Volunteering at a Roadside Hotel To save cash in price gouging New Zealand we had to have a similar approach as we did for Australia…which involved a fair amount of last minute planning so we could be as flexible as possible for pop-up vehicle relocations and housesits. And in the meantime, we were able to fill in a five-night gap…

Continue ReadingWorking for the Wine at a South Island Roadside Hotel

Upon landing a bit spontaneously in Northern Victoria and graciously being provided a loaner Ute by Farmer Joel's father, we were able to see a resplendent, and quite abundantly gifted part of the country. It was a part that felt incredibly familiar to us…a mix of Eastern Oregon and Northern California, exuding some of the same “Old West” and gold rush…

Continue ReadingNorthern Victoria: An Aussie Explorer’s Paradise

From South to North: Into the Tropics After five days of fervently fanning flies and letting the fragrance of farmland soak into our sniffers, we bid adieu to Farmer Joel at the train station in “The Wang.” It was time to commence our next Ozcapade…to the far north…where we would join forces with Avis relocating a rental car from Cairns to…

Continue ReadingCairns to Brisbane: A Roadie in Queensland for $1/Day

Two French Bulldogs who think they're humans We were excited to arrive to Brisbane after four nights of camping for a few reasons, with A/C, a real bed and fewer creepy crawlers at the top of the list. For three nights, we would get some crawlers of a different variety, or more accurately…waddlers. Ah yes, Otis and Daisy, whose Trusted…

Continue ReadingHot and Breezy in Brissie City, Australia

The Voyage from Brissie to Kyogle Waking up in Brisbane, we cranked our engines at 3:30 to make our 5:00 southbound train into New South Wales, which cost an astronomical amount compared to other public transport we’d had in Oz. ($51 USD/2 tickets/2 hours.) We were quickly learning that prices can range drastically from region to region in this country. Upon…

Continue ReadingOff the Grid in a New South Wales Rainforest, Australia

Believe it or not, this was our first jaunt Down Under and we knew in this expensive country that we had to be strategic about stretching the budget. Part of that strategy took us a bit out of our comfort zone and definitely forced us to be way more flexible and last minute than we usually prefer. Did we get…

Continue ReadingAustralia: It’s a Wrap!

Arriving to New Zealand We arrived to New Zealand in utter zombie state. Considering the distance most people travel to get this island nation, I’m sure we weren’t the first. But, we were only coming three hours from Australia so it should have been easy, right? Nah, Jetstar wanted to assure we were up at the cheery hour of 2:00 for…

Continue ReadingAdjusting to the Kiwi Life in Queenstown, New Zealand

From Northern Thailand to Oz: It's a Long Way!! As of mid-December 2024, we’ve had our last pile of Khao Soi, which marked the bittersweet end to our 10 months in East and Southeast Asia as we launch into our sixth continent. That’s right, to Oz! We are finally traversing our way to the Land Down Under, and poor Greg…

Continue ReadingThe Magic of Melbourne and Our First Christmas Down Under