From there it was across to Tasmania where we spent two months in a compact world, totally different to the mainland in scenery, climate and pace of life. For a little extra info about 'Tassie', click here. In May, when the weather started to get cooler, we headed back towards Brisbane by a more inland route. This took us from the pounding seas of the Southern Ocean creating the spectacular cliffs and rock formations of the Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles to the infinite expanses and absolute silences of the country around Broken Hill. In between, there was bushwalking in the Grampian Mountains and the amazing sand dunes and lake-bed at Lake Mungo National Park where remnants of human occupation date back 60000 years.
Next on the agenda was a couple of weeks on Fraser Island, just North of Brisbane.This has always been one of my favourite places on Australia's east coast and I had long ago promised Hana to show it to her. It's still a great place for beach camping, fishing and bushwalking despite coming under ever-increasing pressure thanks to its popularity and the fact that every second person seems to have a 4WD vehicle (necessary to negotiate the beaches and sandy tracks).

For my special report about Fraser, click here

After Fraser Island, we turned Westward, towards the centre of the continent, for two months in the 'Outback' , culminating in that famous tourist pilgrimage spot Uluru, or Ayers Rock. I think that for both of us, this was the most special part of the trip, as it took us into a different world in this country that we so often think about as merely coastline. It had been a particularly good wet season, so normally desert areas were verdant and exploding with wildflowers and birdlife. Of course we still had our share of endless dusty corrugated roads but you soon get used to the sight and smell and feel and taste of 'bulldust'. Even the rythmic rattle of the corrugations can become kind of meditative although continually finding screws, dislodged from unknown places, on the floor of the campervan, caused some consternation.
So, February-September 'On the Road', covering only maybe ¼ of Australia. Alpine landscapes, beaches, lakes that appear only once every 10 years, and deserts. Tiny towns consisting of a couple of buildings in the middle of nowhere and hectic cities. Complete solitude and feelings of being lost in crowds. The beauty, power and harshness of nature and its mysterious links with aboriginal culture. Every day, a new experience, that's what travel is all about.
In September/October, a few weeks back in Brisbane, catching up with family & applying for a few jobs. No success, so we decided to head back to Tassie for the summer, and here we are.
It's an interesting time for me - 20 years in computing - and my age and skill set push me to the bottom in the computing job market. So what to do ? keep trying? Update my skills ? Change direction ?  I am looking seriously at the last of these options. Meanwhile, Hana is busy with photography (even a darkroom in our shack on Bruny Island) and writing a book. So it's going to be an unpredictable but exciting year in 2001.