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In January I reported on an adventure trip to the top of the world--Nepal. This month I have an overview of another type of adventure travel--Down Under. There I experienced a type of travel designed to keep you young at heart.
I booked a coach trip from Cairns to Alice Springs with Down Under Tours. This was a new offering for them--the Desert Venture. To promote the new itinerary, the current fares are offered at a two-for-one price. In addition to the basic fare, each passenger also chips in for a meal kitty. Travel is on a forty-passenger air-conditioned coach and the trip takes three full days. Our lunch tucker was basic: sandwiches, fruit and punch with everyone pitching in to carry the food to the selected picnic table, make minimal preparations and clean up after the meal. The first night we camped in the Sunset Caravan Park in Karumba. We had two campsites, pitched our two-person tents ourselves and slept in swags. That evening we ate at a local restaurant, ordered from the menu and paid for the meal with a meal voucher. In the morning our hosts served a light breakfast under the trees. The second night we were at Camoweel and stayed in a genuine Outback hotel. (This was not a scheduled stop but necessitated that week by earlier unseasonable rains that washed out the planned route via the Plenty Highway to Urandangie.) An excellent dinner that evening was from a set menu and breakfast again was light. The third night we were in Alice Springs and the company treated us to a pizza supper at one of the local backpacker lodges. The great distance from Cairns to Alice Springs does not allow for a lot of sightseeing along the way although our bus driver was willing to make photo stops whenever the highway shoulders allowed him sufficient room to pull the coach off the bitumin. The bus is scheduled to arrive in Karumba for the renown sunset and time at the Devil's Marbles is also included. The venture is currently still under construction and the company is open to suggestions. However it's done, the cross-country drive is spectacular in terms of scenery, wildlife and a true taste of the Outback. It's also economical and comfortable. My fellow travelers were ten young people who were not born when Nixon resigned--that will keep you young!
The copyright of the article Adventures Down Under in Golden Years is owned by Sharon Tabor Warren. Permission to republish Adventures Down Under in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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