offers us a complete escape from civilization as we tackle the Gunbarrell Highway and part of the Canning Stock Route. Navigating our way through the red sand dunes by day and camping underneath star-filled skies by night are experiences you will never forget!
Veering south we can replenish our stocks in Kalgoorlie and make our way to Wave Rock, a 15m high coloured rock formation that looks like a breaking wave. Some rugged side roads lead us to the spectacular Stirling Range NP where half day walks are a popular way to explore the regions craggy peaks and abundant wildflowers.
On the south coast we visit Albany, home to some fine colonial buildings, good swimming beaches and southern right whale watching (depending on the time of year). A little further on we pass through Denmark where rare evidence of 3000 year old aboriginal fish traps exists.
Next, the heavily forested Walpole-Nornalup NP is a wonderful place offering tree top walks through the canopy of the Valley of the Giants and boat cruises around the rugged coastline.
We continue into the Southern Forests where pleasant towns are surrounded by magnificent Jarrah, Marri and Karri trees towering skywards making it great hiking country and a definite highlight of any trip to WA.
The most isolated capital city in the world, Perth, is our next stop, where we have time to enjoy the modern conveniences of city-life again before continuing north into inhospitable terrain again.
The small crayfishing port of Lancelin is a good place for sandboarding, adventure drives, windsurfing and of course good seafood and the Pinnacles Desert is a bizarre place featuring peculiar limestone pillars rising out of the sandy desert floor. Geraldton is a quirky little town from where you can take a boat trip out to the intriguing Abrolhos Islands, a bird-lovers paradise as well as popular dive spot. At Kalbarri NP we encounter excellent bushwalks amongst stunning canyons and gorges along the Murchison River.
The Shark Bay area is a marine paradise offering great beaches and wonderful wildlife viewing including dolphins, sea turtles and the enigmatic dugong.
Further north on the Coral Coast we find one of the richest eco-tourism destinations in the world where it is possible to dive with whale sharks, turtles, manta rays and numerous tropical fish species.
An arid road dotted with good coastal fishing spots now takes us north into the rugged area known as the Kimberley where our first stop is the isolated getaway town of Broome. It’s relaxed atmosphere and wide sandy beaches makes it a good place to re-charge before we head into a remote area of great rivers and magnificent scenery.
The Gibb River Road is a tough 4x4 track that will take us through some of the most beautiful scenery to date. Numerous river crossings and soft ground make it challenging but the rewards are endless with stunning bush camps, waterfalls, canyons, gorges and wildlife to be enjoyed. This is the area to really appreciate the bush!
Before we cross over into the Northern Territory we also take in the magnificent Bungle Bungle NP where a flight over the tiger-striped rounded rock formations is a once in a lifetime experience.
The Victoria Highway now takes us through a region of Boab trees and little visited National Parks offering good bush walks and excellent fishing.. At Timber Creek a boat trip on the Victoria River will give us our first look at freshwater and saltwater crocodiles.
The remote Katherine Gorge NP is where 13 beautiful gorges separated by rapids make a fantastic day canoe trip.
Edith falls is a pretty detour on our way up to Kakadu NP where we have a few days to explore this natural marvel. The park offers excellent camping, crystal clear thermal pools, well preserved aboriginal art, crocodile spotting cruises, awesome waterfalls and of course plentiful wildlife.
The territory’s exotic capital, Darwin, is our next stop and it’s surprisingly modern and friendly atmosphere make it a great place to relax. Try the steak at the Hogsbreath Café! On our way south we visit the beautiful Litchfield NP famous for its waterfalls and good camping.
The Stuart Highway now takes us down to Daly Waters which boasts the territory’s oldest pub, a real outback bar full of character and a deservedly refreshing stopover. Veering east we reach the Gulf of Carpentaria, one of Australia’s top Barramundi fishing spots.
The tar now ends and we tackle the remote 700km Savannah Way which leads us into Queensland and the beginning of an epic journey up to ‘The Tip’. The Cape York Peninsula is a wild and dramatic land only passable during the dry season. The rough dirt track which takes us there is considered one of the most difficult and rewarding in Australia. Numerous river crossings, wild bush-camps and isolated Aboriginal communities make this a highlight of our expedition. At the tip it is possible to take the ferry over to Thursday Island to explore this once thriving pearling centre.
We now head south hugging the coast and taking in historic Cooktown as well as exploring the superb beaches and rainforest walks at Cape Tribulation. Port Douglas is a relaxed little town and is a popular place to organize diving and snorkel trips out to the Great Barrier Reef.
The adventurers' paradise of Cairns and Mission Beach also offer good reef diving as well as skydiving, rafting and bungee jumping and those with more energy can undertake the 32km Thorsborne Trail on the unspoiled wilderness area of Hinchinbrook Island NP. We continue on to the lively city of Townsville and have the chance to enjoy the superb aquarium and museum as well as visit the lovely Magnetic Island where if you are lucky you will get a tropical beach all to yourself.
The Whitsunday Islands are a huge attraction further south offering back-to-nature bushwalking, good snorkeling and excellent boat cruises.
Crossing over the Tropic of Capricorn we visit the caves near Rockhampton where a 3 hour adventure tour is an exhilarating experience.
Bundaberg’s famous rum distillery is a good place to sample the local drop before continuing on to the gigantic sandbar named Fraser Island. There are no roads on the island, only sandy 4x4 tracks, which make it a rugged and beautiful place. The island is home to a variety of landscapes including rolling sand dunes, tropical rainforest and deep freshwater lakes. Camping and fishing are excellent and the rare pure breed of dingo can be seen roaming the dunes.
The relaxed Sunshine Coast now takes us to down Steve Irwin’s world famous Australia Zoo where it is possible to view crocodiles up close as well as numerous other deadly Australian reptiles and spiders.
Brisbane is Queensland’s capital and the cosmopolitan atmosphere and café culture lures us in for a few days. Boat cruises and walking tours are a good way to explore the city.
Down on the Gold Coast we visit Surfers Paradise, a 35 km stretch of white sand beach with a buzzing holiday vibe. A series of great beaches and holiday towns now leads us down to Ellenborough falls which is famous for being the longest single drop waterfall in the southern hemisphere.
Our last stretch of tar takes us back to Sydney where a drive over the Harbour Bridge signals the end of an epic expedition encompassing the whole of the Australian continent!
