Australian road trip 2012 - from Cairns to Broome

After attending the Dioxin 2012 conference in Cairns, I decided to spend my main vacation this year on the road in Northern Australia. Although this would be my third journey to Australia in the last decade, this vast country has a lot of untouched wilderness and exciting wildlife, justifying another trip Down Under. The main aim with this trip was therefore the Kimberley in Western Australia. I rented a bushcamper, and lived in the car on the road for 25 days. The trip went from Cairns, north via the Daintree National Park up to Cooktown, and then into Wakefield National Park in Cape York Peninsula. Then driving south via Mus grave to Flatten and Mt. Lewis, and further through Chatterton in the Tableland, before heading west along the Gulf Developmental Road to Norman ton and the Gulf of Carpentering. Thereafter I continued on dirt roads the Savannah Way via Burk-town and Hells Gate Road House, and into the Northern Territory.

Next were Borrower, Cape Crawford, and then to Daly Waters along the Stuart Highway. I decided I had time to visit Akkad, so after driving through Katherine and Pine Creek, I spent a few days in Akkad National Park. Returning south to Katherine, I headed west to Kununurra and Lake Argyle along the Victoria Highway. After viewing the spectacular beehive rock formations in the Bungle Bungles National Park, I spent a small week along the Gibb River Road in the Kimberley, the main aim of the trip. After staying two days around Derby, I drove down to the Broome region, where I finally returned the car unharmed after 25 days on the road.

All in all, in total I covered about 7300 km. A great trip, for sure, but also exhausting, with daytime temperatures ranging from 33°C to 40°C, sleeping on a hard bench in a relatively uncomfortable car. Links to the left. A thank to Hans A. Olsvik for help with identifying dragonflies.