I began my journeys around and about Oz in 2011. There were any number of grey nomads around for company and I never felt alone. I was quite at ease going up to people and having a bit of a talk. I participated regularly with the online community on Grey Nomads.
I had many acquaintances and some I will never forget. Some even allowed me to travel with them. The trek around Australia with Billeeeeeee and Julie was amazing. Along the way we met up with Sandra and Daryl (Old Boar) who joined us at Timber Creek and travelled the rest of the way with us.
I will be forever grateful to Billeeeee and Julie for their assistance on another trip to Wuruma Dam when I had an appendicitis attack. They arranged for me to get to the hospital in Bundaberg and then looked after miss mollie and my van until I could get back. That was a life saving effort.
I still hear from Sandra and Darryl but unfortunately Billeeeee and Julie seem to have disappeared. Anyone know of their where abouts?
Anyway, the purpose of my post. I had a heart attack in 2019 just before the Covid nonsense so curtailed my travel. Each year I have serviced and cleaned the van ready to go but something always stopped me. There was the episode of the hailstorm that put my van in the panel beaters. They had it for nine months because of shortages of parts and staff. If I had known that that was going happen I wouldn't have bothered. You would have to had eagle eyesight to see the damage. The insurance company found $25,000 worth of damage and wanted to write it off. Much fighting and arguing. Still not sorted completely.
Anyway, then came the bushfires. So no go again.
Then daughter came home to stay for six months so put off again. She lived in the van. (all her stuff filled up the spare room) That was nice though.
By now I had lost my confidence. Would I cope with the congested roads? Everything seemed hostile. Caravan Parks and Free Camps were overcrowded. What about personnel safety. I was beginning to wonder if starting again was worth it. I am definitely old now. Maybe I should just give in and retire to my chair in front of the TV.
So, I thought this year would be the year. and what have we? a war!! a possibility of running out of fuel. Crowds. Safety. Food shortages. My round of Doctor visits begin in April. More delays.
Can someone give me a picture of the true situation out there, with no rose coloured glasses? Are people still as friendly? or am I going to spend the entire time all by myself?
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
The roads less travelled are still out there and they provide all the joy of travel without the negatives. Age is a state of mind. Cheers, Peter
Peter and Margaret, Yes. I have travelled the roads less travelled most of the time. Spent a lot of time wandering out Quilpie way, way behind the dog fence fossicking for Opal. Birdsville twice. Won't go again the roads (or lack of them) are a bit much for the van that is now 18yr old. Not so worried about fixing it but being stuck over 100ks from the nearest town in a place with no roads or addresses even NRMA Complete care is of no help. Yes. As I said I am worried for my personal safety and to go there would seriously challenge it. I would really like to go somewhere on the east coast but I think that would be impossible. "No overnight parking" and crowded caravan parks are all there is. or so it appears. Can you advise me differently?
Enjoy your travels Regards Mel
-- Edited by msg on Sunday 15th of March 2026 03:39:59 PM
If your mind is made up, it is unlikely that anyone can advise you differently Mel. But it is a very big country and there is always somewhere new to explore. We are both "about 80" and I am building a new motorhome, just in case I loose my heavy license. We have seen lots, but there is still a lot more to see, and the more remote, the better.
Peter,
You are right, there is always places to find. The question is do you want to. According to your map, you have neglected the opal fields in the far south west areas of Qld. IE south west of Eromanga. There are no roads and few tracks. You have to know where you are going. I have been there more times than I can count but I wouldn't venture without a guide.
If you are interested in boulder opal this is the place. Though I found that I have lots of pretty coloured, rocks that's all they are. You can't do much with them. Unless you are into serious mining the ones you find are rejects and not good enough to make into jewelry. You should try out that way if you are going out to Big Red again.
Regards Mel
so, is nobody travelling? Has this become a place for bitchy old men to argue? Can no one hold a decent adult conversation about travelling any more? Thanks to P&M for at least commenting.
Many more younger people on the road too, in large rigs.
People still talk on the road, but I see less of it.
Roads are not congested away from east coast.
Just traveled the full length of the Great Northern Highway, apart from mining trucks along the northern half, hardly saw another vehicle. Free camps every where, no one else in sight.
Plenty of places in the country where the hordes don't go.
Plenty of places to stay along the way that don't cost.
Id highly recommend you get a medical exam before heading off.
Believe me, things can hide inside you that wont be detectable by a GP.
Get full bloods, ECG and preferably an MRI or PET scan done.
It may cost a bit but its worth it for your health and peace of mind.
You sound like someone that never had confidence and that it is afraid of being by her/himself...
Been on the road full time since I care to remember.. My first child was born on the side of the road next to my motorhome back in the 80'... Yes things have changed quite a bit since then, but so have we...
Australia is still one of the best place to travel, but if you travel only with the hope to meet people, you are doing it wrong.. You need to embrace all of what comes to you when on the road.. The good, the bad and the ugly! I would say that today the number of people you meet that are nice, clean, intelligent, and above all respectful has gone below the 50%, and that it is our fault as well..
I will answer you questions with a simple sentence:
You can be busy living or you can be busy dying! The choice is yours!
Price of fuel are high.. So what? Travel less every month and stick to your budget... Are you in rush to get somewhere??? Travelling alone is the best way of experiencing this country and you will learn things about yourself that you didn't even know you had in you... Food shortage??? Are you kidding me??? Do you have a fishing line? Do you think you could ask a farmer to sell you some of his veggie (they normally give it to you for free)... Your doctor will only give you a patch, as they don't have a cure for anything.. (that's not how the western medicine work)
Enjoy what you have and don't look back. We are all only passing by here...
Get cracking, mate...
-- Edited by Burt65 on Monday 4th of May 2026 11:17:28 AM
Totally agree Burt; 1940 vintage we still travel Australia wide, Last year; WA, SA, Vic, NSW, Qld and NT.
Price of fuel has clipped our wings this year so we are only doing smaller trips of around 1,000klms or so but still planning to get out west to the centre of NT and Darwin in a couple of months before it gets too hot.
There is no better age to go than this age, coz well never be any younger.
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Totally agree Burt; 1940 vintage we still travel Australia wide, Last year; WA, SA, Vic, NSW, Qld and NT. Price of fuel has clipped our wings this year so we are only doing smaller trips of around 1,000klms or so but still planning to get out west to the centre of NT and Darwin in a couple of months before it gets too hot. There is no better age to go than this age, coz well never be any younger.
I can only get 4km per litre and I have a budget to follow.. We still move, just about half the monthly distance that we used to be able to do.. The beauty of our situation is that we don't have to be anywhere in a rush.. So, slow down, smell the roses and enjoy yourself even more, now that the most of the roads and campsite are virtually empty... Another added bonus has been that you get to spend more time with the locals. I'm always so impressed on how real Australian are, especially in times of hardship.. I'm honoured to be part of this country...
I was travelling OZ until 2019 for about 10yrs.. A lot has changed in those short 6 yrs since. The world has changed. I just wanted to know what it was like now. I know what it was like then. I have travelled particularly in the more remote areas in all states by myself and sometimes with friends. My health is great and not likely to betray me. I would like to particularly explore the east coast cause even in the old days it was a bit busy. Travelling down the Hume and not being able to stop because of a truck up your bum is not fun. So on the odd times I did it I didn't stop. Now I want to. and I asked a simple question and you silly old blokes can only posture about tough you are. Thanks.
I was travelling OZ until 2019 for about 10yrs.. A lot has changed in those short 6 yrs since. The world has changed. I just wanted to know what it was like now. I know what it was like then. I have travelled particularly in the more remote areas in all states by myself and sometimes with friends. My health is great and not likely to betray me. I would like to particularly explore the east coast cause even in the old days it was a bit busy. Travelling down the Hume and not being able to stop because of a truck up your bum is not fun. So on the odd times I did it I didn't stop. Now I want to. and I asked a simple question and you silly old blokes can only posture about tough you are. Thanks.
Perhaps that was the idea... To give you a nudge in this direction, but with good intent...
True, the world has changed and it is constantly changing.. So the idea is to be as adaptable as possible, to minimise what you could consider an inconvenience... For instance, I have been on the Hume Hwy possibly 10 times in the past 20 years.. Mostly at night. But I would never advise anyone with either a caravan of a camper to use that road, or any busy Hwy for that matter... That's not a road for a retired traveller or someone in holiday... That's a road you take when you need to go from A to B as quick as possible... Does it make sense?
The East coast is virtually a hit-and-miss because of the huge population increase and councils bribery supplied by local caravan parks to prevent people from parking anywhere else.. You got to make a choice here... If you want more stress, stick to the busy coast and busy roads... If you want to enjoy yourself with much, much less stress, go inland or pick a coast that it is not as busy as where 85% of the population live...
You can't blame the world changing when you make the wrong decision in the first place and allow yourself to be at the merci of the busiest part of Australia... You can still have a ball, but you need to pick your spots and your itinerary wisely..
Of course here I'm talking about living on the road full time. If you have a home and it is just a short holiday here and there, then yes, knock yourself out and drive the entire Pacific Hwy... I never used caravan parks, so I can't help you there...
-- Edited by Burt65 on Thursday 7th of May 2026 07:19:31 PM
It is possible to run a parallel to the Hume Highway in NSW.
Binalong/Harden/Ardlethan and many other good location choices.
Johnny Gilberts grave at Binalong if you enjoy bushranger history.
$30 a night powered at Harden showground with plenty of room and the cheapest fuel in the area.
$2 for 12 hours of electricity (coin operated) in a pleasant park at Ardlethan next door to the friendly bowling club with good meals.
Possible to do a loop up or down the south coast and avoid the Hume Highway completely.
I used the Hume recently for the Tumut/Gundagai NSW Vets Golf Tournament, I don't find it too bad.
Know it well. Narrandera is half way home (too Mum & Dad's) . Did the trip across the Hay plains Adelaide to Hay. In the 1969-85 about 4 times a year for 17yrs. After that they moved to Mulwala so that trip down the Hume to Albury was a well trodden path also. Every year for Christmas, Easter, some school holidays etc.
Lots of trips on the Hume down to Melbourne through Gundagai on the Hume.(My Grandma in Melbourne)
I am a veteran on the kings highway and brown mountain though I wouldn't take the van down Brown Mountain.
Have been down the Monaro highway to Foster in Vic to my Uncle quite a few times as well.
The trip with the truck was Brisbane to Sydney. Just when the highway was completed. So that coast is not somewhere I know well. Brisbane up to Cooktown several times. So the NE NSW Coast is one of the few places on the east coast I seem to have missed. Anyway, my main queston, with all the dramas of late are things still much the same or are there things I ought to be aware of. I know its a lot more expensive.
Yep familiar with the Mitchell, Newell and my favourite and most travelled the Dubbo, Lightning Ridge, Walgett, Roma, Emerald and Rockhampton.
