The second half of our trip around Australia

The second half of the trip has been challenging for us. We had to battle COVID, floods, scorching hot temperatures, and trailer breakages. We did visit some of our favourite places on the trip and also ticked off some bucket list items that we thought we would never be able to do.

Even though we finished the second half of the trip earlier than expected, we still had the best time and have no regrets about our decision to take a year off and travel around Australia. 

Our favourite campsites (for this half)

We couldn’t decide on just one, so we have managed to narrow it down to four (no particular order)

Lake Proserpine

Located 30 minutes from Proserpine, this low cost campsite provides lakeside views and is an ideal spot for water spots and fishing. There are toilets and showers, but are a bit of a walk from the lake so it would be more convenient if you are self contained. We were hoping to stay two nights here, but unfortunately COVID came to visit and we had to keep moving to find somewhere to isolate. 

Big Crystal Creek

This campsite is not too far from Townsville and is walking distance from an amazing swimming hole. We accessed the swimming hole early in the morning and had it to ourselves and it was so peaceful! QLD national park camping is great as it is always $7 per adult per night. This campsite had access to toilets and showers and is a very popular camping site.

Coen

This free camp was one of the many highlights of our trip to Cape York. On our way back down we managed to find a campsite that was right on the river. The campsites are off the road so traffic noise is minimal, and another bonus is that you have access to Telstra 4G, something that is quite rare at the Cape. You need to be fully self contained, but you could access the river for a swim if you wanted as the risk of crocs in the area is low.

Leichhardt Falls

This free camp was definitely up there as one of our favourite campsites on the trip! Located 77 km from Burketown, you can camp along the edge of the falls and get the most amazing views. Unfortunately the falls were quite dry when we were there, but we still had great views and we had a great time walking around trying to spot some crocs in the wild. You have to be fully self contained to camp here as there are no facilities.

Stats

• Total KMs driven – 18,069
• Number of states – 6
• Hottest temperature – 38 degrees in Kakadu National Park and Gibb River Road (September 2022)
• Coldest temperature – 3 degrees in Dunkeld (October 2022)
• Cheapest fuel – $1.88 in Stawell (September 2022)
• Most expensive fuel – $2.80 at Hells Gate Roadhouse (August 2022)
• Cheapest camp – many free camps
• Most expensive camp – Cairns for $53 a night
• Favourite “touristy” experience – Adelaide River Cruises – Jumping Croc Tour
• Number of major failures on the car – None
• Number of broken items on the trailer – Again, let’s not go there….