The Great Australian Road Trip

This Christmas we ended up taking an unexpected drive to Townsville. From Brisbane, that's a 2,600km round trip. 

In my childhood, my parents often took us on long camping holidays, so I'm no stranger to 8-10hr days in the car. And in those days, there was no air conditioning! We drove so many places, I was lucky to see so much of this amazing country. 

As a road trip veteran, I immediately took steps to make this holiday drive as comfortable and cheap as possible. Here's my best tips for long car trips - sans children, anyway. 

- plan your route using online road condition information. In Qld for example, there is still a lot of flood recovery roadwork happening, which adds to your travel time. 

- pack lunch, drinks and snacks. Seriously, this will save you so much in servo food. At least $50 a day for us, I estimate. Fill a thermos with hot water and take coffee, tea and milk for a cuppa on the road. Pack the esky full of ice and get cheap drinks from the supermarket if you prefer something cold. Carry plenty of water, no matter where you're headed. 

- make frequent stops; every two hours is recommended. Pull out a sandwich and have a cup of tea from your thermos. Admire the scenery at one of Australia's many lovely roadside parks or rest stops. OR take advantage of our fabulous network of Driver Reviver stops. You can get road/traffic info from a local while you're getting a free cuppa!

- check your tyre pressure at your first fuel stop. Properly inflated tyres will give you better fuel economy.

- if someone is in the back, a pillow is a great idea for any long trip. 

- think about music. I cannot stress this enough. Take as much music as possible. We now take not only a big box of CDs, but an adapter cord that allows playback of our iTunes libraries from our phones through the radio. 

- get a phone charger adapter for the cigerette lighter if you don't want to arrive with less than 20% battery.

- keep your camera in the car with you. You never know when something awesome will appear to take a photo of! If it's in the boot, you might miss capturing that animal/sunset/mountain view. 

- wear comfy and non-restrictive clothes, and slip-on shoes. You'll thank your past self at the end of the long day. 

- if driving at dawn, dusk or at night, keep a sharp lookout for wildlife, particularly kangaroos. 

And most of all - embrace the experience and have fun! A lot of people don't get to see much of this beautiful country of ours so you are privileged!

Got any other goo road trip tips for me?

Sunday Drive

This Sunday, I spent mooching around the house and grocery shopping. But two Sundays ago, I bugged my husband until he took me for a drive. I knew exactly where I wanted to go - the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

We went out through Dayboro (charming town, but I never seem to actually stop there to enjoy it!) and took the Mount Mee Rd up to D'aguilar. Then via a sneaky back road to Maleny.

It rained on and off, which was a nice change from the constant rain that we had had for the past week. Everything was so green! These pics where all taken with my new Nikon DSLR. Out the window. While driving. Because Hubby Dearest doesn't believe in stopping much. So please excuse the glare off the glass!

Having uncovered a herefore-to unknown dislike of of the lovely hinterland towns of Maleny, Montville and Mapleton in my other half, we finally stopped in Landsborough of all places! The cafe there was charming, and served a double-chocolate cheesecake so rich I couldn't finish, and tea in a proper cup and saucer (which I adore).

Next time I'm taking my mum though, so we can go to Montville. I don't care if it's touristy and expensive as all hell, I love it!