The land down under
As my time at uni marches on and I learn to live in a world with coronavirus, I’ve thought more and more about a road trip around Australia. The idea of ‘travelling in a fried-out Kombi’ across the harsh Australian bush certainly has its appeal but, it is also definitely romanticized. As I’ve increasingly thought about this experience, I’ve asked myself a couple of questions…
Where would you go?
The where is a big question. Australia is a huge country and there probably isn’t time to see and do it all, nor would you want to. So, what have you always wanted to see and do in Australia? Tick off the big Aussie bucket list? The Great Ocean Road, Uluru, The Great Barrier Reef, The Great Divide? The list could go on. Or would you stick to some more local areas and search around for some hidden gems? Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle. There are a couple of key sites I would love to see. But I would also like to stop along the way and see some smaller towns and find some secret swim holes.
How would you fund it?
Money, as always, can be a bit of a stickler in the mud. No matter how many detailed and complicated excel budget plans you have it can be tricky to predict what your financial position will look like in the future. At the moment I’m considering backpackers accommodation, fruit picking work through the harvest trail and volunteering opportunities with workaway and conservation organisations. However, the possibilities are endless.
Why would you do it?
There seems to be two schools of thought around a road trip around Australia. Firstly, it could corrupt you, leaving you without skills, direction, and money. The second, that it could reward you with experiences, memories and newfound dreams and goals. Where I sit is once again, somewhere in the middle. I am reluctant, worrying that I will miss out on experiences and opportunities that will somehow set me behind with my career and future opportunities as well as miss my friends and family. Comparatively, I also see myself in a somewhat stagnant position. I feel the urge to push my self out of my comfort zone and go on an adventure, meet new people, and visit new places. It is experiences like this that I hope will help me grow and develop as a person.
The Aussie road trip is out there waiting for you, maybe we all just need the push to go and find it in the land down under.