Fairy Meadow Beach is in the northern suburbs of Wollongong, on Australia’s south-east coast. Shannon and I have spent a lazy, sunny week here. This is a spot that could hardly be more convenient for low budget travelers. There are plenty of dumpsters nearby, overflowing with fresh fruit and vege’s. We have set ourselves up…
In Australia we call them hiking mats, in the USA they are hiking pads, but they are the same thing. There are plenty of different brands and styles, but basically, they are all light-weight, nylon air mattresses.
Aside from keeping your bones off the rocks, air mats also create a thermal insulation zone, so the cold ground doesn’t leach away your body heat…
Hitchhiked 900 kilometres across Eastern Australia to Drake Village. Rode my bike 15 kilometres to the banks of the Rocky River. Hiked through the bush, pitched my tent, lived on mung beans and lentils for a week… all so I could be at Rainbow Gathering. Was it worth it? Yep. Absurdly beautiful river. Lovely, lovely…
Shannon loves big rocks. When we drove past Karlu Karlu, she had to stop and risk her neck clambering all over them. I took pictures from a safe distance. White people named Karlu Karlu “The Devils Marbles”. It’s easy to see why. It must have seemed like a place straight out of the old testament…
One of the crazy cool things about being a nomad in Australia is all the beautiful, hidden away camp sites I find everywhere I go. This one is just off the Bruce Highway, on the banks of Barratta Creek, about 10 km NW of Ayr. It’s free, unofficial, wilderness camping, accessible in a car or…
We rock up to the Goldy’ Rollin’ down the road. KC ‘n The Moonlight Band, Lookin’ for bed and board. We don’t got no money, But we got the blues on be assured. First stop is the beach reserve, Gotta find a place to camp. Ideally next to a BBQ, And a slinky skate…
Deep valley in forest, + 60 odd gypsies, hippies, pirates and other assorted freaks, + freezing cold weather, + blazing fires, + music to melt your mind and make you mad with passion, = Rainbow Gathering, Benambra. (Top pic: KC the dog. Age: 6. Sex: F. Location: wherever Craig is. Talent: singing. Turn-ons: sausages, kids,…
…Our mouths smell of whiskey and we are both breathing hard through our nostrils as we kiss, our sweaty faces sliding over each other. I see a monkey over Katherine’s shoulder. Two monkeys. Three. I pull away from the kiss. We are surrounded by monkeys. They are in a ring around us. They’re big,…
I’ve experimented with all kinds of different ways to pack my bag. The key to getting everything in easily, and quickly, is to have your stuff organised the right way…
My friend Tania is a person of many talents: traveler, mother, community facilitator, revolutionary, life coach, and, it turns out, she makes fantastic scones. Here’s the recipe. Combine flour and soft butter in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add a little bit of salt, and a…
I’ve experimented with a few different types of low-budget mobile accommodation. At the end of the day, home is where I park my butt! Back in 2006, I got around in my old poo-brown station wagon quite a bit (top pic). It wasn’t pretty, but it was comfy. The fuel was too expensive to go…
The Sawyer Mini Filter is really small (fits in a bag about the size of a pair of socks), and the whole kit weighs only 60 grams (2 oz). The filter can be used in several ways, but the simplest is to screw the filter unit straight onto the top of an ordinary plastic water bottle. The Sawyer Mini is super simple to use: 1. Fill bottle with dirty water 2. Screw on filter 3. Drink clean water, straight from the bottle..!