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Australia

Airlie Beach: Diving into the Heart of the Whitsundays

In Coast/Scuba Diving
15 December 20248 July 20261 min read
1200
Australia

Byron Bay: Surf, Scant Visibility, and Sacred Waters

In Coast/Town
7 December 20248 July 20262 min read
1300

Recent Posts

  • All Good Things: The Final Odometer and the Long Flight Home
  • Fremantle: From the ‘Place of the Woylie’ to the Gallows
  • Rottnest Island: Ancient Caves, Quokkas, and a Complex Past
  • Perth: Skyline Murals and the Australia Day Sky Show
  • Hahndorf: Australiaโ€™s Oldest German Slice of Prussia

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Dominic

likes diving, music and travelling. ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ

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  • Australia

    All Good Things: The Final Odometer and the Long Flight Home

  • Australia

    Fremantle: From the ‘Place of the Woylie’ to the Gallows

  • Australia

    Rottnest Island: Ancient Caves, Quokkas, and a Complex Past

  • Australia

    Perth: Skyline Murals and the Australia Day Sky Show

  • Australia

    Hahndorf: Australiaโ€™s Oldest German Slice of Prussia

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dominicontour
  • After 91 incredible days on the road, it was time to play a final game of luggage "Tetris" and pack the bags one last time. Looking back at the final data, the sheer scale of this road trip is hard to wrap my head around! ๐Ÿงณ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธโ 
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The Final Road Stats:โ 
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11,700 kilometers tracked across the continent in the RedSands rig.โ 
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165 hours spent behind the wheelโ€”nearly a full week of life lived purely in the driver's seat! ๐Ÿš๐Ÿ’จโ 
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982 kilometers crushed in a single day for my personal trip record. ๐Ÿโ 
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Every epic journey must eventually come to an end. Caught Flight SQ214 out of Perth right on schedule at 5:30 PM, watching the Australian coastline shrink into the sunset as I headed north toward Singapore. โœˆ๏ธ๐ŸŒ…โ 
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Officially touched down back home on Day 92. It feels like it was far too short, but there is nothing quite like seeing friends and family again to share these stories in person. ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บโค๏ธโ 
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Australia, you were everything I hoped for and a whole lot more. Until next time!โ 
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#RoadTripAustralia #BigLap #TravelStats #RedSandsCampers #PerthToHome #SingaporeAirlines #VanlifeAustralia #ExploreAustralia #AdventureTravel #HomeBound
  • From convicts to craft beerโ€”Fremantle covers the full spectrum of WA history! ๐Ÿš๐Ÿบโ 
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Long before British colonists arrived in 1829, the Noongar people knew this river-mouth land as Walyalup ("place of the woylie"). Today, "Freo" is a vibrant port town with a beautifully preserved, yet heavy, past. ๐ŸŒŠโš“โ 
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The Highlights:โ 
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Fremantle Prison: Stepped inside this chilling limestone fortress, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Built by the convicts themselves in the 1850s, the cells remarkably never had running water or toilets right up until it finally closed in 1991 following a massive riot in 1988. ๐Ÿ›๏ธโ›“๏ธโ 
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The Gallows: Between 1888 and 1984, this dark complex was the only legal place of execution in Western Australia, where over 40 people met their end. You can still feel the weight of its 136-year operation in the empty corridors. ๐Ÿ“œโ 
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Little Creatures Brewery: Needed to shake off the heavy gallows history, so I headed straight to the waterfront! Grabbed a cold pale ale inside a massive converted boat shed right on the harbor. ๐Ÿป๐ŸŒŠโ 
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Watching the sun dip over the Indian Ocean with a fresh brew was the perfect way to bring it back to the breezy, modern spirit of Western Australia. โ˜€๏ธ๐ŸŒ…โ 
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#Fremantle #FremantlePrison #LittleCreatures #Walyalup #WesternAustralia #PerthLife #ExploreWA #AustralianHistory #UNESCOWorldHeritage #CraftBeer #IndianOcean
  • Just 19 kilometers off the coast of Perth lies Wadjemup (Rottnest Island), a stunning limestone paradise with a rich, complex history. ๐Ÿ๏ธโœจโ 
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The Highlights:โ 
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Geological Wonders: Home to a unique system of 12 inland salt lakes. These were actually deep caves until rain and groundwater dissolved the ceilings, causing them to collapse and trap seawater over thousands of years. ๐Ÿ•ณ๏ธ๐ŸŒŠโ 
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Quokka Sanctuary: Connected to the mainland until the post-Ice Age thaw cut it off 6,500 years ago. This isolation created a predator-free sanctuary, allowing the island's famous, smiling Quokkas to flourish! ๐Ÿฆ˜๐ŸŒฟโ 
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A Somber Past: Beyond the white sand, the island holds a heavy history. From 1838 to 1931, it served as an Aboriginal prison and forced labor camp, where around 3,700 men and boys were imprisoned. ๐Ÿ“œโ›“๏ธโ 
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The Holiday Era: The recreation era kicked off in 1902 with the very first Sunday ferries. Despite being closed during the World Wars, it has evolved into the ultimate West Coast escape. ๐Ÿ›ณ๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ 
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A beautiful island where ancient geology, deep cultural history, and natural sanctuaries meet.โ 
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#RottnestIsland #Wadjemup #WesternAustralia #ExploreWA #Quokka #PerthLife #IslandEscape #AustralianHistory #NatureSanctuary #DiscoverWA
  • Traded the keys for a boarding passโ€”flown west to Perth! โœˆ๏ธ๐Ÿ–๏ธโ 
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After a bittersweet goodbye to the rig in Adelaide, I wrapped up the cross-country transit with a flight to the sunset coast.โ 
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The Highlights:โ 
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Deep History: Founded in 1829 as the Swan River Colony (named after Perth, Scotland), the city sits on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people, who have cared for this coast for over 45,000 years. ๐ŸŒŠ๐Ÿ“œโ 
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CBD Contrast: Walking the city center is a beautiful mix of grand historic facades opening up into hidden laneways packed with vibrant, modern street art. ๐Ÿ›๏ธ๐ŸŽจโ 
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Sky Show Spectacular: Caught the massive Australia Day celebrations along Langley Park with 100,000 locals. Nine barges on the Swan River launched two tonnes of fireworks and drones in a synchronized, 30-minute display stretching a full kilometer. ๐ŸŽ†๐Ÿ›ธโ 
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A pretty spectacular welcome to Western Australia!โ 
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#Perth #WesternAustralia #VisitPerth #SwanRiver #WhadjukNoongar #SkyShow #PerthCity #StreetArtPerth #ExploreWA #WestCoast #TravelAustralia
  • The final stop of the road trip brings me to Hahndorf, the most "German" town in Australia! ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ชโ 
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Founded in 1838 by Lutheran immigrants fleeing Prussian persecution, it is the country's oldest surviving German settlement. Walking down the main street feels like stepping straight into Europe, surrounded by traditional Fachwerk (timber-framed) architecture and the scents of bratwurst and sauerkraut. ๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿฅจโ 
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The Highlights:โ 
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What's in a Name: The town is named after Captain Dirk Meinerts Hahn, who safely commanded the settlers' ship, the Zebra. ๐Ÿšขโš“โ 
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Reclaiming History: Like many towns, it lost its identity during WWI, being renamed Ambleside in 1917. The community successfully fought to reclaim the name Hahndorf in 1935. ๐Ÿ“œโ 
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Euro Vibe, Aussie Backdrop: The shops are packed with authentic beer steins and cuckoo clocks, creating a surreal cultural pocket framed by native Aussie gum trees. ๐ŸŒฒ๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธโ 
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๐Ÿ The Final Odometer: 11,700 Kilometers Laterโ 
After Hahndorf, it was time for the bittersweet final stretch into Adelaide to return the keys. Looking back at the numbers, this journey has been absolutely massive:โ 
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11,700 kilometers tracked across the continent.โ 
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Cross-country terrain from tropical coastal humidity to deep Outback red dust and southern vineyards. ๐Ÿ–๏ธโžก๏ธ๐Ÿœ๏ธโžก๏ธ๐Ÿ‡โ 
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The RedSands camper has been my home, my kitchen, and my ultimate front-row seat to Australia. Now, it's time for a few days of stationary life in Adelaide to decompress before flying west for the next chapter. What a wild, unforgettable ride! ๐Ÿš๐Ÿ’จโœจโ 
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#Hahndorf #AdelaideHills #SouthAustralia #VisitSA #GermanHeritage #RedSandsCampers #VanlifeAustralia #RoadTrip #BigLap #ExploreAustralia #TheFinalStretch
  • Stepping back in time to the 19th-century Prussian roots of Tanunda in the iconic Barossa Valley! ๐Ÿ‡๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ชโ 
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The Highlights:โ 
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German Heritage: Tanunda (meaning "water hole") feels like a European postcard, boasting the oldest brass band in the Southern Hemisphere and a male voice choir dating back to 1850! ๐ŸŽบ๐Ÿ“œโ 
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Liquid Gold: The Barossa is world-famous for its deep, peppery reds and holds some of the oldest active Shiraz vines on Earthโ€”planted way back in 1847 and still producing fruit today! ๐Ÿท๐ŸŒฑโ 
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Chรขteau Tanunda: Explored this majestic 1890 bluestone castle. Built during Europe's devastating phylloxera plague, it became the Southern Hemisphere's largest winery, shipping premium juice to a "wine-hungry" Europe and putting Aussie wine on the global map. ๐Ÿฐ๐ŸŒโ 
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A living testament to a region that is bold, historic, and incredibly high-quality. ๐Ÿฅ‚โ 
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#BarossaValley #ChateauTanunda #Tanunda #SouthAustralia #VisitSA #BarossaWine #OldVines #Shiraz #RedSandsCampers #WineHistory #ExploreAustralia
  • Traded the outback dust for the vines of the Clare Valley! ๐Ÿ‡๐Ÿšดโ€โ™‚๏ธโ 
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I gave the RedSands rig a rest and hopped on a bike to tackle 50 km of the historic Riesling Trail.โ 
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The Highlights:โ 
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The Riesling Trail: Winding through vineyards and golden paddocks, this trail follows an old 1918 railway line that was tragically destroyed by the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires and later reborn for cyclists. โœจโ 
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Sevenhill Cellars: Explored the oldest winery in the region, founded by Jesuit brothers in 1851 who were fleeing religious persecution in Europe. Originally planted just for sacramental altar wine, they've been winning awards since 1858! Followed it up with a great lunch at the Sevenhill Hotel. ๐Ÿ›๏ธ๐Ÿทโ 
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The Pioneer Tree: Came across a gnarled, 400-year-old Gum tree where pioneer John Horrocks actually lived in 1839! Wildest part? The irises blooming beneath it today are descendants of the original bulbs he brought from England. ๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡งโ 
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The perfect blend of world-class wine, cycling, and incredible pioneer history. ๐Ÿฅ‚โ 
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#Clare Valley #RieslingTrail #SevenhillCellars #SouthAustralia #VisitSA #WineRegion #CyclingAdventures #RedSandsCampers #PioneerHistory #ExploreAustralia #WineTasting
  • Rusted ruins and endless salt crustsโ€”pushing further down the Oodnadatta Track! ๐Ÿœ๏ธ๐Ÿš๐Ÿ’จโ 
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I followed the ghost of the old railway line, navigating some rough, water-carved tracks left by recent heavy rains before the desert opened up into something spectacular.โ 
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The Highlights:โ 
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Kati Thandaโ€“Lake Eyre: Australia's lowest point (17m below sea level) and its largest lake. Looking out over the shimmering white infinity of the salt crust, the desert sky created the perfect illusion of water. A deeply powerful landscape steeped in Aboriginal creation stories. ๐Ÿคโœจโ 
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Marree: A historic crossroads town that changed its name from Hergott Springs during WWI. ๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ“œโ 
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Outback Crossroads: Explored the remnants of Australiaโ€™s first-ever mosque, built by Afghan and Indian cameleers in the late 1800s, and saw how the 1883 railway hub transformed the cattle industry. ๐Ÿซ๐Ÿ•Œโ 
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Finished the day with a cold one at the historic Marree Hotel (est. 1883), surrounded by giant iron skeletons of trains slowly being reclaimed by the outback dust. ๐Ÿš‚๐Ÿบโ 
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#OodnadattaTrack #LakeEyre #KatiThanda #Marree #SouthAustralia #OutbackAustralia #GhostTrain #RedSandsCampers #RoadTrip #DesertExploration #ExploreSA
  • Leaving the Red Centre behind and diving headfirst into South Australian history! ๐Ÿœ๏ธ๐Ÿš๐Ÿ’จโ 
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I pointed the RedSands rig south, crossed the NT/SA border, and left the bitumen behind at Marla to tackle the legendary Oodnadatta Track.โ 
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Track Highlights:โ 
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An Open-Air Museum: This iconic route follows an ancient Aboriginal trade path, later used for the Overland Telegraph and the "Old Ghan" railway line. The desert is beautifully littered with abandoned stations and historic ruins. ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ๐Ÿ“œโ 
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The Pink Roadhouse: Made it to the world-famous pink hub in Oodnadatta! ๐Ÿฉท๐Ÿค โ 
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From "Angle Pole" to Oodnadatta: Learned that this town was originally a major hub for camel trains called "Angle Pole," named after a sharp, right-angled bend the caravans had to navigate. ๐Ÿซ๐Ÿ“โ 
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"Goat Halt": Explored the historic 1890 railway station, which was the end of the line for the Old Ghan for decades and affectionately nicknamed for the local goats that used to hang out on the platforms. ๐Ÿ๐Ÿš‚โ 
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Driving through pages of history in the deep outback. Next stop: continuing down the track! โœจโ 
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#OodnadattaTrack #PinkRoadhouse #OutbackAustralia #SouthAustralia #Oodnadatta #OldGhan #RoadTrip #RedSandsCampers #HistoryHunter #DesertDriving #ExploreSA
  • A journey to the "Dead Centre" to see Uluru isn't just a tripโ€”itโ€™s a rite of passage. Looming over the desert horizon 335km southwest of Alice Springs, the sheer scale of this monolith takes your breath away. ๐Ÿœ๏ธโœจโ 
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The Experience:โ 
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Sacred Ground: Deeply sacred to the Aแน‰angu people, the UluแนŸu-Kata Tjuแนฏa National Park is a living cultural landscape. Walking the base reveals hidden springs, waterholes, and ancient rock art telling stories of the Dreamtime. ๐Ÿ“œ๐ŸŽจโ 
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The Living Palette: Watching the sunset is pure magic. As the light shifts, the rock literally changes color before your eyes, shifting from a fiery orange to a deep, glowing violet. ๐ŸŒ…๐Ÿ’œโ 
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Camel Trekking: Visited the camel farm in Yulara (the largest in Australia!) for a trek through the red dunes. Soaking in the desert majesty from the back of a camel is a wonderfully peaceful experience. ๐Ÿซ๐ŸŒพโ 
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A rare moment where you feel completely connected to the land. ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บโค๏ธโ 
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#Uluru #KataTjuta #Yulara #RedCentre #NorthernTerritory #OutbackAustralia #Dreamtime #VisitAboriginalAustralia #CamelTrek #RedSandsCampers #RoadTripAustralia #SunsetMagic
ยฉ 2026 Dominic On Tour.
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