Posted here are articles written by Carmel McNaught recording her travels both in Australia and abroad. The photo of penguins in Antarctica was taken by Carmel.
Journey to the Centre of Oz
Carmel McNaught
This reflection is based on a recent five-week camping trip to Australia’s Red Centre with my husband, David. The trip, like a tapestry, had several interwoven threads, two of which are: the beauty of the outback of our vast country juxtaposed with many signs of environmental damage; and the camaraderie of campgrounds with their joy of laughter and warm conversations juxtaposed with the evidence in several towns of economic stress and folk living on the margins.
So, like a tapestry where the final pattern is a mix of light and dark hues, our experience had both light and dark moments.
Our route on this 6,800-km trip took us through the Flinders Ranges, up to Uluru and The Olgas, to Kings Canyon and the West MacDonnell Ranges; and then to Alice Springs and a week-long muster of about 200 folk who have similar campers to ours at Ross River. Our route home went via Coober Pedy and parts of Victoria we know well.
To read the complete article, please click here. Credit photos of Palm Valley: Carmel McNaught.
Around the World in 56 Days
Carmel McNaught
In this piece, I attempt to capture the essence of an amazing, whirlwind, round-the-world, 56-day trip that David and I did from November 2023 to January 2024. We are still processing the kaleidoscope of images, experiences, learnings, connections, memories, and so much more.
We had two travel ‘needs’ to fulfil – seeing our beloved daughter Liz and family in Italy as it had been 5 long years since we were together (video calls are not adequate); and going on a Covid-deferred trip to Antarctica. Now, Italy and Antarctica are not close to each other, but luck was with us right from the initial planning. A round-the-world ticket is cheaper than flying direct to South America (our expedition left from Ushuaia at the bottom of Argentina)!
To read the full piece, please click here.
Agustina sails across the nation
This article is, hopefully, the beginning of a series focusing on the voyages of Agustina, who can traverse deserts and mountains, cross rivers and cruise contentedly down the highways of this great nation.
So, who is Agustina? A banal description is ‘an off-road, off-grid camper’. However, she is so much more. As a retired couple (yes, Covid finished off all pretences of work for us peripatetic science/education academics), we decided that exploring Australia would be the best way to continue to learn and grow through travel. And we wanted to do it in affordable style.
Agustina is compact (smaller than her travel companion, Big Red, Range Rover Sport); easy to tow (good fuel economy); and opens up to an extremely comfortable sleeping and living area. The name? Agustina (feminine version of Augustine) means great or magnificent; a very apt name. The ‘Ag’ is a chemist’s insider reference to her wonderful silver coating. We had to wait a year for Agustina (we all know the trials and travails of the supply of almost everything these days), but the wait was worth it.
To read the full article, please click here.