We all felt it during the lockdowns and height of the pandemic... the feeling to just drop everything and live life on the road. But for most of us, we didn't do it. But what about those who did?
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Episode Transcript
Months into a new COVID world, Ray Cox set out
on a great adventure. For years he had called Newcastle home,
but that was all about to change. I'm Amanda Kella
and wherever you may roam, this is brain fuel great
Ozzie stories from the road, fueled by Ampholt, Australia's own.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
So I'm currently in Perth. More specifically, I am in
South Perth on BuJo, what did Jack Land?
Speaker 3 (00:31):
I think I'm not one hundred percent on pronunciation.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Many of us have thought about it, giving the middle
finger to our nine to five life. Hopping in an
RV and traveling the country. We'd see a different town
every day, sample all the unfamiliar country bakeries, and make
new friends along the way.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
For Ray, the.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Journey was the culmination of a lifetime of plans and dreams.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I think probably my urge to do a road trip
around Australia started when I watched Billy Connolly's work tour
of Australia, when I.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Was like ten.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
This is massive continent and there's so much to explore,
and there's so few people here, and so few people
that have seen even like a small percentage of Australia.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
He bought a caravan and fitted it out.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Almost everything can run on USB power, from the faery
lights to a small fan for summer, and there's a
solar panel to drink in all that great Aussie sun.
With the van ready to go and packed with everything
he needed for life on the road, Ray set out
from Newcastle headed for Queensland.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
So I left Newcastle and then I traveled up to Queensland.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Then down to Melbourne and then back.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
To Newcastle, cross to Broken Hill, Mudgie and Walden into Adelaide,
the bottom.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Of South Australia near the Limezone coast, and stuff.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Up to Alice Springs, up to Catherine, to Darwin, back
to to Catherine, across the Broom, down.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
To Coral Bay and now I'm in Perth.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Rai's plan well to cover as much ground as possible,
taking in the many sights, sounds, smells and tastes on offer,
and he's certainly done that. With so much to see,
the average day takes in plenty of bitumen.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
If it's a traveling day, I just travel and you know,
maybe I'll do some exploring and I try to follow tangents.
Although I do really like driving, I don't drive at night.
That's my rule. So I try to find a place
at about four pm. If I don't know where I'm
sleeping by four pm, then we're in trouble.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Rai's been on the road for six months now and
the journey is coming to a close. In a couple
of months he'll head home to Newcastle and the van
will hang up its boots for now, so as the
return trip looms.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
What have been some of the highlights.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
So I went to Barunga Festival just outside of Catherine.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
It's like an indigenous cultural festival and music festival and
things like that, so that was really cool to go to.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I hadn't been to a thing like that Berfore.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I did see a bunch of stingrays going to Exmouth
and to the Ningaloo Reef was amazing. Crossing South Australia
and things like that. And lifelong dream of mine driving
the Nulla Boar. I've wanted to do that fat so long,
So excited to do that.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Like Billy Connolly Burke and Wills and the Wiggles. Ray's
now part of an exclusive club of people lucky enough
to have seen this great brown land.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
But after so much planning, has the trip lived up
to his expectations.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I spent a lot of time thinking about like the
realities of what it would be like and understanding that
it wasn't going to be fun all the time.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Well that's not true.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
It is fun all the time, from where you lay
your head to whatever your journey, and Poul is all
that gets you there. Make sure you follow our adventures
for free in your favorite podcast app. I'm a Mandatella
and this is brain Fuel.
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