Auspano Australian Travels

Traveling Australia is an adventure in its own right. As big as the US lower 49 states, bigger than Europe, the country changes from snow covered hills to rain-forest, city and desert. Australia has many beautiful locations, and many legendary ones. Finding the real Australia comes through trying to visit as many of these locations as possible, and that means staying and traveling in many unusual situations.

Canberra - South Coast

During Covid Geoff was working in Canberra. As covid finished, Jenny and Geoff went back to Melbourne, but taking the slow scenic route. From Canberra to Batemans Bay (down the infamous Browns Mountain) to Narooma. We spent a day at Narooma, then onto Tilba Tilba, Bermagui, Bega, Eden, Malacoota and then back to Melbourne.

Queensland

Oodnadatta

The Oodnadatta trip was a combination Silo Art and Outback trip. From Melbourne we went to Horsham to start the Silo Art trail. Basing ourselves in Horsham Caravan Park, we visited Horsham Silo, and xxx. Leaving Horsham we went to one of the places I most wanted to see in Victoria - the Murtoa Stick Shed. This was fantastic. Murtoa also has a nice Silo, but this was akward to photograph.

Mallacoota

The 2024 Mogfest was held in Malacoota. We did not intend to go this year, as our Mog was not yet set up for either camping or towing the caravan. (by 2025 it should be able to do both) However, I did have my Mog in Canberra (Queanbeyan) at Mog Central to get the Overdrive fitted. While it was there, I also got Ben to do some other jobs (tyres, battery boxes, install reciever, turbo & exhaust). That meant that Ben finished just before Mog fest. Instead of me flying to Canberra to pick it up, Ben offered to drive it down to Mallacoota. Jenny and I quickly arranged some hotel accomodation and attended.

For those that have not been to Malacoota, it is located at the far eastern end of Victoria - only a few k's from NSW & Eden, and is a great spot for a holiday. It has fishing, (hire) boating on the inlets, lots of lakes, lots of beaches, and one very nice pub.

Most of the Mogs stayed at the Caravan park. This is one of the biggest I have seen - nearly a kilometer long, and it runs along the inlet, so everyone is within 50m or so of the water. The area has Museums, birdlife, wildlife and scenery. One the Melbourne side it also has two large trestle bridges. There are a number of 4x4 tracks in the area, but I for one did not try any of them.

Ben drove the Mog 477km. ("Up hill and down dale at 100k/hr") I then drove it just over 500k's back to Melbourne - sitting on 100k/hr the whole way. The fuel consumption over both of those trips was 23.61 l/100k. I am not sure how this compares to other Mogs at 100k/hr as not many will do that speed :-). I could drop my speed to 80k/hr to do a comparitive fuel consumption - but that is not going to happen.