Australia was never on my radar. After all, I left Hawaii to get away from island life (sounds absurd now, doesn’t it?). My first brush with Australia was through the 1986 hit movie Crocodile Dundee, and while it was entertaining, it didn’t exactly make me want to hop on a plane.

No, throughout my childhood and young adulthood, Australia would remain at a great distance no matter how talented Olivia Newton-John, Nicole Kidman, and Hugh Jackman are. Like most Americans, we grew up ignorant and uninterested in the others. Of course, that’s changed greatly with the internet; we’re free from the shackles of what mainstream media puts in front of us. But Australia? Why in the world would I want to go over there?

Even when I moved abroad and met lovely Australians, touched them and talked to them like regular people (is my humor coming through?), I shrugged, still not really interested in ever going. I could take it or leave it. New Zealand held much more fascination after The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Yes, I want to walk the path to Mordor.

It wasn’t until I participated in the blogging challenge Changing Seasons, then hosted by Su, that I saw for the first time, how beautiful Australia is. Bloggers like Su and Tracy showed me through their rich photography the vast variety of wildlife that the Land of Oz has to offer. Then I learned that Australia has some bangin’ coastlines and drives. Whaaat?

So, that’s where I want to go. I love nature, and I can’t believe it took me so long to discover that Australia has it in spades. I mean, I knew it was diverse, but it’s one thing to know and another to see. Hopefully, one day I’ll get the chance.

Do you like road trips? Any memorable ones you’d like to share?

33 replies on “What is a road trip you would love to take?”

  1. Oooh I’ve always wanted to visit Australia. I had a huge crush on Australian cricketer Brett Lee as a teen and ever since I’ve been obsessed.
    I’d love to road trip around New Zealand. The place is so naturally beautiful. ❤️

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  2. New Zealand as well, though I’ve been around the North Island. Even settled into Paihia for a couple of weeks. At one time, I thought it might be fun to go back, rent a motorcycle and tour around the South Island. Ironically, an old work-mate who insists that she struggled to escape from NZ just shakes her head and asks, “Why?” According to her, “There’s nothing there.”

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    1. Nothing there has almost always appealed to me. These days, after living far from home for so long, not so much, but there’s something romantic and practical about being away from it all.

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  3. Australia used to be on my ‘to visit’ list until I found out about the spiders. Then the gorgeous and majestic New Zealand scenery in the Lord of the Rings movies ^almost^ made me think I could handle the spiders, because if I made it to New Zealand, it would be inconceivable to pass up a visit to Australia. But the spiders…

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    1. 😛 They do make them big over there. Actually, they have many frightening creatures yonder, but I don’t have to do the drive with them do I? (but maybe they hitch a ride!)

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  4. We visited Sydney for a week in the nineties, and I loved it. No road trip, though. I know New Zealand is beautiful, but it looks so much like Washington that I’m not very interested in visiting.

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    1. NZ like Washington? Ha. Now, that’s interesting. I’ve been to Washington and I wouldn’t have made the comparison, but what do I know? Glad to hear Sydney is lovely, even though I’m sure it’s much bigger now… sigh, one day perhaps.

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  5. Yes, Australia has stunning coastlines and beaches. And go to the right beach here you’ll get soft sand under your toes. So you love nature, you’d probably like Australia a lot. I’ve lived here for a while and it’s great to go out to walk in nature so close by. Some times I’ll take an hour or two road trip down to the coast and it seems like the such a different world from the city.

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    1. That sounds lovely. Yes, miss nature and have found some of it here, but it’s not the same, challenging, actually.

      Thanks for the inspiration and for reaffirming my dream!

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  6. Every time I’ve thought to set up a trip to Oz, the Internet gifts me news articles like “Woman Trapped Inside by Dinner Plate Sized Spider” or “Spider are Raining Down on Small Australian Town”. And apparently spiders aren’t afraid of people in Australia (must be the Fosters). Big nope for me, but I’d love to hear about your close encounters when you go. 😊

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    1. Hahahaha. Love hearing from two of you now who don’t like the spiders. I wonder if they are the gators of Florida, come out every once in a while to hit the news and chomp on some kiddies.

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      1. Gators you can see coming. Gators look of this world. Gators are delicious. I don’t mind gators at all. Spiders are a whole other matter — and I have god on my side: Notice how he tried to burn Australia down a few years ago? That was because of spiders!

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      1. I forgot to add that my friend posts pictures of her surfing, and sometimes she surfs with her dad. The beach and the waves are beautiful.

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  8. New Zealand is stunning! And the perfect country for a road trip, so it should definitely be on your list.

    As far as the spiders in Australia go, they are huge and some of them are deadly, but not so bad that you should rule out the whole country. (The big ones are usually not as deadly as the small ones. The big spiders are just really, really ugly. And fast, some of them are fast.) Honestly, I think the crocs are scarier.

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  10. I love road tripping, Lani, but neither Australia and dare I say the US have ever featured on any of my to-visit lists. But if you mention Iceland . . . well, now that could be a good place for a road trip.

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    1. Interesting. I’ll go along as long as I don’t have to drive. Driving in the snow is the worst! 😛

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    1. Thanks! Yes, I’ve taken the PCH trip and it is indeed breathtaking. I didn’t have to drive, too, so I was spoiled, just able to kick back and enjoy the ride, xo

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  12. I love road trips! I never get tired of doing them in South Africa (still so much more to see) but there are still a lot of trips I want to do in the U.S. — the upper midwest and the Badlands of South Dakota are at the top of my list. Not sure when I’ll ever find time to do that that. Roadtripping in Australia sounds amazing too.

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    1. Nice to meet another fan of road trips! It’s great seeing your S. Af pics as it looks so wide and open. I love that about the West.

      Yes, too many road trips in the US that I want to do. Ahhh, one day, one day, xo

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