2002 Trip
My 2002 trip was split into two separate parts. At the end of August, I flew into Darwin, where I went diving and visited the Kakadu National Park. Then I flew down to Alice Springs where I went on a 5 day camping safari out to Ayers Rock, Kings Canyon, Palm Valley and the west MacDonnell ranges. Next I flew onto Cairns and went diving on the Ribbon Reefs aboard Taka II. I bussed it down the coast stopping at Mission Beach, where I dived the wreck of the Lady Bowen, then onto Townsville, where I dived the wreck of the SS Yongala. Next was Airlie Beach, where I went on a 3 day liveaboard out to the Great Barrier Reef. I then went onto Rockhampton and out to Great Keppel Island before catching the Tilt Train down to Brisbane and flying out to Vanuatu.
I then returned from Vanuatu and flew into Sydney, where I hired a car. From there, I drove west to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. Then I went just north to Terrigal and did some diving over the weekend. Next I drove south past Sydney and down to Jervis Bay, where I went out on a diving daytrip. I then continued south to just before Bega, where I headed inland and up to the Snowy Mountains, staying in Thredbo. From there, I drove down east of Melbourne and stopped in Sorrento on the east peninsula of Port Phillip Bay. I did a dive on a boat out of Portsea before catching the ferry to Queenscliff. I then drove along the Great Ocean Road before heading north to the Grampians. From here I drove to Melbourne stopping at Ballarat and Geelong along the way.
Sydney/Katoomba Terrigal Jervis Bay Snowy Mountains Sorrento/Portsea Great Ocean Road Grampians/Ballarat Geelong/Melbourne